#I did do some actual research to make sure I had the dates right

[network-rail]

200 years of railroads apparently

So when I was waiting for the train today I noticed the departure boards saying that it was the 200th anniversary of the railway this year (I believe they’re going off of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which was the first public railway to use steam engines and opened in 1825). Which is an important milestone in railway history for sure (although whether it counts as when railroads were invented is debatable) and there are definitely many things we can do to celebrate. To start, however, we can look back at these past 200 years of railroad history and some of the major milestones that occurred. Note that this will focus on British & American rail history since that's what I'm most familiar with. With that out of the way, here is a timeline of railway history:

c. 600 BCE: the ancient greeks moved some boats (water vehicles) over land on some rails

1769 CE: James Watt makes a better steam engine, which is why power is measured in watts and not newcomens.

1804 CE: Richard Trevithick makes a steam train but just as a fairground attraction (railways already exist but they use horses for power).

1825 CE: George Stephenson makes a steam train for the Stockton & Darlington Railway, which marks the beginning of the end for horses. In the coming years, millions of horses are sent to farms upstate, around the back of the shed, or off to work at the glue factory.

Steam trains: - faster and stronger than horses - are made of physics instead of biology (much neater & cleaner) - all of their waste goes into the air instead of the ground - you don't have to wait years for them to grow up

1830 CE: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) opens in the United States. While probably not the first railroad outside Britain to use steam trains, it is the first to do so in the United States, and since I don't really know much about, say, Belgian railway history it's the one we're going to be talking about.

1840s CE: Railroads form a crucial part of the US's westward expansion, bringing people and goods west (and east I suppose), along with letting the federal government outsource the genocide of the people who already lived there.

1863 CE: The Metropolitan Railway (eventually the Metropolitan Line) opens in central London, as the first urban rapid transit system. Since electric trains weren't a thing yet, this used steam trains. The smoke from the steam trains killed many people, most notably american President Abraham Lincoln when he visited in 1865.

1879 CE: Werner von Siemens makes an electric train but just as a fairground attraction (railways already exist but they use steam locomotives for power) (also there were prototype electric trains before this one but Siemens is the one with a unit named after him so he's who we care about)

c. 1880 CE: The Pennsylvania Railroad and London & North Western Railway become the largest corporations in the world. It's important to note that although railroads are one of humanity's greatest inventions, they did have the unfortunate side effect of also bringing about the dawn of modern capitalism, one of humanity's worst inventions.

1883 CE: The Volk's Electric Railway opens in Brighton. For a time, it included another line that went in the ocean (with rails on the sea floor and really long legs to keep passengers above the water) but this turned out to be a dumb idea and that part closed. The original Volk's Electric Railway is still open as the oldest operational electric railway, and you can go ride on it in the summer. I'll probably do this to celebrate at some point.

1890 CE: The City & South London Railway (later the Bank branch of the Northern Line) opens, finally providing an electric underground rapid transit system for the city and some much-needed relief from the smoke of steam trains. Unfortunately, this was too late to save Abraham Lincoln, who died from being shot in 1865.

1894 CE: a bunch of american southerners LARPing (but less cool than modern LARPers) as british aristocrats but even more racist (than the british aristocrats. all the LARPers I know personally aren't racist) form the Southern Railway. I mention it now because it'll be important later.

1895 CE: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad opens the first mainline electric railroad. This doesn't mark the beginning of the end for steam power (although it should have) since most railways are privately owned, electrification costs money, and corporations hate spending money.

Electric trains: - faster and stronger than steam - don't require fuel at all - way quieter and don't create any local pollution (can go in tunnels!) - can be powered by renewables & nuclear, once they are invented (hydro is there from the start though) - can go both directions without needing to turn around - can form multiple units (better acceleration and don't need to move the engine around!) - very low maintenance (not constantly having a fire inside does tend to reduce wear and tear on parts) - generally very good

1912 CE: the first diesel locomotive enters service. This turns out to be what marks the end of steam, since diesels are better than steam but are cheaper (to set up. not to run) than electrics. In the coming years, millions of steam locomotives are sent to branch lines upstate, around the back of the depot, or off to work at the scrapyard.

Diesel trains: - faster than steam. except for normal, unmodified, in-service trains, since the fastest diesel is the Intercity 125 with a top speed of 201 km/hr while the steam powered Mallard reached a top speed of 203 km/hr. - stronger than steam. except they aren't, the most powerful diesel loco is weaker than several steam engines. - slower and weaker than electrics (unlike with steam engines, this isn't even close) - louder and more polluting than electrics (although not as bad as steam) - still require fuel (a different sort to steam locos though, and they don't need much water) - can go both directions without needing to turn around - can form multiple units - don't need overhead wires or third rail, which is the only reason they exist (they're mostly better than steam, and although they're worse than electrics they are cheaper. To set up. Not to run.)

1914 CE: The Milwaukee Road electrifies its Pacific Extension out in the american northwest, since steam trains couldn't go in tunnels and were too weak for the hills.

1917 CE: The United States of America nationalizes its railroads under the United States Railroad Administration, in order to put a stop to the private sector's incredible mismanagement of a vital public service during WWI.

1920 CE: After the war ends, the US hands the railroads back to the private companies. Just like all those other times the US did something really, really, good (i.e. Civil War Reconstruction, free school meals during Covid), the USRA didn't last very long and everything went right back to the terribleness of before.

1923 CE: Britain's railroads are grouped from lots of small (and some big) companies into four big companies: the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), the Great Way Round Western Railway (GWR), the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway (LMS), and the Southern Railway (the real one, not the american south LARPers or modern-day corporate/french LARPers).

1920s CE: The Southern Railway (UK) electrifies much of its network with 750V DC third rail.

1938 CE: The LNER Class A4 "Mallard" sets the rail speed record, reaching 203 km/hr. This makes it the fastest steam train ever, especially since the Pennsylvania Railroad never discovered dynamometer cars or speedometers and had no idea how fast its trains were.

1948 CE: Britain's railroads are nationalized under British Railways (later British Rail).

1950s CE: Gas-turbine trains are invented. Union Pacific uses them for a while, and they briefly also are used for higher-speed trains in some places, but they never really go anywhere.

Gas-turbine trains: - more powerful than diesels - faster than diesels - very loud and kind of inefficient - these things were a bit strange weren't they?

1955 CE: Steam finally starts to die in Britain under BR's modernization plan, which sees electric (yay) and diesel (boo) trains replacing steam locomotives.

1959 CE: Ernest Marples becomes British Minister of Transport. He's also head of a road construction company. This means he wants more roads and less trains. This is a bad thing.

1960s CE: Dr Beeching (a guy Ernest Marples hired) makes a report suggesting closing most of Britain's rail network, starting with the least profitable and redundant routes. The government then ignores most of the suggestions in the report, and closes down whatever rail lines they feel like. Fortunately, the cuts aren't as large as the report suggested. Unfortunately, they are still enormous and cause huge damage to Britain's rail network that is only just starting to be repaired.

1964 CE: The Tokaido Shinkansen opens in Japan as the world's first dedicated high speed train. This marks the pinnacle of human transportation, and electric high speed rail takes its place as the most efficient, most comfortable, most environmentally friendly, and fastest (below a certain distance) form of transportation. Many other countries start to build their own networks, including France, Italy, Spain, China, Morocco, Turkey, Britain (tries to, anyway), some other places, and a couple failed attempts in the US (along with the successful kind-of-high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor and the still under construction one in California).

1968 CE: Steam finally dies in Britain. Yes, after the Shinkansen was built. Unfortunately, diesel trains continue to exist to this day.

c. 1970 CE: Running out of money, the Milwaukee Road decides to end electrification, since diesels are much better than they used to be and fuel is pretty cheap.

1971 CE: With passenger service not making enough money (it was making money, just not enough money) due to all of those free government-provided highways and airplane subsidies, the US government under Richard Nixon forms Amtrak to take over passenger services and give them a quiet death. Fortunately, this doesn't work. Amtrak still exists, and Richard Nixon doesn't, so who's the real winner here?

1973 CE: The 70s oil crisis begins, and electric trains are suddenly back in fasion after gasoline and diesel become really really expensive. Except it ends before american railroads do anything.

1974 CE: The Milwaukee Road ends its last electric trains.

1976 CE: The Penn Central, formed from a merger between the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central, goes bankrupt and the US government replaces it with Conrail, a sort-of nationalization of some of the US rail network. This doesn't last either, with the network being sold off to Amtrak (who take as good care of it as they can with their limited money), and CSX & Norfolk Southern (who don't, but more on them later)

1977 CE: The Milwaukee Road goes bankrupt.

1980s CE: Several mergers between US railroads result in the B&O (under the Chessie System) becoming part of CSX Transportation (the most boring corporate named railroad in existence), while the Southern Railway (US) merges with the Norfolk & Western to form the Norfolk Southern railway.

1982 CE: The British Rail Class 455 – an electric multiple unit used in south London and the suburbs – is introduced.

1993 CE: Precision Scheduled Railroading – an ingenious way to squeeze as much money out of a railroad as possible while providing awful service, treating employees terribly, never investing in infrastructure until something collapses, not doing basic maintenance, and putting safety fourth – is created, and adopted by all of the largest railroads in North America.

Also 1993 CE: The privatization of British Rail begins. Generally considered a bad idea that even Thatcher wasn't going to do (although her privatizing everything else certainly encouraged it), it ends up creating a mess of privately owned companies, half of which end up being owned by foreign state-owned railway companies like SNCF and Trenitalia.

1994 CE: the british and french moved some trains (land vehicles) under water on some rails

c. 2000 CE: people start to care a lot about climate change, and then notice that electric trains are the most environmentally friendly form of transport (apart from walking I guess but let's see you walk anywhere from tens to hundreds of kilometers every time you want to go to a city you don't live in). Car traffic and local air pollution caused by cars are also problems, which trains can solve. (even diesel trains aren't as bad as cars. whether steam trains are as bad as cars is left as an excercise for the reader)

2001 CE: for no particular reason, planes become unpopular, americans suddenly remember trains exist, and Amtrak's brand new (introduced 2000 CE) sometimes high speed train the Acela becomes very popular.

2002 CE: after it turns out privatizing infrastructure and maintenance was a really bad idea that killed people, Britain's railway infrastructure is renationalized under Network Rail (that's us!)

2008 CE: massive financial crisis happens. China decides to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on high speed rail, the US (and to a lesser extent Europe) decide to spend hundreds of billions on bailing out the banks instead

c. 2018 CE: Battery-electric trains (which had existed in some form or another for over 100 years) and hydrogen powered trains (which were new) become things, because of the previously mentioned hatred of spending money by railroads (the pressure to at least appear sustainable combined with the desire to not spend any money on electrification caused these to exist)

Battery-electric trains - weaker and slower than all other types of train - terrible range (need charging very frequently) - require loads of rare earth metals - can catch fire really badly - the batteries eventually wear out (and are not as easy to replace - as the parts of other trains) - completely useless if you need high frequencies or long distances (you'd need to charge them so often that you'll end up reinventing third rail/overhead line electrification) - JUST ELECTRIFY PROPERLY DAMN IT

Hydrogen trains - anything hydrogen powered is either a scam or is going to explode. or both. explosions are only a good thing when going to space on a rocket and only when controlled. - why do these exist - why

2019 CE: In a major milestone for the company, Amtrak almost breaks even for the first time in its existence. (STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT TURN A PROFIT IT'S A PUBLIC SERVICE AND NEEDS AT LEAST AS MUCH MONEY AS THOSE SOCIALIST NATIONALIZED HIGHWAYS GET ALONG WITH SOME EXTRA FOR ALL OF THE MONEY THEY'VE MISSED OUT ON)

2020 CE: a global pandemic happens and everyone stays home. this means all of the privately operated train companies in the UK start losing loads of money (although a bunch of them were already government-owned. some even by the british government) and the conservatives are forced to do something. they do it badly as usual.

2020s CE: the british conservatives cancel almost all of HS2 except the bit that goes from Birmingham to near London (because they hate the north of england, and transit users, and the environment, and young people, and londoners, and effective infrastructure, and recovering from the pandemic, and investing in the futrue, and everything good in the world; and also because of the cost overruns and delays that they caused). They plan to start selling off the land safeguarded for the route so the north of England will never have high speed rail (or anywhere else in the country that didn't already have HS1. so basically everywhere except London) and no future government will be able to revive the project. Fortunately they lose the election before they can do this. Unfortunately the new government refuses to revive it (except saying it'll at least go to London), so the various northern mayors have to try and scrape together the money to build whatever replacement they can afford with the money they've found in the couch cushions.

2021 CE: Amtrak gets a whole bunch of money. Not as much as the highways get, but a lot more than they usually get, and they start making big plans, and there is some high speed rail still in progress in California (it's taking a while but they're still building all of it), and there may even be some in other places soon too.

2023 CE: Norfolk Southern blows up East Palestine (the town in Ohio) after dumping loads of toxic chemicals there, thanks to Precision Scheduled Railroading techniques. They mostly get away with this. Safety fourth!

2024 CE: The british government finally announces it's going to renationalize the railways under Great British Railways (and unlike the conservatives they actually use the term "renationalize"). Also, Network Rail is now on the tumbles (you're reading a post from it right now).

2025 CE: The first british train operating companies are set to be nationalized under GBR, just in time for 200 years since the Stockton & Darlington opened.

[jorvikzelda]

This may be a good and normal thing but I have absolutely zero regrets about having purchased the laptop last night. Like all day yesterday and even as I was buying I was going oh god should I should I not but now I’m not even having second thoughts about the huge display lmao

[quimichi]

⌗﹒THEIR VOICE LINES ABOUT YOU ౨ৎ˚₊‧ GN!

Aether

❝Since the beginning of Mondstadt they've been with me. They actually turned out to be my second guide! Which makes Paimon even more of an emergency food❞

❝Whaa-Paimon will pretend Paimon didn't hear that!❞

❝No really, I'm glad I found them...or rather they found me. It really wasn't much of a surprise when I-oh-I'm already talking too much again.❞

❝Traveler can go shy when he talks about his lover, hehe. STOP PULLING ME AWAY-H-HEY-!❞

Albedo

❝Oh? I see, you already heard about Y/n. Well, its not a big of a surprise, they're well known here in Mondstadt. Don't worry, if you ever encounter them, dont be shy to talk to them. They have actually been a great help for my researches and experiments. ❞

Al-Haitham

❝ Y/N? Yes, what about them? Yes, we're in a relationship, and? No, I'm not mad, why? I'm asking to much questions? Could ask you that, you seem awfully interested in my partner. Passive aggressive? Pff, now you're just pretending things. ❞

Ayato

❝ You'd like to know more about Y/n? What makes you think I have answers? Oh? I see, Ayaka has told you about it, well...Me and Y/n have been in a relationship for quite a while now. They're a very good support, doesn't matter what path i take or decisions I make, they always have my back. Without them I wouldn't be half the man I am right now. Satisfied with this answer? ❞

Baizhu

❝ The person that always helps out here is not some assistant. Don't worry, I'm sure they're not insulted. Who else are they then? Oh, my lover. Whats with that surprised look on your face? Didn't think I'd be taken? To be frank...I'm quite surprised too that I got this lucky.❞

Bennett

❝ Y/n? My lucky charm? They're awesome! A loyal member in Benny's adventure team...the only one though...They go on every adventure with me! Saved my life multiple times! Bring me good furtune! And are my partner! Wow, I really lucked out for real this time.❞

Capitano

❝ I'd like to keep my private life as private as possible...but for you I make an exception, just this once. Yes, Y/n is my life partner, my lover if you'd like to put it that way. I hold them very dear and would protect them with my life if i have to. So, if I ever sense any bad intentions coming from you, I will crush you with everything I've got.❞

Childe

❝ They spend last winter with me and my family. So, to show them around and make them feel more comfortable in Snezhnaya we had a little snowball fight. Y/n got hit a dozen times in the face by Teucer. They lost, obviously. But the best part was, when we went home, the slipped right before the door and fell ass first to the ground...but instead of being upset or annoyed...they laughed. I knew they we're the one right then and there.❞

Chongyun

❝ Oh you know Y/n? Well, I do too. You knew? Xingqiu huh?...Can't seem to keep quite sometimes...Yes, I am dating them. Saying this feels foreign...I still can't believe they chose me of all people. But I'm not too insecure about it, after all, they chose me of all people.❞

Cyno

❝ Y/n is one of the few people who actually laugh at my jokes. I don’t know if its out of pity or if i truly make them laugh, but either way i don't care. As long as i see a smile on their face I'm at ease. Huh? What do you mean i sound lovesick?❞

Dainsleif

❝ There are things that I'd rather keep private and save, including my relationship with Y/n. So I have to apo-...no, i trust you but-...You're right. Y/n and I have been in a relationship for quite a long time now. They mean a lot to me, thats why I want to keep any information about them as private as I can.❞

Diluc

❝ Yes, I am in a relationship with Y/n. I guess the topic makes his rounds, huh? We announced our relationship just yesterday, but have been serious for a long time now. I am...not a public as you know. And i didn't wanted any unwanted or negative attention on both of us but i know i can trust you. Right?❞

Dottore

❝ Did i ever had a lover? What an inappropriate question of you~ Of course i had lovers, but none could compare to my favorite. Have you heard of Y/n? Oh yes, they are quite popular aren't they~? Well, they're mine, all mine. So it would be better for you if you keep your hands off them. ❞

Freminet

❝ Are they my friend? Uhm...no...they're a bit more than that. Uhm, yeah they're my partner. We've been together for a while now...Am i happy? Of course i am...I'm just a bit embarrassed thats all. No one has really asked me about our relationship yet except for Lyney, Lynette and father.❞

Gorou

❝ You want to know about Y/n? Sure, what do you wanna know? Yes, they're my partner, in fact, we live together! They're a really caring, they make breakfast every morning, tend any injuries i have and sometimes even run me a bath...that was too intimate.❞

Heizou

❝ Y/n? What do you know about them? Nothing yet but you wanna know more? Why? Interested? Why am I asking all these questions? I'm a detective, and you're interested in my lover-oops-now i ran my mouth.❞

Itto

❝ You mean the oni one for me?! The true love of my life!? THEY'RE AWESOME. I'm so incredibly lucky to have them. AND they're so incredibly lucky to have the awesome one and oni Arataki Itto as their boyfriend!❞

Kazuha

❝ They are currently waiting for my arrival...i cannot wait to have them in my arms again. I miss them every day...What's that book? Oh, it's just for all the poems i write for them while being away. One poem for each day. Once I'm back, i read them to them.❞

Kaeya

❝ Oh you mean my little snowflake? Yes, i know them quite well, i can assure you that one. Wasn't always like that though, took is a while to actually get closer. But i won't complain either way, I'm happy that we finally found each other...damn, look at all the sappy things I'm saying, they've done this to me.❞

Kaveh

❝ I'm still planning our house, i just cannot make it perfect! Ugh, it's really getting on my nerves. I NEED this perfect for them, I need to make this the house of their dreams. But it's taking way to long. Since when am i planning? About 3 years. And since when are we dating? Also about 3 years...oh...❞

Kinich

❝ When they first traveled to Natlan they didn't met me immediately. I've only got to know them through Mualani and Kachina. They once expressed their hatred towards saurian hunters, went off yapping for a good hour too. You should've seen the look on their face once i told them i was one of them. They're still embarrassed to this day, even more after i explained what i really do. One of the many memories that truly make me happy.❞

Lyney

❝ They're aware that true magic doesn't exist. That all my shows are just an act. That somewhere is a trick hidden, so simple its ridiculous. And yet, they're still amazed, still getting big eyed when I'm on stage preforming. Even after countless shows that are the same, they're clapping along like it was the first....I couldn't not have asked for a better support and love in my life then them.❞

Mika

❝ I still don't know how i managed to confess, maybe it's because i can't really remember it anyway. It's a memory I'd like to forget entirely, mostly because i was so embarrassed afterwards. But I never want to forget what they said afterwards. Everytime i hear those 4 words from them I get butterflies.❞

Neuvillette

❝ Y/n and I are in a serious relationship since 5 years and 4 months. We have been living together since 3 years and 1 month. I do consider our relationship deep and intimate. I trust them deeply and never once did I think about it otherwise. I truly believe that our relationship will hold on for eternity. Is this enough information or should I tell you more?❞

Pantalone

❝ Ah, my spoiled little brat? Joking, joking...well, only half. I do spoil them quite a lot, but i wouldn't consider them a brat...most of the time. Just last week I bought them this new coat, winter in Snezhnaya are the hardest in all Teyvat. Oh, and new gloves, a scarf an-no, why would i brag with my money, it's not like i have enough to buy at least million of coats.❞

Pierro

❝ The only thing you need to know is that they are with me and well taken care off. Should you not remember the fact that any hate or violence towards them is strictly forbidden, i will gladly remind you. ❞

Razor

❝ Y/n helped Razor a lot. Razor appreciates it, the help. Razor also loves Y/n. That's what Y/n always tells Razor every day. So Razor tells Y/n every day too.❞

Scaramouche

❝ Who? My lover? Them? No, I would never. No, I'm not keeping anything private?! Neither am I ashamed of anything...quite the opposite, huh? No, said nothing. Screw off now, i need to be somewhere. Where? None of your damn business...So what if its a date?!❞

Thoma

❝ Mhm, you're quite right, Y/n and I arw together. Lucked out, huh? I'm currently teaching them how to cook some dishes, been going well...for the most part. No, they have a hand for it but both of us always seem to lose any focus once we're 30 minutes into it.❞

Tighnari

❝ You should've heard their begging, "Oh Tighnari please, i can keep my own garden!" Yeah, keeping it, but not take care of it. Because who takes care of it? Correct, me. It's easy work, so it's not too troublesome. But what is troublesome is how they don't take care of it. *sigh* maybe i am a bit to harsh on them, they are a bit stressed lately anyway. They deserve to take a rest and calm down from everything. So i gladly take care of the garden, for as long as they need me to.❞

Venti

❝ Our first meeting was quite the embarrassing one, almost feel quite shy telling it....Ok! Ok! I'll tell you!....I fell into their lap...No, i wasn't drunk! Someone else was, pushed me by accident and i stumbled backwards right onto their lap in angels share. And to top it off i took their plate and drink with me. Lucky for me, they weren't mad at all. Still...it's so embarrassing!❞

Wriothesley

❝ Took them quite a while to adjust to Meropide. Understandable though, it's a change from the surface. But once they grew comfortable, it's almost like they don't want to leave. They quickly befriended almost everyone, especially Sigewinne. They grew quite popular here in the matter of just a few weeks. Good for me i got them first before anyone else could.❞

Xiao

❝ Hm? Oh, them? Yes, we're close. Why do you ask? Just curious? Ugh, don't look at me like that. What do you wanna hear? How much i love them? You can wait till the day Teyvat will shatter entirely, I won't say it to you, only to them.❞

Xingqiu

❝ Our love story is picture perfect. A written love story by the finest ink. Full of clichés. We reached for the same book, and our hands touched. Then and there, i was mesmerized...until they snatched the book first.❞

Zhongli

❝ Our love story has been holding on since 3717 years, and it will hold on for many years more. What makes me so sure it will? We love each other like it was the very first day. Never once did we lie to one another, were apart from each other or lost our trust. I do have a contract anyway if anything should happen.❞

[traveler-at-heart]

Doctor's In - Part 15

Summary: You rebuild your relationship with Wanda, one date at a time.

