#I already skip breakfast and most days lunch too

[masgwi]

[petertingle-yipyip]

DONT BE A FOOL - MATT MURDOCK

Pairing: matt x wife!reader

Word Count: 2, 156

Summary: After a very tense argument about a misused name, your apologetic husband ends up getting looped in by your students.

//follow-up to three empty words but can probably be read on its own. i realize i lost the original plot so if it’s too bothersome, i’ll rewrite it// rewrite/part three?

The next morning, you refused to dilly dally your morning routine. Your shower was quick, your hair and makeup remained simple. Even your outfit was more or less the first thing you grabbed from your closet. You gathered all of your papers - which you hadn’t gotten around to grading the night before - and your laptop before Matt’s alarm had even gone off.

You skipped making breakfast, deciding to stop at a coffee shop on the way to work instead, and hustled out the door. You ignored the still sleeping figure of Elektra on your couch even though your brain wanted to soak her with cold water and kick her out. You did slam the door on your way out but that was just to satisfy your own anger.

You walked into your classroom and let out a loud sigh as you dropped into your deskchair. You were thankful to be out of the house, in your own space for the time being. As you began grading the papers and piling them according to the hours, your mind wandered back to the night before. You wondered if Elektra would be out of your apartment when you got back. You wondered if Matt would tell Foggy and Karen that you two got into a fight last night. You then found yourself wondering if Matt was actually going to go to work that morning.

You realized you were staring blankly at the student’s worksheet in front of you so you shook the thoughts and focused on the daunting stacks before you.

Most of the hours were business as usual. Your normal rowdy students were a bit extra, but that might’ve been due to your already grated nerves more than their own behaviors. It wasn’t until the hour before lunch that you found some of your students more huddled and secretive than usual.

“What are you doing in the corner?” You called, peaking over your computer at the small group. “There’s, what, five minutes till the bell?”

“Mrs. Murdock, what’s your husband’s name?” One of the girls, Liv, asked with an innocent expression. The same one she gave you when she explained her lacking assignments.

“Matthew.” You titled down your screen to see them better. “Why?”

“What does he do again?”

“Lawyer. Why?”

“Is he handsome?” Another girl, Nicole, asked with wiggling eyebrows.

You had to refrain from rolling your eyes at your middle schoolers.

“Yes, very.” You smiled slightly. “I wouldn’t have married him if he wasn’t.”

“And if he’s a lawyer, he’s gotta be smart, right?”

“Again, very. He went to Columbia.”

“So like… Is he why you’re so sad today?” Blake, the only boy in the group, chimed in with a nonchalant shrug.

“Guys.” You frowned slightly. “I’m not sure what you’re doing, but I’m not sad. Me and Mr. Murdock are fine. We’re happily married. And you should be worried about your own relationship drama, not mine.”

“So you admit there’s drama?” Nicole countered quickly.

“Between Blake and Emmy? Yes.” You nodded and Emmy’s jaw dropped while her friends poked her teasingly. “Between me and Mr. Murdock, no.”

“Mhmm.. So why is the photo face down?”

“What?”

“The photo by your computer.” She came across the room and lifted the frame near your laptop that was in fact, face down. “You told us on the first day that this was one your favorite photos and you have it on it’s face… There’s drama, Mrs. Murdock.”

“You’re very observant, Nicole. Thank you.” You said flatly as you took the frame from her hands and set it in it’s rightful position. “I must’ve knocked it over when I was trying to find you and Liv’s missing portfolio project.” “You can’t deflect, Mrs. M.” Liv added from across the room. “It’s all over your face.”

“Y’know what.” You announced, standing from your desk. “The bell rings in less than two minutes. You guys can all go to lunch early.”

A chorus of questions arose while you heard the door being pushed open.

“They can’t write you all up.” You shrugged and dropped back in your chair while the meddling group made their way into the hall.

The girls continued to whisper to themselves and glanced back at you, to which you shooed them away. When you were finally alone in your classroom, you let out a heavy sigh and rubbed a hand over your eyes.

Usually, you adored having open communication with your students because that meant they trusted you. But at the same time, that meant they felt entitled to know your life story whether you like it or not. The bell echoed in your ears so you spun your chair to the small fridge under your desk that held your lunch.

You clicked play on a playlist from your laptop and began eating your lunch, typing away to enter in grades. You knew you should just do nothing, scroll mindlessly on your social medias instead or maybe even call Foggy to ensure Matt made it to work, but the busy work for your eyes, head, and hands felt better. Plus, you weren’t exactly sure what you would’ve said that could’ve gotten your question answered without being a dead giveaway. So you kept working instead.

“MRS. MURDOCK!” Liv nearly yelled as she burst through your door, maybe halfway through the lunch hour. “OHMYGODYOULLNEVERBELIEVE-”

“Liv!” You said in shock, nearly dropping your water bottle. “What is going on? Is everything okay?”

“Look at this!” She hurried across and showed you her phone screen. Oddly enough, it was a photo of the back of a man exiting a taxi. What stood out to you was the white cane in his hand.

“It’s a guy getting out a cab.” You tried to reason, gently pushing her phone away. “That’s what you ran in here to tell me?”

“But he’s blind!”

“So it seems.”

“Don’t you know what this means?” She insisted with a small stomp.

You simply shrugged and raised your brows.

“It’s Mr. Murdock! He came to apologize!”

“Liv, I appreciate your concern for my marriage but we’re fine, okay? It’s not like he and I are heading towards a divorce. We’re just in a bit of an argument. It’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? Because I’ve never seen you so…” She gestured vaguely to you.

“Yes, I’m sure. Now go back to your lunch, please. I have to finish these.”

“But-”

“No.”

“Mrs. M, just-”

“Liv, boundaries, please.”

“Just listen!”

“No.” You said firmly. “Go back to your lunch.”

She huffed slightly but retreated to the door. As she was heading out, she nearly ran into one of the monitors.

“Sorry to intrude, Y/N.” The monitor said as she popped her head in. “I have a visitor for you.”

“Another one of my kids being a problem?” You sighed and wheeled yourself a bit further from your desk. “Send ‘em in. They can sit in the corner till next class.”

“Actually, I think you’ll be glad to see this one.” She smiled knowingly and reached for something outside the doorframe.

Before you could voice another question, she ushered Matt through the door. He said his usual thanks for being guided and the monitor gave you an approving nod and thumbs up. She mouthed a very not subtle ‘He’s very handsome’. You smiled awkwardly in agreement but once the door closed, you rolled your eyes and went back to your gradebook.

“Could’ve called.” You said simply.

“I didn’t think you would answer.” Matt replied honestly.

“Probably wouldn’t have… Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“I couldn’t focus.”

You heard the clicks of him folding his cane as he wandered around your classroom. You peaked up to watch him manueaver the desks with such ease that for a split second, you forgot he was blind. You watched him run his fingers along the bulletin board you had on one wall, leading into the standards and other required signage you had up.

“Did she leave?” You asked and returned to your prior task. You knew if you watched him for too long, he’d know and he’d show you that stupid lopsided smirk that he did.

“She was still pretty weak when I left.” He said and there was a slight sadness in his voice. Though if someone asked if it was for Elektra or your argument, you wouldn’t have been able to say. “But I did ask Stick to find somewhere else to take her to recover if she can’t leave on her own by the time someone gets home.”

“Chivalrous.” You made a face behind your computer screen. “You didn’t have to come all the way here to tell me that.”

He sighed slightly and you mumbled a short complaint to yourself before scooting away from your desk and spinning in your chair to face him, just as he appeared at your side. You folded your hands over your stomach and leaned back in your chair, giving an exaggerated sigh and nod for him to talk.

“Y/N, last night, I said something I shouldn’t have.” He began carefully, as if he was following a carefully rehearsed speech. For all you knew, he had rehearsed it with Foggy that morning before he showed up. “I let Stick push me and I just said the first thing that came to mind.”

“But she shouldn’t be the first thing, right?” You said softly with a small shrug. “Stick shouldn’t be able to push you into saying that, whether you meant it or not.”

“You’re right.” He admitted and your brows went up slightly. “I shouldn’t have said that. You are the only woman that I want to be with. I married you, without any hesitation. I never had second thoughts or second thoughts or anything. You, Y/N Murdock, have my heart.”

You nodded slowly but said nothing as you stood. You crossed your arms and looked up at him, him offering a hopeful expression in return. You broke into a small smile and nudged him with your shoulder before moving past him. He followed you almost instantly and you took him to the wall on the other side of your desk near the window.

“The kids started calling this the Sweetheart’s Spotlight.” You said quietly with a small smile. “They keep a polaroid camera in one of the cubbies and every Friday, they rearrange the couples in order of their favorites… They made me put a photo of us on here, too.”

“Where do we rank?” He smiled slightly.

“We’ve been number one since it started.” You laughed. “They tell me that you’re the best by default since I’m their favorite teacher.”

“Lucky me.”

“You know I’m still upset, right?” You said carefully when the air was too light between you two.

“I know.” He nodded. “I can hear it in your voice.”

“But I also don’t want to hold onto this fight. So here’s an idea. Elektra’s out of the apartment today. You two finish whatever crusade you’re on. You make sure you don’t get yourself killed. She leaves New York and it’s all put to bed.”

“Consider it done.” He nodded. “And I know better than to get myself killed. I’ve got it too good to die.”

“Yeah because then I’m a widow and there’s not much life insurance to cash in on.” You joked as the lunch bell rang.

“I should get going.” He nodded before gently taking your hand. “I love you. So much.”

“I love you too.” You said softly as your students started filing in.

“OHMYGOD.” One of your students yelled and you closed your eyes tightly, quietly groaning in embarrassment. “IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?”

“Yes, Luna.” You said, feeling the blush across your cheeks. “This is Mr. Murdock and he’s leaving.”

You pulled Matt towards the door as he laughed. Your kids yelled questions that you tried to ignore until Matt stopped, pulling you to stop with him.

“It’s career week!” One of the boys yelled. More so a demand.

“I’m aware, Jack.” You nodded. “What does that have to do with this?”

“He’s not here to talk to us about lawyers?” The boy’s head cocked as he asked his question.

“That’s exactly why I’m here.” Matt grinned and you groaned again. “Let’s give Mrs. Murdock a break, right?”

“You’re so dead.” You threatened quietly with a laugh before heading back to your chair. 

“Okay, kids.” You announced. “He’s blind and can’t write. I’m not getting up. Take your own notes and keep your questions relevant to his career, okay?”

“Yes, Mrs. Murdock.” They all answered.

“All yours, Mr. Murdock.” You gestured before returning to grading and the personal questions started flying.

“How did you guys meet?!”

“What’s her favorite color?!”

“Did you see the wall?!” “He can’t see!”

“Are they always this rowdy?” He asked you with a slight laugh.

“You’re new and exciting.” You shrugged. “Take it as a compliment.”

[grandline-fics]

Hi!!! I LOVED the unconscious one and I was wondering if you could do a version of that with Law and Sanji?

DESCRIPTION: When you suddenly lose consciousness

WARNINGS: descriptions of fainting/ falling asleep. fluff

CHARACTERS: Law, Sanji, Ace | Luffy, Zoro

WORDS: 1824

A/N: Thank you for this request! Someone else also requested this prompt so I doubled up the characters. I hope you like what I came up with for this one.

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

DIRECTORY | PROMPT LIST

———————

LAW

You understood Law’s unstoppable need to further his already extensive and impressive medical skills. Every island was researched thoroughly, including the kinds of herbs and other plants that were native to there to use in future medicines he could make. When he ventured to his own lab after an island visit with the newest additions you knew he’d be shut inside for hours on end until he’d found every possible use and countermeasure for his research in the event that anything turned out to be poisonous or bring about negative side affects. 

When night had fallen and there was still no sign of movement or sound of activity from his lab, you volunteered to go and fetch your Captain for dinner. You knew he hadn’t eaten anything since the breakfast you’d all shared together but even then it hadn’t been much given how fast he wanted to dock at the island. Leaning against the cold steel wall of the Tang you lightly knocked on the lab door, listening to the dull echo from inside. Thankfully a more human sound followed, footsteps but he never opened the door. “Captain? It’s time to eat and don’t say you’re not hungry because we both know you haven’t eaten much today.”

“I’ve eaten enough.” Law’s muffled reply came and you scoffed.

“Okay so if I ate what you’d consumed today and then skipped dinner you’d say…?”

“That’s not the point.” You smirked at the grumbled reply, knowing that was the most out of him by means of admitting he wasn’t looking after himself. 

“If I bring you a plate of food will you eat it?” You asked, knowing you had to compromise with him on days like these. 

“Fine…” For someone so serious and in charge all the time, Law really could become a grumpy child at times. Laughing softly you went to the kitchen to grab a plate of food for him. Your plan had been to hand him the food and then return to the dining hall and eat with the others so Law could continue with his work in solitude. Since he knew you were coming back you knocked once on the door and continued inside, not needing to wait. 

However the second you did you were hit with the overwhelming strength of the smell of Law’s different experiments with the plants. One second your vision was clearly on his face, the next it was blurring and you were swaying and toppling over, the plate dropping from your hands. Law saw it happen in slow motion. Immediately he activated his room ability and had you safely in his arms while what would have been his dinner smashed on the ground. Law looked at you and let out a slow sigh. He hadn’t expected that kind of reaction and made a mental note to write down this new outcome from the combination of the plants but that would have to wait. Shifting you so you were held more comfortably in his hold he carried you out of the lab and to his room so you were away from the fumes that caused this in the first place and somewhere you could rest peacefully. You were the priority and he refused to let you out of his sight or hold until you woke up.

SANJI

Another day on the Sunny, another day of typical chaos and noise. By now you were used to it to the point that if things were peaceful for too long you’d be concerned. On today’s schedule of activity Sanji and Zoro were bickering as usual in the build up to lunch time. Franky and Usopp were working on their own separate weapon modifications. When Usopp proudly announced that now his Kabuto was even more improved that practically anyone could use it Luffy loudly demanded to try it out, springing it up from his perch on Sunny’s head. After a lot of back and forth, Usopp gave in to his Captain’s whims and reluctantly handing Kabuto over along with his more harmless ammunition pellets. 

Luffy being in charge of the weapon managed to grab everyone’s attention, even halting Sanji and Zoro’s routine brawl. Even with Usopp’s assurances that everything would be safe, you knew better than to doubt Luffy’s ability to cause trouble even with little to no outside influence. To be on the safe side you abandoned your comfy place on the deck to observe from the kitchen, believing that being in an entirely different room was your best option. Watching in amusement you saw Luffy mostly strike poses with Usopp’s weapon before actually trying to use it and the safe ammunition he’d been given to play with. Then Luffy pulled back the pouch, wondering how far it would go with his added stretching ability. 

However this was something Usopp had never taken into account and when Luffy pulled beyond the strain the weapon was capable of, one of the elastic cables snapped. Not expecting it, Luffy released the weapon and toppled over as the pellet sailed through the air and directly into the kitchen. You didn’t have time to dodge and the tiny blue pellet connected against your shoulder, bursting into a small cloud of smoke. All it took was a small breath and it overcame your senses completely, sending your already unconscious body to the floor. 

Sanji was the first to drop to your side with Chopped quickly behind him. While Chopper checked you over Sanji began yelling at Luffy for being so stupid and at Usopp for being even more idiotic that the Captain by allowing this to even happen. “You better not have harmed a hair on their head or I’m not feeding either of you morons for a week!”

“I promise they’ll wake up!” Usopp insisted while grabbing Luffy to stop him from launching himself at your sleeping form to try and wake you with force at Sanji’s threat of no food. “It’ll just…take a little while.”

“What do you mean a little while!?” Sanji demanded with a glare, his anger faltering when in your sleep you rolled onto your side and relaxed closer beside Sanji, subconsciously seeking the warmth of his hand that was protectively laid on your arm. As reassuring as it was to see you seemed okay and merely sleeping soundly you were still in this situation because of his stupid crewmate and Captain. Quickly he looked to the sniper for his explanation, his anger returning in force.

“W-well I made those sleep stars to ensure whoever we used them against wouldn’t wake up right away and give us all enough time to make our escape if we needed them.”

“How long Usopp?!”

“A few hours at least.” At that revelation and the look of murder in Sanji’s eyes both Usopp and Luffy fled, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Even that didn’t rouse you. Chopper reassured Sanji that you would be okay and also left. With a small sigh, Sanji gathered you into his arms and carried you to the sofa against the wall so you could sleep comfortably while he cooked and could keep a close eye on you at the same time.

ACE

Ace took Whitebeard’s belief that everyone on the ship was a family to heart. As commander of the second division he knew the responsibility on his shoulders to ensure everyone under his command was protected and safe. Did he pay you a little extra attention and ensure you were protected and happy and safe first before the others? Maybe but he couldn’t help it. You were so easy to talk to and work along side. You made his days better and he always had a smile on his face when he was near you. Every morning he woke and would make his way to share breakfast with the crew, his spot at the table almost always either beside or opposite you. So long as you were in range to talk to that was all that mattered.

