#I AM ONCE AGAIN INCREDIBLY NERVOUS AHHHH

[drinkpisser]

MY HESITANT ALIEN FIC, "HOW IT CAME TO BE" CHAPTER 2 ANDDD 3 IS FINALLY READY TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY!

thank you for waiting guys!! ^0^ took a little longer than the first chapter but hopefully it's still okay and whoever reads enjoys <3

PREVIOUS CHAPTER LINK:

(click Keep Reading to begin!)

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

CHAPTER 2: PINKISH

"This dream is calling your name."

A few months had passed by since Gerard's first day at the camp. Each morning, before everyone else awoke, he would cycle the narrow pathways of the woods to clear his mind- it wasn't something he ever did back home and most would find it rather unusual.

When Ray asked him about it, he shrugged.

Truthfully, ever since the encounter with the extraterrestrial, Gerard had not been the same. Ambiguous figures would slither past the corners of his eyes, he'd stare into the stars of the night sky with an unwarrented anticipation, not even sure himself what he was looking for, and all he could seem to sketch and doodle were variants of the mothership.

This is the one, he'd think, before ripping up the paper and restarting.

On this particular morning, he impulsively turned a different direction to take in new scenery because he found repetitiveness tiring. Of course, taking an unknown direction typically leads to some dilemma in most cases, yet that didn't seem to phase Gerard in the slightest, thinking unrealistically and all.

Swerving his balance slightly, a sudden fatigue dawned on him. He found it best to take a seat on a nearby stump, surrounded by branches leaning towards him. After regaining his senses, he observed that this neck of the woods appeared rather strange, the saturation of everything enhanced almost to a neon- trees twist and turn dangling fluorescent leaves, flowers spit shades of the rainbow and the dystopian clouds above swirl as they glide across the cyan sky. He could have sworn it looked like any old mundane part of the site before he sat down! He scrunched his nose in confusion, before then reaching out for his bike.

Just as he grabbed the handlebars, a distant, soft "Thud!" sent the pigeons flying in a scare.

Inflicted with paranoia, Gerard freezes. The only action he could resort to was a short and sweet use of speech, which is no good defence against a potentially malicious opposition.

"Is- is someone there?" he mutters.

Nothing, only a skitter within the bushes.

"SomeTHING... Maybe?" He slowly creeps closer, making sure to scan his surroundings as he leans forward. Using both of his hands, he separates the bushes in which the wriggling was heard, trying his best to ignore the nettles that pierced his palms in the process.

...

What on earth?

A toddler sized ball of pinkish fuzz sits bewildered, as though it may have hit it's head through the fall from each branch above. The fuzz on it's face is white, it's eyelids a pastel blue; upon seeing Gerard a curved grin forms on its face.

Instinctively, he backed away. As he did, the creature reached forwards with grabby paws. Tilting his head, Gerard shuffled a few steps closer.

It squeaks, scurrying away!

"Oh, crap!-" he cries, and once again, he is running a little faster, like an idiot. If Gerard was a cat, curiosity would have definitely killed him by now. Nine times. Eventually, the pair end up at an oddly placed flight of stairs, it's lengthy.

"I don't remember this being here.." Gerard scratches his head in confusion, looking down at the small alien for an answer. It begins to crawl up each step.

"I suppose actions speak louder than words, huh." Once again, he follows.

Gerard looks up, doing a harsh double take. He saw the very vehicle that gave him that fright so many weeks ago- he's being led into the mothership! How in God's name did he allow himself to be sabotaged by such a freaky animal, without even judging where it could take him?! He turns back. No, absolutely not, he cannot do this again-

Oh, Jesus Christ.

The most grotesquely unsettling, inhumane guards block Gerard's exit, ushering him with oblong sniper guns. Their skulls are stretched by their oversized brains, the six eyes on each side of their wrinkly faces staring deadpan into Gerard's soul. Taking a deep breath for his own sanity, he turns a stiff and full 180 back around, each guard standing beside him.

One anomalous move and he's toast. He keeps going, shuffling inside of the entryway. Those things could probably sense the fear within him from a mile away, there was no benefit in hiding it.

They make their ways through hallowed metallic halls, dashed with blinding lights on each wall, heavily supplied with martian soldiers. Each instance where Gerard looked around and gulped in awe, his neck was nudged back in the forwards direction like the hostage he was.

"Damn, sorry. This just reminds me of Star Wars. It's neat." he adds, nodding.

Over time, Gerard progresses in apathy. Each hall began to look the same. Each monument or picture framed on the wall became old news. Bored. So bored that even starting a fist fight with his captors would exhaust him to an extreme extent. Although, realistically, with sting plastered palms it would be more painful for him than his opponent.

Without warning, the fuzzy alien leading the way comes to a halt, pointing at a circular door... The cockpit? What was it doing leading Gerard there?

The tightly sealed door is accompanied with a turn of a wheel keeping it together. As it cracks open, Gerard realises that this is no ordinary cockpit, it was a spacious control room. What amazed even further was the cosmical view of outer space ahead of him in wide, circular windows.

It looked exactly like the dreams he had prophecised since he was small; to watch as the earth grows smaller in size and float behind him, to see the ashes of the milky way beyond a printed photograph, to cross lands even he wouldn't have thought existed. Most of all, what he really yearned to do, was to take passion past human domain. He wanted to preform, create precious art- If more than one intellectual species exists in our entire sense of being, they deserve to feel the phemomena of music.

He staggers forward in awe, unable to deflect his eyes from the view beholding him. The stars shift in formation, constellations bonding together. They attempt to fabricate letters in a language that Gerard doesn't quite understand.

He turns to the guards behind him, who drop their weapons in fascination.

The large screen above the entryway begins to decode, displaying a message in green digital letters:

"This dream is calling your name."

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

CHAPTER 2.5: BROTHER

Days have passed by.

In the eyes of everyone else, Gerard had vanished. Due to the emergency situation of a missing camp student, friends of his were scouted to different parts of the forest and local areas to place posters.

Ray and a newcomer called Frank were assigned the nearby town, as an opportunity for him to get to know the area better. Unfortunately, Ray was not his chirpiest self on this day. It's hard to be when your best friend is gone, but he still tried his best to be welcoming.

Frank himself was a spiky looking fella, his hair clearly damaged from all of its bleaching and dying. For the moment, it was a bright red- although, Ray had a feeling it would change soon. He had a few tattoos despite not being the legal age for them, some looked like stick 'n' pokes. His eyes reminded Ray of an excited puppy, observing all of the new surroundings and he was noticeably shorter than a lot of the boys he'd met at the campus so far. Frank looked slightly younger than him, perhaps by a year.

"What brings you here, then?" Ray asks, whilst putting up his last poster.

"Parents. They're tired of me slacking off and playing Mario Kart." Frank replies unseriously.

"Right, that's relatable," he sighs, "You wanna grab a bite in the cafe whilst we're here? I could do with a distraction."

Frank nods.

As they head into the cafe, the smell of freshly baked cookies fill their lungs, it's incredibly appetising.

"Hey, uh- I'll pay for 'em." Frank smiles briefly, "I know this probably isn't the best day ever for you."

Ray's eyes light up, taken aback by the offer.

"You're sure? I don't mean to be annoying-"

By the time Ray finished his sentence, half a batch had been purchased by a ravenous Frank.

"Here, enjoy!" he smiles, tossing Ray a couple of cookies and munching away on his own.

"Thank you," he also takes a bite, "I did really need this, to be honest."

"You needed a cookie that bad?" Frank smirks, smugly.

"Yeah but, I mean, just- company. A friend. It's been lonely without Gerard. I don't even know where he could have gone other than somewhere definitely unrealistic." Ray comments, challenged.

"Ah, sorry about that. Hopefully he just wanted out for a few days." Frank adds, overlooking the "unrealistic" part of Ray's sentence.

"He'd have taken me out with him, we go everywhere together," Ray stresses, "something happened, dammit!" he exclaims.

"Woah dude-" Frank puts an arm around his shoulder.

"Calm down, I didn't mean to upsetchya- he's gotta be fine. From the description of him on the posters, he seems to avoid trouble."

Ray sighs once again.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. It's almost been a week of him dissapearing without notice, I've barely slept." Ray apologetically rambles.

Frank pats his back and the two get back to their feast of cookies, awkwardly conversating along the way.

Meanwhile, back at campus, the head girl has a relatively difficult phone call to make. She dials Gerard's home number, hesitantly awaiting a response.

To her surprise, a voice too adolescent to be a parental figure answers.

"Hello? Who is this?" the young boy enquires.

"This is Gerard's summer camp, who am I speaking to?" she responds.

"Umm.. I'm his younger brother, Mikey. My parents are out right now- did he do something dumb?" he snickers, the grin audible from across the line.

"Not necessarily. I just need you to call us back when your parents are back home-"

"Tell me!" he puts on a serious voice, unsuccessfully disguising a chuckle.

The head girl takes a dread induced breath.

"Your brother is still ... missing. We learnt he was last spotted by a volunteer in the woods five days ago, who commented that his behaviour was weird."

Radio silence hit the line.

"Is everything okay? Are you able to tell your parents about this?" she asks.

"Uh.. what- what am I supposed to do now? Just sit here?" Mikey stumbles on his words.

"Unfortunately so until we can give any further updates. We need you to notify your parents, because it isn't looking too good- sorry you had to find out this way."

Mikey holds the phone with a slight shake, his eyes welling up. He'd do anything for his older brother, to protect him, just as Gerard would. Yet here he is, powerless on a phoneline on the one occasion that the role reversed. He felt bottom of the barrel hopeless, like a half of him had just vanished completely.

"I'm um- I'm gonna go now. Bye." Mikey shoves the words out of his mouth quickly and to avoid an outburst of tears, he hangs up.

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

CHAPTER 3: ARE WE RUNNING HOME, OR RUNNING FREE TODAY?

"This dream is calling your name."

Gerard is perplexed at the message on the screen. Where's the catch? Sure, experiencing this is admirable, but what if it's a trap? And what the everloving fuck is he doing on a spaceship to begin with?

A shadow emerges from the light, so bright that it's features are barely distinguishable. It's voice is androgynous, and speaks with charm.

"You did a pretty adequate job, Lola."

It ruffles the fur of the pink creature as it praises them.

"So that's what they're called. Lola. Hmm. I was thinking of naming 'em myself but i was stumped." Gerard comments with a hint of disappointment, "But are you finally gonna help me out of here or what?" he adds, slightly nervous.

"Not yet. We must negotiate... You are the only one who can see us. The only one who hasn't wound up dead by stepping inside of this vehicle, and most importantly, you were chosen by the machine." it's words slip with uncertainty and sour undertones, forcing the situation to be creepier than it already is.

Gerard grows in fear, his breaths drawing progressively sharper. The joy of his desires being so close in reach lowered his guard, he almost forgot the potential dangers of subhuman creatures!

"What the fuck could I have been chosen for? I'm the biggest loser at this joint! Even the janitor wouldn't fall for this- if you're gonna eat me or somethin' just kill me now already and spare me the pain!" Gerard snaps with stress, agressively gesturing towards the messages and strange posters on the walls in disbelief. The alien goddess blinks, humbled by Gerard's violent assumptions.

"We want to form an alliance with planet Earth without starting a war this time. We come in peace," the goddess explains, putting their webbed hands up, "my people are suffering from our highest deficit of essential living supplies in centuries. If an ordinary, likeable human being such as yourself can draw attention to us... We won't have to suffer anymore."

"Likeable, huh. Sure. But what if I'm not good enough? What about my family and friends?" Gerard averts eye contact, moping down at his dirty sneakers.

"It has been decided by unimaginably high divinity that you are capable, Gerard. As for your loved ones, they cannot know of our meeting yet. Not until you have completed your art. In six months time, we will reconcile and you'll be taken on a venture across space and time- and don't stress, your family and friends will receive explanatory letters from us if they don't buy it from you." the figure folds it's arms.

Gerard steps forward.

"So, I could really make music that saves lives?" Gerard meekly perks up at the luminescent lifeform, wincing with self doubt.

"Even better," it suggests...

"You could make history."

[futurequibblerjournalist]

Hello hello again!!!! :3

I loveloveLOVE your Lucius/Viktor post!! Once again, you brighten my noggin w your thoughts (:

Umumumummmmmmmm so is there anyone else you want an excuse to yap about LOL Idkidk I just want to hear your thoughts about everyone and everything!!

Idk if you have any/many thoughts about them, but maybe we could hear about the Averys and Sinistras? Especially Edmund's unnamed fiancée !!!!

Ahhhhhh your brain is just so !!!! /Pos

- 🍃

Ahhhh I'm so glad you liked it,, it fully helped fuel my Xenophilius post!!

I think I might take this time to talk about some good old Pebill!! I saw this one tiktok a few days ago and I've been so obsessed since. Welcome to Pebill City, population ME!!!!

I am,, far too fond of giving ships fun little names so I bestow upon thee,,, ratseer lol

I specifically love these two in a band au. I'm gonna write one eventually and I'm gonna make them so happy and sappy and cute and just like the tiktok says they'll have a daughter called Rosemary. I'm just so in love with them. Peter who plays the second guitar in the band and like the occasional trumpet and sometimes he thinks it's kinda silly that he's in the band but also he's just so happy to be there. He saved all his money from his part time job to buy the most run-down Volkswagen T1 when the band started getting big enough to have to travel around for stuff and he shows up like "TADA!" all proud of himself cause he solved their problem. He meets Sybill at one of these travel gigs. They're playing at a wedding and maybe she's like the bride's sister or just a bridesmaid or something and she's wearing a really flowy dress and she's spinning around right in front of him having the time of her life and her thick curls are bouncing and you can just see Peter melt while he's on stage playing cause he misses a cord or something. And the guys notice and they insist that the has to talk to her and he's all nervous and shit but then Sybill comes to talk to him because she thinks he's really cute and they hit it off. They call at each stop they have and a few months in they go pick her up before moving onto a bigger gig and she just stays with them.

He wants to settle down at some point when Sybill ends up pregnant and he almost leaves the band but Sybill insists that she's fine travelling around with them because that's the life she loves and she wants their daughter to be born a free soul and she sees in her cards that she's supposed to be born a certain place and Peter is just like [scout's salute] "yes ma'am" and I just think they're so stinking cute vjnfgjbngjbngj

I need to figure out this band au at some point cause it's been rotting my brain lately, I just have so many long fics I wanna write I don't feel like I can start a new one now even if I want to vjfnbjgnbj

I have,,, far too many thoughts on both the Averys, the Sinistras but especially Edmund's fiancee!!!! I've been waiting for a chance to talk about her honestly,,,

Let's start with the Averys,,,,

Edmund Avery Senior, the only child of Herschel Avery and Miriam Avery, is Edmund's father, in case that wasn't clear from the name. Edmund Senior works as an archivist for the Ministry of Magic and he's got a spot in the Wizengamot along with his father Herschel. The two are not close and if you didn't know you wouldn't think they were father and son. During most of Edmund's Senior's childhood his mother was heavily sedated and he was more or less raised by the family house elf, Dotty (usually called Dot and Dorothy in muggle aus). Dot is also the house elf who helped raise Edmund Junior. Edmund Senior attended school with Tom Riddle and was sorted into Slytherin and was one of Tom's dorm mates. They were also just close friends (as close friends as Tom could have). Edmund Senior was part of the reason Tom managed to open the Chamber of Secrets as he showed him a book featuring hints of the Chambers being real. To sum Edmund Senior up he's an incredibly nerdy insecure man. He loves history and in a muggle au he collects model aeroplanes. He's got a good handful of childhood trauma, a difficult relationship with his family and most of his peers and the only thing he's really got going for him is that he's an incredibly devoted husband who's down bad for his wife. She's luckily incredibly wooed by what I can only describe as his autism rizz lmao (I hate that so much ew actually)

Edmund's mother and Edmund Senior's wife is Esther, a very attractive recovered alcoholic. Rumours fly around frequently about her being unfaithful to her husband though she could never dream of it. Most of what is known about her is fabricated, which is entirely intentional as she's hiding things about herself such as her country of birth. Esther lost her family during the Holocaust. She met Edmund while they were both in their mid-twenties and they got married a while later and eventually had their only son Edmund Avery Junior. Their son has inherited his father's looks save for his mother's hair colour and many beauty spots as well as her eating disorder.

Due to Esther's alcoholism and a slight strain on their relationship over the years due to Edmund Senior favouring his work too much, Edmund Junior had much more to do with Dot, their house elf, than what would be considered normal as she would have to step in where Esther sometimes lacked. Despite this Edmund was an incredible mummy's boy and still is, something Esther cherished immensely as she loved being both a mother and wife. He would cling to her at any given time, he'd rather have tea with her than play with other children, he'd come running to her crying at the smallest inconvenience, he was so proud of wearing fancy clothes like his father and getting a spray of his mother's perfume.

The Avery family is resembled by Barn Owls similar to how the Malfoys are represented by (albino?) peacocks. Edmund Senior gifted Esther a taxidermied rat when they first started dating, similar to how Barn Owls gift their mates prey and while others find it incredibly weird they now have a shared love for taxidermied animals and he will gift her more on their anniversaries/on Valentine's Days/etc. Edmund Senior and Esther seem like an incredibly unlikely pair to everyone else but Esther fell for him in part because he was one of the only men who could see her for her mind and her heart rather than just her looks (even if he's down bad for those too lol)

Idk where else to mention this but they're both pureblood wizards,,,

They're probably my favourite of the parents,,, which is why they're the only knights of walpurgis era characters that have their own pinterest collection for pictures,,,, I would have shared it but,,, I have used all my pictures up for one post T-T

Onto the Sinistras I have considerably less but I can fill you in a bit,,,

Aurora is the only daughter of Altair Aseel Sinistra and Nazareth Sinistra née Lubilanji. Nazareth is Sierra Leonean albeit has lived in England for her entire life. She's also a half-blood. She's one of seven siblings and when she attended Hogwarts she was sorted into Gryffindor. She is incredibly fond of cats and puzzles. During her time at Hogwarts, she was part of the Slug Club. Altair is a pureblood wizard and the second son of Aseel Najm Sinistra and Sidra Ahyam Sinistra and the younger brother of Tariq Aseel Sinistra. His family is Egyptian but they've lived in England for the past two or so generations I'm thinking?? Like his daughter, he was a Ravenclaw when he attended school and he became Prefect during his fifth year.

