#HE LIVES IN A CAR SHOP THERE’S NO WAY HE DOESN’T ( SHAKING THE BARS )

[ryoukio]

Ik Emizel is a city kid but in my head he drives a Land Cruiser and goes off roading with the gang instead of going to school.

[monzabee]

a vettel and a schumacher walk into a bar – ms47

masterlist || part 2 ||

Summary: The one where Mick is dating Seb’s eldest daughter, but forgets to mention this to his mentor and close friend. Another problem? He can’t seem to keep his eyes (or his hands) off of you.

Pairing: mick schumacher x vettel!reader

Word Count: 3308

Warnings: sweet angel baby mick, fluff, slight angst, seb and hanna being the coolest parents ever, haas trauma, sexual innuendos (made by mick, gasp!), allusions to sex, mentions of teen pregnancy, google translate german + my dad as a german dictionary (beware!)

Request: “Could I request a smau where mick is dating Seb’s daughter but like Seb doesn’t know and he’s trying to play wingman to get the two together and when they reveal they’re together he’s like really happy for them (sorry if this is confusing I hope you get what I mean😭😂) and if you do choose to write this thank you ❤️”

Author’s Note: hi, hey, hello!! i kind of changed this request a little bit, but only because i will be doing a part 2 as a social media au to follow this in the following days, so i hope it is okay. i always enjoy reading mick fics with vettel!reader and seeing the dynamic between the couple and seb in those, so it was very fun for me to write this. thank you anon, for your request and hopefully you don’t mind that i’ve changed it a little bit. i hope you guys enjoy! good morning, noon or night wherever you are, xoxobee

Please also note that all of my works are protected under copyright, and not available for reposting on other platforms. 

One of the cool things about you and your parents is the fact that you have a very honest relationship. Maybe it’s the fact that they had you when they were both, basically, teenagers, but there is no secrets kept on either part of the relationship. So the bad thing is, you don’t really know why and how you haven’t told your parents yet – you know, considering the fact that you do tell them everything. Your dad accidently washed and shrinked your favourite jumper? He apologizes and tells you he’ll take you shopping. You accidentally hit your car while parallel parking? You tell your mom and she tells you she’ll deal with it. You’re dating your father’s idol’s only son, who happens to be one of his friends,  and forgot to tell your dad? Yeah, that’s not that simple. 

“We need to tell him.” You say to Mick, pacing around in your room whilst he driver is sat on the couch in your parents’ living room. 

“Of course we have to tell him, but how?” Mick muses, his knee bouncing up and down with anxiety. “Jesus, how did we forget to tell him? It’s Seb!”

“I know it’s ‘Seb’! He’s also my father!” You exclaim, hands nervously going to your hair to pull at the roots. “Mick… I think I’m going to be sick.” 

“Hey, hey, no.” He shushes, getting up and walking towards you. “It’s going to be okay, hase.” He assures you while gently prying your hands from your hair. 

You scrunch your nose, a unapproving hum leaves your lips. “Why must you call me that?” 

“Because you look like a bunny when you scrunch your nose, which is always.” He explains, shrugging as he presses a kiss against your cheek and sits back down. “When you’re smiling, when you’re angry, when you’re confused, when you’re about to cu–” 

“Mick!” You exclaim, eyes widening because of the way he was about to conclude his thoughts. 

He has an innocent look on his face as he asks, “What? I was going to say when you’re about to cumulate.” He carries on the expression for a few seconds, letting the small smirk take over his lips afterwards as he eyes you. 

“I’m not letting you touch me for a week, Schumacher.” You announce, shaking your head as you leave the living room to go to the kitchen to get yourself a drink. “How’s that for cumulating?” 

“Hase, I was joking!” 

The fact that your dad is officially ‘retired’ means that you can spend much more time as a family, which makes him very happy. You make a conscious effort to be home with your sisters and parents in Switzerland when you get breaks from university so the whole family can spend some quality time together. So there you are, all five of you sat in your parents’ backyard around the patio table, enjoying an early dinner. And though you absolutely adore the time you get to spend as a family nowadays, it’s hard to partake in conversation or appear interested in the slightest when your brain is focused on a certain someone with the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. 

“Honey, pass the salad, please?” Your father asks from the head of the table. 

You pass him the bowl without meeting his eyes, or showing any kind of interest. “Sure, dad, there you go.”

“Thanks, honey.” You dad mumbles, sharing a look with your mother and waiting for you to make another comment – he’s confused when it doesn’t come. “No comment? No rolling eyes? No ‘get it on your own, old man’? Hanna, are you seeing this? I think we finally broke Y/N!” 

Your mom rolls her eyes while lightly slapping your dad’s arm. “Are you feeling okay, kleine biene?”

“Are you sick, liebling?” Sebastian asks, and then turns to Matilda. “Do you want to check if she’s okay, Doctor?” 

“Yeah, I’m just tired, I think.” You assure them, giving a small smile to Matilda who’s already taking out her (toy) statoscope to check your heartbeat. 

“Shhh!” She shushes you as she focuses on listening to your heartbeat, and you share a knowing look with the other members of your family, all four of you intend to entertain Matilda’s new obsession. “She’s fine, papa, her heart is beating so fast!” 

“She’s sitting down, Matilda, why would her heart beat so fast?” Emily questions from her place next to your mother, shooting an unamused look to your youngest sister who sits next to you. 

“Be nice, Em.” You chastise her, shaking your head slowly. “Thank you, Doc.” You ruffle Matilda’s hair as she beams up at you. Then, you turn to your dad with a playful look on your face. “Next time, I’m not being nice and handing things to you, just so you know.” 

It’s much later, and you’re in your room working on a piece you need to get done for your art class, when your mother knocks at your door. She comes in with a calm smile on her face when you answer the door. “It almost looks finished!” She beams, standing behind your chair as she studies the piece. 

“I just need to work on the shadows… I think.” You mumble, tilting your head to the side to look at it from another perspective. “I don’t know, mama, I feel like my eyes are about to explode. Remind me why I chose art, again?” 

“I think you were going through a rebellious phase and wanted choose something furthest away from engineering.” She explains, then she takes the paintbrush in your hand and places in the cup filled with water which you used to rinse out your brush. “I wanted to speak to you about something.” 

“Oh god, this takes me back to high school.” You whine, spinning in your chair to look at her. “Am I in trouble?” 

“Honey, you’re past the point where I can tell you you’re in trouble or not.” She takes a deep breath. “I wished you would stay my little girl forever, but unfortunately, you grew up to be this kind, considerate young woman I hardly recognise anymore.” She jokes as she sits down across from you on your bed. 

“Good thing we still have Emmy and Tilly, then.” You smile, pointing to the door. “Are they asleep?”

She chuckles. “They went out immediately, your dad was telling them the story of the ‘Happy Tree’.” 

Your hands move towards your cheeks, a laugh escaping you. “Oh no, not the story of the ‘Happy Tree’.” ‘Happy Tree’ being a childhood story your dad made up to put you to sleep when you were particularly being difficult as a kid, the entire story aiming to put you to sleep by being the most boring thing you’ve ever heard. You’re pretty sure at some part of the story your dad just counts – claiming that it is the age rings of the ‘Happy Tree’. 

“Yeah, they didn’t stand a chance.” Hanna laughs. “Now, tell me what’s been bothering you.” 

“Nothing, mama, really. I’m just stressed because I need to finish this before I go back.” You try your best to assure her. “Where’s dad anyway?”

She waves her hand and shrugs. “Who knows? He was going to talk to Mick before we went to bed the last time I saw him.” 

“Mick?” You ask – a little too quickly for your mom to not notice the way your cheeks light up at the mention of the driver. You fake a cough to hide the any noticeable reactions. “I didn’t know he was back.”

Hanna eyes you with a suspicious look. “I think his plane landed a few hours ago, he took an earlier one.” 

“Oh, okay then.” You mumble, your expression visibly falling tells your mother everything she needs to know. 

“I thought you’d be happier to hear that he’s back, honey.” You mother tells, you confused. 

“I am– I mean, we’re friends.” You shrug. 

“Just friends?” Your mother asks, expecting for you to finally admit your feelings for the boy. 

You take a deep breath and look at your mom with a guilty expression. “Mama, I have to tell you something.”

“Lieber Gott, stay right there,” She exclaims, running out of your room, “I’m going to get ice-cream!” Needless to say, your mother is very happy to hear that you’re in a relationship with your boyfriend.

After Mick’s plans of surprising you were ruined by your mom, the two of you decide to spend the weekend together to make up for the past two weeks Mick’s been away. Since you can’t tell your dad where you’re actually going, you tell him that you’re going camping with some of your friends from high school; you mom gives you a knowing look, and a shake of her head. Though it makes you feel guilty, you promise yourself that you will talk to Mick this weekend and come clean to your father afterwards about the fact that the two of you are dating. 

So there the two of you are, laying in his bed on a Saturday morning after the not so innocent activities of last night. There is an unusual feeling of heaviness across your chest when you wake up, which causes you to wake up groggier than usual. Your eyes are unfocused at first, causing you to scrunch up your face in discomfort as you try and get used to the light in the room. Once your eyes are feeling better, you let them look around Mick’s  bedroom, which is surprisingly tidy for a man, you realize. Eventually your eyes fall on the sleeping driver next to you, on his stomach while his arm is pinning you down on the bed next to him. You let your body twists towards Mick, seeking the warmth of his body even though the covers over your body provides the same. Even in his sleepy state, he accommodates your body, pulling you towards him and cuddling you in a way which makes you feel as if you’re in a safe cocoon consisting of Mick. Your eyes close by themselves, the warmth surrounding you combined with Mick’s steady breathing lulling you into another sleep, when his fingers start to draw mindless shapes across your naked back and there is a small smile on his face as if he’s trying to keep his laughter in. 

“You’re watching me, hase.” He mumbles, keeping his eyes closed even though he lets you know he’s awake. “It’s creepy.” 

“No it’s not.” You argue with a small pout on your face. “You watch me sleep all the time when you wake up early to work out.” 

“How would you know if you’re sleeping?” He asks, his arm pulling you even closer to his body. 

You laugh, lifting a finger to trace his facial features as you mumble. “You not denying it gives me all the approval I need.” You’re almost done with his lips when he nips at the skin and then presses a soft kiss as an apology, making you giggle as you watch him sleepily. 

“Morning, liebe.” Mick croaks out, his eyes opening and slowly focusing on you as they get use to the light. 

You smile at him going through the same thing you did just minutes ago, pressing a small kiss to his lower lip and leaning your forehead against his. “Morning, Mickey.” 

He smiles back at you at your use of the nickname, his groan making you smile even wider and consequently scrunching up your face. “There’s my smile.” He murmurs, lifting your chin with his fingers and pressing his lips to yours. Unlike your earlier kiss, he deepens it by sliding his tongue into your mouth, and smiles into the kiss as you let out a small moan voicing your approval. When he does eventually pull back, there is an amused smile on his face as you chase his lips for more. “More? Didn’t I do a good job last night?”

You laugh mischievously as you shake your head ‘no’, which causes his eyes to darken in return as he slides his fingers down to your neck to wrap his hand around it gently. “Don’t blame yourself, I know you’ve missed me so you were excited last night.” 

“I did miss you,” He affirms, eyes still locked to yours as his gaze carries a sense of seriousness. “But I’m not doing a good enough job if you’re asking for more, am I?” He tightens his hand, although not by much that it cuts of your circulation, but enough to erase your playful expression. “Can’t have my girl dissatisfied.” 

“Mick,” You moan, his name coming from your mouth encouraging him to move down on your body towards where you need the most. But although you need him, you are reminded by grave reality where the two of you need to come clean to your father. “My mother knows.” The words come out from your mouth slurred together, as if you are in a hurry to get them out before they explode within you. 

Mick’s eyes widen so much that you worry they are going to pop out from their sockets. He quickly takes his hand off from around your neck and scrambles to get off of you, quickly letting himself fall on the bed and turn to you in a sitting position while clutching his grey sheets around the lower half of his body. “You told your– Well, that’s good isn’t it? How did she react?” 

“She was happy, Mick. So, so happy.” You tell him, deciding not to make him suffer after seeing the slight insecurity in his eyes. “You know they both adore you.” You take a deep breath, worry seeping into your expression. “I just don’t want my dad to think we’ve kept this from him on purpose.” 

“He won’t, hase.” He shakes his head and he lies down on the bed, his body turned towards you. “You know how much he loves you; he won’t think we deliberately hid this from him.” 

“I hope so.” You sigh, cuddling into his body as you keep on mumbling. “I’ve never kept a secret from him my entire life, Mick. I can’t keep hiding us.” 

There is a determined look on his face as he speaks. “You won’t have to; we’ll tell him when I drive you back.” 

“But… I drove here in my own car?” You point out. 

“Then I’ll have to drive you back in your own car, darling.” 

Your hands are shaky when the two of you stand in front of the front door to your parents’ house. It’s weird to think how nervous you are to enter the house, given the fact that it is the house you spend most of your life in, and that Mick has been over a thousand times as your guest and as your parents’. You take a deep breath as you enter the house and call out to your parent’s, “I’m home!” 

There’s a silence before an answer comes, “We’re in the kitchen!”

You and Mick share look as the two of you walk towards the kitchen, his hand is on the small of your back the entire time as a support. You stick your head through the kitchen door to see your parents sitting on the island, looking through some architectural design magazine. Sebastian smiles at you as he sees you enter the kitchen. “Hello, honey, why are you back so early? I thought you were going to camp all weekend.” 

There is a guilty expression on your face as you link your hands behind your back, just as you used to do when you got in trouble as a kid. “I didn’t go camping this weekend, dad.” 

“You didn’t?” He asks, confused. He turns back at you after he shares a look with your mom. “Where were you, then?”

You stay silent as you take a couple steps back to pull a guilty-looking Mick into the kitchen. “I was with Mick.” You mumble. 

The change of expressions on your dad’s face is interesting – first it turns confused, then enlightened, and worried, and then confused again. You hear him ask, “The guy you’re dating is Mick?”

“You knew I was dating someone?” You turn to your mom with a sense of betrayal. “Mama!”

“I didn’t tell him anything!” She defends herself, at the same time your dad exclaims; “You knew she was dating him?” 

He then turns you with a sad look in his eyes. “You told your mother but not me?” 

“I didn’t mean for this to happen–” You try to explain, but then turn to your boyfriend with an overwhelmed groan. “Help me!”

“We forgot!” Mick exclaims, there is an apprehensive look on his face. “It just happened so fast and we forgot to tell you, but it’s not that we wanted to keep it from you.” 

“When– When did this happen?” Sebastian asks as he shakes his head slowly, trying to comprehend the situation. 

“Last year in Abu Dhabi, after you told me I should stay for a bit.” You explain, somehow scooting yourself closer to Mick without being aware of doing do. 

“I did this?” Your dad asks. Then, he turns to your mom and grabs his cheeks with his hand. “Oh no, honey, as if that was my entire plan the whole time.” 

“Wait a minute– what?” You ask him, jaw slacked. 

“You planned all of this?” Mick asks your father with the same amount of shock. 

“Oh come on,” Your dad laughs. “The two of you already fancied each other long before I got involved – and it turned out to be fine!” 

“Papa!” You exclaim, eyes widening. “This is real life; you can’t strategize with people’s relationships!” 

“I’m so confused right now.” Mick mumbles to you, which earns him a glare. 

“What would have happened if we didn’t end up together?” You ask Sebastian, which melts his hear to hear paired with the concerned look on your face. 

“Then you would’ve stayed good friends.” He replies with a shrug. “Honey, I could see that you both clearly had feelings each other and that’s why I decided to play the matchmaker, you have nothing to worry about.” 

“He’s right, hase.” Mick sighs, as he wraps his arm around your shoulders. “I mean, his plan worked.” 

“I know it worked.” You grumble. “Do you know how guilty I felt because I didn’t tell you when it happened in the first place?” 

“Good,” Your dad nods. “It shows that I’ve raised a good kid.” 

You sigh as you watch your parents laugh over the incident, Mick joining them a few moments later which prompts you to do the same. Your mom gets up from her place as she turns towards the two of you. “Do you guys wanna stay for dinner? We were about to make burgers.” 

“Oh yeah, dad owes us plenty of those after the emotional damage he put us through.” You announce, kissing Mick on the cheek and joining your mom to help her prepare dinner. 

“I like retirement,” Your dad mumbles to himself. 

“I give you one season, old man.” You smirk. “You won’t be able to stay behind when you’ve been behind a wheel since you were eight years old.” 

“She’s got you there, Seb.” Mick laughs as he takes a place on the island. 

“Oh no, is Mick taking your side going to be an ongoing thing?” Sebastian asks with a grimace. 

“What can I say?” Mick shrugs. “I am a good boyfriend.”

“The best.” You agree, while you lock eyes across the room. Your parents share a knowing look between the two of them. Needless to say, it turns out that your dad is also very happy to ‘learn’ that you’re dating Mick. 

[dragonnarrative-writes]

Autumn Embers Verse

Omegaverse AU where people who are compatible have complementary scents.

Your friends assure you that the bar they’re dragging you to is nicer than it looks online. You highly doubt that, but you’re willing to go along until the three of them get bored and decide to get a car to the club district. And they will get bored, because you recognize the name and address that they’re trying to go to. You’ve never been, but some of your new coworkers on the base have invited you out for drinks and pool.

When Christie flounces out in a bright pink mini-dress, you can’t help but grin. “You look great. Super cute. But I don’t think that’s the vibe of the bar.”

Admittedly, you’re dressed a bit less conservatively than the bar might call for. But you feel cute in your black skater skirt and white top. Styled with floral lace stockings, boots, and silver jewelry, it’s more dressing up than you’ve been able to do in the last 6 months.

“I’m not dressing for the military bar,” Christie says, checking her makeup in the hall mirror before dropping on the couch next to you. She tosses her brown hair over one shoulder and pulls out her phone to order a car. “I’m dressing for when Mel and Jack decide they’re done shopping for alphas and want to go to the club.”

“Military packs are already cohesive,” Jack sniffs, emerging from the hall in cute jeans, a mesh top, and a sensible jacket. Behind him, Mel is dressed very similarly, though they’ve opted for cargo pants. “It’s not impossible that we might find a couple of someones who might be interesting.”

