#I found a couple of nice things when I was looking at least!

[muscle-gods-only]

My teachers always flunked, my school mates were always mean to me and my doctor labeled me as, “On the Spectrum” There was a friend of my dad’s that saw something in me, a focus he called it. He tried several different hobbies with me, but nothing really stuck. One day he wanted to take me out to try a couple things, but first he needed to get a workout in. My dad had to go into work early that day because of so emergency, so he dropped me off at the gym. I immediately felt like a fish that had just been introduced to water! He finished his little cardio workout and then he started showing me how to do all the basic exercises. That evening it was all I could talk about, I was hooked. My parents were so excited that I had something that inspired me that they took me down to the gym, bought me a membership and some clothes, then we went to the shop next door and bought supplements and more gym clothes and gear. My dad’s friend tried training me for the first couple of days, but I wanted to be there all the time. My dad found the biggest trainer working there, a massive guy who fortunately had just moved to town. My dad paid him for me to have two hours in the morning and two more hours of training in the afternoon. A few weeks later I saw my dad’s friend, he looked so small and weak now! I told my trainer and he said that I was making amazing progress, but a little juice would help. The price seemed expensive, but I told my dad and he said, “Hey, we are well-off. Your mom and I are so happy that you are excited about something. If it makes you happy, then that much money is cheap! I’ll grab the money from the vault in my den. I’ll give you at least this much each month and please let us know how we can help you.” I’ve been juicing for a couple months now and I have totally transformed myself. My twin brother came home from college for Christmas Break recently and he was shocked and a little nervous about my immense size and strength but it came in handy when I brought in his dirty laundry. Do they even have washing machines at his school? Then his best friend came over, his friend was going to a different school so they wanted to spend time together. His friend came, like me is gay, so when he saw my monstrous muscular body, he just wanted to spend time with me. That night my brother told me that he felt bad that his friend only wanted to see me. I told him, “Look, brothers are forever. I have trouble forming bonds. I like the attention he gave me tonight, but maybe we can go out once or twice and the rest of the time is for you guys to have buddy time. You, mom and dad are more important than anything.” He responded, “That sounds great!” Then he tried to hug me, but his tiny stick-like arms couldn’t reach around (I always ways taller than him.) “Well, that didn’t quite work. Maybe I can hug one of those massive arms? I mean those are thicker than my torso and both arms!” He hugged my left arm and added, “It’s going to be weird getting used to having a human colossus for a brother!” I told him, “You know that you can call me a freak or anything else you want right? I mean we are brothers, we will have fights and I intend on getting a whole lot bigger. I’d never harm even a hair on your head. However, you don’t have to always be nice to me just because I am a gigantic muscle god!” He hugged my arm again and said, “I got my Christmas wish already: for you to be comfortable with yourself!”

[anonomano]

Connection ~ Carlos Sainz

Part one

Mafia!Carlos Sainz x Fem,Arranged!Reader

prologue part two

Synopsis: How will we get Carlos to agree to a marriage he doesn’t want?

Warnings: smut 18+ eventually, violence, toxic!carlos

Carlos was sitting at the breakfast table; notably not at the head spot, where his father use to sit. He was reading paperwork and eating an omelette prepared by his chefs, when his mother walked in.

“I found her!” she stated as she sat across from him. She was no longer wearing her mourning clothing. She was dressed in a mauve dress, amethysts decorated her ears and neck. Purple had always been her color. Her hair was up in a french twist, her signature style. She was back to herself again.

“Found who?” Carlos asked, not looking up from his work again. He had been very busy ever since he took over the business.

“Your wife”

The words stopped Carlos in his tracks. He slowly looked up at his mother. He hadn’t expected it so quickly, or for her to make the decision of who it would be. “What? No, if I must get married, I should be able to at least choose who I will get married to”

“Carlos” she sighed “sweetheart, your taste in women has never been exactly, shall I say, stellar” She grabbed his hand, the absence of her wedding ring becoming apparent “Besides, this girl is a family friend. Shes very sweet and very pretty. Her father is f/n l/n”

“y/n?” Carlos was shocked; he remembered the girl from gatherings early in life. It had been a long time, her father stopped bringing her to such events when she was four years old. Him and y/n used to be close friends. They had played together and even got fake married once. Ironic.

“Yes, I saw her a few years ago at her 16th birthday party. Shes a very nice girl. Perfect for the family. Plus consider it a gesture to her father. Him and Carlos always got along. You haven’t spoken to him since the funeral”

“Mother I respect you I do” she sat back “But, I will not marry this girl” I stood up “ I hardly even know her! If I must marry someone… I and I alone will choose who it will be”

“Its too late Carlos” She stands straightening her dress “I have already discussed this with her father. This marriage will be happening.”

“This is ridiculous! You aren’t in charge of me anymore!” Carlos leaps away from his chair wildly gesticulating at his mother “My father is dead… I am in charge you can’t undermine my authority like that!” he puts his hand to the bridge of his nose “Mother what exactly did you tell her father?”

——————————————————————————

“When I was discussing it with Reyes we had couple key things we talked about…” your father stated. You were now in a crowded room with your father at the head of the table; you were seated to his left. “First, you will get married before the end of the year, most likely in December”

“So soon?!” you say, shocked. Everything was happening so fast, it was already August.

“Yes, Darling, soon. Aswell as on the subject of children—“ his voice faded out you started to think about all of the choices being taken from you. This stranger you never met would choose where you live, how many children you have, and how you live your life. Everything would be so different.

“— this whole thing is good for the family; it keeps us involved, which is good. Carlos Jr. and myself never got along as well as his father and I” your father finished out as you regained your awareness of the situation.

“So I have to go live with him? and have his babies?” You question “How are babies even made?” an awkward silence sweeps over the room at the question. You look to your father while he looks away. Then to your brothers who are sharing glances with each other. You look at your mother last, shes looking right at you, pity on her face.

“Y/n, darling, that is something for the two of us to discuss at a later date” you slump into your seat, frustrated at the lack of information.

“Anyway, I will set up a dinner soon for the two of you to meet. Your mother and I, along with Reyes will also be attending” this cause some outrage from yoir brothers; they had always been protective of you and didn’t understand why they couldn’t go.

——————————————————————————

The dinner was not what you expected, neither was Carlos. He was seated at the head of the table, you had to admit he was very handsome; he was dressed in nice clothing, obviously very expensive and tailored to his body. You were seated on the opposite end. Your parents between you.

Despite the silence that plagued the dinner while you were eating, your parents decided to bring a conversation between the three of them to the study. Leaving you and Carlos alone.

“So, what are your hobbies?” You ask, trying to get to know the man that you will soon share your life with.

“I don’t have any, to busy”

“Alright, well, do you like kids?” you try

he sighs “look you don’t have to… we arent gonna…” he pauses briefly standing up “we aren’t getting married”

“What?”

“My mother set this whole thing up… I’m sorry you seem like a nice girl. But, I don’t even know you. I’m sure you don’t want to marry me.”

“Its just business”

He laughs a little “I don’t understand—“

“Thats what my dad said, its just business. We’ll get married, have kids, share responsibilities.”

“Darling, do you even understand what those responsibilities are?”

“Don’t!” You stand up quickly realizing what you did and then sit down “Please, don’t call me that.” you take a deep breath “I may not know everything but I am willing to learn my responsibilities I take that seriously”

“Do you want to marry me?”

“I…need too.”

He looks you, he seems to be contemplating something. “Alright then.”

——————————————————————————

You were sitting in your dinning room waiting for dinner when your parents arrived.

“Darling, I don’t know what you did but I am proud of you!” your father exclaimed as he was seated “He’s going to marry you”

“Really?” You were surprised “He said he didn’t—“

“Well, he changed his mind” your mother interrupted

“He really changed his mind, the wedding has been moves up!”

“Moved up? to when?”

“October, you are getting married in October!”

@formulas-bitch

[verycoolusername1]

Under The Mistletoe

Summary: You're at the annual holiday party with the team, and you're found under the mistletoe with your hot co-worker

A/N: Did the summary eat or what? Cole is such a cutie pie... like actually just look at him

And a stranger things reference even tho I don't care much for the show anymore, very funny reference that some people might not get- long story short finn wolfhard(Mike) sees himself as a bad kisser

You debated whether or not to go to the holiday party hosted by the team or to just have a cozy night in. The latter seeming tempting at the moment.

You sighed as you shook your head. You promised your co-worker Emily you would be there and make it the best night ever(her words).

Your dress hugged you well in ways you only imagined, the emerald dress fitting you perfectly.

You finally left the warmth of your car and entered the surprisingly not as loud house. Full of habs, some wags, and others part of the team.

Emily immediately squealed when she saw you, leaving a conversation.

"Oh my god, you look amazing." She hugged you tightly.

You chuckled in her embrace. "Oh uh it's nothing, you know that."

"Nothing? I never get to see you all dolled up like this. If I were your man, I wouldn't be able to take my hands off you." Emily winked.

You scoff at Emily's words. "Okay, okay, I think I know what you mean."

"Maybe tonight Cole will finally realize his undying love for you." Emily whispered, causing you to glare at her.

"No need to say it out loud." You hissed.

"Oh look, he's right over there." Emily moved you where you saw Cole laughing at something, someone had said.

Cole, feeling eyes on him, found yours and sent a warm smile.

"Go get your man!" Emily hushed as she pushed you forward.

You smiled shyly at Cole. He took a couple of steps towards you, meeting in the middle.

"Wow..." Cole looked you up and down. "You look beautiful."

"Oh thanks, didn't wanna go all out." You explained with a shrug.

"Well you look nice, you always do!" Cole exclaimed. "You um look extra nice in emerald... suits you."

"Thank you. I never wore this dress before." You smiled.

Juraj whistles. "Y/n and Cole under the mistletoe!"

That made you perk up and look up and see that, in fact, you were under the mistletoe. You two have been talking for at least five minutes? Did he know this whole time?

Cole's face was tinted pink when his eyes met yours.

"We don't have to do anything, just a dumb tradition." You told him.

Cole chuckled. "Oh no, believe me, I want to."

You kissed his cheek softly. "Well there you go."

You begin to walk away when Cole grabbed your wrist and spun you into his chest.

"Didn't know you had moves, Caufield." You say, suprised.

Cole grinned at your words. "Just wanted a kiss from a pretty girl... properly this time. Can you blame me for being ambitious?"

You lean in, feeling confident. "Then kiss me, sweetheart, no one's stopping you."

That was all Cole needed for confirmation. He leaned in. His lips met yours in a soft and sweet kiss that grew more passionate as time went on.

"Oh cole cmon don't eat her now!" Emily called out, making everyone laugh.

Cole pulled away sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." You shook your head. "Let's get away from this mistletoe, seems to bring nothing but attention."

Cole laughed and led you to the kitchen. "Yeah, at least now we can kiss in here."

"Oh hell no, don't you dare make a child in my kitchen." Nick looked at the two of you with a warning look.

Cole groans in frustration. "Damn it!"

[jetblack4realz]

the gun girl - kayce dutton

summary - kayce has a thing with guns, you work at a gun store, it's the perfect love story

word count - 1.8k

tw - guns

again, short but sweet, and i'm obsessed with kayce dutton

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

"i'm looking for just a basic .22 remington," kayce said, leaning against the counter with his eyes on tate as he roamed the aisles of ammo. you stood from where you were organizing a few boxes of the stuff, smiling at you stood across from the stranger.

"right handed or left?" you asked, stepping back to glance at the stock behind you. he finally looked at you, staying silent for a few moments as he tried to remember what you'd asked - his eyes wide as he stared. he didn't remember bass pro having such attractive employees.

"right," he answered shortly, watching as you approached the .22 section.