On this adventure on the winter island, Ace kept a close eye on you. While he could just boost the internal heat of his devil fruit so he couldn’t feel the cold you were left to huddle closer into your thick coat and layers when a surge of bitter wind cut through the air. You suppressed the constant urge to shiver and focused your mind on thinking of other things all the while trying to avoid looking Ace’s way otherwise you would only become increasingly jealous each time you saw how unaffected he was by the snow and cold. He was getting to truly enjoy the beauty of the island and all it had to offer. You wanted to step closer to your division commander but you resisted, not wanting him to think you were only doing so to make use of his body heat. On that principle you held back a little more than you normally would and suffered the cold.

Every step seemed to sap your strength. Even with all of your resilience and training, the walk through the elements like this always took its toll. Ace glanced back when your footing slipped for the third time in twenty minutes and saw the exhaustion clear in your face. The dropping temperature from you both trudging through a shaded area and the day dragging on wasn’t a good combination. “Hey let’s stop for a while, catch our breath?”

“Ace, you don’t need a break.” You protested with a small huff, rubbing your arms as you tried not to get too close to Ace now that he’d stopped. The second you felt his body heat, the second you’d all but give in to his suggestion. 

“Sure I do.” Ace grinned at you, offering you his winning smile, the one that could convince you to do anything. “C’mon please? Feel like you’ve been avoiding me. I don’t stink do I?”

“Oh that’s playing dirty.” You lectured with a small pout. “You know I’m not avoiding you.”

“Prove it.” Ace’s smile broadened into a grin and held out his arms to gesture you to finally come closer. Knowing you didn’t have the energy to resist Ace watched you finally close the distance. When you were in touching distance Ace slung an arm around your shoulder in a light embrace. “There we go! Geez you’re freezing!”

You weren’t even listening to Ace’s comment. The second you were in the warmth your body began to relax and your heavy limbs finally felt lighter. Your eyes began to droop and you let out a long yawn, pressing your head against Ace’s body. Before you knew it Ace had stooped down and lifted you to settle onto his back. He let out a soft laugh at the feeling of your body completely relaxing and sound of your breath evening out. You’d already passed out. “You rest up back there. We’ll be at the town soon.”

——————————————-

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[weepingwillowwonder]

here to annoy more mwahahahahha TW! sk!pp¡ng m3@ls

if ur comfortable, could you do some poly! fizz x asmodeus x reader who skips meals??? like, has coffee for breakfast, skips lunch and has a light dinner or smth???maybe with a hint of smut???

if you’re uncomfortable/don’t wanna do this request, i totally understand!!!

You're not annoying at all!!! Thank you for the requests! Also hello againnn~ :) I did my best with this one (except I barely proof read it, oops!)

Side notes: Please please please remember to eat & drink water yal! <3

CW: Talking about meal habits/skipping meals, A bit of angst, kissing, dry humping, choo choo train

[NSFW Under the Cut, MDNI 18+ ONLY]

Welcoming the end of the day, you laid relaxed and especially comfy on the couch with Fizzarolli snuggled up on top of you. You were watching your favorite comfort show on TV, listening to the distant sound of Asmodeus humming and shuffling around in the next room over. "Is anyone hungry? I'm thinking of making burgers~" he suggests, peeking his head around the corner with his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. 

Fizzarolli, who gasps excitedly, almost launches himself off the couch when he shoots up from his position. You fling your arms out to hold him steady by his hips as he bounces in your lap with a raised hand. "Ooo! Me me me me!" You grunt as he almost knocks the wind out of you. "I think he wants burgers," you giggle out jokingly. He sticks his tongue out at you and you return the childish gesture, earning a chuckle from Asmodeus. "Alright alright! So that makes two burgers." He then calls your name in a gentle voice, "Would you like one? I can make you something else too if you'd like…?"

Before you realize, you're blurting out, "Oh no, I'm okay! I already ate." Asmodeus hums in thought. "Well, what did you have to eat?" You swallow. Technically you DID eat today, just earlier…

"I had the leftovers from last night! They were so yummy even a day later!" Now why did you feel the need to say that? You tried to give him your most convincing grin, knowing you were lying straight through your teeth. He watched you carefully for a moment. The pause silence was enough to even calm Fizzarolli down, now both of them eyeing you suspiciously. Asmodeus sighs in defeat and makes his way into the kitchen. "Alright, well let me know if you change your mind. You know I’ll make anything you want, baby." 

Once Asmodeus is back in the kitchen, Fizzarolli's focus shifts back to you. His hands settle on your tummy as he straddles you. "Babeee," He calls to you teasingly. You give him a smile and call back to him in a similar tone,  "Yes babeee?" When he leans down to give you peck on the lips, you giggle and reach up to tug on his shirt, pulling him in closer to kiss you again. The temperature in the room seems to skyrocket as the kiss quickly gets more heated. You pull away briefly to catch your breath, only for him to chase you back into the kiss.

 Keeping your lips connected he maneuvers his legs between yours and slides his hands along your thighs. Grabs the backs of your knees, he slowly pushes you into a mating press and grinds himself against you. You gasp at the feeling of his hardon dragging against your core, trying your best to match his rhythm in your position. He pulls away and begins  kissing along your jaw, continuing to move your hips together. "Mmm baby, tell me something..". You offer him a whiny ‘mhm’ at the sound of his gruff voice. "What all DID you eat today?" He asks matter of factly. Confused, you let out a breathy 'what?' in response as you lift your hips against him, seeking more of his touch.

He murmurs the question again into your neck, pulling away just enough to see your reaction. You look up at him as he continues to hump himself against you, making you moan out softly, "mm...what do you mean?" He pauses for a moment, leaning down to give you a slower, sweeter kiss, then sits up, still holding your thighs. "I meaaan, what all did you have to eat today? You SAID you ate earlier, but what did you have?"  You blink up at him slowly before answering, "I told you guys I had left ov-" He cuts you off. "I know what you said…”, His voice starts to get quiet, more careful. “But I also know that's not true..." 

Shit. But how would he know that...? "I-I'm not sure what you-" he cuts you off again. "Babes, I ate the rest of the leftovers this morning for breakfast." You swallow and shift uneasily under him, even as his finger run comforting circles along your thigh. "So what did you actually eat today?" He asks again gently. You avert your eyes and laugh awkwardly, already knowing how this conversation was going to go. "Well, I had an iced coffee and one forth of a cookie this morning...hey, don't look at me like that!" He covers his face, fighting a smile "I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking at you any type of a way..." You grumble back, "You were...anyway I was..." A pause.. "...busy today so i forgot about lunch, but as soon as I got home I had some soup and crackers.."

"Babe, you came home with Ozzie at 11 this morning. It’s now 9 o'clock at night. " He says in a scolding tone. "Mhm yeah, I don't wanna talk about this anymore. I'd rather you kiss me," you say dismissively. Stretching your arms out, you make grabbing motions with your hands towards him. Fizzarolli leans back from your touch, making you frown and drop your arms. "Hun, you NEED to eat. And I don’t mean just coffee or soup either. You need REAL food! You can't take care of your body properly if you're not getting the right nutrition. Trust me, I know more than anyone how hard it is, but you'll only make yourself sick..." 

You know he's only trying to help you, but you can't help but feel defensive and snap back. "I DO eat Fizzarolli and I'm perfectly fine! I don't need you talking to me like I'm some child or something, telling me what to do." He falls backwards as you suddenly sit up and move off the couch, storming away into the hallway. As he sits in shock for a moment, trying to process how things escalated so quickly, Asmodeus peeks around the corner. "...Is everything alright in here?" He asks, eyebrows knitted together in worry. Asmodeus watches as Fizzarolli throws himself on the couch and lets out a muffled yell into the cushion. He then sits up and sighs, "I ate yesterday's leftovers." Frowning, Asmodeus crosses his arms. “What do you mean? I thought baby said-" 