“If nothing else, they’ll buy you drinks,” you concede. “Pretty sure they have pool tables. If there’s one open, maybe we play a couple of rounds. Give Jack a chance to bend over and show off.”

The car, when it arrives, is a little small, but the four of you pile in gamely. You sit in the front, since your hips need the room. The driver gives a smile and a nod through his cloth mask and starts driving as soon as your seatbelt is secure. You reflexively drop the window a bit, though it’s already open. It makes sense - driving groups around all night definitely lends itself to a lot of conflicting scents.

In the back, Chrissy’s floral omega scent plays well with Jack and Mel’s sweet beta and omega mix. The very subtle floral notes of your own scent don’t clash too badly, but the base note of charcoal does sometimes leave people’s noses a bit confused. You catch the moment the driver catches a hint of your scent and darts a look at you, but he doesn’t say anything. You occupy yourself on your phone for the fifteen minute drive, tuning out Chrissie and Jack’s complaints about work.

When you arrive, the bar is just about what you expected. Run-down in a lived-in kind of way but clean. Dim and quiet. The exact opposite of Jack and Chrissie, but that doesn’t stop them from swanning in through the doors and making their way immediately to the bar. You and Mel follow behind. You make eye contact with a couple of people you kind of recognize, give a quirk of a smile as a greeting.

By the time you’ve decided what to drink, Chrissie and Jack have already charmed a trio of alphas into conversation and a promised game of pool. Mel leans into Jack’s back and introduces themself in their quiet way. You give your name with a wave before ordering a whiskey sour.

“Put their drinks on our tab,” one of the alphas says. He holds his hand out to you to shake. “Daniels. I’ve seen you on base before, yeah?”

“I’ve been working admin for a couple of months,” you confirm as you shake his hand. He’s polite enough not to try to rub wrists on a first meeting, at least. His scent reminds you of the bakery near your house. “It’s not a bad job.”

Once everyone has their drinks and the group makes their way over to one of the open pool tables, you think you could have a pretty good night. Daniels and his friends, Bennet and Bakshi, are actually pretty fun. They’re obviously flirting with Chrissie and Jack (and Mel, by extension), but they’re not ignoring you. Daniels and Bakshi, at least, include you in the conversation and ask questions about your job, how you all know each other, where you’re from.

When Bakshi manages to pull Mel into a conversation about video games and cyber security, you and Chrissie excuse yourselves to the restroom.

“I should have worn jeans,” she sighs. “This is really fun, but kind of a waste of an outfit.”

You’re about to laugh when you pass by a table and make eye contact with a man you’ve only seen in passing before. You recognize Sergent MacTavish by his mohawk, and give him a little half smile. Then you notice Captain Price and Sergent Garrick. The blond in a skull themed cloth mask can only be Lieutenant Riley. You give all four of them a startled little nod of acknowledgment, and then Chrissie is tugging you into the bathroom.

You’ve never met anyone from Task Force 141 before. Any time you’ve heard of them, at least two have been sent off somewhere across the world. You don’t have the clearance to deal with any of their reports, but you know enough to understand that they’re practically rock stars.

“Five quid, Jack and Mel have all three of their numbers by the end of the night,” Chrissie interrupts your musing as she checks her makeup in the mirror. As usual, she’s perfect, and you hear her take a selfie.

“Ten quid, Bennet asks for yours,” you counter from the stall.

“No bet, he’s already asked.” Chrissie answers. “But he’s a tool.”

“You like tools.”

“That’s true. It’s the muscles.” she agrees. “If he asks me on a proper date, I won’t say no.”

“Not a waste of a dress, then,” you point out before flushing and making your way to wash your hands. “Is he wearing scent blockers? I can’t get a bead on him.”

“He’s a subtle bit of tobacco leaf. Bakshi is nutmeg and Daniels-”

“Daniels smells like fresh bread,” you finish.

“Oh, ho, ho,” Chrissie chuckles, leaning her hip on the counter as you wash your hands. “Took notice did you?”

“We shook hands.” You roll your eyes. “Kind of hard not to notice.” When you step out of the bathroom, you’re startled to see Sergent MacTavish leaning against the wall on his phone. His eyes snap up to yours and he stands up to his full height. He’s bigger than you expected, and you find yourself helpless to hold his stare. When he smiles, you feel yourself flush.

“Evenin’, bonnie lass,” he says, after a moment. “C’n I get a moment of your time?”

Chrissie practically skips the couple of steps away to stand at the entrance of the hall leading to the bathrooms. She doesn’t quite abandon you with a strange alpha, but she does turn her back and pull out her phone.

Before you can comment on her absence, or introduce yourself, or even think about what to say, MacTavish has stepped close. His scent, something warm and earthy and somehow also floral, floods your senses. At the same time, he leans down to hover his nose just short of touching your temple. You can’t help but blush harder at how bold he’s being. The way he takes your scent into his lungs is just this side of vulgar.

“So it has been you we’ve been scenting around base,” he chuckles, taking a deliberate step back and leaning back against the wall again. He crosses big arms across his chest and smiles. “Gaz’s been tying himself in knots trying to catch more than faded hints near the caf’.”

What are you supposed to say to that? “…Sorry? I’m new to the base.”

He grins. “Well, I’m glad you’re around. Sergent MacTavish.” He doesn’t offer his hand, but considering the how rude he was before, it’s not like he needs to.

You stammer an introduction and decide to make your retreat. “It was, um, nice to meet you, Sergent. I have to get back to my friends.” “Be seeing you around, hen,” he says, and doesn’t move as you make your retreat.

As soon as you’re clear of the hall, you make the mistake of looking that the 141’s table. All of their eyes snap to your face as soon as you’re visible. You almost freeze under their attention, but Chrissie rescues you. She takes your arm and practically marches you across the bar to rejoin Jack and Mel, who immediately pull you close to drag you into some debate about music.

You can’t contribute much to the conversation. Thank goodness for Chrissie, who gleefully carries the discussion. You’re too distracted to do much more than give vague agreements for a long time.

At the end of the night, when you and your friends leave the bar, you chance a glance toward the 141’s table. Four pairs of eyes stare back.

[grey-sides]

Lonely, Steve thinks. And then thinks, dumbass.

He’s twenty, he’s had four dates over the past two weeks and gotten laid twice. He still hangs out with Robin, between shifts at work, and Dustin had talked his ear off three nights ago about a project for school.

Still, the lonely lingers in the back of his mind. He tells Robin stuff, all his thoughts and feelings, and she does take them seriously. But she’s busy too, flirting and sneaking off with Heather. And Steve is…lonely.

He feels like he hasn’t had anyone to talk to since Nancy. Which is dumb and lame because half the time she wasn’t listening. But it was easier with her. Easy to tell her what he thought when she would sit in front of him, working on something for the school newspaper.

He’s tired of being lonely. He could call Dustin, but that’s a new low, even for him. They’re friends, but they’re not those kind of friends. And Dustin will probably ask why he’s not out with some girl.

The girls are nice, pretty, and they usually listen. But Steve hasn’t clicked with any of them. He’s been unfair, comparing them to Nancy and Robin. But those are his bars and it takes a lot to cross them.

He swings his keys around his finger a couple of times, standing halfway between the living room and the garage door. He could go out, try and pick someone up or take a drive.

All this freedom and nowhere to go. Plenty of guys his age would kill to have this kind of freedom. Steve would just kill to have someone to talk to, with the lights off, the room cozy around them.

He sighs, flicks off the living room light on his way out. It’s only eight, but it’s dark out, so he turns on his headlights when he climbs in his car.

Steve doesn’t have a direction, like he’s spent so much of his life living. He just starts driving, down back roads and around curves that he knows like the back of his hand.

Hawkins is familiar and seeing it’s lights dims the loneliness in his heart some. He wants to travel, but he’s afraid that if he leaves, he won’t recognize the town anymore when he comes back.

People move on, they change, and the shops change, and Steve feels like he doesn’t change with it. And if he leaves, it’ll really highlight how stagnant he’s become.

He turns onto the dirt road that leads out to the quarry. Once upon a time, Hopper tried to keep it cordoned off so the local teenagers would stay the hell away. But he gave up awhile ago when the county kept telling him the fence budget was too high.

Steve leaves his car at the treeline, parked off to the side and starts to walk out to the quarry. It’s pretty out here at night, quiet save for the bugs and the owls. And the sky is clear, so when he lays back to look up at it, the stars shine bright.

He does just that, towards the edge, spread eagle across the ground. Maybe he should learn about astronomy- that could be a nice date, show a girl that he knows all the cosmos.

He lays there for what feels like hours until he hears a car pull up. Steve gets to his feet so he doesn’t get run over, tugs his keys out so he can leave. It’s probably someone coming to park, he doesn’t need to get in the way.

“Harrington?” a familiar voice calls out when Steve stands up and faces the car.

Billy Hargrove, back from the dead, and less mean than ever. He’s still hanging around Hawkins and Steve can only assume that has a helluva lot to do with Max. He looks well, from what Steve can see of him. He has seen him, a handful of times. They nod, more comfortably than they did before the Mindflayer.

“Hargrove,” Steve greets, stops in his tracks. The Camaro is gone, but Billy has a nice GTO now that Steve swears he’s not jealous of.

“You doing anything tonight?”

Steve gestures to the still air around him and shakes his head. “Just looking at the stars.”

Billy nods, shuts his door and stomps over to stand in front of Steve. He’s still loud, his presence is still commanding, but he doesn’t seem to crave the attention like he used to. Like he got too much attention all at once and he’s good for another few years.

Steve cracks a half smile at him and sticks his hands in his pockets. “Nice night, huh?”

Billy looks bored by the conversation already and he grabs the collar of Steve’s jacket to tug on it. Maybe…well, maybe he still wants some attention.

“Sure, weather’s fucking peachy,” Billy scoffs, rolling his eyes. “You bring anything fun to do out here?”

Steve gestures upwards, looking up at the sky. “The stars!”

Billy heaves a great big sigh and walks around Steve to flop onto the ground. He stretches his arms out and looks up at the sky. “Alright, tell me about the stars then.”

Steve flushes and he’s grateful for the relative dark because Billy probably can’t see it across his face. “Well, they’re uh…in the sky.”

Billy snorts, wraps his arms around his middle and starts to full belly laugh. And the sound is…nice, not like his mean snickers when he would tease Steve in the showers.

“They sure are, Steve,” Billy replies when he gets his giggles under control. His cheeks are split wide and Steve can see the white of his teeth.

Steve sits down heavily beside Billy and shoves him lightly. Hargrove still has fast reflexes though, so he snatches at Steve’s hand and pins it under his back. He wiggles a bit to settle and points upwards.

“Pretty sure that’s the North Star.”

Steve blinks and raises his brows. He lays back slowly so he doesn’t twist his shoulder, but doesn’t try to pull his hand back. It feels…nice under Billy’s warm back.

“Really?”

Billy laughs again and shakes his head. “Nah, I’m making shit up. You wanna make up shit too?”

Fuck yeah Steve does. He points with his free hand at the sky, over five stars. “See those five?” When he feels Billy nod, he continues. “That is Bigus Dickus.”

Billy laughs again, rolling onto his side so more of Steve’s arm is pinned. He shoves at Steve’s chest and shakes his head. “Yeah like you’d know.”

Steve’s cheeks flame up again and he glances side long at Billy. “Guess I would, wouldn’t I?”

Because he knows what he’s working with and apparently Billy does too. Makes sense, they’ve been naked in the showers before.

“I mean, I get it now- why you’ve been on so many dates. Long as you know how to use it.”

And Billy says it in a way that suggests he might want to know if Steve knows how to use it. The thought doesn’t immediately disgust Steve either, which is…new. But not unwelcome.

He clears his throat and stretches his feet out in his shoes, taking a deep breath. He can’t think of anything clever to say, so he just turns his hand to tickle Billy’s back.

Billy laughs and grabs his hand out from underneath him. This time, he holds Steve’s wiggling fingers between both of his and they settle down to stargaze.

“Hey, Billy?” Steve asks, eyes still trained on the world above them.

“Mmhm?”

“Why didn’t you go back to California?”

Billy is quiet for a long time, but his hands keep clenching and relaxing around Steve’s.

“Thought maybe there was more for me here, right now.”

Steve nods and turns his head to study Billy’s profile in the dark, lit up by the moon and the stars. He licks his lips and turns away.

“Maybe there is,” he murmurs. He doesn’t take his hand back and the voice, the lonely in the back of his mind, finally quiets and settles.

[ninchen1909]

The Teacher and the Mob Boss

-Chapter 2-

Warnings: talk about women’s shelter

Word count: ~1900

 After my conversation with Wanda I run towards my car as fast as I could, I just want to go home, lock myself up in my apartment and never leave it again.

My workbag long forgotten in my classroom, I start the engine, and immediately head out of the parking space.

The whole drive home I tried to stay calm, to not get lost in my thoughts, which seem to suffocate me, and I fail miserably at it. The last words Wanda spoke to me before I ran away, live in my head rent free:” The way you just spoke to him (y/n)…he killed people for way less.” I shake my head, trying to get rid of the dark and all consuming words, even though I know Wanda was just stating the truth.

A million thoughts running through my mind: “what should I do now?, Do I have to transfer to a different school? Does he know where I live, he already knows where I work so it’s pretty easy for a man like him to find out, where I live. What does this encounter mean? Does it mean anything at all?

It feels like I’m breaking down under these thoughts. I could still feel his intense stare in the depths of my soul. I had the feeling like he wanted to find out my biggest insecurities and crush me with them.

After what felt like the longest car ride of my life, I finally arrive at my destination. I kill of the engine and don’t waste any time to get inside.

As soon as I close the apartment door behind me I lock it, before leaning my back on it, letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I don’t really know how long I’m standing there like this, just breathing and trying to organize my messy thoughts. And surprisingly it’s working, as soon as the secure feeling, of being in my own home, the place where I always feel safe, hits me, I’m feeling better. Slowly but surely I start to calm down, my heart rate going back to normal. I can feel my muscles relax, and my clouded mind starts to get clear again.

Maybe I’m just overreacting, maybe he has already forgotten about me and he just wanted to stop by the school to meet the teacher who just can’t seem to shut their mouth. I mean the interaction with Barnes was intense, yet very short, would he really care so much about a random teacher who doesn’t fully agree with his way of parenting? I don’t think so. Sure a man like him has other things on his mind and a lot of things to handle.

I push myself away from the door, and start to head towards my living room, after kicking my shoes of.

As I enter said room, my eyes found my laptop, which still lies on my couch, abandoned after yesterday’s online shopping spree. Should I really do it? Do I really want to waste even more time on this guy? Especially after finally calming down?

With a deep sigh, I grab my laptop and open it, just to type the name “James Barnes” in the search bar of my internet browser. Immediately hundreds of articles are showing up. Apparently he’s the owner of one of the biggest Inport and Export companies in the world, which he inherited from his father, James Barnes Senior after he died 5 years ago. His mother’s name is Winnifred Barnes and he has a younger sister named Rose.

Most of the other articles showing him with various different women on his arm, one more beautiful than the last. I roll my eyes at the pictures, of course he’s not only a mob boss but also seemingly the biggest player in our whole country.

Just as I’m about to close my laptop my eyes stop on another article with the headline:”James Barnes builds and finances women’s shelter “I click onto the article and start to read: “Businessman James Barnes, owner and CEO of Barnes Enterprises, builds a shelter for women in need.

Mr. Barnes is quoted as followed: “Every woman who’s suffering from physical, mental or sexual violence through her partner or other members of her family is more than welcomed here. I guarantee you you’re safe here, my excellent team is specially trained to help you through this traumatic phase in your life. We will work together, so you can start your future with strength and without any fear. No woman or child should ever have to endure violence, no matter in which form.”

I don’t really care about the rest of the article anymore, as I’m way too concentrated on Barnes interview. His words make me wonder, if he ever had to endure this kind of violence, something about this interview makes me believe, that this project is personally important for him and not just a way to make him seem like a decent human being to the public. Maybe there’s more to him than he lets people know. After reading the article I don’t know what to think anymore, actually I don’t want to think about him at all. But somehow my thoughts are always going back to him, one side of me wants to get to know the person behind the ruthless mobster reputation, the other side of me however wants to book a one-way ticket to Finland, so I never have to meet him ever again. After my mind starts to go crazy again, I decide to call it a day, and after a really quick nighttime routine. After snuggling up in my purple fuzzy blanket, I try to push all the thoughts aside, by focusing on the bright glow of the moon shining through the windows right into my bedroom.

  The next day begins in a rush, falling asleep in the early morning hours, after tossing and turning around the whole night, wasting my thoughts and my sleep on a curtain blue-eyed mob boss really took a toll on me. I nearly missed the ringing of my alarm, three times in a row, only to immediately jump out of my bed, after checking the time. I rush to get ready for the day, before heading out the front straight towards my car.

Just like yesterday I take the direct way to my classroom, just in time to greet my students, with a fast beating heart I wait for Charlotte to arrive, anxiously looking forward to find out if he will be with her. After about five more minutes I see Charlotte running down the hall towards the classroom: “Good Morning Mrs. (y/l/n) she gives me the same beaming smile like she did yesterday. “Good Morning Charlotte, you are coming alone today?” “yes, Uncle Stevie brought me to the main entrance, but he and my Papa have to talk to a lot of people today, so he didn’t have the time to bring me all the way down here to the classroom.” My stomach drops after hearing her words, still I give her a smile in return “That’s alright, I’m happy you’re here, please take your seat, I’m just going to greet the rest of your classmates, then we going to start with the lessons.” She nods at me and heads into the classroom, why does it bother me, that he’s not here, it’s not like I want to see him right? I mean I’m glad, that I don’t have to face him today. So why is my body reacting like that. I shake my head to get rid of this thoughts. After I welcomed my last students, I close the door to start the lesson.