Taking a bit of a side step here since this ask was after all about all the Sinistras,,, Tariq marries Salma Al-Mashriq, a pureblood Hufflepuff and together they have three children; Rashid, Hisham and Samara who are all younger than Aurora (Rashid (Slytherin) and Hisham (Ravenclaw) are third and second years when Aurora is in her seventh year and Samara is not yet attending school). Salma was part of a handful of extracurricular activities such as being a School Paper Writer, a member of the Gobstones Club and the Orchestra. Tariq similarly had a lot of extracurricular activities as well. He was a Slug Club Member, Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain and Chaser and School Paper Manager.

I'm still playing around with this idea so it's going to get more polished at some point but I think Altair and Salma had a thing going on at some point but something happened,, Salma married Tariq and Altair who'd been friendly with Nazareth and already was fond of her for other reasons ended up marrying her. He was able to mostly push his feelings aside after Aurora was born. He would have loved at least one more child for him to dote on and focus on, but Aurora was not an easy child and while it not being the same obviously, they got have a cat, Moonbow, that both Altair and Nazareth love like she's their second child.

Now onto Priya,,, my beloved < 3

Edmund's fiancee is Lakshmipriya Mohanraj also known as Priya. She was born October 13, 1960, and she's the only daughter of Siddarth Mohanraj and Rajeshwariammal Mohanraj. She's got two brothers, Raja and Dhananjay, though both have sadly passed, one of them in a motorcycle accident they were both in and the other took his life about a month later.

She is a mean lesbian who doesn't quite know she's a lesbian yet. She's tired of Edmund's shit and having to deal with him and it's her mood like,, 85% of the time. Her family are all loyal Death Eaters which is part of the reason why they got engaged in the first place. The Mohanraj family was also just a nice connection and if there's one thing Edmund Senior values it's connections.

She ends up marrying Endmund Junior and after A LOT of trial and error, they have a son, Siddharth Avery and later a daughter, Esther Avery (Junior technically I suppose,, since she's named after Edmund's mother). It's very clear that Priya favours her son while Edmund somewhat hesitantly ends up favouring their daughter.

Little Siddharth thinks his dad is super cool and he thinks his dad's friend (Severus) is even cooler which Priya always finds incredibly annoying cause she cannot STAND Severus,,, like at all

Priya and Edmund have some moments of bonding together but for the most part, the two cannot stand each other. They come together to judge other people and oh boy do they do it well. They're big on their children having nice manners and not being a bother to others.

I am actually in love with Priya,, she serves so much cunt and still, she's stuck with her loser husband. She probably hoped he would get caught for being a Death Eater and get sent to Azkaban and she was so annoyed when he successfully convinced people he was under the Imperius curse,,,

This became,,, soooo long which is just becoming the norm at this point honestly lmao but I hope you enjoyed all of this!!! I'll definitely come back and talk more about both the Averys and the Sinistras cause I've got other asks about them vjfnbjgnb (at least the Sinistras I think,,, I can't remember if the Averys are in there ooop)

[ener-chi]

Big Big Life Update

Hey guys! I've been sitting on this for a while and I'm so happy that I finally get to talk about it! TL;DR - I GOT ACCEPTED INTO MY DREAM SCHOOLLLL

6 years ago, after experiencing acupuncture a few times and having it blow my mind and rock my entire world, I decided that I wanted to study it. After doing some research, I found that one of the best schools in the nation is in Oregon, and I decided on that one.

I set it as a direction, and modeled my entire life around that goal. I saved up enough to move out, moved to Oregon, finished my undergrad, went through their brutal application process - And today I received the formal acceptance letter! Ahhhh fs;lkhjsdfa

The school itself teaches Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. This includes other things in the curriculum besides acupuncture, such as energy-based massage, qigong or tai chi (you already know what I'm going to be picking), Chinese Herbology, and a kick-ass business management program.

I'm enrolling in a dual masters and doctoral program. While it's going to be more work, I'll come out of it with my DACM certification - or Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.

I'm just. It's so crazy to me that. I set this goal SIX YEARS AGO and... it's now a reality. I've worked through so much, grown so much - hell, I'm a completely different person 2000%. And yet... here I am.

The past... week or so, has been pretty strange for me. I had my final interview with them, which honestly I was really nervous for. But aside from that... I felt an energy shift. I think part of it is that we're transitioning into spring. But the other part is that... I've been feeling like I'm entering into a new chapter in my life, and this really cements that.

So much is going to change for me in the upcoming months. I mean once school starts, I'm going to be moving to a completely different city (and moving in with a partner for the first time!), I'm going to be going back to school, going to be learning completely different material, etc. I'm also going to be changing alot in that time, too. I can feel it.

I already have lol. My practice has actually completely changed in the past month or two, I just haven't really talked about it here. I feel like I say that alot LMAO but this time I really mean it. I think this should be saved for another post, but I'll briefly go over it. First, I was able to figure out how to astral travel and do all my stuff again etc. after my ego death experience. I have two new... guides, I would call them, who have been teaching me and helping me with stuff. I work with a "new" energy and have been spending time working with what I'm pretty sure is the afterlife and helping people cross over. And lastly, I found a book that has COMPLETELY CHANGED how I do energy work and energy healing. It's an incredible incredible book that I think is required reading for energy healers. Again, I'll mention this in another post sometime soon because there is just. So much. I could talk about and share from this book.

Anywho. I think that's it. This has been over a month-long process, and I've been waiting for the past like week to hear the final decision. I'm incredibly happy and grateful, and I'm really excited to be studying TCM. It's going to be really cool, and I'm going to be able to help soo many people.

I hope that everyone has a great night!

Blessings!

[ladynestaarcheron]

ONCE AGAIN i am being SHOWERED with love and i must shower in return.

@allyswift WHAT?? Thank you SO MUCH!! I'm so happy it made you happy!! and yeah he is totally the man of all our dreams. my friends are now asking me what kind of person i want them to set me up with and i'm like...how do i say cassian but like a normal person?

@sv0430 thank you!! stay tuned, then, there will be at least one more:)

@vasudharaghavan we all love them🥰🥰thank you!! yes they are definitely both nervous!! and who wouldn't be??

@confusedfandomslut WHAT????? EXCUSE ME WHAT????? this is like the absolute NICEST thing you could say?????? i'm dead bye

@littleloric 1000000% bestie we need more acowar nessian acosf robbed me spit on my mom pulled my brothers out of school dehydrated my crops. send all acowar nessian fics my way pleeeease<3<3

@iddragyouwithme THANK YOU!! I'M DECEASED TOO!!

@sayosdreams babyyyyyyyyyyy my daughter my sweet girl!! you are an INCREDIBLE writer and i don't need to teach you anything!! you started by emulating other writers (how we all start) and that's it you're a writer in your own right now. it started with a little talent and you polished that with a lot of hard work and practice. so so so happy you enjoyed this!! will def write a part three, am not opposed to continuations (if something strikes me)

@thewayshedreamed thank you so much!!

@angelic-voice-1997 hahaha they drive us all crazy!! i won't stop:) hope you'll enjoy the next part!

@talkfantasytome THANK YOU!! and omg yes the worst part of acosf was that cassian spends so much of his inner monologue waxing poetic about mor and listening to her talk shit about nesta and NEVER defending her, so yeah, that is so necessary. and noooo omg you have to write that!! that scene was so irritating and it was never talked about in acosf!! looking forward to that babe get his ass

@bookstantrash AHHHH THEY REALLY ARE!!!!

@letstakethedawn💕💕💞💞 🥰💞💞💕💕

@arinbelle first of all, read this as blank space, so thank you for that. second, AHHH!! THANK YOU!!

@vidalinav so i owe you a detailed analysis of my thoughts on your rhys pov because i read it before dinner last night and haven't stopped thinking about it, and also thank you!!!!!!!! yes i will continue to part 3 at least and then will see because yes!!!!! romance!!!!!

@that-golden-lyre YES YES YES SO HAPPY TO HEAR SHE STILL COMES OFF AS A GREMLIN THAT IS WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HERRRRR also soliloquy i'm still laughing at that lollllll

[gureishi]

One more DM-ed request! I’ll open up requests ~for real~ tonight or tomorrow, hooray~

A lovely friend who wants to stay anonymous requested a fic about Saeyoung buying condoms before the famous “evidence that I existed scene” in his AE. And honestly I am OBSESSED with the idea and I cackled more than once while writing this. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, dear! ♡

ready

SaeyoungXReader, T...? (no sex actually occurs in this but you know what the prompt is so do with that what you will). Words: 1874

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・

“Um…Saeyoung? Are we stopping?”

You’re curled into the passenger seat of Saeyoung’s car, his phone in your hand as you keep an eye on the incredibly complex GPS map he’s designed. You’ve been starting to fall into a reverie, lulled into a sense of near-comfort by the constant speed of the car and the sight of his hands on the steering wheel and the soothing, salty-sweet smell of him that clings to the sweater draped over your shoulders and the leather upholstery of the seat.

But when the car, which has been cruising along at a frankly alarming speed, starts to slow, you’re startled out of your half-slumber.

You push yourself up in the seat, gazing at him curiously. You’re surprised to find a light flush coloring his cheeks.

“Saeyoung?" you repeat, made more curious by his strange expression. His hand twitches, as if he meant to reach over and rest it on your thigh—as he’s done periodically throughout the day—but then thought better of it.

“Yeah,” he mumbles, starting pointedly straight ahead at the dirt road he’s turned onto.

You notice him self-consciously take his left hand from the wheel and run it through his tousled hair. It’s a nervous habit of his—even after living with him for just a short time, you’ve found yourself particularly well-attuned to all his quirks.

“Is something wrong?” you ask. You sit up straight now, peering through the windshield. The sun is starting to set, but it’s too early to stop for the night.

“Huh? No, that’s not—no.” Finally, he does touch you, letting one hand drift over to brush against your waist. It sends tingles up and down your spine.

You remember the way he kissed you that morning, before starting to drive for the day—his lips soft and earnest, his clumsy kisses growing more desperate as he pressed his body flush against yours. He always touches you this way—hesitant at first, always afraid it will be too much for you, too much for him—then more forcefully, as if he’s battling with his restraint and losing.

You remember the way he looked at you this afternoon when he thought you were sleeping in the passenger seat, the little moan that escaped his throat when you leaned over and nipped at his earlobe…

“We’re just making a, uhh—quick stop,” he stutters, tugging you back to reality.

You bite your lip, willing away the heat that’s begun to build within you.

Right. Get it together.

We’re on a rescue mission, not a sex vacation.

Your own cheeks color at the thought.

Not that we’ve—not that he’d want to—

Saeyoung turns the car abruptly and pulls into a parking lot you hadn’t even seen coming.

“That came out of nowhere!” you say, startled by the sudden intrusion of civilization. It has just been the two of you for so many hours—so many days—that you’ve almost forgotten about the world that has other people in it.

He taps the side of his head, grinning impishly. “A spaceman always knows where to find fuel,” he says. When you roll your eyes, he adds, “Plus, it was on the GPS.”

You laugh, and are relieved to find you can. Somehow, even knowing where you’re going, and what awaits you there—it’s easy to laugh, with Saeyoung beside you.

“Stretch your legs for a bit,” he says, putting the car in park. His red sports car is definitely conspicuous in the empty parking lot, in front of what seems to be a run-down convenience store. “I’ll be right back. He hops out of the car, moving with surprising ease for someone who’s been sitting and driving for hours. But you’re used to it by now—the stark contrast between the hacker who can sit still for days at a time and the agent who can spring into action at a millisecond’s notice. That’s just Saeyoung, you think, not without a touch of pride.

You open your own door, thinking to take him up on his suggestion to stretch and get some fresh air. Luxury car it may be, but it’s still not designed for an entire day of sitting—and you’re not one for sitting still to begin with. You lift your arms above your head, enjoying the way the cool evening air tickles your sides. Saeyoung is already off—you watch his distinctive red head bobbing off in the direction of the convenience store.

A convenience store…

Your curiosity returns. The two of you have enough food packed for several more days, including plenty of snacks. The schedule you’ve been keeping in order to catch up to Saeran and Vanderwood doesn’t generally allow for lots of mid-day breaks. You can’t think of any supplies you need that you don’t already have.

You ponder his blush, his awkwardness. Secrets are right up Saeyoung’s alley, but now—he’s been so honest with you recently, so upfront. He doesn’t have anything left to hide. So why…?

Curiosity getting the better of you, you stride toward the store, keeping your footsteps light. Secret agent he may be, but if anyone can sneak up on him, it’s definitely you—all the times you managed to startle him back at the apartment were proof enough of that.

The convenience store isn’t much to look at: the windows are dirty and adorned with half-peeled posters advertising out-of-date discounts. You press yourself against one of these, peering through the smudged class. You can just make out his messy red hair moving through the aisles, pausing in one. You watch him deliberate, pacing back and forth.

For a moment, you consider following him into the store—but he’d surely hear you then, and it’d be just like him to abandon whatever quest he’s on out of embarrassment. No: snooping from outside is certainly the best way.

After what feels like several minutes of hesitation, he suddenly grabs something from a shelf and makes his way to the register. Your curiosity intensifies. What could he possibly feel so uncomfortable buying…? 

…

Oh.

OH.

Your face flushes bright red. It couldn’t be. And yet… Your toes tingle.

You’re so carried away by your own thoughts that you’re taken totally aback when something warm presses against you from behind, long fingers curling around your waist. 

“Eep!” you squeal, startling and nearly hitting your head on the glass window. His other hand instantly slides to your forehead, protecting you. “S-Saeyoung?”

He spins you around and suddenly you’re nose to nose, your back against the convenience store window, your body feeling feverish in his arms.

There’s a pause in which the expression in his golden eyes is so intense you find yourself speechless. Then he grins.

“Spying, are we?” he teases, lifting a finger to gently tap your nose.

“You were being suspicious!” you counter, glaring into his molten eyes. It’s his turn to flush.

“I’m a hacker. Being suspicious is kind of my whole thing,” he says, and winks. You notice he hasn’t moved a muscle—his arms are still around your waist, one hand on the small of your back, almost grazing your butt. You find yourself frantically wishing he’d lower it, wishing he’d squeeze your butt and then press you harder into the glass, biting your neck and—

Ahhhh.

“Gimme that bag!” you cry, taking even yourself by surprise. You disentangle yourself from him abruptly, reaching for his back pocket where you know he’s stuffed the bag from the store. Once again, a few days of living together has given you enough clues—you know where he puts things so you won’t take them. But you’re bolder now.

“Noooo!” he yelps, taking off across the parking lot. You laugh, sprinting after him.

“Saeyoung Choi! Give me that bag!” You’re pretty fast, but he’s much faster. He darts into the tall grass that surrounds the parking lot. You know you can’t catch him—but you do have a secret weapon. It may not be fair—but all’s fair in love and war, you think stubbornly.

“Ow!” you yell, plopping down on the concrete.

He’s on you in an instant, all pretense of the chase forgotten, on his knees before you can even register what’s happened. His eyes are dark as he scans your body frantically for any sign that you are hurt. You almost feel guilty. Almost.

“What’s wrong?”

He brushes his hand up your leg, searching for an injury that isn’t there.

“Ha!” In one motion, you reach behind him, grazing his butt as you pull the plastic bag from his pocket. “Hahaha!” you sing again as you turn the bag upside down, spilling out the contents before he has a chance to snatch it back.

“Whaaaaat? You—” Saeyoung gasps. His hand shoots out and you tackle him, knowing he won’t resist you as you tumble onto his chest. He wraps his arms around you, nuzzling his face into your hair. You twist sideways and can just make out the box on the ground beside you.

Ah-ha.

Abruptly, Saeyoung sits up and gently lifts you off him—all while trying to sneakily sweep his purchase into the safety of his hoodie.

But it’s too late.

You’re a little embarrassed, a little guilty for tricking him—but most of all, there’s a distinct feeling of satisfaction that settles in your heart.

“Saeyoung, you bought…?”

He turns to you, and his cheeks are as red as you imagine your own to be.

“Did you see?” he mutters, eyes downcast. You nod. “I-it’s not…!” He meets your eyes, and he’s so earnest, so awkward, so delightfully scared, that you can’t help but take pity on him. “I-it’s not that I was assuming anything, o-or even hoping, I mean, I wouldn’t even think to…!”

You have to stop him then, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to his lips. You feel the heat radiating off him, and all his muscles are tense with anxiety. You cup his cheek with one hand and deepen the kiss; he melts into you.

When you pull away, your breath is coming quickly, and you can feel his heart pounding through his hoodie.

“It’s okay if you were assuming,” you say softly.

He splutters for a moment, cheeks hot, pupils blown. 

His hand tightly clutches the box of condoms concealed in his jacket.

“I-I really wasn’t… I didn’t mean to…” He catches his breath. “Just in case,” he whispers.

You feel the grin spreading across your face. You put a hand on his chest, right over his rapidly beating heart. His fingers ghost over your shoulder and neck, tentatively, questioningly. You press another firm kiss to his lips.

“Just in case,” you repeat. 

You know you’ve got to get back in the car, got to drive till after the sun has set, got to watch the little dot on his makeshift tracking devise until your eyes get tired. But eventually, you’ll stop. Eventually, you’ll rest. You’ll spend the night together. And when you do—

“I wanted us to be ready for anything,” he whispers against your lips, more confidently than before.

“Yeah,” you say. “And we are.”

[that-was-anticlimactic]

Your Sokka with TS means so much to me. I have autism (and boi is the comorbidity high) so ecolalia and stimming is really similar to tourettes, and I see myself in a lot of your headcanons. Thank you for sharing it, disability representation is so important. Have you ever considered autistic!Zuko and what that would mean in his relationship with TS!Sokka? (He's very autistic coded in the show). Hope you have a good day, thank you again

Hi!!! It warms my heart that you can find some familiarity in my headcanons! Yes! Stimming and echolalia are incredibly similar and most certainly transcends just Tourette’s (I’ve done a lot of research on TS because, well, first of all I have it, and I also wrote a paper about having TS in the classroom for a class haha!).