"Yeah well baby lied. And on top of that they barely ate anything today! I just-," he takes in a shaky breath, wringing his hands together. "I'm just worried, ya know? I know what it's like...I don't want baby going through that..."

~~~

Meanwhile, in the room you're sprawled out in bed, yelling into the pillow you have squished on your face. You then lay still for a moment, trying to calm yourself down your heavy breathing. You do find some comfort in the softness of the pillow, using it as an attempt to hug your problems away. The click of the bedroom door opening and the soft call of your name has you holding your breath. Light footsteps make their way to the bed, and you hear and feel the springs make way for someone else. 

You hear your name again and surrender when the pillow is moved from your face. Asmodeus gives you a knowing smile and moves to prop himself up next to you. "Sweetheart," he starts, wrapping an arm around you. "Do you wanna tell me what happened?” You don’t immediately decline, mulling over the previous conversation with your other partner in your head. “I dunno… I just got upset I guess…I really didn’t mean to yell at Fizz…” You roll to face away from him and he pulls you closer. “I know you didn’t mean it…I think he knows that too.” He kisses the top of your head. “You know you shouldn’t miss meals hun, we’ve talked about this before. Froggy and I..we’re just worried about you because we love you.” 

You can’t help the tears that threaten to fall, nor the soft sniff of your nose that breaks the silence in the room. “I’m sorry…” The arms around you tighten and you find yourself tucked under Asmodeus’s chin. “It’s okay baby...” He murmurs comfortingly. “We’re here for you every step of the way.” You both stay cuddled like that for some time before he suggests rejoining Fizzarolli since he had been eating alone. Reluctantly you agree, gathering yourself and making your way into the kitchen. 

To your surprise, there were only two place settings at the table, one where Asmodeus sat down to eat and the other where Fizzarolli was sitting. You sit down in a chair next to them and look over to Fizzarolli. “Hi…” you speak to him shyly. He raises an eyebrow and gives you a gentle smile. “Hi…” He responds. Asmodeus interestedly watches you to share your awkward exchange, biting into his food.

Ready to peel off the bandaid, you begin to apologize, not for forgetting to eat, but for speaking to your partner harshly when he was only trying to express his concern. Fizzarolli listens and offers you the same, knowing that it’s a sensitive topic for you. After you talk things through, he asks if you’d like a hug, which you accept graciously. When you sit back down you notice Fizzaroli cutting into his burger with a fork and knife. Odd. 

He takes a small piece and turns to you, suddenly making train sounds. “Choo choo choo! Here comes the train!” You stare at him dumbly as the fork moves closer to your lips. “Open wideeee!” Rolling your eyes, you let out a laugh and open your mouth, taking the fork in your mouth. He grins looking between you and Asmodeus as you slowly chew the food, preparing another forkful for you. Asmodeus coos from the other side of the table, watching you take another bite. “Good job baby, if you can finish some more we can have WHATEVER you want for dessert~”  

[staenless]

Steddie lunchbox fic I joked about but then people liked it so now I'm. I'm write it now.

"Hey, Munson!"

Eddie ducked his head down before the blow could hit. Tommy Hagan was one of those men who never outgrew his highschool jock phase, and seemed intent on dragging the rest of the world into his football role playing; not so gentle head smacking included.

He blow never came, instead the heavy metal thunk of a lunchbox landed on his desk. He chanced an eye open, and took in the neat black tin box, no two boxed which stacked perfectly and were secured in place with a patterned cloth. He opened the other eye and instead looked to Tommy, waiting for some sort of explanation.

"the missus packed it up for me," the younger man explained, his eyes off to the side where some co-workers were gathering to make lunch plans, "real pain if I'm honest, how about you take it off my hands for me?" Then he grinned down at Eddie and clapped his should, too hard, like they were regular old office pals.

It wasn't like they were office enemies, per se, but Eddie had a distaste of Tommy and while the feeling certainly seemed mutual they were srupid enough to let petty distaste interfere with their pay checks. Eddie would certainly never do Tommy any sort of favour if it wasn't by obligation to his working contract, and Tommy had certainly phrased this as if it was a favor so... So Eddie instinct screamed to rebuff him.

Except it was lunch time, and Eddie was hungry, and he hadn't packed his own lunch because his fridge had probably three things in it max and he couldn't afford to go out to eat since most of his paycheck had already been dolled out to rent, his uncle, his savings, and he only had money for absolute necessities. Even as he sat in indecision he could feel his stomach writhing and slithering in on itself. Shit, had he forgotten breakfast to?

"Sure," he responded, and then quickly tacked on,"man." There was a moment of silence that made Eddie feel like he ought to crack a joke, but Tommy seemed to decide for them both that was a bit chummy, even for his sports team larping. Instead he landed a solid whack, right where the last one had landed, then spun around and jogged to catch up with the other Alphas on their way out to lunch.

The office had emptied out in the span of their conversation and now cubicles sat still with their roller chains sprawled haphazardly as if evacuated in some emergency instead of a quick shuffle in hopes of skipping the worst of the lunchtime queues. Eddie decided to forgo the company cafeteria and instead snatched a pack of cigs out his backpack and scooped up the packed lunch. He could eat on the roof, since the fire doors alarm hadn't worked since he was hired and nobody bothered going up there in the heat of the day.

It wasn't that Eddie was exceptionally antisocial at work, or loathed ALL his coworkers. He actually had a few friends, Jeff and Gareth in the IT department would tolerate him during lunch breaks, and they'd even met up a few times outside of work. They were cool, he liked spending time with them, might even call them friends in a month or two. But spending all morning on the top floors, in marketing and branding and surrounded by other Alphas, Eddie probably wasn't much fun to be around at the moment.

The corporate world and Alphas went together like honey and ants. The opportunities to compete and peacock were nigh endless, not to mention doing well wouldn't net you a hefty income for some extra peacocking on the side. Eddie wasn't like that, his Alpha didn't operate that way. So much so even he had been surprised when his second puberty hit and he dropped fang and knot. The kids at school had snickered and called him a half-bit Alpha, while others said he only presented that way because his sole guardian was a lone omega. It had hurt at the time, but looking back Eddie couldn't help but laugh. Maybe he was a half-bit, maybe he presented wrong because of some base instinct to protect his uncle. He certainly didn't prance around like the other alphas did, bickering and shoving like little kids fighting over a toy.

But maybe that was the joke Tommy was playing on him, Eddie thought as he popped the lunchbox and saw the note sat neatly to the side. Maybe Eddie was too much of a bitch-Alpha to get a mate, while Tommy with all his flouncing and team player make belive had someone waiting at home, making him lunches and writing sweet love notes signed with a kiss. Maybe the joke was to give Eddie a taste of something he could never have.

Goodluck with work today, please bring home some avacados for guac. Love you - Steve.

Eddie stared at the note in his trembling hand. He could smell the omega- Steve - from where his lips had pressed to the paper. Unmated. Surprising, but not unusual. Plenty of couples got married first, then sealed the bite later on. Some Yuppie thing that Eddie was far too romantic to entertain. If you loved someone, wouldn't you want that commitment forever? But the again, Tommy and his sneer around the word "missus" gave Eddie the impression he wasnt the "forever" sort. Further more, a male Omega? Most people were somewhat hesitant to be associated with one, if not outright hostile to their very existence. Far too rare to be ordinary, and far too Omega to be respected male Omegas were almost never on an up and coming Alphas radar of potential mates.

Eddie slipped the note into his pants pocket, and lit his cigarette before turning back to the lunch box. Black oval tins, two stacked and tied with a floral cloth. A bento, he realised, he'd seen it on the cover of house and home in the checkout line. The hot new craze in lunchboxes. Tha made him snicker a little. The floral cloth seemed odd, and stuck out against the black metal. The material was smooth and soft, like brand new. Huh. The tins themselves had some scuff marks, and one had a dent on its edge that spoke of a life of use. He set them down, side by side, on the laid out cloth. It looked fancy, but also surprisingly homey and inviting. It looked delicious.

The Omega- Steve had outdone himself. The top tin contained two halves of a prego roll stuffed to bursting with marinated shredded chicken. The meat was cradled between lettuce leaves to keep the bread from going soggy, and Eddie could catch sight of some glistening tomatoe slices in there. The second tone had an orange, peeled with each slice individual cleaned of any white hairy bits and laid on a bed of some gummy fruit candy. Apple sliced were laid in a separate tin, still shinning with lemon juice and not a spot of brown to be seen. Slid neatly into the side, half hidden, has the familiar pink white of coconut ice for desert.

Eddie could feel his mouth watering. Holy shit, did Tommy eat like this everyday? And if he did what was wrong with him that he'd give it up for some second rate slop at a restaurant? Breathing deeply he could smell the food, but beneath that something else, something tempting. Steve, his hands delicately pulling the chicken from the bone, slicing the tomatoe, cradling the bread as he buttered it, his nails catching and pulling off every white part from the orange slices. His hard work, his effort, laid before Eddie like some sort of worshipful offing. He felt high when he bit down on the orange slice, the caress of it's soft inner skin along his gums, like a kiss. The burst of flavour on his tongue, sweetness invading his sense so all he could see was orange orange orange leaving the bitter taste of citrus. He could taste, most importantly, beneath it all. God he could taste Steve. He could taste his love.

"Oh, thanks man," Tommy didn't look up from his computer as he said it, just kept tying away. "No problem man," Eddie mumbled back, eyes fixed on the lunchbox and he's straightened it on the other alphas desk. Every crumb had been kicked up, every smear of sauce sucked away. But placed gently, reverently, back in the top box was the love note. Eddie wanted to give Steve something in return, to thank him for sharing something so magical, so special with him. In the end he'd decided against it, could work up the courage to indirectly challenge Tommy like that. Instead, he'd pressed his lips tightly to where Steve's had once been, before returning it to its rightful owner.

The words Love You sat nestled in the tin as Eddie walked away.

Part 2 exists now

[callalillywrites]

Shooting His Shot Part 1

The original version of this story is something I've been wanting to expand for a while now. I finally got my chance, and it's become one of my most indulgent stories yet (I think). What was 1200 words is now over 8000 and split into two parts. Part 2 will be available in a few hours.

I had so much fun with this AU that I could easily persuaded to expand the universe a bit more. Ideas are already forming for a few of the other characters, but I'll hold off until I know others want to see them as well. It's not like I don't have plenty of other stories to work on anyway. 😊

The gif below is somewhat the look I was going for with Steve in this fic though he's given a suit jacket to wear. But yeah, this is it. One of my favorite looks of his btw.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Other notable characters: Bucky Barnes, Jake Jensen, Sam Wilson, Ari Levinson, Natasha Romanoff, Peter Parker, and honorably mentioned Curtis Everett

Word Count: 4350

Summary: Steve owns a steakhouse that you used to frequent before your ex came into the picture. Now, your ex is gone, and you're ready to head back to the one place you've always felt welcome and wanted. What neither you nor Steve count on is his staff, led by Bucky, launching a full-one assault effort to get you two together. It's time the two of you realize your feelings for one another.

Warnings: abusive ex (Reader's), pining, so much pining, fluff, two ridiculous idiots in love, a whole bunch of matchmakers

A/N: This is a completely self-indulgent story made like one of those cheesy rom-com which is my bread and butter at this point. It's proofread, but any mistakes are my own.

I also do not give permission for my work to be copied or posted on other sites or fed into an AI machine.

PART 2

*****

A few hours before dinnertime rush begins…

It might be his day off, but Steve’s made it such a habit that he can’t stop himself. After all, he keeps hoping that you’ll walk back in the door of his steakhouse one day. Even if it’s been six months since he’s last seen your smiling and pretty face.

To help the hours pass, Steve turns to their books and reviews them. He might as well work on payroll for the week and get the checks ready for the following week. While he’s at it, he might look at their orders and see how they’re sitting as well. Maybe he should venture into the kitchen soon and speak with Bucky about their upcoming inspection. Not that they weren’t ready, but one can never be caught unawares. Besides that, they pride themselves on having one of the cleanest kitchens in the county.

As if conjuring up his best friend, Bucky stands in the doorway with one of their famous lunch specials.

“You’ve been at it long enough, punk. Take a break and eat something.”

Without waiting for an answer, Bucky steps into the room and sets the plate down on Steve’s desk, careless of the few neat piles Steve’s created that morning.

Steve stares at the plate for a few seconds before his stomach makes it known how empty it is. He probably shouldn’t have skipped breakfast after the workout he pushed himself through that morning.

While Steve takes a bite of food, Bucky sinks into one of the other chairs and sprawls himself out. He pulls out his phone and grins at whatever he finds waiting on his screen.

“What’s so funny, jerk?”

Bucky shakes his head, content to sit there and wait for Steve to finish the plate.

Knowing he won’t leave without Steve eating everything, Steve takes another bite. Each new fork or spoonful, he shoots Bucky a look, only getting a smug smirk in return. When Steve finally finishes the plate, he sets it aside and goes back to his computer screen. He’s almost certain Bucky won’t be sticking around too long, having enjoyed the small break he’d gotten in feeding Steve.

When one of their cooks happens to walk by, Bucky notices, too, and shouts out, “Hey, we get that order from the bakery down the street yet? I wanna make sure they sent along some of their best treats.”

Steve’s attention returns to Bucky.

Before he knows it, Bucky smacks his knees and pushes to his feet. With an efficient movement born of years in the kitchen, he grabs up Steve’s empty plate and turns toward the door.

“Hey, punk, you might wanna freshen up. We’re getting a special guest tonight. Maybe this time, you’ll man up and shoot your shot.”

Steve’s brows furrow at Bucky’s words.

At least they do until Jensen walks by with an excitement Steve hasn’t seen in a few months.

“Did you hear, Boss Man?” Jensen asks as he tells Steve about the reservation that’s just come in.

A reservation for one in your name.

*****

You check your new outfit a final time in the mirror, satisfied with your efforts. The makeup you’ve chosen for the evening is minimal since you’re only interested in pleasing yourself.

Almost a year wasted with a man who never appreciated you. A man who wanted to shape and mold you into some ideal that you could never be, never wanted to be.

Six months without visiting one of your favorite places in the entire world. All because that same man had been so jealous of the attention you got from everyone there but especially from one Steve Rogers.

Oh, you can only hope that you might see Steve again that evening, having missed his sweet smile most of all these last several months. He’d been one of the first there to make you feel welcome. One by one, so did the others, but you always came back because of Steve.

Part of you wishes still that he would’ve made a move on you during one of your many visits to the steakhouse over the past few years. Maybe then he would’ve saved you all those months with someone less deserving of you and what you had to offer.

He never did though.

So, you accepted the two of you would just be friendly toward one another, just like you were with all the others there.

You can live with that.

At least, that’s what you keep telling yourself as you grab up your jacket and purse.

A final glance in the mirror to ensure your outfit is still perfect for the night you have planned. It’s during this time that your phone pings with the arrival of your Uber.

The ride to the steakhouse takes you through the familiar streets you’ve missed. It amazes you how much they have stayed the same though there are some changes that surprise you. Your favorite used bookshop’s doors have shuttered, but the café you used to visit almost every morning still thrived. A couple of new tiny shops have opened while others remain with a couple that have closed. The eclectic collection of shops was what drew you to this area in the first place when you’d been looking at universities.

Anger fills you for a moment at how manipulative your ex had been with your routine and your life. How could you let him work you like he did? How could he take the very things that made you happiest because he couldn’t handle his own feelings of jealousy and inadequacy?

So many of the hours you used to spend on these few streets, window shopping and getting to know the owners of the shops. They’d been lost to you when you let your ex into your life. Friends lost because of him. You could only wonder what they’ve been up to these past months while you’ve slowly descended into a level of hellish isolation you never wished to be in again.

As the steakhouse appeared in front of you, you perk up. Your hands automatically fidget as they run over your outfit to ensure the few wrinkles from sitting in your Uber didn’t remain when you step out in a few minutes.

A part of you hopes that Steve and all the others haven’t forgotten you.

Yet, why would they remember you?

Friendly or not, you’re still just a customer to them. A good tipper, sure, and always courteous to every employee from the bussers to the owners. You’ve never had a reason to complain about the food or the service from them, and you always tried to make sure they had no reason to complain about you.

Over the years, you’ve even gotten to know a bit about each of them. Jake’s inability to flirt despite giving him lessons whenever he served you. Nat’s intense loyalty to those she works with and her regulars, including you. Sam’s sweet but serious nature. Bucky’s strive for perfection with each dish that leaves the kitchen. Ari’s innate ability to know just what drink you need the moment you step inside (always a mocktail for you). Peter’s awkward friendliness that’s just downright infectious.

Then, there’s Steve.

Oh, you’ve learned a lot about him over the last couple of years.

He’s never been one to back down from the rowdier customers, standing firmly on the side of his staff. It’s something you’ve seen firsthand a time or two, and you’re always impressed with the way he manages to keep his anger in check. At least, inside the restaurant. You’re not unaware of the bloody knuckles he’s come back in with after escorting these obnoxious customers from his place. No doubt they deserved it, but you did worry about the consequences for him and the possibility of pressed charges.

Steve’s also been the first to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate in the neighborhood. If it’s not a free meal to help refill their empty stomachs, it’s offering them small tasks for which he handsomely pays them, even those that take less than ten minutes. He always makes sure they get enough to help through the day or even a few days. You’ve seen the kindness that comes from him and his staff, and it’s one of the many reasons your crush on him hasn’t dwindled over the years. No, it’s blossomed in ways you kinda wished it wouldn’t. There’s little hope of him ever seeing you as anything more than a valuable customer.

You’re brought out of your reverie when your Uber driver clears their throat.

Embarrassed, you quickly apologize and wrap up your business with them, stepping from the car and waving them off.

The large wooden doors leading into the steakhouse speak of an understated elegance and welcome that calls out to you. Beckons you to enter the establishment and know you’re among friends, among family.

It’s a feeling you’ve missed greatly these last several months.

Taking a breath, you pull one of the doors and step into the small entryway. The glazed inner doors don’t hide the rich interior within though they do lend some privacy to those already inside. The place is packed as usual with some guests standing or sitting on either side of the entryway, waiting for their tables.

You smile as you catch sight of a familiar face standing next to an unfamiliar one at the host stand.

Without hesitation, you open the glazed door while your smile widens into a full grin. “Well, well, well, aren’t you looking spiffier than ever, Sam?”