"okay, well we've got a couple brownings in stock currently. they're a bit pricey, but if i'm being honest i prefer them to the rugers or weatherbys. what are you hunting?" you asked, fingers running over the butt of the guns on the wall as you looked to him again.

"elk," kayce said. "little man's coming with this time."

your eyes were drawn to the six year old that had come to his side, a small smile pulling at your lips as he grinned up at you. you leaned over the counter a bit to see him better.

"you excited, bud?" you asked. he nodded, leaning into his father's side more as he smiled at you.

"he said i should get a new gun to commemorate it," kayce said, earning a small laugh from you. you looked back up at him, raising your brows as a teasing smile settled on your lips.

"oh i'm sure he did," you said. "i'm sure he thinks the browning is the best pick for you too."

"well, i've got the weatherby and the ruger, so it's the last real option," he laughed. he ran a hand through the little boy's hair. "he doesn't like them either."

"i'll get it rang up for you two then," you told him, smiling still as you pulled the proper box from the wall. you moved to the till, scanning it in. "do you have a rewards number?"

"oh, uh, yeah," kayce said, giving it to you then.

"kayce dutton?" you asked, looking up with raised brows. he nodded and you returned to your typing. "i think we've met before. or at least, i've met your father. he was here when we opened the store."

"your family owns the store?" he asked.

"mhm," you hummed. "when i was fourteen. i've helped run it since."

"i haven't seen you here before," he said. you shrugged.

"how often are you buying new guns?" you asked, laughing lightly as you clicked the computer. "need any ammo or are you set?"

"i should be fine," he said with a nod.

"alright, just go ahead and swipe your card then," you told him, nodding at the pinpad. he did just that. "i'm y/n by the way. it's nice to meet you."

"kayce," he said, before realizing you already knew that with a furrow of his brow. he laughed awkwardly before gesturing down at his son. "this is tate."

"hi!" tate chirped with a wave. you laughed lightly, waving back at him.

"it's nice to meet you, tate," you told him. you passed kayce the box and ripped his receipt, handing that to tate. you smiled at the boy. "hide this from your mommy. i'm sure your daddy doesn't want her to know he bought another gun."

your tone was teasing and a flush rose to kayce's cheeks, but not because of it. he was quick to jut in. "oh, i'm not married or with anyone, so no worries there."

"oh," you said, sounding awfully surprised. somehow, this endeared you more to him - even though you already found him incredibly endearing. he was single - win! - but he was also a single dad who actually cared about his kid. your heart warmed as you smiled up at him. "well then, no one to worry about how much money you're spending on guns. sounds great."

"it has it's benefits," he agreed with a smile.

"well, i will see you two around the store, likely," you said, glancing between tate and his father as kayce stepped away. "good luck on your hunt."

"thanks, i'll let you know if we get anything," kayce said.

"looking forward to it," you replied with an easy smile. you waved at tate, your smile widening slightly. "bye tate."

"bye!"

kayce didn't look away from you until he had to turn around to head down the stairs to the main level of the store, and even then he glanced back as you returned your attention to the inventory behind you.

seriously, when did bass pro employees become so attractive?

it was only a week later that you ran into tate again, the little boy running up to you as you reorganized the men's huntingwear section.

"i know you!" he cheered as he approached, an older man following behind him as he eyed you curiously.

"oh, hi tate!" you laughed, bumping his knuckles with yours once he held his out. "how are you buddy? you guys get any elk last weekend?"

tate nodded eagerly. "a big one! dad got it from so far away!"

"600 yards," the older gentleman added, smiling down at his grandson. he looked back up at you. "you're y/n y/l/n, right? their oldest daughter?"

"yeah," you nodded, matching his smile. "it's nice to see you again, mr. dutton."

"last time i saw you, you were just a little girl," he hummed, a warm smile on his lips. "you're all grown now. you helping your dad?"

"every day," you affirmed. "he's getting older, so i've been helping him and my brothers get this place to a good state to pass along. devin's gonna take over here in the next few years."

"oh, is that right?" john asked gruffly, nodding slowly as he tried to recall your oldest brother.

"mhm," you nodded. you glanced down at tate again as he began messing with the beanies on the rack across from you. "i met your son last week, kayce."

"yeah, i heard," john nodded, his voice gruff as he looked to tate. "seemed to have caught the attention of both of those boys."

tate smiled up at you as he pulled a carharrt beanie over his head. you laughed, rubbing his head with a soft hand.

"may i ask what you mean by that, sir?" you wondered. he shrugged, looking around the store with an ill-disguised smile.

"nothing really," he said. he pulled the beanie off of tate's head as tate reached for it again, shaking his head. "you've already got three of these, buddy. let's put it back." he looked back up at you with a polite smile. "see you around, y/n."

you waved to tate as they walked off, returning to your work folding clothes with a small smile on your lips. you thought of kayce and wondered briefly what exactly his father had meant by what he said.

it was your final shift before the weekend and you were extremely bored. you were back at the gun desk, sitting on your little wooden stool as you scrolled your phone.

"you guys stock smith & wessons here?"

you looked up with wide eyes, standing quickly as you looked to whichever customer was asking about handguns on a random friday afternoon.

you let out a short laugh as your eyes landed on none other than kayce dutton, his hands on the glass case in front of you as a small smile pulled at his lips. you eyed his pretty cowboy outfit, his carharrt vest and wrangler jeans causing you to realize just how much your type he really was.

"i guess you do buy guns a lot," you hummed, leaning back against the counter behind you. "heard you got a nice buck last weekend."

"oh, you did now? from who?" he asked.

"your father," you answered. "he was here a few days ago with tate. said you caught it at 600 yards. that's pretty impressive."

he shifted his weight on his feet as he leaned against the gun case again, smiling. "yeah, i felt pretty good about it. you get anything yet this season?"

"i haven't gone out yet. got drawn for one over in section seven though," you said.

"that's over by my family's ranch," he told you. "i could show you a few good spots. i've gotten a fair few buck over there."

"i'd appreciate that. i ain't ever shot over there," you said, smiling softly at the man in front of you. a few moments of silence passed over the two of you before you glanced to the side at the racks of guns propped up. "so, you looking for a smith & wesson?"

"well," he said simply, shrugging as his smile grew a bit. "i actually came here for something else."

you raised a brow. "and what's that?"

"i was hoping a date," he said, an awkward yet hopeful smile on his smile as one corner of his lips raised. you eyed him, matching his smile slowly as you pushed off the counter, folding your arms over your chest.

"i think i can do that," you answered. he let out a breath of relief as his smile grew more full. "when are you thinking, cowboy?"

"tonight, at seven? the outlaw saloon? they've got some good food and 've got some music playing tonight," he answered.

"that sounds like fun," you said, stepping towards him as you stood across from the case. "i think i'm free tonight."

he grinned, leaning further towards you. "perfect. i'll pick you up."

"wouldn't expect anything different," you said with a soft smile. you pulled your phone from your pocket, holding it out to him. he took it, your fingers brushing as he did. "put your number in, text yourself, and i expect to see you at my door tonight."

he glanced up at you as he created a contact for himself and sent a text, his own phone buzzing in his pocket as he did so.

"i'll see you tonight," he said, tipping his hat as he stepped away after handing your phone back.

"see you tonight," you said, matching his smile before he finally turned and walked down the stairs, sparing a few glances your way as he walked through the doors and out to his truck.

you watched him all the way down, letting out a happy laugh before finally turning away, running a hand through your hair. you turned on your phone - three hours until you got off, five until kayce picked you up. you looked at the boxes of ammo and guns, deciding in that moment you needed to reorganize them.

"back to work," you hummed to yourself.

[sociopathicartist]

First of all, Merry Christmas! Could you do a Sans (UT) x female reader spending Christmas together and alone?

Merry Christmas my friend! This is shorter bc it is Christmas and I am busy today, (sorry to everyone in my inbox rn, i hear you guys), but i wanted to get this out on the holiday :3

Sans always liked Christmas.

Before the monsters were freed, and Sans’ world was at first confined to just him and his brother, Christmas was an easier time to relax.

Sure, he had to go through the effort of convincing his babybone brother that somehow Santa did in fact make stops in the underground. If he could visit over a billion homes a night, who to say that he couldn’t also just zip-zap through the barrier and visit the monsters as well? And boy did Sans really put in the effort just to see the smile on his brother's face- even sprinkling flour on the floor around some boots that he found in the back of his closet when they first moved in, making it appear like the jolly guy had really came down their air-vents and into their house.

Yeah… Air vents were the best thing he could think of, they didn’t have a chimney or anything and Sans was sure that Papyrus would set up camp right by their front door if he was told that Santa came in that way.

It was a lot of work- but it was an easier time. Simpler. Just the two of them.

Not that he wasn’t happy whenever they went up to the surface and their big, estranged friend group began to have Christmas together every year (they finally got the day right after celebrating their first party in September… whoops). It was fun being around everyone, and he’d be a liar if he said that he didn’t enjoy the loudness and laughter that was brought as everyone ate food and opened up gifts.

But… He’d also be a liar if he said that he wasn’t relieved whenever he got to experience a quiet, calm Christmas morning with you after spending so many years having loud and chaotic ones with his friends.

He loved waking up next to you. Tracing his phalanges through your hair and across your face until you woke up and realized what day it was. If heaven was real- Sans was convinced he got an angel sent straight to him. At least that’s what he saw in you whenever you smiled. Or laughed. Or looked at him.

The quiet mornings on Christmas were now a bit quieter, and he liked that. He liked spending the calm moments with you, which he now had the indulgence of sleeping in since he no longer had to wake up early to play Santa. It was calm. Peaceful.

Plus, it wasn’t like he didn’t see his brother or friends. He still got all of that, but the two of you just spent the nice morning together until you felt like heading over to Toriel’s place.

Easy. He loved sitting with you on the couch as you both sipped coffee and exchanged cute gifts you got each other- he always looked forward to what weird ketchup-flavored thing you found for him, and he always looked forward to seeing your bright smile as you tore away the wrapping paper to what he got you.

He also loved getting to trace his hands up and down your back as you both watched a Christmas movie after opening up gifts and eating breakfast, the both of you looking like a singular unit with your matching pajamas. He didn’t care if it was the cliche, cringe couple's stuff, he liked it.

Everything was so… peaceful. He got to spend the quiet, enjoyable morning with you before the rest of the day with friends began. It was nice. It was easy to forget that the rest of the world was waiting for you and him and that tomorrow the both of you would have to deal with cleaning up the mess and trying to figure out where to put everything away.

But that was tomorrow! For now, he got to enjoy today with you. He loved knowing that it would be like this every year after this one.

[ashleyfableblack]

Twilight nuzzled back against her wife's chitinous body. Chrysalis chuckled as she pulled the blankets over them and squeezed her tightly. The alicorn queen nickered a sing-song trilling in the comfort of her embrace. She leaned back to give her fanged smile a soft kiss.

Twilight broke into a giggle. "You're still wearing the hat?"

"Well…" Chrysalis purred in a deep, honeyed tone, trailing a hoof along her wife's shoulder. "I'm still in a very giving mood, you see."

The couple shared a mischievous smile and a chorus of lascivious, breathy chuckling as they kissed again. "Oh, are you now?"

Chrysalis threaded her chitinous hoof through the spaghetti-strap of Twilight's festive red nightie. Her Emerald snake-slit eyes narrowed to a predatory, hungry low-lidded simmer. "Besides, you're still in this delightful little number. It only seems fitting."

They shared another kiss causing Twilight's crest of chest fluff to poof out from the fluffy trim of her top. With that, Twilight began to ooch and nuzzle, rolling about in her wife's hooves. The fabric of her bedclothes hissed almost musically as she cuddled. Underneath the heavy winter blankets she used her wings like long-fingered hands to guide Chryssi's hips and long limbs, finding her way to her favorite comfy position, draped in the armored creche of Chrysalis's much larger form.