A/N: Hey, I guess I owe Team Wanda some fluff after everything hehe. Enjoy!

There’s excitement going around the hospital.

After having to push the xenotransplant one week, it seems like everything’s finally ready to go.

Though you’re excited for very different reasons.

Wanda’s finally coming back to Boston and you can’t wait to see her. You’ve been texting every day, sometimes calling whenever you have a minute.

It feels like when you started dating, and everything was new and magical. Your heart practically skips a beat when you get a call from her.

“Hey, gorgeous” you greet.

“Hello” Wanda says.

“Hi, good morning” Yelena answers and you glare.

“Not you. Sorry, Wands. Gimme a sec” you find an empty room. “There. How’s it going?”

“I’m doing good. Packing for tomorrow. And it looks like I’ll stay for a bit longer so we can definitely have dinner if you’re up for it” she says, and you make a little dance. “You still there?”

“Yes! And yes, let’s have dinner. I’ll ask around for some restaurants”

Maybe Strange or Christine can suggest a nice place for a date.

A date with Wanda! You’re so excited.

“Actually… do you mind if I plan it? You planned our first date and I’d really like to do it this time”

“Well, if you’re sure. I know you’re busy with work and traveling so I don’t mind”

“I got it, no worries” she says. “See you soon. Good luck on that big surgery”

“Just observing, but thanks either way”

“Bye”

“Bye, Wands”

You leave the room with a big smile, and Yelena hums.

“Did you have phone sex?”

“Gross. You’re one to talk, with your girlfriend Kate”

“That’s none of your business. And she’s not my girlfriend”

“Because you haven’t asked her yet” Natasha joins you.

“Long distance is too complicated” Yelena sighs, pushing the elevator button. She then turns to you. “No offense”

“Hey, Wanda and I are just talking. There’s no relationship right now”

“Right, which is why she sent you flowers and you’re texting and calling all day” Yelena mocks. She gets off on the second floor, as she has to check on some of your patients.

“What about you? Ready for the transplant?” you ask Natasha.

“Yeah, I’ll have to do post op which means less time on my research” she mumbles, clearly upset.

“Want help? I can stick around”

“I don’t want you to get in any trouble” Natasha says, avoiding your eyes.

“Hey, you’re my colleague and friend and there’s nothing wrong with helping you out. If that’s an issue in a relationship, then maybe I shouldn’t be in it”

Yes, you had barely survived. But every day you got up and made an effort to move on. This month had made it clear that you let work, and then your relationship be the driving force behind your life.

But now you want your happiness to be about doing what you love, and having someone who supports you as much as you support them.

“Are we friends now?” Natasha teases.

“Well, would you like to be? I mean, shit. I was an asshole to you, don’t feel like you have to say yes just because…”

“You know, when you ask someone a question, you should let them answer” she says. “Yeah, I’d like to be friends”

“Ok, cool. Wanna hang out sometime?”

“Let’s scrub in for now” she jokes and you nod, remembering why you’re here.

You follow her to the OR, full of doctors and nurses.

There are also cameras broadcasting to medical facilities around the world.

“Nice day to make history, everyone” Melina looks around the room. “Let’s begin”

Everyone nods, and there’s silence as the woman asks for a scalpel.

You interrupt that silence with a sneeze.

When you open your eyes everyone’s looking at you.

“Sorry. I must have a bit of dust on my nose” you say, embarrassed.

“No worries, Doctor Y/L/N” Melina says without looking up. “But get out of the OR”

“What? But, it’s nothing…”

“Let’s hope it isn’t” she says, glaring. “Now out”

—

A Covid and influenza test, general bloodwork, and chest X-ray later, Yelena comes by to check on you.

“How you doing?”

“Great. I love being locked up in a quarantine room while I get probbed and swapped everywhere. Would you like to add a colonoscopy while we’re at it?”

“Hey, you get a discount if you want one”

“Really? It’s not even free for the head of a department?” you ramble. “Ok, not the point! Yelena, I’m fine”

“You have a slight fever and a runny nose. It’s just a cold”

“Ok, let me out”

“Sure. But you can’t work. You have to go home”

“I’m fine” you say, but sneeze after that.

“Go home, rest. We’ve got this” Yelena unlocks the room for you.

“What? You gonna follow me around to sanitize anything I touch on my way out?” you challenge. Yelena lifts up a spray as if it were a gun, shrugging her shoulders.

“Maybe. Now, nice and easy. No sudden moves. Straight to the exit”

“I hate you”

—

It was hard saying goodbye to the kids. Even if their grandma and uncle were there to look after them, Billy and Tommy hugged Wanda a bit longer and waved until she went through airport security.

If it wasn’t for the fact that she’d see you that evening, Wanda would have decided to stay home, dream job be damned.

But now she’s in a middle of an editorial meeting, where Wendy Lawson’s team is looking at her sketches, making observations and pointing out changes. Wanda’s pleased to notice their feedback is mostly positive.

“It was so hard to find the right person” Wendy says when they’re talking over lunch. “But then I got a sneak peek at your new book and thought the art was beautiful”

“Thank you. I’m really proud of it” Wanda nods, remembering how much love and care went into it.

“And that story is so cute and funny. Those are the hardest ones to write”

“Actually, I was mumbling in my sleep and my girlfriend wrote it all down” Wanda smiles at the memory. “I really have to thank her”

“Oh, I have to meet her!” Wendy says, excited. Wanda nods, but doesn’t really know if the term girlfriend is accurate at this time.

Actually, she’s not sure if you should call each other friends or what.

“Wendy, can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me two things” the woman jokes, making Wanda smile.

“I know you wrote crime novels before switching to children stories… and you were a best selling author in the genre. Were you scared to make the change, or did you get any pushback?”

“I mean, my publisher reminded me how much better the money is before making the switch. And he told me I could try, but he also forgot how many of my adult readers have children. So it was a success” Wendy looks at Wanda with those piercing blue eyes. “Are you writing a murder mystery?”

“No, nothing like that” Wanda laughs. She doesn’t even like crime movies. “I was thinking about something… like a trilogy for young adults. Something that maybe my kids could read when they’re older too”

“Oh, that sounds fun! Tell you what, work on a draft and if you need any help to get traction, I’ll be more than happy to speak to some people”

“That means the world to me, thank you” Wanda smiles, excited at the idea of working in something new.

She’s still thinking about it while working, but the rest of the meetings keep her busy and she completely misses your call.

“Hey, Wands” you say on the voicemail. “I’m a little sick. Or a lot. I mean it’s just a cold, but I’m no fun right now, runny nose and constant sneezing considered. I’m so sorry because I was dying to see you but I gotta stay home. I’ll make it up to you, I promise”

Wanda’s never seen you get sick. Injured, yes. But not even so much as a sneeze after plowing snow early morning.

“Would you like a ride to the hotel?” Wendy’s assistant offers when they’re done with the meetings.

“Oh, I was actually going to stop by a friend’s house. She’s sick and I wanted to check on her”

Great, you told Wendy she’s your girlfriend, now you’re a friend. If Wanda keeps this up, you’re gonna end up being a distant cousin.

“I can drive you, no problem” the woman says.

Wanda’s grateful, even when Wendy’s assistant agrees to stop by to get some stuff at the grocery.

Since Wanda has no idea if you have any food (and knowing you, there’s probably nothing), she gets the basic stuff to make some soup and other things.

“Wow, that’s a fancy place”

“Yeah” Wanda agrees as they park outside, looking at the huge building with security. She hopes they let her in or she’ll be stuck with her luggage and the stuff she bought in the middle of the street.

Luckily, you do answer when the guard calls for you and you let Wanda in.

Her heart beats faster while the elevator goes up, and when the doors open she has to force herself to step outside. She’s struggling with all the stuff in her hands, so she’s caught off guard when you finally open.

“Wanda?” you say between coughs. “I thought it was the food I ordered”

You try to laugh, but it turns into a coughing fit.

“Hey, how are you? Sorry I couldn’t stop by sooner. Had a lot of meetings” Wanda apologizes.

You are wearing a hoodie, your nose is red and it looks like you were in the middle of a medicine induced nap.

“As much as I want to see you, I don’t want you getting sick. So you should probably…”

Wanda rolls her eyes, walking past you.

“I have two kids. Whatever it is you caught, I’m immune”

“Oh, immune, wow” you mock. “According to Yelena’s thourough testing, it’s nothing more than a cold”

“See? It’s fine” Wanda insists. “I couldn’t possibly leave you alone while you’re sick, detka”

“Thank you” you mutter, hugging her. Honestly, you rarely get sick but when you do, you absolutely hate it.

“No need to thank me” Wanda wants to sink in your arms and never let go, but she notices how warm you are. “You have a fever. Take a shower, and I’ll make some food for us”

“I don’t wanna shower” you complain, still clinging to her. “I wanna cuddle”

“Later” Wanda promises, butterflies dancing in her stomach at the idea of spending an evening in your arms.

You finally let go, and she feels a little guilty at how excited she is to take care of you.

While you shower, she opens the fridge, surprised to find there’s a lot of groceries and stuff to cook.

For a second, Wanda thinks you might have someone over that cooks because there’s no way…

While preparing everything for the soup, she glances around the penthouse. It’s luxurious and it’s clear you haven’t added anything to the decoration, except for the Polaroids in the fridge. There’s one with Yelena, and others with Kate and Natasha that are obviously from the gala you attended together.

The first drawing Billy made for you is also on the side of the fridge. You always kept it in your wallet, for good luck.

Of course, there’s nothing else of yours around, as all your stuff is in Wanda’s house.

Wanda feels overwhelmed by guilt when she realises she forced you to leave your home behind overnight.

“Hey” you come back, looking a bit better. “You didn’t have to cook, I ordered Chinese”

“Chinese? You’re supposed to be eating stuff like soup, my darling”

“I love your soup” you watch over Wanda’s shoulder as she stirs everything in the pot, your hand on her waist.

All your talk about going slow has gone out the window. You feel like shit and having Wanda here is the only thing that will make it all better.

“So, I noticed there’s a lot of stuff in the fridge…” Wanda tries to sound casual. But she’s dying to know if you’ve had someone over… like a date that cooks and spends the evenings with you.

“Yeah, I cook now” you smile, going back to sit at the counter. You let out a laugh at her shocked expression. “Nothing fancy. Pasta, easiest version of chicken parmesan. My roast beef is pretty fucking good, though”

“How?”

“Learned by watching the best” you smile adoringly at her. “But also, a lot of sleepless nights and YouTube tutorials”

“That’s fair. Will you cook for me one day?”

“Of course. Have to return the favor somehow, shouldn’t I? Unless you have other ideas” you tease as she hands you the  bowl of soup.

“Hm. I can think of a few” she looks down at your lips.

“Too bad I’m sick”

“Yes, too bad” Wanda smiles, knowing you’re messing with her.

You eat together, Wanda telling you about the book release happening soon and how amazing Wendy is. You smile at her enthusiasm, happy that she’s got so much going on for her.

“How are the kids?” you ask at one point.

“They enjoy being spoiled by their grandma” Wanda says, and that makes you smile. Though it goes away a second later.

“I didn’t mean to… make everything so hard for you. And hurt them. I’m sorry, Wanda”

“Hey, look at me” she asks, taking your face in her hands. “You didn’t… it’s fine. We’re fixing it, little by little. Right? We got this”

“Right” you lean your forehead against hers, wishing you could kiss her. But you’re not about to get her sick, and even if she was the one wanting to close the distance, you abruptly turn your head away, sneezing. “Ah, shit”

“Come on, let’s watch a movie” she says, smiling as you pout. “Wow, can you steal this couch? It’s so comfy”

“I know, I love it. Maybe I should have put it in my contract” you sink in it, and Wanda lets you rest on her legs, her hands going through your hair.

“What were you watching?”

“Dick Van Dyke show” you say. “The episode where Laura does the pool trick. I just love their faces, considering it was unscripted”

“What? No, that can’t be right” Wanda says. It’s one of her favorite shows, she would know.

“Uh, yeah!” you say like it’s obvious. “Mary Tyler Moore was supposed to pretend to do it, then they’d switch the angle of the camera to a stand in. But she pulled it off. You can totally see it in their faces”

“Ok, now I need to watch this. I can’t believe it” Wanda says, frowning as she rewinds the episode.

“Wanna bet dinner at a fancy place that I’m right?”

“Oh, you are so on” she laughs, smiling as you keep your head on her lap.

—

You’re driving to the airport in record time. An emergency surgery delayed you -not by much- but you’ll be damned if you don’t make the most of the time you get with Wanda.

Darcy’s calling and you press a button on the command center without taking your eyes off the road.

“Lesbian emergency services, how may I assist you?”

“Riddle me this, you big lesbo. Why did I bother with planning the sapphic parent trap if you’re not coming back anytime soon?”

“Good morning to you too, friend”

“I’m gonna kill Barnes. You have to come back”

“And I will. For Carol’s wedding. No sooner. I do appreciate you putting in the effort, though” you smile. “Here I was thinking you didn’t like Wanda, and you’re trying to get us back together”

“I don’t like her, but as I said, I’m going to kill Barnes” Darcy raises her voice, probably so Bucky can hear her. “So, what do you have planned for today?”

“Picking her up from the airport and then she has work. Will meet for dinner”

“Nice. Well, I hope she bangs you so hard you turn into a useless lesbian and she makes you come back to Westview”

“Aw, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me”

You’re about to say bye when Darcy clears her throat.

“Listen… I know I joke about you getting back together with Wanda. And honestly? I do want you to come back here and work with me again. But she said and did some nasty shit, Y/N. Don’t forgive her because you feel like you have to. At least make her work for it a bit? It’s nearly impossible with how whipped you’ve always been, but… couldn’t hurt to try”

“You’re right. For what is worth, I miss you too. And you’re my best friend”

“I know. I’m awesome” Darcy says, making you laugh. “Bye”

She hangs up, and you pause the music, wanting a bit of silence to consider her words.

“Hey, gorgeous” you say as Wanda waits for you, looking all cute with her little suitcase. “Want a ride?”

“Someone’s picking me up already” she follows along and you take her stuff.

“Well lucky them. Come here” you pull her for a hug, kissing her cheek. “Hey, thanks for taking care of me. I’m sorry we couldn’t go out”

“Anything for you, detka” she pulls apart, looking at your lips.

“Come on, you must be starving”

Not that you don’t want to kiss her but a part of you wants it to be special.

Another part of you really enjoys teasing Wanda.

“When did you buy a fancy car?” Wanda says when you reach the Corvette.

“Didn’t. It’s a loan. But hey, it’s a cool car and I might get one for myself” you say, putting her things in the trunk. You miss the way a girl glances at you, smiling.

“Oh, good” Wanda glares at her. By the time you open the passenger door, she doesn’t miss the chance to kiss that spot in your jaw that makes you weak. “Thank you, darling”

“M-my pleasure”

Wanda likes teasing you too.

“How are Jenny and Zach?” she asks once you’re waiting for your food.

“They’re good. I’m happy that my mother’s little outburst was enough to convince their father to leave her”

“You mean…”

“Something that happened when she picked up Jenny that time she ran away, doesn’t matter” you look away, trying to forget how much it actually hurt.

“What did she do? Why didn’t I know?” Wanda insists, reaching for your hand across the table.

“Doesn’t matter, honestly”

“It matters to me” she says, and her frown only softens when you bring her hand to your lips.

“Can I ask how are things with your mom?” you say, curious about the mysterious Mrs. Maximoff. Of course Darcy had told you about the woman, but you knew your friend could blow things out of proportion for a good story.

“Well… we haven’t really spoken about the elephant in the room. To be honest, I’m not sure what’s really going with her. I know she came back because Pietro told her we needed some help. It just feels weird to me, that she has taken over everything. Like no time has passed, and I’m a teenager again while she bosses us around”

“Lovingly, I hope”

“Of course. She’s a very strong, stubborn woman”

“Ah. I see now. You got it from her”

“I am not stubborn!” she kicks you under the table, and you laugh.

You keep talking about work, especifically her meetings with Wendy Lawson and her team.

Noticing it’s almost time for her to go, you ask for the check.

“Be right back” Wanda says, going to the bathroom to check her hair isn’t a mess after taking an early flight.

You’re replying to one of Yelena’s texts when a familiar voice greets you.

“Y/N, hey!”

“Laura. How are you?” you recognise the bartender. “Good to see you”

“All those ladies have missed you at the club. I was begining to think you found a better place to hang”

“No, after that last time I definitely stopped getting drunk. I still owe you that coffee for helping me out, though”

“Yes, you do. But looks like your date’s back. See ya around” Laura waves goodbye.

Oh, shit.

When you turn around, Wanda is looking at you, tilting her head in that way that activates your fight or flight response.

Run, run, run.

“Wands, what are you doing?” you say when she begins to dial a number.

“Cancelling our reservation”

“Hey, come on” you throw some money at the table, going after her. “I didn’t hook up with anyone, I just liked to go and drink”

“You’re taking me to that club tonight” Wanda stops in her tracks, pulling you by the collar of your shirt until you’re inches apart. “So that all those girls know that you’re not going anymore because you’re taken”

You nod dumbly, leaning forward. But Wanda doesn’t let you kiss her, pinching your cheek and then smiling.

“Good girl”

—

You’re not sure this is a good idea.

Either Wanda gets jealous and you fight. Or she gets extremely jealous and you fuck in the bathroom of the club.

That’s not bad per se, but you really wanted to take things easy.

As you wait for her in the lobby of the hotel, you’re thinking of arguments to persuade her to go to dinner instead. Or a movie. Anything.

“There you are”

Any coherent thought goes out the window when you see what she’s wearing. A short red leather dress, with nearly matching thights. Her hair is completely straight, and frames her beautiful face, lips standing out because of the darker shade of lipstick.

“Let’s just go back to my place and I’ll cook for you”

And eat you out, you wanna add.

But Wanda’s already shaking her head no.

“It’s been forever since I’ve gone to a bar. I’m looking forward to it” she places her hand around your arm. “Come on, now”

You open the car door for her, and play some music to take your mind off of Wanda looking like a whole meal in that sinful dress.

“Huh. I was just listening to that song. Why are you smiling?” she adds when you almost let out a laugh.

“You’ve been using my account this whole time, babe. So, whenever you’re listening to something, I listen too”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because” you shrug your shoulders. “I liked it. It was like being able to know a bit about your day. Like say, at noon, I knew you were driving to pick up the kids. And I could picture you listening to The Carpenters on the way there. The real struggle was to stop Yelena from messing with it. Can’t tell you how many times she begged me to stop playing Norah Jones”

“I did get a little too into her, I guess” Wanda jokes, but it’s still overwhelming. To think about all the ways in which you tried to stay connected to her life.

“What’s wrong? Did you change your mind? We can go get some food…” you pull over, worried about her sudden silence.

“I love you” Wanda interrupts, looking at you. She keeps going when you stay quiet. “I know, we said to take things slow but I don’t care. I love you so much and I need you to know that”

Without saying anything, you reach for her across the car, pulling her in for a kiss that takes her breath away.

It’s passionate and needy and rushed, but it also feels perfect. You missed her so damn much and it was stupid to wait this long to kiss Wanda again.

“I love you too, you know that” you say when you pull apart, making her smile.

“Ok, then. Let’s go”

“Back to my place”

“To the club” she insists and you groan.

“It’s nothing special. It’s just full of drunk people dancing and fighting. Sometimes. Ok, I did the fighting”

“It will be fun, I promise” Wanda squeezes your hand and you nod, knowing you’ll do what she asks.

Once you reach the club, you notice it’s not as crowded as other days. Hopefully, that means it will be a bit less likely to get into trouble, as it often happened when you came by to get drunk and flirt around.

“What’s the deal with that Laura girl?” Wanda asks when she nods your way and you smile.

“She may have saved me from getting my ass kicked once or twice. You know how I get sometimes”

“You’re trouble, aren’t you?”

You nod, looking around and ordering a beer for you and a glass of wine for Wanda. You notice she stands closer to you when a girl stops by and taps your shoulder.

“Remember me?”

No, not really.

“How’s it going?” you greet, placing your arm around Wanda’s waist.

“You owe me a drink”

“Oh, of course! Order anything, I’ll ask Laura to put it on my tab” you agree, hoping that’s it.

“If you don’t wanna buy me a drink we could dance”

“Here” Wanda gives her the glass of wine. “Since you enjoy getting hand-me-downs so much”

“Excuse me?”

“Oookaaay” you drag Wanda away, stepping into the dance floor. “Let’s just dance”

And you do, for a little while. You feel Wanda grinding against you and it takes every ounce of self control to stay there, instead of dragging her to the bathroom to have your way with her.

“Are you thristy?” she says against your ear and you gulp.

“Yeah”

“Let’s get something to drink”

Let’s get out of here, you want to plead, but she’s in control and all you can do is hope she gets tired of playing with you soon.

“Can we get a round of shots?” Wanda leans against the bar, her dress riding up. You blush as you get a peak at her beautiful legs but also place yourself behind her so no one else sees her.

Wanda laughs, rubbing her ass against your front and you think you might collapse any minute now.

You’re about to ask her once again to please just leave when she hands you a shot of tequila.

“Truth or dare”

“Truth” you down the shot.

“What did you think of me when you first saw me?”

“Now that’s what I call a MILF” you admit, making her laugh.

“You wanna fuck me?” she says, pulling you by the shirt, her lips touching yours as she speaks.

“I have fucked you before” you remind her.

“But you still want to do it”

“Of course I do. The day I say I’m not in the mood just shoot me, because it means I’ve gone insane”

Wanda rolls her eyes, taking a shot and pulling you in for a messy kiss. Her lips travel down to your neck, and you feel her biting down with enough strenght to leave a bruise.

“I dare you to fuck me in the back of your car” she says when you stop for air.

“It’s a really small backseat”

“Is that a no?”

“I never said no” you smile, kissing her again. This time she grabs the belt loop of your pants, pulling you to the exit.

“Hurry or I’ll have to do it myself and you’ll only be able to watch”

“Wanda” you groan, tired of the teasing.

Unfortunately, someone stops you by the door.

“You never called me” a girl that you absolutely don’t even remember stands in front of you.

“She’s taken. Move”

“Make me”

“Alright!” Wanda begins to remove her earrings, so you carry her over your shoulders, making a quick exit.

“Put me down, I wanna show her who you belong to”

“Hey, just calm…”

It’s a stupid idea, looking back. Of course the sudden shift and the movement make Wanda sick, so the minute you set her down, she bends over and pukes.