I agree, disability representation is so incredibly important and, I feel, oftentimes rather under-looked. I was actually really nervous sharing my Sokka with TS headcanons the first time since, in my personal experience, not many people understand it super well, but the fact that multiple people have told me that they feel heard or understood from simply headcanon representation speaks volumes and means the world to me!

YES! I absolutely believe that Zuko is autistic and honestly, autistic!Zuko and TS!Sokka is fantastic!

In terms of their relationship, I have touched on this a few times but not in depth, but touch is something sacred to them in a way that few of their friends understand. For Sokka, unexpected touch makes him feel constricted or makes him think that if he squirms or stims or tics too much during the touch, the person will notice and get upset with him. Zuko has a special relationship with touch as well (also due to abuse, but right now I am focusing entirely on autism). I feel as if Zuko has heightened sensory perception, particularly on terms of people touching him. He is “acutely aware of people touching [their] skin”, thus sometimes people touching him sends this hyperaware sensation through his body.

They both are not huge fans of touch, but that makes them both feel better, in a way. Yes, Sokka does often worry that Zuko will be upset with him because he can’t always cuddle at night (because Zuko loves cuddling with Sokka, the feeling of Sokka’s skin is familiar to him), but Zuko manages to make him aware that cuddling does not matter as much as being with each other. They both have an intense amount of respect for each other and their hesitance with touch only makes them more compatible!

Many people with TS and Autism have sensory issues as well. I headcanon that the two actually have rather different sensory issues-- Zuko can’t take loud noises and Sokka feels sensory overload with... this sound is hard for me to describe, but I call it “static” or “the muffled sound of nothing” (because this is the noise that sends me into sensory overload oops). I guess you could say, Sokka has a problem with a more muted version of the loud noises Zuko gets sensory overload from.

They both learn about each other’s sensory issues rather early on and can recognize the signs quickly. When Sokka gets overload, he starts stimming more to distract himself from the panic. He paces, goes for walks around the palace or market or wherever he is, sometimes covers his ears... Zuko helps him with this by making him leave the room / area (because Sokka feels too embarrassed to leave). He also (as I have mentioned many times because I feel strongly about this) keeps stuff for Sokka to fidget / stim with! When Zuko gets overload, Sokka will make excuses for why they have to leave so Zuko can be professional (even though Sokka knows it doesn’t matter in the long run and Zuko’s a kid so he shouldn’t have to feel like he has to be professional). Zuko close his eyes or flinch when it gets too loud. The flinching is instinct but the eye closing is to help calm himself down. He’ll repeat things to himself, like he’ll count to ten over and over again. He’ll grab Sokka’s hand and squeeze it because Zuko is one of two people who are allowed to touch Sokka whenever they want to!

Ahhhh I got a bit carried away... I just think TS!Sokka and Autistic!Zuko would have this really special understanding and respect for each other that others sometimes find it hard to comprehend. It’s just so important and meaningful and it helps them to work as a unit, to understand triggers and how to help (not that the others don’t, because they do try and help out whenever it’s needed, but this is also on a romantic level lol) and ahhhhhh I’m so soft for them hunbvftbygnhmnugbh

I hope you enjoyed this and feel free to share your thoughts as well! Again, I am so happy that you found understanding and representation in my headcanons!!!

(Sokka with TS Headcanons Part One , Part Two)

(I don’t have Autistic!Zuko headcanons written out as of yet, but I might write some once I finish classes!... I’ll probably also write more TS!Sokka when classes finish for the semester... I’m not gonna lie lol)

[yarichinbokutoclub]

The train was packed. Who knew so many people would be milling about at 1 o’clock on a Wednesday afternoon. You hated it, being around so many people, but with your job at the museum you had learned to tolerate the crowds. This, however, was different, you were crammed in a tiny cabin with God knows how many other people. Don’t these people have work to do? It is a week day after all. So, to put things lightly, your day did not start off on a good note.

           You were, however, looking forward to the Café’s opening. It was your light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. With the café being a bit of a hole in the wall and lacking any media presence you knew it would not attract much of a crowd. The perfect place to work on your botany journal (basically just a journal with different plant clippings and facts and drawings. Think Hiccup’s journal in HTYD or Deku’s journal in BNHA.) You were really looking forward to the new pages you could add now that the museum had gotten in some new flora, that of course they let you be the first to see. The journal was a great help when you were giving tours as you wanted to be as thorough as possible in hopes that you might inspire a bright young mind, like what had happened to you so many years ago.

           The train finally came to a stop and you couldn’t have been more grateful. You got off as quickly as possible and stopped to take a deep breath, really appreciating the fresh air and the open space around you. After you got your bearings, you adjusted your outfit (gotta look good in case there are any cute boys at the café ;)) and got on your way. The café was only about 5 blocks from the train station so it didn’t take you long to get there at all. You turned off the main street onto a little side one, almost like an alley, and towards the end you saw the café.

           The vibe was immaculate. It was everything you could have wished for and more, no crowds and books everywhere, what’s not to love? Taking a deep breath to prepare yourself, you pushed open the front door. A small bell above you jingled to signal your arrival and you were immediately met with not only the eyes of your best friend, Yachi, but also a pair of wide yellow eyes which seemed to be taking in your appearance. Blushing, you tried not to think much of it and made your way to the counter and greeted the cute barista that you knew so well. “Yachi!!! You look so adorable in your apron.” you exclaimed upon getting to the counter, mindful of your volume of course. “Y/n, you actually came!” Yachi replied with a big grin.

“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check this place out and bug you on your first day. ;P Speaking of, how has it been, any rude customers yet?”

“It’s been a lot slower than we would have hoped but everyone has been really polite, I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better first day. Anyways, I should probably get back to work. What can I get you? I’ll bring it to your table when it’s ready.”

Yachi, always the positive one and a hard worker too. Scanning over the menu you quickly make your decision. “I’ll have a hot caramel latte and a blueberry muffin! Oh an make sure you do something extra cute for the latte art!!”

“Only the best for you, y/n! I’ll have it right out!”

           With that you made your way to a table near a window so you could attempt to people watch without being near any of the other patrons. It was a quiet corner just the way you liked. However, you could still feel those big yellow eyes on you. Looking up you finally made eye contact with the man who had been staring you down and boy was he cute. You could tell he was athletic too, giving him a curt smile you turned back to your table and pulled out your journal. Maybe this could be where you find your wattpad romance after all. Or so you thought.

           Yachi brought out your order and you got to journaling about the newest flower in the museum’s greenhouse, the Cytandra Vittata or Candy-Striped Violet. Particularly excited about this one due to the flower’s incredible beauty and unique petals, you made sure to put extra care into the pages. You were having a great time, the coffee was amazing and the atmosphere was perfect for getting your work done. That is until HE decided to stop staring at you and go back to reading his manga. Whatever it was, it must have been incredibly interesting because he was… engrossed to say the least.

           Not only did he seem to zone everything around him out, forgetting where he was, but he also felt the need to verbally or physically react to just about everything that was happening in his childish story. He was annoying, sure, but not loud enough to where he could be considered “disturbing the peace” even though he was certainly disturbing YOUR peace. Every two seconds there was an “oooh” or an “ahhhh” maybe even a “WHAT?!” thrown in there. Your patience was certainly running thin and you made sure to glare at him a few times, even hushing him along with the other patrons, but he just was not getting the hint. The next page must have had a huge plot twist or surprise thrown in there because this response, it was the most dramatic. Abruptly, he stood up out of his chair, knocking it to the ground in the process. His eyes were even bigger than before (was that even possible?) and he yelled (yes, this time it was a yell). His exact words were “NO!!! IT WAS HER BROTHER ALL ALONG?! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!.” Spoilers, am I right?

           At this you had had enough. Sure, you didn’t like confrontation, but it didn’t seem like anyone else was going to step in and you knew Yachi would be a nervous wreck if she had to. So, you marched over to his table with the most aggressive scowl you think you have ever sported on your face.

“Are you trying to piss off everyone in the store?! Because you’re doing a really good job if that was your plan!” You screamed at the stranger’s face.

He looked up at you confusion written all over his face. “…Huh?” he questioned.

“Are you trying to tell me you have no idea what you’ve been doing for the past 30 minutes?? Because I don’t buy it. You’re being incredibly loud and rude and you need to stop. This is not the place for that. Some people are trying to get work down and you’re making it incredibly difficult. If you wanna read your manga fine do it but do it quietly. Save the theatrics for your bedroom.” you weren’t trying to be mean but you couldn’t help it. Once you start talking you can’t stop yourself and this time you went a little too far. His hair seemed to deflate, something you certainly didn’t miss because was that even possible?

“I’m sorry miss, I didn’t realize I was being so loud I’ll try to quiet down.” He replied with a huge pout on his face.

“Thank you.” You replied and promptly turned on your heels to go back to the violet you were so excited to study.

           Everything was going smoothly now, sure you didn’t mean to be that harsh and you could’ve asked him nicely but your anger took over and you couldn’t help it, though you did feel a bit bad. It certainly didn’t help that your day had started out as poorly as it did and you were so looking forward to the peace and quiet of the café, something that had been so rudely ripped away from you. Another 15 minutes passed by and the silence was amazing, you made some real progress in your journal, even completing a detailed sketch of the flower. After the 15 minutes was up however, the reactions started to seep back out from the yellow eyed man again. He seemed to be over his pouting now. His reactions, although much quieter this time were still quite annoying. You decided to ignore them though, thinking you had been a little too harsh the first time around, and hoping he just slipped up and will go back to being quiet. This, however, was not the case and the disruptions continued for another 10 minutes when you decided you better just leave. Fate is tricky and maybe you just weren’t fated to be at the café today, meaning you’ll try again tomorrow after work. You said your goodbyes to Yachi and made your way to the train station, looking forward to the peace and quiet of your apartment and the soft cuddles of your two cats, Kyo and Tohru.

           What you didn’t know, was that Yachi, deciding it was time to be bold, went over to the loud and excitable customer. She decided it best, for business and for her own sanity, if she politely asked him to leave. And she did just that. The man apologized and made his way out of the café feeling a bit defeated but determined to come back again and next time hopefully not get kicked out.

fear & love

4. series of unfortunate events

prev / next

masterlist

PLOT - y/n is in her first year of college at tokyo u., she has a great friend group, a fantastic internship, life is good… that is until she meets bokuto koutarou. this loud and brash volleyball star is about to turn y/n’s life upside down. the question is, will it be a good change or a bad one?

a/n - Im gonna be honest, not really loving this fic but I am pretty happy with how this chapter turned out, as always any advice is welcomed and pls if there's anything you want to see happen just ask!

taglist (open, send an ask) - @dumbb1tc4 @fleurishnblotts@coffeeaddictedmay@bigchaosenergy @noliamallpayne @evan-rose​ @bokutowo​

BOLD COULDNT BE TAGGED

[xvnqsb]

soulmates pt. 1

A/N: ahhhh finally posting the first chapter. i have about the first five or six chapters written, so i will have them scheduled for different days while i focus on school! hopefully you all enjoy!

of stardust and space. masterlist

chapter one. soulmates pt. 1

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"I'm pregnant." The words fell from the blonde's lips so effortlessly, as if they were casual words that are said in casual conversation. But they were definitely not words that were casual. These were life-altering words that could be the make or break of anyone.

"You're...pregnant?" His jaw dropped. "H-how?"

She rolled her eyes, sighing, and picking at her nails as if she was bored. "Well, T., when we fucked, somehow, our protection didn't work because here I am, knocked up with your child."

No shit. "I know that, but how? I've always used protection. This can't be real. Take another test."

"I took three. You think I want to be pregnant?" She stared at him accusingly.

How was this his fault? It takes two to create a child.

"So-uh-are we keeping it?" He didn't know what to think. Was he really ready for a baby?

"Do you want to?" Her voice had become a whisper, afraid of what might happen in the next few moments.

He paused, before smiling and nodding as he brought her in for a hug. "Yes."

She wrapped her arms around him, squealing excitedly. "Then yes."

He couldn't believe it. He, Tony Stark, was going to be a father.

"What do you mean 'you're going to be a father'?" Jason asked.

Tony had the telephone between his shoulder and ear, working on one of his latest inventions. He exhaled happily, putting down the tool in his hand as he adjusted the block phone.

"I mean, I'm going to be a father! Jasmin'e's pregnant," He heard a disappointed sigh from his best friend down the line. Knowing what the conversation was going to lead to, he sat down on the closest chair. "What?"

"Jasmine? Are you sure you want her to be the mother of your children?"

"Jason-"

"No, I know what you're going to say. I know you love her and everything, but Tony, what did your parents say?"

"I haven't told them," he mumbled, clearing his throat as he continued. "Besides, it doesn't matter what they think or say because it's my child and my life. And, I would like to point out that you got Vivie pregnant first!"

"You're right, but with a child, you're going to have a tie to Jasmine for the rest of your life."

"And?"

"She's insane-"

"No, she's not!" Tony scoffed, shaking his head at the thoughts of the man on the other end of the line. "She's not crazy."

There was rustling on the other end of the line, and then Vivie's voice was heard.

"Congrats, Tony! Jas just told me the news! I can't believe we're all going to be parents!" She squealed.

"Baby, give me the phone," Jason asked, and she complied. "Look, I got to go. I'm glad you're having a kid, Stark, just don't do anything else before you know what you really want."

"Fine, I won't." He picked up a pack of blueberries from his workstation, popping some in his mouth before speaking again. "Do you think our kids are gonna hate each other?"

He's never been this nervous. Well, that's a lie. He hasn't been this nervous in years.

But this time, he's sitting in front of his parents, figuring out how he's going to tell them he got Jasmine pregnant. His father was staring him down, almost annoyed at how long it was taking his son to speak.

"Mom, Dad-" He couldn't even finish his sentence, because his father jumped up, slamming his hand down on the table. Tony flinched, taken aback by the sudden movement.

"You knocked her up, didn't you?" He spat, disappointment evident in his facial features.

How'd he know?

"Y-Yes. Jasmine is pregnant, with my child."

His mom put her hand on his father's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"I always knew this would happen. I can't believe this. I can't believe you." Tony didn't move or say a word, allowing his father to get out his anger. After what felt like an eternity, his father sighed. He sat down, rubbing his face. "How much?"

"Oh, my god." Tony scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "We're keeping the baby."

"What?" His mother gasped, obviously shocked at the decision of her son.

"You're not serious, are you?" Howard questioned, laughing as if this was all a sick joke. "You're throwing your life away, Anthony."

"I am not."

"If you have this child, it will be one of your biggest regrets."

"No, they won't."

"This child will ruin your life! You will have the greatest opportunities turned down because you will be a father-"

"Those won't change!"

"This will be the biggest mistake of your life!"

"Then it is my mistake to make!" Tony stood, angrily shoving the chair back. He felt tears threaten to spill, and his face grew hot with anger and frustration. "And it is not a mistake, because they are going to be the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Apples, bananas, carrots...lettuce? No. Watermelon.

"Babe, are you almost done?" Jasmine called from the living room.

"Yes!" He picked up the plate of fruit he had arranged and carried it to her. Her face lit up as she saw the food, squealing excitedly. "Healthy snacks for a healthy baby."

"Yum," She moaned as she bit into a watermelon slice, chewing and swallowing before continuing. "I did not understand why this child wants such healthy food but now I know! Watermelon is so good."

He grabbed an apple slice, chewing it as he picked up the book he was reading. TThey sat in silence as she finished her afternoon snack, the book in her hand closing once she was finished.

"Honey," she called sweetly, and Tony hummed in reply. "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"What?" He looked up from his book, confused at the sudden question.

"I'm just curious."

"Well, uh," He cleared his throat, closing the book in his hand. "I'd, uh, I want a girl."

"Really? Why?" She looked at him so intently, so lovingly that his heart stopped.

"Because she'd be the best big sister in the world. And, I'm going to teach her how to kick ass!"

"You could barely kick-ass yourself! How are you gonna show her?"

"Well, Ms. Vonz, I know some martial arts."

"What if it was a boy?"

"I would love him all the same! I get to pass down my knowledge to another ruggedly handsome Stark!"

"And you can't do that with a girl?"

"Well, yeah. My kid would be smart and a badass."

"WhatifIalreadyknowthegenderandtoldyouitwasagirl?" She said the words so quickly, Tony could not process them.

"What?"

"What if," she gulped, sitting up. The blanket fell off of her stomach, revealing the small bump. "I already know the gender, and I told you it was a girl?"

"W-what? Oh my god," Tony shot up, a smile on his face as he repeated the words in his head. "It's a- We're- It's a girl? We're having a girl?"

"Yes."

Later that night, as they counted down from ten, Tony couldn't help the smile etched onto his face. He looked between Jason and Jasmine, incredibly happy about the recent events. The clock struck twelve, and Tony pulled her in for a kiss.

"Happy New Year to you and our baby girl."

"Have fun with Jason!" Jasmine whispered as she watched the man double-check himself.

"Thanks, Jas. I promise you can give me my birthday present when I get back." He leaned down and kissed her forehead, before going down to her big belly. He placed a kiss on where he hoped his kid's head was. "Even though she's already giving me the biggest and best gift already."

"Stop being all gushy," She pushed him towards the door, blowing him a kiss. "Have fun. Be safe."

When Tony arrived at Jason's apartment, he was greeted by the sight of Vivie bouncing a sleepy Jonah in her arms.

"Hey V. Jonah," he brushed a knuckle gently against his godson, the five-month-old reaching for his hand. "Is Jason ready to go?"

"Yes!" Jason came then, kissing his fiance and son goodbye before leading his best friend towards the elevator. "How's it feel to be 21, Stark?"

"Same as being 20, Mullem." They took it down to the lobby, and as they walked out the doors, Tony stopped in his tracks. "Are you serious?"

Jason had a huge grin on his face, nodding as he slapped his best friend on his back. "All this for you, Tony."

"I fucking love you." He mumbled as he entered the limo.