  The whole day passes by pretty smoothly, and before I know it, the children are on their way home now I just have to pack my workbag, so I can head home too. I’m already walking down the floor towards the main door, when I hear the squeaking of shoes behind me which is soon followed by a “(y/n) wait….” I halt to a stop and turn around: “Seriously Wanda, what is it with running through the school building nowadays?” she just gives me a cheeky grin, but due to the look she gives me, I can, that she’s worried about me:” How are you? I mean after all what happened yesterday… I tried to call you, to check in on you but you never answered you’re phone so I guessed, you didn’t want to talk” She looks at me with an intense stare, looking for any sign of discomfort in my face. “Thank you for trying to check in Wan, but I’m fine, I just needed some time to calm down, but I’m good now. And sorry for not calling you back, I left my phone in my bag, and after running of so quickly yesterday I left my stuff in my classroom.” she gives me a quick nod “no worries, I’m just glad you’re Ok. Stark asked me to find you, he waits for you in his office.” She notices the slight flicker of panic washing over my face, so she quickly continues “he wants to speak to you about the school’s fall festival.”

“Alright, thank you for letting me know: Have a good afternoon.” I give her hand a quick, gentle, squeeze before turning on my heel to head to the headmaster’s office. The door is already wide open, before I can even reach the door, Mr. Stark already tells me to come in.

“Good afternoon Mrs. (y/l/n) please take a seat, he points towards the chairs in front of his desk.

“Hello Mr. Stark, Wanda told me, you want to talk to me about our fall festival.” He gives me a nod: “that’s correct, I think you’re happy to hear, that you don’t have to plan the whole festival on your own. We found a volunteer, well better said he found us, he explicit asked to help you. He also offered to finance everything so you don’t have to worry about the budget. He made it very clear, that you can have everything you want for the festivities.”

I look at him in astonishment, a smile forming on my lips, as I raise from my seat.

“That are really good news. Can I ask who this generous volunteer is, so I can thank him?.

Mr. Starks eyes shift to something behind me, and just as I’m about to turn around, I hear his voice, I immediately froze in my movement. My heart skips a beat only to continue beating twice as fast.

“That would be me, princess, but there is no need to thank me, spending a lot of time with you in the next few weeks, is thank enough.” I take a deep breath, before turning around, and there he is, standing arrogantly in the doorframe, both hands buried in the pockets of his pants. For a brief moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of nervousness in his eyes.

His eyes find mine and “Mr. Barnes.”  his name leaves my lips in a whisper. “Yeah, that’s my name, princess, but I think you should start calling me Bucky, after all we are going to spend a lot of time together.

And right in this moment I realize: I’m screwed

[mollywog]

🎃👻Trick or treat! 👻🎃 A prompt if you like: Katniss and Peeta trying to decide what 'spooky-season' movie to watch. (Whether horror, spooky, creepy, or romcom)

This is not what you asked for… but hopefully still a treat!

In an alternate/alternate modern universe where Haymitch isn’t the potato man, but somewhat of an old man Marley figure. Living alone on a street full of old houses that have fallen into disrepair.

Inspired by part of @bodyelectric77 trick or treat (that I’m still working on 😬)

On Ao3

He enters his kitchen to find the trio looking sullen. He’s not too surprised by the older girl’s scowl, it’s her natural state as far as he can tell, but the frowns on the boy and the little girl’s faces are foreign to him.

Haymitch has heard the rumors about himself: Old Man Abernathy - a drunk, a nut, a felon, a murder, possessed - just like his haunted house. Some of what they say is true, but he doesn’t bother to correct the inaccuracies; the stories keep most people away and that’s how he prefers it. So he was surprised and a little impressed two years ago when the Mellark kid knocked on his door looking for work, offering to do grunt jobs for a couple bucks. By then Haymitch had already had Katniss helping twice a week with the lawn and landscaping, so he’d offhandedly remarked he had nothing for the boy to do unless he wanted to clean his toilets, scrub his gout, and cook his meals. He never expected the boy to agree and to continue to return. Peeta began coming regularly, conveniently matching his schedule to that of the girl, who would often bring her younger sister along. He has found that he quite enjoys the lively chatter of the three teens who invade his house twice a week.

They’d ceased their discussion when he’d entered the room, gloomily staring into their mugs, “Alright, who kicked your puppy?”

The little girl looks as if she’ll speak, but her sister picks up her mug and subtly shakes her head. He turns to the boy, raising an eyebrow.

“It's silly really,” he shrugs, “Prim mentioned the Winter Formal. As a freshman this would be her first chance to go, but I was telling her it probably won’t happen this year. I’m on Student Council.” This doesn’t surprise Haymitch. “In past years we’ve used the school cafeteria for free, but last year someone had the bright idea to set off glitter bombs. It was a nightmare to clean; There’s still blue and silver glitter wedged in every crevice. And now Principal Coin won’t let us use it again as punishment. So if we want the dance this year, we have to have it somewhere else. But even the deposit at The Hob is more than we can afford.”

Haymitch’s struck with a rush of nostalgia: memories of the crappy cafeteria bathed in blue twinkle lights and covered in paper snowflakes as he danced with his girl. He may be old and jaded now, but he can remember how important silly dances we’re back then. He covers his feelings with a pull from his flask, “Can’t you do a fundraiser or some shit? A deposit can’t be more than what… Two hundred bucks? Throw a bake sale.”

The kid huffs in a mixture of annoyance and amusement, “My mom’s on the PTO board. She’s gotten them to ban bake sale fundraisers. Says she’s looking out for local family owned shops who lose business to them.” The kid smirks, “though she never took issue with the wrestling team’s candy bar fundraiser, despite the Donner’s sweet shop next door.”

Haymitch snorts, taking another swig from his flask before continuing, “There are other ways to raise money. What about a carwash?” He doesn’t even have a car, but he remembers them being popular back in his day.

“Who’s going to want to wash cars in this weather?” Katniss snaps gesturing to the window.

“Besides, that’s the cheerleader's thing. There aren’t many options, all the other usual fundraisers are already taken by other teams or clubs; if the Student Council tried them, they’d be cutting into someone else’s profits.” Prim adds.

They fall back into silence. He watches as the boy steals glances at the older girl: Haymitch would gamble he had plans to ask her to the dance. She’s as enamored with him as she is oblivious and is currently preoccupied worrying over the little girl’s disappointment, while Prim shoots sympathetic looks in the boy’s direction.

It’s pretty pathetic.

but unfortunately also oddly endearing. “Alright” Haymitch rubs his eyebrows. Three pairs of eyes look up at him in confusion, “I’ll give you the deposit: an anonymous donation to the youth of District 12.”

“What? No.” The boy shakes his head, “it’s a generous offer, but that's not why I brought it up. I’d feel like I swindled you with a sob story if I just accepted your money like that.”

“Fine,” Haymitch huffs, “then earn it. The whole town already thinks I live in a haunted house. It’s the season. Doll up this place to meet expectations. Charge admission. Bet no one’s cornered that market.”

The older girl looks skeptical, while the younger one looks ready to vibrate out of her seat in excitement. The boy begins to nod, “that could work. We could ask to borrow props from the theater department and I can try to convince the football team to play scarers.”

“I could talk to the other cheerleaders about helping too,” Prim squeals.

“There are plenty of pumpkins and gourds in the garden for decorating and we could set up a hot beverage stand for extra sales,” Katniss reluctantly adds.

“People would easily pay $5 just for the chance to get a glimpse of this place. Hell, even my mother would pay triple that for a peak!” Peeta says before contemplating the insinuation and tempering his enthusiasm, turning towards Haymitch in a more subdued tone, “You’re sure?”

Haymitch shrugs, “I got a couple-a kids who clean my house, the aftermath will be their problem.” This earns him a chorus of laughter and even a smirk from the girl.

He’ll likely regret this later, but as he watches their growing excitement as they sit at his table and plan, he can’t seem to care.

[nsharks]

HC of Ghost and his gf/wife fighting pls?

a relationship with simon is far from easy

Simon comes home that first night while you’re asleep.

Kicks off his boots by the door and doesn’t even bother changing out of his uniform when he slips into bed beside you. You hadn’t seen him in six months, and you really wanted to pick him up from the airport, but he’d insisted gruffly over the phone that’d he find his own way home.

“Are you sure? You’re going to be tired-“

“Don’t,” he’d breathed on the other side. “Don’t push this. I’ll get a cab.”

You should’ve known right then and there what version of Simon was coming home to you. It was strange, almost like he didn’t want to see you.

You wake up when he gets in the bed, but his body feels cold and foreign next to you. He’s still clothed, and you imagined that he might wake you up to at least give you a kiss, but instead he says nothing. Just lays there, eyes closed, and you’re almost certain he’s pretending to be asleep so you don’t try talking to him.

Things only get worse from there.

Over the next few days, Simon lives up to his name. He’s uncomfortably quiet around you, except to complain about small, stupid things.

“I told you not to go through my stuff while I was gone,” he had grumbled one day. Noticing that you had moved one of his books from his bedside table.

“It was just that one book,” you’d said quietly. “I was trying to clean up before you-“

“‘Don’t go through my stuff’ means don’t touch anything. Is that understood?”

Your tongue poked your cheek. You didn’t want to push his buttons. “Understood. Sorry.”

You try your best to give him space.

But Simon’s presence is starting to get suffocating. He hasn’t kissed you once since coming home. You’d try asking him how his time was, if anything had happened that he wanted to talk about, but he’d just shake his head in irritation and say there’s nothing to talk about.

One evening, you come home from work after grabbing some takeout for dinner.

Simon’s in the bedroom when you arrive. Large frame hunched over his desk, headphones clamped over his masked ears, and the music is so loud you can hear it from the doorway.

“Babe, I brought dinner,” you tell him, tapping his shoulder.

He tenses from your touch but nods, shucking off the headphones and following you to the kitchen.

You don’t even get the chance to eat before he’s looking at you intently, asking, “Did you remember to grab the thing for my car?”

His car. You freeze by the kitchen counter. You’d completely forgotten; he’d asked you to get… something because his car hadn’t been working for him since he got back. You told him to just take it to the shop but he said could fix it himself.

“What thing again?” you practically squeak.

The air shifts. “The breaker bar.”

“No… no, I didn’t. I’m sorry.”

You’re expecting it at this point, but that doesn’t make it any less uncomfortable. Simon snaps. You see it in his eyes, a darkness flashing through them that you don’t see often. His hands roll up at his sides.

“Do you… know how to listen?” he asks coldly, voice low. “I told you where to find it and everything. You said you would.”

“I’ll get it tomorrow-“

“That’s not the point. First, you…” he’s shaking his head to himself, “First, you touch my stuff after I told you not to. And yesterday, you didn’t listen to me about-“

“Simon,” you cut him off, frowning. “I am not perfect. I make mistakes.”

“Well, you wouldn’t make so many mistakes if you just did what you’re told.”

His voice is at a level that makes you shiver. You normally love the sound of his voice, miss it like crazy when he leaves, but right now, it’s hurting you. Making your eyes turn damp and the hairs on your arms stand up.

“Don’t talk to me like that,” you find the strength to snap at him. “You’re overreacting, Simon.”

“Overreacting?” He scoffs and you can see the veins on his forearms ticking. “This is more than… Do you know what happens when people make stupid mistakes? They fuckin’ die.”

In the back of your mind, you realize that Simon is unintentionally admitting to you what’s bothering him. Something happened. Something awful, something even he couldn’t just forget, and he brought it all the way home with him. Been taking it out on you all week long.

And on any other day, you might have had the patience to deal with it. But today, your durable patience is cracking at every seam, unable to handle the way he’s been treating you.

“Jesus, Simon, this isn’t a life or death situation,” you furrow your brows. “I’m not a soldier.”

“Thank god you’re not,” he barks. “You’d get everyone killed. Can’t follow simple fuckin’ instructions.”

“What are you trying to say? What, Simon? That I’m stupid?”

“Fuckin’ hell,” he breathes out through flared nostrils. “Maybe you are.”

Your patience is nowhere to be found as his words hang in the air. Hurt, and beyond fed up with him, you tear your wet eyes away from his darkened ones and walk away to the bedroom, locking the door behind you because you don’t want to be anywhere near him.

Soaking the pillows with your tears, you feel defeated. Six months without him had been painful; your heart aching whenever you made yourself a cup of tea, wishing he was there. You’d been so worried about him coming home, but now that he’s here, you wish he wasn’t. It feels hard to breathe, even as your tears dry and you lay there depleted.

You hear the shower run.

You hear shuffling around outside, somewhere in the living room.

Then finally, sometime after midnight, there’s the gentlest of knocks at the door.

“Can I come in?” a low voice hesitates on the other side.

You sit up on the bed and tell him yes. Once Simon’s in the room, the sight of him brings tears to your eyes once again. You thought you were done crying. You keep wiping at your cheeks, but he kneels in front of you and grabs your hands, replacing them with his own as he brushes his thumbs to your tears. It’s uncharacteristic of him to get on his knees like this. Submitting to you in remorse.

“Sorry,” he whispers. He bows his head. “I’ve been awful. You deserve… s’much better.”

“I can handle you ignoring me,” you croak. “I can’t handle you being mean, Simon.”

“No,” he narrows his eyes. “Don’t. You shouldn’t have to handle either of those.”

You nod in agreement as his hands splay over your thighs and rub them gently.

“Something’s hurting you,” you whisper carefully. “Something happened. Maybe… maybe you need to talk to someone.”

Hours ago, you might’ve worried about what he’d say. But now, his anger has dissipated, washed away by the hot shower he took and the sound of your crying in the bedroom. It pained him. He hated himself for not knowing how to deal with these feelings without being a dick to you.

Finally, head falling to your lap, he says, “Maybe I do.”

[singledadjack]

Saffron

Warnings: anxiety and other mental health issues, physical health issues, verbal abuse, financial problems, Daddy issues, slow burn.

Please let me know if I’ve missed any warnings and I’ll put them in for the next part and edit it onto this one, thank you🧡🧡

---

“Saf, no. Put it down Saffy,” Y/n ordered.

Saffron, Y/n’s emotional support dog, was a puppy and hadn’t finished training yet. So while they were in the store he’d picked up a chocolate bar that was on the ground and refused to put it back down. Not only was it gross because Y/n wouldn’t be buying the bar, but if Saffron bit through the wrapping and got to the chocolate he would get sick. So she had begun to to freak out even more than she already was.

“Saffron! Put it down now,” she pleaded.

She tried to grab it out of his mouth but that just prompted him to bite it harder.

“Please my love, put it down. Gonna make you sick.”

Saffron dropped the bar on the ground at the sound of Y/n’s shaky voice.

“Excuse me ma’am? Dogs aren’t allowed in the store, you’ll have to tie it outside or leave it in the car.”

“He’s a service dog,” Y/n began to explain. His ‘In Training’ vest broke and Saffron could no longer wear it, otherwise he would be wearing it.

“Doesn’t look like one, don’t think a service dog would pick up candy from the floor and refuse to drop it. You’ll need to take him outside.”

“But-“

“I can’t make any exceptions ma’am. If you won’t take him outside I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” the worker retorted.

Y/n put down the bag of salt and vinegar lays chips with a sniffle and began to walk towards the entrance. Saffron trotted next to her happily, excited to get back into the cooler air. Her eyes were filled with tears, her hands shaking. She just wanted to go home, why’d she even go in the first place, she should just stick to instacart, who was she to argue with that worker anyways. Learn to shut your mouth Y/n. She thought.

I know it’s hard lovie, why don’t we start with something simple. Like getting some chips from the store and taking Saffron with you. Pick out what you want to get before you go in, so you can be in and out while still getting those interactions. Y/n’s therapist had suggested.

While walking out of the aisle, Y/n knocked over a jar of pasta sauce and it shattered and gone everywhere. Jack was further down the aisle when he witnessed this, his heart broke when her face turn red and tears began to flow down her cheeks. She fell to her knees and sat onto the sauce covered floor. Saffron paused his snack break to go cuddle with his crying owner. He began licking the tears off her jaw, trying his best to distract her.

“Hey,” Jack begun. But he only stepped away from her when her cries increased. He knelt to her level, a good 2 feet away from her at least.

“It’s ok, let’s get you away from the glass. It happens, that’s why they pay people to clean up these things right?” He said softly.

Y/n let Saffron sniff his hands before she took it. He helped her stand and took her purse from her shaking hands.

“No!” She cried, snatching the purse from him.

“Ok ok, I’m sorry, should have asked huh? Wasn’t very nice of me.”

“Did you get what you needed?” Jack asked.

“N-no,” she whimpered.

“Ok what did ya’ need?”

“Nothin’, it’s fine.”

“Ok, can I walk you to your car?” He offered.

“No. I- I walked here. I’m such an idiot I knew this would happen, I should have driven here. Ugh I need to think sometimes. I shouldn’t have been lazy and used this to walk Saffron!” She only got even more worked up.

“Hey, it’s aight I’ll drive you home, if you’d like.”

Saffron barked excitedly, like he could understand the man’s kind gesture.

“Are you sure? Don’t you need to shop though?”

“I only came for beer, which isn’t even for me so I’ll do that another time. Let’s go,” he offered his hand once again.

On their way out he alerted one of the workers about the broken bottle and apologized for it, although it wasn’t his fault.

It turns out Y/n lived in an apartment building just down the street from Jack’s house. So it was absolutely no trouble for him at all. After exchanging names, Y/n had begun telling him the reason she was so emotional in the first place.

“My therapist told me I needed to start going to the store instead of grocery shopping online, and I should start by choosing one thing I want to get before I go in so I can just be in and out. But then Saffron, my dog, found a Hershey’s Oreo bar on the ground and picked it up. He’s still in training so he’s not quite listening all the time, but that’s ok because he knows what to do when I get scared. B-but then a worker told me that I n-nee- needed to take him outside or leave him in the car, and when I told him that Saf is an emotional support dog he said he didn’t care cause he wasn’t acting like one. So he told me to leave. But Saffron’s really sweet, and he’s trying his best it’s not his f-fault. And I was being lazy and didn’t want to take him for a walk later so I decided to just walk to the store. So then I got upset and then I accidentally knocked that jar off the shelf. That was my last straw. Shouldn’t have listened to my therapist, I knew this would happen,” she ranted.

“I’m sorry, sounds awful. But we all have those days, it’s not ok that the guy made you leave, especially just because your service dog picked up chocolate.”

“This is my building, thank you Jack,” she smiled shyly. God she was pretty as fuck.

“Of course, feel better Y/n,” he grinned back.

***

When Jack got home he spotted the pale blue purse with a gold keychain laying on the ground in front of the passenger seat. It was leather and closed with a magnet. He panicked when he noticed the set of house keys attached to it. Just as he started the engine he got a text from Urban.