“It’s ok” you ease her, rubbing her back. When she’s done, she drops all her weight against you, and you have to carry her to the car.

Wanda only wakes up when you’re taking off her shoes, and she looks around the room, disoriented.

“Did we…? How was it, did you like it?”

“Baby” you laugh, watching her adorable expression. “Just put on some pajamas and drink water. You’ll feel better”

She listens, taking your hand to stand up and walk to the master bathroom. On the way there, she pulls down the dress, wearing nothing but matching red underwear and her thights.

You’re not strong enough to resist this.

Wanda takes a toothbrush that you left out for her, and by the time she cleans up, she’s feeling a little bit better.

You’re in bed, wearing a tank top and shorts. Wanda’s previous observation was right. You have been spending more time at the gym; your muscles look a lot more toned. She allows herself to admire you, as your eyes are closed. Wanda doesn’t know if you’re asleep or not, but that doesn’t matter at all right now.

The redhead takes you by surprise, climbing on top of your lap and kissing you.

“Hey, slow down”

“Come on, I’ve missed you” she pleads.

“I’ve missed you too. But you had too much to drink and it wouldn’t be right, darling. Don’t wanna take advantage”

“I want you to take advantage. Don’t you wanna taste me?”

“Wanda” you sigh, knowing that if she keeps going you’ll have a hard time controlling yourself.

“I want your fingers deep inside me, it’s been over a month and nothing works, not like your hand… or your cock”

“Wanda” you repeat, this time with a more stern tone. The woman smiles as she lifts her top, and you have seriously missed those two.

You flip her over, so she’s on her back. Wanda moans as you kiss down her neck, rubbing her back while your lips travel lower and lower…

“Wands?” you look up, to find her fast asleep. You have to hold back a laugh when you see her snoring.

After covering her, you kiss her forehead and leave to stay in the guest bedroom.

“Sleep well, love of my life”

—

Time goes by slowly. You really don’t want anything to interfere with your date with Wanda.

A nice dinner with her is all you need right now. Hell, you even agreed she could stay at your place, seeing as the last two times she ended up sleeping there anyway.

Nothing happened, though. This time you think it might.

You hope it might.

Wanda left you all hot and bothered last time, wearing that dress and saying those dirty things while showing you those perfect, beautiful breasts that you love to bite and…

“Someone’s asking for you in the ER” Nurse Roman says, making you snap out of your thoughts.

“Thanks”

You have no idea who that might be, until you pull the curtain and find Wendy Lawson in a hospital bed.

“Detka, hi” Wanda says, joining you a second later.

“Hi, love. Is everything ok?” you look between Wanda and the other woman.

“Wendy fell and we were just worried”

“Honestly, it’s nothing. I’m an old broad” Wendy says, clearly ashamed and not wanting to make a fuss. You can tell there’s some blood on her elbow.

“May I?” you approach, putting on a pair of gloves. “It’s a scratch. Wanna tell me where you hurt yourself? Head?”

“No, just the elbow and my wrist. The elbow feels a little numb, that’s all. It’s probably nothing”

“You fell with your arm stretched before you, to prevent the fall, huh?” you say, touching and bending Wendy’s arm. “It’s an injury of soft tissue on the elbow, but I’d like to confirm nothing’s wrong on your wrist with an X-ray if that’s ok with you?”

“Like I said, it’s probably nothing…”

“Miss Lawson, worse comes to worst, it’s in fact nothing and we get to keep your X-ray along with the other ones from famous people. There’s an available spot on our wall next to Matt Damon”

“Well, alright. Wanda was right. You are very charming”

“Oh, what else did she say about me?” you turn to look at her, excited when you notice Wanda is blushing. “We definitely need to talk more, Miss Lawson. For now, nurse Lorne will take you to get the X-ray”

You vaguely hear Ed tell Wendy that he is a huge fan of her work. But your mind is elsewhere, pulling Wanda into an empty on call room.

“Hi” she laughs when you kiss her cheeks, nose, neck and even behind her ear.

“Missed you” you say, finally kissing her lips. She places a hand on your cheek and you corner her against the door. Wanda lets out a sigh as you dart your tongue out, and one of your hands squeeze her breast. “Missed those too”

“Bet you did” she laughs.

“Hey, you’re the one that flashed me and then proceeded to pass out”

“Stop, I’m so embarrassed about last week” she hides her face in the crook of your neck.

“Come on, I’m joking” you kiss her temple. “It was fun going out. But now we are going someplace fancy where I can spoil you. Agreed?”

“I don’t deserve that” she tries to joke, but you can tell she means part of it.

“You do” you kiss her again, this time slower, until you break apart. Your eyes are closed, and you smile. “I love you”

“Me too, detka”

“Come on, looks like Wendy’s results are ready” you say when Lorne pages you.

Yelena lets out a loud laugh when you leave the room with Wanda and you roll your eyes.

“Not like you’re not having phone sex with Bishop when it’s a slow day” you shut her up.

“Y/N” someone else calls for you as you walk down the hallway, and you turn to find Valkyrie, smiling at you. “Hey, wanna have lunch today?“

“Yeah, we never got around to speaking about that project” you agree. “Oh, sorry about my manners. This is my girlfriend, Wanda. Wanda, meet Valkyrie”

Wanda tries to keep herself from dancing around at the mention of the word girlfriend. Instead she shakes Valkyrie’s hand.

“Were you at the gala? With that pregnant woman” Val says, confused.

“It’s kind of a long story, but yes. Pleased to meet you. Don’t let me keep you longer, I can find Wendy and head out”

“Nonesense. It won’t take more than a couple of minutes. Be right back, Val”

The woman nods and you walk with Wanda to find Wendy.

After you confirm it’s nothing serious, you prescribe some painkillers and insist that the woman can call you on your personal number with any questions.

“Thank you, and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you”

“Likewise. Wanda’s so happy that she gets to work with you”

You walk them out and smile when Wanda kisses your cheek.

“I’ll wait for you at the penthouse?”

“Yeah, sounds good. Be there as soon as I finish my shift”

Just a couple more hours.

Ed comes back making a dance, showing you Wendy’s X-ray.

“Can I pleeease keep it?”

“Fine. If someone asks, you stole it. And you can’t sing any of the songs from Waitress for the rest of the week”

“Deal!”

��

Today of all days. You’re late. Not excessively, but enough to go over the speed limit and say goodbye to the idea of a shower before heading out.

“Hi, wanted to check if I can move a reservation by half an hour?” you remember to call the restaurant. Even if Wanda made the reservation, you don’t want to lose the spot because of your tardiness.

“We don’t have any reservations under that name” the hostess says after a second.

“How about Wanda Maximoff?”

“No, nothing either”

Well, damn. Did she get the day wrong? You’re about to ask to be put on the waitlist as it’s a busy restaurant when the elevetor doors open and you spot a couple of candles lighting up the penthouse.

“Alright, sorry for the trouble” you hang up, walking inside and looking for Wanda.

She’s waiting by the terrace, a soft smile as you take it all in. There are candles, roses and something that smells amazing.

“I thought we were going out”

“This is better” Wanda greets you with a kiss. “You like it?”

“I love it but I wanted you to relax and just have fun, you didn’t have to do all this”

“Would it make you feel better if I tell you I ordered the food instead of cooking?” Wanda smiles when you pull her by the waist.

“Did you really?”

“Yeah”

“Then alright. Thank you, love”

You hurry to shower and by the time you’re out, Wanda’s looking out the night sky, smiling as she sips from her glass of wine.

“Nice view” she comments and you hum, looking at her instead of the buildings and parks around you.

“The best”

“Penthouse, an expensive car, a big city… it’s very different from Westview” Wanda sighs.

“It’s also very lonely” you admit. “It’s nice, but it’s not home”

“It’s not home without you either” she admits, sighing. You kiss her temple, pulling her to the small table that’s on the terrace.

“How was lunch with Val?” she asks after eating in silence for a bit.

“Nice. We met at the gala; she works at Doctors Without Borders. I was curious about a thing or two they do there”

“That sounds interesting”

“Yeah, I always wanted to do it. Never had a chance to, with student debt right out of college and once that was settled I was offered the position as Head of Trauma so…”

“Do you want to do it now?” Wanda asks. You can tell a part of her is anxious. About you leaving again, about changing everything now that you’re fixing things.

“One day. But I’d ask you about it first. See how things might work. Or when the kids go to college, we could both travel to wherever it is they send me. Would you like that?”

“Yeah” Wanda nods, her heart skipping a beat once she notices you’re planning for a future together, like you used to do before.

Before she screwed up.

“Tell me something you’ve always wanted to do” you ask with a smile, kissing the back of her hand.

“Like? In general?” Wanda hums as you nod, waiting for her to answer. “Well, this is something I’ve been thinking since my mother came back. She was telling the kids some Sokovian tales and I thought… when people hear about our country they only think about a small place that was destroyed by a war. But we’re so much more than that. I was thinking maybe I should write a book about legends and tales from my childhood”

“That would be great, actually. It could be fun to travel back there and do some research” you mention, thinking back to your conversation with Val.

As the evening continues, Wanda remembers about the ring she found. Ultimately, she had decided to not tell you she knew about it.

If and when you decided to propose, it should be because you felt like you were ready, not because Wanda knew and you felt pressured to do it.

Honestly? Wanda even thought it would be better if she proposed to you. You had already proven to be committed to your life together. It was Wanda’s turn.

“What’s got you so smiley all of the sudden?” you notice she’s staring at you.

“I just… love you so much” she admits.

“Come here” you pull her up and into your lap. “You were right, this is better than a restaurant. I can have you here all night if I want to”

“Not all night” she stutters when you leave a trail of wet kisses down her throat, squeezing her ass as your hands travel lower.

“Yes, absolutely all night. I got two months of pent up energy and my beautiful girlfriend all to myself”

“Wait” she laughs when you stand up, carrying her to the bedroom.

“Wanna do it in the balcony for the world to see?” you joke, walking inside.

“No, but I did have a speech planned about how I want to make it up to you for hurting you”

“Cool, I’d love to hear it… after I make you come at least three times”

Wanda’s about to protest when you push the door to the bedroom open. Unlike other times, you’re not that gentle with your movements, throwing her in the bed and falling right on top of her, desperate to continue kissing her.

And you are right, intimacy had always been such a huge part of your relationship, even with a crowded house. Wanda can’t believe she managed to spend two months without your touch.

“You said nothing worked… so you tried to fuck yourself without me? How many fingers, Wanda? Two? Three?”

“The toy… the one we…”

“So needy” you whisper hotly against her ear. “And yet you couldn’t come, huh?”

“I want to…” she gasps for air when you pull her pants down.

“I don’t really wanna hear anything leave those lips of yours unless it’s my name, got it, princess?”

Maybe later you’ll have time for a more romantic exchange. But now? You really need to taste her.

“Hey!” she protests when you rip her panties instead of taking them off. You smile, sinking yourself in her center and you moan at the first taste.

It seems impossible, but it’s so much better than you remember.

Wanda’s hands anchor her by pulling your hair until your nose nudges her clit, and you both moan when you feel her shaking, legs closing around your head.

“Give me a minute” she asks when you go up her body, kissing and leaving traces of her own arousal.

“Nah. You had two months. I’m fucking you all night” you surprise her by flipping her body, and she ends up face down, head pressed against the pillow. You pull her ass in the air, spanking her, albeit gently. “Unless you want me to stop”

“Keep going” she pleads, embarassed at the way her arousal is running down her thighs.

“That’s it. Good girl” you say when you place two fingers before her and she sucks them greedily. “Nice to see you still remember how to use your mouth, babe”

“Y/N” she sighs, hiding her face in the pillow.

“I wanna hear you” you remind her, entering her easily. She’s so wet there’s no resistance, not even when you add a third finger.

Your fingers and mouth move in tandem, and  Wanda’s so worked up that it doesn’t take a lot for her to come again.

The only reason you show mercy is because her legs are shaking and she can’t hold herself up any longer.

“Five minute break” you kiss behind her ear. “Then you’re riding my face”

A mix of a moan and a laugh leaves Wanda’s lips.

It’s gonna be a long, great night.

—

The last time she woke up this late, you were home.

Months ago, when things were ok.

And now, as Wanda opens her eyes, looking out the window, it feels like that again.

She grabs your clothes, like she always does and walks up to the kitchen.

“Breakfast is almost ready” you say over your shoulder. “Coffee?”

“Mhm” she nods. Before you can reach out and pour her a cup, she pulls you down to kiss you. She nudges her nose against yours, smiling. “Morning”

“Fucked all night looks good on you” you tease, making her roll her eyes.

“I’m sleepy. Feels like I ran a marathon”

“Poor Wanda, getting orgasm after orgasm” you whisper against her ear when you place a plate with french toast and eggs in front of her.

“You’re mean”

“You’re delicious” you say back, kissing her. “Now, eat. Gotta get ready for round two”

“You’ll be the death of me” she says, blushing.

“I’m just saying, your flight doesn’t leave until noon. Don’t you want to try the jacuzzi?”

“Tempting” she says, smiling.

The sight of her wearing your clothes, and having breakfast with adorable bed hair and a relaxed expression makes your heart soar.

“Hey… I was thinking. Why don’t the kids join you next time?” you propose, looking at your plate, afraid of Wanda’s reaction.

Her words stuck with you. You knew she was upset and didn’t mean it. You knew you were good to the kids and they loved you.

But maybe it’s too soon to see them again.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Wanda picks up on your mood.

“Nothing. It was stupid, forget I mentioned it…” you shake your head.

Wanda stands up and sits on your lap.

“I think that’s a fantastic idea” she says, her hands cupping your cheeks gently to make you look up. “But be prepared because they’ll be hyper verbal”

“I can live with that” you smile.

“And we’ll probably not have a moment to… you know” she plays with the collar of your shirt, raising her eyebrows.

“Then we better make the most of our time right now” you pick her up, and Wanda laughs. “You were done with breakfast, right?”

“Well, I actually had some toast left on my plate”

“Here” you offer her a bite and then take one for yourself. “And off we go”

Needless to say, Wanda almost missed her flight.

[wintfleur]

Addressing the sweetestdesire situation !!

ꪆ୧ more screenshots are under the keep reading!

This morning i received an ask on anon regarding Brynn, also known as sweetestdesire. Informing me of her plagiarizing other people’s writings. (I completely agree what anon has expressed, it is completely wrong what she did)

With further research I clicked on all the links and saw that her posts (the copied ones) have already been deleted, so I can’t say nothing regarding those links for sure. But one of my friends on here has also received an ask just like mine, just with different links/fics.

I cross read them and you can notice immediately that Brynn had copied them almost word to word, down below are some screenshots proving it!

(BRYNNS THE ORIGINAL )

* TAKE A HIKE (TITLE FOR BOTH )

* CAUGHT IN THE ACT (COPIED) LAST FIRST DATE (ORIGINAL)

* A FRIEND IN NEED (COPIED) THE PROPOSITION (ORIGINAL)

* ANGRY INSIGHT (COPIED) SORE LOSER (ORIGINAL)

As you all can see, it’s clear that she had stolen from these writers, which is completely unacceptable and wrong. I’m not making this post to bully Brynn, I just want people to know the truth and understand what has happened, and the original writers deserve to be known as the actual writers of these stories.

That being said I have reached out to brynn outside of tumblr when I noticed that she had deactivated her account! I won’t share our conversations out of privacy for her. but I did bring this up to her, she knew what she was doing was wrong, and she apologizes. I asked her if she had anything she wanted to me to tell everyone, this is it.

“Please let everyone know that I do apologize for just deciding to pussy out and just run away from the problems rather than come clean about everything and give a much needed apology. I shouldn't have done that and I shouldn't have done everything else that I've done. I don't know if I'll come back, but as of right now, I don't see that happening because I don't feel as if I belong on there or wanted for that matter. I fucked up and I take full responsibility about everything and if I could take back everything, I would”

I want to say again that I completely agree with the anon, plagiarism is wrong! I apologize if this seems rushed (it is) but I believe that people deserve to know the truth, however hard it is!

Again, I want to make it clear that I am not making this post to bully, or be rude in anyway!

This is mostly all the information that I have on the matter, if anyone has any questions feel free to message me or send an ask!

tagging some of my moots to spread the word <3 @winterbarnesblog @wondrluv @wineauntie @fantillisgirl @isaadore @hhughes @lovesickhughes @sc0tters @letsgetrowdy43 @nylqnder @ebsmind @ruinix @prfctstrmrry @cuteandhughesy @hughesinthebox

[bettystonewell]

TO YOU I BELONG: CHAPTER 6

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Pairing: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader

Summary: Dean isn't looking for a mate, and the last place he expects to meet his soulmate is while on a case. Fate ain't real. He still has free will, and saving you is just another part of the job. Except, monsters aren't the only things you need saving from... 18+ only MDNI

Chapter Word Count: 4.5k words

Chapter Warnings: language, fluff, smut implied

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

The Men of Letters bunker was full of many wondrous and wacky things. From weapons to ancient texts, to objects that looked like they’d been pulled right out of a sci-fi movie. 

Some were dangerous, plenty were extremely so, and others, Dean wouldn’t touch even if he was wearing a lead-lined radioactive safety suit. Screw ten-feet poles. 

Sam would say the same about the vast collection of handwritten reports and records the place had, too, but he would be wrong. Dean did, in fact, read on occasion. And it wasn’t just in times of researching for cases or when he had the mark. 

Sometimes he simply got bored.

It’s how he’d stumbled on one particular document regarding mated pairs from another world and learned that not all of Chuck’s creations had heats, ruts and knots like they assumed. Although he should’ve known that without reading it in a file. He always knew there was something funny about the doppelgangers in the Fiat besides the other Sammy’s man-bun. 

Douchebuggery aside, somewhere in God’s vast universe, there were humans who weren’t categorised by secondary gender and thus alpha males who didn’t have bulbous muscles at the base of their dicks. 

Yup. There was at least one Dean Winchester whose junk was the same width the whole way along, except for the tip. That perv Sinclair, who’d written on the subject the most, had actually drawn a picture of one. Not his, per se, but some random guy’s. Dean hoped.

There were also no marks or claims. No soulmate’s even. Just straight up male and female pairs, shacking up together, sometimes casual, but when serious, showing off their unions with rings and a piece of paper. 

This world and its marriage thing sounded so much simpler in some ways. No marking meant no biting, and no knotting meant you could fuck off once you were done. That had to be convenient for one-night stands. 

Who’d complain about that?

But this society had another thing Dean remembered, and it was something that seemed to fit what the past two weeks had been like for him and you.

The honey-days period. 

At least, that sounded about right. He wasn’t about to reread the file again because the dick pick had scarred him for life.

Whatever the name was, after meeting four weeks prior, that was the stage he was at in his relationship with you, minus the swanky hotel and room service. 

Every moment you had been together had been spent well, together. And Dean hadn’t had enough. 

Was he whipped? Maybe. Obsessed? If that label satisfied Sammy, then sure. But as he looked down at you, lying satiated on top of him, he didn’t care, because the word that came to mind for him was happy. And the happiest he’d been in his life to date that he could recall.

He’d slept like a baby last night, and your wake-up call earlier had been awesome. Exactly what he needed after another long hunt away. 

His arms wrapped tighter around you, basking in the afterglow of your latest romp in the sheets. Not that they were anywhere nearby. One half had ended up tangled in his ankles, while the other was on the floor. 

He nuzzled his chin into your hair. The smell of cinnamon, a touch of apple and a nip of whisky from his lips, reminded him of his favourite dessert, and his mouth twitched. Those movies had gotten it right. If only his stomach wasn’t rumbling beneath you like a crazed animal, he might have gone in for a second helping.

He was starving. Wasting away to nothing and needing to do something about it real soon.

“What do you say I make us a big breakfast once we’ve cleaned up?” he asked. It wouldn’t be as fancy as room service, but he’d put in the extra effort for you. He knew how to whip up pancakes, bacon and eggs and would even add some fruit in it for you if it’s what you wanted. 

But who was he kidding? What he had in mind wasn’t for your benefit at all.

Still, he hoped you’d agree to it. While not heavy, your hips were pressing into his bladder, and taking a leak was fast becoming the top thing to do on his imaginary list.

“I think you mean lunch,” you mumbled.

Dean strained his neck to look at the alarm clock on his bedside. Fuck. It was close to twelve. No wonder he was feeling pangs from both organs. Normally, he’d be up and about by now. “I haven’t slept this late in a long time,” he said.

“Last I recall, you weren’t sleeping.” You chuckled and raised your head up to meet his eyes. The cool morning air rushed straight to his nipples, nipping at them, and yours, sending signals to his still deflating knot. 

Damn bunker was always cold. 

There must’ve been a few drops left of his release because he definitely felt a pulse at the root of his shaft and you quirked your brow.

“I just spent three days without you, sweetheart.” He shrugged. 

He’d missed you every second of them, too. Though, unlike the case in New Mexico, his insecurities had become more lax. 

You now had an anti-possession tattoo, and you knew how to shoot a pistol and shotgun, sort of. 

The revolver he kept under the war room table was a start. It was loaded, cocked and ready to use, which yes, he was well aware went against every piece of gun training his father and Bobby had ever taught him, but precaution was key. He needed to protect you, even when he wasn’t there to do so. 

“You just got home,” you said, finding a sudden interest in his own ink. “And you’ve been working a lot. How about you let me make something for you?” 

His fingers brushed through your hair, tucking the strands behind your ear that had fallen down. “Last I recall,” he said smugly, “you were working, too.”

“What? Reading text books. You and Sam had it all figured out.” 

You pushed away from the mattress and crawled back to sit upright. But his hands found your hips, and he stopped you from moving any further. He didn’t like your tone or the way you frowned. 

“We didn’t know we had to light it up,” he said, hoping praise was what you needed to hear. 

It was the truth, and he and Sam had been grateful. They could’ve spent longer away from home if you hadn’t found the solution. The damn thing, that still had no name, had similarities with vamps, but it still wouldn’t stay put, even after a machete to the neck and the rounds of lead and silver they blasted into its torso.

But you scoffed. “How often do you guys burn things?” 

Without hesitation, he opened his mouth to speak. Only you had him stumped. His brain had no words to counter with. 

They burned shit all the time, vengeful spirit or not. If they were ever in need of disposing of a body real quick, it was digging a hole and lighting her up, or finding a wood chipper. And it wasn’t like he had one floating around in Baby’s trunk. 

That answer wouldn’t help him or you, though, and there was more to this than you being upset about the method they’d used to get the job done.

He saw the pout, the subtle nod that you’d made your point, and the way your fingers continued to trace the lines of the pentagram on his chest. Any idiot could tell that something was wrong. He just needed to know what. 

You were his mate after all, with or without his claim, and his current bodily function issues aside, it was his duty to look out for your welfare, both emotional and physical. Yet, he was hesitant to open up whatever rabbit hole he was about to. 

