#I have a surgery in two days and I'm so so nervous so here you have the second text post this week

[h3adph0nez]

SFTH as text post part 11! :D

Part one / previous /part 12

[yanderestarangel]

౨ৎ HEADCANONS COD || GHOST, KÖNIG, CAPTAIN PRICE — ROMANTIC SEX WITH THEM

TW: body worship, romantic sex, use of lingerie, ftm reader, v!sex, anal sex, blowjob, praise, daddykink, age gap, fluff, femboy reader, reader without top surgery.

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ♡ GHOST ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ♡

"I love you more than I can express."

♡⁠┊He is usually a quick lover and likes to mark you to show everyone that you belong to him, something in the nature of leaving you completely covered in love bruises that makes you dizzy.

♡⁠┊But something made him want to take it slow from that lazy and cold morning. He needed to go to work again on another Bravo 141 mission - however, seeing you needy and rubbing yourself against him, asking him to stay a little longer was like a siren song that he couldn't deny the call. "Are you feeling neglected, my baby?" Ghost speaks in a hoarse voice, slightly lifting his balaclava to meet your lips as he lay down on your bed again.

♡⁠┊You rubbed yourself against his muscular body, a silent plea for more than just making out – even though you knew you were going to be late, your husband couldn't deny you anything, so it wasn't a surprise to you when his fingers found their way to your pussy and began a soft dance on your clit.

♡⁠┊It didn't take long for Ghost to quickly take off his clothes and stand above you, his left hand holding your hip and keeping you where he wanted you to be, gently slamming his hips into yours as the wet sound of flesh against flesh filled his ears and made him dizzy. Unlike the other times, that morning he just wanted to feel you completely. He wasn't fucking you; he was making love to you and worshiping every inch of your body.

♡⁠┊"You look beautiful like this... You really complete me, don't you?" Ghost spoke softer than ever, his voice seemed like a balm that penetrated your soul – his free hand caressed your cheek and he stopped his movements long enough for you to feel his cock warm up a little more inside you. He momentarily took off his skull balaclava, so you could look directly into his face; his blue eyes seemed to want to tell you feelings that he didn't have the courage or way to say in mere words – one thing was certain, he loved you.

♡⁠┊He leaned in enough to press his lips against yours, Simon rarely kissed when you had sex, yet there he was – moaning into your tongue softly as his hips met yours again. Several "I love you"s came out of his mouth messily. His body trembled and the world disappeared completely as he explored every inch of your body as if looking for some detail he had never seen before.

♡⁠┊After a few more thrusts he finally cums inside your pussy, making you cling to him as you felt your stomach swell slightly from the amount of semen in your gut. He stood there, holding the back of your neck as he caught his breath.

♡⁠┊Ghost looked at his watch and sighed, realizing how late he was for work, but seeing you there, all beautiful and messy... He decided to stay, just for that day. "I'm not going to leave now, just rest my boy, when you wake up I'll be here." He said meditating in his mind that it was a great way to start his day, and maybe he should adore you a little more every day.

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ♡ KÖNIG ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ♡

"You make me nervous... And I like it."

♡⁠┊He liked the softness of your skin on his hands, he liked the way you smiled beautifully and blushed when you were too embarrassed, he liked the way his bracelet matched yours and how beautiful it looked when you two held hands. König loved you more than he ever thought he could ever feel in his life.

♡⁠┊He was terrible with words, but every action he did was the purest to demonstrate how much he was in love with you; in fact, in love was an understatement, König was madly in love with you - in a healthy and good way. He was a military soldier trained for years, he could kill enemies and targets easily without any regret - and yet, you made him so nervous and out of himself, as if butterflies were growing in his stomach.

♡⁠┊And this also happened when you had sex. His muscular, imposing and scarred body was beneath you - his eyes had a solemn expectation of seeing you take control and enjoy his body. His hands held the soft flesh of your waist and he whimpered softly feeling your body connected deeply to his.

♡⁠┊You didn't know where the territory of intimacy between each other began or ended, at that moment, you and the Austrian were only one. "I... Love you so much, you're mine, aren't you, liebling?" König moaned muffled by his sniper mask, his muscles rippled slightly as he fixed his focus on your body and how your clitoris was swollen - because of the hours of the two of you exploring each other's bodies.