They’re closing the roads because of black ice let’s just have leftovers tonight

Fuck.

***

Y/n made it up to her apartment before she realized she didn’t have her keys, or her purse. This is what she was talking about, she has a brain. Why doesn’t she use it?

Instead of being rational and asking the handyman to let her in, she sat against the locked door and cried.

Once she calmed down she gave Saffron one last kiss and pat before she stood up.

“Let’s go ask Officer Al to let us in bub.”

“Y/n!”

“Hi dad,” Y/n sheepishly answered.

“I’m flying you out to Aspen on Tuesday. We’re going skiing,” he stated.

“I’ll have to see if I can take off work. Let me just talk to my boss,” she explained.

“It’s fine, it’s a family trip you’re taking off work,” he dismissed.

“Dad, I cant afford to just take off work like that.”

“You can, it’s not like you’re paying your rent.”

That was a punch to the gut. She’d reached out to him for help with rent, his deal was that he would send rent money if she agreed to start visiting him again. And she was desperate for the money.

“See you Tuesday!”

The line went dead.

“Ever gone skiing smush?” Y/n cooed to the puppy sitting next to her.

He barked happily at her, he looked as if her was smiling almost.

“Officer Al!”

“Forgot your keys sweetie?”

“Yes, I’m so sorry. I’ll try not to let it happen again,” she pouted.

Just then a familiar head of curly brown hair walked through the entrance.

Saffron is one of the rarest spices in the world. Coming from the Crocus Sativus flower, it’s incredibly difficult to harvest and collect. Taking around 50,000 flowers to acquire just one pound, it’s sold from anywhere between $500 and $10,000 per pound.

[stratiotis-nth]

Castiel has been able to see Glimpses of people’s future when he meets them for the first time—specifically when he first makes eye contact. It’s the big family secret and Castiel hates that he’s the one stuck with it. It’s infuriating—Gabriel asks if Castiel could make eye contact with some hot guy or girl to see if he’ll get lucky, and Castiel ignores him every time.

He doesn’t see the person’s entire life when he looks like them. It’s more like…a tsunami of information. Sometimes it’s images or feelings or sounds. Usually, Castiel can’t make heads or tails of what he experienced, so he stopped trying to interpret them a long time ago.

At this point, the flood of information is an annoyance, and he’s done his best to just avoid eye contact altogether.

Maybe that’s why Castiel is so quiet and keeps to himself. He doesn’t like meeting new people if only to avoid the data dump of another person’s future. He’s thankful he doesn’t get Glimpses when he looks at anyone he’s already Glimpsed, because he’s never be able to look Gabriel in the face. And anyone who Castiel had accidentally Glimpsed before have long since disappeared from his life, and Castiel is such a recluse that he hasn’t had a new friend in years.

Until Gabriel was an annoying asshole.

His older brother practically wrestled Castiel out of the house they shared to go clubbing. It had been a close fight and Castiel had gotten damn well near to biting Gabriel’s arm—but he eventually lost because Gabriel threatened to trample Castiel’s carefully cultivated garden in the backyard.

For the sake of his plants, Castiel reluctantly ducked into Gabriel’s obnoxiously bright red Camero.

“This is a stupid idea.” He grumbled, crossing his arms and keeping his hands tucked firmly against himself. “I’m just going to be standing there staring at the floor like an idiot.”

“No, you’re gonna keep that chin up and meet some people, Cassie.” Gabriel said briskly as they drove to Downtown. “Glimpsing a few people isn’t gonna change your life. You need friends, my bumbling, weirdo brother.”

“I can live my life just fine without friends, Gabriel.” Castiel snapped. “I have you, my cat, and my garden. I work from home and can support myself if needs be. What else do I need?”

Gabriel sighed.

“You’ll always have me, Cassie.” He said. “But have you ever thought about what you want?”

No. Of course he hadn’t. Castiel hadn’t had the luxury of knowing what he wanted since he first discovered the Glimpses.

“Your Glimpses shouldn’t be what stops you from having a life, little bro.” Gabriel continued firmly. They were in Downtown now, string lights lighting the two way street and neon signs making the air gleam in multicolor. Castiel’s chest clenched with anxiety, carefully avoiding the stream of bodies moving up and down the sidewalks in case he made eye contact with as passers by.

Gabriel pulled into the VIP spot of his nightclub, Sugar+Spice and grinned at Castiel.

“C’mon, brosky, time to swim amongst the fishes.” To complete Gabriel’s inspiring speech, he slapped two condoms into Castiel’s hand and ducked out of the car before he could throw them back.

Grumbling under his breath about invasive brothers, Castiel begrudgingly followed Gabriel through the back entrance of the club.

It was loud, hot, and chaotic. Despite not having made eye contact with anyone yet, Castiel’s senses were immediately overloaded with noise and light. He could barely hear Gabriel over the din, risking a glance up in an effort to read his lips.

This way. He seemed to be shouting. Gabriel grabbed his hand and tugged him along anyway. Castiel allowed himself to be dragged, bumping through a crowd of people with his eyes fixed on their passing feet.

Gabriel took him up to a slightly quieter, less crowded second floor and sat him down at the bar.

“Alfie!” Gabriel called to the bartender, rapping his knuckles on the glass bar top. “Dirty Shirley for my fruity brother!”

“Gabriel!” Castiel hissed. He didn’t necessarily care if people knew he was gay, but he didn’t want Gabriel going on trying to get him laid.

“Coming up, boss.” Alfie called, already moving nonstop and smoothly as he tended to the other patrons lining his bar top.

“See ya, Cassie.” Gabriel clapped his shoulder. Castiel’s heart seized with terror.

“Gabriel, don’t you dare—“

“Sorry little bro, I’ve got club owner responsibilities to attend to.”

And then, Castiel was alone. Alfie’s slim hand set a red-pink colored drink in front of him and moved on before Castiel could think he would wait a second for a thanks. He was probably too busy to care for social expectations like please and thank you.

Castiel didn’t know how long he had sat there, hunched over his drink and staring at the bar top resolutely. Gabriel could drag his ass into public, but he couldn’t make him talk to people.

People seemed to catch the hint to leave him alone, or maybe Alfie had warned them against it before Castiel could sense their presence. Some tried, though, but Castiel just shook his head. That was usually enough to leave him be.

It was well after 1 AM when he’d finally had enough sitting around and staring at his drink to ward off horny one nighters. He stood, determined to find Gabriel and force him to take him home. He was tired, anxious, and terrified of this place and of people. He didn’t like Glimpsing—it was like intruding into their privacy and instead of doing it intentionally like how a burglar would invade a home, it was hurled at him when he didn’t want it. The last time Castiel had Glimpsed, the images and noises had been too much. It had overloaded his mind and nearly made him pass out from the onslaught.

The last time he had Glimpsed was the first time he’d met a future serial killer. One could imagine why Castiel didn’t like Glimpsing anymore.

He pushed his way through the crowd, trying to find Gabriel’s recognizable white dress shoes amongst the writhing sea of legs and lower bodies.

Castiel finally reached the stairs, the door swinging shut and blessedly blocking out the din of the dance floor. The peaceful silent lasted for only a moment, though.

“Whoa, Jesus!”

Castiel slammed into a very solid form and went tumbling backwards, his back hitting the bottom staircase with a painful thud before he toppled back onto the concrete floor.

“Shit, shit, shit! I’m so sorry! Jesus fuck, here, lemme help—“

The person he collided into was scrabbling down the last few stairs, kneeling over him and grabbing his arms.

“Hey, man, you okay?”

Castiel’s entire body was ringing with the aftershock of his fall. His back throbbed painfully, already promising a nice purpling welt.

Maybe it was the pain, or maybe the ringing in his head muted out higher reason, or maybe just fate, but Castiel drifted his gaze to stare at the person who had run into him.

The moment he met the pair of green eyes the color of matcha and wild grass, he was assaulted with an onslaught of Glimpses.

Warm, comforting yellow and orange, the color that light up a home on a cozy, winter night.

The sizzle, pop and bang of fireworks in a dewy field, ringing with a pair of laughter. Bursting, bright colors lighting up a starry sky.

Metallic, greasy smell of an auto shop, the sharp chemical scent of acrylic paint, the words Winchester Auto in neon lights on the top of a busy garage and art studio.

But the main image, the one that always came through crystal clear when he had a Glimpse—

was Castiel himself.

He couldn’t force the image away, or what followed after.

It was Castiel, looming over the man’s point of view with his arms braced on either of his vision. His own face was slack with pleasure as his entire body moved up and down in a very obvious thrusting motion. His eyes were bright and wide and so full of something warm and gentle and careful that Castiel didn’t believe he could ever really do that.

He closed his eyes, willing the main image and surrounding flashes of senses to fade.

“Dude, please tell me you’re okay.” The man fretted, his hands now cupping Castiel’s face and shaking slightly. The way the man was leaning over him looked so much like how Castiel was leaning in the Glimpse that it brought him back to himself.

He sat bolt upright, smacking foreheads with the man and immediately making himself dizzy again.

“Ow.” They both mumbled. The guy scrambled back to give Castiel some space.

“You okay, man?” The guy asked again, staring at him with wide eyes. Castiel’s first reaction was to advert his eyes, but this time for an entirely different reason than the Glimpse. His cheeks burned with the embarrassment of what he had just witnessed.

“Yes.” He managed, but it sounded strained. The man, apparently took that strain as pain instead of mortification.

“Oh shit, you’re probably all banged up, shit. Did the stair hit your back? Did it break the skin?” Suddenly, warm hands were gingerly touching his lower back, feeling for the welt already swelling. Electrical shocks rippled under his skin despite the layers of clothes between him and the hand, but Castiel hissed sharply when the pressure of his fingers hit the welt.

“Sorry, hang on. Don’t move too much, not until I can be sure you didn’t break anything.” The guy was completely unfazed by touching Castiel. It was a gentle touch, but definitely clinical. Was this guy a nurse? Doctor?

“I used to be a paramedic.” The guy answered Castiel’s unspoken speculation. He gently pressed around the welt. “Anything hurt?”

“No.” Castiel managed faintly, his brain already providing unhelpful scenarios where the man’s hand drifted lower and suddenly his last Glimpse was coming true right then and there—

“Okay, I don’t think anything’s broken.” The guy said, sounding relieved. “Can you stand?”

“Yes. It’s just a bruise.” Castiel said, his defenses rising with the determination to never allow that last Glimpse to come true. There were too many risks, too many dangers associated with having friends, let alone pursue a romantic relationship. For this man’s sake and for Castiel’s sanity, he would do everything in his power to stop that Glimpse from happening.

“I’m alright, thank you.” He said quickly, stepping back to allow an acceptable amount of space between him and the man.

“Okay, uh, good.” The guy said, ducking his head sheepishly.

Please don’t. Castiel begged helplessly, staring as the man glanced up at him through his lashes. He was undeniably gorgeous. Light brown hair styled lightly and freckled, tanned skin. Those enrapturing green eyes that made Castiel want to smother himself in that very shade, framed by long lashes. Plush pink lips and a little scruff that Castiel wanted to feel on his skin. Broad shoulders filled a worn leather jacket over a flannel and Henley. Oil-stained jeans and scuffed boots. Rugged and beautiful.

What the hell did future Castiel do to secure a night with this man? How did an awkward, nobody with a fear of people manage to have sex with this perfect, gorgeous man who could get anyone he wanted?

“Sorry about that, man. I swear I don’t go running into hot guys as a pick up line.”

Castiel’s jaw dropped, and the man went very red when he realized what he’d said.

“Ah, fuck. I-I didn’t mean, that’s n-not—shit, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that—“

“It’s alright.” Castiel cut him off hastily. “I’ve actually got to go. I’m supposed to meet my brother and he’s probably worried that I haven’t shown up.”

The man looked embarrassed but startled by Castiel’s hasty retreat. But he moved to let him up the stairs.

He was already a few steps up when the man spoke again.

“Sorry again, man.”

It was a mistake to turn back around, but Castiel did, perhaps selfish enough to indulge in the man’s beauty one more time.

Then something happened that never happened before. Castiel had another Glimpse when he met his eyes.

It was gentler than the first, like an aftershock after an A-bomb.

Deep, sweet spices mixed with buttery pie dough and tangy apple.

A warm, soft red that enveloping his entire body like an embrace to protect and cherish.

The man’s deep, rough voice murmuring “Cas” with such profound affection and care.

Then, Castiel’s voice answering in the same low, gentle caress of soft happiness—“Dean”.

This could not be happening.

[puppypeter]

✨ All fics are complete! ✨

He Loves Me Cause I’m Cute, He Thinks I’m Pretty Funny | 2588 words 📱

He watches it back one more time after it posts, checking for typos in his subtitles and captions, and has to laugh again.

Steve fucking Rogers? His brain thought he could pull Captain America, literal superhero and America’s favorite sweetheart?

“Hello I’m a 35 year old amputee living in New York and I think that I could get Steve Rogers.”

OR

the one where bucky posts a tiktok and steve is utterly smitten.

Summer Slipped Us Underneath Her Tongue | 10712 words 🧳

Bucky is a tour guide who enjoys sharing the rich history and culture of each city they pass through with a bunch of early-20's college students who just want to know the cheapest place to get drunk.

Except for Steve, who asks Bucky for a personal tour around his hometown.

The rest is, as they say, history.

You Make My Heart Skip A Beet | 3853 words 🧑🏼‍🍳

“I made soda bread.” Steve lets out the 6’2” supersoldier equivalent of a squeak. “Oh, I love soda bread,” he says eagerly, rolling forward on the balls of his feet like he does when he gets excited. “My mom used to make it all the time when I was growing up.” The tips of Barnes’s ears turn red, and he mutters something that sounds suspiciously like, “I know.”

Ollie Meets Bagel | 5517 words 🥯

He was a skater boy, Steve said let's get bagels, boy.

Steve wants to start doing this twenty-first century thing properly. He gets help in the form of skateboarding, skateboarders, bagels, and Sam Wilson.

Taxi | 5113 words 🚕

Bucky Barnes was, he hoped, a good taxi driver.

He's so good, he actually tries to return lost property that ends up left in his car and... well. It has some unexpected consequences involving a National Icon.

Enough said.

Leg Day | 12157 words 🏋️‍♂️

“So talk to him,” Sam says.

“I can’t,” Bucky groans. “I can’t, Sam, I. He just.” He fluffs his hair up and stares at Sam, distraught. “I want him to bench press me.”

“Okay, so it’s serious,” Sam interprets. “Got it."

(Or: The one where Sam is Bucky's long-suffering roommate, Bucky is a hot mess of a millennial, and Hot Steve spends far too much time on the Lat Pull-Down machine.)

Love In Aisle Four | 2127 words 🛍️

When Bucky needs to swing by the supermarket after a long, hard day of work, the last thing he expects is to meet a cute grocery clerk named Steve…

Coming Up Easy | 45515 words ✍🏻

“Listen, I was just thinking,” Steve says, his face open, eyebrows raised in a tentatively hopeful expression. “Why don’t you come stay at my place for a while? I’ve got an office that I barely use, and a change of scenery might do you good, right? Help you beat that writer’s block?” With a crooked smile, he adds, “I promise I’m not a serial killer.”

While Bucky would normally crack a joke about how that’s exactly what a serial killer would say, right now, all he can do is blink at Steve in surprise, heart tripping over itself in his chest. Steve wants him to come and stay at his place. In Massachusetts. Just the two of them.

"Oh," Bucky croaks. "I- Wow."

“I mean, no pressure,” Steve says hastily. “Totally fine if you don’t wanna. I just thought I’d offer, in case it might help, y’know?”

“Yeah.” Bucky ignores the little voice in his head that sounds an awful lot Nat and Becca, telling him he’s setting himself up for heartbreak. “I mean, if you’re sure, that would be amazing.”

Anywhere The Wind Blows | 8845 words 👨‍🚒🎖️

After a catastrophic fire that shakes him to his core, Steve Rogers quits his job as a Brooklyn firefighter and relocates to a cabin in the remote Canadian wilderness, wanting quiet and solitude and to maybe never have to speak to another human being ever again. He gets his wish, more or less, until a recently injured Bucky Barnes is discharged from the Army and rents the cabin next door.

The Safer Course | 7918 words | Part 1 of Won’t You Be My Neighbor 🏡

When Steve moves to the suburbs in 2033, he intends to retire from superhero life.

He does not intend to fall in love with his pain-in-the-ass neighbor.

Every Year I Have You | 7064 words | Part 2 of Won’t You Be My Neighbor 🏡

Steve set the bar pretty high, as birthday presents go.

Bucky is determined to outdo him when July 4th comes around.

Beneath The Mistletoe | 21203 words 🎄

Bucky had a bet with his sister that if he didn’t have a boyfriend to bring home for Christmas by the time he was 25, he had to give her $200 and go blonde for a year. But now he's 25, it’s nearing December, and not only is Bucky as single as ever, but he’s also running low on cash. He doesn’t exactly want to bleach his hair, either.

At least Steve is willing to upgrade their relationship from best friends to fake boyfriends.

The Settler | 52203 words 🍞

“What do you want to do?”

Steve pauses and looks at them.

What he wants is to stay with them. He doesn't have any family left, they all died before he even joined the war and became... this. Captain America turned whatever he is now. But Natasha and Sam have become his family over the years. Not just because they're on the run together, fugitives and vigilantes, but way before that too.

He doesn't want to leave that.

But he knows that, realistically, he can't stay with them and they can't stay with him.

So he looks at them with a smile and lies. “I don't know.”

OR; In which Steve retires and finally finds a place to call home.

You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory | 1148 words 🐈

"Alright, Bucky," Steve slows his steps, watches his neighbour stop at the bottom of the next flight of stairs. There's a canvas bag in his hand that Steve didn't notice earlier, cream coloured with the figure of a sleeping, black cat painted on it. "Have a good day."

He thinks Bucky's cheeks pink up a bit right then and there, but Steve can't tell. He's too distracted by his pounding, foolish heart, by the way Bucky smiles bashfully, and ducks his head. The way he seems like he wants to stay.

To Believe In Tomorrow | 3959 words 👨🏻‍🌾

Bucky's mornings at the community garden get a little more interesting when the new guy shows up.