Sam’s head shoots up and his smile matches your own. He steps around the stand and closes the distance between the two of you. A low whistle comes out as he moves his finger in a circular motion, getting you to give him a small spin. Another whistle escapes him.

“You are a sight for sore eyes. It hasn’t been the same since we last saw you here.”

The soft reprimand isn’t missed, but you don’t hesitate when he embraces you, his forgiveness as quickly given. In your ear, he adds softly, “He hasn’t been the same.”  

Your brows furrow at this new piece of information.

Yet, you’re not given a chance to think on his words before Sam’s sweeping you away from the foyer and deeper into the steakhouse.

“Come, your table isn’t ready just yet, but I know some other people who want to see your lovely face again.”

Within a few more steps, he’s pulling out a barstool at the full bar off to the side of the steakhouse. Another friendly face turns to greet you with a big grin on his fully bearded, handsome face.

“Ari,” you say with another genuine smile for the man behind the bar.

Sweeping his longer than before locks from his face, Ari flashes you a grin of his own. “Gorgeous, long time, no see. How’ve you been?”

“Doing much better since I dropped the one-eighty anchor weighing me down.”

Ari’s grin grows. “Good riddance. For your good fortune, I have just the thing for you. One of my newest concoctions that I think you’ll enjoy. On me.”

“Oh, no, I can’t let you do that.”

You’re not allowed to go any further as Ari’s large hand settles over yours. His gaze softens into one of sheer fondness and full sincerity. “Yeah, you can. We’ve all missed you. It hasn’t been the same since you stopped coming in.”

“I’m just a customer,” you say, not fully understanding.

Ari shakes his head. A sympathetic smile takes over his original welcoming grin. “You’ve really no idea what you’ve been to all of us, have you?”

He doesn’t give you a chance to answer, setting about mixing various ingredients in the special station he created some time ago. You lose track of all that he’s mixing and matching until he finally pours the concoction in a glass and tops it with a tiny umbrella in your favorite color.

The explosion of flavors that come has you wiggling a happy little dance on the stool. While you can’t help thinking the mix shouldn’t work, it does in ways that are pleasant and hits you with a burst of such happiness. It’s such that you can’t help taking another long sip.

“Oh, you’re a true genius, Ari.” Your words are punctuated with a sip. “Mm, I love it. I’ll have to make this a standing order every time I come in from now on.”

Beaming, Ari taps the bar. “I’m holding you to that, gorgeous.”

Another customer ends up taking Ari away, but it’s just as well. You’re more than content to continue sipping your new favorite mocktail, one of many Ari’s presented to you. The man’s a notorious flirt, watching him rake in several tips over the next few minutes, but he’s also a connoisseur when it comes to alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

He comes back at the same time Sam reappears.

“Your table is ready, pretty lady.”

Saying a quick farewell to Ari, you take Sam’s offered elbow and allow him to lead you to what you believe is your usual table.

It’s more than a little surprising when he sweeps past the main dining area and through a hallway towards what you assume are the back offices and other personnel only rooms. He doesn’t stop until he pushes open a door and reveals a table set for two in a private room.

“What’s all this? Sam, what’s going on?”

Sam merely grins as he leads you to the table and holds out your chair for you. It’s only after he’s given you a menu you don’t need that he says, “I’m trying to make sure Bucky wins the bet this time.”

“Bet? What bet? You have a bet that concerns me?”

Rather than answer, Sam shoots you a wink and disappears through the door, closing it softly behind him.

A moment later, soft music drifts through hidden speakers. The melody is low but romantic though that does little to answer any of the questions this evening’s brought so far.

*****

Steve’s just finishing up the last of the paperwork when Bucky barrels into his office.

“She’s here, punk.” Bucky slams his door shut and gives Steve a thorough though quick once-over. “Is that what you call freshening up? I’m never going to win my money back from Sam if you keep this up.”

“Aren’t you slammed right now? What are you doing here?”

Bucky waves his hand in dismissal. “Everett’s got it for the next few minutes. I’m here to make sure you don’t mess this up a second time.”

Steve’s trying to follow his best friend. Really, he is.

Bucky just isn’t making much sense at this point.

“Mess what up? Buck—”

Another wave of Bucky’s hand has Steve going silent. Strong hands move his chair out of the way before he’s being tossed a garment bag.

“I had Nat pick this up before she clocked in. It should still fit, so hurry up and put it on. You can’t keep a beautiful woman waiting too long.”

Still not following but at least complying for the moment, Steve unzips the bag and finds a nice button-down shirt with what appear to be new pants. A suit jacket completes the look though he’s unsure why he needs such clothing.

“Nat’s got a good eye,” Bucky muses aloud as Steve pulls the ensemble from the bag. “That color will certainly impress her. Now, come on. We don’t have all night here.”

Rolling his eyes, Steve hurries to change his clothes.

If Bucky’s going to be like this, it’s easier to just go along and figure it out along the way. At least that’s been Steve’s experience every time Bucky’s been excited about something. It goes for everything from the latest technology to the ladies, and it’s been like this since the two became friends so many years ago.

The only time it really changed was the six months or so after they both discharged from the army. While they’d both seen combat, something happened to Bucky that he still refuses to discuss most days. Those were the hardest months of their friendship, but Steve refused to walk away, even when Bucky practically shoved him out the door a few times over.

Their eventual takeover of Bucky’s grandparents’ restaurant helped give them both a new direction and strengthened their friendship into something stronger than before they’d enlisted together.

His thoughts clear as he finishes putting on the shoes Bucky hands him, also in Steve’s size.

“Better?” Steve arches a brow at Bucky in question.

Another thorough once-over has Bucky reaching out and unbuttoning the top button of Steve’s shirt. A quick tug of the collar soon brings a grin to Bucky’s satisfied features. With a nod, he says, “Better. Let’s go win your girl, punk.”

*****

You aren’t left alone for long as Jake and Peter come into the room. While Jake’s carrying several items rather precariously, Peter follows him with flatware in their signature napkin wraps.

The fancy cloth’s colors have changed, you note, from a deep blue to a burgundy red. It’s a sign the steakhouse is gearing up for their fall season. Each season has its specific color as you learned from Nat some time ago. Something started by Bucky’s mom back when she and Bucky’s dad ran the restaurant.

“Hey, Pete, how’s school going?” you ask as the younger man moves out of Jake’s way.

Your gaze briefly leaves Peter’s face to take in the small crystal vase with a mini bouquet of seasonal flowers. Their signature glasses follow it on the table as well as everything else one might need at a steakhouse. The table soon overflows with all the items those in the main dining room have though the table itself is a bit too small to accommodate so much.

Peter pulls your attention back to him, saying, “I graduated a couple months ago. Classes at university aren’t bad though they’re not leaving me as much time to work as I’d like. Mr. Barnes and Mr. Rogers promoted me to server as my graduation gift. They say I earned it.”

“Oh, I have no doubt you did.” You grin at him, quite proud of him. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“It’s okay.” Something in Peter’s voice tells you it’s not really, but he’s also not going to hold it against you.

Hoping to make amends for your absence in some way, you turn to Jake. “Well, maybe I can make it up to you if Jake here doesn’t mind sharing me with you tonight. I’d love to do something for such a momentous occasion, Peter. I know how hard you’ve worked through school and in school.”

Jake nods quite enthusiastically. “Not a problem with me. Nat might complain though.”

“No complaints from me,” Nat calls from the doorway, walking past with some plates from the kitchen. “He should be joining soon. Jensen. Parker, make sure he doesn’t screw this up again.”

“We’re not miracle workers,” Jake quips.

With that, Nat’s gone though you can make out her laughter down the hall.

Turning back to Jake and Peter, you ask, “Who is he? What is he not supposed to screw up?”

The two exchange a glance before Jake clears his throat and mumbles, “Boss Man.”

It might’ve been some time since you’d been at the restaurant, but you know Jake only calls one man that name in this place.

Steve.

You’re not sure what Steve has to do with you or why he’d be joining you. After all, you only made a reservation for yourself. The thought of someone else joining you hadn’t entered your mind.

Yet, you can’t say you don’t like the idea. You, in fact, really like it. It’s been something you’ve wanted for as long as you can remember and every time you’ve come here single. If only he had made a move, then maybe you might believe that he’s interested in you now. Nothing in the few years you’ve known him has hinted that he likes or liked you the way you like him.

Before you can get too far down that rabbit hole, another voice breaks the quiet of the room.

“There’s the most beautiful doll in the world.”

You smile as Bucky enters and pulls you from your seat for a hug.

“We’ve missed you around here. My kitchen staff has suffered dearly with your absence. Lost all their inspiration without your unique combinations.”

Shaking your head, you accept his kiss on your cheek and give him one in return.

“I’m sure you keep them on their toes plenty. It is nice to be back though. I’ve missed you all, too.”

Before he lets you go, he whispers, “If the punk is too dumb to shoot his shot, I just might if it means keeping you around. You light up this place in ways it hasn’t since my ma retired.”

Tears prick at your eyes, but you blink them back.

Leave it to Bucky and the others to make you feel so special even after such a long time being gone. It’s your sincerest hope to never stop coming here, not letting anyone keep you away from somewhere you’ve always felt welcome and wanted.

“You’re very cute,” you whisper back, “but you’re not really my type.”

He chuckles, not offended in the least. It’s not the first time you two have had this conversation. It probably won’t be the last, either, which suits you just fine.

At last, he releases you from his loose hold.

“I should get back to the kitchen. Don’t need Everett or the others to burn it down.”

You shake your head fondly. “Give Curtis more credit than that. He’s a wonderful sous chef, and you’re lucky to have him. I’m glad you took my thoughts to heart where he’s concerned.”

“How could I not? You’ve never led us astray before,” Bucky says, shooting you a wink and a farewell nod. His heavy footsteps can be heard on their way back to the kitchen where he’s always felt his most calm.

When your gaze follows Bucky’s path, it soon collides with the one person you’ve been hoping to see all day.

Your smile grows once more. It’s almost certain your cheeks will be sore in the morning from all the smiling you’ve done this evening. In a breath, you say his name.

“Hey, bijou,” he says, his voice low but warm.

You do your best not to fidget, to seek out any invisible wrinkles in your outfit.

It’s taking everything in you to keep your gaze locked with his even as you take in the navy-blue suit he’s wearing. No tie and the top button unbuttoned does something for him in ways you’re wholly unprepared for. This man is too handsome by half, and he doesn’t even know it. How fair is that to any poor woman who happens upon him?

At last, you find your voice. “You look handsome. Big date?”

He doesn’t get the chance to answer as Nat walks by again. She’s wearing a big smirk when she says, “If he’s not a complete idiot, it is.”

Your confusion isn’t lessening while Steve sends a look at Nat though he relaxes a bit, his voice almost amused. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

“Not only are my tables handled, boss, but I have time to make sure you win your lady.”

You don’t miss the way Nat’s gaze trails to you, her smirk intact, before she returns her attention to Steve.

“Don’t mess it up,” she says, moving away, “boss.”

The offended incredulity on Steve’s face has you fighting laughter. You’ve never seen him quite so put upon and by his staff, no less. It’s not like Bucky doesn’t tease him from time to time as you’ve witnessed. This is the first time though that the rest of the staff has joined in. You honestly can’t help wanting to laugh at the spectacle, even if you don’t quite get what they’re trying to do and what it has to do with you.

Steve seems to shake himself when his gaze finds yours. His throat clears before he finally says, “You are stunning, bijou. Special occasion?”

“Yeah. Celebrating me.” You can’t help the heat that rushes into your cheeks as you say the words. They’re so much easier to consider when you think them, but saying them aloud is something else entirely. You quickly add, “I also really missed this place.”

I missed you.

You manage to keep that thought from spilling out, leaving you open for rejection.

Eager to keep that thought from coming out, you glance around the sparsely decorated room. It’s clear this wasn’t a private dining area before, but no clue exists on what it was before the others must’ve hastily redecorated this space. For what purpose, you can’t say with any certainty.

Yet, there is a hope.

The room might not have much, but it does have enough to appear something cozy, something charming. Maybe a bit more mood lighting, then the others would succeed in whatever they were creating.

When your gaze finally returns to Steve, you swallow.

He remains in the doorway, but the look he has while watching you is something you’re not wholly prepared for. One corner of his mouth is curled upwards while his eyes are soft but focused solely on you. It’s almost like he hasn’t stopped looking at you as you take in the room. That’s a heady sensation indeed for you as you haven’t experienced that ever.

Not any of your exes. Especially not Brock. Not in the way Steve’s doing anyway.

There’s wonder and perhaps longing staring back at you.

It’s that look that compels you to ask, “Would like to join me? I mean, if you don’t have anywhere else to be.”

“I’d really like that if you’re sure you don’t mind,” he says, pushing off the doorway.

You shake your head. “I don’t mind.”

*****

Main Masterlist

[storm-angel989]

🎀IM SORRY FOR BLOWING UP YOUR INBOX! But Val/Vox(idrc which one) x Anorexic Daughter Reader?🎀

PLEASE READ BEFOREHAND

Hi Friend,

You’re not blowing up my inbox- I keep every request in a google doc and when inspo hits I work on it! If I ever decide I won’t do a request I won’t just delete it- I’ll post and say it directly <3 

Preface for this work:

 I’m considered a plus sized equestrian/plus sized human. Eating disorders come in all shapes, sizes and issues. I believe it’s Blythe Barid who said “If you develop an eating disorder when you are already thin to begin with you go to the hospital. If you develop an eating disorder when you are not thin to begin with, you are a success story.”

Stories like these are based on my own experiences and issues- and on this topic, I’ve had quite a few. Please remember that all bodies are worthy of love and respect, care and concern. It's a tough concept to wrap our heads around, and admittedly I still struggle with it. 

A little background info: 

ED’s are a huge part of my writing that I haven’t published. Ana and Mia are characters I have created (or maybe my own food issues created them). Either way, they’re  separate entities for separate stories- demons that I imagine have their own place in hell as well as in my writings (all of which have been in existence far longer than Hazbin). That being said, naming your ED is something I did and I have done. Even for the purpose of writing this story, the entire thing felt wrong without Ana running the behind the scenes. 

With this one I tried to pain the pain, the anger and frustration behind that never feeling good enough feeling. I would be open to doing part two if folks would be interested. Please also know I’ve written on this topic in several other forms if you explore my masterlist (or I can directly send you the links if you PM me). 

<3 Mandy 

I stepped on the bathroom scale and looked at the number that flashed below. The words of my coach echoed in my mind- I needed to lose the summer weight, or else I would be benched for the rest of the season. She had helpfully provided me with a journal to keep track of my weight, what I ate in a day, activities I did and how many calories I burned in accordance with my VoxTech watch. 

A month ago, I had met her goal, thus ending the weekly weigh-ins. According to her, I had lost enough weight to maintain my place on the team. It was on me now to make sure that I maintained that weight, or lost more. In her exact words, you could never be too skinny. 

“Bebita? Breakfast,” my fathers voice called from the hallway. “Come on, before it gets cold.”

The number told me I hadn’t gained weight, but I hadn’t lost weight either. I picked my backpack up and slung it over my shoulder. 

“Sorry, Dad! I’m late! I’ll eat at school, I promise,” I answered back as I rushed out the door. 

Surely skipping breakfast wouldn’t hurt. 

Skipping breakfast turned into skipping lunch. Skipping lunch turned into avoiding dinner. Sugar free jello and skinny pop became my go to snacks as the numbers in my book slowly but surely began to get smaller. Somewhere, a little voice inside my head began to cheer my successes on the scale. Over time, I learned that she had a name. 

Ana. My secret diet partner. My invisible cheerleader. The willpower I needed to keep going on the hardest days. And most importantly, someone who paid attention to me, 

With each passing day, Ana grew louder. She encouraged me to keep my diet a secret from my family. After all, they wouldn’t understand. Pleasing her, it became almost like an addiction- a game I played with myself to see just how little I could become. Food became nothing more than numbers, an obsession that consumed every minute, every second of my thoughts and desires. 

In my household, it wasn’t hard to keep it to myself. Hell, one could argue that I wasn’t technically even keeping it a secret. My father had a very important job, after all. And my Auntie Velvette and Uncle Vox also wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make the connection. A quick, I ate earlier, sorry! And I got off scott free. Ana cheered with each no thank you I uttered. My head between my knees after practice had become a ritualistic practice. Waiting for the black spots to fade, taking deep breaths to try to regain the energy to stand up and walk out to the awaiting limo. It wasn’t like there was anyone waiting at home for me anyway. 

On the daily, I kept a careful eye on my voxtech watch. The first time my blood sugar dropped, I got a call from Vox. Paniced waves rushed through me. A suggestion from Ana to bribe to a friendly tech demon. A brief trade later, I had constant vitals being sent from my watch, my real ones hidden behind a password. With this newfound freedom, outside of homework and practice, my time normally devoted to hobbies or hanging out with friends became time to sleep. After all, I was working on the perfect body. I needed my rest. 

For almost six months, Ana and I were best friends. 

Saturday morning. Game day. One of the busiest days for my father. After all, lust and depravity raked through the weekends like wildfire. Or at least, that was what he claimed. I stood in front of the mirror trying desperately to tighten the drawstring 

“Hey bebita?” I heard my fathers voice call from the hallway. “Baby, are you up?”

“Yeah, Dad. I have a game today,” I snapped as I tied another knot in the string. 

Why the fuck wouldn’t these stupid shorts stay up? I fumed to myself. Every part of my body ached, and even yanking on my shorts sent black spots and exhaustion rushing through my body. I leaned my head against the mirror and tried to take a deep breath. I could do this. I had to do this. 

The next thing I heard was my fathers voice, felt his hand shaking my shoulder. It took every ounce of energy to open my eyes. 

“Bebita? Reader, can you hear me?” Valentino asked frantically. “Princessa, wake up, now!”

“I’m fine,” I muttered as loudly as I could. Somehow, I managed to push myself upright. 

“You most certainly are not fine,” he replied sharply. “I’m taking you downstairs to the doctor, right now.”

Doctor. That meant I would miss the game. No, I had an obligation to my teammates. Somewhere in my head, Ana screamed.

Get up, fatass!

You really want to fuck this up for everyone?

You better not let him take you to the doctor, you do that and you’ll never find perfection. 

“I’m fine,” I growled, louder this time. I pulled myself to my feet and black spots dotted my vision. I felt my fathers arms around me and in seconds, I was off the floor and in his arms.

“Put me down, I can walk,” I tried to yell. Inside my head, Ana screamed louder, demands and insults about my current predicament. I pressed my hands to my head and curled my fingers in my hair, “Dad let me down NOW!” 

He ignored me as he carried me down the hallway. 

“Vox? Velvette? Both of you, with me. Now. We have a problem.” He said loudly. 

“Woah, what’s going….” Vox’s voice began. 

I shoved my hand against my father as he walked through the living room.  To my relief, he set me down on the couch. 

“What?” I snarled as three sets of eyes stared at me. “What the fuck are you looking at?” 