Luckily, his inner Sammy was having a conniption. ‘Talk to her,’ it said. ‘Don’t jump to conclusions like you always do.’ 

And for once, rather than saying something stupid, he listened. “Is everything okay?” 

“I just—” You bit your lip. 

His stomach had decided it was the perfect time to gurgle in protest. 

“You know what, nevermind.” You patted him gently. “We should clean up. You haven’t eaten yet.” And you swung your leg off of him and moved to the edge of the bed.

Fuck. Guilt crept in on him. Something was bothering you, but things were getting desperate for his stomach and his plumbing, and the last thing he wanted to do was wet the bed, so ultimately, his own predicament won out. 

He sat up, wrapped his arms around you, and pulled you down onto your back, catching you by surprise. Your squeal of delight telling him distraction was key.

Dean captured your lips with his, placing all of his feelings into it to soothe whatever was troubling you. Promising himself that he would work on fixing things as soon as the horde rumbling in his insides had ebbed. 

Sam had been busy himself that morning.

So far, he’d searched the web for anything resembling a case, and found nothing. He’d also gone for a run, taken a shower, and was finishing up in the bathroom when he received the text.

Where are you? It read.

He didn’t think much of the message. Why would he? 

It wasn’t unusual for Dean to use his phone rather than look for him. The bunker was large, after all. Three levels, multiple halls and passageways, and those were just the areas they’d discovered. Who knew how expansive a place could be when it had a giant telescope and a shooting range amongst other rooms?

While he found some interest in that stuff, Sam still prioritised cataloguing the library. Something he hoped to get you on board with, because Dean never helped him, and you had some experience with your former job.

He sighed as he picked up his phone to type out his response - My room. At least he would be when his brother arrived at his bedroom door. It wasn’t far away and Dean liked to go slow on rest days. Especially now with you around.

Unfortunately for Sam, however, he had misunderstood Dean’s intentions, and dawdling by account was the last thing he should’ve done. 

He took his time, putting his boots on, getting the socks into position so that the seams didn’t annoy his toes in the corners. He threw his dirty clothes in the hamper, making sure each piece was turned the right way out and separated. Finally, he returned his damp towel to the metal rung he kept it on, folding it just so that the edges lined up, and stepped out into the corridor with a wave of steam close behind him. 

Swivelling on his feet, he strolled back towards his room, continuing with his leisurely pace. 

He had not a care in the world.

That was until he rounded the curve and found himself in front of his brother, carrying you over his shoulder, and he did a double take.

“Sammy?” 

“Dude! What the hell.”

Unlike Dean, you had some shame and scrambled to make sure the sheet you’d been wrapped in covered your body, though you had done a fair job of that before Sam had run into you both, and he appreciated it.

He liked you. You seemed kind and sweet. Too good for Dean if he was honest, but he respected the soulmate thing and knew that for whatever reason, even if it was unknown, you already had a profound bond.

With Dean, however, he’d rather not have shared as much as what he was seeing. It was bad enough he’d heard things the past two weeks since returning from New Mexico, but this? “Please tell me you’re wearing something.” He sighed.

“Why’d you think I sent that message for?” Dean grinned, and Sam shook his head. 

“Because you were looking for me?”

“No.” His voice was higher than usual. “I wanted to know where you were. There’s a difference.”

Fucking hell. He may have been awake for a good six hours now, but it was still far too early for semantics, especially with Dean. “Well, here I am,” Sam said, his arms and chest jerking forward in frustration. 

“This ain’t your room.”

Sam stared at his brother in disbelief. Why did he bother? It was days like these he wished he’d stayed at Stanford. Or left Dean alone to succumb to that djinn in Illinois. Either way, he would’ve saved himself some crap. “I was headed there!”

“Well, keep heading there. I gotta take a leak,” Dean said as he sped past. Your hands reached down, doing their best to cover the parts of him Sam didn’t want to see. 

“Sorry,” you mouthed, and he shook his head in return.

He knew he liked you. He just wasn’t sure how he was going to handle his brother with you around. Especially if what he’d just witnessed was about to become a regular occurrence.

Dean jiggled, flushed and flipped the lid. He was a courteous guy. And just maybe, had learnt his lesson a long time ago while living at Lisa’s. 

You were already in the shower waiting for him when he padded across the tiled floor to wash his hands.

You’d been quiet ever since he’d mentioned their recent case in Iowa. Quieter still when he’d made a joke about Sammy, having the personality of the Mountain despite being younger after he’d lied about where he was, and Dean was growing concerned. You normally laughed along with him about this stuff, and sure, it had been only four weeks of knowing you, but this was different to how you usually were around him.

Were you really upset that they’d ganked the last d-bag by lighting ‘em up in flames? Had you wanted to help more on the case? Did you want to, Chuck forbid, hunt with them?

Over his dead body. 

There was no way you’d ever take up that life. The guns and tattoo were only there as a precaution, nothing more, so he hoped there was another explanation.

But what else?

Your heat was due soon. 

Maybe this change in mood was a sign it was starting? 

‘You ain’t asking that,' he chuckled silently to himself. He didn’t have a death wish. Though he was screwed if this was going to become daily life for him.

He pushed those thoughts to the side. He was being a douchebag just thinking of them, and that wasn’t him. 

That belonged with man-bun Sammy and the version of him that wore dress shirts without a suit and tie. The guy was one good looking fella, he’d give him that, but Dean didn’t need a fancy-ass shirt to pull off the same amount of charm with you, or anyone else. He was like Swayze. Better with age.

He glanced over the reflection of his torso in the mirror, catching your silhouette behind the glass screen sitting just above his shoulder.

The room was quiet besides the shower and splashing noises made as you washed. There was no sound of tears or smell of them, and he took that as a good sign. Great, when you smiled warmly at him as he entered the cubicle with you.

“Better?” You squinted through the stream.

“I am now,” he said as he stepped closer to steal the warm water from you, earning himself a wet slap and you a cheeky grin.

His hardened chest pressed against your soft one, leaving barely any room for the spray to flow. 

There was something sexy about slippery skin. There was something sexy about your skin. Who was he kidding?

Still feeling playful, Dean’s hand moved to perch on your hip. He leaned in as if he were about to plant a kiss on your lips, but swooped behind you last second, reaching for his body wash on the inbuilt shelf. 

That earned him a firmer smack. One he revelled in. Violence was never the answer. He’d made that clear when he screwed with Dick. It told him his shenanigans were working, though. 

That, and you hit like a girl.

He caught your arm and poured a generous amount of soap into your palm, proceeding to use your hand to wash himself. 

“I need to teach you how to throw a punch,” he said as he draped your fingers around his neck first, then down over both shoulders and pectorals. All guided by him, and his even bigger grin.

“Why? I’m not a hunter.” You scoffed.

You weren’t interested in being one, either, by the sounds of it, thank fuck. 

Your hand pulled against his movements. “You thought I wanted to be?”

How did you do that? “I was worried you might.”

“What made you think that?” 

Now that he was being asked, he didn’t have the answer. “I, ah… I dunno. Something’s bothering you ‘bout the last hunt.”

You took a step back and hit the wall with a soft slap, looking at him as if he’d just told you werewolves weren’t real, even though you very much knew they were. He’d ganked one in between the witches and their most recent case. 

“So you thought I wanted to join you? It…” You shook your head. “I thought you were hungry?” 

You would be wrong. He had lost his stomach minutes ago and now had Famine banging around in there instead. But he didn’t tell you that. You’d think he was crazier than you already did if he started bringing up the apocalypse. That was a discussion for another time when he brought up their not so straightforward relationships with God and the King of Hell.

“I am.” He laced his fingers between yours and pulled you back to the centre of the shower, watching as the spray hit your shoulders. “But it can wait. There’s something you’re not telling me here, and I need you to tell me.”

Your head lowered, drawing him down, too. 

Bad move. The water now ran over your breasts to your pert nipples, the curves creating tiny waterfalls that captivated his attention with the way droplets pooled at the edges. He had to swallow hard.

“I want to make you breakfast,” you said.

Uh… The statement would’ve made him revert back to eye level, but when you bounced on the heels of your feet, it didn’t help his resolve. The words, though. What? “You wanna cook?” You cooked all the time.

“No.” You shot back up. “Well, yeah. That came out wrong… I want to…help more…around the bunker. You know, earn my keep.”

Earn your keep.

Do more?

“You do plenty around here.” You’d been cooking for them almost every meal since you’d moved in. Organised the kitchen and kept on top of the use by dates in the fridge. He hadn’t drunk off-milk or been in the laundry room in over a month. Maybe even two for the latter. But he wasn’t about to admit that.

“No, I don’t.” You shook your head. “Not enough. I know hunting doesn’t exactly pay the bills, but you and Sam go out there and save people, and here I am, making the occasional meal for you guys when you get home.”

Your hand came up to his stomach and smoothed over the creases that highlighted where his muscles lay beneath. “I wanna help more,” you said. “Dick took all my—” 

Dean smirked at your usage of your ex’s nickname. That was his ‘endearment,’ not yours. 

“Don’t do that.” You swatted him.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were thinking about it. I felt you smile.”

You did? Well, that was new. But he didn’t question you. He had no heart to. Your mind was on a one-way ticket to that spark he knew. 

“…Ritchie took everything I have, and now I don’t have a job to help pay my way.” You reached for the soap and squeezed out another dollop onto your palm and started running it over his body once more. “I can’t even help you with your cases. I just…don’t want you to think I’m mooching off of you guys.”

So that’s what was wrong.

Dean had forgotten all about that dickbag bleeding you dry. Too happy and lost in the life he’d been building with you to realise that your baggage was still weighing you down.

“It ain’t mooching if there’s nothing to mooch, sweetheart,” he said, pulling you back against his chest and wrapping an arm around your waist while his hand came up to cradle your head. 

“But I’m used to working. Contributing. And I’m going stir crazy not doing that.”

Dean sighed. There was that guilt again, only now he had cause for it. He and Sam always had each other, but they were leaving you here for days at a time, with no transport, no respite, no purpose, while only his phone calls kept you company. 

It’s no wonder you were struggling.

This place must’ve felt like a prison to you, compared to the life you’d had, even with that abusive fucktard. It was still cold in the warmer months. Creepy, as you’d complained about when they were in New Mexico, and you had no nest here, or space to call your own so you could make one. 

Dean could relate to all of that if he was honest, minus the nesting thing. There’d been times in his life when he felt frustrated because he couldn’t do jack. A broken leg. Heart problems because of some crazy-ass ghost. Sammy in hell. Okay, that was a little out of the present perspective… All in all, though, he didn’t know what to do to help you.

That was until you said, “How about you let me make you breakfast?” with a smile, and while he was perplexed once again by how the fuck you’d done that, he kissed you on your forehead, and smiled against your skin in return.

“We’ll do it together,” he whispered. And then grabbed your hand and moved it to wash his ass cheek.

Dean fumbled through the contents of the fridge. His fingers and ears were now at risk of frostbite on account of how long he’d been searching in there for. "Where’d you say it was?” 

“Top shelf,” you said over the sizzling of bacon in the pan. 

He’d looked there already and there was no fucking butter. 

He raised his head and pushed past the milk, juice and whatever the hell vegetable Sam had blended into liquid this time. If smoothies weren’t meant to be green, they probably weren’t meant to be brown either. 

Yes, it could’ve been melted chocolate…

But it wasn’t. 

Cocoa, or anything else associated with its candy form, did not smell like the contents of his stomach after cheap whiskey. Nor did it have lumps. Or take on that specific colour.

Gross.

And no closer to finding the damn butter.

He shut the fridge with a sigh louder than the metal doors creaking and went to the pantry. Oil would have to do. Surely they had some of that lying round the bunker. The kind he used for Baby’s engine was a no go, obviously, but he wouldn’t say no to blessed pancakes if he got desperate enough to take the holy stuff from her trunk. 

“What’re you doing?” you asked as he scoured the open shelving.

“Wasn’t any.” There was, however, canola or olive oil, and he picked them up and turned around to show them to you. “Which—”

Your hands were already on your hips. 

You scrunched your nose and channelled your inner Samantha before spinning on your heels, searching for the ingredient yourself.

It was no surprise you found it straight away, but in his defence, Dean hadn’t expected it to be in the container Jody had ‘leant’ them a few months ago. The last time he’d seen the thing, there was gravy inside that was definitely gravy and not something he questioned as chocolate.

“Where’d you find that?”

“In the fridge. Top shelf.” You deadpanned.

“Smart ass.” He grinned, but pulled you close anyway when he stepped up next to you. “I didn’t know you’d put it in that.” 

His chin dipped down to your shoulder and nuzzled his initials hidden beneath the fabric. The hiss you made between your teeth brought a smirk to his lips and a familiar pang to his own body. 

“It keeps better. Though I had to clean it out first. I dunno what was in there, but it wasn’t edible.”

He moved to your mating gland and chuckled into your skin, peppering kisses over the sensitive flesh. “And you thought you weren’t helping ‘round here.”

“Cleaning out Tupperware with a living ecosystem growing inside of it does not make up for a nine to five,” you stated.

Though he heard you, his mind focused on the change in your pulse that had taken on a life of its own. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say it was pulling his into a similar rhythm.

Your skin was hot to touch, warming the surrounding air, and everything started to make sense. “How much longer till your heat, ‘mega?” (And here he swore he wouldn’t be a douchebag.)

Your “Hmm?” was distant, and he grazed his front teeth over your neck, drawing away to find lust filled eyes turning to meet him. 

“Do I need to stop takin’ the suppressants?” His brows wagged, hopeful and just as driven as you had been lost in his attentions. 

“It might be a good idea,” you said, patting his cheek. “Probably best to think about your poor brother too…shit.” Your focus returned to the bacon that was fast becoming a little too crispy even for him. When it spat back at you, you flinched. “Well, excuse me for not letting you burn,” you directed to the pan.

He rubbed a placating hand over your rear, then got to work whipping up a batch of pancakes. It was now past noon and while he may have been hungry before, he was close to eating the raw ingredients he churned the spoon through.

‘Sammy?’ his mind repeated. He’d rather not. But Dean recognised you had a point after this morning.

If things were reversed, there’s no way he’d be sticking around during your first heat. It was surprising Sam hadn’t lost his cool with him earlier, and he wondered if he should send his brother on a fake milk run. All he needed to do was find a suspicious enough murder a few states over. Maybe get Donna or Jody involved and… 

Dean looked down at the butter in the container. Another wider grin spread across his face.

“What?” you asked. Not moving an inch.

“How many days do you think we got?”

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

Ahhhhh - any guesses what's happening next?

I started to gain a rather large interest in the concept of nesting as I worked through this story, and the first little signs of it are coming up next chapter (it's in the preview below). As someone who's made a career in retail, it was only natural that my sales brain came up with stores having nesting departments, and it will feature again if you catch my drift.

I won't give too much away, but I'm on the edge of my own seat waiting to give you guys the next chapter to the point I’m considering uploading it earlier! Are you guys ready for him to claim her?

Until then ❤️

Chapter 7: Honeydayimg 04/04

“Are you sure we need all this stuff?” he asked as you passed another couple with only half the things you had.

“This coming from the guy who had two slices of pie on top of his burger at lunch?” 

Point taken, he supposed, but you’d eaten just as much. You’d had more than him, come to think of it. Lunch, breakfast, the night before. So when you patted his stomach, and he looked down at you grinning at him, he couldn’t help but return a knowing smile.

“You’ll thank me later,” you said.

He knew he would. In more ways than one. 

Still on your way to the front, you passed the nesting department located opposite the cash registers. Of course, it was just another convenient ploy to gain some extra impulse buys from naïve omegas who hadn’t realised they needed that new blanket or another stuffy until they saw the giant pile of fluff.

To Dean’s distaste, you were also won over by the gimmick and he was pulled along for the ride. 

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[akindaflora]

How SKZ would react to you calling them your boyfriend on travels!

Full word count: 2,002

details: Basically I'm going on solo trip abroad for my birthday soon and as a safety precaution I've decided to use low key photos of SKZ members and telling weirdos that they're my boyfriend and I kept thinking about what if I accidentally ran into one of the boys not knowing its them and then to show a photo of themselves saying that they were my boyfriend. I doubt the boys would ever make someone uncomfortable intentionally but I'm extremely jumpy with strangers especially men haha so I could definitely see this happening! Anyway hope you enjoy:)

Warning: One curse word was said! Mentions of stalking and harassment but no actual harassment unless you count Lee Know being slightly mischievous. Also if you do workout please be sure to have a spotter when lifting heavy weights ^_−☆

Thanks again for the support on Lip Mask while that was the first story I posted. This scenario was in the works well way before Lip Mask was even written but due to the support of SKZ Tumblr community, I felt wayyy more confident and comfortable with sharing this idea with you all! Hope you enjoy ❤️

Hyung / Maknae / Masterlist

Bangchan (616 words)

It was the first day of your trip after a long flight and only arriving at 3 in the afternoon you realized your fight against jet lag might be stronger than you thought. The subtle feeling of sleep as you took a shower in the hotel not doing much aid. But with a few light slaps to your face you made your trek outdoors to explore the city hoping the walking and maybe some sugar would keep you up till nightfall. With that thought you grabbed your bag and threw on a scarf to keep the chill away.

So far after walking around for a bit, your shoulders started to tense. There were a lot of people and while crowded spaces aren't that scary there was the possibility that anything could happen. What if someone tried to steal your phone? You did your best to grip your phone in your pocket. What if someone tries to kidnap you? With that thought you began looking around your shoulder hoping to only feel at ease as the city rushed past you but instead, you could see a steady black-clothed figure hurriedly following you.

Panic began to strike. You knew in your research of the city that there had been some issues with men harassing women for dates going so far as to follow them for blocks on end. You knew you couldn't go back to the hotel not wanting the newfound stalker to stalk you even more and worse you didn't even know where you were, the buildings all looked the same.

Taking a deep breath you tried your best to high-tail it out of there only to feel your heart in your chest sink to your stomach when you realized the corner you turned on was mostly a quiet street nothing compared to the bustling city a few streets over.

With a deep breath, you pulled out your phone and swiped to the image of your bias Bang Chan hoping the stranger wasn't into K Pop and would accept the fact that you having a boyfriend was enough to back off.

"I have a boyfriend and this is him, I'm on my way to meeting him right now so can you stop following me," You said eyes slightly closed and phone outreach stopped the man at his pace. After a few moments of awkward silence, you began to talk, "Look he boxes for fun, I’d turn around if I were you," when you got no response but the quiet sounds of a chuckle you opened your eyes to see a very similar bright red scarf. So similar it even has your initials sewn in on the bottom just like the one you're wearing. Without thinking you reached for your scarf in your other hand.

Blood rushed to your cheeks as it began to click. This man wasn't stalking you but out of some weird concern trying to hand you your scarf back. You quickly looked up at the guy ready to apologize only to feel the blood on your face rise even more. God if you were to compare a cherry red tomato to your face it probably be hard to tell the difference at this moment.

"When I said I would protect you all this didn't really come to mind" He giggled a bit more. You slowly put your phone away wondering if by chance there was a pothole you could bury yourself in.

He moved to put the scarf around your neck, “Jagi you should really stay warm come on, you hungry? I wanna get to know my girlfriend a bit better yeah,” he said nodding his head in a direction up the street.

Lee Know (499 words)

Your stomach growled at you as you rounded the 10th corner of the day. None of the restaurants nearby were speaking to you. Deciding that you were far too hungry to look for a decent spot you wandered into the nearest convenience store.

Quickly deciding a particular appealing hot meal you wandered to the snack aisle, hoping to find a dessert that might even out your salty meal. After contemplating a few candy bars your stomach growled again. As hungry as you were you knew the dessert would either make or break your meal and luckily the store wasn't too filled so you knew checkout wouldn't take long nor finding a decent seat. Weighing your options you decided to go back to the cold section.

Not feeling ice cream as it was already extremely cold you didn't need your teeth shaking too, you decided to look over the choices of pudding. But as you looked you couldn’t decided between Carmel or the Coffee jelly. Both were appetizing but what would bring you the most joy?

In your thought of pondering you heard a deep sigh from your left. Not thinking much of it you decided to move over slightly in hopes whoever needed the pudding would still be able to grab whatever they wanted. But as you continued to decided the sigh moved to your right. So you moved to the right slightly at one point you and the heavy sigher moved left to right back and forth that it seemed to be a game this stranger was playing with you.

With your own heavy sigh you put the caramel pudding back deciding the sweet treat would taste bitter from this unnecessary transaction. Quickly holding your head high without looking at the stranger you moved to decide on a drink.

But before you could grab the tea of your choice the sigh came back. Quickly you threw the drink in your basket and then grabbed your phone. Hoping that the photo of Lee Know would cause the sigher to get lost.

“Look i don’t know what game your playing at but this is my boyfriend he’s just around the corner,” you warned showing the lockscreen in the stranger direction.

A loud laugh was pulled that peak your interest, he sounded familiar quickly looking up you nearly dropped the basket in your hands to which he grabbed to help support you.

“Oh but jagi I’m already here! You should be careful you could have broken the jelly” He began to chastise you still laughing with no concern. A quick heat of a blush went to your cheeks as you tried to process this all. Forgetting your hungry stomach as it decided now was the perfect time to growl. The blushing deepens with each giggle. He raised his brow with another quick laugh.

“Come on i’ll pay and then we can go on that date we supposedly planned,” he said motioning you to follow after taking your basket from your hand.

Changbin (374 words)

With the start of the New Year you had grown dedicated to going to the gym. Even going as far to go while on vacation. Ever since you began your workout journey you've had the displeasure of many unwelcome interactions from the male population. Going so far as having to use your bias Changbin as your lock screen. It had worked so far most giving up when they realized how built the man in the photo is and leaving you alone.

Normally you try the buddy system but this being a solo trip you had no one else but yourself and Changbin's photo to protect you. Deciding to start with the treadmill to warm up, you felt the familiar eyes of men as they watched you move. With steady breath, you turned up your music and focused on the TV in front of you.

After 30 minutes you decided to move to the bench press. Deciding that while you didn't have a spotter, it should be fine if you used extremely light weights. You noticed a peculiar muscular guy watching you intently.

You tried to shake his eyes off you got into position but before you could even start the same guy came running over lifting the weight off completely. Unable to hear him you turned your music down after he finished talking and only opened your phone to show him the picture of your saver.

"Look dude this is my boyfriend and he's almost here so I'd step back if I were you," You said not even looking at him reaching for your bottled water. Hearing a big huff of air leaving his lips you finally slowly turn to look ready to set a glare on him. Only to see a somewhat concerned Changbin looking at you as he smirked. A blush creeps up to your cheeks eyes going wide.

"Well seems like your boyfriend already here and wouldn't recommend you dead lifting without a spotter. Why don't you let me help Jagi" He said smoothly. You on the other hand clutching your heart at not only making a fool in front of your bias and the fact he called you jagi.