Maybe This Christmas | 24873 words | Part 1 of Maybe ��️

Bucky’s not going home for Christmas. But it’s fine. He’s spending Christmas alone in his apartment, but it’s cool. He’s not feeling up to seeing his family after his accident anyway, plus he has to work. He’s totally fine with it. But then he runs into Steve, literally, and suddenly his Christmas isn’t looking so empty after all.

-----

Hurrying was a bad idea. Bucky’s foot hits a patch of ice and slides out from under him in what would have been a comical cartoon banana-peel-like trip, if it wasn’t happening to him, and he braces himself to hit the ground. This is going to hurt.

“Fuck,” Bucky screeches, but as he lands on his back, it’s not the cold hard concrete he expected, but a solid mass beneath him. Oh god, Bucky thinks as he realises he smacked into the person behind him and took them down with him.

Maybe This Year (Will Be Better Than Last) | 133868 words | Part 2 of Maybe ❄️

Last year, Bucky Barnes met Steve Rogers. Well actually, he slipped and fell on him. What followed was the best Christmas either of them had ever had. But what happens when Christmas is over and life returns to normal? What happens after the Christmas miracle?

-----

Bucky should have known. He did know. When things seem too good to be true, they usually are. And Steve is the best thing that has happened to him in a long time, possibly ever, so of course it couldn’t last.

Maybe This Time (I Hope I Get The Chance To Say Goodbye) | 34561 words | Part 3 of Maybe ❄️

Steve and Bucky Barnes are happily married. They've made it through some hard times and come out stronger and happier, together. Then Steve gets called on to come out of retirement for the most important mission of his life and everything changes. Everything.

-----

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas…” Steve starts singing along softly, and Bucky chuckles, before leaning his head onto Steve’s shoulder, always happy when he’s in Steve’s arms.

“From now on, our troubles will be miles away…” Bucky joins in.

Dancing round their living room, just as in love as ever, their troubles seem light-years away, if not non-existent.

Sadly, they’re closer than they think.

The Unexpected Gift | 9504 words | Part 1 of When Winter Comes 🐕

Steve Rogers is fine.

After ending a long-term relationship with Sam Wilson, Steve moves back to New York. He's tired and lonely but depressed? No. At least, that's what he thinks.

From the window of his apartment, he watches a dark-haired man and his service dog sitting in the park, wondering what his story is.

The Winter Storm | 2218 words | Part 2 of When Winter Comes 🐕

"If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability you see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realize how special you are to me."

After Bucky and Steve confessed their feelings for each other, life has its own twisted way to challenge the most profound love.

One January Night | 4213 words | Part 3 of When Winter Comes 🐕

Before going back to work, Steve Rogers still has things to learn: 1- Depression is a bitch and the battle against it isn't an easy one. 2- Dating a person with disabilities comes with its share of challenges.

Bucky Barnes Has His Shit Together (And Other Lies He Tells Himself) | 14159 words 🔒

You’d think a guy who owns one of the most successful bakeries in Brooklyn, has a million-dollar smile and that antiquated good ol’ boy charm, blond hair and blue eyes and biceps for days, would know what’s what.

But don’t let that fool you: Steve Rogers is a mess.

Obvious | 917 words ☕

"Oh, I have a prompt! So, it makes me laugh how painfully obvious Steve and Bucky's feelings are to everyone when they're in that pining, slowburn, does-he-doesn't-he phase. But imagine Steve and Bucky working in a coffee shop together and constantly bickering, nudging and playfully flirting with each other. And all the employees and patrons are so invested in their relationship and just want them to kiss already but no one realizes that Steve and Bucky have been married since they got out of HS."

[trueshellz]

OMG I HAVE A IDEA can u do Osamu, kuroo, sakusa with a S/o who is drunk and when the haikyuu character tries to help her/ take care of her she’s like “I have a boyfriend” and acts defensive even tho he is her bf? (Idk if this makes sense but I think it’s so cute)

Thanks for the request babe! Totally makes sense, I promise.

Osamu

You were our celebrating your promotion with your work colleagues, unfortunately Osamu had to work late at his shop and couldn't make it for the beginning, only coming in near the end. Your friends had decided to start working their way through the cocktail menu and by the time he arrived you were pretty much away with with fairies.

"Babe, why did ya drink so much? Yer gonna be hungover as hell tomorrow."

Osamu sighed as he half carried and half manoeuvred you to the car. By the time he arrived, you were on your 12th drink and he had to grab you off the table and fling you over his shoulder before you started a dance party.

"Excuse me, you... are v'ry pretty...but I have a boyfriend. He's g'na kick your butt."

Osamu snorted as you pointed your finger in his face. Your eyes were closed as you walked and you were carrying your shoes in your hand. The jacket to your suit was slung over his arm as you both walked and he held your handbag in his hand. He couldn't help but laugh as he saw you now, this morning you had looked all put together as you left for work with your hair pinned up and suit pristine. While you looked gorgeous even now, the tidy professional had been replaced with a messy drunkard.

"Really now? Well, I just wanna make sure ya safe. I'll drive ya home to yer boyfriend. Okay?"

You sighed dreamily, leaning into him as you waved your arms around. "'Samu is so lovely. So handsome... he works so... so... hard too." You straightened and pointed your finger in his face, mood now fierce. "But! He's v'ry strong too. He used to be a volleyball player. I miss him wearing those shorts. His ass looked so good."

You held one hand up in front as if squeezing something and your boyfriend couldn't help but shake his head. He had to force himself not to laugh at your words as he put you in the car. Buckling you in, he cushioned your head on your discarded jacket and stroked your hair behind your ear. Your eyes had drifted closed, head lolling on the window as he drove you both back home. As the streets drove by, he could see you from he corner of his eyes. You looked so cute and peaceful propped up on the door and he couldn't help but reach over and caress you face.

As he peered over from the corner of his eyes, he couldn't help but smile at how fierce you defended yourself. He knew you'd never stray, you weren't the type to cheat on him. You were still mumbling about your 'boyfriend' in your drunken haze when you both got home.

As he tucked you into bed, placed some painkillers and a bottle of water on your cabinet. Removing your skirt and tights, he placed them in the wash before pulling down your bra and hanging it on the wardrobe. He knew you would complain in the morning about having wires poking you in the chest. As he climbed into bed, he felt your arms curl around him as you settled onto his chest, your hands patting his ass.

"So pretty 'Samu."

Kuroo

It was your birthday and you were our celebrating with your friends at a local bar. The whole thing had been a surprise, with a huge cake and the venue booked out for the whole night. Between the food and cake, you had drunk your body weight in alcohol while dancing with your friends.

"Tetsuro, come and take your girlfriend home. She's falling asleep."

Glancing at you, he saw your head flop onto the bar as you sat with girlfriends. The shoes you came in had now been discarded on the floor next to you and your hair was down from the ponytail you had put it in. He walked over and scooped you up bridal style.

"Put me down!"

Your words were accompanied by a smack on his arms as he put you into his car. Kuroo laughed as you tried to struggle out his grasp, wiggling to get out.

"My boyfriend is gonna beat you up."

"I'm sure he is kitten".

"Don't call me that. Let go of me!"

Shaking his head, Kuroo opened the back door and slowly put you in, trying his hardest not to smack your head on the roof of the vehicle. Something that proved difficult when you started to move around again.

Bending down and leaning on the door, he reached across and tied your seat belt.

"Look. Let me get you home safely and you can go see your boyfriend ok? I'll even call him now."

You held your pinky finger up to him. "Promise?"

He shook his head and matched his finger to yours, curling it and touching thumbs as you always did. "Promise." Watching as you nodded your head, he closed the door and drove you home, the journey itself was interesting as you kept shouting at him. Tell him he was going the wrong way (he wasn't), telling him you were hungry (he grabbed you some fries and chicken nuggets) and then telling him he was being a pervert for looking at you in the rear view mirror (which he totally was, obviously).

Parking the car and carrying you inside, he shook his head as you started stripping off between the front door and the bedroom, complaining it was too hot. As he trailed after you, he picked up your dress and bra from the floor and put them in the washing basket. Reaching the bedroom, he saw you flat on your face passed out asleep on the bed, looking adorable as hell.

"Baby."

You groaned at him, swatting him away.

Rummaging through his drawers, he grabbed a t shirt and held you up to pull it over your head. While you were hot now, he was well aware that you would be cold in the middle of the night, your feet often blocks of ice as you slept in bed.

Pulling the sheet down the bed around you, he put you in bed and climbed in after you. Immediately you latched onto him, arms and legs tangled with his almost pushing him off the bed.

"Baby, we're gonna fall out the bed."

"I love you Tetsu."

"Love you too kitten."

Sakusa

Sakusa wasn't fond of going out much, it was too loud and everyone was drunk. He didn't like being here and really wanted to go home but you had organised a party for him celebrating his win at Nationals and he didn't want to upset you.

Most of the night had been okay, you had invited a sufficient number of people and chosen a restaurant he approved of. The dress you wore was beautiful, something you had bought with him a few weeks ago. Looking over, he couldn't help but smile seeing how your face lit up when you waved across the room at him. He knew people looked at him odd, you were the opposite of him in every way. Where he was quiet and reserved, you were bubbly and cute, something he loved about you. No matter how you were feeling, you were always positive and smiling.

By the time it got to 1am, Sakusa realised that he hadn't seen you for a while. He had been sitting with his teammates, under your explicit instructions to socialise, but he couldn't see you anywhere. Excusing himself, he walked around to see you chugging champagne from the bottle as you sat in the corner of the bar, your bare feet were swinging and you had discarded your jacket.

"Honey, you're going to be sick."

"Mmm. Nope."

"Honey." He tried to reach over and take the bottle from you, knowing very well that you would be hungover as hell tomorrow. Champagne and you for some reason didn't end well.

"My boyfriend says it's ok."

For a second, Sakusa stopped and then realised what had happened.

"It's me, love. Kiyoomi. Your boyfriend."

You peered at him, eyes narrowed as you scanned him from head to toe. He looked like your boyfriend. Was dressed like your boyfriend. But why would he be here? Omi hated stuff like this.

"My Omi would never come here. He doesn't like places like this."

Shaking his head, he wiped his hand down his face and stepped closer to you. "Your Omi was forced to come here by his girlfriend. And unfortunately he has a huge soft spot for loud and pushy girlfriends."

You shook your head vehemently. "Nuh uh."

Sighing, Sakusa pried the bottle way from your hands and placed it on the bar away from you. Grabbing you by the hips, he tugged you down and picked up your shoes before helping you to the car. Kiyoomi hadn't drunk much, he didn't like the feeling of being out of control especially in public, so he knew he would be driving you both home.

Placing you in the car and driving you home, he helped you up the stairs and put you carefully on the sofa as he locked the doors and checked everything before opening the covers on the bed for you. When he returned back to the living room, you had fallen asleep with your head back.

"Tsk you're going to hurt your neck that way, love."

Picking you up bridal style, he placed you on the bed before having a quick shower. Not wanting to dirty the clean sheets, he took your tights and dress off before pulling one of your tops over your head. Taking your hair down, something that would annoy you otherwise, he turned off the lights and pulled you close.

"Omi..." You mumbled into his chest.

"Yes, love?"

"This guy tried to hit on me. But I told him I had a boyfriend. He left me alone after that." You nuzzled closer and Kiyoomi smiled as he thought back. "Bet he knew who you were. My strong boyfriend." You patted his chest lovingly.

"Good night love."

"Night night, Omi"

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Ian Malcolm

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(When I tell you I love this man.)

- You and Ian meet when you attend the same STEM related conference; though it would be more accurate to say that you met while you attended a conference that he was lecturing at. 

- Nevertheless, you were both in the same room and wound up interfacing before the meeting was over; an interaction that would lead to a very interesting and at times exasperating relationship. 

- You found him fascinating; just like pretty much everyone else in the crowd, someone who had a big, entertaining personality in a field that so often lacked personality. You liked him the minute he opened his mouth. 

- He, in turn, thought that you were gorgeous and found himself falling for you the minute he locked eyes on you. He was looking forward to the moment he could slink off stage and find a way to talk to you. He did so right after he finished his speech and the applause settled down.

- He artfully found his way through the crowd and managed to convince the person beside you to switch their seat, taking it for himself after the starry eyed boy got up. 

- The two of you sat in silence for a little while before he leaned over and introduced himself, shaking your hand for a lingering moment before you both turned your attention back to the stage. 

- Another beat of silence passed between you before he leaned over and murmured a funny comment to you, reveling in the way you tried to hold back your smile. You spent the rest of the meeting trying to stifle your laughter as your new ironic commentator continued his jokes and flirtation. It certainly made the conference more enjoyable. 

- Once the shows over and everyone begins to clear out, he asks if you’re doing anything before asking if you’d like to go out and grab a couple of drinks or talk someplace. 

- That's how you find yourself seated next to him at the bar of a nice little restaurant, listening to him explain the chaos theory in detail and trying your best to digest everything that he’s saying; along with your drinks. 

- Along with his mathematical explanations, he also provides a lot of compliments and flirtation. You spend the evening feeling like the most important and sought after woman in the world

- Since you could easily; and very accurately, consider that little get together to be your first date, let’s move on to your first kiss. 

- It’s a date or two later that the two of you share it. You don’t want to give in too easily; even if you want to kiss him a lot sooner, so you play coy until you cant take it any more and the moment feels perfectly right. 

- Perfectly right seems to mean the middle of your kitchen after you invited him in for some coffee but hey, to each their own. 

- Nevertheless, you’d invited him into your home after one of your dates and gone to your kitchen to get the two of you your drinks. He’d followed you in and when you handed him his cup of coffee, he’d leaned in, pressed his lips to yours and given you a soft kiss.

- When he pulled away, he smiled at you, raised his mug, and gave you a somewhat teasing thank you before he lead the way into your living room. 

- One mug lead to another and you've been staying up late with each other ever since. 

- Ian suffers from a deplorable need to constantly be touching you. On top of that, he really isn’t too preoccupied with how other people feel so Pda is very common and performed very shamelessly.

- His arm is usually wrapped around you in some way, whether it be draped across the back of your chair, wrapped around your shoulders, or haphazardly thrown in front of you while a T. Rex is charging towards you.

- Tight hugs; which usually means that you’re being somewhat picked up since he’s so goddamn tall.

- Having your hair played with; oftentimes while he uses his flirtation on you.

- Knee squeezes. His hand belongs to your knee whenever he can’t wrap his arm around you.

- He loves cheek kisses. He loves the sort of showing off feel of them whenever you’re in front of someone else; and he just loves how soft and sweet they are.

- Slow, passionate kisses.

- Oftentimes, you wind up sleeping in the crook of his arm; usually with your head resting against his chest. That being said, the two of you also just cuddle haphazardly, snuggling in any which way you can, your limbs entangled and your bodies relaxed.

- He tends to call you honey or baby but, considering the fact that he calls his daughter Queen, my goddess and my inspiration, there’s room for a few more over dramatic pet names in your relationship.

- Waking up together. Ian's a math professor so, depending on both your schedules, you’re usually getting up around the same time. Although, if you get up earlier than he has to, he’d definitely; somewhat begrudgingly, adapt to your schedule.

- The two of you are attached at the hip a lot of the time. If you choose to go somewhere, he’s bound to follow; whether that be to keep you safe or just because he enjoys spending time with you is anyone’s guess.

- Working on separate things while you’re together. Sometimes couples just want to be in the same room while they do their own thing and I think that’s beautiful.

- Going shopping together. He’s a fan of clothes shopping, groceries, not so much.

- He likes trying out new things and going to all those different places that pop up in town so the two of you visit a lot of new restaurants and shops.

- Going out to dinner at nice restaurants. He’s the Rockstar of the math community so of course he’d want to take you to a few high end places; whenever he could afford it that is.

- Traveling around the world together. Whenever he has to go somewhere, he likes taking you with him.

- Being in the crowds of his conferences and public appearances. You like cheering him on and he appreciates the fact that you’re always there for him; even if he doesn’t necessarily need the support.

- Ian isn’t the greatest at keeping his word and he can get really caught up in his work to the point where he forgets important things, but he does always try his best to make things up to you whenever he can.

- Becoming close with Kelly. She enjoys living with you when her mother can’t be bothered and Ian’s bogged down by work. He loves both his girls dearly so the fact that you get along with each other is very important to him.

- You get to use the fact that you’re with Kelly as an excuse to go do stupid and somewhat childish things like visiting arcades and county fairs. Not that you couldn’t do that without her but I think you know what I mean.

- Movie nights; usually with him and Kelly.

- Museum dates.

- He genuinely thinks that your weird interests and quirks are endearing and fascinating. Other people would consider them strange, Ian considers them to be a compelling part of your personality.

- Seeing you talk about things that you’re passionate about is one of his favorite things in the world. He thinks that drive to learn and do and the intelligence that you possess is extremely sexy.

- Sometimes he’ll just look at you like he wants to eat you alive and it’s extremely problematic. Sir, we are in public.

- Lots of flirting. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been together, he still enjoys making you flustered and treating you like the prettiest girl he’s ever seen.

- Unnecessary and frankly disrespectful noises. If he doesn’t stop making salacious growls at you, you’re gonna have to act up.

- Letting him explain all his different theories and findings to you. He loves showing off and having your undivided attention.

- Breaking rules together. If you aren’t keen on doing so, he’d definitely tease you for being a goody goody.

- He carries around a flask most of the time so the two of you can always just park somewhere and drink together whenever you feel like. Some of your best memories take place in his car, passing around a little metal container and talking about nothing in particular.

- Sarcasm drips from this mans every pore so you should try to get used to it. As annoying as it can be, it does make for some funny comments here and there.

- Snarky comments; whether they’re directed at you or someone else. Ian can be a bit of a bastard so don’t be surprised when his mouth opens and something mocking comes out. Just be prepared to occasionally slap his arm and stop him from being a total ass to people; even if it’s justified.

- Corny little jokes.

- Trying to keep him from verbally destroying people. He’s very verbal about his opinions so chances are, he’s going to speak his mind at one point or another and you might not want to be there when he does.

- He’s a voice of reason for just about everyone on Earth so if you need someone to tell you when you’re being stupid, he’s perfect for you.

- Sticking with him and being there for him after everything happens. He changes very drastically in the following years after meeting Mr. Hammond but you love him no less.