The Changeling Queen-mother's snakelike tongue flicked playfully in Twilight's ear, as much playful flirting as tasting the rich, mature flavor of her wife's love in the air. Looking over the much smaller mare, she spied the trio of letters on the bedsheets, Hearthswarming cards and their colorful envelopes. Twilight had been reading over them when she had come to bed.

The first was embossed with the golden gemstone seal of their neighbor to the North, The Crystal Province. A photo of the royal family peeked out from the paper. In the glossy image Princess Cadance, her husband, Shining Armor and their royal daughter, Flurry Heart beamed. It was a scene of holiday joy as they lit a large Unity Beacon at the center of a gathered crowd. Though she didn't much care for either of her annoying in-laws, Chrysalis made a minor note of pride in their royal niece's development. She was still but a child but Chrysalis knew she would be party to great things, someday.

She snorted, clearing her senses of the unpleasant taste of Cadance and her Husband before looking to the two other cards.

They were the simple card-stock of much more common Hearthswarming greetings from ponies living much less lavish lifestyles, Twilight's parents. With a flick of her tongue she tasted the awkward mix of emotions wafting from each one. Having only separated within the last year the couple were still feeling their way around how to relate to their immortal queen daughter in their new lives as free and lone beings. The heady mix of parental love and the blend of guilt and joy found in their new freedom scented the paper like perfume and kerosene.

Mortal beings and their complicating issues.

Chrysalis nuzzled against Twilight, giving her ear a playful nipping. "Your parents are faring well, beloved…?"

"Well, enough…" With a soft shimmer of magenta light from her horn Twilight lifted a letter from one of the envelopes. "Dad's moved into a new apartment next to the observatory in Southeast New Canterlot."

"Staying close to his work?"

Twilight chuckled. "Well, that and his new… much younger, marefriend, named… Chloe… something…" She scanned her eyes along the page. "Chloe Acres."

Chrysalis chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

Twilight returned her wife's smirk. "Yeah. Some gal from Gryphonia he met locally. She's an aspiring amateur writer, stargazer and yes…" she huffed with a knowing grin "…a burlesque performer." They shared a laugh. "She sounds… eh…. nice. At least he's happy, I guess."

Twilight lifted the second card in the glow of her magic. "Mom seems to be settling into her new place in Manehatten. Hasn't found steady work yet but she's not really looking for any either. Seems she's mostly just enjoying taking several new classes downtown… modern dance, Neighponese calligraphy…"

Twilight lay in silence for some time. Chrysalis could sense the unease, questions in the air, circling about like the stars of stray magic trailing from her wife's mane and tail.

"I'm sorry, beloved. But you know, it's to be expected with mortal beings." She shrugged, dismissively. "They get bored, tired, ennui sets in. A few decades of their short existence with the same being and they're ready to move on to greener pastures."

Twilight rolled about to face her wife. As dismissive as it sounded, in her own way she knew Chrysalis was trying to be comforting. Her perspective as an ancient immortal being was something Twilight had come to terms with. It was an aspect of her she would eventually one day share. Though she was the de facto leader of the Council of Friendship and a Queen of New Equestria, one day she too would hold that same sense of care for others yet, from a certain unavoidable distance.

"I know. It's still just a little sad to see them apart like this." She tapped a hoof against Chrysalis's barrel. "But, they're not just MY parents. They're their own creatures and it would be horribly selfish of me to expect them to be the creatures I would want them to be. I need to let them be who they need to be to be happy."

She ran her purple hoof down the ebony chitin and clicked it along the opaque blue ridges of her wasp-like waist. "That's never going to be us, though, is it?"

"Never."

A pitted hoof lifted Twilight's chin to bring their eyes together. Staring intently, she held her pony bride, gently stroking the small of her back and the curves of her flanks. Her voice was loving, yet had a firmness in it, a certainty. She wasn't speaking to be reassuring as much as she was simply stating a known fact.

"In eons unspoken from now, I will still hold you just as tightly." The dark queen flexed her hooves, pulling their bodies together until they touched. "I will kiss you twice as deeply…" She nuzzled her chitinous ebony cheek into the navy waves of Twilight's mane. "And I will only yearn for you even more." She kissed Twilight's horn and hugged her tenderly into her barrel. "I will crave only you, long, long after Sun-butt and her flaming skylight have gone supernova and devoured this little pebble and her thirsty horndog sister's dayglow nightlight."

Twilight snickered, giving Chrysalis's rump a playful swat of her hoof. 'You butt…"

She caressed her partner with her wings, stroking the length of her shell, cooing and nesting into the comfort of her larger form.

"Happy Hearthswarming, honeybug, now and forever."

Chrysalis kissed the crown of her wife's lustrous navy mane. "Now and forever, my love." A gust of her emerald magic flame drew the curtains of their marriage bed shut about them, sealing them in their privacy. "Until the end of time."

[ratatatastic]

lmaoooo maffhew wanting the knot immediately and having to wait for sasha to catch up with that is so deeply funny like. this omega is not subtle and you’re not a stupid alpha babe! can only imagine what benny has to say to maffhew about it once he catches on and stops banging his head against a wall

idiots to lovers is always great but especially when its two people who would be hitched with 10 kids by now if they stopped being dumb for a single second like its that easy and yet...

to me they very much fall around the same time (infatuation at first scent if you will) just that sasha takes some time to get there not because he's dumb (okay he's a little dumb) but in the sense that its like "this person is very interested in me, i can see and recognise that but theres so much cognitive dissonance in my brain right now between knowing that intrinsically and finding that hard to believe so i unintentionally play dumb because obviously i'm reading too much into things it cant be me they're interested in haha that'd crazy but they're being awfully touchy and flirty with me wow"

but also it takes two to tango and we have to acknowledge that and this is when i would love to bring up the ways in which this man decides is the best way to go about that because he is a catholic school girlie... there's so much hilarity to be had here especially because his flirting is very uh how you say... a little ass backwards if you will especially considering dynamics

"I make it a point to keep the door closed when we're alone in a room together! That's basically a clear invitation that I'm down to fuck!!! Im basically asking to be ragdolled on his knot!!!"

and Benny just pinches the bridge of his nose like "I don't know how to explain to you in a way you'll understand that not everyone went to Catholic school."

But saying that Sasha does side-eye the door knob heavily when Maffhew goes over to close it the first time and he starts sweating like he just got dragged into a game of 7 Minutes in Heaven he did not sign up for and he's 13 again and oh god he got paired with a really cute girl, and he hasn't even had his first real kiss yet and-

And then absolutely nothing happens because Maffhew is just waiting with a polite expectant smile (because his work here is done, he did the heavy lifting know it's Sasha's turn) and this is when Sasha's dynamic classes training kicks in and he basically scolds himself for even assuming in the first place because this is clearly a show of trust (correct) not an invitation for extra circular activities (incorrect buzzer noise) and it basically becomes "This Omega really trusts me, I'm honoured especially as Pack Leader that I'm able to be so accepted into such a private space with the inherent knowledge that I will not encroach their boundaries whatsoever because consent is verbal, this is not in any way an invitation to take advantage of them this is deep platonic trust I will guard with my life :]"

and if you listen closely you can hear the lovely sounds of Maffhew bashing his head into a wall about how much of a gentleman Sasha is but also COME ONNNNNN... you know... once Maffhew realises what's happening which (looks at my watch) is not due for another few months really

Battle of wills: unstoppable force (maffhews catholic school understanding of dynamic interactions) vs immovable object (overseas alpha cotillion classes)

And if you think it's an Oh! An overseas dynamic thing! It's not. The Euros are watching the horrible car crash in front of them and doing absolutely nothing about it because it's none of their business, but they will stare at it... maybe judge it a bit but definitely are observing from the tall grass.

and I'm also not saying that luosty lundy forsy and bobby have a current running bet of how long it'll take for maffhew to break sasha in but i'm also not not saying that... luosty goaded lundy in the midst of a gossip session ("It has to be 3 months, right?) forsy happened to be around so lundy turned to him for advice ("7 months.") and maybeeee bobby overheard from all the way over from his stall and puts in his two cents for what it's worth ("6. Captain nice but not that nice. Very impatient." "So 3!" "No. Impatience makes him double the time, and wait longer. 6 months.") (lundy finally settles on a good 5 months because he's indecisive)

And Sasha does eventually pick up everything maffhew is throwing down... eventually... and when he does it becomes more so I want to court this omega the way they deserve I will take this slow and romance them sweetly :) *smash cut to maffhew caterwauling like a cat in heat*

but also once again its not like maffhew is helping sasha in any way this is idiot4idiot and benny would like to enjoy the car crash with the euros but unfortunately that's his soulmate, thats his bestie, his littermate from birth who has been weaned on the same teat as they climbed over each other to get to it, the first girl you kissed in your childhood bedroom because somehow you started play fighting on the bed because she was like i could totally pin you down easy and then she does and you always noticed how beautiful she was but shes even more gorgeous when she's pinning your wrists to your hannnah montana duvet you promised yourself youd changed out before she came over but you forget and well she teased you about it and you cant help but giggle about how perfect this all is and it seems that the natural conclusion to this is to taste the strawberry lipgloss of her lips because whats a kiss between besties huh its tacky and sticky and it tastes like summer and just other apt metaphors to put here about the inherent -isms of their relationship that i nearly cant put to words properly other than girls having fun (they are fucking)

and well anyways benny is watching and he has a lot of things to say about how its been proceeding so far

"You should really use your words."

"I am!"

"Right because smelling like a fucking perfume shop in the middle of October is using your words."

"This usually works with most Alphas okay!"

"Sasha isn't most Alphas."

"Tell me about it." Matthew grouses before he peeks over to Sam, looking up from beneath his eyelashes—the exact way he knows both endears him to Sam but also absolutely miffs him all the same, "Worked on you, didn't it?"

"Oh, is that what we're doing right now? We're calling getting a lapful of a preening O in preheat in the middle of a roadie a normal way to go about these things."

"It worked didn't it?" Matthew reiterates.

"It would work better if you use—"

"Okay! Alright!! I get it!!!" He does not.

like benny here is unfortunately an active listening participant in the going ons of the fuckery if not because hes involved by proxy because of maffhew because who else will hold his hair back as he calls him a dumb bitch you know

[indefiniteavatar]

So basically, in a case about him shoving money at someone so they shut up about him. . .he can’t shut the fuck up himself. I would say something clever and funny here, except the sad part is that this is just so normal in current politics that it’s just. . .not hilariously absurd behavior anymore? Not to say that it’s not absurd - it is beyond such, but it is just. . . predictable, I suppose.

I guess this is how I feel about politics lately? Either I get mad at everything or I try to laugh at everything and normally that works because politicians usually aren’t so tragically stupid so very often, but now I just kinda have to chuckle at the particularly eyeroll worthy things like this, and try to ignore everything else or my brain will explode.

[fastandcarlos]

Hickey : ̗̀➛ Lando Norris

summary: with all eyes on him, lando can't help but wonder what everyone is captured by. but when he finds out the problem, it's much bigger than he ever could've imagined

The room seemed to fall silent as soon as Lando walked in, with several glances moving in his direction. His heart began to race as he heard sniggers come from around the room, it was something that he wasn’t used to, usually greeted with wide smiles and shakes of the hand. 

It was almost as if he’d walked into a dream, it was unlike anything that Lando had experienced before. He nervously walked to the side of the room as the drivers waited to be called out for the parade, seeking comfort from Oscar and a few of his other close friends who were stood in the corner of the room. 

“What’s going on?” Lando queried as he stood between Oscar and Carlos, his eyes drawn to the expressions on their faces and how they tried their best to not smile across at him. 

“Did you have a nice evening?” Carlos innocently asked him. 