Definitely proud of yourself for keeping up this gym routine now.

Hyunjin (513 words)

Today had been a tad bit rough on your vacation. Your phone dying so you had no idea how to get back to your hotel that and your favorite shoes had a hole in them the only good thing being that you bought a new pair. And well that you did fine a decent book burning away in your bag asking you to read its text. Quickly trying to figure out your safe haven and hopefully an outlet.

With it being extremely late you stumble upon a bar filled with books and laughter as different types of people filled it. It was a book bar, one of the many to do things on your list, maybe your luck was changing. The bar wasn't too crowded but it definitely wasn't easy finding a spot next to an outlet. Tucked away in a corner you pull out your charger and the book in your bag sipping away on the bubbling beer.

After walking for hours and shivering in the cold the warm bar and the soft chitter chatter of others around you warmed you as the author's words pulled you in. The only problem is that the person next to you kept bumping into your left shoulder. You tried shaking them off which didn't work and after a glance at your still-dead phone, you sighed taking another sip. If only it were on you'd show the stranger your lock screen of your bias Hyunjin maybe his piercing eyes and oozing confidence would scare them away. With your luck, the guy left and you let out a breath you didn't realize you had been holding in, finally able to get back to your book.

But just as if the universe was testing your patience the same guy, you assumed, came back and began to softly poke you. Luckily as he did your phone turned on.

Without even looking you unplugged your phone showing the strange man your screen, "See this guy he's my boyfriend, and he's supposed to meet me here so if I were you I'd stop touching me, he can be the jealous type and you wouldn't like to see him that way," You said setting your phone down and turning the page of your book.

But the poker was relentless and poked you again with a little laugh. You quickly closed your book marking your finger in the pages as a steady glare brought you to the source of your annoyance.

Though everything went silent or rather your heart stopped as you realized it was the same man on your home screen that went out of his way to poke you. Fuck you thought.

"Well I was gonna ask if you let me plug my phone up too. Didn't know I came off as the jealous type," he said looking down as if lost in thought. Talk about strange luck.

“Hmmm Jagi put the book away seems we need to talk about the boundaries of our relationship,” he said plugging his phone into your charger. Yeah, maybe you should get lost more often.

After writing author notes: I wanted these to end on a goodish note and leave with the boys being somewhat interested but i hope i didn’t feed your delusions too much as this did with mine. Also sorry for the various word counts but some scenarios were easier to write more for than others but I enjoy all the boys equally so I didn't want to write more for the sake of more but just the context needed for each scene! Might be a bit till i can figure out the maknaes i really want the scenarios to be somewhat unrealistic but realistic to the boys interest and things they'd probably be doing on vacations days. If you want to speed up the process I'm open to ideas for the rest until then I believe some more fluff for the other boys are in the works.

Take care eat well and don't forget to touch grass every once and a while ( ˘ ³˘)♥︎

[talia-black]

Relationship Headcanons (Liyue Boys)

Okay, these posts don’t really follow a precise formatting, but there is a general line of reasoning I try to stick to when doing these headcanons. First paragraph is mainly explaining how the character’s circumstances would affect their position on having a significant other, and any kind of pre-existing ideas (if they have any) about what the character would want from their significant other. Second, what they didn’t know they wanted from a significant other, and how their partner would care for them/express their affection as a romantic partner. Third, some general ideas of what circumstances and person the character would fall. Some are more specific than others based on the reasons explained in the first paragraph. Fourth, how long it takes for the character to realize their feelings, how long it takes for them to confess, and then how they would go about dating their potential partner. Last paragraph is mainly how the character would act in a settled relationship and some ways they would express affection. For the most part angst free when it comes to the actual relationships.

I’m so sorry Xiao’s took up so much. He’s the reason I started playing Genshin and his emotional walls took my entire stamina bar to scale. I just want to do our favorite emo boy right <3

I will be grouping characters by their home regions, or at least where the character is living/currently considers home, so Childe will be with the other Snezyneyans. As for those with unknown origins… we’ll see if I make it there. 

(Also no Chongyun. I’m so sorry, but I don’t have him and I just don’t have a good enough grasp on his character for me to be able to write for him. To all of the Chongyun appreciators, I extend my deepest apologies. He seems sweet and cute.) 

SO= Significant Other Link to the Mondstadt Boys post

BAIZHU 

Honestly, my personal favorite out of all the Liyue men (His story quest is a work of art) but I promise to try and not let that affect my judgment. Baizhu is another workaholic, except in this case the workaholic in question is quite ill most of the time and continues to make himself even more ill in order to fulfill his oath and calling as a doctor. Between his work at the pharmacy, his own personal research, and managing his illness, he is another who wouldn’t give much thought to a romantic relationship. He had briefly thought about it in his youth, as many adolescents often do, but whatever desires he might have had were forgotten when he began his studies. Hypothetically speaking, Baizhu would want a significant other who shares his world views. Outside his flawless professional reputation, the few people who know him somewhat closely don’t fully support his pursuit of immortality. An SO who Baizhu felt safe enough to confide in, and fully believed in his goal, would mean everything to him. 

What Baizhu didn’t know he wanted in an SO was someone who didn’t just support his goals, but actively helped him pursue them while simultaneously making sure he took care of himself. Someone who would go herb gathering when Qiqi was busy with other errands, who would force Baizhu to take naps when he was fatigued and took care of the pharmacy on his behalf. Someone who would secretly stay up late into the night a few times a week in order to study every single medical text Baizhu had in his possession. Baizhu didn’t even notice they did this until they managed to diagnose a patient quicker than him. 

“Now where did you learn to identify such subtle symptoms darling?” 

“Your old textbooks make for excellent nighttime reading.”

I think for Baizhu to even consider someone romantically the first meeting would have to be outside a professional capacity. Perhaps they were a resident of Chenyu Vale who ran into Baizhu while he was searching for herbs. They were a photographer putting together a photo album to advertise to tourists, and coincidentally some of the most photogenic areas happened to host the plants Baizhu was looking for. Baizhu was fascinated in how they managed to capture the beauty of life, and when he found out they would be moving to Liyue soon he invited them to stop by Buba Pharmacy if they ever needed anything. However, he wouldn’t see them again until the next Lanturn Rite, when they came looking for him after Qiqi told them he was too sick to leave his room. They sat at Baizhu’s bedside despite his protests and made him soup. Baizhu woke up the next morning feeling better than he had in ages, and the sight of them passed out with their arms folded at the end of his bed practically had hearts radiating from his eyes. 

Baizhu is someone who is incredibly emotionally intelligent, making the time between the initial discovery of feelings and the realization of those feelings incredibly short. And the confession would only take as long as is necessary for him to gauge whether they might also be potentially interested in him. From there, it's straight to the admittance of feelings. Most likely somewhere secluded and scenic. Either by the seaside, or in the mountains at night where he asked them out on a picnic. He would know early on whether they were right for him, and though he’s incredibly inexperienced when it comes to romantic engagements, Baizhu finds that he is perfectly content to let them lead the way. He made sure to leave Buba Pharmacy to Gui at least one afternoon a week in order to spend time with them. This typically is excused as “herb gathering” (aka, they are trying to find new photo spots while Baizhu spends most of the time listening to them talk. Gui never comments that Baizhu’s basket is rarely even half-full when he returns). Nobody really knows their relationship exists. Not because they go to any length to hide their relationship but just because no one really knows Baizhu outside of his job. Once the right person notices though, it's the talk of Liyue for a few weeks. The benevolent but distant doctor is dating? How shocking! But after the few scraps of gossip ran dry and both Baizhu and his SO refused to feed into them, they died as quickly as they came about.

Expect lots of gentle affection from Baizhu. His SO would never doubt for a second that he treasures them beyond what is capable of being expressed in words, but it isn’t the all-consuming love that many other Genshin characters would give. He is secure in his life and situation, and it's rare that Baizhu feels any kind of desperation for his SO’s affection that would manifest in the way he expresses his love to them. When it does though, needless to say his SO would be calling it an early night to fill his prescription of cuddles <3. Nothing much would change once they married. Baizhu would just have to remember to take off his wedding ring before examining his patients.  Until of course Baizhu either succeeds in his goal, or he heals one person too many and places his life in an even more precarious position than before, forcing his SO to choose between saving the man they love and helping their husband fulfill their dream. But these posts are supposed to be mostly angst free so we’re not going to talk about that :)

Well. On the topic of angst, any relationship with Xiao (romantic or otherwise) is almost like a reverse of Baizhu’s. All of the baggage hits full in the face immediately upon introduction. As has been shown throughout the entirety of the game, Xiao is a walking ball of trauma and self-loathing. Between his abusive master, the archon war, and the deaths of his fellow yakshas, Xiao hasn’t had a period of true happiness in a long time. Even now, when Liyue is at peace and Xiao is freed from his contract, he’s not able to begin healing. His karmic debt acts as a poison, forcing Xiao to keep a distance from humans or risk accidentally infecting them with god remains. However, Xiao also uses that as an excuse to continue avoiding any form of non-essential interaction with others. Centuries of ending the lives of countless gods and beasts alike has convinced Xiao he is incapable of doing anything other than cause harm. Undeserving of anything except the agony of his karma and self-imposed solitude. Even the idea of an SO that loves and cherishes him is so completely beyond his comprehension that he could be married to them and he would still have to wrestle with the voices in his head that say they don’t actually want anything to do with him.

What Xiao didn’t know he wanted was one: an SO. And two: an SO who exists outside of the violence and hardship. Someone who gives Xiao a safe space for him to let go of his burdens and just rest without his karmic debt hanging over him. Someone who would give Xiao the opportunity to heal. 

Unfortunately, a mortal SO is out of the question. The Visionless can’t be around Xiao for extended periods of time, and even those with visions risk being afflicted with karma. This would inevitably put a strain on the relationship, so Xiao’s SO would have to be some kind of semi-immortal in order to give him some peace of mind. Most likely a fellow adeptus or another semi-immortal. Someone who will at least have heard of Xiao’s past but also doesn’t know him the way many of the adeptus with close relations to Liyue do and are entirely used to Xiao’s behaviors.

I can see Xiao doing his usual patrols and ends up fighting a large group of monsters near Qingce Village. He hasn’t let himself rest recently, combined with a few lucky shots from Hilichurl archers and a well-timed swing from a mitachurl pushes Xiao to his limit. He manages to finish off his opponents, but collapses before he can teleport back to Wangshu Inn. He wakes up partially submerged in a pool of water, an unfamiliar face looming over him. Panicked, but still weak, it took everything in him to leap away and teleport back to the inn. XIao immediately fell to his knees and resigned himself to laying down on the roof while he regained his strength. Once he could lift his head he checked for any injuries, and was baffled to find any trace of his battle gone. The only sign he had even been wounded was a quickly fading scar on his right bicep. Even the tear in his clothes had been restitched. The being, they hadn’t looked like any spirit or monster, and yet the aura that radiated from them was certainly not human. Days later, Xiao was fully recovered and the mysterious being was still weighing heavily on his mind. He didn’t have any idea of where he had been before he teleported back to the inn, so seeking them out would be nearly impossible. It was only after much deliberation that he decided to consult Mo-... Zhongli.

Zhongli, while shocked to see Xiao inquiring after something unrelated to his contract, provided him with what he knew. From Xiao’s description, the archon remarked that they sounded like one of the younger adepti that had emerged after Fujin vanished. Healing spirits who blessed the water of Chenyu Vale, and would often ease the ailments of those who were brave enough to venture to the underground lakes that were their homes. Zhongli mentioned that one in particular was far more willing to venture above their subterranean home and aid travelers making the increasingly dangerous journey from Qingce Village to Chenyu Vale. When the retired archon asked why Xiao was so curious about them, he watched in amusement as Xiao’s milk white skin flushed ever so slightly in embarrassment. He mumbled out a shortened version of what had transpired, and Zhongli lightly scolded the adepti for being so reckless, and advised him to seek out the healer and properly thank them for their assistance. The yaksha bid him goodbye and swiftly moved to the area Zhongli had directed him to. Carefully tucked away in a valley of broken statues and old stone faces was an old, worn passage. On instinct he summoned his polearm. Such areas were often infested with monsters and old spirits, and the yaksha had not survived a millennia of bloodshed by being careless. However, his caution turned out to be unwarranted. The dark winding tunnel was rather short, and opened up to a breathtaking underground spring. An old willow’s branches hung low over the pond, and resting beneath it was a figure identical to the one Xiao had seen before. Unwilling to disturb them, but also hesitant to simply leave and come back later, he decided to do what he did best. The adepti awoke to find Xiao perched in their tree, facing the entrance of the cave. Xiao was caught off guard how after their initial shock, they were actually really excited to see him. Xiao tried to maintain a distance, which only lasted a short time before they bullied him into letting them check his wounds. After confirming that all his wounds had healed properly, they pressed a Qingxin charm into his hand and promised to come if he was ever hurt or in need of assistance. Completely overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and the absurdity of their offer, Xiao did the only thing he could think of. He teleported away. Only to reappear a few months later with a mitachurl’s ax still lodged in his gut. His visits became more frequent and less a matter of life or death as he found himself being drawn to the kind and lively adeptus. Sometimes his visits wouldn’t even involve interaction at all. He would just appear in the branches of their tree and watch them as they tended to their grotto and the animals that knew they could seek them out whenever they were injured.

Xiao is emotionally constipated. It would take him a looooooooong time to figure out that the peculiar feeling in his chest that swelled up whenever he was near them was love. Such a realization would then be followed by immediately abandoning all interaction with anyone while he grappled with feelings and urges he had never experienced before. Xiao would eventually seek out Zhongli for advice on how to get rid of the feelings. Unfortunately for him, Morax was secretly overjoyed that Xiao had found it in himself to willingly interact with someone else for his own pleasure. He knew Xiao better than anyone, and he already could envision the anxieties and fears plaguing the yaksha’s mind when being faced with such a fragile and frightening feeling such as love. In his infinite wisdom, he told Xiao that the best way to rebalance himself is to admit his feelings to the adepti. His confession would ease his own burdens, while also giving them a proper explanation as to why Xiao had been avoiding them. Xiao’s cheeks flushed at the idea, but Zhongli had never led him astray before. The adepti was quite amused at Xiao’s blunt admission of feelings, and even more so when Xiao’s cheeks turned the color of ripe Sunsettias after they gave him a kiss on the cheek. The color further saturated when they said they felt the same. 

The relationship would start out awkward. Xiao’s experience with courtship is reduced to what he’s observed from human couples and the adepti, which has given him a lot of conflicting information about what he should be doing. Should he be holding their hand whenever they’re together? Should he give them a gift during an important occasion? Xiao’s uncertainty and anxiety would cause him to send very confusing signals to his SO, where something that he was perfectly fine with one day caused him to flinch away the next. Eventually the SO was the one to seek out assistance, as they had no idea what they were doing either. They had spoken with Cloud Retainer on a few occasions over the centuries and they knew she maintained somewhat close relations with their favorite yaksha, so they figured she would be able to offer some advice. Pleased that Xiao was finally attempting to open up to someone, Cloud Retainer told his SO that he simply needed time to adjust. He was entirely new to active relationships, and openly communicating their desires to him would be the best way to provide him direction. As the years passed, the awkwardness bled into a much more comfortable and easygoing routine. After a night of battling monsters and demons, Xiao would retreat to their shared abode to rest in his SO’s arms. They had rearranged a small cave next to the healing pool to create a nest that soothed Xiao’s dormant avian instincts, never commenting when Xiao would spend hours rearranging it whenever he would add something new or decided that the pillows needed to be changed. On one such morning when the sun was already peaking over the mountains, both of them had already retired to the nest. Xiao had his SO tucked underneath his chin and his back to the opening of the cave. No monster dared tread within a mile of this cave anymore, but some habits could never completely be broken. All is peaceful, before a truly brutal realization stakes Xiao in a way karma never could. He was… happy. The peace he had only scraps of for centuries was now being given in quantities that made him feel slothful and glutinous. A single tear rolled down his cheek and fell onto his SO’s hand that was settled protectively over his heart. His SO blinked back into awareness and immediately cupped Xiao’s cheek upon seeing the glazed look in his eye.

“Dearest heart, are you alright? Is there something I can do?” 

Xiao nuzzles their hand before burrowing his face in the crook of their shoulder. Aching for his wings in order to hide them both away in the nest. 

“It's nothing Blossom. Please, rest. I merely wish to enjoy your presence for a little while longer.”

ZHONGLI

Another archon, however he is very different from Venti. Zhongli has always been closely tied to the people of his nation in a way the God of Freedom has never been with his. His SO could hold any occupation, come from any background, and Zhongli would find a way to connect with them. Unlike Venti I think he would secretly wish his SO would accept his offer to extend their life. He has lost too many friends and loved ones over the years that to fall so hard and treasure someone so closely only to lose them would be the final straw that broke his countenance completely. He would see his duty to its end, watching over Liyue Harbor, but he would do it from afar. There would be no consultant at Wangshang Funeral Parlor who knew more about the lands than seasoned historians. No friendly face in the crowd at Liyue’s many performances and festivals. Only a solitary soul who spends his days in the ruins on top of Mt. Aocang, reliving memories that had been lost to time the same way the faces of cliffs are worn down by the waves. While over the millenia he has found a handful of companions he grew particularly fond of, in his earlier years he had few goals beyond the protection of Liyue and the expansion of his hoard. After centuries of mellowing out, Zhongli’s priorities have shifted greatly, and only a few of his closest friends walk the same plane as him now. His love could be of the mortal or immortal realm, all he would ask of them was that they vow to stand by his side until the great mountains of Liyue are swallowed by the sea.

What Zhongli didn’t know he wanted was an SO who was as good of a speaker as he was a listener. Someone still somewhat naive to the ways of the world and a boundless curiosity and desire to understand everything. That innate desire that manifested in conversations that seldom lasted less than an hour. For the first time in his long life, Zhongli’s tea would cool before he remembered it was there. He simply could not tear his attention away from the sparks that radiated from their eyes whenever they launched into a new line of inquiry. 

As said previously, background or profession would not be an obstacle for Zhongli now that he was posing as a mortal. But I think Zhongli would be quickly endeared to someone who loved stories as much as he did. Whether it be an opera, a puppet show, or just oral retellings, he would quickly find himself interested in someone who is similarly fascinated by the art of story-telling. It would start out simple. Perhaps by inviting them to Third-Round Knockout to listen and discuss the stories told by Tian. Before long the conversation would extend beyond stories and trail into whatever topic of interest had come up. Soon after that meeting for tea would lead into long walks around Liyue, and then taking turns inviting each other to their homes for dinner. Zhongli is the perfect gentleman out of habit, and I have no doubt he would unintentionally win his SO’s heart before they even started officially courting. It would all culminate at Lanturn Rite when they would pluck up the courage to give him a kiss on the cheek right as the fireworks went off. It was the first and only evening where Zhongli didn’t escort them back to their abode before returning to his. 

Zhongli didn’t leave his apartment for a few days as he took considerable thought into evaluating his relationship with them and whether he wanted to reciprocate their affections that seemed rather obvious in hindsight. A few days later, his SO would start the day with a knock at their door. They would open it to see a young man holding a large bouquet of peonies and jasmine along with a gold-flaked letter. The man explained a gentleman had paid him handsomely to ensure both the flowers and letter reached them. They thanked the man profusely before taking both of the offerings inside. They opened the letter to reveal an invitation to dinner at the Pearl Gallery the following evening as well as a VIP pass to allow them to board. They didn’t want to get their hopes up, but they only knew one man that would write a dinner invitation in golden ink. They may have called off work and dipped into their savings to buy a new outfit that would look somewhat appropriate to wear to such an exquisite and up-scale establishment. The next day they spent hours getting ready, unaware that Zhongli was doing the same. When they were admitted onto the Pearl Gallery they were shocked to find the venue entirely empty, except for Zhongli. Their mouth went dry when they saw he had exchanged his regular outfit for an obsidian black overcoat and a white waistcoat. Gold details were everywhere, from the buttons to the intricately detailed dragon that coiled over the coat’s shoulder and trailed down the sides. The outfit itself only drew attention to Zhongli’s eyes, which would have fooled a master jeweler into thinking they were the finest of polished amber. Little did they know Zhongli was twice as smitten. It was hard to tell in the low-light, but his normally immaculate composure was stained with blushing cheeks and dilated pupils. Nevertheless, he quickly rose to his feet and greeted his date with a short but passionate kiss on the back of their hand. They were escorted to their seat just as a waiter arrived to confirm their order. The meal was accompanied by an immaculate performance by the Yun-Han opera troupe. The night was magnificent, and any lingering doubts were dispelled on both sides. 

“We are in luck the moon has hidden itself tonight, for I fear your beauty might cause it to crumble in envy.”

“You flatter me so sweetly qīn qīn. I dare say it would only take a single word from you to bring the moon back to its senses.”

As the show came to a close, Zhongli escorted them off the boat and back to their house. Upon reaching the door, Zhongli presented them with an ornate box. As is tradition, he had elected to select a courting gift in order to officially declare his advances. They cautiously lifted the lid and gasped when they saw the ornate golden necklace nestled within. Zhongli didn’t get to finish his courtship proposal because they broke down in tears halfway through it. 

Zhongli is someone who would see being in a committed relationship as only a half-step down from marriage. Once the feelings are there, acknowledged, and reciprocated in full, he doesn’t hold back. From the beginning of his relationship with his SO, he fits in seamlessly with their life. They never go grocery shopping alone again, and Celestia forbid they even consider carrying the bags. They are given gifts on a weekly, if not bi-weekly basis. Everything from exotic teas to priceless jewelry that they always wore out when they knew they would be seeing Zhongli. However, there’s one last hurdle. Zhongli’s true identity. It took some time, but eventually he managed to arrange a trip to Jueyan Karst under the guise of a “sight-seeing visit”. When he showed them his true form, they fainted. Zhongli was glad he managed to catch them on his tail and carefully brought them to his nest. They woke up surrounded by dragon and nearly fainted again before Zhongli transformed back. It was only after expressing his sincerity and desire to spend the rest of their life together (He wanted to ease them into the idea of immortality over time. After all, they were still young. He would accept the risk of waiting instead of forcing their hand). They would ask for a few days to think about it, which would make Zhongli incredibly anxious but he would accept it. And when they met him at their usual table at Third-Round Knockout and started talking like nothing had ever happened while carefully placing their hand over his, he is filled with a contentment that he hasn’t felt since before the Archon War. 

(Please excuse the detail, this man does things to me. Especially when I think of him in a black suit)

GAMING

I 10000% see this little cinnamon roll as someone who would marry their childhood crush. He just radiates cute boy next door vibes and I absolutely live for that. Gaming probably has the most normal understanding and expectations of relationships out of all the males in Genshin, so nothing crazy here. He’s had a few crushes and gone on one or two dates. Since moving to Liyue he’s tried to move on, but for some reason no one makes him feel the same way as his friend back home does. No one’s smile seems quite as bright, no one’s laughter as pleasing to hear. Gaming has even caught himself composing letters to them and imagining what they would think of the various sights in Liyue when he’s supposed to be on duty. Gaming just wants a partner who will cheer him on during his Wushu dances and let him take them out for dim sum afterwards. A complete and total sweetheart. 