"I fucking love you too."

Tony's pager beeps for the seventh time that night. 911. His father insists that he pick it up, so he leaves the dinner table and calls the number.

"Bellevue Hospital Center."

"Hi, yes, this is Tony Stark. I got a 911 to my pager?"

"Mr. Stark?" A male's voice came from the end of the line.

"Yeah, that's me," He rolled his eyes at the man on the other end.

"Yes, Mr. Stark, I'm Dr. Jones from Bellevue Hospital Center. Your wife has gone into labor."

"My-My wife?"

"Jasmine Vonz, sir."

Oh, God, it's happening.

"Y-yes! Sorry, it's just...unexpected." He turned to look into his dining room, his mother and father in conversation. "I'll be there soon."

He hung up, feeling sick.

"Anthony, is everything alright?" His mom called.

"Y-Yea-" He didn't finish his sentence, running to the bathroom and vomiting his entire dinner. When he was sure he was done, he got cleaned up before heading back out to the dining room. He grabbed his keys, wallet, and jacket, looking at his parents. "Jasmine went into labor."

"Oh, honey!"

"I-I gotta go. I'll let you know when she's born!" He called out as he ran out of his house.

The ride to the hospital, he was jittery. His cab driver kept giving him dirty looks, looking relieved as they finally pulled up to the hospital. Tony gave him more than enough cash before stumbling out of the cab and into the hospital. He went up to the nurses' station, having trouble finding words.

"Can I help you, sir?" One of the nurses asked.

"Ye-Yes. My girlfriend went into labor, uh, not so long ago."

"What's her name?"

"Jasmine Vonz."

She looked for her information, nodding when she found it. She gave him directions towards the room, saying a quick 'see you soon'. When he entered the room, Jasmine was pale and sweaty, gasping as she saw Tony.

"This baby will not stay in." She clutched at his hand as another contraction came. "I'm scared. I don't think this is how it's supposed to feel."

"I'm sure it's fine, honey." Tony pressed a quick kiss to her head, whimpering quietly as she crushed his hand. "My hand, not so much."

"I'm Dr. Jastin, " The doctor said as he came in moments later, his team right behind him. "Alright, Mom, Dad, are you ready?"

"We're doing this in here?" He asked, looking at the nurses setting up the baby stuff. "Isn't there, like, a labor room or something?"

"Yes sir, but it seems your daughter does not want to wait," the doctor answered as he snapped on his gloves, putting on a mask before setting himself in between his girlfriend's legs. "This baby is coming here and now."

The delivery was a painful process, and he was pretty sure a couple of his fingers were broken. After the final push, he heard the cries of his baby girl throughout the room. He sighed a 'Thank God' as his hand was released.

The doctor handed her over to one of his nurses, working on closing Jasmine. The nurses worked on the baby, wrapping her in a blanket and doing other...nurse/baby stuff.

"You did so well," he muttered in her ear, kissing the side of her head. "Gave us a beautiful baby."

"Where is she?" she whispered, gulping and trying to locate her kid. "Tony, where is she, is she okay?"

"Yeah, honey, she's with the nurses."

Tony looked up at the team of nurses working on his newborn baby. They seemed to be taking longer than necessary.

"Dr. Jastin?" One of the nurses called as he finished up.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" Tony asked, finding Jasmine's hand and squeezing it.

"It's fine," the doctor told the nurse before lifting up his baby and carrying her over to them. "Who wants to see mommy and daddy?"

Jasmine shook her head, looking away from the doctor and baby.

"Ms. Vonz?"

"Jas, what's wrong?" Tony whispered, moving her hair behind her ear. "You don't want to hold our baby?"

"No," She mumbled. "I don't want the baby."

Tony reached out for his daughter and was oblivious to the words that were muttered by his girlfriend. His face lit up with a smile, his heart pounding at the feeling of holding such a small life in his hands. He rubbed his finger against her cheek, a happy sigh escaping his lips.

"Can't believe you're here," he whispered, leaning down to press a kiss against her forehead. She cooed, reaching up, and beginning to cry. "It's safe to say that you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. Besides your mom, of course."

The next day, Tony took his parents to the nursery. There were at least 25 babies, some being days old, while others were mere hours. He pointed her out, his parents smiling at the small infant.

"Doctor said that we could take her home tomorrow," he said, nodding as the nurse indicated if he wanted her to take the baby up to the window. "I can't wait."

"Me neither," Howard whispered, subtly wiping at the tears building on his waterline. "Where's Jasmine?"

"She's resting in the room," he replied, suddenly remembering his duties. "Do you guys mind waiting here while I set up the car seat and crib? It'll only be an hour."

His parents agreed, waving him off as he raced to begin his new life.

Lilah was in the carrier, gladly sucking on a binky, as she and Tony walked up the stairs to her mother's apartment. It's the third day they've been home, and Jasmine has refused to see her child. He figured she was probably struggling with postpartum depression and wanted to help. He had found a great support group and some counselor's that focused on such things.

"Ready to see mama?" he asked her, taking the garbled sounds as a yes. "Me too. I miss her. And I can't wait to take more pictures of the two girls in my life."

Finally arriving at the door, Tony unlocked it and stepped inside. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of the barren apartment, looking around in shock. Knowing it was worthless, he put the carrier on the counter and looked for his girlfriend. All he found were two envelopes taped to the mirror of the bathroom.

He grabbed them in disbelief before grabbing his daughter and leaving the apartment in anger and hurt. The drive home he blamed himself for her leaving, muttering insults to himself.

The envelopes sat at the bottom of his drawer for years, refusing to be read. As he fell, his parents helped take care of their granddaughter. They fed her and changed her when she woke them screaming in the night, while their son laid in bed with no will to live. He ignored his daughter, refusing to hold her and look at her. He didn't want a memory of her, leaving the house after a week. Howard called Jason, asking him to take care of Tony. For the first month of Lilah's life, she was raised by her grandparents, who had grown quite fond of her.

"I'm glad Tony had her," Howard whispered to Maria one night as they rocked her to sleep. "She's going to save his life."

Maria smiled, rocking her granddaughter back and forth as she thought of her next words carefully. "Will you ever tell him?"

He exhaled deeply, rubbing his face and sitting down on his son's bed. "Yes, just not right now. He's already dealing with her leaving."

"I know but-" Howard looked up to see Maria staring at the door, and followed her line of vision.

Tony stood in the doorway, watching his daughter. She had been falling asleep until her head fell to the side and she caught sight of her father. At the realization of who it was, she began to cry and kick at the woman, attempting to reach out to him. Without hesitation Tony crossed the room, taking her into his arms and beginning to rock her back and forth. She calmed, relaxing at the feeling of being in her dad's arms.

"Let's go," Maria told Howard, shooing him out of the room and closing the door behind them.

That night, Tony got up to care for his crying daughter.

"Is the table set?" Maria called from the kitchen.

"Yes, Mom," He called from the dining room, finishing the silverware on the last plate.

He went up to his room and checked up on Lilah, who was just waking up from her nap. She reached out for him, giggling as he sniffed her diaper and exaggerated a gag.

"Someone's not ashamed," He muttered, changing her before taking her downstairs. "Guess who's up?"

"Where's my girl?" Howard called out, coming in from the living room. He reached for her, kissing her cheek as Tony handed her to him. "There she is."

A twinge of jealousy shot through Tony, but he quickly shook it off as the doorbell rang. He opened the door, taking Jonah from Vivie's arms and pressing a kiss to his cheek. The Mullem's greeted his parents, seating both children in high chairs before gathering around the table. They held hands and prayed.

"What are you thankful for, Stark?" Jason asked, looking across the table at his best friend.

Tony looked at his daughter, pinching her cheek. "The best thing in my life."

"Did she wake you?" Tony asked quietly, looking towards his father who stood at the door.

"No, I've, uh, been in the study." Tony nodded, returning his attention to his tired daughter. "How's she doing?"

He turned her towards him, eyes slowly closing and mouth open. "Almost there."

They stood in silence for a few minutes before Howard turned to go to his room.

"She's the best thing that has ever happened to me, Dad."

Howard looked towards his son, and it seemed like there were tears in his eyes. "I know."

Lilah had officially turned six months yesterday, and everything had been normal. He lacked attention from his father but witnessed him give it to his daughter. His mother gave him the same love she gave his daughter. They were a happy, content family.

Until hours ago, police showed up at the door to inform him of the news.

He didn't believe it. He thought it was some sick joke. But it wasn't.

Howard and Maria Stark were dead.

Car crash.

They weren't the only things they said, it was just what he could make out.

They were involved in an accident.

Didn't make it.

The pain was all too much. The mother of his child leaving him. His parents dying. He wasn't going to make it.

The funeral was rough. He doesn't remember much, just giving the eulogies and greeting old family friends. Accepting condolences. Hiding his kid away from those who began to pry too much, it was a funeral, why were they more interested in his kid?

After that is when it got worse.

He began to fall again. Scarce meals, drinking, bad hygiene. He didn't answer the door for anyone.

He simply lived and breathed for his daughter. He didn't want her to grow up an orphan. He changed her and bathed her and fed her. everything he was avoiding on himself he did to her.

"Baby, please, stop crying," He begged for the millionth time. Lilah was refusing to take a bath. She kicked and screamed bloody murder when he tried to lower her in the water. "What is it? Do you want me to shower with you?"

Hoping it was just that, he let the water go and turned on the showerhead. He undressed before picking her up and stepping into the water. She didn't cry or scream or throw a tantrum, just began pulling at his hair as the water hit it.

His body relaxed, soaking in the feeling of showering. He sighed in content, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

After the shower, he put them both into comfortable clothes before deciding to take a nap.

Tony had put Lilah in her crib and had just laid on his bed when she began to cry. He left her alone, hoping she would put herself to sleep.

He gave up after fifteen minutes.

"What is it, sweetheart?" He picked her up, rocking her gently. He sat on the bed, and her crying seized. He chuckled at his realization. "I get it. Do you want to sleep with daddy? Is that it, my girl?"

Lilah cooed, swinging her arms.

Tony laid back, allowing her to rest on his chest. She put her ear against his chest, falling asleep to the rhythm of his heart.

Lilah was turning one and Tony was freaking out.

Sure, he thought about it. But he never realized how old she was turning. Much less realized how fast the past year has gone.

"You need to calm down," Jason told him, helping the 22-year-old father wrap his daughter's presents.

"Were you calm when Jonah turned one?" Tony asked, looking at his best friend.

"No." He sighed.

"Then you can't come bitching at me about it!"

"Watch the language boys." They looked up to see Vivie enter with both kids in the double stroller, dropping the diaper bag on the table. "Why did I have to take them out again?"

"Because the party is a surprise?" Jason responded in a 'duh' tone.

"They're babies. They don't even know what's going on." Vivie set both children down onto the ground.

Tony walked over to pick up his daughter, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Jonah lifted his arms at his godfather, and he complied. Tony held both children in his arms, attempting to avoid their grabbing hands at his ears.

"What if Lilah has a photographic memory? What if she remembers her first birthday years into the future and hates me because we didn't surprise her?"

Jason groaned, shutting his eyes. "Again Tony?"

"Yes! My child can be a super genius."

"That's not possibl-"

"Okay, boys." Vivie interrupted them, grabbing Jonah from him. "Let's finish decorating, get ready, and enjoy the party!"

"Yeah." Jason agreed, raising his eyebrows at Tony. "Enjoy the party."

Tony held Lilah all night long, only passing her to her godparents when he went to the bathroom. The party was over. Jonah was asleep in his crib, Jason and Vivie were cleaning up, and Tony was in the living room with Lilah on his hip. He was swaying them back and forth gently, humming softly to the song that played. She was falling asleep, brown eyes watching him before shutting for a few seconds then opening again.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead before whispering, "Happy birthday, baby."

"Don't move! Let me get the camera!" He ran to the kitchen, grabbing the video camera. He turned it on as he raced back to the living room, placing the phone back between his shoulder and ear. He began recording Lilah, who stood holding onto the sofa. "I told you, Mullem, my kid's going to walk first."

"No, my kid is gonna walk first," Jason said through the phone, causing Tony to roll his eyes. "You're just upset because Jonah started talking first."

"He hasn't even said a word!"

"Yes, he has!"

"What? 'Bajdkfs'? Those are baby sounds."

"He spoke first, and he's going to walk first."

Lilah let go of the sofa, and Tony perked up. "My kid's going for it."

"Mine let go of the sofa."

"So did mine."

They stayed silent, each urging their kid to make the first move. Lilah looked at her dad and smiled, taking a wobbly step towards him.

"Ohmygod, I won! She took her first step!"

"No!"

"Good job sweetheart! Take another." he encouraged her. She took another wobbly step before falling onto her bottom, giggling at her father's happy expression. "Yes!"

"No! Jonah just took his first steps! It's a communication error."

"Nuh-uh, Jason. Your kid got speaking first, mine gets first steps."

"He didn't even say a real word."

"Aha! I knew it!"

"Whatever. I got to go, Vivie is furious that we're competing."

"I bet. Did you tell her you lost?"

"Screw you, Stark."

They hung up, Tony picking up his daughter and setting down the video camera. He kissed her head, smiling and bouncing her. "You wanna speak first too? Give Jonah a run for his money?"

She babbled nonsense.

"I agree."

He sat her back on the ground, sitting across from her.

"Say 'Dada'. Da-da. Easiest word in the book, kid." She crawled to him, standing with the help of his legs. "Daddy would be good too. Dad. Pops. Anything."

She babbled once again, stepping onto his legs and reaching up to support herself against his chest.

"Really? Quite interesting."

She laughed, leaning forward and pressing her nose against his. He scrunched it in confusion, a smile gracing his lips. "What are you doing kid?"

"Dada." She said before pressing a kiss to his nose.

"Yeah, I'm your da-Wait what?" He picked her up, shock and disbelief running through him. "What did you say?"

She babbled, dancing in his arms.

"You cannot do this to me. I need proof that my kid is the best." he stretched his arms slightly. "Dada. Say it again, baby, please."

Nothing.

"Por favor?"

Nada.

"Please, for me?"

She smiled. "Dada."

It wasn't perfect, but it was real. An actual word.

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you," He kissed her head once more, sitting her in his lap. "Jonah may be older, but he has his dad's brain."

His eyes landed on the video camera, hope filling him.

"Please be recording."

"Daddy," Lilah gently pushed his arm. "Daddy."

His eyes open slowly, taking in the sight of his tired four-year-old. He sighed, reaching his hand up to cup his daughter's face. "What's wrong-what the hell?"

Shooting up, he brought her onto his lap, back of his hand pressing all over her face. She was sweaty and sticky and her skin was burning.

"I don't feel good." She mumbled, a whine leaving her and she grabbed his hand. "My tummy hurts."

He picked her up, putting on his shoes before heading downstairs. She rested her head against his shoulder, her stomach rumbling. She was asleep the whole ride, waking when they got to the small 24-hour store. She whined and cried silently as they moved about the store, gripping onto him so tight her knuckles turned white.

"Ooh, fever?" The clerk asked, scanning the box of medicine.

"Yup. She was fine when she went to sleep but she woke me with a fever." Tony replied, taking out some bills to pay for the items.

"Weird. They usually exhibit signs."

"Yeah, last time I could tell. But this time was a surprise."

The clerk handed him his bag and took the bills. "If she's not better in a few days, you should take her to the doctor."

"If I can't have the fever down by tomorrow, I might have to." He took the change from the man, stuffing it into his wallet. "Thank you. Have a good night."

"You too, man. Hope she gets better soon."

"Thank you."

Tony soothed her on the way to the car, rubbing her back and telling her she was going to be okay. He buckled her into her car seat, dropping the bag by her feet when she burped. Eyes wide, he emptied the plastic bag and put it under her mouth in time for her to throw up into the bag. He rubbed her back once more, wiping vomit off of her mouth with his sleeve before starting the car. He made sure she held onto the bag, trying to get home as quickly and safely as possible. She puked once more on the drive home, crying and calling for him.

"I know, princess, just hold on."

They were in the driveway and he was turning off the car when she began heaving and climbed into the backseat to help her. He quickly took them inside, struggling to carry his sick daughter, the get-well items, and her puke bag. They eventually made it to the room, where he changed her into a new set of pajamas. He had her rinse her mouth before giving her the dose suggested on the box. She drank it, unwillingly, and cuddled up to his side when he laid them down.

Tony was gently massaging her head, slowly falling asleep himself when her small voice filled his ears.

"I love you, my pretty boy." She whispered, voice drowsy from the medicine.

"Your pretty boy?" He questioned, curious of the sudden nickname.

"Mhm, my pretty boy. You're my pretty boy, Daddy."

He smiled, pressing a kiss to her head. "Guess that makes you my pretty girl."

"Guess so," she muttered, finally drifting off

"I love you, my pretty girl."

"Kindergarten was so fun Daddy!" Her voice screeched through the phone, Tony smiling at her voice. God, he misses her.

"Really?"

"Mhm! We made a nametag and got to color it and draw on it and-"

"Whoa there, sweetheart," Jason interrupted his daughter. "You're talking too fast for your old man's ears."

"Hey, I'm not old," He spoke into the phone, her giggles coming down the line. "You're old."

"Yeah, Tio Jay, you're older than Daddy." She started screaming with laughter, a sad smile on his face. "Daddy! He's-stop!-tickling me!"

"Better stop tickling my daughter Jason, before I have to kick your ass."

Her laughter slowly stopped, her breathing heavy. "Ooh, you said a bad word."

"Uh-oh, don't tell Aunt Vivie or she'll kick my ass."

They laughed, shuffling heard slightly on the other side. "I'm gonna make dinner, you can finish talking to Tony, baby."

"Mhm," He could hear her moving around. "What are you doing, Daddy?"

"Well," He cleared his throat, moving to get comfortable on the hotel bed. "I'm in my hotel room talking to a very pretty girl."

"Really? What's her name?"

"Tokyo."

"Hey, that's my name!" He waited for a moment, and she gasped in realization. "Ohhh, you're talking about me."