Lando nodded in confusion as a scoff came from George who was just beside Carlos. Lando’s brows knitted together as his anxiety built, hating the feeling as if he was missing out on something amongst them all.  

“Y/N’s here this weekend, isn’t she?” Oscar asked. Lando nodded, knowing that Oscar already knew the answer. “We can tell you guys haven’t seen each other for a while.” 

It didn’t take long before a couple of the other drivers joined their group, not wanting to miss out. There were a few exchanged glances amongst them all, but Lando just couldn’t piece together what they were all trying to say to each other as their eyes silently spoke.  

“Did you happen to have a look in the mirror before you left your hotel room this morning? Or did Y/N say anything to you?” Alex asked, shaking his head across at Lando. 

“She was still asleep, and I was running late.” 

No one could quite believe how oblivious Lando was as he shrugged. It had grabbed everyone’s attention as soon as he entered the room, and had probably delighted the cameras as soon as Lando entered the paddock that morning.  

“Can someone just tell me what I’m missing please?” Lando asked of them all. 

Whilst some of them continued their laughter, Charles pulled his phone out of his back pocket and opened up his camera. Lando immediately panicked when he saw what Charles was doing, brushing over his face. Little did he know though, it wasn’t something that could just be brushed off. 

“Just so you know, I said to the others that we should tell you,” Charles defended before he went to turn his phone around, at least trying to offer Lando one supportive friend. 

“Tell me what? Just tell me what’s the matter.” 

A sigh came from Charles as he turned his phone around. Lando studied himself carefully in it, but couldn’t spot anything, nothing that usually wasn’t out of the ordinary.  

“Can you really not see the issue?” Oscar asked, struggling to hold back his laughter. 

As Lando shook his head, Carlos walked over to him and pulled down the side of his hoodie. Watching on as the material moved, Lando’s eyes soon went wide. 

“Now can you see what the problem is?” Carlos sighed at him, tapping his finger just below him. “Now do you see why you’re the centre of attention this morning?” 

His heart began to race as he moved closer towards the phone, noticing just how dark the mark on his neck was. His eyes shut, knowing that there was nothing that he could do about it, dreading to think what had already happened before he even noticed too. 

“I’ve got a hickey,” Lando muttered underneath his breath. 

No one quite knew where to look as Lando looked around in panic. It was beyond anything that Lando could’ve ever imagined, almost like the things that nightmares are made of, especially when you get as much attention as he does. 

“What am I supposed to do?” He nervously asked, but no one seemed to have the answer, it was a situation that none of the drivers had ever found themselves in before. 

There was one driver though who had a bit of an idea. “What about if you paint yourself purple for the race today, that way it’ll blend in and no one will ever know?” 

“Daniel, sometimes I really just want to knock you out.” 

Whilst Lando looked unimpressed, Daniel’s suggestion earnt a chorus of laughs from many of the other drivers. Whilst some couldn’t hold back their giggles, luckily for Lando, he had a couple who could sympathise. 

“There’s got to be some merch somewhere that’ll hide your neck,” Alex suggested, throwing his arm over Lando’s shoulders. “If that fails, just pretend you’ve got a nasty stomach bug and ask to go home.” 

“I’m just going to have to own it now, I bet there’s headlines everywhere, aren’t there?” Lando asked, the silence around the room telling him everything that he needed to know. 

Of all of the boys, George cleared his throat. “I promise that the headlines aren’t as terrible as you probably think they are Lando.” 

Lando nodded, it still didn’t make him feel any better. Especially for you. You were just a few minutes from arriving at the paddock and he knew exactly what sort of questions would be sent your way upon your arrival. 

Like the media, a few of the boys couldn’t help but think about Y/N too. “Have you got matching marks or something?” Daniel quizzed, unable to stop himself messing with Lando, just like Lando had done with him many times. “Are you just letting everyone know you’re together this weekend.” 

“You can tease me all you want, but none of you are to say anything to Y/N,” Lando quickly warned them all, “she’s going to be embarrassed enough about this as it is when she gets here.” 

“I never had Y/N down for this type of person.” 

“Daniel!” Lando groaned, elbowing him in the side. “I’m being serious, if anyone says anything to Y/N then I can guarantee you right now that I know all of your weaknesses and I will happily expose you all for them.” 

It was funny watching Lando be serious, but when it came to you, they all knew just how much he meant it. He would back you all the way and defend you no matter what had happened. 

“At least we all know you and Y/N are happy together,” Carlos grinned as he tried to lighten the mood again. “Let’s worry more about covering this mess up for now seeing as we’ve got a race to get to soon.” 

“You’re all enjoying this too much,” Lando scolded, displeased by the smirks on many of his closest friends around him. “Some of you really need to get yourselves girlfriends.” 

As Lando went to walk off with Carlos, Charles quickly stopped him. Before Lando could protest, Charles used his phone to take a photo of Lando and keep it as a memory. 

“Just for the future,” he innocently smiled as Lando hit against his arm. “I think this is an important day that we might all want to remember one day.” 

“I’ve never hated a group of people more in my life,” Lando sighed as Charles slotted his phone away. “At least there’s one person who wants to help me out.” 

“I’ve got no sympathy,” Oscar shrugged, seemingly the spokesperson of the group. “You should’ve known what you were doing back at your hotel last night.” 

Lando’s eyes rolled at Oscar’s scolding, “do you think if I knew this was going to happen I would have let Y/N do this to me?” He quizzed, pointing at the mark. 

“Knowing you, yes,” Oscar couldn’t help but laugh, “anything to get a little bit of attention, we all know what you’re like with your relationship.” 

“I honestly hate you all.” 

“But at least we all know Y/N loves you though!” 

˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ! ´ˎ˗

[giannaln4]

Lucky Bracelet

lando norris x fem reader

summary: Making friendship bracelets was one of your favourite things to keep you entertained during race weeks, and you just had to make a special one for your boyfriend.  (1.5k words)

warnings: fluff, established relationship, a couple sexual innuendos

a/n: guys look at me! two posts in one week? crazy. i'm honestly trying to clean up my inbox since i still have a few requests from before my break 😭 so if you sent one, i'm getting there, i promise! now, this is a little bit cheesy and there are a few weird time skips so I apologise for that, but i really hope you like it! pls let me know what you think 🫶🏻

check out the original request here!

↺ back to navigation — send me a request!

Being constantly surrounded by hundreds of people and the double amount of cameras was not something you liked, but it’s something you had to put up with given the amount of attention your boyfriend got; it was something you have learnt to deal with. Not that you were fully used to it now, but at least it didn’t make you as anxious as it used to when you first started dating.

At least now you found something that helped you get your mind off the intense atmosphere that surrounded you during race weeks: making friendship bracelets. You made a few when you went to see Taylor Swift in concert late last year, and it stuck with you since then.

You travelled with all the materials you needed: colourful beads and cotton threads, tape, scissors — the whole deal. It wasn’t like you made an insane amount of bracelets every time you accompanied Lando to a race, but if you were bored or overwhelmed, you knew you had something to do.

Today was one of those days; Lando was specially busy today, and given your shy and quiet personality, you didn’t know that many people around, so you decided to lock yourself in Lando’s drivers room and get to it, carefully picking the letters and colours you would use.

Lando hated to leave you alone. He was aware of the many things he had to do, but he didn’t expect them to take that long, so as soon as he got a little bit of free time to catch lunch, he went looking for you. 

“Hey,” he greeted one of the mechanics. 

“Hi mate, how is it going?”

“All good, thanks. It’s a bit hot outside but still nice.”

“And yet, you are wearing a hoodie.” He teased him.

Lando let out a laugh, well aware of his reputation. "Well, I still have to keep it in style, don’t I?”

“You do, we know.”

“Anyway, have you seen Y/N?” 

“She must be in your room. I haven’t seen her since the two of you got here this morning.”

He smiled, knowing exactly what you were up to if you hadn’t left the small space all day. “Thanks.”

Lando made his way to his room, carefully knocking on the door before coming in. He didn’t want to scare you and make you drop all your beads, which has happened more times than he would like to admit.

“Come in,” he heard you yell from inside.

He opened the door and gave you the sweetest smile you have ever seen. “Hey, I’m back.”

“Hey, what took you so long?” You dropped everything you were doing to direct your attention at him. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know we would have to be there all morning, but I’m back for lunch.”

“It’s okay, and thank God, I’m starving.” You took a piece of tape to hold your bracelet in place and started to get up.

“What are you making here?” He asked you as he got closer to the small table, analysing what you had on display as the bright-coloured beads caught his eye.

“No, it’s a surprise.” You responded, quickly hiding your unfinished creation with your hands. 

“A surprise you say?” He came behind you to wrap his arms around you, softly kissing your head. 

You melted into his embrace and hummed in response, using one of your bags to hide it instead so you could hug your boyfriend back. “You can’t see it until you win this race.”

“Mhm, I see. What if I don’t win? When do I get to see it?” He questioned, not wanting to jinx his weekend, but he was still curious. 

“The next race you win.” You said this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Got it. In that case, I’m gonna have to win this race.” He grabbed your hips to turn you around, kissing you on the lips once you were facing him.

You went to eat your lunch together as you normally did, enjoying each other’s company as you talked about anything you could come up with. Before you knew it, he had to go back to his duties, and even though you tried hard to act normal about being left alone so he wouldn’t feel guilty, he still noticed. He knew you better than you knew yourself, anyway.

“You can come with me if you want, that way you don’t have to be alone.”

“No, it’s okay. I know there are millions of people and cameras when you do these things."

He couldn’t help but feel guilty; he knew you were there to support him, so he hated to be apart from you when you did. “I’m sorry, love. I know you don’t feel comfortable when there are a lot of people around. You know you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to, you could always stay home.”

“If you don’t want me to come, just say that,” you joked.

“No, it’s not that,” Lando replied immediately. “I do want you here, I always do, but I hate that you feel like you have to hide.”

“Lan, I’m not hiding. Sure, I do prefer to stay inside, but it’s not because I want to hide from the world. Besides, that’s why I always bring something to entertain myself with. I’ll be fine, I promise,” you reassure him.

“Okay,” he nods, smiling at you. “But if you want to go back to the hotel, that’s okay.”

The rest of the weekend went on a lot quicker, even though he was just as busy. Qualifying and race days were a lot less boring since you got to see the cars from the garage, enjoying the full wag experience. 

As the race went on, you couldn’t help but feel anxious and excited at the same time. Lando started from pole (which made you assure him the night before he would get to see the bracelet after the race), but you still had the need to crack your fingers every once in a while. There were only a few laps left, and he had led the entire race so far, and with the gap becoming bigger, you couldn’t contain your excitement.

Once he finally crossed that finish line with a 21-second margin, everyone in the garage cheered and jumped, celebrating Lando’s achievement. A lot of people gathered outside to see him get off the car and celebrate his third win himself, shouting his name and patting him in the helmet to congratulate him.

When it was time for the podium, you decided to go get the finished bracelet you kept in your purse and held it close to your heart, feeling extremely proud of Lando for the amazing race he just had. You couldn't stop the few tears that left your eyes; it made you so happy to see him accomplish his dreams. 

The whole thing was finally over, and you waited for him right there so you could finally express how proud of him you were. 

“Congrats, baby,” you said, hugging him as if you hadn’t seen him in months. “You did amazing.”

“Thank you.” Lando couldn’t erase the big smile off his face as he hugged you back. 

“That’s a cool trophy you got back there.”

“Yeah, I don’t really care about that.” He said, puling away and looking down at you. 

“You don’t?” You asked confused.

“No, I’m still waiting for my real reward.”

“Oh… we can go back to the hotel-”

“No!” He interrupted you, laughing loudly at the fact that your mind went there. “I mean my bracelet, didn’t you say I would get it if I won this race? Well, I did, and now I’m claiming it.”