What Gaming didn’t know he wanted in a significant other was someone that didn’t just show-up to his performances and ate dim sum with him, but someone who would actively encourage and help him with all aspects of his life. Someone who would secretly maintain and fix his equipment while he was out at work. Someone who would make and pass out flyers for his performances. Someone who tries their best to improve their cooking skills so they don't end up blowing so much mora on eating out. Upon finding out everything his SO is doing for him, Gaming would practically pounce on them and drown them in kisses and cuddles, praising them endlessly for being so sweet and kind to him.

Gaming seems the type to develop a crush early in his childhood and never let it go. I can vividly picture six year-old Gaming picking a few flowers from his family’s garden even if he’s not supposed to, offering them, and asking shyly if they want to go see the Wushou dancers with him. But after he practically ran away from home, he didn’t send letters or keep in touch out of fear of what they would think of his choices. It hurt a lot, but a clean break seemed like the best idea at the time. It wasn’t until a few years later he encountered them again. Maybe they came to Liyue for business, or he ran into them by chance while on the job, but either way it was an unexpected reunion. Gaming freezes initially, not quite sure what they’re reaction to seeing him again will be. When they almost run up to him and give him a hug, he’s quick to squeeze them back and he has to stop himself from twirling them around like he did when they were kids. 

It wouldn’t take long once the two started hanging out together again for Gaming to realize the feelings he had for them hadn’t lessened at all, and now that he was an adult, he was finally able to give the feelings their accurate name. Gaming’s confession would depend on his SO’s circumstances. If they had a responsibility/career that took up a lot of their time, or were still in the process of getting over a past partner, he would wait as long as he thought was necessary for them to be ready to consider him a partner. If there was no obstacle, he would wait just long enough to plan a surprise romantic outing (probably a picnic) where he would put on a private Wushou dance for them before confessing his feelings. Upon his SO’s acceptance, he would simultaneously give the most hesitant but eager kiss of all time. 

From there Gaming would be the most attentive boyfriend of all time. Any sign of affection or gift given must be repaid tenfold; they gave him a quick peck on the cheek? Gaming stops whatever he was doing to smother them in kisses. They still have dinner warm and ready for him when he comes home late? Tomorrow you’re both going to Third-Round Knockout for several courses of dim-sum. He frequently brought home little snacks and trinkets he had picked up at some point during the day. Even when his partner scolded him about his spending habits. Marriage seemed like a distant prospect, but every time Gaming passed by Mingxing jewelry or ran into a newly-wed couple, the idea of seeing a ring on their hand grew ever more tantalizing. But they were young, and Gaming could hear his Nai Nai’s voice in the back of his head lecturing him on proper etiquette and timing.

XINGQIU

This boy has all of the set up to be an anime character, (and not just because he looks like Ciel from Black Butler) specifically a school slice-of-life. Son of a powerful family who prefers to practice the art of the sword and read than deal with his family’s business. And is another character that would forever have a crush on his childhood sweetheart. Only, he would remain oblivious to the true nature of his feelings until someone hit him over the head with the truth. Probably Chongyun. With his claymore. While Xingqiu was always raised with the expectation that he would marry a lady of high status in order to uphold his family’s honor, from what I’ve seen of him and his family I think they would be willing to look past that if Xingqiu was truly in love. Outside of his family’s expectations of what kind of person he should marry, Xingqiu would desperately want an SO who didn’t see his hobbies as a distraction from his duties, but as a part of him.

What Xingqiu didn’t know he wanted in an SO was someone practical. Someone who would make sure to have a stash of snacks hidden so whenever they managed to escape their handlers, they could hide for more than a few hours. Or paid off one of the managers of the bookhouse to set certain books aside to make sure Xingqiu never missed an issue of his favorite series. His favorite was when they had set up a picnic on a cliff adjoining Yujing Terrance with an entire dinner spread, cushions, and books for them to sneak off to when he was supposed to be attending a gala hosted by the Qingxing in the terrace below.  

His SO would most likely be a fellow bookworm that he met at the publishing house. Being one of the few people unattached from his family and their business Xingqiu often found himself sneaking out to spend as much time with them as possible. This evolved into him dragging them and Chongyun around on his little adventures around Liyue. As he grew up and came into greater conflicts involving his future place in the family, they would be his anchor. A steady rock that reminded Xingqiu of his best memories, and why he chose to study the Guhua Arts in the first place. He wanted to be able to protect them from anything. 

As mentioned previously, it would take a hot minute for Xingqiu to recognize the feelings he was experiencing were more than friendly. It's only after Chongyun flat out says to him that he talks about them more than anyone else and should ask them out that Xingqiu figures it out. Once Xingqiu does realize how much he loves them, you bet this chivalrous, manga-reading nerd would come up with the most romantic proposal (to ask them on a date) that you can possibly imagine. Flowers, chocolates, the sun going down in the background, the whole nine yards. 

If they accept his romantic proposal Xingqiu would immediately get down on one knee after, summon his sword, and swear an oath of fealty. Promising them his sword and servitude whenever they require it. Dates would vary depending on Xingiu and his SO’s mood; sometimes they would feel like taking advantage of the Feiyun’s reserved table at Xinyue Kiosk whenever they were too tired to plan something, they might meet up in the early hours of the morning to go to the docks and watch the fisherman unload their hauls while the sun paints Liyue Harbor in orange and gold, or is Xingqiu’s SO has some kind of training in a weapon or fighting, they might take the day to explore the routes around Liyue Harbor and kill any hilichurls or slimes that were straying too close to the main road. This would continue until both Xingqiu and his SO were adults, and both of their families began putting pressure on them to marry. After years of steady dating, marriage doesn’t seem like a daunting milestone or a grand occasion, because they are already fully committed to each other and have been for years. Their families spend months planning the marriage ceremony, inviting important officials and families from all over Teyvat, only for both of them to disappear halfway through the reception. The happy couple was found at Wanmin Restaurant the next morning, passed out at a table on top of each other with a book sitting half open in their laps.

[spacedace]

Here have some snippets of the AU that’s taken over my brain (featuring Elle unintentionally dunking on both of Bruce’s identities, Clark realizing he passed his taste in partners on to his son, a bit of pre/unaware that they are dating Super Serious Chaos, and some blink-and-you-miss-it background Enemies to Lovers Dick/Dan)

---

“Sorry, who’s Bruce Wayne?”

The room when quiet. All heads turned to look at Elle at the end of the table. Bruce didn’t visibly react, but Clark could make out the subtle indication of disbelief that his old friend was feeling - that they all were feeling at the interpreter’s question. Elle, suddenly aware she had the full room’s attention, had the look of someone who realized they’d said something wrong, but didn’t know what.

“You’re kidding.” John said, “You know Bruce Wayne. Everyone knows Bruce Wayne.”

Elle blinked. “I don’t.” She glanced from face to face, “Is he like a big deal? Does he work here or something? I haven’t been around that long so I might have missed him.”

It took every bit of self control Clark had not to laugh. His voice still came out a bit strangled from the effort as he offered, “No he doesn’t work here.” If Bruce was the type to do so in uniform, he’d be kicking Clark under the table.

“You live in Gotham. You have to know Bruce Wayne.” Barry said, voice going a bit high with growing bewilderment. “Mega ba-jillionair. CEO of Wayne Tech? Richest man in Gotham - in the world? Has like a hundred kids?”

Their interpreter’s nose scrunched. “So he’s like…in one of those fundamentalist cults obsessed with having a bunch of kids or something?”

Bruce actually twitched at that. The sound of utter disgust in Elle’s voice at the concept, the complete and total lack of any kind of recognition she had for the single most famous non-crime or crime-fighting related person in the city that she lived in, she truly had no idea who they were talking about. Clark had to get a recording of the room’s security feed, Lois would love this. Oh, wait no, Bruce’s kids. Maybe if he was fast enough he could text Dick to get there ASAP so he could see it all in person before it was over.

“No! Nothing like that! He adopted them - well most of them.” Barry tried to explain, looking utterly lost as he turned from Elle to the rest of them and back again. “You’re messing with us right? This is like a joke?”

Elle shook her head, looking just as lost as Barry did. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

“Do you know Dick Grayson?”

“I know of an officer Grayson who is a dick. Total tool. He’s been making my brother’s Dan’s life miserable for like a year now. Pretty sure not who you’re talking about though.”

“Jason Todd.”

“The library goon?”

“Tim Drake.”

“Sounds like a Dark Wing Duck character.”

“Cassandra Cain.”

“Isn’t that the author that started out writing incest Harry Potter fanfic?”

“Duke Thomas?”

“What’s he a Duke of?”

Barry snapped his fingers, pointing emphatically at Elle with a look of victory on his masked face as he shouted, “Damian Wayne!”

Damian, who had at that moment just walked into the meeting room with Jon at his heels paused in his place just behind Elle. He did pretty well at hiding his surprise at Barry seemingly shouting his civilian name and pointing at him upon walking in. Though the tense line of his shoulders suggested that if Barry was actually revealing his secret identity without warning or permission, there would be blood.

Stella Nightingale, unaware of the almost-kinda identity reveal going on around her, tilted her head in confusion at the speedster. “I’m assuming he’s related to that Bruce Wayne guy?”

“They’re all related to Bruce Wayne.” John said with open amusement now. The Green Lantern had given up on the research entirely, watching the entire debacle with a growing smirk he kept casting towards Bruce. “That man’s face is plastered absolutely everywhere in the news. How do you not know who he is?”

“If Lois Lane hasn’t written about him he can’t be that important.” Elle said with a casual certainty of one speaking a core tenant of their beliefs. Clark’s opinion of the young woman - already quite high considering her ferocious loyalty and fondness to Jon - rose sharply.

“You’re read the Daily Planet?” Clark asked, warmth curling in his chest at the mention of his wife and her work.

“I read articles by Lois Lane.” Elle said promptly, “I tried reading some articles that Kent guy she partners with sometimes wrote on his own but I couldn’t get past his writing style. Dude sounds like he’s from outer space with his word choice sometimes.”

Bruce, looking far too pleased, gave a quiet and not terribly convincing cough as Clark tried to will his soul back into his body.

It was going to be a long day.

—

“You are at least aware of who Gotham’s vigilantes are, yes?” Damian asked with a raised brow behind his mask.

Elle shrugged, giving him a sly smile. “The relevant ones.”

Clark tried to hide his short laugh with a feigned cough. Elle at least was distracted enough with Jon and Damian’s attention to notice but Bruce was giving him a look over the tablet he was trying - and undoubtedly failing - to review files on.

Jon grinned eagerly from his spot beside Elle as he asked, “Aren’t they all relevant to you? You live in Gotham.”

“I live in Crime Alley.” Elle corrected, bumping his shoulder with hers. “We have different standards of relevancy there.”

“So what are the relevant ones then?” Clark asked, pointedly ignoring Bruce’s burning stare. They’d get back to the research. Eventually. Finding out if the Gothamite who had been spending all her free time with Phoenix and Flamebird for the past year and a half was as oblivious to her city’s heroes as she was its celebrities was too entertaining a notion to pass up.

“Phoenix, obviously.” She grinned cheekily at Damian across the table, ticking names off her fingers as she continued. “Red Hood. Spoiler. Uh…Orphan?” She trailed off, forehead scrunching in concentrated thought.

“That’s can’t be all the ones you know.” Jon gaped, eyes sparkling with amusement as he glanced over to were Bruce was seated, not five feet away before turning back to watch Elle try to rack her brain for any more Gotham vigilantes. Clark could see the moment that the words are taken as a challenge as Elle sat up and looked more determined.

“No, shut up, I know more. Uh…there’s the one, um Red Sparrow? It’s another bird one with red name, I’m pretty sure. And the one with the blue - fuck I should know his name. Nightjar? Wasn’t Nightingale I would have remembered that…shit, dude threw up on our couch once I should remember his name -“

“Nightwing threw up on your couch?”

“Nightwing! That’s the bitch! He got poisoned or something and Dan drug him to our place to patch him up since Doc Thompkins’ clinic was closed.”

Clark shared a look with Bruce and Damian. Dick had failed to mention that little event. Clark could see Bruce reaching for his wrist computer, undoubtedly typing out a message his eldest about what he’d just heard - possibly another to Alfred if he was feeling like pulling out the big guns.

At the other end of the table Elle ticked Nightwing off with a nod, even as Jon squawked that it shouldn’t count since he’d given her the name, “Then there’s…uh…oh! Harley Quinn!”

“Harley Quinn does not count.”

“She beat up a guy trying to mug me last week and got me a hot chocolate afterwards, she totally counts!”

“Someone tried to mug you?”

“Crime Alley, Nix, if someone doesn’t try to mug me while I’m out I get worried that I missed Hood calling in a Street Clear for something big.”

“We’re going to circle back on that later.” Jon said, sharing a pointed glance with Damian. It looked like young Miss Nightingale was going to be getting escorted to and from the Watchtower from now on.

Ah, Clark mused, falling head over heels for someone with no understanding of the concept of self-preservation and a stubborn determination to run straight into the heart of danger without a second thought. It brought back such fond memories. Of both Lois and Bruce. And Diana. And - Hmm. Kara might have been right. Clark might have a type.

Watching the three at the other end of the table and taking them in, Clark realized he might have passed his taste in partners on to his son. Well, at least he’ll be able to give Jon some advise on how to handle the heart attacks Damian and Elle will inevitably give him.

“Harley Quinn doesn’t count. You got any more?”

Elle rolled her eyes, muttering about Harley totally counts, before leaning back in her chair. “I think I’m out. I know there’s more but,” She gave a shrug, “I’m tapped out. Those are all the ones I can think of.”

It was, surprisingly, Bruce that spoke up at that declaration, a slant of amusement to his lips as he asked, “No one else comes to mind?”

Elle waved him off, attention turning to the mountain of alien script they needed her to translate for them. It was the reason she was even there rather than in her office trying to translate whatever incredibly dangerous magic tomb JL Dark had dropped off without accidentally summoning a demon or ending hte world in the process. J’onn was right, they really should give her a raise.“That’s all I got.” She said with a sigh, “Like I said, I know the relevant ones.”

“Hn.”

Twenty minutes of shared looks of amusement and suppressed laughter later Elle’s head shot up, a look of wide eyed embarrassment on her face. “Oh my god.”

“There it is.”

“About time Nightingale, I was starting to be concerned about your mental faculties.”

“Shut up, this so embarrassing!”

“Don’t sweat it kid, we all have our moments.”

“I can’t believe I forgot Signal.”

“What.”

---

Context of this snippet if anyone is interested:

This is actually the same AU as the Steph & Jason sibling bonding Anger Management snippet from a bit ago (I’m calling it my Ghosts in Gotham AU in scrivener so I guess that’s what I’ll call it here lol). This time focused on Elle and her misadventures as a Totally Normal Civilian (TM) working for the Justice League with her two besties Jon & Damian (none of them realize yet that they’ve been dating for months).

No idea when this is supposed to take place in terms of timeline with the other snippet, but kinda vibing the idea that while Steph & Jason are having a heart to heart on a rooftop over their shared background and Jason’s future as a dad, Elle is up in the Watchtower telling Bruce Wayne to his face that she has no idea who he is and forgetting Batman is a Gotham vigilante while he’s sitting at the same table as her.

Anyway, this AU has taken over my life. Expect more nonsense to come lol

[jenneyquinn]

𝐠𝐫𝐮𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

in which he finally makes her his! (after 100 yq)

also no beta we die like gruvia

first date

because in her head, they’ve been dating ever since they first met, gray “lover boy” fullbuster has to be the one to ask juvia out—that’s how you know it was gonna be a special one

though he should feel confident, given all the research he’s done purely for this moment, his mind draws a blank

he only thinks about juvia’s interests and what she would like to do… but it’s hard when the person you’re going out with doesn’t have much interests besides yourself

on the day of, he meets up with juvia at the guild hall—the latter excitedly running up to hug from the side (as per usual)

gray takes her out to a little café that just opened since he knows she likes to bake (even if her creations sometimes are a hit or miss)

they reminisce on the times where they ate together—the caramade franks, the gray- and juvi-buns, and when they were living together—and they look back on them fondly

little did they know, they were gonna get a slight intrusion from their comrades

in the next table over, lucy, natsu, and happy are also seated—the salamander and the exceed feasting on the baked goods like there’s no tomorrow, causing the ice mage to stare past juvia and looking at the two in disgust

is everything alright, gray-sama?

he then notices that she probably thought he was looking at her all grossed out, but points out that their guildmates have also decided to try out the new café as well

she turns around and they exchange happy greetings, the five of them finishing their meals together

and though gray wouldn’t mind spending time with his comrades, he was looking forward to just spending the day with juvia (not that he’d actually admit that out loud)

so while juvia talks with lucy while natsu and happy continue ravaging the food on their table, gray just sits aloof, but leaning back on his chair as he drapes an arm over juvia’s

where are you guys planning on going after this? we’re going shopping since there’s this new dress i got my eye on

when lucy asks that question, gray was hoping that they’d just split ways after they were all done at the café, but he’d think that juvia would say no anyways—after all, why would she let her date spend any more time with one of her love rivals, right?

juvia thinks she knows what dress lucy-san is talking about, she wants to check it out too! what do you say, gray-sama? for sure, you’d like to see juvia in a cute new dress~

his cheeks flush red

he did not want to go to some girly store at all

but at the same time, he had a golden opportunity right in front of him

tch—whatever you want, i guess…

and that’s how the fairy tail members end up at the boutiques, the celestial-spirit and water mages trying out a mountain of clothing

… as well as bumping into erza, wendy, and carla—who seemed to have a similar idea as well

so this first date gradually became a group hangout, which gray tried very hard to not be bothered by, but his mind couldn’t help but itch for some alone time with juvia…

does she feel this too? he thinks, taking a glance at her typically-cheery self, is she feeling this now?

but juvia remains unbothered, so gray is content with just glancing at her—the smallest hint of a smile can be seen on his face

ICE PRINCESS HAVE YOU GONE DEAF??? OR YOU GONNA KEEP MAKING GOO-GOO EYES AT JUVIA???

and there goes his calm

at the end of the date, gray drops off juvia to her apartment—he’s stoic but deep down he’s bummed that their date couldn’t have turned out better

thank you for the great date, gray-sama! juvia had a fun time!

he’s clearly taken aback when she not only hugs him, but also gives a quick peck on his cheek, which instanly goes warm

you’re not sad the guys crashed our date?

of course not! juvia’s happy she spent the day with gray-sama, because she knows gray-sama has the most fun being with his team! … did you enjoy our date, gray-sama?

did he have a good time?

when he thinks back on the day, his mind only recalls all the moments where he saw a twinkle in juvia’s eyes, every time his heart does a little jump when she laughs, and most importantly—how she kept smiling the entire time

so, he smiles warmly at her, placing a kiss on her forehead before answering

i wouldn’t change a thing

in general

they usually spend most of their dates indoors, either at juvia’s or at gray’s

but their favourite outdoors dates are between market strolling and picnics... gray gets more affectionate if their picnics are in secluded areas

their mutual love languages are definitely quality time and physical affection

individually, juvia's is more towards words of affection, and gray's is acts of service

whenever gray has a day-long job, juvia wakes up extra early to make him a homecooked bento

between jobs, when he’s back in town, juvia doesn’t mind whenever gray lounges around her apartment, happily doing his laundry and serving him homey meals

anything to keep him from crashing at lucy’s place, right?

speaking of laundry, gray’s saved a lot of jewel from going to a tailor to get his clothes fixed because juvia does it for him!

sure, they’re all personalized since she sews their initials inside a heart for every garmet she mends but the embarrassment is a small price to pay than actually having to pay a tailor

on top of the scarf she’s made for him, juvia has knitted him sweaters, hats, and mittens (though the last one was pretty tricky and she accidentally added an extra finger to one of them)

juvia also sewed together a juvi-doll for gray to take on jobs “in case if he misses her”

he actually makes more of an effort to not lose the doll over his own clothes

they’d cuddle over the night, gray won’t admit it though—he’s comfortable spooning juvia when she’s in a deep sleep

they also have recurring nightmares (especially gray, who’d then hold onto juvia tighter)

sometimes, when he holds juvia tight enough, to the point where she wakes up, she soothes him by running her fingers through his hair and stroking his head until his teeth stops grounding

she prefers being the small spoon, but the payoff from being the big spoon is more heartwarming to juvia

and it's not like he'd ever admit it, but gray loves being small spoon

typically juvia would only go for jobs with gray, but eventually she grows comfortable with taking on jobs on her own

but if she did need a companion, gray only feels comfortable if it were just girls accompanying her, and gajeel as well

actually maybe not cana... they get too chummy with each other...

erza neither... they're even more chummy... but at least it's nothing to worry about because they're in the same team anyways

yep, gray definitely gets some possessiveness issues

he knows it’s stupid, but he also knows it would be more stupid of him to expect her to wait around the guild hall like a sad puppy until he came back from a job

not that it’s ever happened to him before

juvia gets less possessive, but gray gets more possessive

her love rivals decrease down to just lucy and other women who openly express their attraction to gray (even after she and natsu finally get together)

meanwhile, gray's pda actually peaks whenever lyon is in radius of them, and even though juvia insists that she and her ex are back on good terms platonically, he can never leave her alone if they bump into him

after all, if the jerk could easily dump her at her worst, he didn’t deserve to have her at her best

and even if a guy merely checks juvia out, gray already has 23462348 ways in his mind to take that perv down

juvia still initiates all the hugs, but now that they’re together, gray eagerly returns them

in fact, juvia's physical affection doesn't really intensify nor tone down when they start dating, but gray definitely blushes more

they don't regularly have tease-offs when they're alone, but in the guild, whenever the others start to tease gray while juvia's being all lovey-dovey and teasing him as well, gray easily shuts everyone up the moment he starts teasing juvia back

despite the 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴 juvia is, it really doesn't take gray much to have her all sheepish and bashful, and everyone else is just immediately uncomfortable

after all, every single time gray teases juvia back, his clothes are gone in a thanos snap—and that's already bad enough

you'd think the guild would get used to it after knowing gray for so long... they never do—and now they've got something else from the ice mage to be disturbed by

as for pet names? it pretty much stays the same

juvia’s: gray-sama, gray my love, my darling gray, gray my beloved—his name is too important that she can’t give a proper pet name unless his actual name is in it as well

gray’s: juvia (rarely “my girl”, “my woman”, “my wife”, “mine”—just any possessive title, really)

but never babygirl or pookie—those per names are cursed to him

gray doesn’t give juvia a pet name—her name is just that special to him, he doesn’t feel the need to add flowery words because her name is already worth more than precious metals and stones

that’s why if he ever hears somebody call her name a bit too friendly for his liking, gray’s already on edge

juvia always asks gray what he wants for dinner or his bento

unless if gray has a specific craving, he usually just tells her to surprise him (because he loves pretty much everything she makes so he already knows it’s gonna be good)

special dates

juvia keeps track of all the anniversaries (months, years, when they first met, when they first got together, their first date, their first kiss)

legend says she still knows how many days passed since they’ve met

as for gray?

he only needs to know one day—her birthday

because of all the dates she keeps track of, sometimes she tends to forget when her own birthday comes up

and when that happens, gray pulls out all the stops

breakfast in bed (he saved some jewel for lessons), a vase of flowers, a fancy restaurant dinner, and a moonlight stroll

and of course, he plans a midday surprise party at the guild hall (but passes it off as the whole guild’s plan and fails)

and during gray’s birthday, even though the ice mage prefers to just lounge around and cuddle with his partner, he just goes with whatever juvia has planned

it makes him happy since he loves seeing her face light up from the planning alone

double dates

usually they go with gajeel and levy

they’d also go with natsu and lucy, but since gray and juvia get together before they do, it never really counted as double-dates until the dragon slayer and celestial spirit wizard finally make it official

juvia stops being as hesitant before going out with gray and nalu (once the latter makes it official, that is)

gajeel and gray don’t really butt heads in the same way gray does with natsu, but there is definitely tension between the two

apart from levy, juvia also brings a sort of ray of sunshine vibe to the dark, bleak, edgy angst that gajeel “doesn’t really” like—sibling dynamics, yunno

so god help gray if he fucks that up

on the other hand, the bluenettes always have fun, even moreso when gale’s baby joins them on their dates

gray is perfectly normal about seeing juvia’s maternal instincts when she babysits for them like— baby fever who??

but unfortunately for gray, having the baby around just fuels gajeel’s paternal instincts and the overprotectiveness just goes through the roof

so that’s all the headcanons i’ve got so far, i might make some nsfw hcs but i’ve got a paper to work on for school this month as well as all the other stuff i’ve got going on here that i’ve been putting off…

anyways hope y’all enjoyed reading this lol

[jealousjealousgurlll]

First time

Imagine your first with Luigi.