- No matter what people may think of him, you still defend him and proudly stand by his side. You’ve learned to ignore the opinion of others and not entertain their gossip.

- Helping him deal with the trauma that comes with almost getting fucking eaten.

- Ian doesn’t get jealous very often. He’s secure enough in himself and knows that you wouldn’t cheat on him, but every now and again, if you’re particularly close to like a colleague or something, he’ll show some signs of jealousy. Mainly, he’ll just ask a bunch of questions about them and your relationship; all the while trying to play it off as normal curiosity.

- Ian is incredibly protective of you; particularly after the events of Jurassic park. He’s willing to do whatever he can to keep you safe; even if it means endangering himself or doing something that scares the hell out of him.

- The two of you don’t fight extremely often; and you rarely have very serious fights, but you do have an argument from time to time. He may say something sarcastic or hurtful in the heat of the moment on occasion but he never means it and he always immediately apologizes.

- Very few fights last overnight. He’s usually so quick to apologize and try to sort things out that you’re back on track in no time. Under his egotistical shell, he’s really just a big softie who wants things to be alright between the two of you.

- He tells you that he loves you a perfectly average amount of times; not too much and not too little. And he loves hearing you say it back or just tell him that you love him for no real reason.

- Ian legitimately loves kids. Like he’s fully prepared to get married and start a family with you at any given moment. Believe me, you just say the words and he’ll pop the question.

[mallowstep]

(nature; nurture)

You know the truth of yourself in pieces.

* * *

You are three, sitting on your mother's lap.

"And you understand this is a life-long commitment?"

"Yes," she says.

"And Mothkit, Frogkit, and Hawkkit, do you want Feathertail to be your mother?"

"She is our mama," Hawkkit says, and the woman laughs.

"That settles it, then."

* * *

Growing up is not a balloon inflating, the way you once pictured it. It is a crab moulting over and over again, exposing its softest parts, in hopes it survives.

* * *

You are the first to go to kindergarten. Only by a few minutes, but still. That feels like it counts for something.

You kiss your mother's cheek, and then drop your bag. A man crouches down beside you. "And what's your name?"

"Mothkit!" you say, and he shows you where to put your bag. You glance back at your mother as you venture deeper into the classroom. She wipes a few tears from her eyes.

* * *

Unlike a crab, you cannot reabsorb what you lose. Your teeth are collected in a box, exchanged for a few quarters, occasionally a dollar. Your hair is swept up and thrown away. You go shopping, and now there are two sections you have to examine. One for you, one for your brothers.

* * *

Stormheart picks you up for school, and no one is waiting in the passenger seat. You all climb in, and you end up stuck in the middle.

"Where's Mama?" you ask.

"She's at home," Stormheart says. He glances back at you for a second, smiling. "She's just having a bad day."

You kick off your shoes at the door when you get home, dropping your bag on the kitchen table. Your brothers are slower, but you peek through the crack in her door before Stormheart catches up with you.

She's asleep, not facing you. Mistyfoot is on the other side of the bed, reading a book.

Stormheart scoops you up. "Come on, bug," he whispers. "Let's go play outside."

* * *

But your soft parts stay the same, just growing between each exchange. You ask her about your father many times, and her answers drift, circling around a truth you want her to finish. You slip into her room after having a nightmare, and find her sobbing. You make a family tree, and stare frustrated at the missing names.

* * *

You follow her out to the garden. Frogpaw spends more time out here than you do, but you're bored, and your mother is here, digging tiny troughs into the earth.

You cross your legs on the grass beside her. She smiles at you. "Are you going to stay out here?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want a hat?"

"No." The sun is warm, and you lean down, your elbows pressing into the dirt. "What are you planting?"

"Poppies," she says. "Do you want to help?"

You shake your head. Feathertail takes a handful of sandy dirt, and pours the bag of seeds onto it.

"Mama?" you ask, and she lifts her brow. "What's assault?"

Feathertail pauses what she's doing, and looks questioningly at you. "Where'd you hear that?"

"It was on a TV show." You fidget with blades of grass. "I wasn't really watching."

Feathertail sighs. "It's -- when you hurt someone," she says. "When you attack them."

* * *

But you are not a crab. You are a girl, and you are changing. Your father sends you a letter and asks you if you're a help to your mother. You grapple with the undeniable proof he's in prison, like she explained a year or two ago. You shoot up past your brothers over the summer, and have to buy new clothes. A new garment comes with it. Feathertail cleans a few things out of a room you can't think of as hers, and it becomes yours. Your soft parts move, find new places in need of protection.

* * *

Sometimes, you want to explain everything to Leafpaw, all in one breath. You want to say, My mother didn't give birth to me, but I know who did, and I was not wanted, except that I was, and my father believes I am capable of nothing, and my period has started, and I don't know what that means, and I think you are beautiful.

You don't say any of that.

* * *

But you are not a crab, so you find traces of your past exoskeletons, the ones that didn't fit. A shirt you wore five years ago. A diary you can barely understand. A folded piece of paper you do not open. They don't make sense with who you are, and yet, they are who you were.

* * *

Shadepelt teaches you how to use make up. Feathertail and Mistyfoot don't wear any, but she does, and she makes it look easy and fun and flawless.

It's much harder when you have to do it.

Hawkpaw and Stonefur arrive home when you are scrubbing it off in the bathroom downstairs. You don't come down here very often, and it is strange to think that this space is a part of your home.

When your face is clean, you trudge upstairs. The air is tense, Hawkpaw and Frogpaw staring across the kitchen table at each other, Feathertail watching them.

"I'm -- allowed to know," Hawkpaw says.

"What do you want to know?" Frogpaw says. "We know everything we need to."

"Maybe you do," Hawkpaw says.

You glance at Feathertail. Her back is to you.

You slide unnoticed into your room, and pull out the stack of letters from your father. You read them all once, exactly, and then add them to the stack you keep in your bottom desk drawer. There's no point in rereading them.

But you run your thumb over them, listening to the way the old, dried paper crinkles.

Frogpaw is asking the wrong question. It's why Hawkpaw wants to know that matters.

* * *

Freshman year draws to a close, and you think you are in your final moult. Leafpaw falls asleep on your shoulder on the way home from a field trip, and you hold hands as you wait to be picked up. You haven't outgrown any clothes in months, and your brothers are now taller than you. You look in the mirror, and realize this will always be the face that looks back at you.

* * *

There is always talk. You try to ignore the worst of it,

("Well, Hawkpaw is a creep," and, "I heard their mother doesn't love them," and, "Bet you can't wait to see your daddy,")

but that's easier said then done.

Leafpaw squeezes your hand. "They don't know what they're talking about," she says.

But they do. That's the problem. They're wrong, but they know what they're talking about.

A junior Mothpaw doesn't know sits beside her at lunch, in Leafpaw's space.

"You should move," Squirrelpaw says.

"No one's sitting here."

"Someone will be."

True to form, as soon as Leafpaw bursts into the cafeteria, she forces herself between Mothpaw and the junior.

The junior rolls her eyes. "I was wondering," she begins, "how you feel about the death penalty."

* * *

There are still old memories you revisit. Feathertail is hospitalized for the third time you can remember, and you log your hours for drivers' ed as you practice making the trip back and forth.

* * *

On Halloween, you take the bucket of candy Feathertail gave the three of you to share and sit on the back porch. Frogpaw and Hawkpaw keep stuffing their faces long after you've finished, and you feel like you're witnessing something obscene.

"I did some math," Frogpaw says. "We were born a month early." He throws a candy bar up, and it lands on his stomach. "Means we were conceived around New Years."

He throws the bar up again, and this time it lands in his hands.

"You ever want to throw a party? Just one. Make a bunch of food for dinner and sit around the table and call all the different dishes courses?"

"What the hell are you saying?" Hawkpaw asks.

"I think i'm just saying something," Frogpaw says. "I think I'm just hoping if I say enough things, I'll find the right thing to say.

* * *

You get your license. It says your name on the card, Mothpaw, daughter of Feathertail, and ask for permission to drive the car.

You don't have a plan for where you're going, and you end up in front of a cathedral.

* * *

The stress of junior year threatens to break you. College applications loom, your classes grow teeth, and you start to bicker with Leafpaw over petty things.

You read over the essay requirement for colleges, and think about what kind of essay you could write. Because there's really only one story worth telling, and it feels wrong, to type out all of your family to a stranger.

It makes you glad you started early. "My mother was fourteen when we were born," you write, and then scratch out. "My father is alive. We know who the other is. I've never met him," you write, and then erase. "I don't know who I am," you write, and then you keep writing.

* * *

At some point, you decide you don't believe. But. You keep coming back. There is something reassuring in routine. Your family doesn't ask where you are going, and you don't volunteer it. Sunday morning. There's some kind of peace, in having the time to sit and think and be.

* * *

"I think I've messed everything up," Leafpaw says. "I've gone about this all the wrong way, and now, everything is terrible, and this is all my fault, Mothpaw, I'm sorry-"

You kiss her, and then lean your forehead against hers. "We're both at fault," you say. "Besides. Maybe the honeymoon is over. We've got lives to attend."

And Leafpaw, inextricably, is part of that life. You can think of the essays you would've written about her. How her hair looks brown until it catches the sun, and then it shines like red glass. How she stomps when she is excited. How she links arms with you and says you're going shopping until you find your family Christmas gifts.

* * *

They invite you to a class, but it feels strange, knowing you don't believe. How do you say, I am here, and I am not, and I don't think you'd really want me.

You don't. You kneel down and offer a prayer to a god you don't believe in. Maybe it will catch.

* * *

Feathertail listens to you practice your speech.

"I'm so proud of you," she says. "You know that, right?"

You nod. She tells you this often, but something about her tone makes your throat catch. You've outgrown the days when Feathertail's arms could surround you, but even so, you start to cry when she hugs you.

"I love you," you say.

"I love you too," she says. She settles back onto the couch, wrapping her hands around a mug of tea.

This is the truth of who you are. This is what you will always fail to capture. How can you describe how the light streams inside at an angle that you've always known, one that makes the dust swirl through it? How can you describe the books on the coffee table, how each book has been read and loved, not merely thrown there for decoration? How can you describe yourself in any way but being there?

* * *

You meet your father's eyes. You know them. You have seen them in the mirror.

* * *

You hold your diploma in one hand, stopping for a photo. You were the first to enter kindergarten, you were the last to leave high school.

The excited chatter in the air is a reminder of what this day is. You have all bought your final yearbooks, signed names and numbers you won't remember in a few months. You're in it a few times -- Feathertail and Leafpaw delighted in hunting for your every appearance -- and you think, maybe it is okay if you are pieces.

There is something whole and solid that is made of them.

[askthewvba]

So, do you guys have any hobbies outside of the ring?

Little Mac

While Mac does devote much of his time to training and preparing for his next matches, he's still a teenage boy! That bike is good for casual rides too, and when he and Doc have some time they'll go riding through the streets of New York (while avoiding fans!). Video games are another go-to pastime; he and Birdy get together to game pretty frequently, though he also makes the effort to teach Doc how to play. Doc's still figuring out how to manage newer generation controllers.

Glass Joe

When out of the ring, Glass Joe greatly enjoys his time to be spent in calm, quiet comfort. He frequents libraries and book shops for new reading material, then makes himself cozy in his reading chair with his cat Miette on his lap. When he chooses to leave the house, he'll drop by his usual café and pick up a snack and a cup of coffee - sometimes he'll visit the café twice in one day if he'd already gone there for breakfast.

Von Kaiser

Von Kaiser's never been one for idling, and prefers even his free time to be productive and/or busy. Otherwise, he just feels antsy! He's got a collection of boots to be polished, bookshelves to be reorganized, training equipment to be tidied and touched up, anything to keep his mind from wandering and his hands occupied. Additionally, he'll take his dog Jäger out for walks around the neighborhood.

Disco Kid

Oh, it's not too hard to imagine! Disco Kid loves the nightlife, hosting parties at his own place or going out to whatever club he can find around town. He just wants to dance and have a good time! Sometimes he'll cruise down the highways going nowhere in particular, blasting his music out of his sports car and flashing the fancy lights he's got, making a real spectacle of himself and his ride.

King Hippo

King Hippo is a simple monarch, and if there aren't any important kingly duties he has to attend to, you can usually find him feasting, resting, or zonked out with a hunk of food still in his hand - best of both worlds! Since coming to the Mainland, he's developed an interest in trying other global cuisines and determining if they compare to his own tastes and what he usually dines on at home. As of now he has determined that spicy foods do not spark joy.

Piston Hondo

Piston Hondo is another who enjoys quiet simplicity. Though he devotes much of his time to meditation and training, he also takes great pleasure in the culinary arts of his culture. He’ll spend hours cooking traditional meals to perfection, and he’s nearly mastered the art of the tea ceremony. Other hobbies include reading (though he’d be hard pressed to tell you what he usually reads), calligraphy, and painting.

Bear Hugger

Bear Hugger’s an outdoorsman, through and through! He spends many hours enjoying the wilderness with his wildlife friends, cooking hearty meals over campfires, hiking through tundras and mountains, and maybe even a game or two of hockey if he’s got the time for it. You could also say boxing’s a bit of a hobby for him - his usual gig is lumberjacking and carpentry!

Great Tiger

Like his friend Hondo, Great Tiger spends much of his time meditating and honing his magical abilities. Speaking of, though he could and has easily sold out arenas to see him perform his wonders, he’d just as soon travel the streets of his hometown and perform tricks for delighted locals free of charge. Like Kaiser, he also takes satisfaction in regularly reorganizing his living space and belongings, just to shake things up.

Don Flamenco

Of course, the obvious answer would be his dancing skills. Which is true! Don Flamenco and Disco Kid often spend nights out at local clubs, where both of them display their abilities for whoever happens to have their eyes on them. But at home, he tends to his flower garden that grows carnations, asters, dahlias, and of course - roses, his pride and joy. Would you believe Don doesn’t mind a little dirt here and there?

Aran Ryan

Aran Ryan’s favorite pastime is, without a doubt, annoying people. Needless to say he’s quite the prankster, lurking around the WVBA gyms for anyone he can mess with, usually some hapless soul just trying to get a workout in. If he’s stuck in the lodgers? Might as well crank his music up as high as it goes to piss off the neighbors! He’s picked up tagging as a hobby too, though mostly keeps it in America.

Soda Popinski

On many days after vigorous training at the WVBA facility, Soda Popinski and his buddy Aran go bar-hopping around town, even if the sun’s still up. Soda’s not drinking liquor anymore, of course, but he does get totally sloshed on soda! Those evenings usually end with both men drunkenly stumbling back to their lodgings, belting pub songs out of key. But on days when he’d rather take it easy, you can find him reading, knitting, or... wrestling bears in the mountains. 

Bald Bull

Whatever he’s doing, Bald Bull values his time spent privately away from the public eye. Visiting hot springs and saunas are a tried and true way for him to relax. Back home he lives near a few foothills with herds of wild cattle, and will spend time bonding (and training) with the bulls there. Plus, he’s good at construction! Does he need another firepit in the backyard? No. Is he making one anyway? He’s already halfway done.

Super Macho Man

Hosting lavish and expensive parties with groupies and other socialites? Check. Calling up one of the many numbers in his phone and taking a lucky lady out for a wild night on the town? Check. Showing up to other parties and events and totally stealing the show? Check, check, check. But what Macho loves most is actually a solo activity, out of the limelight - he loves to surf on his private beach, spending hours catching sun and taming waves.

Mr. Sandman

Mr. Sandman is one of those weirdos who legitimately goes to the gym for fun. Whether lifting weights, using the machines, or getting in some cardio exercises, you can be sure that Sandman’s showing up literally everybody else with how efficient and effortless his routines are. But would you have pegged him as being a science fiction and fantasy fan? He’s got quite the sizable collection of novels!

[the8gates]

Come As You Are: Part One - Redux

Word Count: 6.9k

Warning(s): None.

Atsuko Kamiyama is 20 years old with no clear direction in life. For now, she spends her days working part-time at her father’s comic shop while her live-in boyfriend, Kakashi, works at a local bar, the Deerhead. It wasn’t the life she imagined herself leading, but she thought that she could at least be content. That is until her ex-fling, Obito, tells her that he has decided on the course his life is going to take. Now, she wonders if any of the decisions she made in the past are the ones that are going to lead her to fulfilment. Torn between emotions so conflicting she struggles to understand them, Atsuko will be forced to take control of her life. And her future.

This story is Part Two of Burnouts

Previous Chapters: 

Prologue - AO3

Next Chapter:

Chapter Two

Three Months Earlier

“You have got to be joking.”

Atsuko questioned, giggling through her words despite herself. There was no earthly way the story Shisui had just told her was true. But the earnestness in his words said otherwise. Her co-worker raised his hands in self defense, dark eyes widening as his expression tried to make his point for him. 

“I’m telling the truth, Atsuko! I swear on my life! Why the fuck would I make up something like that?”

Shisui replied, the hint of desperation in his voice only serving to make her laugh. In hindsight, it was hilarious. But she could imagine that, at the time, Shisui had felt like he’d just witnessed the single most traumatizing event of his life. 

“So, let me just recap and make sure I heard you right. You got home from work the other night and, as soon as you walked in the door, you knew something was off. It’s dead quiet, except for the sound of squeaking bedsprings. And you still went to-“

Atsuko started to say, trying to turn the blame around on him. But Shisui was quick to cut her off. 

“Hey, don’t put this on me! That is my home! My sanctuary away from all the bullshit! I was the one violated here!”

Shisui defended, but Atsuko kept going anyway, laughing through her words as the mental image conjured itself. 

“It doesn't matter! You heard the sounds, but you still went to investigate? I mean, c’mon Shisui! You put that shit on yourself. There was no way you didn’t know what was going on!”

Atsuko flung back. The way the oldest two Uchiha brothers flared when being confronted with their own stupidity was an endless source of entertainment. Obito would get the same look on his face when he was trying to explain himself. Eyes wide, mouth agape, sharp eyebrows pinched impossibly close together. Shisui fixed her with that stunned expression for a moment, pained at the thought that he could’ve avoided this entire situation if he’d just been observant. After a few seconds passed, he crumbled and groaned, turning away from her to scrunch his eyes shut and drag a frustrated hand down his face. 