You laughed, your cheeks burning a bit from embarrassment. “Right, uh- it’s not that great compared to your trophy.”

“I’m sure it’s better than any trophy I could ever get.”

Man, he really knew how to be the sweetest boyfriend in the entire world. You pulled the bracelet out of your pocket, hiding it in your fist before dropping it in his hands. 

The colours were the first thing that caught his attention. Fluoro green and black beads. He inspected these first, until he got to the little letters that read ‘MY WINNER’. He almost couldn’t contain his tears; he was so endeared by you and how much you supported his passion.

“I love it,” he whispered, lifting you up and kissing you emotionally before putting you back down and sliding the bracelet in his wrist, admiring the way it looked there. “Thank you.”

“See? I told you you would get to see it today.”

“It must be a lucky bracelet, then. I’m never taking it off.”

You giggled at this, loving how Lando reacted to the bracelet you made with much love, but you still thought he was just messing with you. “You must be tired.” You teased him.

“Mhm. Now, about my other reward-”

“Oh my God.” You rolled your eyes as you let out a loud laugh, holding his hand as you made your way to the car.

[ro-is-struggling]

Self care || Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky always seemed interested in your skin care routine, so when one day he arrives tired and drained from a mission, you take the opportunity to show him the importance and benefits of self-care.

Warnings: established relationship, brief mention to Bucky’s past trauma, a fuck ton of fluff, my little knowledge of skin care lol

English is not my first language

Word count: 2200

Notes: this was inspired by a dream I had. I thought it was cute and I couldn't get it out of my head, so I wrote this little thing. If it doesn’t make sense, blame my dumb dreams lol

Do you want to get notified when I post? JOIN MY TAG LIST HERE!

It was one of the first times you slept over at Bucky's place that you discovered he didn't have a skin care routine. He would look at you cleansing your face from the bathroom door, watching you apply creams and serums with a mixture of admiration and confusion in his expression. And every time you picked up a new product, he would ask you what it was and what did it do. 

It didn't really surprise you, most of the men you had dated tended to use a small number of personal hygiene products and usually the facial skin was only treated with soap and water. And if that was men your age, it was to be expected that Bucky and his over one hundred years of age were not aware of the benefits of skin care.You found his reactions kind of adorable. It wasn't every day that you caught Bucky acting with the naïve curiosity of a child, and you couldn't help but laugh as you answered his endless questions.

"Please tell me you at least wear sunscreen." You said and Bucky remained silent. "Oh my God, Bucky!" you complained, explaining to him how dangerous the sun was for his skin.

"After all I've been through, I don't think a little sun is going to kill me, doll." He laughed, coming up to you to hug you from behind. You wrapped your arms around his, smiling at him in the mirror as he rested his chin on your shoulder. 

The bastard knew how cute he was —looking at you through the mirror with blue eyes full of love—, and he was using it to his advantage to keep you from scolding him. He was probably right, the super soldier serum surely protected him from skin cancer in the same way it protected him from hits and falls that would be fatal to the rest of humanity. But still, it wouldn't hurt him to take care of himself a little every now and then.

"You smell nice." Bucky praised you, inhaling the subtle floral scent the creams had left on your skin. He gave you a kiss on the cheek, his stubble tickling your sensitive face. You laughed and he knew he had won.

"Don't think you're getting out of this so easily." you warned, tilting your head to the side so you could kiss him. "Flattery will get you nowhere!"

From that day on you decided that you would put together a skincare routine for Bucky. Super Soldier serum or not, everyone's skin needed a little help from time to time. And besides, you believed it was something that could benefit Bucky in more ways than just one. It would teach him to take better care of himself and to value the precious 'me time'. And god knew he needed that. So you made a mental note to buy a couple of products for him the next time you went to restock some of your kit and stopped thinking about it for a while.

That was until one day Bucky came home tired from a mission. You didn't quite know what he had to do and he didn't want to tell you much about it either when you asked him. Not knowing tore you apart, but you respected his wishes and didn't press the issue, deciding to help him in a way that wasn't invasive. You started with running him a bath, filling the tub with warm water and using some of your bath salts and lotions to create a more relaxing environment. You insisted on taking care of him, although Bucky didn't put up much resistance, surrendering to the soothing power of your caresses on his hair. Your fingers gently massaged his scalp, coating it with shampoo to remove all the dirt before rinsing it and repeating the process with conditioner.

He still found such intimacy a bit strange. Even though he enjoyed it, he still wasn't completely used to being cared for with the affection you showed him. It had been so long since anyone had treated him with such love and care that he could hardly remember it. But he felt safe in your hands, happy to have you in his life. A light of hope at the end of the dark tunnel of agony that had been his life. That was what you were to him. His second chance to live, to love. So he relaxed under your touch and let your gentle caresses take all the tiredness and worries out of his system.

But your pampering didn't end when Bucky got out of the tub. After he changed into his pajamas and laid down on his side of the bed, you emerged from the bathroom with a small white bag in your hands. You rested it on the nightstand and began pulling out various products he recognized from your skin care routine, arranging them in a nice neat line. 

"Doll... what are you doing?" Bucky asked, looking at the pink cat-ear headband you held in your hands. It was the one you always wore when you did your makeup or skin care routine, a tool you used to keep your hair out of your face while you worked. He always thought you looked adorable when you used it, but he didn't understand why you were directing it at him this time.

"Taking care of you." You replied as if it were obvious, "I want to show you the benefits of having a good skin care routine." Bucky hesitated for a moment, but eventually gave in to your soft smile and the sparkle of enthusiasm in your eyes. There was nothing he could say no to if you looked at him that way.

He gave you a slight nod and you took that as a signal to continue. You climbed onto the bed, settling onto his lap with one leg on either side of him, so you could face him and work more comfortably. Bucky put his hands on your hips instinctively, the cold metal of his fingers giving you goose bumps at the unexpected touch. But you didn't move them, you liked his hands there.

"First we have to make sure your hair is out of the way." You announced as you placed the headband on his head, making sure no hair was out of place or near his face. You couldn't help but let out a giggle as you admired Bucky wearing the accessory. The pink, furry cat ears looked so out of place it was ridiculous. The clear feminine energy of the headband clashed against the distinctive masculine look on his expression in a fun and charming way. It made him look adorable if you were honest, especially when he smiled at you. He could definitely pull it off.

"How do I look?" Bucky asked, batting his eyelashes in an exaggerated fashion. 

"Adorable." You replied between giggles, before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

When you broke apart, you began your skin care routine, taking a piece of cotton and your favorite micellar water to cleanse Bucky's skin. He looked at you closely, taking advantage of the position you were in to admire your beauty up close while you concentrated on soaking the cotton ball in the liquid. You were the most beautiful woman in the world, he was sure, and not only that, you were kind and loving too. A wonderful person all around and he still didn't understand how he had managed to get you by his side, but he was happy about it.

"Why do you have to clean my face? I just showered." Bucky mumbled with his eyes closed, feeling your delicate fingers on his chin as you ran wet cotton across his face.

You let out a giggle. "Water is not enough! And regular soap is too harsh on the skin of our face, so you need to use a cleanser or cream that is meant for the face."

"I never heard about that." Bucky frowned, tilting his head slightly to the side in confusion.

"Because you're a guy and guys are used to using one product for everything hygiene related."

“That’s not true!” he tried to defend himself, although he didn't sound very convinced.

You decided to skip a few steps in the routine to keep things simple. The idea was not only to pamper Bucky and help him relax, but also show him that maintaining a skin care routine didn't have to be complicated and could bring him many benefits. So you went straight to the eye cream, taking some with your ring finger and carefully applying it to the bags under his eyes.

"Stay still! You're gonna make me poke your eye if you move like that!"

"It already feels like you're poking my eye!"

"Don't be so dramatic!" You laughed, men really were cry babies. "Just close your eyes and trust me." Bucky grumbled, pouting. You planted a quick kiss on his lips, and that seemed to please him because he kept his eyes closed and stopped moving. Carefully, you spread the eye cream over his dark circles, giving his skin time to absorb the product before proceeding with the last step.

"What is that?" Bucky asked you curiously as you reached for the last tub in the line of products. 

"It's a night cream. You're supposed to use it at night after you wash your face to keep your skin moisturized."

"Isn't that what the other cream did?"

"No, silly! That was just for your under eye area, this helps hydrate the rest of your face. We need to give back all the good things we got rid off when we cleaned your skin of all the dirt and oils clogging your pores."

Bucky made an annoyed face, muttering about how complicated it all sounded. But the truth was, he was enjoying the extra attention you were giving him. He had you all to himself, the warmth of your body enveloping him in a comforting embrace as your fingers gently massaged his face. He couldn't think of a better definition of paradise than that. Just the two of you sharing an intimate moment, far from the horrors of the outside world. He could commit to a skin care routine if it involved at least a third of the pampering you were giving him at that moment.

"You don't need to use much," you continued your explanation, dipping one of your fingertips into the cream before bringing it up to Bucky's face. "Just a little bit here, here, here... and here." You painted a couple of white dots on his cheeks, forehead and chin, kissing the tip of his nose before applying a bit of cream to the area. It was such a cute and intimate act he almost blushed.

The first thing Bucky noticed about the cream was the scent. It had a light rose fragrance that was familiar to him, comforting even. It traveled up his nostrils as you massaged the cream into his face, sparking a warm and fuzzy feeling inside him. It took him a few seconds to understand that it was because that was the same rose scent he recognized on your skin whenever he kissed you, that sweet floral scent he had learned to recognize as home. He finally knew he had your choice in moisturizer to thank for it. 

"You're using your cream on me?"

"Yes, it's the only one I had. The perfume doesn't last long, don't worry. I'll buy you an unscented one tomorrow."

"No, don't! I like this one, it smells like you... it's like having a little piece of you with me all the time."

You didn't expect him to say that, so you weren't prepared for the tingling warmth of love that coursed through your body. The idea that he wanted to keep you close at all times, that he recognized your scent and found comfort and safety in it, made your heart melt with love. Bucky was normally a man of few words, and tended to show his feelings with other things rather than words. Acts of service were his most common way of showing how much he loved you, although he also resorted to spending quality time together whenever you had free time. But every once in a while, he would manage to drop a sentence like that, which in concise words made it clear how much he loved you. Always taking you by surprise, he would drop them at the most casual moments, leaving you completely stupid for a few seconds as you processed his words and wondered what you had done to deserve having someone so wonderful in your life. 

Bucky gave you a shy smile, cheeks turning pink under your gaze, feeling exposed and vulnerable. He looked so adorable that you couldn't help but join your lips with his in a slow, loving kiss. He reciprocated immediately, one of his hands leaving your waist to cradle your cheek, pressing you tighter against him and deepening the kiss. 

"I love you," you muttered against his lips, pressing your forehead against his as you gazed into his deep blue eyes.

Bucky smiled, feeling the last bit of stress evaporate from his system thanks to you and your sweetness.  "I love you too."