Vox checked his phone and then walked over to me. With one finger, he lifted off my Voxtech watch. 

“Hey! Give that back!” I demanded. “I’m going to be late to my game!”

All three of them ignored me. Wordlessly, Velvette walked away and returned moments later, bathroom scale in hand. She set it infront of the couch and gave me a hard look. 

“Step on.” 

“Fuck you,” I snapped as I stood up. I tried to ignore the black spots that danced just out of sight. “My weight is none of your fucking business.”

“Reader!” Valentino said in dismay. “That’s no way to talk to your Aunt.”

“I’m leaving, I’m already late. Thanks, Dad,” I continued sarcastically as I kicked the scale aside. 

Inside, Ana cheered. I bent down to pick up my backpack and the world around me spun. Three steps,  and Vox’s hand gripped my upper arm. The last thing I heard was Ana’s voice screaming indistinguishable words. 

When I came to again, I found myself in a room of gray and blue. Wires stuck out from my chest, and I tried to cough and spit the feeling of something painful in the back of my throat. I tried to reach up, to shove my fingers down my throat, and my skin met padded white cuffs. 

What the fuck?

You’re going to have to work hard to get yourself out of this one, Ana taunted. Great job getting caught, fatass. 

“Hey, baby, it’s alright, Papi is here,” I heard my father’s voice say somewhere far away. 

“Mr. Valentino, I promise we’ll be in touch when she’s more stable,” a new voice said. “For now, it might be best to give her some space to…”

Indistinguishable arguments. My fathers refusal and reminder of who exactly was in charge here. My Uncle Vox and Aunt Velvette chiming in, a mix of talking him down and agreement. 

Panic shot through me as the haze slowly began to wear away. Realization. Through the fog, only one word came to mind. 

Fuck.

[kikiyoomis]

hehe sorry for the sudden request but I've been really keeping this on my mind for so SO long and like can u pretty please make a fanfic with tsukishima or with any hq character u want with the trope "someone who believes they're hard to love" while the other person "loves them like its breathing" wuhsuehshhehe u get it rigghtt??!!!

tsukishima kei - "i'm hard to love" "loving you is like it's breathing"

you think it's all too good to be true. the way you're casually sitting across your boyfriend who used to be your long time crush since high school on a random tuesday just to have lunch together. the way you're still surprised about the fact that he reciprocated your feelings has your heart fluttering every time you thought about the day you two got together.

but sometimes you think you go overboard with your love. maybe it's because you have loved tsukishima for such a long time that you're just so excited to know that he loves you too. you want to be with him every second of the day, talk to him about everything on you mind and so much more. sometimes at the end of the day, after tsukishima walks you home, you think about whether or not you're too demanding from the relationship.

you want him to love you as easy as it was for you to love him but you can't help but worry about it. this was your first ever serious relationship and you don't want it to end up in flames.

tsukishima doesn't do anything outside of what he needs to do and what he's interested in. but what if your love was too much and he is no longer interested. what if you were too hard to love so he just decides enough is enough one day. you know he won't have any issues with breaking up with you if he can't do it anymore.

and that's what scares you the most.

you look down at the ramen you had ordered for lunch and noticed some extra pieces of meat that you know you didn't order in your bowl. glancing over at tsukishima's bowl you noticed that despite ordering the same ramen, you had twice as much meat and tsukishima has a lack of meat in his bowl.

"did you... give me the meat from your bowl?" you ask cautiously.

tsukishima takes a bite out of his ramen and wipes his mouth before speaking.

"you need the protein more than i do," he says casually, as if it wasn't anything he really thought too much of.

"but you're the athlete... here take my bowl i'll eat yours instead," you say pushing your bowl towards him. tsukishima looks at you almost incredulously.

"but i have my other means of getting protein. you haven't been eating well lately so you should eat it instead."

"you... noticed it?" although it wasn't deliberate, you have been skipping your meals in order to meet your deadlines. but it wasn't anything serious, you just stopped eating lunch nowadays and you've lost your appetite recently so you don't eat much anymore for dinner. just a filling breakfast works well for you.

"how could i not notice? i notice every little thing about you," tsukishima says with a soft smile.

"but..." you want to rebut him but nothing comes to mind.

"but what? it's the something i should do as your boyfriend."

oh, it's something he believes he should do as your boyfriend. maybe you were wearing him out too much...

"y/n, why do you look so sad? is there something bothering you?" tsukishima asks worriedly.

"i'm sorry, i'll take care of myself better so that it won't be a bother to you"

"bother to me? why would it be a bother to me? i just want you to be healthy."

"but it's making more work for you. i know my love is already overbearing so please don-"

"overbearing? who said that?" tsukishima's face grows with concern.

"no one! i just thought that i might be making extra work for you and i know you're already really busy so i don't want to be giving you a hard time on top of that!"

"you're my s/o though, how would this be extra work for me?"

"because i think sometimes i just ask too much of you"

tsukishima has an upset look on his face. you know this is it. the final push. maybe you shouldn't have said anything in the first place. maybe asking him out was already asking for too much.

you stare into your ramen, afraid that you really did mess it all up. there's an awkward silence between you and tsukishima. but while it was quiet between you, there was so much running through your head.

"i had a feeling you thought like that," tsukishima finally says. you feel your heart clench and everything hurts. you don't want to hear the rest of it, not when the best part of your life is coming to a close.

"but i didn't agree to your confession just because. i know i don't show it but i really do love you. i love you so much that i think that what i do for you isn't enough. you make it so easy for me to love you that i think it's easier than breathing."

you look up at him and tsukishima has the softest smile and the gentlest expression you have ever seen on him. he looks like someone who is completely and utterly head over heels in love. it's the first time you've seen him look like this. and to see that he's looking at you...

"but kei, i know i'm hard to love," you mumble.

"says who? who's opinion matters here more than mine?"

you chuckle a little to yourself, happy for his reassurance.

the two of you finish your meal and tsukishima pulls out his wallet to pay. on the way back home, you walk quietly beside him. the silence was comfortable. to be honest, you couldn't stop thinking about what he said earlier at lunch. you can feel yourself getting a little giddy as if you were still crushing on him.

just as you thought about it, a hand makes its way across your back and holding your waist.

"what are you thinking so happily about? it better not be another man," tsukishima says teasingly as he leans over to you so that his head rests on top of yours.

"thank you kei," you smile, leaning into his touch in response.

"i mean it you know. that i love you like it's easier than breathing," a tinge of red spreads across his cheeks and the tips of his ears. pressing a kiss to your forehead, his hand returns back to his side before quickly grabbing a hold of your hand.

[avoxrising]

The Feral One • Ch 20

Finnick x Y/N

Series Masterlist Link

I promise we will get into the timer stuff soon but I have to build up the plot first…

Content Warnings - None!

You wake up to Finnick gone, a note left on his pillow.

Got called into training early. Didn’t want to disturb you. I’ll see you at lunch.

Love,

Your fake husband

Why was he in training so early? He said yesterday that his training wouldn’t start till after breakfast.

Maybe he was upset by what happened last night. Maybe he didn’t enjoy it.

You let your thoughts consume you as you lay in bed, completely skipping breakfast and most of your morning schedule.

A knock on your door pulls you from your thoughts.

“Come in,” you sigh to whoever was waiting. You’re surprised to see Boggs enter.

“Miss Y/L/N, do I need to remind you that you have a schedule to follow?” he asks.

“No,” you yawn. “I’m sorry I lost track of time. What time is it anyways?”

“10:34 AM,” Boggs states. “I’ve been instructed to escort you to your doctor’s checkup, which you are very late to.”

Boggs gives you a minute to dress before he’s escorting you to the hospital. He says Coin isn’t happy that you are already disregarding your schedule and is rethinking your living arrangement.

Prim performs your checkup that morning. She clears you for the day and you make your way to the cafeteria to help with lunch prep.

11:30 rolls around and you finally have a chance to see Finnick. Twelve hours felt too long and you were anxious to face him again. He was sometimes hard to read.

“Hey love,” he says as you sit down next to him with your tray. “How was your morning?”

“Meh,” you shrug. “I got reprimanded by Boggs for not following my schedule. I guess that was a serious rule.”

“Sorry about this morning,” Finnick states. “I would have woken you up when they buzzed for me but you look like you needed the sleep.”

“That’s ok,” you sigh, thinking about how sad you were that he wasn’t there when you woke. “Why did they increase your training?”

“Katniss snuck onto a transport that left late last night for District 2,” he explains. “They’re moving up our deployment timeline.”

“Deployment?” you ask, setting your fork down. “You didn’t tell me they were sending you anywhere.”

“Can we talk about this tonight?” he replies.

“I’m not hungry,” you state, abruptly standing with your tray. Finnick calls out for you as you walk away, needing to escape for a bit.

You end up back at the hospital to talk to Prim.

“Could I get an excuse for the rest of the day?” you ask her. “I’m not feeling well.”

“Oh no! Do you need medicine? What’s not feeling well?” she asks.

“I’ve just had a bad day that’s all,” you shake your head. “I can’t mentally handle a schedule today.”

“Why don’t you go chat with Dr. Aurelius for a bit,” Prim suggests. “He’s available now if you want to see him.”

You had never been in therapy before. Dr. Aurelius seemed nice but you didn’t know if you could trust him. What do therapists even do?

“Nice to meet you Miss Y/L/N,” the man states as he enter the room. “I’m Dr. Aurelius. Why don’t we start with how you’re feeling today?”

“Sad,” you reply, unsure of how to properly convey your emotions.

“Do you know why you feel sad?” he asks. “Or what made you feel this way?”

“District 13 makes me sad,” you state as the man writes something down in his notebook. “I have no autonomy here.”

“They allowed you to get married,” he remarks. “Are you happy about that?”

“Meh,” you shrug. “I mean I love Finnick but it was a fake wedding for a propo that we agreed to do so we could be roommates here in 13. He’s lived with me for 5 years now. I skipped my schedule this morning and Coin is already threatening to make us live separately again.”

“I see,” the man comments. “Do you find schedules restricting?”

“I guess I do,” you respond. “I mean I’ve spent my whole adult life on house arrest so I’ve never really been able to make decisions for myself. Having a schedule feels like someone is telling me what to do all the time.”

“That’s understandable,” he comments. “I can excuse you from your schedule for today but you will need to find a compromise with President Coin. I will provide you with a list of options for your schedule so you can maybe pick out what you want to do. I apologize that the list is limited but it’s the best I can do.”

You take the list and agree to meet with him and Coin in the morning to discuss your schedule. In the mean time he gives you a “mentally unstable” bracelet to excuse you for the rest of the day.

The list seems meh. You had no interest in learning about nuclear weapons or the history of Panem, and cafeteria duty wasn’t necessarily your favorite.

Reflection time rolled around and Finnick enters your shared cabin.

“You skipped dinner,” he comments as he throws you an apple. You reluctantly take it and eat a bit to ease his worry.

“You skipped out on telling me about deployment,” you mutter.

“I’m sorry,” he sighs as he moves to sit next to you. “I just didn’t feel like there was a good time to tell you. I was going to tell you before the wedding but you had your breakdown and I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Where are they sending you?” you ask.

“The capital,” he responds. At this answer you burst into tears.

“You can’t leave me,” you sob. Finnick wishes he could pull you into a hug but he knows better than to touch you when you’re upset.

“It will only be for two weeks,” he states. “Three at most.”

“What if you don’t come back?” you hiccup.

“I’ll always come back for you,” he replies.

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[widowmaxff]

the sour taste

pairings: motherfigure!wanda × fem!reader (platonic)

warnings: ed!!!, bad thoughts, self-deprecating reader, reader sees wanda as a mother figure

a/n: so I accidentally deleted the request for this oneshot but thank you so much to whoever asked! I've never written a character with ed but I really hope you like it ;)

You didn't remember exactly what it was like to have a father or a mother. You don't remember what it was like to have a hug or play with the toys you always dreamed of. Your childhood was made up of tests and bad people at the Hydra base who punished you for every wrong step. Those people appeared in all your nightmares nowadays and it all seemed so real. 

But, you still remember exactly the day the gunshots were loud enough to make your ears hurt, and how the red-haired woman was the first to find you in your cell with your hands around your head trying to muffle the sounds. You remember how she bent down beside you and made you calm down. How her touch made you feel loved again, how her sweet words made you hold on to her and not want to let go anymore. Wanda Maximoff held your hand tightly until you finally arrived at the Avengers Compound.

It took you a while to get used to the people in that place, their laughs, their clothes, their voices. Everything was very strange for you. But with Wanda it was different. She was the only one you let comb your hair, put you under the covers and even the only one you let come close to you. It was obvious that this changed over time, but this connection with Wanda was greater than anyone else in that Compound. Maximoff helped you recover and learn to be a normal person, and teenager, again. But even so, some habits would not change.

Once at the Hydra base, you went more than five days without eating, not because you wanted to, but because you made some minor mistake and they thought the only thing to do was punish you. You remember how your body became too thin, your skin was paler than normal and your hair fell to the floor of the cold and dirty cell you were in. And that was what you did these days to punish yourself.

When you started attending (being forced by the Avengers) school, these self-punishments became even more frequent. You saw how those girls in short skirts with their arms out were totally different from you, you thought. They were thin, very thin. And you... are you. Things got even worse when those same people talked about you, how your body wasn't like theirs. So, you think the problem is you.

The punishments from your childhood, all the bullying you suffered and how you thought about yourself came together into one thing, a big snowball that was thrown at you and made you suffocate until you ran out of air. You felt like that at that moment under the blankets, your eyes red and swollen from crying, your cheeks dry from tears. It was only six in the afternoon that day and your thoughts didn't stop for a single second, about how you deserved to suffer and die of hunger, how you didn't even deserve to be alive.

Most of your days were like this. You skipped breakfast with the excuse of being late for school, you skipped lunch saying you had already eaten at school, you skipped dinner pretending you were asleep when Wanda knocked on your bedroom door. At the birthday parties that Tony Stark threw for everyone in that place, you didn't eat the cake. From the afternoon snacks that Maximoff brought you, you vomited in the bathroom a minute after leaving. So, you tried to change your body, your face, but you always felt like that. You felt disgusting looking at the girl on the other side of the mirror.

And when you heard the knock on your bedroom door, your heart skipped a beat. You knew it was Wanda and now there was nowhere to hide your reddened face, nor the lie of pretending you were asleep. "You can come in." you mutter loud enough for the older woman to hear.

She enters the room, but you still don't look at her. Your body almost melting into the bed makes her worry. Wanda walks lightly towards you, lowering herself to the ground so she can look directly into your eyes. Maximoff had already seen you cry, she had seen it many times. But even so, she worried every time you appeared with your nose red and the corners of your eyes even more so. "Hey, sweetheart." She tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear, waiting for a response from you.

"Just another nightmare." You lie quickly, seeing the expression on Wanda's face become even sweeter. But she knew deep down you were lying. Because every other time those sour dreams haunted you, you turned to her, not even waiting to calm down to run into Wanda's arms and listen to all her sweet words that helped your head.

"I'm so sorry, baby. You know I'll always be here for you, okay?" She murmurs, quickly pulling you into her arms and kissing your forehead. You take a deep breath and rest your head on her shoulder, feeling her hands caressing your back. "What do you think about having dinner? I know you sleep early so I already made your favorite dish." Her voice was so sweet that you almost started crying again, but the words she said felt so hard in your head that even your empty stomach turned.

You couldn't think of a lie that made sense at that moment, and you knew that if you thought too loud around Wanda she would end up discovering things you didn't want her to know. So you just shake your head up and down. She leaves one last kiss on your head and holds your hand so she could guide you towards the kitchen of that large place.

At some moments on that path you feel your legs failing and your head dizzy. You were weak. And Wanda realized that. She immediately stopped when it happened the third time and held your face in her hands, looking straight into your eyes. You knew it was happening because of the lack of food in your stomach, but she couldn't know that. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired." You lie again, losing count of how many times you've had to do that to the woman in front of you, who was just worried.

The expression on Wanda's face let you know she didn't believe you, but you still continued on your way back to the kitchen. The smell of food makes you nauseous. You wanted so much to taste every grain in that dish without feeling guilty, but you knew that was impossible to happen.

You sit on the chair looking directly at the full plate that Wanda prepared with all the care in the world. You touch the cold fork and start stirring the food with it. You can feel Wanda's gaze on you. She knew, you thought. You thought you were hiding it so well. You would have to make her think otherwise, that it was just things in her head. Then, you take a small portion to your mouth, feeling the tears start to burn again in the corners of your eyes. The noise your throat makes when you swallow the food makes you close your eyes tightly, trying to hold back the tears that were insisting on falling. You wouldn't cry in front of Wanda now, not when you didn't want her to find out your secret. You felt so embarrassed.

But when you finally release a sob, Wanda knows that those voices that worried about you in her head were right. She runs towards you and holds you in her arms. At that moment you can no longer control all that feeling that you kept inside you, of all the bad moments and memories that make you feel guilty for having swallowed that small portion. "Oh honey." You hear her voice crack as she pats your head. You start to sob and cry even louder with each passing second, feeling Wanda hold you even tighter. "Shh, it's okay, you're okay."

"I'm so- sorry." You manage to speak through all those feelings being poured across your face.

"There's nothing to apologize for, sweetheart." Wanda kisses your head, feeling your body relaxing with her physical touches. She knew that you never had a mother-daughter experience, and she knew that at that moment all you needed was a mother figure to help you. "Oh, my beautiful girl... it's okay, Mom is here." You were feeling so overwhelmed that you didn't even notice the term Wanda called herself, but it still made your heart warm.

Wanda didn't know if you were ready to talk about all your feelings and she wasn't going to force you to talk, but even so, tears of despair still fell from Maximoff's eyes, wanting to know why you wanted to starve yourself until death.

"I love you so much, baby. Don't forget that." She holds your face with both hands, watching your eyes fill with tears with every word she says. You couldn't speak at that moment, just staring at the older woman in front of you with eyes blurred by tears. "We'll get through this like we always do, okay?"