“I don’t know why I did it, alright? I just- I just did, okay! And I haven’t even told you the worst part yet! So, Itachi’s door is cracked open, right and I see… what I see. But then I just like… freeze for a second. Because, one, I cannot fucking believe it! Two, what the fuck? Three, how the fuck? Four-“

“Get to the point, Shisui.”

“Ugh. Right. So, I’m frozen for a second. And in that one fucking second, Izumi just happens to roll her head over and look right at me! And she fucking screams! So, I scream! Itachi jumps a foot in the air, blankets flying everywhere and he’s yelling at me to shut the fucking door. I reach out to grab the doorknob, but I’m so fucking traumatized that my hands are like shaking and shit and I just end up pushing it open further-“

Atsuko groaned at that, burying her face in her hands as she doubled over to place her elbows on the countertop. Shisui snapped his fingers next to her, and without looking, she knew he was pointing at her reaction. 

“See! See, I told you it got worse! After that happened, I pretty much ran away. Like, out the front door ran away. I just got in my car and left because I didn’t know what else to do. I went to hang out with Asuma and Kurenai. Totally ruined their fucking date night…”

Shisui continued, rambling again as the cringe consumed him. Atsuko knew that Shisui had seen and overheard a lot living in that house. Four boys, living together during their formative years with little to no adult supervision was a recipe for disaster. But seeing his sixteen year old brother having sex with his equally young girlfriend was probably one of the worst things he’d witnessed. Walking in on each other jacking off or watching porn wasn’t as big of a deal. There was a third party involved here. 

“Oh god, poor Izumi.”

Atsuko sighed, shaking her head at the thought of being that young and having something like that happen. Again, funny in hindsight. Mortifying at the time. 

“I know. I’ve walked in on Itachi before, like looking at magazines and shit but… this is just… ugh. He hasn’t talked to me in a week. Izumi hasn’t been to the house since it happened either.”

Shisui lamented, dropping his head back with his black, curly, hair following suit. Atsuko could only wince, sucking in air through her teeth. 

“That’s tough, buddy. Maybe… I don’t know. Maybe you should just apologize to him? I mean. I get it. If you had ever walked in on Obito and I, well-“

Atsuko was beginning to laugh a bit, imaging the scenario and the resulting chaos that would have ensued. That was until she caught the look Shisui was giving her. In the peripheral, she could see the way his eyes narrowed mischievously and the slight smirk on his lips. It stopped her mid sentence, her mouth snapping shut with a huff and a roll of her eyes. 

“Wipe that fucking look off your face, asshole.”

She instructed, rising up off her stool to collect her smoking kit from under the counter. Shisui let out a snicker behind her, leaning forward himself to begin gathering the drinks for the incoming customers from the cooler. 

“Ah, c’mon, Atusko. I just told you what was possibly the most embarrassing and mortifying moment of my life. And you’re ready to cuss me out over some teasing?”

He fired back, settling cold cans of soda against the comic shops counter top. Atsuko could only roll her eyes again as she snatched one of the drinks for herself. Then another can of Coke for her smoking buddy. Shisui knew exactly what he was doing by giving her that look. Teasing her as if thinking back positively on the time she spent with Obito was an indicator of something deeper. She was simply making a connection, but at this point, she couldn’t bring up the eldest Uchiha brother around Shisui without receiving some kind of flak. 

“Your ‘teasing’ is baseless and insulting. Me mentioning Obito in that context doesn’t mean what you think it means. I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

Atsuko said, unzipping the little pouch in her hand to double check that she had everything she needed. The half smoked blunt from this morning and a trusty black lighter. Then she was zipping it closed and grabbing both Coke cans in one, overhanded, grip. 

“I’m just giving you a hard time. And I am going to take your advice, by the way. I’ll apologize to Itachi when I get home tonight. Does that make you less defensive?”

Shisui said, placing his elbow on the counter and propping the side of his head on his upturned hand, leaning forward in exaggerated fashion to catch her eye and smile up at her. Atsuko could only scoff, shaking her head at his boyish charm. 

“Yeah, yeah. Stroke my ego. Makes it all better… seriously, Shisui. You gotta quit joking around like that. If someone overhears or starts to suspect anything, it’s only going to make it more difficult for me. Kakashi is already starting to give me the third degree. I don’t need it here. And I don’t need you making it worse.”

Atsuko lamented, running a nervous hand back through her mess of curls.

“Sounds like you’re admitting something here, Atsuko.”

“I’m not admitting anything! Nothing has happened and nothing is going to happen! It’s like everyone has conveniently forgotten that Obito and I were friends before all of that shit happened. Just because we’re hanging out again doesn’t automatically mean that we’re fucking!”

Atsuko hissed, her voice a little louder than she’d intended. Then, just as her sentence ended, the front door to the shop opened and drew both of their attention. As if saying his name were some form of magical summoning, Obito crossed the threshold into the shop with ease. His hands were buried in the pockets of his baggy pants and he walked with his hips slightly jutted forward, his shoulders hanging back as he fixed both of them with a crooked smile. 

“Did one of you just say my name?”

He asked, immediately snapping Atsuko out of her mild shock. She shrugged, glancing at Shisui for confirmation, but the second oldest Uchiha brother had left her high and dry. Muttering something about going to ‘check the bathrooms’ before swiftly moving around her and heading for the back of the shop, a slight snicker following him. When Atsuko turned her gaze back to Obito, he was approaching the counter with a quirked eyebrow, the ends of his dark hair peaking out from under the beanie that was permanently secured to the top of his head. 

“Ah, no. I mean, I think I said something about going out back to smoke with you when you got here… but that’s it.”

Atsuko covered, grabbing her small bag from the countertop to jingle in front of his face. It was a distraction, but an effective one. Obito grinned, snatching the bag from her hand and drawing a gasping laugh from her in the process. He moved quickly, already walking down the back hall towards the alley behind the shop. 

“Hey! You can’t just grab my stuff like that!”

Atsuko called, hurriedly following after him. 

“I can when we’re sharing.”

He replied, flashing her a shit eating grin over his shoulder, just as he pushed the backdoor open and exited the shop into a blinding ray of light. Atsuko squinted her eyes a bit as they traded the softer overhead lighting inside for the unforgiving brightness of the summer sun. By the time her eyes adjusted, Obito was already rifling through her bag, producing the half smoked blunt and her lighter before he moved to press his back against the brick wall and sank down to sit with his legs sprawled out in front of him. 

“You have no idea how much I needed this.”

Obito sighed, not taking much heed to her presence as he lit the end of the re-purposed cigarillo paper. Atsuko scoffed, moving to sit next to him, her head dropping back against the wall as he took the first couple drags. 

“Long day?”

She questioned, pinching the paper between her fingers when Obito passed it to her. He held his breath for a moment, allowing the smoke to seep deeply into his lungs. And, even when he answered her, he spoke through his teeth to avoid losing any more than necessary. 

“Yeah. Getting all of this shit in order is going to kill me.”

Obito replied, earning a hum of understanding from Atsuko as she took her two hits. She knew that his job at the local library had been surprisingly hectic in recent weeks. Something to do with reorganizing and switching up the placement of the sections. They’d been cataloguing and moving hundreds of books a day.

“What was it today? Moving all of the romance novels to a back room that you have to show ID to get into?”

Atsuko returned, making a mild joke at his expense, finally releasing her breath after holding it for a moment. A faint trail of smoke left her mouth and she admired it for a moment before fully blowing it away. Obito chuckled beside her, shaking his head. 

“Nah, it wasn’t work… did I not tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“I’m moving.”

Atsuko’s heart skipped a full beat, her eyes going wide as he plucked the blunt from her fingertips and helped himself to another drag. Moving? 

“Oh, no… you didn’t. Where to?”

She replied, trying to cover the nauseous feeling in her stomach with another question. Maybe he just meant that he was moving out of Madara’s house. Like she’d done in order to live with Kakashi. He would still be in town, just living in a different building. 

“Suna. I had to drive up there early this morning to look at an apartment… Pretty sure I’m gonna get it. But there are some other applicants. And the people living there now won’t be out for a few months anyway.”

He answered easily, teeth clenched again as Atsuko reeled in silence. Suna? He was moving a three hour drive away? And he hadn’t told her until he was already looking at fucking apartments? 

“Wait. Why?”

She managed, shaking her head when he offered her the blunt again. Obito shrugged, turning to lightly tamp the smoldering end against the brick beside him. “I’ve been thinking about a fresh start for a while now. And there’s a good trade school up there. You know how I’ve been doing some work on cars recently? I really like it… So, the plan is to get up there and get settled, then complete the courses to get my certification.”

Obito said, catching her up on a decision he’d clearly made in the last couple of weeks. They hadn’t been able to talk much with their conflicting work schedules and Kakashi watching her phone like a hawk… But this was a life changing decision! He was talking about a new life. A career. And he said it all so casually. Like he didn’t realize the repercussions of making this move. He would never get to come to the comic shop again. Would only be able to see his friends on rare occasions. And their friendship would fall apart. All of that work to get back to where they were now… 

After she’d come back to town and moved in with Kakashi, things had wound down quite a bit. Obito had shown up at the shop a week before Christmas and, for a while, that’s all it was. He would come in, hang out and read something or chat with the other people there. He made an appearance at every Trivia Night, even though it took some apologies and schmoozing to get his seat back on the Masters of Disguise. Slowly, he began integrating himself back into her life. They would share casual jokes and conversation, but they never discussed what happened beyond Obito’s hasty apology to her in that shampoo aisle. 

That was until a little over a month ago. She’d gone to see Kakashi on one of his late shifts at the Deerhead, only to see Obito and a few members of his gang parked in a back booth. It had taken him a while to get back in their good graces, but she’d taken notice that things were starting to return to normal in the weeks leading up to this run-in. Deidara had come down from school for Spring Break, and they were all out celebrating his short lived return. 

“Atsuko! Hey!”

Dei called out across the bar, rising up from his seat. He was forced to the inside of the booth, tucked against the wall as Kisame and Hidan forced themselves into the seat next to the skinny blonde. The large group was packed around the small table like sardines. Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato were seated on the opposite bench with only the tops of their heads and colors of their hair giving her their identity. Obito, Kakazu, and Sasori were seated in chairs at the end of the table, spilling into the walk way with no concern. At Deidara’s call out, every head turned in her direction and she gave them a wave. 

“Atsuko.”

Kakashi said from beside her, drawing her attention back to where he was standing on the other side of the bar, polishing a glass. When her eyes landed back on him, his eyes filtered between her and the group. 

“What do you want to do for dinner?”

He questioned, causing her to wrinkle her nose and shrug a bit. She’d just stopped in to say a quick hello and ask what he thought about spending the upcoming holiday at Jiraiya’s.

“Oh, I don’t care… I might just grab something on the way home… do you want me to get you something? It’ll be cold by the time you get off.”

She returned, earning her a shake of Kakashi’s head. 

“Nah, forget it. I’ll heat something up when I get home…”

He said, and she nodded. 

“Atsukooo~!”

Hidan called from their table, wolf whistling at her and earning some light laughs from the group. She chuckled as well, turning her head to hold up a finger in a sign to give her a second. She was still giggling as she turned back to Kakashi, but she didn’t miss the way he fixed Hidan with a bored expression. 

“Actually, I think I’m gonna go hang out with them for a bit. Can you fix me a drink?”

She asked, arching up on her tiptoes in mild excitement as she flashed Kakashi a sweet grin. It had been a while since she’d had the time to sit and talk with her friends. These days she was either working, cleaning, running errands, or spending her down time with Kakashi in their tiny apartment. Her boyfriend nodded, but he didn’t seem happy with the decision. Atsuko opted to ignore it, batting her eyelashes until he sighed and gave her a slight smile. 

“Yeah. Vodka cranberry?”

He confirmed, and she nodded, propping her chin in her hands with a dreamy look.

“You know me so well.”

She lilted, causing Kakashi to soften a bit and chuckle, muttering something along the lines of ‘Well, I would hope so at this point’ before turning around to prepare her drink. Atsuko watched as he worked, mixing the juice and liquor together, and using his bare hand to squeeze a bit of lime juice on top before settling the glass on a napkin and sliding it across the bar to her. She snatched the drink and used her other hand to waggle her fingers in her direction. Kakashi complied easily, leaning across the bar-top so Atsuko could lean up and press a sweet kiss to his lips. This earned a couple more whistles from the table she would be joining shortly, and she pulled away from her boyfriend with a laugh. 

“Thank you. And I’ll tell Jiraiya that we’ll be at his house this weekend for the cookout.”

She said, earning her a hum of agreement as Kakashi resumed his position. A few stools down from their display, Inoichi Yamanaka tapped the wooden bar to signal that he needed another beer, and Kakashi gave the far table one more glance before moving to fill the request. But not before he gently grabbed Atsuko’s wrist as she moved to turn away, drawing her attention yet again. 

“Hey. I love you.”

He added, and she smiled sweetly in turn. 

“Love you too.”

Then, she was off to join her friends. Jingling the ice in her glass a bit as she approached the table to some light laughter. Sasori might have been a bit distant, but he was a gentleman. So, he stood from his chair and allowed her to seat herself in it, grabbing himself another one from a nearby table. 

“Does dating the bartender mean you get free drinks?”

Konan asked, grinning ear to ear when Atsuko shrugged and took a sip from her straw. 

“If he’s in a good mood.”

She joked, earning some more chuckles from the group. It had been several months since she’d seen them all in the same place. At the same table. In fact, other than Trivia Night, this was the first time she’d seen everyone together since before her fallout with Obito. But they were friendly now, and he was seated right next to her, so she turned and flashed him a smile as well. When they’d run into each other in that shop and he’d said that he didn’t talk to most of his friend anymore, it had broken her heart. And Obito took break ups hard, but she knew that he must have taken that falling out harder than his split from Rin. He looked healthier and happier as he returned her smile before they both focused back on the table. 

The next hour was spent catching up. Dei talked about school and all of his new friends. He even mentioned another boy he’d been talking to since the start of the Spring semester. A cute, tall, brunette that everyone at the table had fawned over when Dei showed them his Instagram page. Hidan and the girl that Atsuko had seen him post about around Christmas were no longer together, though she wasn’t remotely shocked by this development. Hidan was not the ‘stable relationship’ type. 

Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato were all in a similar spot since the last time she’d spoke with them. However, all three of them had moved into a small apartment together. They told a story about the move in and how Yahiko had been given the solitary job of hanging up all of the curtains. He’d fallen off the step ladder trying to drill his first hole in their dry wall and had torn a muscle in his leg. Atsuko hadn’t taken notice before, but now he wore a brace under all of his pants until they could schedule the surgery to repair it. For now, all of their curtains were simply pinned to the walls with thumbtacks. 

Kakuzu and Sasori were still working together. Atsuko knew that much because Kakazu remained her current dealer. What she didn’t know is that they were expanding. Apparently, they had been working on opening a small convenience store that they could run their ‘business’ out of and funnel the money through. It was smart and not so ambitious that it would get them caught, but big enough to earn a reputation and bring in more revenue. 

Kisame had told her some about the time he’d spent back home with his parents. Island life suited him well and she noticed that he lit up like a Christmas tree as he showed them photos of the beach and wilderness surrounding his parents home. His story ended with him floating that idea that he might move back home permanently, but only after he’d earned some kind of degree. Per his mother’s orders. Currently, he was looking into programs at some colleges in the surrounding areas to get his degree in Elementary School Education. He was surprisingly good with children. Something about the whole ‘gentle giant’ persona appealed to them. 

When it came time for Obito to talk about what he���d been up to, he’d simply shrugged. Saying that he was still working at the library, but not much else had changed. Then, all eyes were on Atsuko. Several expectant stares fixed in her direction, but she’d been too caught up in everyone else’s stories and was working on her second drink. So, she stumbled a bit, flushing as she settled her glass down on the table in front of her. 

“Oh, I haven’t done much either. Since Kakashi and I moved in together… we’re just working and enjoying domestic bliss, I guess.”

Atsuko managed, chuckling a bit in embarrassment. It seemed like everyone else was working towards a goal. A future. But she was still stalled in the same place she had been six months ago. 

“Tch. Bliss? Is the sex that good?”

Hidan snarked. Konan gasped at the intrusive question, reaching across the table to smack her friends arm playfully. But the rest of the table simply laughed, all save for Obito. Atsuko chuckled nervously, glancing at him in her peripheral just in time to see him cringe a bit. Then, her eyes were back on Hidan. 

“Asshole. I just mean… well, isn’t that what everyone calls it? When you settle down with someone and spend all of that time together.”

Atsuko clarified, shrugging a bit and taking another sip from her drink. Kisame was the next to speak up. 

“Then what about it is blissful?”

He questioned, and she knew that he meant it genuinely by the curious smile on his face. There was no ill intent, he just wanted to know a little more about her and Kakashi’s relationship. It wasn’t surprising in the slightest, considering that they kept things more ‘low-key’  per Kakashi’s wishes. When she’d been with Obito, even if they were never officially together, everyone knew their situation. They posted things on social media all of the time. Showed up together at every party and hang out. Their ‘relationship’ had been a very social one. But Kakashi wasn’t the type to post much of anything on social media. He also wasn’t a social butterfly by any means. If they did go out together, it was either for a dinner for two. Or, on rare occasions, to have a double date with Kurenai and Asuma. So it didn’t surprise her that there was this air of mystery surrounding their union. 

“Oh… Well, I mean, just the standard stuff ya know? Mundane shit. Every Sunday night is uh… new recipe night. So we make dinner together. Something neither of us has had before. Kakashi usually works late nights but he watches the same game show every evening before work, so now we watch it together. We’ve been talking about getting a dog…”

Atsuko said, realizing that she was running out of things to say rather quickly. Stuttering over her words and fishing any little bit of information she could present. Was their life really that boring? That the only thing she could think of to connect them as a couple was the time they spent in front of the television together? Or their silly dinner tradition. Hidan scoffed, pulling her attention back to her audience. 

“Yeah, she hasn’t gotten laid in months.”

He quipped, jamming a thumb in her direction as everyone laughed. Even Konan snickered behind her hand this time. Atsuko gaped, her mouth falling open as she floundered and tried to defend herself. But Hidan was right. She and Kakashi hadn’t slept together since… Valentines Day? That couldn’t be right… 

“That’s not true! Just because we’re a little boring and we don’t get out much doesn’t mean that we’re not sleeping together! And it’s none of your business anyway.”