[moon-my-beloved]

neighbors (tf141 x fem! reader)

Introduction: the universe is never on your side.

wake up, go to work, eat, read, and go to sleep.

that had been your routine for the last couple months ever since you moved in to your new place. your new home.

it really didn’t bother you at all. the solitude, the quietness, the undeniable lack of socialization you had, it was okay with you even if might have looked like the most miserable life to others.

it was a great place to the say the least. your last resort to finally getting the fuck out of the apartment you had shared with your now ex-roommate. you couldn’t bare living there another day hearing her constant sexual acts with every guy she brought in like they were some kind of rabid animals. gross.

there was really no need to say goodbye either. jumping out of your bed in excitement when you got the message from the real estate agent that the place was ready for you to move in.

finally, finally after so many years of busting your ass and saving just enough, you had your own place. not hesitating to pack your things that same day and shove everything into your old but still functional car.

you were free.

the moving was tedious and exhausting, working your muscles out when your furniture finally arrived and giving an awkward smile to your next door neighbor which you later got to find out that her name was charlotte, but insisted on you calling her just auntie lottie. she was a nice old lady, mid 70s who frequently brought you some of her delicious homemade baking with every new recipe she came across. who were you to reject free food?

auntie lottie was probably the only person you had actually talk to ever since moving in, occasionally sitting on her porch just to chat or helping her out with her garden at times.

it was one friday afternoon where the weather was a bit too cold to sit outside and found yourself sitting on auntie lotties couch as she talked about her children, grandchildren, or just the latest gossip. you were more on the listening end of the spectrum, at times putting in your two cents when she asked of your families whereabouts and pointed out ‘how such a young lady shouldn’t be living by herself! you ought to have a husband by now.’

you knew she didn’t mean it with bad intentions but it made your cheeks heat up in embarrassment with the reminder that you were truly utterly unsuccessful when it came to relationships. sure, you had your fair share of partners and they never lasted longer than a few months before they were heading out the door when they realized your lack of intimacy.

it just never felt right and you really couldn’t blame them, despite it leaving an ache in your chest. you really don’t quite remember how the topic of conversation was brought up but she had mentioned that your other neighbors just across from you would be here soon.

“really? I thought no one lived there..” furrowing your eyebrows in confusion as you brought the cup of tea up to your lips. it had been empty ever since you got here. no visible cars or sign of life making itself known for you to determine if someone actually lived there. you just figured it was empty.

“they’re an odd bunch but they’re sweet and handsome. most of the time they’re gone. no worries though, I’ll introduce you to them, dear.” you really weren’t fond of that idea and by the way her eyes wrinkled with that sly look she gave you, a worried chuckle made its way past your lips.

“sure, that would be nice.”

true to her word, they arrived the very next day.

the engine of a black SUV waking you up from your three-hour nap that had your joints popping back in place after stretching your limbs out of their locked positions with how long you had been lying down on the couch.

that wasn’t really what caught your attention though, fighting off the idea of just going back to sleep before your ears caught on the multitude of voices from outside. reluctantly, you get yourself out from the confines of your soft blanket and sit up on your knees to open one of the blinds with your fingers.

your eyes widened at the sight before you. four big men, all of them carrying a variety of duffle bags make their way out of the car. some of them stretching after what you presume a long drive.

you can’t quite get a good look at them but you could tell they were all pretty good-looking even from the distance. starting with the one who probably had better hair days with the way his mohawk was a total mess, leaning against the tallest man you have ever seen as he rubs the sleep off his eyes. skull mask doesn’t seem to be bothered by the shorter man’s tactics. an arm wrapped around his waist to keep him from falling face first on the pavement as they make their way to the front door.

flicking your eyes towards the other side of the car, you zero in on probably the most gorgeous guy you have ever seen. he wears a cap, the UK flag displayed on it and you almost gasp when he turns just enough for you to see how smooth his skin looks. totally not jealous. the last of the group finally gets out from the drivers seat. he looks older than the other three but his stance screams authority and respect once he adjusts himself. these were the neighbors lottie was talking about?

but before you could ponder the fact that you were living across four big scary men, mutton chops turns around towards your direction and makes eye contact with you.

you flinch away from the window a little too hard, tumbling your way over the couch and down onto the floor.

“shit!” you quickly cover your mouth, lying on the ground in defeat and your pride more broken than it already is for at least a few minutes before you slowly get yourself up and warily open the blinds again only to find that they had already headed inside.

letting out a small sigh of relief, you sit down on the cold floor. tilting your head back to rest against the cushion of your couch as you beg to any god out there that they didn’t catch you basically eyeing them down.

auntie lottie will definitely hear about this on your next ‘girls night’.

a/n: this is me forgiving myself after not uploading something for 2-3 months.? I’m sorry ;-;

[rambling-at-midnight]

Guide Me Home

Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

Summary: While walking downtown, you inhale fear toxin. It's up to the Bats to find you before your heart gives out.

Word count: 3.1k

Warnings: Scarecrow attack, (kind of) graphic hallucinations (only a small allude to blood though)

Fun fact: As I wrote this, 'quiet' started to not look like a word anymore.

You rub at your eye, muttering below your breath. Wind has been whipping through the Gotham streets all day, drying out your contacts to the point of discomfort.

The next time you blink, one flips up. Cursing, you cup a hand over the affected eye and blink until the stupid contact rights itself. Digging around your purse, you find your suspicions to be true: after the last time you needed to use your emergency backup contacts, you forgot to replace them. The small bottle of contact solution is missing, lost to the abyss of the purse or somewhere else. All you know is that it’s not here.

The only alternative is your glasses, and those are always a last resort. With an outdated prescription, uncomfortably heavy bridge, and scratched lenses, they’re far from ideal.

It’s fine. You’ll splash some water on your face when you get to the cafe and blink a lot. They’re fine.

Your friend is already sitting by the time you get there, but hasn’t ordered their drink yet. You haven’t seen them for several months, though you used to see each other every day during undergrad. They’re only here for a work conference. They live in Metropolis now, and are wearing an ‘I SURVIVED MY VISIT TO METROPOLIS’ shirt to show it. A couple Gothamites around them are actively laughing into their hands at the sight of it. After all, compared to this city, really nothing is worse.

After the usual greeting, hug, and exclamations over how long it’s been, you say, “Sorry, but my contact’s actually killing me right now. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll watch your stuff,” they say cheerfully.

The bathroom’s about as good as someone could hope for in Gotham. The remains of scrubbed-away graffiti lingers on the wall around the mirror, and a paper towel with a suspicious red stain hangs over the edge of the trash can. Not quite the vibe this place is going for, judging by the painted ivy around the walls and the hanging plants, but oh well.

You blink, squeeze your eyes shut, rub them, and open them again. Much better.

There’s a drink in front of your friend by the time you make it back to the table they found, pushed in the back corner where things are a little quieter. “They have seasonal syrups,” they say, sipping the drink. “Though a lot of them are named after supervillains.”

You scoff and shrug off your coat. “Please. Clayface is hardly a supervillain. He’s just a washed-up actor.”

“That must be nice,” your friend says wistfully. “Did I tell you I had to replace my car last month?”

“No!”

“Yeah! Some alien dictator had beef with Superman. A lot of cars were thrown in that fight.”

“Ugh,” you say wistfully. “We had some good memories in that car.” They’d had it since undergrad.

“Gone but never forgotten,” they say, holding their cup up for cheers, and you both remember that you haven’t ordered anything yet.

Even though you’re on a bit of a caffeine ban—boyfriend’s orders—you order a coffee. One a day won’t hurt you, not when you were averaging at least four during the recent busy season. The pathology lab you work at always has a huge rush of biopsies ordered between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Now that it’s a little into January, you’re not scrambling quite so much.

With your drink in hand, you head back to the table to keep catching up. Your friend started a new job with a much better boss than their old one. They’re thinking about proposing to their partner of five years. Their dog got into their family’s big holiday meal and they had to order last-minute Chinese takeout instead. And they can’t decide whether to cut their hair or keep growing it out.

Then it’s your turn. You’re four years into your job at the lab, kind of feeling like you want a change, but the generous Christmas bonus is making you think twice. Your apartment is okay but not nice. Your cat is healthy and happy and extremely spoiled. Your family lives across the country, all with separate plans, so you stayed in Gotham for the (surprisingly uneventful) winter.

“What did you do for the holidays, then?” your friend asks, their drink long since finished. Judging by their eyes drifting back to the counter as you speak, they want another.

“My boyfriend’s family celebrates Hanukkah and Christmas,” you say. “Nothing too fancy, of course, none of us are terribly religious. But it was nice to see each other on a regular basis for a week straight.” Jason would disagree, but only out of principle. “We’re all busy people.”

“And your boyfriend? Jason, right? How is he? What does he do for work, again?”

Here comes the hard part. No matter what happens in your personal life, you can’t talk to anyone about it unless they’re in the know. Keeping Gotham safe requires a fairly large system; you and several other scientists or similar professionals are able to contact the Bats through Leslie Thompkins, Lucius Fox, and Commissioner Gordon, but of that number, only a fraction know their identities.

Working overtime at the lab as a new hire, you were the only one Leslie could reach at midnight when Black Bat came in contact with a mysterious substance through an open wound. From midnight to eight a.m., you collected blood and skin samples with hands that shook under the scrutiny of Batman’s white-lensed gaze. Your treatment was a gamble but a success, and after that, the Bats started to come to you more and more. So many of their rogues use biowarfare, after all. Still, it took over a year for Black Bat and Spoiler to take off their masks around you. At that point, you’d only seen Red Hood once, when he brought Robin in and ordered you to never tell Batman that he’d done so. Months after that, he took off his helmet around you, but only because of a nasty cut on his neck, and the domino mask beneath it stayed on. You’d known each other for a year and a half before he spoke more than five curt words to you at a time. Analyzing a new street drug was the first time you two ever worked together, and it was fun. After that, he just kept coming back.

It took so long to gain their trust, and you won’t risk it. But there are so many secrets. How can you explain to anyone else that not only is your boyfriend related to Bruce Wayne—yes, the Bruce Wayne of Gotham, billionaire, CEO, activist, and philanthropist—but he is, in fact, the man’s very publicly dead son?

So you can tell people about your boyfriend named Jason. You can’t introduce him to anyone from outside Gotham; the jagged scar on his cheek and glowing green eyes tend to raise more questions than answers. You can mention that he has a large family. You can’t tell them who his family is. You can tell them that Jason works flexible hours, usually at night, so the two of you see each other often despite your busy schedules. You can’t tell them what Jason actually does for work.

“He runs a not-for-profit community service organization,” you lie, the words familiar and tasteless from how often you’ve had to say them. And he sort of does, but with a lot more violence and criminal cavorting than most other not-for-profits. “He’s really passionate about helping Gotham’s kids that come from low-income households.” The foster system reform laws passed last year were lobbied by Wayne Enterprises, but it was the Red Hood showing up in politician’s houses in the dead of night that really sped up the process.

“I talked to Avery the other day,” your friend says. “They’re convinced you’re making him up.”

You sigh. Avery is another friend from college. You two were in the same friend group for years, but were never particularly close outside of it. “We don’t like to take pictures together, okay?”

Your friend eyes you with a faint air of dissatisfaction. “Well, if you say so. I was actually hoping to meet him while I’m here.”

You try not to let it show how your heart leaps into your throat at the thought. Around the lump, you say, “I’m sure he’d love to, but he’ll be stuck all day at the office.” Lie. He’s at home right now, baking muffins and wearing an apron with the words ‘Kiss the Cook.’ Damian and Tim scribbled over the two ‘S’s with Sharpie to make it ‘KiLL the Cook,’ but the sentiment is still there.

“Right,” they say slowly.

The meetup doesn’t last long after that. At the end of it, you hug and promise to meet up more often, even though it’s unlikely. With a wave, they head off for their conference, and you’re almost out the door when you blink wrong and—

Half the world goes blurry.

You feel the contact fall down your cheek and onto the ground.

“Goddamnit,” you hiss under your breath.

Glasses it is.

You’ve been wearing contacts for so long that you can take out the other one without breaking stride. The wind hasn’t let up in the slightest, and it makes your nose run.

Sniffling slightly, shoulders hunched against the chill, you don’t see the pumpkin until it’s too late.

They’re after you.

It’s not safe, not for you, not for anyone, they want you, they’re grabbing you, hands on your shoulder, people screaming—screaming at you—for you to stop—no—for—for something to stop?