Based on junior year in college (3rd year)

Summary: Details of how you lose your virginity with your bf Luigi

Pairing: Luigi Mangione x virgingf reader

Minors do not interact!

Warnings: smut, loss of virginity, discomfort and pain

-Are you sure?

You’ve been dating Luigi for 9 months, the most intimate you guys have been is making out. One day while sitting in his lap studying in his dorm you mentioned that you are ready to have sex. Luigi was flabbergasted asking you repeatedly “are you sure?” In your heart, you felt sure and especially with Luigi. He made you feel so comfortable, when you told him you were a virgin he didn’t have a negative reaction (yes the bar is hell) however he made you feel loved and provided a sense of safety in this crazy world.

-Arrangement

A few weeks prior to your conversation about having sex with Lu, he booked a hotel off campus for the weekend. He also did research on female pleasure reading various books, made a reddit post and considered all of the tips that were given . He really wants your first time to be magical and hopefully not too painful.

-Today is the day!

Friday night you guys arrived at the hotel. You were extremely excited to be intimate with Luigi. Walking up to the room, Luigi held your hand so tight. His palms were sweating due to overthinking about this entirely. Before picking you up, he set up the hotel room with candles, roses trailing the floor and on the bed and white balloons. When walking you gasped out of shock “ All of this for me??!!” Luigi laughed and embraced you into a kiss.

-3……

Luigi asked you to change into a beautiful black negligee. You changed into the bathroom, Luigi briefly read some notes he took from the book he read. Walking out with the negligee, Luigi’s mouth dropped, adoring how beautiful you looked “You are so gorgeous baby” he took your hand to spin you around. You felt so admired and beautiful. “I hate I am going to take this off of you soon”. 

-2

You laid down on the bed looking up at him in admiration. Hooving over you he placed a kiss on your lips. “I love you” he said softly, reciprocating that you said “I love you too Lulu”. The staring match you had with him, he broke off by looking to the right, to be honest he was nervous on how he would perform. Before anything, Luigi explained a few things from him using a condom, there are tissues on the nightstand and “If you feel this is too much just say the word apple and I will stop”. You nod, confirming you understand everything.

-.....1!

Luigi first started to perform oral sex, removing your panties to reveal your wet cunt. He softly used his tongue so you can adjust to the feeling. Sucking your throbbing clit, you started to whimper “yes Luigi”, you placed on his hand stroking his curls. The oral sex you received felt amazing and he was so gentle with you. After you had your first orgasm, you guys took a miniature break. Luigi asked intensively, “Was everything alright? Did I hurt you honey? You shook your head, as you took a sip of water. Going back to position, he started to finger you, you screamed when his index finger entered you. He was hoping by fingering you it can somewhat “open” you so the actual penetration wouldn’t be so painful. Slowly but surely he inserted a second finger in you when you were “adjusted”. Your body was stiff and you began to sweat, hopefully he didn't notice. He played with your clit a few more times to which made you whimper even more. 

“Does this feel good sweetheart?” Luigi asked.

“Not really but please don’t stop”. You responded.

Luigi hearing this didn’t feel good made him sad, he just wants to make you feel good:(.

-Penetration 

After being fingered for sometime, you told him you were ready for “him”.

Taking another short break, Luigi pulled out his boxers and put on a condom.

Seeing how large he was only shocked you of how will “that” fit into “this”. He pulled your body down to the edge, before entering inside you he asked “What is the code word to stop baby?”

“It's apple”, he shook his head feeling a tad bit more confident. He sloooowly enters a little more than his tip into you, causing you to yell. “APPLE” he immediately pulls and panically asks  “Did I hurt you honey?”

You shook your head yes, which he asked if you rathered be fingered. You agreed so he went back to fingering you, maintaining eye contact, he then entered two fingers into your. His fingers felt amazing, he was happy to see the once distressed face have a small smile. When your second orgasm hit, you asked him if he wanted head 

“No not tonight it’s all about you sweetheart”. Laughing at his response, you wanted to try penetration one more time. 

Luigi applied lube onto himself and made sure to enter ONLY his tip. The pain of the new feeling was still there, trying not to yell out you gripped the bedsheets for support.  Luigi asked if you wanted to stop but you insisted on keeping going. After about 8 strokes, Luigi entered you slightly further which tears started to form in your eyes. The tears were from a mixture of discomfort and pleasure, Lu also rubbed your clit which felt great. 

“You feel amazing honeybun” Luigi praised you, he was really enjoying this to the point he was moaning himself. Despite only taking half of his “length” you had a small orgasm and he finished in the condom.

-Aftercare

Your legs and waist felt extremely sore, hard to move. Luigi noticed this and assisted whatever you needed he would do. Such a sweetheart you thought. He carried you to the bathroom to pee after peeing he sat you on the bathroom sink. He kissed your forehead and praised you “I am so proud of you”.

“Thank you, you are so kind to me”

“Cmonn, I am your boyfriend it would be a shame if I wasn’t”.

Tears of happiness started to dwell in your eyes, finding someone who treats you with the utmost respect. You read posts about numerous horror stories of losing your virginity and were terrified you would lose it to a loser who doesn’t care about you. That wasn’t the case for you, Luigi wiped your eyes and reassured you everything will be okay. You asked if he can run a bath for you which he immediately turned on the warm water and added soap to make bubbles. He then sat you in the water, the warm water felt amazing on your body. Sitting besides you and Luigi talking about any and everything, he cupped his hand to let the warm water run on your back. He kissed once again telling you “I love you”.

You told “I love you too, my lu-bear”

-Aftercare to falling asleep

After the bath, Luigi helped you change into your pajamas, carrying you to the bed bridal style. He also pushed the flowers to the edge of the bed. He turned on the tv for you and you did some channel surfing. Luigi took a shower, when he came out of the shower he crawled in bed with you. His hair was wet and he shaved the stubble off his face. 

Your eyes began to feel heavy, laying in Luigi’s chest you slowly drifted asleep. Luigi was reading a book, when he realized you fell asleep he kissed your forehead and he then fell asleep.

[yearsbecomingcool]

meet the parents | daniel markowitz

donate to gaza here | masterlist

pairing | daniel markowitz x f!reader

synopsis | after 3 months of dating daniel finally introduces you to his parents and invites you to spend the eighth night of hanukkah with his family.

warnings | f!reader, jewish!reader, fluff.

word count | 4.4k

a/n | i wanna give a huge thank you to @kawaii1kitten for reading over this for me to make sure everything was accurate, it meant so much for someone to offer up their time like that and it was greatly appreciated. i got this request back at the end of january but have been incredibly busy since then (21st birthday, trying to get my license, new season of yellowjackets, writing a 7.6k word fic about jason from hell of a summer that you should all read…) but i did also take some time to research hanukkah for this fic. if anything is falsely represented or you think could be portrayed differently please let me know and i can fix any mistakes made! thank you so much for the request and hopefully it came out to your liking. also thank you to @joeloverture as always for reading over this and giving me input!!

taglist | @snazzynacho

You had been dating Danny for three months and somehow still hadn’t met his family, it wasn’t the most unusual thing in the world but you couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious. You would always hang out at your house, never at his. He always made an excuse about a messy room or someone working from home that day and you were beginning to feel a bit fed up with it. Today he was picking you up for a date, a trip to the movies. You heard his horn go off and ran outside, hopping into the passenger seat. You lean over and give him a quick peck, “You look cute today, scruffy, but cute.” You caress his cheek, looking at him lovingly.

He blushes, leaning into your touch like a cat. “So you don’t want me to shave?”

“Not yet…I’ll be generous and give you another week,” you tease, pinching the pale flesh of his cheek between your thumb and forefinger. He giggles and pulls away from you, he backs out of your driveway and starts to head towards the theater. 

You could save your questioning till after the movie, make it easier on both of you, but you’ve never been known to choose the easy route. You decide to come right out with it, “Why haven’t you introduced me to your family yet?”

He coughs nervously, “W-What?”

“Your family. You haven’t introduced me to them at all, you haven’t even brought me over to your house. We always just go to mine. There has to be a reason, so tell me Danny, what is it?”

His face grows hot and he swallows nervously. “I-It just hasn’t been the right time…they’re always busy. Y’know…I just…”

“You hardly talk about any of them besides your grandma, who sounds lovely by the way. But it just feels weird, if you have a bad relationship with them I’ll drop it but I’m just curious about your family. It feels like you’re hiding me from them and vice versa,” you explain.

He sighs, “My parents are just…a lot, okay? They still treat me like I’m a kid, hell my mom still has Life-360 installed on my phone.”

You giggle, “Were you a bad kid in high school or something?”

He laughs, “The furthest from it actually. I hardly went out, never went to parties, never did drugs. I was a good kid, my parents just…they’re intense and I know they care but they don’t really treat me like an adult yet. I didn’t want to scare you away or have you think I’m some Norman Bates mommy’s boy, I just want you to like me.”

“I already like you, dork. Do you think I’d be going out with you for three months if I didn’t like you? I’m certainly not dating you for your car.”

“But you could be dating me for my money,” he jokes.

“I’m practically your sugar mommy, mr. unemployed, I don’t wanna hear it.” 

“Okay…okay, I get it, you do actually like me. But are you sure you wanna meet my parents?”

“Yes! C’mon, let them get the embarrassing stage out of the way already. I’ll come over and bring them some nice wine and nod politely while they show me baby pictures and tell me embarrassing stories about you from your childhood. Doesn’t that sound nice?” You’re trying your hardest to convince him.

“It sounds better without them embarrassing me but I guess it could be worse…why don’t you come over for the final night of Hanukkah, it’s the one day this week where both my parents are off work so they won’t be super stressed or anything. We’re doing it at my grandmas so you’ll get to meet her too,” he suggests, finally giving in.

“I finally get to meet the famous Thelma Post you’ve been telling me about!” You celebrate.

“I’ve told her all about you too, she’s been asking when she can meet you.” He starts to poorly imitate his grandma, “Danny I’ll have one foot in the grave before you bring her over to see me!” You both burst into laughter at his imitation. “Don’t tell her I did that…please…”

You hold your pinky up, “Pinky promise.”

It’s the eighth day of Hanukkah and Daniel had come over to your place to help you cook, he insisted that you didn’t need to bring anything but you were determined to make a good impression. He’d been here for a few hours helping you make sufganiyot, normally his mom would make some but she was more than happy to leave that task up to you once you’d offered. You’d already made the filing the night before, letting it sit in the fridge for a few hours. Danny had been eyeing it as soon as he saw it in the fridge. Once you were done preparing the sufganiyot you’d piped some onto his finger, letting him finally have a taste. He sucks the cream off his finger and moans at the taste, “Fuck this is good. My mom is gonna have one bite of this and ask when I’m putting a ring on your finger, I swear.” 

“And what are you gonna tell her?” You tease, placing a hand on the counter and leaning against it, trying to look seductive.

“That I need an actual job before I can even think of walking into a jewelry store.” 

You roll your eyes and he wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you into him to give you a soft kiss. He looks a bit silly, wearing the apron you’d bought him when you’d gone grocery shopping the other day. It had a stupid little slogan that made you cringe on it and you knew it’d be perfect for him. When he’d arrived you held it up for him and he rolled his eyes. “For me?” He teases, holding his hand up to his mouth. You smacked him with a dish towel. 

While you went to get cleaned up and changed for the party Danny lounged on the small couch in your living room, flicking through the channels. He was grateful the SY-FY channel was still playing shitty horror movies this time of year. He’d gotten about halfway through Sharknado when you came out into the living room ready to go. You’d done natural makeup, some soft smoked out eyeliner and some lip gloss. You were dressed casual but cute, wearing a dark blue sweater and some black jeans. Danny sits up from the couch and smiles as his eyes rake over you, “You look great.”

“You’re so sweet to me, Danny. C’mere.” You outstretch your hand to him, pulling him up from the couch and into your arms to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. He grabs the wine off the counter and you grab your tray of sufganiyot and he opens the front door for you, locking it up before opening the passenger door for you. As you sit in the car on the way to his grandma's condo your knee bounces up and down, a nervous tick that you’ve had for years. Danny notices and places his hand on your thigh.

“It’s gonna be okay, I promise. I should be freaking out more than you, I have no idea what  embarrassing shit they’re gonna tell you tonight!” 

“I really hope they have a whole scrapbook for me to look at. I wanna see every embarrassing school photo, your awkward prom pictures, your cute little baby pictures.”

He groans, “Your parents didn’t show me any of that for you though!”

You laugh, “Uh yeah because I told them I’d never come back home again if they did.”

“You’re mean.”

“I’m not mean…I just know how to get what I want.”

He narrows his eyes but keeps them on the road, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Your hands are trembling when you get to his grandma's condo, you knew you’d be nervous you just didn’t know you’d be this nervous. “Do you think they’ll like me?”

He chuckles and parks the car, “They’ll love you. You have your shit together, you’re beautiful, you’ve helped me get my shit together I’m pretty sure that’s everything they want in a woman for me.” 

“And if they somehow don’t like me?”

“Then I’m staying with you anyway, I don’t care what they think. I know they’re gonna love you and I know for a fact that my grandma is gonna love you. Before the night is over she’ll be shoving her phone in my hand and demanding I friend you on Facebook for her.” He smiles at you like you’re the only girl he’s ever loved, he means every word he says, he’s not just trying to make you feel better.

“The only approval I need is yours and Thelmas.” He laughs at your joke and leans across the console to kiss you. He cups your face gently. When you pull away he’s smiling like a schoolboy.

Your face contorts in confusion, “What?”

“I just…” He runs his hand through his hair, “I really like you. I’m happy we’re doing this.”

You feel like a lovesick teenager, “Me too.”

Daniel goes around and opens your door, bowing his head as you step out of the car. “You’re such a nerd, you know that, right?”

He smiles at you playfully, “Are you gonna bully me in front of my parents? I don’t think they’ll like that too much. My grandma especially won’t.” 

“Well shit I can’t let Thelma down…”

“Exactly, so be nice!” He kisses your cheek and leads you to the door. He knocks quickly before wrapping his arm around your shoulder. You rest your head against his shoulder as you wait for his parents to open the door. You hear rustling and suddenly the door opens. His mom is standing there with a huge smile on her face. At first glance she doesn’t look much like him, she’s got dark brown hair cut into a neat bob and light green eyes. When she smiles that’s when you see the resemblance. Her tortoiseshell glasses pair nicely with her tan sweater and brown pants. 

“It’s so good to see you two! Come in, come in!” She exclaims, moving aside for the two of you to come in. You follow Daniel inside and kick off your shoes by the door before going into the kitchen to put your sufganiyot down on the counter. There’s already a few dishes sitting out and ready to go. Latkes with a small dish of sour cream sat next to them, fried bimuelos with honey drizzled over top, and some brisket. His mom, Gail, hugs you like she’s known you her whole life. 

“Danny has told us so much about you, I was wondering when he would finally introduce you,” she says, nudging him playfully with her elbow. He looks down at the floor bashfully.

“I guess I didn’t realize everyone was so…eager to meet.”

“Well with how you talked about her we all wanted to finally see the lovely girl. How are you?” His father, Alan, comes up behind Danny and outstretches his hand to you. You shake his hand and smile politely. 

“I’m great, Danny takes the best care of me. You’ve raised a wonderful son.”

Daniel looks down blushing again, he does this every time you praise him. It’s something he’ll never get used to. 

You take a second to look around the room, her kitchen reminds you so much of your grandma’s house. The only word you can think of for it is cozy. She has an array of plants all over the kitchen, some are sat on the windowsill above the sink. A few of the bigger ones sit on a white metal shelf populated by some cutesy glassware and a couple cookbooks. You feel right at home. You grab the wine from Daniel and present it to his parents, “I wasn’t sure what kind you would like so I hope this is okay.”

They take the bottle and inspect it, “It’s perfect.”

His parents thank you and bring you into the small tv nook where Thelma is sitting comfortably on the family's couch. You marvel at the collection of books she’s collected over her lifetime. They sit cozily on her built-in shelves, a modest CRT TV sits at the center. On each side of the couch sits more bookshelves. You can imagine yourself curled up on her orange and white pinstripe couch spending your days working through her collection.  “Grandma, there’s someone I’d like for you to meet.” She turns and smiles as she sees you. She’s quick to get to her feet, walking towards you happily. “Oh honey! Finally! I thought we’d never get to meet at this rate, ah, look at you! Danny you’ve always had good taste but she’s got to be my favorite! Oh just look at her, Danny you make such a cute couple.” Now it’s your turn to blush as Thelma gushes over you. She holds your hands in hers and smiles at you warmly.

“You’re too kind…Danny has said so much about you. I think he’s been hiding me away so I don’t become your new best friend,” you joke, helping Daniel lead her to the front of the house. The house is set up a bit strangely, her main living room is quite spacious, and a bar sits behind one of the floral couches. It’s unused, now displaying various family photos. There’s even more books on more beautiful shelves, you wonder if she’s read them all.

Thelma playfully swats at Daniel's arm, “Have you been hiding her? I always could do with more friends. You know that, Danny.” You admire their menorah as it sits on a white tray on a small table in front of the window, it’s a beautiful gold color, made of brass. It was his parents' wedding gift. A blue table runner sits beneath it.

He giggles, “Can you blame me for wanting to keep her to myself?” The three of you stand together, his parents on either side. 

You watch as his father loads the candles, their matchbook sits on the tray next to the menorah. You watch as his father strikes the match and lights the shamash and begins to recite the blessings. “Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah. Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, she’asah nisim l’avoteinu, b’yamim haheim bazman hazeh.” Once he’s finished reciting the blessings he lights each candle from left to right and puts the shamash at its place in the center. It makes you think of past Hanukkah celebrations you’d spent with your family, it’s the first year you’re not spending it with them. You have a feeling you can convince Daniel to come to yours next year.

You all head to the kitchen and grab a plate and start to grab your food, you load your plate up happily.

Daniel pours you each a glass of wine, Thelma has water instead. The table is small which makes things a bit cramped but you make it work, you and Daniel sitting close enough that your elbows knock occasionally.

“Was your family alright with you missing out on celebrating with them this year?” Thelma asks as she sips from her glass.

“They understood, they’d like Danny to come to ours next year for a night. They really loved him when they met him.” Daniel squeezes your hand softly.

“Oh of course! Maybe we could all get together next year, have a little party!” She suggests.

“That sounds perfect. I’m sure they’d love to.” 

As you begin to dig into your food you look over at Gail with a sly smirk. “So…what was Danny like as a kid?”Daniel chokes on his wine, his eyes going wide. He didn’t expect you to start asking about this as soon as dinner started.

Gail smiles knowingly at Daniel, she knows just how badly she’s about to embarrass him and she’s going to cherish this moment for as long as it lasts. “Oh he was just precious. Such a sweet smiley little boy,” she takes a sip of her wine, “but he was so shy. I remember on his first day of Kindergarten he was so scared, he wouldn’t let go of my leg. Poor thing…”

“Aww Danny…I was a shy kid too. Maybe not that shy but it took me a while to grow out of it. I remember sitting at a table with a group of other shy kids in English class and we were all supposed to do some project together and I had to pull myself out of my shell for it because none of them wanted to,” you laugh.

“That sounds like Danny. Y’know there was this shy boy in his class when he was younger,” she turns to face Daniel, “Wendy Horowitz’ son, do you remember him?”

Daniel nods. He has no clue who she’s talking about.

“Anyway, he got hooked on Don Julio and he’s been in and out of rehabs ever since. Always made me worried for Danny, you never know what the quiet ones are doing…”

“Well I don’t drink much, I’ll have one if I go out somewhere nice for dinner, but I’m usually the designated driver. Danny doesn’t really have much when we go out either.”

Gail rubs Daniel on the shoulder, “Oh you’re cutting back on the drinking? Good, see Alan she’s already a good influence, only 3 months in!”

Alan smiles, “You did get him to throw out that ratty old cardigan too.”

“There were too many holes for it to be considered wearable at that point. I bought him a nice new one to replace it.”

Daniel blushes, “The new one is softer…”

“He’s always worn his clothes till they were falling apart…I’d always fix them up so he could wear his favorites a bit longer,” Thelma says.

Daniel looks at her with nothing but love in his eyes and smiles,”And thank you for that. You’re why most of my favorite sweaters are still around.” 

Gail chuckles, a memory surfacing. “Do you remember that phase you had where you would only wear your Spider-Man costume? You were like what…six? You wore it everywhere! I remember you even demanded you wear it to school under your clothes.” Daniel's face turns bright red as the rest of you giggle.

“I uh, I think I do remember that,” he scratches the back of his neck nervously.

“That’s cute. I think I did the same with some princess dress my mom had got me.” As fun as it is to watch him squirm with embarrassment you still don’t want him to get too embarrassed. 