You can feel Wanda's fingers caress your cheeks, red from crying. "This won't last forever, love, and I'm here every step of the way to help you." She wipes away one of the several tears that fall from her eyes, feeling her body shake. "We'll work together to find healthy ways to approach your relationship with food and I'll help you with whatever you need." You close your eyes again and take a deep breath, continuing to feel Wanda's loving fingers on your face. "We can seek professional help, such as a therapist or nutritionist. Furthermore, I want you to know that our relationship is completely open for you to come and talk to me, yeah? Feeling comfortable sharing your feelings and thoughts will be essential for me to be able to help you."

"Thank you so much, Wands." You murmur, still looking into the woman's deep green eyes.

"I'm so sorry I didn't realize it sooner, my love." She says, now holding your hands as her eyes become shiny from the suppressed crying. You shake your head disagreeing with her, muttering something like 'it's not your fault'.

"What if we start one step at a time?" Wanda murmurs, leaving a tender kiss on your hand. "Today I'm going to help you eat at least half of the plate, what do you think?" You hesitated for a moment, but seeing Wanda with hope in her eyes made you agree to the idea, because you knew she would help you with whatever you needed.

That night everything seemed so different. Wanda managed to distract you from all those dark thoughts inside your head that told you that you weren't enough, that you didn't deserve to be eating. But the woman with red hair made you feel loved, because you are. Wanda makes you smile and feel like a better person in that terrible world, because she loves you. And you knew that she wouldn't give up on you and would help you with even the smallest things with the greatest pride in her eyes, because that's what mothers do.

[lou-struck]

Honesty

Solomon x reader

WC: 2.8k+

~ This is why you aren't supposed to bring food or drink into Solomon’s lab. (or maybe why you should)

Warnings: Potion consumption, reader having a few insecurities, suggestiveness , Solomon overworking himself, food and drink.

A/n: I feel like I'm getting out of this little writing slump. Things have been rough these past few months but I am excited to get back into writing and hopefully making things that you guys enjoy.

Sometimes, when you look at Solomon, you wonder how you and him can both be considered humans. 

He radiates this sort of otherworldly power that you just can’t seem to tear your gaze away from.

While the Devildom contains many mysteries, you have a feeling King Solomon the Wise has just a few more. He teases you with these little mysteries when you are working with him in his workshop. 

They come out as calculated little mutterings that leave you wanting to know more, but he never gives you the whole story…

“I didn’t mean to burn down the Library of Alexandria.”

“You would’ve loved Atlantis.”

“The Illuminati started out as a book club.”

Sometimes, you do wonder if the cunning Sorcerer is just teasing you, but you don’t mind it all that much. His vast history and little mutterings are what makes him so endearing. Truly a creature all his own. 

Solomon is always quick to brush off your questions and praises, directing your attention to one of his most recent experiments. And as you assist him in whatever trouble he is creating, you can’t help but feel as if you are not worthy enough to be at his side as an apprentice or as his love. It’s a small feeling, one that you are able to choke down easier than a bit of his abysmal cooking. 

But your heart locks away what it believes to be the truth…

Solomon is amazing, and you’re just you.

~

Your boots leave little imprints in the dew-covered grass as you cut across the lush lawn of Purgatory Hall; if you weren’t familiar with its inhabitants, you might’ve felt bad about disregarding the well-tended cobblestone pathway just meters away, but due to an unfortunate incident involving Satan and an enchanted flamethrower, you were late for your apprenticeship with Solomon.

It also didn’t help that Luke, the sweet little angel, sent you a text sharing his concerns about the Sorcerer who hasn’t left his laboratory since last night and skipped breakfast and lunch to perform his experiments or whatever it is he does in there. 

Your bag is filled to the brim with all sorts of little snacks and a few bottled juices, the glass bottles clinking suspiciously as you climb the steps of the enormous porch and let yourself in through the front door. 

You don’t even have to think, you’ve been here so many times before you find yourself outside the door of the lab. Save for the sound of shuffling feet and clinking glassware, all is quiet. 

You open the door as quietly as you can and see that Solomon is already hard at work. The Sorcerer is so entranced in his work, grinding some sort of luminous herb into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. He hasn’t even noticed your presence yet.

But boy, do you notice his…

The sleeves of his white lab coat are rolled up to his forearms as he works diligently. Although he has been working non-stop for hours, he doesn’t look tired in the least. His snow-white hair is ruffled, and his skin seems to glow in the light of the bunsen burners. He is truly in his element, and it’s captivating to watch.

“Were you planning on just watching from the doorway, mc?” 

The playfulness in his tone pulls you from your ogling as you step further into the room, inhaling the citrus aroma that wafts through the air. 

“Sorry about that.” you grin half-heartedly. “It’s been a long day, and I guess I zoned out there for a minute.” 

It’s a lie, but one that you deemed necessary for the situation. It’s too embarrassing to be honest all the time. 

“Oh, I see.” His response is short, and your poor ears must still be off in wonderland because they seem to pick up a hint of disappointment in his tone. He tosses his ground herbs into a bubbling mixture that seems to glow a neon orange color. You’re sure there is a better term for it, but It honestly just looks like Sunny D.

“What have you been working on?” you ask, setting your bag down to the right of a crate of glass soda bottles, each full of something different. 

He smiles and gestures around the room. “A bit of everything, I’m afraid. I found this old potion guide at a secondhand bookstore and wanted to see if I could improve the outdated recipes.” 

“All of those?” you ask, realizing that he must’ve made at least fifty or so potions since last night. 

He gives you a proud smile and nods. “I may have gone overboard. At about four in the morning, I realized that I ran out of normal vials, so I had to improvise and use some empty bottles from the kitchen.”

“And did you eat anything while you were down there?” you ask, shooting him a knowing smile. 

“It may have escaped my mind.” he sighs. “Once I start working, there are very few things that can distract me from the task at hand. 

“Then you are lucky I came prepared,” you smile, looking down at your bag of snacks. “Wanna take a break and tell me about some of them?”

“You know me too well,” he sighs, teasingly approaching you and wrapping his arm around you. “So, what’s on the menu today?”

Your skin heats up under his touch, but you remain composed. You hide the shake in your hand as you reach into your bag and pull out two glass bottles of cheap Demonus. You like this particular variety because it looks like bright grape juice, and it may just be a placebo, but you think it tastes a bit like it, too. 

“Oh, drinking in the lab, are we?” he teases, twisting off the cap to his bottle as the liquid fizzles. “I suppose that’s alright for today since I didn’t make anything lethal.”

Your eyes land back on the crate of similar-looking bottles next to you. “What about these? Are you sure they are safe?”

“Boringly so,” he frowns, removing the first glass bottle from the crate and removing the cap for you to smell its contents. 

The Mint colored liquid smells oddly enough like Black licorice when you inhale it. “It smells good; what does it do?”

“This one here was originally designed to turn your fingertips silver; I tweaked the recipe to only target the drinker’s nail beds.” He explains, a smile tugging at his features when he sees the natural curiosity and wonder on your features. “It’s not permanent, but I thought it would be interesting to see it used cosmetically.”

You’ve only been in the Devildom for a short time, but you are sure there aren’t many individuals who are able to grasp magic as easily as Solomon can. His brown-blue eyes look ethereal as they shine from his passion. 

He’s Amazing

Brilliant

and far too handsome for his own good. 

As much as you wish to compliment him on each and every one of these things until your voice becomes hoarse, that little bit of insecurity masked as self-preservation holds your tongue. Opting instead to take a sip of your Demonus, the sweet taste distracts you from the wonder that is Solomon enough so you can think of a less embarrassing response. The sugar seems to help, and you set the bottle back on the table. 

“That’s so cool,” you say at last with true enthusiasm. You are unable to hide your curiosity as your eyes dart back to the crate of potions. 

“Still curious?” he asks as you nod eagerly; he sets the fist bottle back into its slot and grabs another; he removes the cap and swirls the purple liquid around just as he did to the other one.

“Here, smell this one,” he says, gently holding the bottle out to you. Just as you were about to smell the potion, your attention was stolen by a fizzling sound. Both of your heads jolt towards the source and see that the cauldron he had been working with earlier fizzles out of control as a fluffy of electrically charged multicolored bubbles pop in the air. 

“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” he states, setting the uncorked potion down and rushing over to lower the cauldron's heat and stop the potion overflow. “I hope the heat doesn’t alter the potion’s effects too drastically.”

“What kind of potion was that?” you call over as he carefully stirs the mixture.

“Nothing special,” he murmurs, “it just turns body hair into miniature porcupine quills; I’m planning on using this later, so it would be a shame if it were to be ruined.”

His response sends you into an ugly fit of laughter that has you choking on air. You reach for your juice on the table and take a deep swig to soothe your throat and save yourself from further embarrassment, but as the liquid reaches your lips, you notice that something tastes off. 

Instead of the sweet fruity taste of demonus your tastebuds are assulted with this dry sourness with just a hint of bubblegum. 

“This tastes like shit,” you find yourself saying. Your brows furrow from your little slip of the tongue, and you hope Solomon is too focused on stirring the cauldron to notice your little slip-up. 

But his eyes are on you, a twinkle of amusement on his features as he takes in every inch of you. The attention is nice, but it makes you feel a bit flustered. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Your tone is much firmer than you anticipated. It’s almost as if you are scolding the Sorcerer.

He raises his eyebrows, that signature smirk never leaving his face. “Take a look at your hand. It appears you made a mistake.”

You look down and see that he is right. Instead of your Demonus, it seems you had mistakenly gulped down a large portion of whatever purple potion Solomon was about to show you.

Your heart drops into your already unsettled stomach. “Oh my god, am I gonna die?” you mutter aloud, breaking your mental dam and flooding the room with worried word vomit. “Solomon, why on earth would you make a potion in such a normal-looking bottle? Did you do this on purpose? I’m such an idiot around you, and I hate that you have to see me as such a screw-up.” “Am I going to die?”

“If I die, I’m going to ruin the exchange program, and Diavolo will be upset with me. And do you know how bad it is to piss off the prince of hell?”

“I don’t, but I’ll certainly find out soon.”

Solomon processes your frantic word vomit quickly and comes to your aid. He places both his hands on your shoulders to prevent you from pacing across the room. “Mc, listen to me. The potion is harmless, I promise.”

“What?” you pause and look at him carefully. He looks calm, but in his eyes, his pretty, pretty eyes are a look of concern for you. 

“Heh, your eyes are pretty, did you know that?” you ask him, only to panic about your lack of a filter. 

“What?”

“Wait?”

“Why am I saying such embarrassing things out loud?” your face feels hot in shame as Solomon’s cheeks turn pink at your words, and he averts his gaze briefly before collecting himself. 

“So, have you figured out what the potion does yet?” he chuckles, hands still holding your shoulders.

“Is it a potion that makes me embarrass myself to death?” you quip 

“Not quite.” he chuckles, “What you just drank is a special kind of truth potion.”

“How is it special?” you ask, allowing him to guide you to one of the chairs in his lab. 

He beams, and you feel your heart tighten in your chest. 

“This little potion just makes you say what’s on your mind; it removes one’s filter, making for quite a chaotic conversation.” he hums, somehow still keeping the innocence on his face. “It’s not really useful for interrogations or anything like that, but I had planned on slipping it in at our next dinner together at the House of Lamination for a bit of entertainment.”

“That would be funny,” you say unabashedly, already dreaming up the chaos that would ensue if each of the brothers just spouted off whatever came to their mind. “But how long am I stuck like this?” 

He checks his pocket watch, “Don’t worry,” the results should wear off in a few hours or so, so hang tight. It may be best for you to stay with me tonight so I can observe these effects up close.”

“That’s a cute way of saying you just want to use me as your guinea pig.” you huff, shifting in your chair. “But if it means I get to spend some more time with you, that is a good thing.”

Despite the blush on his cheeks, Solomon remains composed. “Is that so?” he teases. “Do you really enjoy my company that much?”

Your loose tongue only makes you feel more emboldened as you answer that flirty little question of his. “I do.” 

“Then may I tell you a secret, Mc?” He smiles as you nod without hesitation. The potion affecting more than just your speech. “I think I enjoy your company far more than you enjoy mine.”

Your eyes find that all too interesting ground at his sweet words. “That’s impossible, you’re incredible, Solomon. Compared to you, I feel like such a disappointment down here.”

The Sorcerer’s snowy brow furrows in disbelief as you spill another troubling confession. 

“If that’s what it takes to convince you just how much I love you, then I suppose you leave me with no other choice.” he sighs, grabbing the half-empty potion bottle and downing it in one greedy gulp. 

Your eyes widen, and you reach for his wrist, but you’re too slow to stop him. “Sol, what are you doing?”

“Just telling you what you need to hear.” he grimaces as the foul taste of the potion dances on his tongue. “Wow, this really does taste foul, doesn’t it? I’ll have to tweak this recipe for sure if I’m going to use it later.” 

He sets the now-empty bottle back onto the countertop and looks at you with sincerity. “It hurts to hear you talk about yourself like you mean nothing.” he pauses and places his hands on your shoulders, and you wonder when they started trembling. “You are the most incredible individual I have ever met. You’re kind, sweet, caring, and and strong. You make me feel human.”

His word vomit differs from yours. Yours was panic, shame, and insecurity. His is honest-to-goodness love. You aren’t going to acknowledge the tears that spill from your glassy eyes. But you do know that he is right. You’re too cruel to yourself. 

“I love you, Sol. Thank you for being honest with me.”

“It’s not like I had much of a choice on the matter.” he smiles, leaning over you and brushing away a tear track from your warm cheek with the pad of his thumb. “But whenever you want me to tell you how I feel, all you have to do is ask.”

A smile tugs at your lips, and you lean forward in your seat. Your gaze never leaving his soft pink lips that hover temptingly above you. “Then will you show me?”

He smiles, his pearly whites shining like the moon, before crouching down to your eye level. His hands on either one of the arms rest as he leans in. “A million times over.”

He leans in and steals your breath away in the most honest exchange between the two of you all day. Your eyes flutter shut as your mind begins to swirl from the presence of the man who loves you. You can’t help but think about how honest this silence between the two of you is. 

You stay locked in this passionate embrace until the lack of air burning your lungs reminds the two of you of the limits of your humanity. 

It’s comfortable silence again, and Solomon looks at you as if he had just witnessed you paint all the constellations in the forever dark devildom sky.

It’s endearing, but thanks to this wonderful little accident, you have been presented with quite an interesting opportunity.

“Hey, Sol?”

“Yes, Mc?”

“Since you drank the potion too, I guess you have to tell me the whole Atlantis thing now.” you giggle playfully, ruffling his hair. 

His laughter is pleasant as he removes your hand from his head and kisses the back of it softly. 

“That’s not how this potion works, my dear,” he grins, watching your lip just out in a pout as you remember his words from earlier.

He’ll tell you everything one day, but for now, all Solomon wants to do while waiting for this little truth potion to wear off is to voice his plans for the future with you, not think about his past life without you. 

Tagging: @enchantedforest-network

[lemoncrushh]

Running on Empty

Summary: An unfortunate incident at the gym

Warnings: None, just a PSA - Never workout on an empty stomach.

Word Count: 1185

A/N: Harry x reader AU. Originally an OC but has been edited. From my 2017 collection.

Harry was a new guy at your gym. You hadn't been going as regularly as you should have, but once he started coming a few weeks ago, you made it a point to keep up with your workouts. He was gorgeous, to say the least. Not your typical buff, gym type guy. But really attractive with a killer smile.

So far your exchange had merely been a few hellos and nods of the head. But you were determined to get his attention. You can assure yourself however, what ended up happening was not your intent.

You'd skipped lunch that day, having only a bagel for breakfast and a handful of jellybeans that you'd grabbed from your co-worker's desk when your boss had asked if you could stay to help set up the conference room for an important meeting. You could have (and should have) easily gotten a sandwich at the deli before heading to the gym, but you only had an hour, and you knew Harry would most likely already be there. It was pathetic how you'd memorized his schedule, this man that you barely knew.

He was already at the weight bench when you left the locker room. Walking past him, you could see the beads of sweat forming on his upper lip and arms, his t-shirt nearly soaked through. He groaned low as he lifted the bar, his muscles flexing. Sighing deeply, but low enough you hoped that he didn't hear you, you took your usual place at the treadmill, popping your earbuds in and setting your water bottle in its cubby. Choosing one of your workout playlists, you began warming up at a steady walking pace. As the songs progressed into faster tempos, so did your walking and soon you was at a jogging pace, your heart rate up.

Lost in your music, you didn't notice Harry had gotten up from the bench until he was beside you, wiping his face with a towel, your eyes connecting.

"Hello," he grinned. Good grief, he had a great smile.

"Hi."

You watched as he took a stance on the treadmill next to yours. He said something else then that you couldn't quite make out with your music blaring, so you pulled out an earbud.

"Sorry?"

"I said, I've seen you here before a few times."

"Oh. Yeah." You didn't know what else to say. You'd rehearsed several scenarios in your head, but at the moment you were breathing too hard to make actual conversation.

"I'm Harry," he said.

"Y/N," you replied, though you was sure it sounded more like a breathy mess.

"Good to meet you," he smiled again, making your heart race more than it already was.

Grabbing your water bottle, you took a long drink, emptying almost half of it. The next song that came on was clocked at an even faster bpm, so you sped up the speed of the treadmill. Now at a running pace, you felt the sweat drip down the back of your neck and between your breasts. Your breaths were hard but steady as you made sure you could handle it. There had been days when running was a breeze, and you'd feel exhilarated from pushing yourself to the limit. But because you hadn't been keeping up with your usual routine, and probably because you hadn't eaten, you could already feel your body resisting. You felt like your heart was beating out of your chest. You slowed the speed just slightly as you felt yourself getting light-headed.

"Hey, you okay?" you heard to your left.

You turned your head to Harry to looked concerned. Unable to speak, you nodded.

"You might wanna slow down," he gestured to the treadmill console.

You nodded again and did as he suggested. When you found a slower, jogging pace, you started to feel a little better, your breathing even once again. You held on to the bar this time, something you didn't normally do in order to regain the feeling in your legs which had seemed to go numb. You weren't sure how you'd even managed to run at all. It was as though you had phantom limbs that moved at their own will.

Finally, your playlist came full circle, a U2 song finishing out what you knew was the end of your workout. You walked for the remaining time, guzzling the last of your water.

Stepping off the treadmill, you immediately felt woozy. Blinking hard, careful not to get sweat in your eyes, you reached for your towel and wiped them. That was when two things seemed to happen both simultaneously and in slow motion. You saw Harry step off his treadmill and walk towards you, and everything went black.