Something is wrong. Dimly, in the back of your mind, you know something is wrong, but your hands are shaking and your bag is ripping, someone is clawing at you, screaming, desperate, they want you to fall back so they’re safe (from what?) and someone else shoves you and you go spinning out, bag in one direction and you in the other and—

They’re changing, the person clawing at you, turning into a monster, and you scream.

They’re after you

(who is after you)

They want to hurt you

(why)

(what is going on)

And you can’t see, something is wrong, you hear glass crunch and then the whole world goes out of focus.

You can’t see.

They’ll get you if you can’t see, and now you can see them, the dark shapes rising from the shadows, claws out and maws gaping, hungry, hungry, hungry for you and your marrow and your heart and they’re going to get you—

You run.

You trip over something (or someone; something like a bone crunches) and your heel slides and your hands catch you but not really, chin clipping the ground so hard your teeth click, and your hands burn, and your chin aches, but they’re still behind you, behind and getting closer—

You run.

You run and they get closer and you see the corner of something dark and blurry, and maybe it’s another monster or maybe it’s a building, and you skid to a stop and throw yourself behind it.

It’s not a monster. It smells awful—a dumpster—and the ground is wet, you hope from rain, but maybe it’s blood

(you’re sitting in a pool of it)

(you’ll be covered)

(the monsters will smell the blood and come running and they’ll hear you shuffling, they’ll hear you panting, they’ll hear your heart pounding, pounding, pounding—)

You scramble to the farthest corner between the brick building’s corner and the dumpster—maybe their clawed arms will be too short to reach you—and hide your face in your hands—you need to stop breathing so loudly—you need to be quiet, quiet, quiet—

People continue to scream. The city, the city Jason and his family try so hard to protect, everyone is dying and you’re going to die and maybe they’ll die, too, or maybe they’ll survive, and maybe they’ll find your dead body and that would ruin Jason, or maybe they won’t and you’ll rot behind the dumpster, smelling just as bad as the trash inside it—

Quiet quiet quiet.

You can’t stop shaking, your teeth won’t stop rattling, and you have to be quiet quiet quiet.

But your heart keeps pounding, faster and faster. It hasn’t slowed down since the monsters came, it’s only getting louder and faster.

Dimly you think you might be having a heart attack.

Everything gets a thousand times worse when one of the monsters shouts your name.

How do they know your name?

Footsteps on the pavement and people have stopped screaming.

Dead, you think. And you’ll be next if you’re not quiet quiet quiet.

The monster shouts your name again. It’s louder—they’re closer. You curl into a tighter ball. They can’t find you.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Your chest hurts; your heart wants to jump out of it.

Jason, you think wildly. Jason will save you. If Jason finds you, he’ll keep you safe. Your hands fish at your side, but find empty air: your purse is gone. There’s no way to reach him, and he can’t even track your location through your phone.

The monster shouts your name again. It has a deep voice.

Another voice joins it, deeper, pitched lower. You can’t quite make out the words.

“They’re around here,” the first monster insists. “B, we don’t have long, this strain is strong—”

“They’re strong,” says the second monster. “Their heart can handle it.”

Something thumps and a third monster says, “Everyone else is clear. Signal had to take two people to the hospital, but they’ll be fine, don’t look so upset, B.”

“You have the antitoxin?” the first monster demands.

“Relax, Hood,” drawls the third monster. “‘Course I do. So you tracked them here?”

“Yeah, I just—” Again it shouts your name. It sounds almost upset. “Please, it’s me, I can help you. Come on. You’re safe. You inhaled fear toxin, I know you’re terrified, but it’s me. You know me.”

It’s trying to lure you in. You won’t fall for it.

You squeeze your eyes shut and hold your breath. Let them move on. Let them search somewhere—

“There you are.”

A hulking figure is blocking the light.

The monsters found you.

“Stop it!” you yell, trying to sound brave. “Leave me alone or—or you’ll regret it!”

“Please,” it wheedles, “I’m just trying to help you. Don’t you recognize me?” It reaches out with clawed hands and you kick frantically, but there’s nowhere else for you to go.

“Hey, aren’t these their glasses?” asks the third monster. “What happened to their contacts?”

“Don’t come any closer! The Red Hood will get you, I know him, if you hurt me he’ll kill you! Stop it!”

“I’m really sorry about this, honey,” the monster says, and its clawed hand latches around your ankle and you howl. The sharp points dig deep through skin into muscle and sinew, and it hurts and you’re going to die—

“Jason!” you shriek. “Jason, help me!”

“I’m right here,” the monster lies. “Please, I’m right here, look at me—”

You won’t. You won’t do it. You can’t watch while it kills you. “Jason, please!” you bawl again, but it’s too late. The monsters have you, you’re surrounded, he’ll never forgive himself but what could he even do against them—

Sharp teeth dig into your neck.

You’re dead.

“There we go, darling,” the monster says. Strong arms wrap around you—it wants to crush you to death—and you struggle, but there’s no use.

Except—

You can hear now, kind of, the rush of blood in your ears is receding a bit, and something heavy lands on your nose. This time, when you blink your eyes open, the world’s edges have sharpened. And the monster in front of you—

Well, you recognize the dark hair with a shock of white, and the brilliantly green eyes would be visible if not for the white-lensed domino mask, and the jagged scar on his cheek.

“Jay?” you murmur, hand coming up to touch it. He doesn’t flinch away. It took so long for him to stop flinching when you touch his face. Over his shoulder, you see Batman and Spoiler watching with satisfaction and slight worry. “What happened?”

“Scarecrow,” he says grimly. “He gassed the street, but only about twenty people were affected. I was patrolling nearby, and when I saw your purse on the ground—” He grimaces, then fixes you with a hard look. His two hands can span most of your head, and he takes it to press a firm kiss to your forehead. When he pulls back slightly, without looking away, “I want their heart checked.”

“The antitoxin—” Batman starts.

“I don’t care,” Jason snarls.

Your hands loosely hold his forearms, still shaking a little. “How’d you find me?”

“I tracked you,” he says softly.

“But my phone—”

“Honey,” he says gently, “of course that’s not the only one.”

Well. You should have guessed that, honestly.

“I’ll go check on the victims,” Batman says suddenly. “Come on, Spoiler.”

“Glad to see you’re okay,” Spoiler says to you, then dashes after Batman. In a whirl of capes, they’re gone.

“I’m so sorry,” Jason says in a rush.

“Jay—”

“I should have protected you,” he grits out, white lenses turning to slits as he squeezes his eyes shut. “This should never have happened—”

“You couldn’t have known,” you say softly, letting go of his arms and wiggling beneath them to wrap yours around his torso. Your nose wedges against his chest kind of uncomfortably, but now you can smell him, the familiar gunpowder and a little bit of sour sweat, and the faint tremble in his bones that mirrors the one in your hands. He clutches you close, head buried in the crook of your neck.

He croaks, “I’m so sorry, so sorry, so—”

“You saved me,” you mumble into his armor. “I knew you would.”

“I almost didn’t.”

“Jay.” You pull back to look at him seriously. “Even when I couldn’t think straight, I knew you would come. I’ll always know that, no matter what toxin’s messing with my head.”

Judging by the twist of his mouth, he doesn’t quite believe that. He’ll beat himself up internally for days, you know.

But you also know that while Bruce runs his tests in the Cave to make sure there’s no more toxin in your system, he’ll hold your hand the whole time. You know he’ll hold you tight in the bed you share tonight. You know, as long as Jason lives and breathes, he’ll always protect you.

“I love you,” he says thickly. “So much.”

“I love you too.”

“Let’s get you checked out.” He helps you up and holds you close and you know that you’ll be okay.

Jason’s here, so you’ll be okay.

DC Taglist

@evalynanne @mismatchsposts @cliosunshine @fictionalwhor3 @bellathecatastrophe

Let me know if there's anything you want to see from me. Inspiration strikes at odd intervals, and I get lonely.

[mysunshinetemptress]

Fix This

Leah Williamson x reader x Alessia Russo

Warnings: Basic writing first one back so be nice yeah

“I-I miss you, bo-both of you”

You feel your heart break as you watch tears pool at the bottom of Alessia’s eyes and theres nothing you or Leah can do about it over this stupid facetime call, but its not like Alessias only up the road, shes four hours away in Manchester, four hours away from a hug, a kiss a cuddle, a hand running through her hair telling her everything is going to be ok.

If this was any other night you would get in your car and drive those four hours to her, to hug her, kiss her, cuddle her, run your hand through her bright blonde hair and tell her its going to be ok but its not any other night, its the night before the new season, the night before you play Brighton at Meadow park.

Your heart hurts more and more as you watch the older girl wipe her red eyes with her (Leah's) jumper sleeve, sniffling and hiccuping still.

"We will see you soon love we promise."

Alessia knows thats the best the both of you can do but it still hurts, the distance still hurts.

"Don't hang up the phone please." You shake your head, "Never Less, we are on this end for as long as you need." Alessia nods softly her voice quite "Just until i fall asleep at least." Leah nodds "Of course Darlin as long as you need."

You fall asleep first, it happens every time, your head perched on Leah's chest so you could still see Alessia but the sound of the older pair talking in hushed voices always sends you to sleep sooner than you'd like, you've tried many times to stay awake for less's sake you say, but you can't, as soon as the hushed voices are brought in your out like a light.

"Go to sleep Darlin, you look exhausted.`' Alessia only hums at Leah's reguest her eyes fixated on you, she misses you, misses you falling asleep on her as she combs her fingers through your hair talking about the most random thing, she misses Leah too, she misses the way Leah entertains her random thoughts, how she always knows the right things to say, when she needs to be held and not let go of, or when she eventually does need to be let go of, she misses playing house with the two of you, misses lying around the house, running silly little errands, cooking dinner, movie nights, late mornings spent wrapped in bed together, the things she can only do during the short breaks the seasons allow.

"Don't hang up" Leah smiled softly at the younger girl "Never" Alessia nodds adjusting herself "Tell her I love her" Leah sighs her eyes flicking to you. "Trust me pretty girl, she knows." Alessia nods "But still." Leah agrees whispering a soft goodnight as Alessias eyes begin to shut.

International breaks were the best times for the three of you to get together, to be together happy in a relationship that wasn’t miles apart.

None of you shared rooms Leah stayed with Georgia, Less with Tooney and you with Alex. The girls had their roommates by the time you got called up to the senior squad, you being a couple years younger then Less and so even though you had all been together a couple of months you didn’t want to disrupt their camp routines and instead stayed with Alex, the older girl being sure to look after you at every opportunity.

Still during down time your teammates could find the three of you stuck together, either in the chill room, squished on someone’s bed asleep as a movie played in the background or wandering the grounds. These camps were no different and as you headed to your second last camp of the year you prepared to be joint at the hip with your blondies.

Only Less didn’t seek you or Leah out on your arrival like she normally did and when you found her she simply gave you a hug and a quick kiss before wandering off with her United girls.

As the days passed during the international camp, your heart ached with growing concern. Alessia's usual bubbly energy seemed subdued, her laughter replaced by a quiet melancholy. Leah noticed it too, her worried glances mirroring your own.

"Are you okay?" Leah asked one evening as you sat together in the team's lounge.

You shrugged. "I guess. It's just... why won't she talk to us."

Leah knew what you meant. The season was ramping up, and the pressure was on. But she also knew that something else was bothering you.

"I don't know love, maybe theres things happening with Marc that she just doesn't want to talk to us about yet, but she'll come when shes ready ok."

You hesitated. "hmm. I don't know. I'm worried about her Le."

Leah reached out and took your hand. "It's okay to be worried but Less knows we're here."

You sighed. "I just miss her. And I'm worried about her. She's been working really hard, and I know she's stressed."

Leah nodded. "I understand. I do. I feel the the same way."

You flop your head on to Leah's shoulder "I love you."

Leah kissed your fair squeezing you tightly “I love you too, she does too darling she’s just having a hard time showing it.”