"Of course I am. What other pretty girl do I know named Tokyo? I think you're spending too much time with Uncle Jay." She giggled, and he could almost imagine the smile on her face. "Sorry I couldn't be there for your second day of school."

"It's okay. You were here for my first day," She grunted quietly. "Are you still coming home on Saturday?"

"Of course. I promised to get us ice cream, didn't I?"

"Yup," she popped the 'p', the smile widening on his face. She let out a quiet sigh, and he could tell her mood shifted. "I miss you, Daddy."

He sighed. "I know. I miss you more."

They were both silent for a few minutes, her breathing slowing slightly.

"Hey, baby?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna tell me about school?"

She gasped, excitedly. "Yeah!"

"Do you want to stop and get her a cheeseburger?" Happy asked from the front of the car. Tony shook his head, sighing.

"I don't want to give her happy food and then tell her the bad news."

"But it's not bad news."

"For her, it is," He ran a hand down his face. He can't believe he's doing this. "This is her life! Her world. I wanted her to grow up here like I did. She already struggles with the fact that I'm on a business trip almost always, she's gonna hate me because of this."

Happy drummed his fingers on the wheel, pulling over in front of Jason's house. He honked, and Tony looked out the window to watch the door. "What has Vivie said?"

"We thought she was getting better. But, uh, Jason heard her crying in her room the other night." The door opened, and she gave her aunt and uncle a kiss on the cheek. She began to run to the car, backpack swinging back and forth on her back, the metal bracelets on her arm bouncing with her every step. "Maybe we should get her a milkshake."

Tony opened the door, and she jumped in, landing on top of him.

"Hi, Daddy!" She placed a kiss on his cheek, moving to sit on the other seat. She shrugged off her backpack and threw it below her feet before buckling herself. "Hi, Happy!"

"Hi, Tokyo. You buckled?" He asked her, looking at Tony through the rearview mirror. She nodded, looking out the window. "I was thinking of getting a milkshake, want one?"

Her face lit up, and she turned to her dad. Tony smiled, nodding at her.

"Yes please!" They began their drive, and she was watching him. He didn't realize it until he glanced at her and she quickly looked away.

"Why are you watching me, creepy lady?" Her face reddened, embarrassed from being caught. "I'm too handsome for you not to look at, is that it?"

She rolled her eyes, smiling at his comment. "Of course, Daddy. You're the handsomest man in the world."

"Whoa, wait up," Happy spoke from the front, feigning shock. "Last week you said I was the handsomest man in the world."

"Well," She stopped, thinking. "You both are."

"Mhm," Tony raised an eyebrow, causing her to give a shy smile. "Nice save."

They sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke up. "What's wrong?"

"Hm?" He looked at her, but she was looking out the window. "What do you mean?"

"You're sad."

"I'm not sad." He made eye contact with Happy once more.

"See? You and Happy are looking at each other And I know when you're sad, just like you know when I'm sad."

"You know when I'm sad?"

"Mhm. I know when you're happy, sad, mad. I know what you're feeling all the time."

"All the time? How?"

"You're deflecting, Dad."

Dad? He was definitely screwed.

"That's a big word for a first-grader." She gave him a look, "Okay, fine. We have to talk."

"Okay. Are you going somewhere?"

"Y-Well, yes." He cleared his throat, nervous. He didn't know how she was going to react. Will she cry? Be angry? Shut down? "But it's different this time."

She shrugged "I think I'll be okay."

He took a deep breath and watched her, gauging her reaction. "We're moving. To California."

She opened her mouth but hesitated.

"Are you mad?" He asked quietly.

"No. Never at you, Daddy." Big brown eyes looked into his, and he smiled slightly. "Is that all?"

"Yeah," He gave a relieved sigh, ruffling her hair.

"Cool. Are we still getting a milkshake, Happy?"

Tokyo handled the move amazingly well. Tony thought she would cry, throw a tantrum, be angry at him for having to leave her life. She seemed unfazed. It's been two years, and she's still doing great.

"Stark Industries." Pepper answered the phone. Tony was resting his eyes, worn out from the meeting. "Oh, well, he's right here."

"Tony," He opened his eyes as Pepper nudged him, hand covering the receiver of the phone. "It's Tokyo's school."

"Oh shit," He sat up, taking the phone from her hands. "Hello?"

"Mr. Stark? It's Mrs. Forman. I'm calling because there was an incident. We tried to call your personal phone but you weren't picking up."

"Yes, I apologize, I left it in the hotel room this morning. What happened? Is To-Lilah okay?"

"As of right now, she's fine."

"What do you mean, 'as of right now'? What happened?"

"We already contacted Mr. Hogan and he's on his way to the hospital with her."

"The hospital? Why is my daughter on the way to the hospital?" He muttered, waving off Pepper and running a hand down his face. "What did she do?"

"It's not something she did, per se, but she did break her wrist."

"Whoa, wait. What? What do you mean she sprained her wrist?" He covered the microphone, turning to Pepper. "Book me the next flight home. Now."

"And she sprained her ankle, Mr. Stark."

"What the hell happened to my daughter, Mrs. Forman?"

"She was on the monkey bars and slipped off. She landed on her wrist, and another kid fell on her foot."

"I can't believe this." He mumbled, hanging up the phone. He looked over at Pepper, worry on her face. He shook his head, before looking back out the window.

He landed in LA two hours later and arrived home an hour later. The car was in the driveway, and he practically barged into the house. Tokyo and Happy were sitting on the couch, eating pizza and hot wings. They froze as soon as they saw Tony, Happy slowly standing and exiting the room. Tokyo set her food down, not looking at him.

"I got a call from the school." He said, slowly walking towards her.

"I know." She tried to move over, but he stopped her.

He sat down on the other side of her, examining her injuries. "Want to tell me what happened?"

"I fell off the monkey bars." She was watching the TV, but she wasn't focused on it. He turned it off, pulling her attention back to him.

"How so?"

"I don't know. I was climbing them with Alex, and then I heard Jonah's voice in my head, and I was looking for him but he wasn't there. And then when I had gotten to the next monkey bar, there was a zap and I fell."

"And Alex? Did he feel it too?"

"Yeah, but he was a little behind me."

"How behind?"

"Like two."

"Can I see your cast?" She lifted it, and he grabbed it slowly. Her fingers were purple and blue in some spots. "Those are some nasty bruises."

"Mhm," She tried to move them around, but winced at the pain. "I can't write with my left hand, so I don't know how I'm gonna do my schoolwork, Daddy."

"Don't worry about that, hm? I'll talk to the principal and your teacher. Okay?"

"Okay."

He turned the tv back on, laying back. "So, what were we watching?"

"Anastasia."

"Again?" She nodded, face turning red. "Alright, let's do this."

"Wait!" She turned her head slightly, hand on his to stop him from pressing play. "Happy!"

"Uh, Dad?" Tony looked up from his lab station, Tokyo standing at the entrance. She looked nervous and...embarrassed? "Um, something happened."

"What?" He put down his tools, moving towards her. "Are you okay?"

"I kinda started..." She trailed off, looking at him in hopes that he picked up what she was putting down. He was clueless.

"You kinda started what? A fire?"

"N-no, I, uh, my, uh..." She covered her ears. "JARVIS help."

"It appears Ms. Stark has started her menstrual cycle," JARVIS answered.

The color drained from his face. "Oh."

"I, uh, asked Pepper if she could bring me some, uh, you know."

"Pads, sir." JARVIS clarified.

"I know, JARVIS." He looked at her, not knowing what to say.

"I'm going back upstairs." She turned, but he stopped her.

"Next time, tell me. I'll get them for you." He felt awkward, but she was his responsibility. His parenting classes had informed him of the situation and how to handle it, but he didn't realize it would be so soon. "I'm your dad. Don't be embarrassed."

"Okay."

"Do you need anything else?" She thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Okay. I'll be up to make dinner in a bit."

"Okay." And with that, she sprinted up the stairs.

Tony was fuming. He felt as if smoke was coming out of his ears. He doesn't think he's been this angry before. Let alone at Tokyo. Not even when she broke his prototype.

He didn't say a word the whole way home. He gripped the steering wheel, glancing at her from time to time. She was avoiding him, staring out the window the whole ride home.

He had pulled up to the driveway, parking the car. She jumped out, racing to the front door. By the time he got to the door, she was heading inside. "Where do you think you're going?"

She stopped her beeline to her room, standing still and facing away from him.

"Look at me." She turned, backpack hanging from her shoulder. It was then that he realized she was different. He just couldn't place it. "You're not getting out of this."

"I'm not trying to." She raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me what happened." He crossed his arms over his chest, foot tapping impatiently. She looked away from him, picking at her fingernails. "Now, Lilah."

"What's going on?" Pepper came out from the office, followed by Happy. She looked worried.

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Watch yourself!" His jaw clenched, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Lilah punched a kid at school."

"What?" Pepper looked at her, stepping forward slightly. "Why, Tokyo?"

The young girl huffed, looking down at her hands. "He wouldn't stop grabbing me, even after I told him to stop."

"He grabbed you?"

"You can't just hit someone every time they touch you!" Tony exclaimed, shocked at what he was hearing.

"I don't! It was just this one time!"

The energy in the room was high, Tony thought he could hear static.

"It doesn't make it okay!"

"Stop!" Pepper yelled, holding up a hand to quiet Tony. She walked forward to where she could talk to her. "What do you mean that he grabbed you?"

"I wasn't paying attention to him, so he kept on grabbing my wrist. I told him to stop and he grabbed my waist and turned me to face him. And I punched him in the face."

It was at that moment that he realized what had happened. She was standing up for herself. Defending herself.

"He's done this before?" Tony asked, quieter.

"It's okay, it doesn't bother me anymore I don't know why I-"

"It's not okay," Pepper interrupted her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you punched him."

"Did you explain this to the principal?"

"Yes, but he didn't care." She looked towards Happy, who hadn't spoken. "It's my fault. If I paid attention to him he wouldn't have grabbed me the way he did and it's my fault."

"No, it's not." Pepper turned to him, anger evident in her eyes. "Tony, you have to do something."

"There's no point!" She cried out, obviously frustrated with the whole ordeal. "Can we please just drop it? I'm already suspended, so there's no point."

"I can call the principal and-"

"Just drop it!" She threw her hands up, the power cutting for a second before turning back on. She turned and sprinted up the stairs to her room.

Happy followed her after a few moments, leaving Pepper and Tony alone.

"You need to call the school and sort this out."

"I will. I just, I need a moment to process what she just told me." He sat down on the couch, head in hands. "I was hoping, that she would never have to deal with this."

"I think we all did. It's not something we want to happen."

"No, it's not." Sighing, he looked at her. "She's fourteen. How long do you think this has been going on?"

"I-I'm not sure, Tony. Honestly."

"She's come home a few times with bruises on her arms. You could tell that someone had grabbed her but I..." He trailed off, disappointment in himself setting in. "I brushed it off."

"You couldn't have known."

"I did." They turned as Happy walked down the last few steps, a sad look on his face. "She told me that this boy was bothering her, grabbing her to get her attention. She gets uncomfortable every time she's around him. I told her, 'next time he grabs you, sock that fucker in the face.'"

"Guess she took your advice." Tony looked down at his hands, picking at his fingernails. "She won't even talk to me."

"She's scared of approaching you." He looked regretful as soon as the words slipped out. "Says she doesn't want you to be angry at her."

"Why would I be angry?"

"I think you should talk to her. Let her tell you. Let her know that you're there."

"Take her an ice pack, and talk to her while you're up there," Pepper told him, leaving no room for argument.

Nodding, he followed her advice. He went up after the sun had gone down, assuming it was enough time to allow her to cool down. When he entered her room, she was curled up on her bed, facing the window. Her room was dark, the only light coming from the moon. Lilah was watching the waves crash against the shore before pulling back into the ocean.

Much like her.

"I'm sorry for punching that kid." She mumbled, voice hoarse.

"I'm not." He sat on her bed, waiting until she was facing him to hand her the ice pack. "You did the right thing."

"It's just, he creeps me out." She started, and Tony felt a tiny bit of happiness at her opening up to him.

"Maybe you should be rude. Let him know that you mean business."

"I was at first, but he wouldn't go away. So I just gave up."

He felt helpless. So he talked slowly, hoping it would come to him.

"I'm going to call the principal, and tell him about what happened-no arguing." She nodded, closing her mouth. She twirled the bracelet around her wrist, the red star in the middle glimmering every time it hit the moonlight. "But you're already suspended, and I'm not going to try and revoke that."

"So I have to stay here with Happy for the rest of the week?"

"No," He spoke before he could think. "I'm taking the rest of the week off. I miss spending time with you. Feel like I never see you anymore."

"Me too." She sat up, adjusting the ice pack. "I didn't do this for attention, just so you know."

"Oh, I know." The idea came to him, right then and there. "I hope you'll tell me the next time this kid bothers you though."

"I will." She stood up, stretching out her hand. "I have to go apologize to Pepper. I was mean."

He chuckled. "Yeah. I don't think she cares about that. I think she's worried more about you. But still, apologize."

"I am."

"Okay, go say you're sorry and then start making dinner. I need to make a phone call."

"How'd it go?" Happy asked as soon as they walked in the door. Tokyo shrugged her shoulders, sighing. "Uh oh."

"Yeah, I-" She took out her license, a smile taking over her face. "Passed!"

"Congratulations!" He pulled her in for a hug, placing a kiss on her head. "Who taught you better? Me or your old man over there?"

"Hey, I'm not old," Tony spoke up, placing the keys on their hangar. "Second, I taught her better."

"You both taught me amazingly well." She began towards the stairs. "I'm gonna go call Jonah, give him the good news."

A scream came from up top, Jonah's laughter filling the air. Tony was about to run up the stairs when Happy stopped him.

"Jonah's up there," Happy told him. "Wanted to surprise her."

"More like scare her," Tony added, heading into the kitchen.

"Do you think she's doing better with him here?"

"I mean, she's happier."

"But not better."

"Look, I love Jonah. He's my godson and her best friend," He lowered his voice, not wanting anyone else to hear. "But I think he's making her worse."

"How?"

"I could feel it. It's not right." He sighed, making his way to the fridge. "Plus, she was crying the other night. Couldn't sleep. She was having nightmares."

"Like, the ones in New York?"

"Exactly like those. She said that these were worse. Scarier. They seemed more real."

"Tio Tony!" Jonah called. He turned to find both teenagers climbing down the stairs, his godson outstretching his hands. "How are you?"

He hugged the boy, an uneasy feeling clawing at his stomach. "Hey Jonah, what are you guys doing?"

"She told me about her license. Sucks she got it the day before we graduate."

"You have your license," Tokyo interjected, narrowing her eyes at him. "You've made it quite clear."

The environment got very hostile. Not physically, but emotionally. Mentally. Tony felt the air around him thicken and felt as if there were static.

Jonah laughed it off, hugging the girl. She hugged him back, hesitantly. "Alright, well. I've got to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They bid their goodbyes. Tokyo ran upstairs to get ready for tomorrow.

"Did you feel that?" Happy asked, eyes wide.

"What did I say?" He leaned in closer.

"Do you think something happened?"

"I fucking hope not."

"She's two people down from this side." Pepper pointed out Toyko, who waved at her family.

"Can't believe she's already graduating. I feel like she just went into kindergarten yesterday." Happy spoke up, having been there since she was a toddler.

"I know. This is it. Besides college." Tony said, watching as she quickly became next in line.

The purple gown and cap were on every female student, the males in white. She was wearing the white dress she wore to her father's parties, white flats as well. The silver bracelets she never took off were on her wrists, and she wore silver hoops as well. Who knew he would have focused on her outfit this much?

"Lilah Stark." The teacher called.

They cheered her on, watching as she shook hands with the principal and took the photo with her diploma. She was smiling the whole way back to her seat, speaking to the girls in front of her.

Tony didn't realize it until he was outside, but he was crying. She came out of the stadium, eyes searching for her dad. When they made eye contact, she practically ran at them.

"Congratulations baby," Tony muttered into her hair, arms wrapping around her as she hugged him tightly. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Daddy." She let go of him, hugging Pepper and Happy. "Where's Uncle Jason, and Jonah, and Aunt Vivie?"

"I'm not sure." He looked around, not spotting them anywhere. They didn't sit together at graduation. "Maybe we'll see them at the house later."

At the house, Tokyo rid herself of the cap and gown. They threw a small party, just the four of them. Tony was telling stories of her childhood, drunk and tears streaming down his face.

"Okay, Dad, I kinda have a surprise for you." She spoke up, and he turned his attention to her. She lowered the music that was currently playing, pulling out a letter from one of the books.

"Oh, Tony, you might want tissues handy." Pepper nudged him.

"Okay so, Daddy, I have to let you know that I wrote this a few years ago. And then some more at like 3 am."

"I feel special." He chuckled, sipping on his whiskey.

"Yeah," she nervously laughed, straightening the paper. "Dear Daddy, if you're listening to this, it means that I've finally graduated. I made it through senior year, and am now on my way to college. I'm writing this early because you never know what could happen. I might graduate earlier than expected, or I might graduate on time.

"I know you're upset that I didn't go to MIT at 14 as you did. But I did apply to MIT and I got a full-ride scholarship for civil engineering. I began thinking of your stories. You spent your teenage years in college and less at home with grandma and grandpa. I wanted to do that too, but I couldn't bring myself to leave you. I wanted to spend the rest of my adolescent life with you in every way I could. I didn't want to leave you sooner than I had to. You are my soulmate. You understand me in a way no one else does. Happy once said that we were more alike than different. If I remember correctly he said, 'Stop finishing each other's thoughts. You guys are creeping me the fuck out.' We were talking about getting a sandwich from Subway and had gone for the same sub.

"Moving on, I want you to know that I love you, so much."

Her voice cracked, and she fanned her face with her hand.

"I know I worried you a lot when you went on business trips. I told you it was because I was afraid you would leave and never come back. At the time, I thought it was because you had the choice to leave me. As I got older, I realized that wasn't the reason. I feared you would leave me, but not by choice. I can't imagine what it's like raising a child, let alone raising a daughter. You did a great fucking job, Dad. I know you have moments of self-doubt. But believe me, you're the greatest fucking person on Earth."