Atsuko huffed, covering her lie with a truth. It was definitely not Hidan’s business if she was having sex with her boyfriend. But she’d been overly defensive, which only drew some more sparse laughter from the group. Ugh. Why did this feel so different? She was perfectly content listening to everyone else talk and catch up earlier, but now that she was in the hot seat it felt like she’d been thrown off her game. Rusty in every sense of the word. Maybe all of the alone time with Kakashi and letting Shisui handle Trivia Night was coming back to bite her in the ass. She was losing her social edge. Her ability to handle a bit of teasing. 

“Relax, Atsuko. Hidan’s just being a dick. If you’re happy, then we’re happy. Right?”

Dei said from his corner, looking around at everyone else. There were a few more chuckles, but everyone who was capable of doing so fixed her with a genuine smile and a nod in agreement. Kakuzu grunted his co-sign and Sasori followed suit. Obito was the one to speak up next, drawing her wide eyed attention. 

“Dei’s right. Sounds like domestic bliss to me.”

He added, and it didn’t sound the least bit snarky like she would have expected coming from him. Atsuko even peaked around Kakuzu to see Obito’s face, and he was offering her a genuine, simple, smile. She returned it, finding solace in an expression that she was familiar with before settling back into her chair. 

“I am happy… he makes me happy.”

Atsuko agreed, nodding a few times while her friends returned to picking on her. Ohh’ing and Aww’ing as they made kissing noises. This time, she felt the tension ease from her shoulders and she chuckled along. 

The rest of the night went by without any other slip ups or issues. Even if it had been months upon months since the last time she’d sat down with them like this, it didn’t seem to matter. The conversation came easy and the laughter even easier. By the time everyone began to pack up for the night, it was already closing time at the bar. She hadn’t meant to stay this late, but Kakashi would be getting off soon and they could just go home together. Still, Atsuko followed the group out of the bar as the tumbled outside. Everyone said their goodbyes with the promise that they would all see each other on Trivia Night. Eventually, she and Obito were the only ones left standing outside. 

His car was out of commission for the time being, so he was waiting on Shisui to pick him up on his way home from a friends house. Atsuko didn’t feel right leaving him to stand in the chilly night air by himself, so she lingered around the front door, her eyes looking for any approaching vehicles. Though she didn’t feel as if there was any remaining bad blood between them, she struggled to bridge the gap. They had shared some jokes earlier in the night. Smiled and chatted away in a group setting. But when it was just them, she felt unsure of herself. 

“You don’t… uh, you don’t have to stand out here with me. I know it’s cold.”

Obito suddenly said, pulling her attention to him though it had never really left him. He was leaning against the brick wall between the two large windows on the front of the bar, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his pants. When she turned to look at him, he was already looking in her direction, head dipped forward a bit as he peaked at her around the beanie pulled down to cover his forehead. Atsuko shrugged. 

“I’m fine. Just want to make sure you get home safe.”

She teased, crossing the space to lightly jab him in the ribs with her elbow. Obito chuckled as Atsuko positioned herself on the window ledge. After they got settled, Obito spoke again. 

“Ya know. It’s been a year since all that shit went down.”

He pointed out, Atsuko dropping her head back against the window with a sigh. She’d made the same connection a few days prior. A year since he’d gone to Suna on Spring Break and changed their relationship forever. Almost a year since she’d left with Jiraiya. About six months since she’d moved in with Kakashi. Time seemed to be flying past her as light speed. 

“It doesn’t feel that long ago. But, at the same time, it feels like it happened in a different life. Like… like I’m so far removed from who I was then, it’s almost like a story I remember hearing about someone else.”

Atsuko said, surprising herself at how easy it was to have this conversation now. She still thought about him all of the time. In fact, just this morning she’d thought about him as she took her vitamins and medication. On a couple occasions, he’d made her breakfast. And she always remembered one specific morning when he’d brought it to her in his bed. Settling a tray in her lap with a glass of orange juice, eggs, toast, and a little coffee filter with her assortment of medicine. At the time, she’d laughed at the gesture. Too stunned to do anything else. Now, the memory of it brought a warm smile to her face. Even though they crossed paths frequently now, it still felt like there was an ocean separating them. So, when she thought about Obito, she always thought about him in the context of someone she hadn’t seen in a long time. She hoped he was happy. Healthy. Taking care of himself and enjoying life. She wondered if he had the same thoughts. 

“Hm. I still never really got to apologize to you.”

Obito added, turning his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye. Atsuko chuckled a bit and shrugged again, preparing to brush him off. But he kept going. 

“Seriously. It’s not something that you should just brush off. For my sake and yours. I just want to say… Atsuko, I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am. For everything I put you through and everything I said to Rin… For giving her that bracelet. There’s too much… And I could try to explain myself but what it boils down to is that I was angry and being a shitty person because I couldn’t handle the idea that you didn’t feel the same way about me. So, I’m sorry. I don’t know if I can ever make up for it but… yeah.”

Obito finished, spitting all the words out like they’d been living on the tip of his tongue for a year. It was rushed and unsure, but she knew he meant it. There just really wasn’t a way to quantify everything that had happened and apologize for all of it concisely. She knew from experience that apologizing to someone could feel more daunting the more she talked. As she tried to apologize for one incident, she would remember another and another and another. Until it felt too big to come back from and she lost her confidence. It had been that way with Jiraiya when she’d apologized to him for all of the shit she’d put him through when she was younger. He’d forgiven her, of course. But this was different. 

“Thank you… but I don’t forgive you.”

Atsuko answered, lolling her head over to the side to see Obito’s expression change. Going from relieved to confused and angry as the words registered. He turned to look at her as well, scowling, but before he could speak up and defend himself, Atsuko raised a finger for him to be quiet and listen to her. 

“I don’t forgive you because, while it may feel like it happened a long time ago, I still remember what it felt like at the time. And you hurt me. More than anyone else ever has. It’s hard to let that go, and it’s something I have to work through on my own. So, it wouldn’t be fair for me to say that I forgive you and still resent you deep down. That would just be me lying to make you feel better.”

Atsuko explained, regurgitating something her therapist had helped her realize around Christmas time. After she’d run into Obito in that grocery store and he’d shown up at the shop during a snow storm, she’d struggled a lot with her feelings. On one hand, she missed him and wished their friendship could go back to the way it was before. On the other hand, she knew that was impossible and she hated him for ruining it.

“Just because I don’t forgive you doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends again. I miss you… like, a lot. I enjoyed talking to you again tonight. You were my best friend for years, Obito. I don’t think I could go the rest of my life without you… but, I don’t forgive you and I’m still hurt… So, if you want to make things better, then we have to work at it. I’m starting now by not lying to you.”

She concluded, giving him a soft smile at the end. This wasn’t a romantic endeavor, but it had been at one point. One that ended in fire and brimstone because neither of them could communicate. While the romantic aspect of their relationship was dead and gone, the platonic one could still be salvaged. She was being honest when she said she missed her best friend. Kakashi was nice, but there were things he didn’t understand. Jokes he didn’t laugh at. Parts of her life before she’d met him that he wasn’t privy to. She missed having someone she could tell everything to. Someone who told her everything. Someone who made her laugh until there were little tears in the corner of her eyes and she was begging him to stop. A person that she deeply connected with. They could get back there, but it would take time and effort. 

It sunk in for Obito slowly. The difference between forgiveness and reconciliation didn’t occur to most people, but it was something she’d had to come to terms with in order to figure out why his presence confused her so much. There were many emotions between happy and angry and sad. And often times, they contradicted. After a moment, he seemed to understand what she was saying. Obito nodded slowly, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips just as a set of headlights swiped across them and Shisui pulled into the parking lot. 

“Okay. Thank you for telling me the truth, then. And… I’ll start thinking of ways to work at making it right.”

He said, the levity in his voice giving her hope for a new future. Atsuko nodded in agreement. 

“Me too… maybe you could start by unblocking me on Instagram? Feeding my ego and liking my pictures would be a real boost.”

She joked, earning her a genuine laugh from Obito as he pushed himself up and away from the wall. Still he nodded, smirking a bit as he walked past her towards the running car in the parking lot. Shisui honked his horn impatiently and Atsuko laughed as well, ducking her head down for a moment. When she brought it back up, Obito was still looking her, walking backwards. 

“I’ll do that. See ya later, Atsuko.”

Ever since that conversation, they’d been talking more frequently. Exchanging brief texts and jokes. While also maintaining this smoke session every other day. Sometimes, they would smoke in silence. Other times, they would reminisce and laugh. Most of the time, they just talked. About their days. Their lives. What they’d been doing since the last time they saw each other. And slowly, but surely, things were returning to normal. She’d felt like they were on the cusp of a break through, but now he was springing this on her. His decision to move away from all he’d ever known to pursue a career she didn’t even know he was interested in. 

“I just… didn’t know you were even considering something like that.”

Atsuko finally said, shaking her head a little in disbelief. It stung more than she thought it should have. Her heart ached for a brief moment, a flash of pain washing over her at the idea of only seeing him on rare weekends. Or never seeing him again. 

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. It’s time I get the fuck out of Madara’s house. His words, not mine… but he’s right. I need to find something to do with my life. I always wanted a career. A house. Wife and kids… but I don’t think I’m going to get that if I stay here and keep spinning my wheels, ya know?”

Obito said, causing another wave of tension to roll over her. Atsuko’s jaw tightened a bit and her shoulders begin to ache. Still, she nodded, eyebrows pulled together in thought. 

“Of course… I get it. Just wasn’t expecting it I guess. You know I’ll miss you…”

She added, struggling to find a positive way to respond when it felt like storm clouds had just rolled in over her head. Then, Obito laughed beside her, startling her a bit as she jerked her head in his direction. He grinned at her, white teeth on display as a stark contrast to his bloodshot eyes. 

“C’mon, Atsuko. It’s not like I’m dying! I’m just moving a couple hours away. And it’s not happening for a few months anyway. You still got plenty of time to figure out whether you forgive me or not. In the meantime, we can still hangout and bitch about work. Nothing’s changing yet.”

He soothed, picking up on her sour mood without her having to say a word. It did make her feel a bit better, but she had to turn away from him to look at the asphalt between her knees when she chuckled. Right. She was being silly, getting so worked up over something that wasn’t happening for a while. And he was right, she could always go visit him or call him. It would work out. 

“Well… a few months? Guess we better start planning the going away party now.”

She returned, listening to Obito snort in response. 

“You need a few months to plan a party for me?” He asked, and Atsuko nodded immediately, eyes going wide as she fixed him with a mildly panicked expression. “If I’m planning it with Dei and the others? You bet your ass. Hell, even a few months might not be enough time to get everyone on the same page.”

She said, earning her another laugh from deep with Obito’s chest. The sound caused her to chuckle as well, and eventually they just fed into each other. Laughing at one another until they were a mess of giggles and grins. 

-----------------------

As always, my inbox and the replies are open if you would like to be added to the taglist!

[paperpocalypse]

family outing.

50 Wordless Ways to Say “I Love You”: 29. Tucking their hair behind their ear to help them get it out of their face.

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Reader

Word Count: 1,436 words

Warning: Mild swearing

[A/N: Mild S2 spoilers!]

“So,” Vanya’s brow furrows, “Five met you after the apocalypse?”

“Yep.” Leaning against her car, you cross your arms and sigh dreamily. “Hate at first sight. He almost shot me in the head.”

“… With a gun?”

You grin. “Well, he couldn’t’ve shot me with a Twinkie.”

Vanya looks ahead at where Five is talking to some middle-aged guy, his expression friendly and polite. What a businessman. Her eyes narrow in shocked disbelief. “This is crazy,” she murmurs. “My family is crazy.”

Your grin widens as she shakes her head. Something about her mannerisms helps you realize why Five is so fond of her, though he’s never said it outright. She’s definitely your favorite of the bunch. Sans murderous intent.

“Some types of crazy can be good,” you reply, nudging her arm. “But your family’s got all of them and it’s gonna get real messy. Time to spice up your little farm life, Vanya.”

She chuckles a little awkwardly and shrugs. “I just hope I’ll have time to talk to them. Again, I mean. Maybe I’ll remember something when we’re all together.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Noticing Five bidding farewell to the man, you push yourself off the bumper and wave at him. “Any luck, Five?”

He points down the street behind you as he walks back over. “Plano Street Rooming House for Solitary Men,” he answers. “It’s just a few blocks from here.”

“How do you know he’s there?” Vanya asks.

“I really doubt Luther would live anywhere else.”

You snort, raising your hands in surrender when Five returns it with a semi-faux withering look. With a sigh, he shakes his head and opens the rear passenger door, gesturing for you to get in.

As Vanya starts the car and turns into the street, you look through the rearview mirror at Five as he tells her where to go. Despite being stuck in a thirteen-year-old body, he still has that resting glower of his that makes him look perpetually stressed. 

(Of course, it’s not just a matter of looking stressed – he is definitely stressed. Wound up tighter than a spring. You’ll probably need to force him to sit down and relax for at least a half-hour tonight before he explodes.)

His hair is a little disheveled, so you reach over to brush it out of his eyes. It doesn’t really work, but just going through the familiar motion grounds you somehow. “You know,” you muse as Five glances back at you, “Luther’s probably living there, but I doubt he’ll be in right now. He’s probably with Ruby somewhere.”

“Even if he is, we can ask around. I assume that at least one person there knows his business.”

He absently lifts a hand to smooth his hair back, and you smile. “Good point.”

—

“Hello, do you know Luther Hargreeves by any chance?”

After some door-to-door work, someone from Luther’s hall finally answers your knock. He’s a burly man, though not nearly as big as Luther, and obviously drunk off his rocker. Definitely solitary. He squints at the three of you through red, puffy eyes.

“Luther? Yeahhh, I know ‘im. Huge bloke. Real hairy.”

“That’s the one,” Five confirms. “You see, we’re his brother and sister. He hasn’t visited home lately and we’re pretty worried, so we’re just wondering if you know where he is.”

Burly picks at his teeth. “Brother n’ sister, eh? Well,” he rumbles, “I dunno where he is, but I know some of the boys are gonna watch ‘im fight tonight.”

“Where’s the fight?” Vanya asks.

The man regards her with suspicion. “Well, it ain’t a place for a little lady like you.” He swirls his beer around in its bottle, then jabs a finger at all of you. “Don’t want you three squealing to the cops, either.”

“We won’t,” you assure him, smiling sweetly. “We just want to check on Luther.”

With a little more cajoling, you finally obtain the time and place for Luther’s fight before the man waves you away with a grunt, slamming his door shut. You give your companions a self-satisfied grin before descending the staircase back down to street level. Worked like a charm. (You suspect your youthful looks probably helped a lot, though.)

“How’d you do that?” Vanya wonders as the three of you step out onto the sidewalk.

“Simple,” you respond. “I have a knack for sweeping tough guys off their feet.”

You wink secretly at Five. He rolls his eyes, the minutest of smiles at the corner of his mouth, before ushering you and Vanya back to the Chevy.

Your little trio spends the next few hours driving and poking around, looking for Luther or Klaus or Allison. The optimist in you hopes you’ll run across at least one of them. But Dallas is a big place, and darkness begins to fall around 5:30 without a single sighting.

“Dammit.” Five clicks his tongue as you exit a paint shop alone.

“At least we know where Luther will be,” you point out, shoving your hands in your pockets. “How about we get something to eat before we head to the fight?”

Vanya unlocks the car. “There’s a place I know close by,” she says, lips quirking up. “They have sandwiches and donuts there.”

You pat her back. “Sounds great, Vanya. Five? You’ve got to eat something, too.”

Your favorite number crosses his arms as you and Vanya stare at him expectantly. “We’ll get something quick,” he eventually says.

The trip only takes a few minutes. The three of you get sandwiches and a donut each and unwrap them on the bench outside the bakery.

“Sissy and Harlan and I get something from here whenever we go into town,” Vanya says, finishing the last of her sandwich and picking her donut up. “It’s pretty good.”

“So good,” you agree. Lands alive, sitting out here like this makes you nostalgic. Ignoring the upcoming doomsday and the ‘60′s aesthetic, it feels like you’re back in 1927 again, staying out past curfew with your peers. You smile to yourself and look down at your half-finished maple bar. Best to enjoy it while it lasts.

A finger quickly sweeps your brow, tucking a lock of hair out of your face. You blink and glance over at Five, but he’s looking across the street and starting on his own pastry. (Apple fritter. Perhaps you’ll ask him one day why he always gets those.)

Heart feeling even softer than before, you lean silently against his side. He doesn’t move.

After a moment, Five speaks up. “When we were kids, I brought you to this donut shop near the academy a couple times.”

“You did?” Vanya asks.

“Yeah. Griddy’s.” Oh, the one near the academy. The one that had gotten destroyed along with everything else in 2019. He gestures at the last bit of donut – plain, glazed – in her hands. “You usually got that kind.”

She raises her eyebrows, looking into her napkin. “Oh, wow. I guess it must’ve been a subconscious choice or something, then.”

“Hm.”

“You know, I’m glad we found you, Vanya,” you offer warmly. “I didn’t … really have time to get to know you the last time we met.”

A smile spreads across her face. “Same here. For both things, I mean. Not that I’d know much about our first meeting.” She pauses, examining you for a second, then blurts, “Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

She awkwardly motions between you and her brother. “Are you and Five …?”

“Partners,” you finish, “in every sense of the word. From what I know, at least.” With a grin, you turn to Five. “Is that more or less right?”

He rolls his eyes fondly. “Unfortunately,” he mutters as you move to smooth his hair back again. He sure had lovely hair when he was a kid – not that you didn’t appreciate his looks back in your Commission days. This de-aging thing really knocks you for a loop sometimes.

Vanya nods, still looking vaguely confused. “Okay. I don’t want to make things weird, I just – well, you two are kind of … young –”

“Believe me, we’re much older than we look,” you quip, standing up. “But that’s a tale for another time. We gotta go.”

Disposing of your trash, you join the others into the Chevy and start your next journey to Luther Hargreeves. Radio turned off, the leather seat squeaks as you lean back and listen to Vanya and Five murmuring in the front.

To see the siblings together again makes you glow inside, a bit of calm before the inevitable storm. You drink it in as much as you can.