The international break was supposed to be a respite, a chance for the three of you to reconnect and recharge. But the weight of distance and unspoken worries hung heavy in the air. Alessia's usual vibrant spirit was dimmed, replaced by a quiet melancholy that worried you and Leah.

The following day, you couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Alessia was still distant, her smiles forced and her laughter absent. During a training session, you caught her staring into space, a far-off look in her eyes.

After practice, you approached her cautiously. "Less, can we talk?"

She nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "What."

You found a quiet corner of the training ground, the two of you sitting side by side. "What's wrong, love? You've been off."

Alessia hesitated, her eyes darting away, but her voice harsh and cold. "It's nothing. Just a lot going on."

You knew that wasn't the whole truth. "Is it Marc? Something with the team?"

Alessia turns snapping immediately "It's none of your business!" You flinch at her harshness, Leah placing a hand on your back rubbing gentle circles trying to calm you. "I'm fine okay? Just leave me alone." She stands up and walks off, leaving you and Leah stunned.

"Less, please," Leah interjected, her voice gentle but firm. "We're just worried about you."

Alessia scoffed. "Worried? You? You're worried about me? You're worried about your own careers, your own lives. You don't care about me."

Your heart sank. You knew that wasn't true, but you couldn't argue with her. She was hurting, and she was lashing out.

"I'm sorry, Less," you managed to say, your voice barely a whisper. "We just want to help."

Alessia stood up abruptly, her eyes filled with tears. "Just leave me alone."

She turned and walked away, leaving you and Leah stunned and heartbroken.

The silence between you and Leah was heavy, the weight of Alessia's words hanging in the air. You both knew she was hurting, but her words had cut deep.

"I don't understand," Leah murmured, her voice filled with confusion. "We're trying to help her."

You sighed, running a hand through your hair. "I know, but she's shutting us out."

"Maybe she just needs some space," Leah suggested, though her voice lacked conviction.

Alex watched you return heartbroken. "She…something is really wrong Ale, I…we don't know what to do." Alex lay with you as you racked your brain for every possible reason, tears streaming down your face as your heart broke for the younger blond.

You don't remeber falling asleep but you wake up tucked into Alex's bed, the older girl up and getting ready for the day. "Hey sleepy, I thought i'd let you sleep longer, but we should head for breakfast before I get a warning." You groaned rolling out of the bed you already hated today.

The weight of Alessia's words still hung heavy in the air, as you entered the foodhall. You and Leah exchanged worried glances, unsure of how to approach her. The tension between you was palpable, a stark contrast to the usual camaraderie you shared.

After training, you decided to take a chance. You found Alessia sitting alone on a bench, her gaze fixed on the field. You hesitated, unsure of how she would react.

"Less," you began, your voice soft. "Can we talk?"

She turned to you, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sadness. "What do you want?"

You took a deep breath. "I just want to understand. What's going on?"

Alessia stood up abruptly. "There's nothing to understand. I'm fine."

You reached out to her, but she pulled away. "Don't touch me," she said coldly.

Your heart ached. You knew she was hurting, but she was pushing everyone away.

"Less, please," you interjected, your voice gentle. "We're just worried about you."

By now half the team was watching you both as Leah stepped forward ready to mediate you both.

Alessia scoffed. "Why don't you go worry about your new girlfriend, was two not enough for you, you have to whore yourself out to Alex too."

The air crackled with tension as Alessia's words hung heavy in the air. You felt a wave of shock wash over you, followed by a deep hurt. You loved Alessia, and you knew she loved you back, but her words were like daggers, cutting deep into your heart.

"Hey, you better step the fuck down Alessia that is no way to speak to her no matter how hurt you are, Y/n's just trying to make sure your ok."

Alessia huffed "Like hell she is, to busy cuddling up to Alex, and stringin you along too, pathetic."

Your heart shattered into a million pieces. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. You had always been honest with Alessia, with both of them. You loved them both, and you had never hidden that fact. But now, in her pain, she was accusing you of something you hadn't done.

"Alessia," you began, your voice barely a whisper. "That's not fair. You know that's not true."

But she wouldn't listen. She continued to lash out, her words cutting deeper with each passing moment. You felt a wave of despair wash over you. You had tried to help her, to understand her, but she was pushing you away.

"Oh, really? Then explain why you're always with her, why you're always cuddling up to her. You're just using me, using us both."

Your heart ached as you tried to explain, but your words were lost in the storm of Alessia's accusations. You felt helpless, trapped in a nightmare that you couldn't wake up from.

"Just leave me alone," Alessia finally said, her voice filled with anger and despair. "I don't want to see you anymore."

In the end, you turned and walked away, tears brimming your eyes as you will them not to fall. She doesn't mean it, she doesn't mean it.

You feel numb, You know shes hurting, that shes hiding something from you, but you never thought she would be so mean, shouting at you infront of your friends/teamates, accusing you of wanting to get with Alex.

"I can't believe she said that," you finally managed to say, your voice barely a whisper. 

Leah stands against the wall in your room, her eyes scan your everymove waiting for you to break.

"It's not true."

Leah crouched down putting a comforting hand on your knee. "I know, love. It's not true."

"Will you go check on her please Le." Leahs eyes softened nodding "You sure."

You nod squeezing her hand, "Please baby she needs you, I'm ok"

Leah found Less in the rec room her head in her hands as Tooney talked to her quietly.

"Less," Leah began, her voice gentle, Alessia shot up throwing her self at the defender, Leah held her tight rubbing soft circles on her back. "I know you're hurting, but what you said to Y/n was unfair."

Alessia's eyes filled with tears. "I know, I know. I didn't mean it. I'm just so messed up right now."

Leah sat down beside her, her hand resting on Alessia's. "What's going on? Is there something you're not telling us?"

Alessia hesitated, her eyes darting away. "He won't let me leave Leah, I want to leave but Marc he..."

Alessia's voice trailed off, her eyes filled with fear and despair. Leah's heart sank. She knew Marc, the Manchester United manager, was a demanding figure, but she hadn't imagined anything like this.

"Oh, darling," Leah said, pulling Alessia into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry."

Alessia sobbed into Leah's shoulder, her body shaking with emotion. Leah held her tightly, offering comfort and support.

"We'll figure this out," Leah assured her. "We'll get you out of there."

After a while, Alessia calmed down, her sobs subsiding into quiet sniffles. She looked up at Leah, her eyes red and swollen.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered.

Leah sighed, pulling Alessia into another hug. "We'll figure it out together," she promised.

Alessia nodded, "I...I was so mean to her."

Leah nodded "You were, shes upset and hurt but you are too and she knows that"

"I'm going to go check on her." Alessia said gently pulling away from Leah.

Less found you sitting on the edge of your bed, your eyes red and puffy. You looked up as Less entered the room, quickly wipping your eyes.

"Hey" Y/n asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Alessia walked over to you and sat down beside you, taking your hand. 

"Hey," Alessia replied, her voice soft. "I'm so sorry."

Her voice filled with remorse. "what I said was horrible, I was horrible."

You looked at her, your heart softening. "It's okay, Less. I know you didn't mean it."

Alessia shook her head. "No, I did. I was so selfish and angry. I took it out on you, and I hurt you."

You reached out and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay," you said softly. 

The dam broke then as Alessia sobbed as you wrapped your arms around her tightly. "It's ok, we are ok."

Alessia hesitated, then took a deep breath. "It's Marc," she said, her voice barely audible. " He won't let me leave. i want to leave United, I want to move closer to you, to Leah. But i can't "

Your heart sank. You knew Marc was a tough manager, but you had no idea he was a straight up asshole.

Alessia sobbed into your shoulder. "I know. I'm so sorry for taking it out on you."

You held her tightly, trying to offer comfort. "It's okay. I understand."

After a while, Alessia pulled away. "I need to leave," she said. "I need to get out of there."

You nodded "You will, we will get you out of there, I'll get on to Luca, I..I'll talk to Jonas, Leah will to, we will get you out of there."

Less fell asleep a short while later head tucked into the crook of your neck.

Leah opened the door slowly scared to wake you but surprised to see you wide awake your hands softly combing through the younger blonded hair.

"Sorted?" Leah asked quietly, You smiled softly opening your other arm inviting her to join.

"not yet but it will be, we'll get her out won't we." Leah nodded kissing below your chin before kissing Lesses head "Of course we will."

"You ok though." Leah asked shuffling to lie down more comfortably with you both.

"I knew she never meant it, doesn't mean it didn't hurt but as long as you both know im not a slag i'll be ok."

Leah let out a soft laugh "You a slag, the girl who couldn't talk to either of us without stuttering, I think your safe."

"Good" you let out barley above a whisper as your eyes began to drop.

"Go to sleep love, we'll be here when you wake up."

[looseyjuicy]

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE SPOILERS !!

“Isn’t this romantic? A private wedding with our closest friends and an entire orchestra to play us in.” The man next to you sighs dreamily, as if he hadn’t taken you and a whole church full of people hostage, “if that doesn’t say ‘dream wedding’, then I don’t know what will.”

“Are you insane?!”

“So kind of you to notice, sweetheart.”

He ignores any curses you throw his way as you both make your way towards the front, arms laced together in a mock loving gesture.

this was.. such a bizarre twist of events.

for almost two years, you’d been Lydia Deetz’s personal assistant. Grabbing her coffee, running her feedback to anyone who needed it, just doing whatever it was she needed done for her.

she was nice, if not a little spaced out at times. as far as employers go, she’d have to be one of your best ones.

which is why you felt a little obligated when she asked you a pretty big favor.

you had to drive out with your bosses to help deal a couple issues that arose when the show was briefly paused due to the passing of Lydia’s father.

once you arrived at her old home, you kept things organized for the wake to take some of the load off of her.

later on, by order of Rory, you were put in charge of handling all necessities required for his wedding before he even officially proposed.

gross.

taking it as an opportunity to avoid the family matters that plagued the Deetzs as much as possible, you kept your head down and typed away at your laptop.

you will admit that the change of scenery was refreshing. Instead of a city filled with noisy cars, you’d been brought into a nice, quiet town.

well, at least it was quiet before some weird stuff started.

first, it was the occasional static on your laptop, which you’d shrugged off as poor connection.

then, bugs had seemed to have it out for you as they found their ways into whatever clothes you’d packed for the trip.

“this is an old house. It’s not uncommon for bugs to find their way inside.” you tried to justify as spiders crawled all over your former favorite bra.

although you’d genuinely thought you were going crazy when some weird flyer kept popping up wherever you went. At the dining table, inside your shoe(?), in the bathroom.

not wanting to cause any potential trouble, you just kept everything to yourself and tried to ignore it for the time being.

(it was hard to ignore the one that somehow ended up in the back pocket of the very jeans you had been wearing all day)

all of which is forgotten as a series of bizarre events had completely derailed the rest of the evening.

as you’re rushed around town by both of your employers, you eventually find your way into the church for the wedding.

that is, until the ceremony was rudely interrupted by someone that had come to claim what was due.

now, you’re dressed in some poofy, 80’s wedding dress that’s practically impossible to walk in about to be wed to a demon. The very one who somehow wormed his way into your short visit.

Lydia looks on in shock from behind one of the pews, her daughter and stepmother sharing the same mortified expression as you’re yanked down the aisle.

“I can’t believe the day’s finally here! Are you ready for the rest of our lives together, honey?” Beetlejuice gushes, strong-arming you into his side.

“No wa-“ is all you manage to get out before something zips! over your lips, smothering whatever objections you had.

“Whoops, looks like someone’s gettin’ cold feet.”

He cackles as you try to remove the zipper that conveniently had no slider. You’re given one last slimy grin before he forces you to face forward, urging the priest to begin.

god, serves you right for being an assistant to a paranormal TV personality.