"Those are a lot of curse words, young lady." Pepper jokes, causing the group to laugh lightly.

"I owe you the world. You are the reason I was able to graduate. You encouraged me and battered me into becoming a great student. I really couldn't have done this without you. I graduated because of you, Daddy."

She was in tears, and so was he. They all were. Tony stood, hugging her tightly.

"I love you, you know that?' He kissed the side of her head.

"I love you more, my pretty boy."

Tony woke with a start.

He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. He felt it. It was just that feeling. Getting out of bed, he went to check on Tokyo. She wasn't in her bed.

"Tokyo? Baby?" He called out as he walked downstairs. She wasn't there, and nothing was out of place. Running back to his room, he grabbed his phone and dialed Jason.

"Tony." He sounded panicked.

"Jason, is Tokyo there?"

"No, I was gonna ask if Jonah was at yours."

"He's not. And neither is Tokyo." He ran a hand over his face, suddenly remembering JARVIS. "Maybe JARVIS saw them."

Covering the microphone, he called out for the AI. No answer.

"What the fuck?"

"What?" Jason asked, worry evident in his voice.

"He's not answering." He walked over to his emergency computer, trying to find out the problem. "Oh, God."

'What, Tony? Did you find them?"

"No, J-JARVIS was disabled. Someone took Tokyo."

"Calm down. Are you sure it wasn't Tokyo who disabled it?"

"It-it wasn't her."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm watching the person who disabled him."

"Right now?"

"No, from five minutes ago."

[someone-worth-racing-for]

Me after looking at carlos' shoes - he still keeps the mclaren part closer to him and he misses lando ahhhh and can someone write a carlando wedding fic where they're exchanging vows and they're remembering how it parallels alot with their helmet swapping

..because I just couldn’t resist by this one 😉 read the story below or on AO3

Also, can someone please tell me/prove me that the shoes he has worn by Ferrari yesterday are McLaren teamwear and not just some random shoes? I need to know for sure to rub it under my boyfriend’s nose 😉 thanks!

Muppets getting married

While Carlos stood there and waited, he had to think back about their long journey, about the story of their lives, about the way that had finally brought them to here. Here into this little church somewhere in Spain next to a coast of the endless ocean.

This time it wasn’t him, who had been a little late, but still he didn’t get nervous, while he waited for his fiancé, his future husband, to finally appear. With a smile and a chuckle Carlos imagined the younger one running through the room he got ready inside all desperately and hysterical, because his curls once again didn’t want the way he wanted.

Or maybe he was late, because he had to share these last moments of his freedom, like he used to call it to tease his becoming husband a little with it, with his Twitch fandom. Carlos rolled his eyes, just imagine his boyfriend being live, while his mother tried to pluck his suit into the right way and everyone around him being all nervous and stressed, because they were already late anyway and he was still streaming.

And then suddenly the doors opened and through the bright light coming from the beautiful summer afternoon outside the cool walls of the church stepped the young man of his dreams, who did owe his heart since already such a long time.

With his usual cheeky smile over both of his ears, his wild curls in the same cute mess like always, with those sexy suspenders, like Carlos had to admit, he was wearing and with one hand in his pocked Lando was walking down the way to the altar all cool and casual, even when at the same time his boyfriend exactly knew how excited he must be. Because the Spaniard was the same mess since hours as well.

But the second the younger one was finally right next to his side, where he did belong, all the tension and nervousness was gone. Instead they both began to shine because of pure happiness and anticipation.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find my bow.” Lando apologized instantly about his delay, but like always Carlos just couldn’t be mad at him, at least not for too long. It was okay, because in the end he finally still stood here next to him and usual it was the Spaniard himself, who was always late, so it was alright. He would actually wait for Lando forever.

When Carlos reached over then to bring his boyfriend’s black bow, which made him look even cuter than usual, into the right way, Lando looked up at him through his lashes in affection and admiration. Carlos eyes filled with tears instantly, when he looked down in awe at his soon husband.

“You look amazing, carino.” The Spaniard complemented him and even when the two of them were already together since such a long time, Lando still hadn’t got used to his sweet and at the same time also honest compliments, so his cheeks blushed lightly into that cute pink colour.

“You look pretty handsome as well.” Lando gave that compliment back to him with a wink, while he checked his fiancé out. “No, no. No tears, Carlos. You have promised me. At least not now. You know, I also have to join you when you cry. So please hold it back, at least for some longer.”

The younger one tried to prevent the older one to share the first tears already now. Carlos tried his best, swallowed down the knot in his throat and blinked a few times to finally see the sweet, young man in front of him all clear again.

Both breathed deep inside for one more time, not stopping their connection, while they looked right into each other’s souls. “Ready?” Carlos finally whispered and his heart jumped all overjoyed inside his chest, when Lando nodded wildly agreeing his head and answered determined “Ready.”

With the brightest smile he ever had, the Spaniard leaned down to kiss the younger one’s cheek for one last time being only boyfriends, engaged. The next time they will kiss, they will be finally married. “I have thought we aren’t allowed to kiss anymore.” Lando protested half-hearted, because they both knew how much he actually loved Carlos’ attention and affection, especially when he was lightly nervous.

The older one only shrugged his shoulders in unknown, before he whispered down to him “I don’t care if we are allowed to or not. I’m just the happiest man on this world at the moment.” Now also Lando had tears swimming in his eyes, because Carlos knew that he was feeling the exact same way.

When it was finally time for their vows, the older one had to admit, that he got a little nervous again. But once again that panic was gone, when he turned over to his soon husband, their eyes connected and it was only the two of them anymore. All those guests around them were kind of forgotten. Only Lando did matter anymore, when he began to speak

“Lando. My little muppet.” He spoke all softly and gently, but still a giggle escaped the younger one’s lips and also from all those people around them. “I still remember the first day I have seen you. You were so incredible shy and nervous. I still tell myself it was because of me and not about McLaren or about you becoming a Formula One driver. But since the very first second, you have wrapped me around your little finger so easily with your cheeky, cute way. Since that moment my life wasn’t the same anymore and if I’m serious, I don’t remember anymore how it has been without you. You are my everything, you exactly know that. You made me to a better version of myself, you made my life brighter with you just being you, you light up every single day of my life and I can’t thank you enough for it. And I know things weren’t always easy for us, especially when we turned into a long-distance relationship, but in the end it only brought us even closer and finally to here, right where we are standing at the moment. I promise, I will keep on taking care of you as best as I can and I also promise to make sure you won’t burn down the house while you try to cook once again, for the rest of my life. I try to be there for you whenever you need me. I will love you until the very end, mi amor. You will always stay the centre of my life, no matter what will happen. Soy lago.”

By those last two words, Lando had to chuckle once again, even when those tears waving in his eyes were very shortly before falling over the edge from his very touching speech. Everyone inside this little church knew what those two, simple and actual not-having-any-sense words did mean for the two of them. It was their way to say I love you.

From the corner of his eyes, Carlos could see some of their families and friends wiping the corner of their eyes as well. But not only the guests were pretty emotional, also Lando seemed to be on the edge of breaking down into tears, so the Spaniard quickly reached for his hand to squeeze it softly and remember him so about that he also had to keep his promise. Because if he will start to cry, Carlos will follow him instantly and they would both end up being a total mess then.

Lando bit down onto his lip, while at the same time he beamed up at his fiancé and tried to smile back at him. The older one then pictured his boyfriend sitting with crossed legs on the floor of his gaming room with a notepad and a pen in his hand, thinking about what he wanted to say in his vow. Just like back then, on their last day being team mates, when they swiped helmets and he sat there on the floor like the little, cute boy he was and thought all hard about what to write on his friend’s visor.

By that thought Carlos’ smirk only grew even bigger, because he didn’t know what he had ever done to deserve this lively, sweet man in front of him. After Lando had cleared his throat, had breathed deeply in, exhaled long and had taken Carlos’ hand even tighter into his, his eyes met his again and their connection didn’t stop for one second, while the younger one told him his heart.

“Carlos aka my Spanish muppet.” Once again everyone chuckled, including the mentioned Spaniard. “I knew you would mention our first day, because yes, I was scared and nervous like hell and if I’m serious you didn’t make it any easier for me that day, even when you were so nice to me like we weren’t two complete strangers to each other, but I will also remember this day forever. Because it has also changed my life completely from that moment on and if you would have told me back then, that we will both end up here right where we are, I wouldn’t have believed you. I still really can’t thank you enough for everything you have ever done for me. No matter if it’s in Formula One or helping me to develop and become the man I am today. I’m sure I wouldn’t have made it without you and your always present support and your none existing exhaustion to motivate me and cheer me up. I enjoyed just every moment we have shared together, every fun we ever had, also our little arguments from time to time, because I exactly know you can never be mad at me for too long and yes, maybe I also take advantage of it sometimes. But it’s still the best feeling ever to know that no matter what will happen, in the end of the day you still hold me in your arms all tightly and I know nothing will ever happen to me as long as I’m with you. And if I’m serious, I really can’t wait to find out what the future brings for us. And I also don’t want to promise too much, but I will try, I will really try my best to become at least a as half as good husband as you already are. I also promise to finally take some cooking lessons from you, to play a little less on my PC every day and I also promise to finally learn at least some words in Spanish. And one day I will also finally beat you in golf, you will see. Soy lago.”

This time it was Carlos, who giggled with tears in his eyes, because he knew those words came right from his boyfriend’s heart and like always he had made it to make him all blissfully happy. Soft laughers, but also sobs were audible coming from their guests as well, while the couple still only had eyes for each other.

When it was finally time for them to exchange rings, it once again felt like back then, when they were swapping helmets on their last day being together at McLaren. But this right here wasn’t their last day together, it actually almost felt like it was just the very first day. The beginning of something new, of something even better 🤍

[ladyofthenoodle]

Fanfiction Year In Review - 2020

more like fanfiction life in review but hey if my first year as a writer isn’t worth reviewing than what is?

1 List of fics completed this year in the order they were finished:

it's hard to get to know you (but i'm down) my first fanfic ever!

Me, My Best Friend, and Her Cat (for fanfiction exchange)

full exposure

our hands would not be taught to hold another's (ladynoir july)

coin operated boy (dark fic october event)

he is rugged and long lasting (adrichat november)

five times Caline Bustier tried to find love (and one time she did)

2 Number of words written:

58,408 words published on Ao3 - not bad considering I only started in June!

3 Your most popular fic:

our hands would not be taught to hold another's, by far, although Me, My Best Friend, and Her Cat also gets quite a bit of traction when people are looking for Alya sugar fics!

4 Your personal fav:

our hands would not be taught to hold another's is my baby and a labor of love. before writing this, I didn’t think I had what it takes to be a writer - sure, I’d published my first fic, a little one shot, but that was a flash in the pan - nothing like a long, heavy, multichaptered work. I honestly didn’t think I could do it so I’m incredibly proud of it and so grateful for everyone who helped me and encouraged me throughout it, including Cass (@sing-in-me-oh-muse) who betaed and commented on every chapter.

5 Your fav scene:

ahhhh, how to choose? probably Adrien getting the ring back in “hands” - certainly there are other moments I am very proud of as a writer but man, I was SO READY to write that once I finally got to that chapter and I was also super pleased with how the scene turned out.

6 A fic or scene that challenged you:

coin operated boy was so hard for me - I can do angst okay but this was much darker than I’d gone before and way out of my comfort zone! I would like to go back to the story some day and resolve it because I cannot stand leaving the babies sad, but... I am just not ready to touch it again.

7 A line of writing you’re proud of:

oh gosh this is also hard to pick ummmm idk here’s my favorite lines from my unpublished fics because who knows when they will get a chance to shine

I was very proud of the alliteration here

Marinette flopped forward now, her arms coming to rest onto the desk a little too hard, making her cell phone lose its precarious perch and topple onto the tabletop. 

and my favorite moment of Tikki dialogue I’ve ever written

“Why don’t you make him a scarf, like your other friends?” Tikki chirped. “Or one of those themed money cards!”

“Themed money — Tikki, are you suggesting I give Adrien a gift card?”

8 A comment that touched you:

ahhhh this is so hard to choose??? i treasure every comment and i got so many lovely ones this year. Rikka gave me my very first comment ever and even though it was short it is very important to me because she is very important to me. and so many talented people gave me such wonderful comments on “hands” when I was discouraged and every one of those touched me so much. @aquawsm wrote so many lovely comments and created stunning art of my black cat Alya and @raisinraven found my fic on tumblr and joined Ao3 just to comment which is amazing!

9 Something that inspired your writing:

the Miraculous Ladybug fandom and the people in it. I’ve read fanfiction for so, so long and while I always had story ideas in my head, I never thought I’d be able to write them. shout out in particular to @kasienda for looking at the prompts I’d written and seen a writer in them when I couldn’t see it myself, to @sing-in-me-oh-muse and Rikka for encouraging me to just go for it with that first story and for every story since, and to everyone in the Miraculous Fanworks discord for all the writing resources and support and encouragement over the last 6 months

10 Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc):

oh I like this question, it gave me my answer already - definitely posting my first fic. and people actually LIKING it, oh my gosh, what??? wild

11. Do you have any writing goals for the next year?

mmmm nope, I should probably try to set some! I have a long list of things to write and half-finished and barely-started projects and I would like to get at least some of it done! hopefully I can finish another multi-chaptered work but other than that I just hope I can keep writing and improving

tagging @silveryeet @noirequin @fictionalinfinity @sae-what @miabrown007 and whoever else I forgot sorry tagging makes me nervous

[thesvenqueen]

TO THE END

S&B Episode 8 (I get a bit rabmle-y at the end there but, it's a good end review I swear!!)

- l've loved the switch in title cards every episode, really great detail and so fun to see what they come up with - bowler hat gang UNITE - HOW DARE YOU FORGET MILO WTF - oop Zoya piecing the puzzle together, yes girl - AHHHH MATTHIAS AND NINA YEEEES. - >.> there's only ONE BED <.< - NO DON'T LEAVE - :( god damn it, y'all killing me here - can you at least share the bed before you go?? - YES TO KERCH, LETS GO - "I will keep you warm" ASKLFGKLASDGBASDFNKB - WE NEARLY HAD A KISS WHY YOU AHHHHHHHHDLKASGALSKDHGVLSDKVBLKS - omg they let them get waffles I COULD CRY - oh they were so happy god DAMN IT - Fedyor WHY WHY WHY WHYYYY THEY WERE HAPPY GDI - they dooo though they dooooooo - UGHHHH we got 3 mins of happiness ffs I hate it hereeee - "remember who's driving" bitch I know you did NOT - bro Inej realizing someone is below deck with them YES YES YES - "I'll ask again, who are you?" god Jesper intimidating is HOT AF HELLO??? - boy Kaz has no buisness looking that good too jesus - mhmmmm, you be right Alina. - yeaaaaaaaah this is bad, this is really bad - ohhhhhhhhh my GOD - bruh, the SCREAMS wtf - ffs Mal can you please listen for once - INEJ COME ON YOU TOO???? UGHHHH - ok book quote I see you, nicely done - "us" it's just you tf you mean - again, Mal, I know you said you're not smart but bruh what kind of plan was that - JESPER NOOO YOU DON'T GET IT YO - YEAHHH BEAT HIS ASS INEJ - HE CALLED HER WRAITH OHHHHH - Ivan jfc - NOOOOOO INEJ - ZOYA HELL YES LETS GO - JESPER, BOY, THAT WAS DOPE BUT THE CUT OH MY GOD OH MY GOD - KAZ COMING IN CLUTCH THANK FUCK - she kissed the knife before she threw it I am just...I am dying hello HELP?!? - INEJ GOT THE DARKLING BITCH I SEE YOU QUEEN - Kaz is literally laying on top of Jesper even with his phobia I can not right now - girl don't you waste all your knives!!! - KAZ. WITH THE CANE. PROTECTING HIS INVESTMENTS. FUCK YES. lmao - owowowwowowowow my hand owowowow - YAS QUEEN LETS GO - save???? YOU engulfed the whole fucking city into darkness because they pissed you off shut the actual fuck up - Mal. Sweetie. what are you doing?? you literally brought a butter knife to a cut fight - I V A N. BITCH. NO. - JESPER BABY LETS GOOOOO - god with every spin of his gun I fall more in love jfc - byeeeee Ivan!! - whyyyy you no aim for the head Mal?!?!? - lmao Kaz ready with his fucking cane to wack some mf monsters I'm here for it - thank you for showing Kaz hella struggling with his cane and walking, I appreciate this so much - Awwww Inej, sweet baby - SHE GAVE HER A DAGGER BLESS - aw :( Kaz realizing Inej really might leave, oh sweet boy - LISTEN, Kaz can't break a deal homie. there is a lot at risk here that he can't lose - ......that might fix the problem. - For Inej, he did it for Inej and that's it and Inej was over in the back fighting to not fucking hug him I can not - Kaz be right, from experience Zoya please. - lmao "I still don't like you" ZOYA girl come on - this entire Kaz & Inej conversation I have no words I'm crying - "I need you" the face & noise I just made were not human ahhhhh - I mean, we know you stay, BUT PLEASE INEJ STAY - MATTHIAS - YOU WAIT MATTHIAS CHILL WTF - IT WASN'T THOUGH - come ON Matthias how do you not believe her??? - that literally broke my heart oh my god - he ALWAYS has a plan - ayeeee I got one for you - oh you shit, I see you - yeahhhh bout that, he ain't dead - welp, that's definitely not good.. - "follow" nah I only follow Kaz Brekker thanks

Netlfix, seriously, just go ahead and announce season 2 because we ALL want it. I NEED it so badly just, do it do it do it.

In all seriousness, as for as YA book adaptation, this is top notch if not the best adaptation I've seen. The cast was A+, nailing the characters so beautifully and bringing life to some that I really didn't fully appreciate in the books. Specifically Archie with Mal, credits to him and the writers (and Leigh) for really working to make him a stronger, fully developed character. It was so well done and I am really rooting for them more so than I was in the books.