♡⁠┊You could see little tears welling up in his eyes – he was short-circuiting from so many stimuli together. The love in his chest that burned his insides all the way to his stomach with that cold, good feeling of being madly in love with someone, you made him lose control of his senses.

♡⁠┊He wanted to tell you how much he loved you, how much he admired you for being a strong man and that he was very lucky to have you in his life... However, the only sounds that could come out of his mouth at that moment were honeyed and hoarse moans, accompanying his eyes rolling back in his skull and him squeezing your smaller body tightly, to the point of leaving marks that would remain for another day.

♡⁠┊He whimpered louder, incoherent words, but you knew they were all just the purest love and affection for you. König held you tightly, making you sit on his entire length at once – the wet and pleasurable sensation made you milk his cock with your inner walls pulsing and wanting more – at the same time your partner quickly withdrew from your wet hole and came all over your belly, marking you as his again.

♡⁠┊"I love you..." Was all he could formulate as he buried his face in your soft flesh and waited for his heart and breathing to return to normal as his body went slightly numb. "You make me feel things I never thought possible... You are the man of my life and if there is a paradise I am definitely already in it, with you." He speaks with a certainty never seen before by you, his words came straight from his soul, making you feel more desired and loved.

♡⁠┊He slowly began to fall asleep, still holding you, as if he was afraid that you would disappear from his arms - one of his hands on the side of your ass while his cock softened against your stomach, the sensation still burned both of your skins, but you both just wanted to enjoy that moment without any extra feeling, just the purest and most peaceful love. In years, König could smile genuinely behind his mask, knowing that he had found something more to fight for.

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ♡ CAPTAIN PRICE ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ♡

"I want more than your pretty face..."

♡⁠┊It was just supposed to be sex, he paid to have a young man like you to satisfy him and have a beautiful accessory by his side - but soon the captain found himself attached to you in a way he never imagined. You were a funny, smiling and bright man, just like a sunshine.

♡⁠┊The first few dates between the two of you were really comfortable – he was a gentleman with you and made you feel like the most desirable man in the world; and then he completely broke you in bed until you didn't even know how many times he came. Price was the type of sugar daddy who tries not to get attached to your presence but it doesn't take long for him to find himself thinking about your image after a few sexual encounters.

♡⁠┊It was never his intention to really fall in love with you... but the way you touched him, the way you smiled at him, the way that silk lingerie fell on your body and adorned every curve of your skin, the way you moaned and whimpered when his cock entered your pussy... It was too much for him to bear and see as just an exchange of monetary favors.

♡⁠┊You caused reactions he didn’t even think were possible. You were everything he dreamed of in a partner. Even without obligation, you kept him company and never asked for anything in return, listening to his stories about past missions and the challenges he and his team faced. Price always finished his tales with a soft sigh and a vulnerable look, realizing how much he had opened up to you. "Ignore that, my lad, I just ramble too much like every old man," he would say, trying to hide the blush on his face. It was so obvious how much he considered you more than just a mere companion.

♡⁠┊He wanted to be with you all the time. It became more than just a sugar daddy and sugar baby relationship—he really wanted something serious with you. However, his insecurities always prevented him from saying anything more; he would freeze every time he tried to invite you to something more romantic than a sexual encounter in a luxurious hotel room.

♡⁠┊That night was lighter and different from most of the ones you were used to having. Price wanted to express how much he wanted you more than a pretty face sucking his cock and walking around with luxury items bought by him. The white lace lingerie adorned your body and barely covered your shiny pussy – The captain was between your legs, his voluminous beard tickling your sensitive flesh with each protruding lick he gave with his tongue on your lips, making you press his head between your soft thighs and making you even more drunk with pleasure.

♡⁠┊The rose petals he had scattered on the bed earlier stuck to your sweaty skin – your breasts swayed with each movement of the older man’s tongue as you felt like a god for being so adored by someone. Your wetness spread across his face and skin, the scent of sweet musk making him dizzy and hard as fuck.

♡┊He rubbed his hips on the soft mattress, looking for some friction to warm his erection – you could hear small moans and husky words coming from his lips as his blue eyes devoured you inch by inch. "Fuck, you make me so hard, you don't know what you do to me." Price groaned hoarsely as he gently slapped your thigh to make you moan even louder for him.