"Y/N!"

You could hear a voice calling your name, and it sounded familiar but far away. You were probably dreaming.

"Y/N!" he called again.

Ouch, you thought. That light was too bright.

"C'mon, love, open your eyes."

His honey-like voice soothed you and you blinked, allowing the irritating light to shine in your eyes. That was when you saw his face, hovering over you like a guardian angel. His chest fell as he let out a sigh of relief.

"She's coming to," he relayed to someone behind him.

"Um..." you swallowed hard, your throat suddenly dry. "What happened?"

"You fainted, straight into my arms."

You groaned, lifting your hand to your head which you realized was throbbing.

"You know," he added with a smirk, "if you wanted my attention, you didn't have to go to such extremes."

"Oh God," you mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I just wanna make sure you're okay."

You stared at him for a moment before someone else appeared above your head and knelt down beside you.

"Miss, do you need a doctor?" the second man asked.

"No," you replied. "I think I just passed out. I'll be fine."

"Can you sit up?"

You realized then that Harry still had his arms around you. You nodded and allowed him to help you sit as you felt the blood rush to your head.

"Oh," you groaned again.

The other man handed you a bottle of what looked to be a sports drink. You took it from him and drank a large gulp, feeling it immediately run through your veins.

"You sure you don't need a doctor or an ambulance?"

You looked at him and shook your head. "No. It's fine."

The man nodded and patted your back. "Sit for as long as you need." Then he turned to Harry. "Don't let her make any sudden moves until she's ready."

"Yes, sir."

When the man walked away, Harry took your hand.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Not really, but I will be."

"Did you eat anything today?"

You let out a breath. "Very little."

"Are you diabetic?"

"No. Just overworked I suppose."

Harry shut his eyes and shook his head. "When you're ready, I'll help you stand," he offered. "Then I'm taking you to lunch."

You smiled gently. "You are?"

"Well...it wasn't how I was planning to ask you out. But it'll do."

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[redcoralpot]

Smudged (3) Rodrick Heffley X M! Reader

Anddd it's here!

Warnings: Mentioned eating disorder otherwise not specified.

Summary: You were busy enough in life, too busy for what school planned to throw at you; at everyone. A boy you know well seemed to come up with an idea to manage that.

Word Count: 2.7K

-

A white pillowcase smashed against a mess of blonde hair, “Get up.”

Heather’s eyes scrunched up, her first action of the day being to glare at you with an unreasonable amount of venom. The sky outside was just starting to shine through the blinds in her bedroom, clashing against the pink theme of it all. She was never quite the morning person, but frankly, waking her and Holly up was simply your duty; it has been since it was just the two of you.

“School’s been in for two weeks, you should be used to this by now,” you snickered, backing away from the bed.

“Get out of my room!”

That was the only warning you got before she initiated her revenge, sending the poor, soft pillow flying once again. You balanced onto your toes as you shut the door as quickly as you could; the only proof that the object hit the target was the loud thump on the thin wood, “Be careful not to mess up your precious cotton pillowcases!”

“They’re satin, you freak,” Heather yelled, echoing in the hallway you retreated down.

Holly’s room was the second farthest away from yours, only being beat by your parents’. The only thing that separated it from the rest of the house was a tie-dyed sheet; her choice, of course. With careful fingers, you peeked inside, seeing your little sister shifting and groaning in her blankets.

Softly, “It’s time to wake up, I got your favorite cereal downstairs.”

She shot up, staring at you with wide eyes, “Really?”

“Of course I did! Not a day goes by where I don’t spoil my favorite little sister, now does it?”

You disappeared back behind the sheets when she scrambled out of bed, eager to get dressed. The stairs groaned underneath your covered feet, almost as if they were as unenthusiastic about the day as you were. Both of your parents leave for work earlier than most now that Holly was old enough to be left alone with her older siblings, but because Heather rendered herself helpless in the morning, the role of caretaker was left to you. 

All three of you have to leave for school at seven, so you wake your siblings up to greet the morning at six o’clock sharp, no more, no less. You as yourself get up an hour earlier in order to gather your own things, pack lunches, pack Holly’s bag, and have time for yourself. It was exhausting, always, but it was worth it to see the two of them shine.

The kitchen was adjacent to the dining room, with warm lighting to start the morning off in the right mood. You dug your fingers into the cardboard seal on the cereal before popping open the plastic bag inside, not bothering to use scissors. It never spilled everywhere, after all. As you heard Holly’s light footsteps swirling down the stairs, you shook a serving into a ceramic bowl, setting it beside a cup of milk on the usual table. Heather never ate breakfast, and no matter how hard you tried, she insisted that she needed to skip in order to keep up with her dream body. If you pushed it, she snapped.

When Holly finally appeared and slid into her seat, you sat in a chair beside her, “How’re classes going? I heard this is the year you finally start switching classrooms for periods.”

“They’re going good, I guess.” She sighed, pouring the milk into her breakfast, “My teacher for English already handed out the project prompts for this year, but I don’t wanna do it.”

“Wait, wait, what the hell? Already?”

“You haven’t gotten yours yet?”

“No, not in my school. Isn’t it against the rules to get a head start?”

“It was only a day before you, so I don’t think so,” she grumbled, mouth full.

“Well, it should be.”

“Nobody’s started working on it yet.”

You threw your hands up in the air, laughing, “Still!”

Over the oven, the clock blinked at you. You ruffled Holly’s hair, while she turned her head towards you, adorned with a milky mustache, “We have to get going soon, your stuff’s leaning on the door.”

She jumped out of her chair, running to the bottom of the stairs to call upwards, “Heather! We gotta go!”

“I just need five more minutes to finish getting ready,” Heather replied, half silenced by the sound of the bowls settling into the sink.

“Nuh-uh, we have to go now!”

Holly shuffled her shoes on, sitting down to tie them neatly. Your twin hurried down the stairs, squishing past the other girl on the way down, flipping her hair behind her back. She opened the door, and shivered as the early chill seeped into her bones. Heather grabbed her bag alongside Holly’s, practically throwing it in the car before placing her own down in the backseat. You double checked the oven, lights, and sinks, before shoving Holly out the door and locking it behind you. Heather called shotgun, therefore Holly had to squish herself in between everyone’s backpacks. The car started with a weak, stumbling roar, and you were on your way.

The world was only just starting to wake up in a blur outside the windows as the voice of a young woman sang throughout your vehicle, interrupted with the occasional tapping of Heather texting her friends. She never stopped keeping up with her social life, it seemed. However, while everyone else was lost in thought, one thing stuck in your mind.

“Hey, did you get your prompt?” you said, glancing at the girl beside you.

Heather did not even look up from her screen, “Duh. You haven’t?”

“Ugh.”

“So… that’s a no.”

As you pulled into the parking lot of the school, lined behind an endless row of cars, she smacked you in the arm, “Why are you in the drop-off line? I’m driving the girls to the mall after school today, I told you last night.”

“Okay, okay,” you hissed, turning the wheel, “you didn’t have to hit me!”

“Don’t get a spot too far from the school, either!”

Your car slowed to a stop and powered off, as you slipped the key out and handed it to Heather, “I’ll kill you if you lose that– now both of you, shoo! Get out!”

Its doors were slammed shut, and it locked with a beep. You leaned against the hood of the vehicle, watching carefully as your two sisters entered the school. It was a plain-looking building, which the school pathetically attempted to fix with a few colorful flower bushes. The air around you was silent, as quiet as a parking lot could be, and you turned to walk the rest of the way to your school building. Yet, before you could step any farther, a white van screeched past. Deafening music screamed out; it was distorted from how roughly the driver was maneuvering potholes. Oh, how bad you felt for the passengers, did the driver even have a license? You shook your head, glad that you had the sense to keep an eye on your sisters.

The school you went to was not far away, simply a few buildings down the opposite side of the street. Due to their close proximity, they were always competing in everything; from student count, finances, even to awards. So much so that they had devised a competition to be held between the schools each year to contribute to the state curriculum. It was annual, of course, and every single one of the projects made would be showcased and judged based on a variety of categories. Whichever school gets on the podium the most, well, you get the point. That doesn’t mean it’s not a pain in the ass, however.

The day went quicker than usual, with you patiently awaiting the class of which you would get your prompt and category; English. You were set on it enough that even Daniel noticed, poking and picking at you the entire day, finding time to do it in the hallways when you did not have classes together. He reached his hand back towards you, fingers making a crude attempt at stealing your eraser.

You slapped it away as the bell rang, the seats in the classroom filled, “What’re you doing?”

“Lightening the mood, ever heard of it?” he whispered back, craning his neck to look at you.

Students around the two of you were passing papers back, the teacher’s eyes glaring holes into Daniel’s head. He squeaked, taking his prompt, and proceeded to throw the slip of paper behind him. It fluttered in the air, and came to a rest on the top of your nose. He earned two more holes being burned into him as it slid gracefully off of the tip. For revenge, you leaned forward, your hand hovering over a stray lock of Daniel’s hair. He had opened his own paper, shoulders scrunched, and you yanked the strand in favor of reading it.

He yelped while you raised an eyebrow, “Tree vandalism, huh?”

“What the fuck, dude,” More groans arose from the class around you, “what did I do?”

“You know what you did.”

“Ms. Kawiti already avenged you with whatever this is, please do tell me what tree vandalism is!” He rolled his eyes.

“Well, what’s the category?”

“Environmental Science– I hate that class, you don’t understand.”

You slouched against your desktop, “Loser. I bet they chose that on purpose.”

“If you’re so confident, why don’t you open yours?”

“I was getting to it!”

Daniel scooched his chair around, almost unheard in the chatter-filled room, when you thumbed the slip open. Percussion; musical. Ah, yes, now you could understand the reaction of everyone else. It felt like the administration grouped together all of the staff to give all of the students the worst prompts imaginable, even the janitor. Even God himself knows that the janitor hates them all, rightfully. Perhaps this was his plan to avenge himself and any of the past janitors as well, after a decade of working there. Perhaps you could plead for mercy, even as the class around you fell silent.

He squinted his eyes, attempting to read it upside down, “That isn’t too bad, unlike something someone got.”

“Since when can you read like that?”

“Since now,” Daniel said.

You scoffed, crumpling the paper and tossing it in your bag, “I don’t even know anything about percussion.”

“Well, the whole point is to research a topic, so,” he waved his own, “Google it, go to the library, pay the music teacher a visit for the first time this year. At least you get to have fun with yours!”

“Yeah, true, I won’t be stuck studying trees.” At that, Daniel stuck up his middle finger, scowling. 

A singular finger tapped his shoulder, a ring adorning it. You hid a smile behind your hand as Daniel slowly turned, getting tenser with each second that passed. His eyes followed the figure upward, until they finally met her own. Ms. Kawiti, in all her glory, stood firm in front of his desk with pursed lips; an action that gave you a better look of the tattoo of which ran down the bottom of her lips to her chin.

“Class was dismissed five minutes ago, boys. And Mr. Ivanov, if I see that behavior in my classroom again, I won’t hesitate to give you detention.”

Daniel shrunk in his seat, “Yes, ma’am, understood.”

She strolled to the front of the classroom, and busied herself with a stack of papers. He wasted no time shoving his materials into his backpack, heaving it onto his shoulder, and most likely busting the door hinges with how fast he ran out. You allowed yourself to remove your hand from your mouth, snickering. As you got up to follow your friend, the teacher looked up from her papers with a certain twinkle in her eye.

“Remember that working with another student is prohibited; have a nice day.” As you slipped out of the classroom at last.

Daniel was waiting for you outside, and trailed behind you as you appeared. He grabbed a string on your bag, per usual, in order to not lose you in the waves of students crashing into the both of you. You pulled him along, leading him to the quickly emptying rows of lockers in the hallway. This is where the pressure on your backpack stopped, and Daniel slammed open his door. The lock holding yours open clicked under your fingers, allowing you to dump the contents of your bag inside while its pins shook. 

He loudly asked, “Is it just me, or is she horribly strict?”

“Every teacher is strict to you, dude, you just hate school.” You hissed, “If anything, Ms. Kawiti is the least strict teacher that we’ve ever had.”

“She did let me off with a warning for flipping you off instead of detention.”

You smacked his back, “You’re one lucky man, Daniel. She won’t let you off that easily next time.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

He zipped up his bag, hitting you with it as he tugged it on. You made a face at him, only to see him smirking at you, before darting down the hall and towards the two large exit doors. Your jaw tightened, teeth grinding against one another. Even as you chased him from a distance, you could hear his cackles only getting louder as you started to close it, reaching out a hand to grab him by the collar. Daniel knew he couldn’t outrun you; he never once had beaten you in mandatory track practices in middle school, much less now. He lasted a grand total of thirty-two seconds before you seized him by the back of his neck, a mere foot from the doors. 

“You lost.”

Daniel cursed, “I have a heavier bag than you, of course I did!”

“Excuses, excuses.” You flicked his nose before setting him on the ground outside of the building, joining him shortly. The last thing you wanted was to pay a visit to the principal’s office simply because a teacher saw you playing. 

As you slid down the railing, accompanying the boy jumping down the stairs, he said, “Where’s your car? Aren’t you driving home today?”

“Nah, man. Heather wanted to take the girls and Holly out to the mall.”

“I could drive you home, if you want.”

You huffed, “No thanks, wouldn’t wanna be a bother.”

Daniel held his hands high in the air, backing away towards his car, “If you say so.”

“See you tomorrow, tell me how the research goes.”

“You better text me when you get home, don’t make me wait until math in the morning to see if you got kidnapped!” he yelled, slamming his door shut and peeking out the window.

Instead of answering, you stuck out your tongue at him as the engine roared. Really, you could have sworn he flipped you off again before pulling out of the lot, speeding off until you would be able to see him the next day. You chuckled, shifting the weight of your bag onto your other shoulder, starting onto your journey home. Heather and Holly should both be out of school by now, despite the fact that your school releases earlier than theirs, and should be on their way to the mall. You can’t steal the car back now, can you?

That is all you could think about as you crossed the street, running across the sections where cars were lined, peering at the entrance in hopes of seeing your siblings. Instead, you could only see a puff of brown hair hurtling towards you before a body hit you, an arm curling around your neck and spinning you around. You hurled over, trying to throw the person off of you, not wanting to take Daniel’s words seriously. A grunt and a smack rang out as he hit the floor; you stumbled a few steps back. 

A cough, “What was that for?” Rodrick spluttered.

You exhaled in a hurry, “Oh my god, it’s you.”

“Of course it’s me, who else would it be?”

“A kidnapper,” you responded dumbly.

He rolled onto his hands and knees, shaking as he staggered onto his feet once again, “Damn, I just wanted to say hi.”

“What part of hi requires you to jump on me?”

“The friendly part, duh.”

You stayed silent, looking at him with furrowed eyebrows. He seemed to pick up on your mood, scratching the back of his neck, his voice still hoarse from the fall. 

“I need you to do a favor for me.”

-

[xzaddyzanakinx]

So like i'm chronically ill and i suffer a lot from pain and fatigue and it can get really disheartening and demotivating at times.

How do you think Anakin would act with a chronically ill partner?

I’m not too well versed on any chronic illnesses other than POTS (family member has it)

But thinking of her/her symptoms/issues here’s what I came up with:

You wake up stiff and and your joints just don’t seem to work properly? Anakin will be late to work just so he can get your heating pad, your coffee and breakfast, along with some snacks for later. He’ll be so sweet and give extra cuddles before he puts on some bio-freeze for you (he hates the smell but he loves you so it’s worth it)

You’ve had a great day, a productive day, so good that you made plans… and now you have to cancel them. He understands, he likes being home and cozy on the couch with you better than being out in public anyway. He’s secretly happy that he gets to skip out on drinks at the bar with your friends, that means he has you all to himself.

You promised you’d fold the laundry and do the dishes before he got home from work, but you only got halfway through before you had to take a break… that small break turned into four hours. Anakin doesn’t mind, he’s just happy you are taking care of yourself and letting yourself rest when you need to. He hates it when you push yourself too hard and you end up worse off.

He takes you to all of your doctors appointments, he takes off work the full day if he can. He knows appointments are stressful for you (they stress him out too). Anakin will make a full day out of it. Coffee and donuts for breakfast, lunch at your favorite place after. If it’s a long distance appointment he packs you a bag for the car ride full of: snacks, water (no soda or juice bc he has to force feed you water; he knows you don’t drink enough when he’s not home!!!), a book, your headphones, chargers, fidget toys, and most importantly Hot Hands bc you can’t have your heated blanket in the truck😕

Your pain is 10/10 and you can’t even pick up the phone to call him like you do every day on his lunch break. He’s immediately on his way home, if he’s not there already. Anakin has anxiety through the roof when you don’t respond to texts so you miss three? He’s coming home asap. You don’t answer a call? You best believe he’s leaving work without a second thought, he’s not wasting a moment to even tell his superiors he’s leaving.

He manages all your meds for you.

He makes all your appointments and keeps them neatly on the fridge calendar.

He surprises you with little treats as much as possible.

Anakin’s a homebody, he enjoys the comforts of your shared space, so even your hospital stays are treated like nights at home. He brings all your favorite things, doesn’t matter if it’s a one night stay. He’s bringing your pillow, your blanket, stuffies…

He knows more about your illness than the doctors at this point. He’s basically a specialist. Countless hours of research and learning not only to understand it better, but also to help you cope.

He keeps a record of all your appointments in a binder to track your medical progresses/declines.

He helps you get a service dog, he’s so good at redirecting/educating people in public when they get too close or try to pet them.

[fairyniceyeah]

⌛🦊I don’t wanna stop until the break of dawn

Title from IT’s You (ATEEZ)

Summary: Wooyoung is sick, again. Seonghwa corners him only to find him burning up and overwhelmed.

CW: mentions of death

Sickie: Wooyoung Caretaker: Seonghwa

“Wooyoungie, stop.” Seonghwa sighed, looking at his dongsaeng through the mirror. His face was full of worry and a hint of disappointment.

Wooyoung slumped into himself, bracing himself on the sink. With Seonghwa cornering him in the bathroom across their dance practice room, he knew he was doomed.

“Hyung”, he acknowledged the elder and bent down to wash his face with the cool water. It gave him a second longer to compose himself. Though he was slowly doubting that there was anything left of him to piece back together, he felt so frayed.

He had been slacking in his duties, he was well aware, even though he had tried his best. But he was so so tired. 

Normally he was the loudest member of ATEEZ. It was just a fact of life, like how Hongjoong was the clumsiest person alive and Yunho was just an overgrown, human puppy. He also knew that none of his members minded, in fact he had been told on several occasions by some of the quieter members (namely Yeosang, San and Jongho) that it was a relief to have him so the attention was off of them, especially when tired and running on no sleep. 