Crow wise. Brilliant. Absolutely fucking brilliant. Kit, Freddy, Amita, Danielle, Calahan; literally the most perfect casting. Period. I was so incredibly nervous when the show was announced how casting would go for the crows. They're my favorites, ones that I really treasured and when I tell you just the cast photo I had a feeling this was going to go well. Well was an understatement. I was absolutely blown away by how well they nailed the Crows. The humor, the small gestures, the teasing and comments; absolutely perfect. I have only one complaint, the same as Kit: GIVE ME WYLAN!!!

Also,Jessie as Alina, round of applause as well. I didn't mind her character in the book, but in the show I felt more connected and really was cheering for her and I have to give that to Jessie. Like Archie, she did a great job bringing the character to life and making her enjoyable, more fully developed tbh. I don't even need to go into Ben because I despise the Darkling as much as I did in the books so I'd say he was fucking brilliant.

The fact their budget was limited, they somehow was able to create a world so beautiful so incredibly well done and oddly inviting. The costumes, the sets, even the Fold looked nearly inviting. It all seemed so well done, so well put together and as I imagined it for the most part. The display of Grisha power was not corny but subtle and well created, not overdone like some like to do. It was believable and so cool to see displayed on tv.

Honest to god this is, to me at least, by far the best YA book adaptation in a long, LONG time. This coming from a HP, Twilight, Series of Unfortunate Events fan. I've seen YA books fail so badly (Euragon, ugh the heartbreak of that disaster) or just, be so flat it hurts...looking at you Twilight. Some having a cast that just, despises the entire book and movie all together, others so well connected and done so brilliantly only for the story to be torn to bits in some parts that you're left wondering if you read the same book at times (HP, never forgive you for that final battle scene, wtf was even that??). But for real, this had the perfect cast, perfect sets & editing, amazing music, fantastic writing to piece it all together and overall was just...absolutely amazing. Definitely going to be something I rewatch over and over and over again till the next season.

Thank you for not fucking it up <3

[dear-yandere]

—ask collection!

a collection of mostly very old chats and sweet asks that i never got around to answering! thanks for the patience and love!! 

beware, fairly long post... woops....

chat asks.

darling: Eu-jin is best boy. Change my mind.

vanya: i am physically incapable of fulfilling that request, how dare you do that to me... i’m biased since he’s my own oc, but i would die for my (very best) boy eu-jin... who can resist such a gentle yandere that loves you so whole-heartedly?

that reminds me! he’s actually based off of kuroyuki and gekkamaru from the otome nightshade, so if you want similar characters by any chance, do check them and the game out ♡

darling: I was watching the dub for Part 5 of JoJo's Bizarre adventure yesterday...Mista called himself Daddy and I like- sdfghjfgsdhnhnmj!! My heart can't take this--

vanya: WAIT HE DID???? i’m not even big on daddy kink and reading that made me go 😳 this is vital information to know... what episode was this??? for research purposes, of course. gotta perfect my yan! mista, after all~...

darling: for yandere songs, have you heard of the major to minor covers by chase holfelder :O? the way he delivers the lyrics in some songs (betty, all i want for christmas), added with the key changes to minor, is really fantastic, and gives a stalker-ish vibe imo! and he's a really good singer in general

vanya: i have!! a good chunk of them are actually on my personal yandere playlist, so i end up hearing them frequently when i’m writing!! i haven’t been keeping up with his uploads recently, so ‘betty’ is completely new to me and just, wow???????????? this man is an absolute god send for us “romantic” horror fans... ♡

this ask gave me such a lovely idea, though, darling: assigning yandere types/mbti based off each of chase’s minor key covers. i think i’ll do that just for you. ♡

darling @blossomiich​: I reread some of your old character interaction asks and saw the one with Jotaro hugging his Darling after a panic attack and the elephant seal plush reminded me of the iconic C H O N K Y ringed seal plushie that was kinda trending and I can totally imagine Jotaro having one of those >w< that's so adorable!

vanya: i honestly don’t remember that interaction, but then again i don’t remember most things hmghng so i looked it up and

j...just imagine star plat hogging it and not letting joot cuddle with it 🥺 the duality of man...thank you for this cute image...

darling: Umm, sorry for asking this. I'm just curious because of your bio language in your header. Are you Chinese too, perhaps?

vanya: no worries!! i’m mixed guyanese (indian, chinese, & possibly black and/or portuguese), but my family only celebrates (or rather, acknowledges?) our indian descent, since the majority of our family is predominantly east indian. 

my header is actually a quote from a danmei novel (and one of my all-time favorite fandoms), tiān guān cì fú (heaven’s official blessing)!

darling genki stan anon: Omg you're writing for free now, i didn't expect that one lol. It's a cute show innit? Not a nagi stan but I feel like nagisa has that kinda unsnapped personality that would make him peak delusional yandere material lolol like oikawa but less threatening and without his head being up his own ass 😂. Hope you're doing well!! -gsa

Gdjsjs im such a fool, i think my last ask said something about not thinking you'd write for free when i literally just pointed out kisumi on your sideblog LMAO my bad 😅 😂 also ill hold back on the gen chan requests because ive already asked so many in the past! Thank you though 🥺. Also feel free not to post this, it can just dip into my onesided chats with my lil flower 💐 so long as you receive them im fine 😌 -genki stan anon

vanya: nagisa isn’t my favorite (kisumi is), but gods if he wouldn’t make a great yandere. honestly, out of the iwatobi boys, nagi is probably the most unhinged. i wouldn’t peg him as delusional, at least not at first; i think he’s very lucid and knows exactly what he wants and how to manipulate people in order to get it!!! kisumi is fairly similar now that i think about it... i might... have a type...

please feel free to send in gen-chan requests whenever you want!!!! i’m kinda super asocial, so it’ll take me a while to answer, but i love getting asks from you since you’re so sweet and excitable!!! your little flower reads and cherishes them all!! 🥺

also darling genki stan anon: Sorry for spamming you with asks hdjkdks, u dont even need to reply im just kinda brain empty venting here whether you recieve them or not 😂 i just needed to confess that while yes i am #1 gen simp, and he is undoubtedly my fave oc of yours but that Ilya tentacle smut had me very much so highkey kinda 👀, had to re read the genki oral style drabble to bring my head back. He dont even need to worry about luca bc that man a thot. I think therin is a thot too but like lowkey, a classy thót -gsa

vanya: omg i’ve kept this one for forever mnmghngh i might’ve even answered at some other point, now that i think about it... but i just 🥺 gosh i hope i find my muse soon, because i really wanna write you a genki fic 🥺 hhhh

the ilya tentacle smut was so in character for that boy... i have no clue how to write monsters, much less tentacles, but i’d honestly do anything for him 🙏 kinky russian boy...

therin is definitely a classy thot, the kind that only bangs the finest concubines then turns around and slut shames you for banging the very same prostitutes gbfmngnfg rules don’t apply to him, in his kingdom...wish that were me tbh ✊😔

sweet asks.

darling one: i've read almost all of your dazai and chuuya fics and i love them so much!! your formatting is also super aesthetic just a question, i saw on your kofi that you also draw so i was wondering if you drew all the header arts?? bc they're all super pretty :) have a great day!

darling two: Just wanted to say love the writing and the way your format your posts is so aesthetically pleasing. One day I hope my posts looks half as good as yours because I legit can't get over how pretty and organized it looks.

vanya: omg thank you so much!!!! one of my bffs, yue, is to thank for the formatting and aesthetic choices, really! if you wanna see more of her aesthetic formats and posts, she actually runs a few blogs! you may know her as @milkscafe​, formally @milkaaton! i adore her and her aes choices so much 🥺

as for the headers, i don’t draw 99.98% of them! i have drawn a couple, but they’re so few and far in between since i almost never finish my art wips haha... my older posts are lacking proper credits because i’m an absolute idiot, but i’m slowly working my way backwards to credit them all where possible! they’re all indeed super pretty!!!

have a great day yourself, my love!!

darling: THEY’RE NOT BAD CONTENT, I LOVE THEM ALL

vanya: this was in response to a now-deleted lil blurb but i kept it in my inbox because i wanted to say i love u very much and seeing this ask each time i open my inbox makes my heart skip a beat ♡

darling: Listen I love your writing, you inspired me to start it myself! I've always loved to write, and read of course but your style and concepts just stick with me. If you where to write something besides Yandere content/fandom content and started your own series? I would read the shit, out of it. I'm always nervous to interact with my favorite writers because you know, I'm afraid of the impression I'd leave but I just wanted to say this anyway! 💞💞💞🔫😳

vanya: wowowow fgfnmgnfmngfg that’s such a high compliment my brain just gmfnbgmnf go boom fogjfngnfg and thank you for the interaction, us writers truly appreciate it no matter how awkward or nervous you think you may be / come off!!!

darling one: As a writer, your post struck a nerve with me. I don’t send feedback to writers I like nearly as much as I should (and certainly not as much as I’d like in return as a writer). So, as such, I’m going to start doing that when I can, starting with you.

You are an incredible writer. You were one of the first yandere writing blogs I found and you’re still one I check in on regularly to see what you have been working on. You can portray a sense of suspense and intrigue in a natural way that many other writers - published ones included - struggle with. You delve into the darkness without it feeling forced, and you have an amazing grasp on the psyches of the characters you write for (which is a quality I adore in writing and strive toward myself).

I’m not great at ending these things so I guess.. you keep doing you? Because the you is great and I appreciate it.

darling two:  hey. i'm here to tell you that from the bottom of my heart i love you and your writings. i really admire your writing skills. you inspire me. one of your posts once saved me from a nervous breakdown. thank you for everything you do. you're a wonderful person. good luck!

darling three: I wanted to tell you that thank you for writing such wonderful beautiful writings and that you take time to edit and write I hope you are taking care of yourself 💖❤

darling four: Thanks. I was having a hard time and deleted all my apps, but as soon as i opened my phone my first instinct was to look at your blog and i got my motivation back. Thanks (:

darling five: Hi ! I just wanted to say I really enjoy the stories you write and how they are detailed so well ! Stay safe and I hope you have a good day/night ! ლ(╹◡╹ლ)

vanya: ahhhh, these are very old asks mostly dating back to my “tumblr writing community is dying” post, and i’ve kept them this entire time because i’m just so starstruck. i have no clue how to reply to compliments, so i’m not sure what else to say besides that these asks made me very happy and got me through a few insecure moments!!! i’ve actually been feeling a little down about my writing recently, mostly because of lack of motivation / inspiration, so revisiting these really warmed my heart, so thank you truly ♡ i’m certainly keeping the originals in my inbox until the end of time!!

darling @monstrously-obsessed: psst, this local cryptic mom thing send all of their love for you 💕

vanya: your local herbo says she loves you very much momster 🥺 mwah

also, to the anon worried about my safety:

thank you so much for pointing that out!!! it hadn’t even crossed my mind when i made those ocs, so i appreciate your concern! i was contemplating revamping those two as is, so this is a great place to start! thank you again!!

[reflectionsofneptune]

Hey! I’m answering your 12 questions for Scorpio season. I’m a Scorpio sun and mercury with Sagittarius rising, moon, venus and mars if that helps

1) I feel like it depends. I’ve encountered people and our first conversation would hit off really well but later found out that I don’t really feel the chemistry anymore. My closest friend took a few conversations for me to take our friendship into consideration. Truthfully I wasn’t expecting to get so close but we align a lot with the same values. She’s the best!

2) I like to sleep in complete darkness and most of the time I keep the lights off in the house. seeing even a little bit of light seeping through the curtains first thing in the morning aggravates me lol.

3) I never celebrated my birthday. It was only until I turned 21 and employeed that I was able to do so. My family don’t celebrate special occasions so that might be a factor.

4) I would like to say pretty decent. I’m very sensitive to other people’s non-verbal cues and communication style. I know when someone isn’t being genuine with me or don’t have my best interest by how they talk. There was a coworker I found attractive and he would flatter me. He would call me sweet names and call me beautiful and made sure to talk to me everyday. But I noticed he never asked for my name (I had to tell him) which I thought was small yet odd. I decided to not further our relationship. I recently found out the mother of his child broke up with him not too long ago because he cheated on her. He was very handsome but I’m not interested in being someone’s placeholder.

5) As a concept yes lol. I can see why people do it, but I myself don’t have the talent to engage in one tho.

6) Confidence. Now when I mean by that, I mean someone who is comfortable in expressing their own identity without no inhibitions. Someone that understand their own limitations without seeing it as a weakness. Someone that see the world beyond themselves and extend that empathy towards others without gaining any benefits from it.

7) People can use it for incredibly good things and incredibly stupid things. I see no value or honor from it because I unfortunately see most of the latter. Ex: celebrities. I don’t stan any celebrities and I feel like we (regular civilians) influence the culture/ social media platforms much more than they do.

8) I like California rolls, Shrimp tempura, and poached salmon rolls. I never ventured beyond that.

9) They’re okay. Escalators and stairs tho??? omg I don’t understand why I’m so terrified of them. I can go on but I always have to make sure and look down so I don’t misstep. I never tripped but yet here I am.

10) It’s mandatory. I live in NYC and my parents were adamant about it growing up (respect thing). I like to look because it can negate someone from out right lying to my face. But I do respect other people wishes when I pick up that they’re getting nervous maintaining contact by toning it down.

11) Thankfully, I haven’t been led on before. I don’t have the heart to lead someone on either. I’m notorious on friend-zoning people when I know they like me and I can’t reciprocate their feelings. It’s easier to nip it because I hate being put in a uncomfortable position. I tried maintaining friendships to be nice but men still took it as an opportunity to try once again

12) I’m very open. I love listening to how people think and their passions. I loooove when someone speak in “colors” to me. So many people conform themselves to convential standards and never thought to question it. I like when people question the rules they live by.

ahhhh thank you so much!

if you don’t mind me asking, is Uranus prominent in your chart?

[mutatedleemon]

Okay, i kind of have an idea about request What if one day Kamal goes to Boris's flower shop to order a bouquet for *someone*... Kamal/Boris probably 👉🏼👈🏼

Ahhhh, I love this ideaaa. This is cute!!!

——————————

Flowers everywhere. The most different. From tulips to lilies. Especially lilies. There were many of them. Kamal was sure that there were all kinds of lilies that existed on Earth. And maybe even more. He could look at them all day. Because of this, he had to buy a flower every day, so that the owner of the flower shop did not think that the guy was crazy or something. Although he probably wonders who he buys so many flowers for.

"Did you come back for a flower for your girlfriend?"

And here is the owner of the shop. His long, curly hair was loose today. He was wearing a new shirt. Kamal had never seen this one before.

"A... Yes, Yes...", tried to dissuade Bora.

"You must be a great guy. She deserves you."

Silence.

"Did I ever tell you my name? You come here so often, and we haven't even introduce to each other."

The man smiled broadly. Dimples formed in his cheeks. Kamal blushed.

"My name is Kamal Bora, I ah... I work in dentistry around the corner."

He gave a pitiful semblance of a smile.

"Well, my name is Boris Habit."

Silence again.

"Are you going to buy flowers?"

Kamal nodded. Lily again. Every day Lily. One and the same species. "Tooth Lily". Once the guy saw how Habit looked after them. He kisses them.

It's cute.

Kamal left the store, again, with the flower he didn't need. He didn't have a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend, for that matter. He didn't think anyone would want to date him at all.

The guy returned to dentistry. He was met by his colleague.

"Flowers again? Why don't you invite the owner of this flower shop somewhere?"

They laughed as Kamal put on his doctor's robe and blue rubber gloves. His patient should be here in 15 minutes, and there are no time for jokes.

A new day, a new trip to the store. Lily. Return to work.

Another day. Another flower. Boris and Kamal started talking so much that the guy was almost late for work. In fact, he was late. His colleagues had to replace him at the operations of pulling teenager’s wisdom teeth out.

"You really should ask him out."

Kamal was sitting with his friend in his apartment. There was never enough light. And place.

"It's not as easy as you think, Wallus."

Wallus raised one eyebrow. Kamal rolled his eyes.

"Just because you were able to do it easily doesn't mean I can do it too!! I'm terrible at these things!"

"So you're going to wait for him to make the first move?"

"I didn't say that."

"But that's what you want inside."

Kamal covered his face with his hands and lay down on the table. Wallus was pleased to be able to embarrass his friend. Even if it is the easiest thing in the universe.

The next day, Kamal fell ill. This meant no trips to the flower shop to see Boris. Damn...

A week later, he finally recovered. It was now awkward to enter the Habits’ store. But he really has to do something with him ...falling in love? Is that the right word?

The bell informed the shop owner that he's got a new visitor.

"The peonies on the left are the freshest, and I'll be right there!", Habit shouted from somewhere in the back room.

Kamal looked at the peonies. They were great. But he liked the lilies more. Or lotuses. But they grew on the water and they could not be put in a vase or grow at home. Which is sad.

Habit came out and froze, after he saw Bora standing there.

"Oh, it's you", he said.

He didn't expect to see him again. He already thought he had done something wrong. Did he smile too little? Or is he too scary? It's not every day that you can meet someone over two meters tall with the same length of hair. Yes, he’s probably just scary.

"I came to buy flowers...", Kamal said faintly.

He had a plan, but it was stupid.

"Of course-of course! What am I doing?.. Would you like to buy lilies again?"

Kamal nodded. Habit picked up the best Lily and began carefully wrapping it in paper. After that, he handed it to the guy.

"Say hi to your girlfriend."

"I don't have a girlfriend," Kamal said quietly, "and I never had one."

Habit's first thought was of Kamal's endless loneliness. So lonely that he buys flowers for himself. But at least it makes him smile! Maybe that's why he comes here all the time. To feel happy? Boris felt proud of this.

Kamal blushed and handed the flower back to Boris.

"This is for you..."

Boris stared at the flower handed back to him for a moment, then laughed. Very loud and ringing. Cute laugh that makes you want to laugh yourself. Kamal smiled. He knew it looked stupid, but it was nice. At least, he hoped so.

"Wait!"

Habit stopped laughing, put the flower on the counter, and ran into the back room. Kamal remained silent for a moment. He was incredibly ashamed and wanted to run. A minute later, Habit ran back out. In his hands was a bucket of fresh roses. He took them all out. Like lightning, he cut off their tips and quickly, masterfully, put them in a beautiful paper. He handed the bouquet to his visitor. Kamal became very nervous.