The rest of dinner is spent with Gail telling childhood stories about Daniel, most are just cute instead of embarrassing but once dinner is wrapped up is when the embarrassment really starts. Thelma is quick to lead you to her array of childhood photos of Daniel she has on display. You pick up each one, inspecting them closely as he looms over your shoulder, face bright red with embarrassment. “Do you really have to show her the middle school ones? Those are just…they’re bad…” He groans as he pinches the bridge of his nose. 

“Oh but Danny you were so cute! Wasn’t he?” Thelma asks, turning towards you.

You giggle and smile, “The cutest.”

“See! Not embarrassing!” 

Daniel groans and puts his hands over your eyes, he leans down to whisper in your ear, “I think you’ve seen enough.” It’s playful and cute. You giggle and lean back against him.

“I think I wanna see more actually-”

He’s quick to cover your mouth with one of his hands, “She doesn’t know what she’s saying. That wine must’ve been strong, right baby?” He moves his hand from your eyes to your chin, maneuvering your head to make you nod. “See? She’s all good on childhood pictures now, Grandma.”

You lick his palm and he yelps, pulling his hand away. “Don’t listen to him! Show me the worst ones!”

Thelma is doubling over in laughter at the two of you, it reminds her of when she had met her husband. “Oh I’ve got more, sweetheart. Don’t worry.” She heads over to the bookcase to start looking for her photo albums. 

Daniel leans down to whisper in your ear so softly that no one else can hear, “You’re so getting it later. You hear me?”

You giggle, “I’m sure I am, Danny…” He loves to talk a big game but hardly ever follows through. You know it’ll end in giggles and a makeout session on your couch. 

He helps Thelma bring over the photo albums, setting them down onto the coffee table before taking a seat next to you. “You better be nice to me about these.”

“Danny how bad could they be? Don’t be so dramatic, we were all dorky when we were younger.” You rub his shoulder comfortingly. You lean against his arm as he opens the first one. The first page is his mom holding him in the hospital, his tiny footprints next to the photo make you tear up a bit.

Thelma tells a small story with each photo, “He was such a smiley baby. The happiest in the family. I remember Gail called me one time to ask if it was normal for a baby to be so happy all the time,” she laughs, “she’s always been such a worrier…”

“You were adorable Danny, your smile is the same now y’know.”

He leans his head against yours, “Some things never change I guess.”

“I’m glad you’ve still got that sweet smile and all those beauty marks.”

He smiles and presses a kiss to your forehead as you continue to look through the photo albums. His face heats up with embarrassment as they reach the elementary school photos. He’s wearing silly graphic tees and missing teeth, new ones growing back into place. There’s photos of him playing video games, kindergarten and 5th grade graduations. Photos of him with childhood friends and peers, most of the names he can’t remember but he has a story for almost all of them. “He had a pet lizard! I begged my parents, and Grandma of course,” he nudges Thelma with his elbow, “for one too. But when I actually went over to his house and saw it in person it scared me so bad I never asked for another pet again!”

“What kind of lizard was it?” You ask curiously. 

“A bearded one, like that dinosaur in Jurassic Park that ate Nedry.”

Your eyes light up, “Ah! I can see why you’d be terrified now.”

He blushes bright red with embarrassment once the middle school pictures start coming up, awkward phases, bad haircuts, and plenty of embarrassing stories. It’s an awful time for everyone but it seemed particularly cringe inducing for Daniel. You and Thelma stifle laughter as he tries to defend his magician phase with his life.

“The girls were into it I swear!”

“Thelma, did you tell him that to make him feel better?” You ask, leaning forward to see her.

“I think I did…”

Daniel dramatically scoffs, feigning offense at her confession.

“Did you like try to pull a flower out from behind a girl's ear?” You joke.

His cheeks turn pink, “I-I…no…”

He’s a little less defensive over his high school photos, you can see him finding his style in every photo. He’s switched out his silly graphic tees for band t-shirts and cardigans, his cargo shorts for skinny jeans. It’s interesting to watch him figure out who he is through photos. You smile at the photos of him at concerts on his tiptoes trying to peer over the shoulders of the people in front of him. There’s ticket stubs from his favorites glued down next to the photos of him at each one. You can tell you would’ve been friends in high school, probably more considering how you ended up. He was your type to a tee. You could imagine asking him out to see whatever indie movie was playing at your local theatre, him slipping his headphones on you in a diner afterwards to show you his new favorite band. You feel a pang of sadness that you didn’t know him back then. You’re grateful to have him now. You cuddle up a bit closer to him as he gets to the final picture, it’s him on graduation day. His hair was grown out and combed back under his graduation cap. His favorite is the shot of Thelma and him together. He has his arm slung over his shoulder as he holds her close.

“Why don’t we take one of you two to add to the album?” Thelma suggests.

You smile and look at Daniel, trying to see how he feels. He’s smiling just as big as you are and he nods, getting up from the couch. “Where’s the camera?”

“It’s in my office on my desk, right by the computer,” Thelma explains. Once he’s walked off to retrieve the camera she leans close to you, taking your hand in hers. “You’re my favorite of the girls he’s ever brought over. Thank you for being so good to him…I think you’re what he needs.”

You feel tears begin to well up in your eyes, your lip quivering. You reach up to wipe your tears and nod, “I think he’s what I need to.” Thelma leans forward and hugs you tight, you pull away with Daniel comes back with the camera.

“Should I call dad to come take it?” He asks Thelma.

“Oh no, dear. This is the one technology I know how to use!” She gets up from the couch and takes the camera from Daniel, directing him to sit next to you. She continues directing the two of you, telling you how to pose. “Danny at least try to look like you love her! You’re so stiff!”

He chuckles and tries to relax, pulling you closer to him. You’re leaned against him, your head on his shoulder as he holds you close. You glance up at him for a second and hear the camera go off. “Oh, I wasn’t ready!”

Thelma smiles down at the photo, turning the camera back around for the two of you to look. It’s instantly your new favorite photo of the two of you. You’re cuddled up, gazing into each other's eyes. “I think it’s perfect, dear.”

[anthonys237thfreckle]

i need need need headcanons for anthony with a gf who’s like got a career in STEM and she’s super smart and as an actor he’s amazed by her lmao.

this is so cute! thanks anon

I’m looking for a woman in STEM - Anthony Ramos x F! Reader

prompt: headcanons for Anthony who’s girlfriend is in STEM - i’ve picked biomed for a degree since my mom wanted me to do biomed in high school

TW: mentions of academic stress and panic attacks, mention of drugs used in medicine, mention of mental illness

🔬 when you both first met, and he first asked for where you graduated from, let me tell you - mans did NOT expect you to say ‘Cambridge’

🔬 ‘Oh, so like Cambridge College in Massachusetts?’

🔬 This man omg

🔬 When you said ‘No, England’ he felt goosebumps cause like ‘geez louise CAMBRIDGE?’ and when you casually said you did biomed he was like ‘wait what-’

🔬 ‘Me? Oh, I did Musical Theatre’ he says matter of factly, and you’d add ‘Oh, I played piano when I was in elementary-’

🔬 You’d be the definition of a perfect golden child. He knows that couldn’t have been easy

🔬 When you two do start dating, he’s always bragging ‘Oh my girlfriend does lab research for this new supplement for this drug for schizophrenia in children-’ HE’S A PRO YAPPER. Especially in interviews.

🔬 He’s so proud of everything you’ve done - doing medicinal research at NYMC (New York Medical College)

🔬 Maybe in the winter as you two are baking (you always make sure the measurements are perfect, never letting him measure anything out lol) he always says baking is an ‘art’

🔬 ‘Actually babe, it’s chemistry’ you’d chuckle, taking a bite out of some gingerbread cookies, and ever since, he’s jokingly kept a lab coat and goggles and chides you for ‘not tying your hair in the lab’.

🔬 You’d tell him about how hard high school and college was for you, having to get a scholarship, going to British private schools because the medicine industry is mad competitive and honestly, you need to show something off in your application.

🔬 You’d tell him how even though you did Cambridge IGCSE and A level courses all throughout high school, it was no match for what England had in store for you - panic attacks became a weekly thing.

🔬 I mean, you did Pure Math, Biology, Chemistry and Psychology A and AS levels for gods sake - its an absolute mindfuck.

🔬 He’s always there to reassure her how smart she is and that she’s human no matter what - that college is over, and the drug trials will end up great, and a bunch of kids will get some damn good medication.

🔬 He LOVES it when you come watch his shows and movies. It means the absolute world to him.

🔬 Soon, he kind of drifted away from theatre after Hamilton, and started in film, and would always get super excited whenever he’d get some remotely science-y role.

🔬 Like in In Treatment, he’d come to you for help for some advice on his role, on some deeper level analysis (not as deep as an actual therapist guys, just a psych student level) and you’d be squealing with pride when you see him on TV.

🔬 And when he got into the more Sci-Fi movies like Transformers, he’d tell you ‘it’s not that deep, baby.’ whenever he’d catch your brows furrow in confusion at the misuse of a niche scientific term

🔬 He’d be so happy when he landed Twisters, even though you weren’t a meteorology student, your use of organic chemistry would def have some revelations when watching Kate use some form of polycarbonate.

🔬 ‘they’re right! they use silver iodide for cloud seeding!” you’d giggle.

🔬 affectionately calls you ‘nerd’ all the time.

— for anyone not british, igcse is from grades 9-10 and a levels are a bit like AP! but like they have a lot of depth. you’re not expected to do more than three.

[angels-fantasy]

Top Secret Fiction Ch. 6

The Confrontation

Katsuki Bakugou x Reader

Description: After meeting the one and only pro hero Dynamight on a dating app, you two begin to see each other. Because of the dangers that come with his hero work, you both promise to be completely honest with each other from the beginning; though you can't help but keep one big secret from him.

You write fan fiction, mostly about him.

Chapter Details: deku makes an appearance here heheh. bakugou lowkey might like fanfics? but only if they're about him. scary confrontation 😟 reader is a bit sad and confused :(

Word Count: 1.4k

previous chapter

As soon as Bakugou got home, he opened his computer and looked up 'Bakugou x Reader'. What came up was a ton of links to different websites, one of the top ones being HeroFiction.Com.

Clicking on it, he scrolled through the sight and found many other original stories about different pro heroes.

While doing this, he learned that this was called fan fiction, which he'd heard about before, but he never paid attention to it because he didn't care.

Keeping the website open, he leaned back and wondered, were you writing fan fiction about him? You must've been, based on your notes. Did you write for other pro heroes, or just him?

A small part of him hoped you only wrote for him.

He sighed and rubbed his hands down his face, trying to think about what the hell he was going to do about this. Clearly, this was something you didn't want to tell him, meaning you kept it a secret.

And he hates secrets, but for some reason, this didn't feel too bad. He was almost... flattered, in a way. He was also curious and he just wanted to know more. But how would he even bring this up to you?

Deciding he'd need help with understanding this website, he called someone he trusted.

"Hey Deku. You know what fan fiction is, right?"

Blushing, Izuku replied with "Why are you asking me that Kacchan?!"

"Because I know you used to write that shit back in high school!" He explained, "Just tell me what you know about this site called 'HeroFiction.com.'"

A lightbulb went off in Izuku's head, "Oh yeah I recognize that name! It's basically a website for pro hero fanfiction. I've seen a few good ones actually-"

"Yeah okay, thanks." Katsuki said, cutting off his friend.

It was time for him to do more of his own research, specifically on this website.

...

When you woke up the next morning, you found yourself in your bed wondering how you got there.

Did I fall asleep? You wondered.

You cringed at the thought of Bakugou seeing you asleep and hoped you didn't do anything embarrassing.

Rubbing your eyes, you grabbed your phone from the nightstand and saw a text from Bakugou letting you know he had left after putting you in your bed.

You smiled at his thoughtfulness and texted him back a thank you, and an apology for falling asleep while he was over.

After tossing your phone down onto the bed next to you, you stretched and blinked away any leftover sleep.

As you were stretching your legs you felt your foot hit something softly. Wondering what it was, you sat up and looked at the foot of your bed, eyes widening when you realized it was your notebook.

But this wasn't just any notebook- this one had all of your notes for fics you were planning on writing.

You thought about how Bakugou brought you into your bedroom, and your heart sank to your stomach when you realized he probably saw your notebook.

"Noooo!" You cried and placed your hands over your eyes. "Kill me now..."

You prayed to any higher power out there that he didn't read anything.

...

Your prayers clearly didn't reach anyone because a few hours after waking up, you got a text from Bakugou that said, "Can we talk? ASAP."

Biting your nail nervously, you texted back "Sure" and asked when and where he'd want to meet up.

Quickly texting back, he told you he'd meet you at a cafe near your neighborhood in a few hours.

A little while later as you got ready to meet up with him you felt like you were going to cough up your stomach and die from your nerves.

You didn't want to accept it, but deep down you knew he figured out your secret. It was already terrifying trying to keep what you did in your free time a secret, but now that the person you wrote about knew, was even more terrifying!

It seemed as though your frantic thoughts made time go by even faster than usual, and it was now time for you to leave so you could make it to the cafe on time.

Taking a deep breath and patting your face, you stepped out of your apartment and began to head to the cafe.

...

As Bakugou sat at the cafe in the outdoor dining area, he tapped his foot anxiously as he awaited your arrival.

After his phone call with Deku and doing his own research (which just consisted of reading other fan fictions he came across), he came to the conclusion that he would accept this hobby of yours, if you were honest about it when he confronted you.

Since he had browsed the website a bit, he came across some stories that were actually decent (but also others that were very, very questionable and he really hoped you didn't write anything like that. ESPECIALLY not a story with him and that damn Deku).

He'd never admit it, but it boosted his ego a bit to know that you wrote about him, and he definitely wanted to read some of your stuff. He wanted to know if it was as good as some of the other ones he has read.

Suddenly, he saw your figure walking towards him and he was snapped out of his thoughts. He sat up straighter and placed his elbows against the table, leaning forward.

You sat down across from him silently with a shy look on your face. "So..." You said softly, "You wanted to talk?"

He cleared his throat, "Yeah. I'll just get to the point..." He said, before hesitating to say, "That night I was at your place, I saw your notebook-"

You grimaced, knowing exactly what he was talking about, and placed your hands over your face in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." You said.

Letting out a deep breath, you uncovered your face and continued to speak while looking down at your lap. "I knew this would come up eventually, I just didn't think it'd be so soon..."

Bakugou scoffed, "So when were you gonna tell me? Never?"

You frowned at his tone, "No! It's just not an easy topic to talk about Bakugou. It's embarrassing and I wasn't just going to say 'Hey Bakugou, did you know I've been writing fan fiction about you for three years?'"

He blinked. He could understand where you were coming from. In fact, he'd probably be more weirded out if you had told him that easily. But, even though you were honest now, it still doesn't shake his uneasiness about you keeping a secret from him.

Sure, it wasn't a huge, life threatening secret, but it was still something you kept from him. He liked honesty, especially in a relationship and it's something he valued heavily. A part of him felt like he should've known about this sooner, since it was about him for gods sake!

He sighed. "Before you go assuming things, I'm not mad at ya, okay?" He said, "I just... I think I need time to think about this alright? A few days at most."

You furrowed your eyebrows subconsciously, making your eyes look big and puppy like. Well damn, how was he supposed to stay away from you when you gave him that look?

"Okay." You spoke sadly, "I understand. I shouldn't have kept that from you, so again, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "'S fine."

You rubbed your sweaty palms on your legs and stood up. "I'll give you time now, alright? Just, call or text me whenever you're ready." You said and gave him a small wave before walking back in the direction you came from.

As you made your way back, you thought about your talk with Bakugou.

If you wanted to keep seeing him, maybe you would have to stop writing. You were starting to really like Bakugou, and you didn't want a silly hobby to get in the way of a potentially serious relationship with him.

You felt your eyes tear up. It was hard to think about giving up writing. You had made friends through your writing, your own little community online. It was great! But realistically, could you keep this up forever?

That same night, you posted on your page.

Hi everyone. I've decided to take a break from writing for a while. I'm not sure how long it will be, but I will still leave everything here for you to read.

Thank you, xo.

next chapter

authors note

HIII omg im so sorry i haven't updated this fic in a while 🥹 this chapter was actually really fun to write and omg writing readers thoughts at the end lowkey made me sad!! how do you feel about it? pls lmk!!

love ya!

taglist (closed for this fic): @doumadono @54fangirl @andysdrafts @dagger-dragger @lovra974 @l4rsun1vrrse @emmab3mma @littlkittenfan @tatiquichi @cloudxluv @seonne @shonen-brainrot @the2ndl @gold24fish @cxp1d @rv19 @gina329

(those in pink couldn't be tagged)

[delicateperspective]

Regarding The Observer (TO), I keep going back and forth about whether Louis is involved. Many of the posts are so Larry coded and in your face about L&H’s connections, so I wouldn’t think that L would risk it.

Then i started thinking more about it. There are only about 6K followers of TO on X and many of them are talking about how it’s someone playing with the fandom. Unless you are following this closely, you wouldn’t believe or understand the connections that TO is making. L could come right out and say that he and H are a couple with these clues and 99% of the public either wouldn’t care or wouldn’t believe it.

I will admit that when I first started looking into SBB and BBG, I thought the fandom was crazy. But when I really researched everything, I came to the conclusion that there is something to it all. Most of L and H’s fans won’t bother doing a deep dive. They’ll quickly glance at the posts from TO and come to the conclusion that it’s a scammer.

It could be a fan just playing with us all but I also think that Louis knows he can get away with posting a lot for the fandom without other people catching on.

Hey anon! I'm going to use your message to get some stuff out, so I hope you don't mind that this kind of flip flops and sommersaults from your main point.

I think its pretty much a right of passage to go from "nah these people are mad" to "okay maybe there is something here but not all that" to "yikes, they weren't off their rocker this stuff is pretty solid" as long as you keep researching.

Just like everything else in this, nothing is ever obvious. By definition it can't be. They did that when they were younger (my first real crush was louis tomlinson, it's confidential but we're already engaged, are you and louis dating? nods) and seemed to have paid dearly for it. They aren't that naive now. They know how to play the game.

These men are masterminds. They know how narratives work because they had to learn them from the inside out. They know that no matter how loud they get, there will always be people who pretend to be deaf.

Yesterday, a large number of people took a song Louis posted about loving someone for a long time despite all of the other changes in your life (on the three year anniversary of a song his ex-band member released about loving someone through all the other changes in your life) and made it about a girl he's known less than a month. If that isn't a prime example of people creating the narrative for him, I don't know what is.

I want to make it pretty clear that I don't think TO is necessarily L or H.

I don't even think it's someone with insider information necessarily. But I do think that L knows about it.

I don't take a coincidence like the guitar yesterday lightly.

I'm still operating, and will continue to operate, from the mindest that this is a fan as I follow along the journey. And if it gets toxic, I'll make sure that I share that information everywhere just like I am sharing the journey/connections/observations now.

But yes, I think the boys know they can be pretty loud and still get away with it now. Because antis and solos (not hating just putting a name to it) will do the rest of the work for them by twisting the narrative however they need to in order to make it fit their public perceptions of them.

I think that we sometimes are so deep in the fandom that its hard for us to see the perspective of the general population. Back in 1D the general population already assumed Louis (and most of them actually) was queer. Now, every "normal person" I talk to thinks Harry is queer. And as you said, even if I TRIED to explain TO to someone outside the fandom, they'd look at me like I grew a second head. 99% of people do not care about this.

I doubt it is a blip on the radar of anyone who hasn't been following these men closely already.

[dearggntlereader]

2nd: Gingerbread House ༻¨ : ·.. ｡⋆⍋*｡

Remus Lupin x reader CW: flustered Remus Lupin, kissing (?)

Remus always thought himself quite talented at charms. Well, maybe not talented like Sirius but he always made sure to balance that out with his excessive research and careful execution.

He always excelled at simple and more complicated charms in and out of the classroom, which caused him to assume some simple swings of his wand would make your and his baking date a bit more exciting for you.

And maybe he got a bit too cocky, trying to impress you, even when he knew very well that you did not need him to. Still, it’s your first date and he had been assured by his mates that he should put in some effort.

He had it all planned out.

Lumos Vitrum for softly glowing windows.

Fumos Dolcis for sugar like smoke coming from the chimney.

Scintillae Dulcia for sparkling and shimmering candy decorations.

Ambulocibus Dulcis to make the gingerbread man do a little dance with his gingerbread-wife.

And lastly, Nixus Placida for a gentle snowfall of powdered sugar.

All very easy but impressive charms. Remus would usually be able to perform them perfectly at 3am, high on 3 cups of coffees and sleep deprived.

He felt like James, fumbling any easy task in front of Regulus, as he tried to give the house some extra magical charm.

The structure of the house was finished already and you were looking at him all smiley and excited, pressing your lips to his every few minutes.

Your first kiss had been a few days prior but the prickly, excited feeling in his stomach had faded no more, now.

The glow in your bright eyes had reminded him of the first charm. He took out his charm with your soft eyes locked onto him and thighs pressed close to his.

Right before he was about to start the movement with his wand you pressed a long kiss on his upper cheek, right on his deepest scar. Your lips were warm and soft, loving as they pressed onto his skin.

The heat that took to his face will not be mentioned.

He blinked hard before focusing back onto the house. “Lumos Vitrum,” he whispered, his voice cracking the tiniest bit at the last second.

The windows started shining softly and your light gasp brought a smile to his face. He looked at you to drink in your lovely reaction, not realizing that the windows were flickering a bit every time his heartbeat heightened slightly from looking at you.

That’s really where it started getting out of order.

You were being so incredibly sweet, kissing him long and gentle. “This is so sweet, Remmy.” you muttered, the words lost in the kiss.

“It’s not a complicated charm,” Remus explained, still slightly panting from the kiss.

“Still, it’s cute.”

Another kiss.

At that point he just had to continue, wanting to bring that light of excitement to your eyes again.

Except, the sugar smoke ended up more like big cotton candy clouds looming over you two.

But, they made you laugh and you leaned closer to him. So really, it was a success.

Then, the candy started actually throwing sparks at you and the little gingerbread man simply stood up and walked away while his now ex-wife started destroying the house.

“God, they’re divorced.” you laughed, bumping his shoulder as he looked at the mess in shock. What did he do wrong?

You look at him with a humorous glint in your eyes. “Let’s hope that’s not a bad omen for our relationship.”

"Well, I suppose we can rule out a career in magical pastry arts for me," he muttered, waving his wand to tame the rogue gingerbread man, which had stubbornly marched in circles like it had somewhere very important to be. 

"Maybe they just have a dramatic flair for storytelling. Every great gingerbread house needs a subplot, right?"

You burst out laughing at that, Remus’ slight embarrassment and dry tone sending you over the edge.

He couldn’t help but smile, the sound of your laughter cutting through his flustered state.

You giggled as you calmed down, looking at him again. “Who doesn’t love a good subplot?”

Another kiss.

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