ATINY sometimes joked that he was whiny and … well, maybe he was? Seonghwa and Hongjoong did joke about that too, but in a very kind and appreciative way. They didn’t mind and they liked taking care of him, right? Seonghwa said that Wooyoung was easy to love and Wooyoung was proud that he had managed to crack the walls that Hongjoong had built around himself in an attempt to fulfill what he perceived was the role of the captain.

So they didn’t mind focusing their attention on him, right? Wooyoung was the second youngest and with Jongho not quite happy with the typical maknae agenda, most attention was on Wooyoung. He knew that the older members liked taking care of him, even Mingi who liked acting like he was the maknae too.

Still, he wondered if he sometimes wasn’t too much? It wouldn’t be the first time that people would call him that, childhood friends and bullies alike had called him that. And the eldest had so much on their plates - he couldn’t take all the attention. 

Besides, he had missed so many schedules already due to his diagnosis of cholinergic urticaria earlier in the year. So many things had to be accommodated for him and he couldn’t help but feel … useless? Everybody was going forward in their careers and he himself was falling behind, falling backwards. It was only a matter of time before he was left behind in their shining glory.

So yeah, he had been quiet the past days, finding no energy to be active. No energy to bother his hyungs and their maknae in good spirit. It was exhausting enough to just quietly follow the schedule and hope that nobody noticed he was unwell again. 

For days Wooyoung had been simultaneously hot and cold, sweating and shivering at the same time. His body was aching like he had been through the worst dance practice ever (which he hadn’t - the past days they had been doing vocal training, so there was no reason for his muscles to be this sore). He was tired, even after eight hours of sleep, much more than he normally got around this time of year but everybody had been too busy to notice him skipping dinner in order to get to sleep sooner and skip breakfast in order to sleep longer. Still, despite not having eaten since lunch the day before he wasn’t hungry at all, the opposite really. Above all, the worst was the headache pulsing through his temples.

But all of that didn’t mean he couldn’t just stop working. There was so much to do. So much he had to catch up to. He owed it to his hard-working members.

Yet, when he resurfaced from the sink, Seonghwa had a frown of concern on his face, not a frown of anger. 

“We all know you’re sick, Young-ah”, his hyung then said, crossing the room to place a hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder. “You don’t have to keep going. We tried to pretend for your sake that we didn’t notice the last few days since you didn’t say anything but I’m starting to think that it was the wrong decision.”

“It’s fine, hyung”, Wooyoung countered, shrugging the hand off. “I’m fine. I can keep going.”

“And how long will you be able to keep it up? Will you stop before or will you go on pretending you’re fine until you’re so sick you’re out again?” Seonghwa’s voice was soft but his words caused anger to stir in Wooyoung’s blood.

He whirled around to face the older, ignoring the way the bathroom spun around him.

“You’re right. Again. Either I’m sick or benched or unable to participate. I’ve been out so often that it’s probably what you’re used to, right? So yes, I will work until I drop, until I can’t anymore, even if it’s the last thing I do. At least then I can say I did it for the group, considering I have barely done anything for the group the past half year.”

He huffed, breathing troubled as he finished his rant in one breath. It felt good to get it off his chest finally. All his thoughts and fears.

What didn’t feel good was the way he saw Seonghwa’s eyes start to tear up. It was clear he had not expected the words Wooyoung had spit at him. Maybe it was unfair of him to drop it all on his hyung, his hyung who was still grieving no matter how he pretended for ATINY he wasn’t.

“I don’t want to lose another person I am close to, Wooyoungie. Not now, not ever. Not you.” Seonghwa’s voice was shaky.

To his horror, Wooyoung felt tears burn in his own eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks. He had really fucked up. He hadn’t wanted to make his hyung sad. Aggressively he wiped his eyes, trying to push past Seonghwa to exit the small room. He needed to get back to practice. 

He didn’t get far. His steps were weak, legs shaking like a newborn deer’s, and suddenly there were arms pulling him into a tight embrace. Wooyoung couldn’t deny that it felt good to be hugged, having longed for human contact ever since his skin started to get sensitive from all the sweat drenching his body.

He struggled against Seonghwa nonetheless, knowing if he stayed in his hyung’s loving arms any longer he would not get back to work again. No matter how much he shook, trying to push Seonghwa away, no matter how he begged to be let go - Seonghwa didn’t let go of him.

With a frustrated cry Wooyoung fell forward into Seonghwa’s chest, burying his face in the soft fabric of his sweater. One of Seonghwa’s hands ran up and down Wooyoung’s spine, the other cupped the back of his head. And Wooyoung sobbed until he was hoarse. 

⌛

For all Wooyoung knew it could have been hours, days or years he had cried in Seonghwa’s hug. Any sense of time was gone. He just felt hollow and sick now.

His knees buckled and Seonghwa could do was to gently lower both of them to the floor, Wooyoung haphazardly sprawled over Seonghwa’s lap. The older still had a hand on Wooyoung’s back but now he moved to roll Wooyoung on his side and tenderly stroked back Wooyoung’s hair that had fallen into his face and stuck to the salty, wet skin.

“You with me, baby? Did you pass out?”, he asked.

“‘m good. I don’t think so”, Wooyoung mumbled, and then. “Sorry.”

“There is nothing you have to apologize for. You’re hurting and sick. Hyung is just really worried, you know.”

“I don’t want you to worry.”

“You’re our baby. We’ll always be worried about you, Wooyoungie, no matter if you’re twenty-five or eighty-five”, Seonghwa replied, “I thought you knew that by now. We will have to talk about everything you said. Later. For now: How are you feeling?”

“I don’t wanna talk now or later”, Wooyoung mumbled, completely drained. He couldn’t care less that the cold of the tiles was seeping into his skin and he was shaking again; his hyung’s lap was comfy and he was tired. He said as much, adding: “Cold. Sore. My head hurts. I just wanna sleep if you’re not letting me continue work anymore.”

“Thought as much”, Seonghwa said, placing the back of his head against Wooyoung’s forehead. “And you’re burning up. Are you itchy?”

Oh God, now that Seonghwa had mentioned it, Wooyoung noticed it. He subconsciously moved his hand to lift his shirt, wanting to get to what he supposed was a rash on his abdomen - again. He was stopped by Seonghwa taking his hand and lifting his shirt himself. 

“Oh dear. Let’s get you home so you can take your anti-histamine and some meds.”

Seonghwa’s idea was heaven. And his aching body was hell. There was no way that Wooyoung would be able to get up now that he had hit rock bottom, literally. His desperation must have shown on his face because Seonghwa chuckled lightly. “I’m not letting you walk, kiddo. Let me call Sangie for you, okay?”

⌛

By the time Yeosang arrived, Hongjoong in tow, Wooyoung was deeply asleep.

Masterlist links: Fairy's Full Masterlist Fairy's Masterlist - ATEEZ

[ellieclaireblack]

sanctuaire | sanctuary

sanctuary | noun your safe and peaceful haven a comforting place of refuge and rest in a noisy, chaotic world

{brother's best friend | fem!reader x james potter} ⪼ warnings: mentions of abuse, eating disorder ⪼ word count: 2.6k

part five: darkness playlist story: sanctuaire | sanctuary

I was never alone the following week. My mothers voice in my head a steady however unwelcome companion. The voice grew especially loud and frightening near dinner and lunch. Most days I just stuck to a slice of toast for breakfast and an apple throughout the day. I steered clear of the Marauders, even though I missed them. I made excuses so I didn’t have to join my friends for dinner. They were suspicious, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I joined them two times for dinner and once for lunch, trying to eat as little as possible. 

I brewed a hunger-vanishing potion in my room and didn’t let anyone in for three days, so they wouldn’t notice the smell. The potion helped, though I was looking forward to the ball being over.

Even skating didn’t excite me anymore, I was too exhausted to bring myself to go. The time I didn’t spend in classes and doing homework, I was sleeping in my bed. Trying to get as much energy as possible.

On Friday little Adelaide Greengrass approached me. “Bonjour y/n! I wanted to ask if you had time to teach me skating today?” She looked so adorable, her cheeks blushing slightly. “Oh hey Addy. Bien sûr, j'aimerais vous enseigner! [Of course I would love to teach you!] Let’s say we’ll meet in an hour down at the lake?” Adelaide nodded excitedly and skipped off. She was the only person who managed to bring a smile to my face for the first time this week.

────────────────  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ⋆ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ──────────────────

When I arrived at the lake Addy was already there. I had charmed a pair of shoes to skates, for her and she nearly fell around my neck when I approached her. Regaining her composure she stood a little straighter and let out a breathless “Thank you”. 

I put on my skates before helping her and then we stepped onto the frozen lake. I held her hands and we made a few circles. Addy was incredibly good, especially since it was her first time and I showed her some easy exercises. She obeyed and after an hour her nose was so bright red I demanded we should go inside again. “Can you show me a few jumps before we go Ms Black?” “Of course Addy, it’s still y/n to you. Don’t forget.”

I obeyed and after a quite complicated jump I landed wobbly and nearly fell. Luckily nothing happened and I continued into a spin. Finishing my small show I saw lots of black spots and suddenly felt incredibly dizzy. I tried to shake it off and skated towards Addy. 

I heard Addys scream before I noticed me falling. Suddenly everything vanished and the world turned black around me.

────────────────  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ⋆ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ──────────────────

“I’ve got her don’t worry Sirius, you get Adelaide back to her dorm.” I heard voices, strong arms were carrying me. James. And Sirius was with him. “No Mr Potter I want to stay with y/n. I don’t want to leave her alone.” Addy spoke up, her tone sounded worried. “No come on little Ms Greengrass. James here will stay with y/n and the two of us will get you to bed.” Addy huffed a breath, but seemed to agree with Sirius and their footsteps soon grew quieter. James grabbed my hand and held it tightly. Darkness surrounded me. James whispered ‘Come back, I need you y/n/n.’, but I wasn’t sure if I had imagined it.

Later I was again awakened through voices. Reggie was there. “I- I knew something was up with her and I didn’t do anything against it.” Sirius was back again, he seemed to comfort him. I wanted to embrace Reg, but didn’t find the strength to even open my eyes. Sleep enveloped me again.

When I awoke again it was dark outside. How long had I been out for? Next to me on a chair was James, he was sleeping in a position which looked incredibly uncomfortable. Sirius must have gone to Remus, looking outside the window I saw the full moon peeking out behind some clouds. James really chose me over his best friend. Hopefully Padfoot and Wormtail could manage on their own. Of course I knew about them, their choice in nicknames couldn’t be more obvious if they wanted to. 

I shifted and James' eyes fluttered open. Immediately scanning me for any sources of pain. “y/n are you alright? Merlin and Morgana I was so worried about you, we all were. Sirius nearly lost his mind. He’s with Remus. Full moon you know. I thought someone should stay with you-” He started rambling, clearly a bit through the wind with the occurrences of the past hours. “Gosh James don’t worry, I’m fine I guess, just some tiny injuries.” “Tiny?! You broke a rib, because you fell so hard on the ice.” Oh. I didn’t know about that, but it would explain the excruciating pain on my left side. “Oh- I-. What exactly happened, do you know?” I asked. “You fell while skating, because you were so malnourished. At least that’s what Madam Pomfrey said. We were just walking to the infirmary with Remus when suddenly little Adelaide Greengrass stormed towards us and panted that she needed help and that you were hurt. Sirius and I stormed off to help you and then we brought you here.”

I put my hand on top of James’ to stop him and in an instant he was quiet. His looks are still laced with worry. “Jamie, look at me.” He did and if I wouldn’t have been in bed his look would’ve knocked me off my feet in a second. His warm, brown eyes seemingly looking into my soul and warming parts of my heart, that were so closed off I never thought anyone would’ve been able to reach them. Especially when it came to feelings James made me open up, usually I was pretty closed up about them, however he brought out the best of me. When I’m looking into James’ eyes everything around me vanishes. I only noticed him talking to me when he waves his hands in front of my face. 

“Sorry I zoned out. What I wanted to say is that I’m okay and you don’t have to stay. Remus needs you.” “And what about you? You need someone too.” James exclaimed and he really hit home with that. With one sentence James Potter tore down years of pain. My biggest fear was not being loved, not being needed and James saw the fear. Deep down he understood me. He wanted people to need him and with Sirius and Remus getting closer, James sometimes felt like he wasn’t needed anymore. I could see it, even though he thought no one did. He was busy chasing after Lily Evans, when thinking about it I didn’t hear a lot about her the past weeks. However I noticed his struggles, many people thought that James Potter had it all. Great family, friends and grades. Next to no one noticed the facade he sometimes put up, where he wasn’t as happy as he claimed to be. I did. I always noticed James. 

“Oh James.” I breathed, not more words coming out of my throat, I hugged him tightly. He held his arms tightly around me and we stayed like that, for what felt like an eternity. Way longer than friends should’ve stayed.

When we parted James finally dared to ask the question. “Why did you do it? Because y/n if you think you’re not pretty enough or some bullshit like that I’m gonna lose it. You Blacks won the gene lottery and you know it, so it must be something else. Please, I need you to tell me.” He thought I was pretty. My mind latched at this one fact and couldn’t let it go. Probably cherishing it forever. James Potter, the epitome of prettiness and handsomeness, thought I was pretty.

“My mother, you remember you letter?” “Of course, I could never forget. But you promised that you’d be fine.” “I lied.” I answered with such honesty, I surprised myself. James frowned, it nearly broke my heart seeing him upset over this. I whispered an apology, hoping he would find a way to forgive me.

“I’m not angry with you y/n just upset about the whole situation. You don’t want out of that house, but everything besides Reg keeps hurting you there. I can’t stand seeing you like this.” Leave it to James to say the perfect thing in a situation like this. 

“I know Jamie, I understand it’s hard for you to grasp why I’m still staying there, but it’s still my home. My parents, even though they mostly do shit at their job. I still love them in our fucked up Black way. And I know that deep down they love us, Maman just has a bad way of showing us.” Deep down I really believed that, I had just opened up some of the best hidden emotions I had to James. Slightly worried of rejection I looked at him, but I only found understanding in his eyes. 

“Oh y/n. I know it’s hard, even harder with Reggie in the equation.” He pulled me in his arms again. “Can you stay here for the night James? Or I mean- If Rem needs you-” I whispered in his curls and for a moment I thought he didn’t even hear me. Suddenly he pulled away from my arms, my eyes widened a bit when I crawled right next to me in bed and shuffled around a bit, to get comfortable. I really thought he would’ve left there and then, but he just put an arm around me and held it throughout the night. Darkness engulfed me and the only word on my mind was James. James. James. 

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When I awoke again it was it was already dusk. James still on my side, his curls softly tickling my neck, where he had tucked his head in. I looked beside me and noticed Remus he was passed out on the bed and looked extremely exhausted, poor fella. Besides him was a mob of black hair, my brother. A quiet gasp escaped me, James didn’t even stir besides me. Even though just a week of not talking had passed, it felt like it was ages ago that we had a real conversation. 

As if he could feel my eyes on him his eyes fluttered open and he first glanced at Remus, a soft smile spreading out on his face. Merlin, he was so in love it was adorable. If only the two idiots would confess to each other. His eyes searched around the room and when they landed on me his face displayed a hundred emotions at once. 

“Hey Dimples” He whispered across the room. His voice rough and filled with sleep. My Sirius. My other half. Oh I had missed him terribly. “Hey Siri.” I whispered back. Both of us grinning simultaneously at the other. However realisation dampened my mood, today was the day of the ball. Sirius seemed to realise where, and how we were here at the same time. 

“I know I don’t say it enough, but I love you y/n. In our fucked up Black way, but I truly do. “I love you too Siri, In our fucked up Black way but I truly do.” A tear rolled down my cheek, Sirius looked a bit glassy eyed too. What was up with me? I never cried before other, this past couple of weeks really worsened my reputation as Slytherin Princess. 

As if James could feel my upsetness his arm around me tightened and I smiled softly down on him. Sirius looked puzzled for a moment until his eyes widened with realisation. “You’ve got the hots for my best friend.” He whisper yelled, a bit too loud for my liking. “Sirius shut up, this instant. And you better be quiet. You have the hots for your best friend. If our parents found out, they’d have your head.” That seemed to strike a nerve. 

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I love Remus, but you know our parents and their world view. I think todays not a good day to talk about this. Also you know with Evans and all that, I don’t want to get caught up in it all.” “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have brought it up. But it makes so much sense now and if I were you I wouldn’t worry too much about Evans. Lately it’s all been about you.” 

I wanted to say something more when James stirred beside me again. I looked at him again when his eyes fluttered open and he smiled at me with the brightest of smiles. My heart skipped a beat. “Good morning Jamie.” “Morning, y/n/n. Oh morning Sirius.” He said, as my brother cleared his throat, wanting to announce his presence. “How’s our Moony?” “Oh you know, he claims he’s fine, even though he’s clearly not and now will sleep the whole day.” “How’s my baby sister?” He said, emphasising the baby. “Oh you know, she claims she fines, even though she clearly isn’t and now will hate me the whole day for saying it.” Boys. “First off I can hear you, second off I can take care of myself.” I interjected and quietly, so only James could hear, added “and third off I could never hate you.” He smiled, one of his soft smiles. Those he only saved for special moments.

Then it dawned on me again, in a few hours I had to go home and spend the whole evening with my mother. She would try and set me up with a few ‘fitting’ filthy rich Pureblood heirs and I would try to make them hate me. She would be angry with me and hopefully I could spend the night at Hogwarts again. Home felt less like home, when Sirius wasn’t there.

Madam Pomfrey disturbed me from my thoughts and she wasn’t surprised to see the boys with Remus and me. She didn’t hesitate for a second before showing them out. And James shot me a wink while Sirius just looked pointedly at him, then at me.

Poppy Pomfrey could be extremely scary when she wanted to and the conversation we had about proper nourishment was far too long for my liking. When she finally released me I had trouble to keep the tears at bay, but I would not break in front of a teacher.

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The Slytherin Common was empty and felt like home. The light crackle of the fire, the smell of books and fresh cut apples. The creatures of the Black Lake floating by the windows. I made my way up to my room where Regulus was already waiting for me. He embraced me tightly but didn’t say a word. 

I quickly changed into fresh and more ‘appropriate’ clothes. 

“Are you ready to go?” My brother asked me, I nodded yes after a quick check in the mirror and a few freshening up spells. We went to Professor Slughorn, where a Floo connection to Grimmauld Place had been set up. 

With a deep breath I stepped into the Floo and braced myself for what awaited me.

a/n: hey lovely people, first up if you ever feel like not eating, just because someone tells you you need to lose weight, or if your mind tells you so. please don't listen to it. food is nourishment and all of you are perfect as you are.

as always messages, inbox and requests are open!

lots of love to wherever you are xoxo ellie <333