"I...aaaaaaaahhh... Is this for me????"

Habit nodded. Kamal blushed, but took the bouquet. It was huge, probably bigger than his own head.

"Do you want to go somewhere with me? I wanted to close earlier today anyway."

Habit took the first step. Almost. He took a bigger, bolder step. Kamal was barely standing on his feet.

"Sure"

[bxcketbarnes]

First Tattoos and Dates

Pairing: Joe Keery x Tattoo Artist!Reader

Words: 2300+

Author's Note: This is the Tattoo Shop AU and I find this concept to be absolutely adorable as f u c k. I hope everyone likes it. xox

Joe's POV

I swipe through my phone, seeing all the different tattoos that were presented in front of me. Maya sent me a link to her good friend's work after we had talked about me finally getting my first tattoo.

"Holy shit. They're really good," I whisper to myself as I tilt my phone, looking at the chest piece on the screen. Maya's picture pops up in the middle of my scrolling and I answer it immediately. "Hey."

"Damn. I didn't expect you to answer so quickly," her voice comes through the phone as she laughs lightly.

"I was looking at your friend's tattoo pieces when you called," I tell her and she lets out an ahhhh. "Yeah. I'm really considering calling the shop and booking an appointment."

"You definitely should. She actually takes walk-ins today from noon to three," Maya informs me and I lean back against my couch.

"Oh, god. I don't know if I'm ready to get it done that quickly," I chuckle nervously while combing my fingers through my hair.

Maya lets out a groan and I can just imagine her head tilted so far backward. "Oh, come on, Joe. You've been thinking about getting this done for what? About a month now? Get some balls and do it! I'll even drive you down there," she mentions and a sigh leaves my lips.

"Goddamnit. Fine, fine. I'll do it. Want me to meet me at your place or?" I ask and she tells me that she'll just pick me up at mine. "Alright. See you soon?"

"Yeah! Gather some courage in the meantime!"

My fingers tap my thighs as I sit in Maya's car. We're currently stopped at a stoplight that's about five minutes away from Y/N's shop and I'm beyond from being calm. It's not only because it's my first tattoo, but I've heard that she's incredibly gorgeous. I always end up being a fucking dork around pretty girls so… this should be fun.

"I can't believe you're so nervous right now," Maya laughs and I turn my head towards her, glaring a bit.

My attention goes back to the road in front of me as I speak up. "You know exactly why I'm nervous."

She laughs and tucks some hair behind her ear. "I told you she's cool and down to earth. There's nothing to be worried about," she reassures me and I nod slightly.

The vehicle pulls up to Body Art Tattoo and I let out a deep breath. "I got this, I got this," I whisper quietly enough to myself so Maya doesn't hear me.

We get out of the car and the sandy-brunette walks ahead of me. I swallow thickly, feeling my hands begin to get clammy. She opens the door for me and I walk through seeing quite a few people sitting around as there are three tattoo artists working on people.

"Damn. Walk-ins are a real hit this month," Maya mentions and I shove my hands into my pockets, following her as we head towards Y/N.

My eyes look over her after she takes a quick glance towards us. She smiles gently, giving a three-fingered wave as a tattoo gun is placed in her hand, the other one wiping down the tattoo on the man's thigh.

"Hey, Maya! Finally gonna let me tattoo you?" She asks with a chuckle, grinning ear to ear.

Aw. She's so cute, oh my god.

"Oh, God no," my friend laughs while shaking her hands. "Actually, my friend, Joe, here is planning to get his first tattoo."

Y/N's eyes move to me with an eyebrow raised. "Tattoo virgin, huh?" She asks with a smirk and I chuckle before nodding my head, scratching the back of my back.

"Y-Yeah," I stutter and press my lips together.

"Is he your last client or do you have more?" Maya asks and she shakes her head.

"I've got about ten minutes left of this one and then I'll need at least 5 minutes to sanitize everything before I'll be able to get to your cute friend," Y/N states and I'm a bit shocked at her sudden compliment.

She's very straight forward… 

-

Y/N's POV 

"Alright, and we're done!" I grin while squirting some water onto it before wiping it down with a paper towel. "It looks sick."

The guy I worked on sits up, looking down at the skull tattoo I did, smiling. "It does, holy shit. Thank you so much," he says and I get up from my chair, pulling my rubber gloves off my hands.

"It's no problem. It was a fun tattoo to do," I mention, grabbing some plastic wrap to wrap around it.

The beefy guy pays for the tattoo after I finished wrapping it, giving him his change before he walks out of the shop. I glance over towards Maya's friend, seeing him sitting in one of the chairs, eyes trained on his phone.

"Hey!" I call out, not knowing his name and his head picks up, his hair bouncing slightly. He's got such nice hair, oh my God. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

He stands up from his seat, quickly stepping towards me. "Sorry, I'm Joe, hi," he introduces himself.

I give him a smile. "Hi, Joe. I'm Y/N," I greet back and hold out my hand for him to shake. Joe takes my hand into his, shaking it for a few seconds before releasing it.

"Hi, Y/N. Maya's told me quite a bit about your work and I've gotta say… it's incredible," he compliments and I blush slightly.

"Thank you. It took quite a few years to get where I am," I mumble while cleaning up my area. "So, what did you plan on getting?" My eyes glance up at him as I prep a new needle.

Joe reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded up piece of paper. He unfolds it before handing it towards me. "Something like this. I've been one with nature for the last year and I thought it'd be fitting and meaningful," he mumbles while I take it from his hands, analyzing the simple tree drawing.

"It's very simple and cute. I think it'll suit you well," I smile at the man and get up from my stool. "Where did you plan on getting it and do you want it the same size?"

"I think right here would be good?" He questions while rubbing the side of his forearm. I nod my head while heading towards the printer, getting a stencil made.

"That would be a nice spot for it," I tell him and grab the stencil and the piece of paper. I step back towards him, folding the picture he brought back up before handing it to him. "Alright. Have a seat and we'll get started." I smile and he nods, sitting down on the comfortable chair.

I grab a razor before turning back towards Joe as he rubs his hands repeatedly on his jeans. "Is it normal for a guy to be nervous about getting tattooed for the first time?" He quietly asks me, not wanting the others around to hear.

"Of course it is. Not every guy is a macho man. Honestly, if it makes you feel any better about getting this done… I find it cute that you're so nervous," I tell him with a wink and bites my lip.

"Really?" He asks as his cheeks blush a bit. I nod my head, grabbing his left arm to shave off the hair where I plan to put the stencil. "I-Woul-Can I take you out to dinner after you're done?"

My breath hitches in my throat as I glance up at him through my lashes, setting down the razor. "Are you serious? Me? Out of everyone here in LA and you wanna take me to dinner?" I ask him in disbelief, sitting back slightly.

"Yeah, you. Maya's told me some things and I think you're really chill and down to earth. I'd love to get to know you better," he mentions and I can't help but blush a bit. I position his arm on the armrest, having the newly shaved area facing me before pressing the stencil to his skin.

"I'd love too," I grin. Joe let's out a breathy laugh, a cute smile spreading across his face as I peel off the stencil, seeing the small tree outlined and I turn to put on some rubber gloves. "Ready?" I ask him while pressing my foot against the pedal, my tattoo gun beginning to vibrate.

His smile falls slightly as the nervousness begins to show. "Y-Yeah, let's do this," he mumbles and I nod.

"It shouldn't take too long," I reassure him and dip the needle into the black ink before going over the stenciled line. Joe twitches a bit as I drag the needle down the "trunk" of the tree. I quickly glance up to see an uncomfortable look on the cute man's face after I get to the bottom of the line. I gently wipe a paper towel over what I'd done, removing the excess ink on the skin before moving to the various size branches.

Joe let's out a huff of breath as I get through half the branches and I look up at him, pausing my actions. "No, no. You're fine. I just didn't know it'd be this uncomfortable," he chuckles and I smile.

"Well, you do have needles poking and dragging on your skin," I mention with a smirk while wiping his arm again. "I've got 13 more branches to do and you're done. Luckily you picked a quickie for your first time." I wink before getting back to work.

I dip my needle once again, dragging a thick line across his skin. I end up sticking my tongue out slightly, licking my lips as I concentrate on making my lines perfect. A chuckle rings out just as I finish my last line and I perk my head up, seeing Joe's honey-brown eyes trained on me.

"You're so cute when you're concentrating," he stumbles a bit and I bite my lip.

"Shut up," I laugh while shaking my head. I grab the bottle of water, squirting some over the tattoo before wiping it down with a new paper towel. "Voila! And you're no longer a tattoo virgin."

The brunette picks up his arm, rotating it to see what I've done and a smile comes to his lips. "I love it. It looks incredible," he compliments and I reach for the plastic wrap, covering the fresh ink so it doesn't get infected. "Thank you so much for this. How much do I owe you?"

"You're Maya’s friend, so it's on the house," I smile at him and he groans while shaking his head.

"No, no, come on. I wanna pay for your work," Joe mentions and I bite my lip. "Can I at least buy your dinner? To repay you in some way."

I let out a sigh as I cleaned up my station. "Hmm, I guess you can. As long as I can pay the next time we go out," I negotiate with a smirk.

"Next time?" He asks and I feel my heart drop a little, wondering if I said too much. You don't even know if he would want to go out again, idiot.

"I-I mean," I stutter and stand up from my chair, tossing the garbage into the bin, "that is if you want to after tonight."

Joe smiles softly and runs a hand through his hair. "I'm sure I'd love to see you again."

-

I was laughing so hard to the point of holding my stomach, having a hard time breathing as the two of us exchange stupid jokes. We stepped out of his car after he drove me home, walking up to my front door with him. He actually had to call one of his friends to see if they’d bring his car to the shop since Maya was the one that brought him there. Luckily it worked out and his friends were there in no time.

Joe's laughter halts and smiles down at me as I wipe my tears away. "Jesus, that was a good one," I giggle while tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Thank you, by the way, for driving me home. I totally forgot I got a ride with my coworker this morning."

"It's no trouble. What kind of date would I be if I didn't make sure you got home safe," he tells me as our bodies gravitate towards one another.

"The kind of date I'm used to, unfortunately," I mumble bitterly and he frowns. "It's okay. I'm just- I'm glad you're different."

The handsome man gives me a small smile and brings his hand up to my face. "You deserve so much better than that, and I'll be glad to give it to you," Joe mentions and my heart soars.

"I'd like that," I whisper and my breath hitches as our noses touch. My eyes slowly close as his thumb strokes my cheekbone. He leans down, pressing his lips to mine in a soft kiss, our lips barely touching.

Joe pulls away after a few seconds and my heart pounds against my chest. "I'll call you?" He whispers against my lips and I nod gingerly.

"Goodnight, Joe."

"Goodnight, Y/N," the brown-haired man smiles and kisses my cheek before jogging towards his vehicle.

I give him a wave as he backs out of my driveway, driving away into the night and my cheeks heat up from thinking about the kiss that just happened. "Maya's gonna lose her mind when she hears about this," I chuckle while unlocking my door before heading into the house with a huge grin on my lips.

-

Joe Keery Taglist: @thebookamongmen @daisyxbuckley @morningfears @sammi-rent @okaybutsteveharrington @makeupbychio @hlnicoleee @calculatingtax @hanoi15 @lightsonaaron @bumblebet-20 @mcuvlxgs @harringtonsbaseballbat @fenderkeery @the-almond-dinger @l0ve-0f-my-life @serpentwithatardis @arewegonnagetsuedforthis @devilslittlebabygirl @omgdani17 @rozi3cheeks @galaxy-mindsxx

[jessefandomunited]

Lighter than air (part 1 Nathan x Reader)

I was not excited to get back to work. After the big storm I haven’t felt like myself, it’s been almost a month that I was out and originally I was excited. However, because of said storm that accounting job , which I loved , was now being replaced with assisting a Probation worker with their juvenile delinquents. I kept telling them I’d be better if I just continued doing what I knew aside from babysitting kids that were practically the same age as me, but they insisted that I needed to be “ eased back into it”, which meant, we’re still going to make you stay after and file. Distraught and pissed to the highest degree, I walked into the community center feeling like I had a heavy weight on my shoulder. Sally greeted me with a sad smile, “ Hello, it’s good to see you back.” “ Thanks,” I mumbled halfheartedly. “ Listen, I’m going to be straight with you, I’m incredibly busy with various projects, and I really don’t have time to properly supervise, So basically all you have to do, is make sure they don’t kill eachother, or anyone else,” She said adding a nervous laugh. “ Are you okay,” I asked. “ Right as rain, this way, I’ll introduce you, and let me said this now, be firm with Nathan,” She insisted. I cocked an eyebrow, “ wait , why?” “ You’ll see,” she said simply leading me into the locker room. “EVERYONE, GATHER AROUND I HAVE SOMEONE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO,” Sally yelled . Soon enough five young adults gathered around , all looking as if they’d rather be anywhere else but here. She told everyone my name and I added, “ You guys can call me Kit, most people do, it started as kit kat because I always brought one to class, but they shortened it.” I was rambling and Sally was giving me a stern look. “ Sorry,” I said instinctively. “Any ways,” Sally continued, “ today you will be picking up garbage around the park, grab a trash back and one of the grabbers and ….Kit, will take you there.” She shoved a bunch of the items in my arms and stormed out of the room. I looked down at the items , then back at them, “ well , lets go.” They seemed very unsure of me, and the feeling was mutual. They all did, apparently minor crimes so they shouldn’t be dangerous, right? “first though,” I said , pausing to put all the items on the ground, “ I’d like to know your names, there is a slim chance I’ll remember them, but the thought it there.” I rubbed my neck nervously and pointed at the quiet boy in the corner, “ how about you?” “S..simon,” He said simply. “ Simon good to meet you, next,” I said looking over at A girl with blond hair pulled back tight. “ ….Kelly,” she said after a moment of hesitation. Next was Curtis, Alisha , and then there was one who was laying down across a bench , flexing. I sighed, “ I’m guessing , you’re Nathan.” “ Ahhhh, my legend precedes me,” He said hopping off the bench and leaning on the lockers next to me.  I stepped back giving him a stern look, “ get your things and follow me.” “ What a prick,” I thought walking out, Kelly chuckled behind me as Nathan said, “ I think she likes me.”

I had brought a book out to the park, it was a gorgeous day to do so and I really didn’t care what they did as long as they got their work done, or at least looked like they made some sort of effort, and that’s exactly what I told them,“ You guys are adults right?  you know if you get in trouble again you could face a lot more intense punishments than this right? Then what’s the point of me micromanaging you?” They all seemed taken aback by this , I glared at Nathan though and added , “ but listen here you, I’ll be giving my superiors a very detailed report about how you particularly behave, so watch it!” He did a mock salute, “ I WILL PREFORM MY DUTIES SIR!” I shook my head, “ get to work.” I sat down on a bench cross legged and began reading, I would look up every once in a while to just keep tabs on where everybody was. The first time I did so was a tad unnerving. I saw them all huddled in a group talking. They kept pointing at me then went back to talking. Simon alerted them that I was looking at them , but they didn’t seem to care. I didn’t move thought, I decided that maybe if they ended up hurting me, I’d be given my old job back, so I simply waved at them and went back to reading. I looked up a few minuets later , and they were all picking up trash.             

             Everything was going pretty well. Every once in a while I’d see two of them go off in a bush but they’d always come back and keep working, so who cared. There was one time I stepped in however. “ WHO THE HELL IS WATCHING YOU DELINQUENTS ,” A man yelled furiously at Simon, “ YOU ALMOST KILLED ME.” I couldn’t see Simon doing much of anything to anyone, and marched over to them. The others looked like they were going to hurt the man but I shook my head. “ Sir, what seems to be the problem,” I said holding my temporary probation worker badge out to him. “ WELL, THIS JERK ALMOST KNOCKED ME OFF MY BIKE, I COULD HAVE FALLEN INTO THE RIVER,” He yelled. I looked at Simon, then back at the man, “ and how did this happen, you look fine, he’s doing his job, why don’t you just leave my team alone yeah?” The man snarled,” HE APPEARED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BIKE LANE!” My eyes darkened, I knew that if I wanted these guys to trust me, I needed to give them a message that I was on their side. “ Listen sir,” I said in the darkest voice I could muster, “ you didn’t get hurt, you got scared, he was doing his job, you were probably day dreaming.” I was going to keep going but he cut me off, “ excuse ME! HOW OLD ARE YOU, YOU’RE THE SAME AGE AS THEM WHO THE F*CK PUT YOU IN CHARGE!” “ Sir if you are asking me to get the police involved I will, my team has done their job and I am here to back them up. My age is irrelevant or are you saying that is your only defense against the fact that you were simply startled,” I asked pointedly, “ now I have a taser in my pocket and the police are just phone call away, just get back on your bike, and leave them alone.” The man wanted to say more, however he simply huffed and flipped us off as he rode away. I sighed, I was full out expecting that guy to punch me out cold, but he didn’t. my hands were shaking so I quickly crossed my arms across my chest and smiled at Simon, “ are you alright?” He stuttered, “i…I was going to ask you the same thing.” I shook my head, “ don’t worry about me.” I turned to see the others standing around, “ Back to work please, shows over.” I walked back to my seat and stared blankly at my book, trying to calm myself down, when I felt someone sit next to me. I looked over to see Kelly. “ Hello,” I greeted, “ did you need something?” “ I just wanted to say, that took a lot of balls, I really appreciate you standing up for us like that, most of the probation worker just treat us like animals,” she said. I smiled , “ forget about it, I don’t know what you guys have been told, but I think you guys are good at heart, no matter what happened in the past. I mean, you guys got community service, not prison, you can make a change and I know I don’t know you guys all that well, but I’m sure you guys will move on from this to do great things.” She looked at me with this intense expression for a few minuets, as if she didn’t believe a word I said. After a bit I playfully hit her with my book and said, “ I appreciate you thanking me, but you still have a job to do.” “ Right,” She said still looking at me as she got up and returned to her work. I shook my head lightly and went back to reading.

tags: @scream-kiwi79