♡⁠┊After making you cum again on his tongue – Price would get on his knees between your legs and rub his hard, throbbing cock against your entrance, wet with your juices and his saliva. The thick, warm tip of his shaft applied a delicious, slow pressure to your swollen clit, making you beg for him to fill you up soon.

♡⁠┊As soon as he did, the older man leaned in enough to kiss you as his hips worked at a slow, sensual pace – his muscular thighs smacked against yours while his balls slapped against your ass cheeks, making you hear a wet noise in the process. You saw Price's smile widen even more when he saw you blushing at him being so loving with you, treating you like the god you were.

♡⁠┊"I can't hold it anymore... fuck boy, you make my heart race." He said between moans, pressing his forehead against yours as he sped up his movements and made your curves jump out of the thin fabric of the lingerie you were wearing. He grabbed one of your breasts as he squeezed it tightly and came inside you without warning, it was a new but strangely hot sensation.

♡⁠┊He sighed and stared into your eyes, his breathing even meeting yours rhythmically. "You make me feel things... I know this should be a business relationship, but I can't let a beautiful boy like you escape me." The older man said with a soft smile and kissed you on the forehead. "Let's have dinner at a restaurant... Just you and me, no sex, no sugar daddy or sugar baby, just you and me, my prince, no pressure, obviously... I just want to show you that I fell in love with you much more, much more than your pretty face and perfect body." He said, looking at you with all the passion he could show – he didn't know where this relationship could go, but he wanted to try to love again and he wanted to love you, only you.

𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅 ©𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍 2024. 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚, 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆

[goquokka00]

The Little Things (Minho Ver.)

The small things he does every day that make you feel oh, so special.

Bangchan | Minho | Changbin | Hyunjin Jisung | Felix | Seungmin | Jeongin

| Cooks For You |

It's no secret that Minho can cook. And that he also enjoys cooking (at least I think he does). And so when it comes to cooking for you, he always will. It doesn't matter whether or not you know how to cook, too. He'll always be in the kitchen, making you something delicious to feed you.

I feel like there would be times where the two of you would cook together. Minho would give you a few tasks to do while he did others, and the meal created would be filled with love and would taste even better. But most of the time, if you offer help, Minho would deny it. Hell, I bet you $5 that he wouldn't even let you step foot into the kitchen, not wanting to take the risk that you might help him.

But you want water? Yeah, or you want water so you can add it to the rice cooker to get the rice started. You'd have to just ask him if you could have a glass of water from where the wooden floor met the tile of the kitchen. That way you wouldn't be threatened to have your mouth stuffed with tissues.

| Kisses the Boo-Boos Away |

I get this sneaky suspicion that Minho, who's usually a bit colder than the other members, is incredibly soft and mushy towards you. And that includes when you accidentally hurt yourself. You got a papercut, or accidentally got a rug burn somehow, or your hand is hurting from a pinched nerve, leave it to Minho.

He'll patch you up, and then kiss wherever you got hurt. Every single time without fail. If he wasn't around when you got hurt and saw you with a bandage somewhere on your body, or bruises, he'll tell you to sit down or go to him so he can kiss the area you got hurt.

Now, let's say you broke a bone or sprained something, or had to get surgery for whatever reason. Do you honestly think that would stop Minho? No. No, it wouldn't. He'd kiss wherever those stitches were, or plant plenty of kisses on the cast on your arm or leg or wherever. He just wants you to be okay, and know that he loves you.

| Holds Hands |

Whenever the two of you are out in public, Minho always wants your hand. He wants to make sure that you won't leave his side no matter what. And it doesn't matter where you are. Your hand is in his, period. You think it's letting people see you're a couple and it's a bit embarrassing to see all eyes on you? Good. They'll know who you belong to. Your hand is getting sweaty? Too bad.

I feel like Minho will also hold your hand if you're nervous. Mostly because I think that Minho is so used to dealing with Jisung when he's nervous and spiraling. He'll always give you his hand to hold onto so you can be a bit more grounded.

And if it's really bad? His fingers are intertwining with yours, baby (no because I'm actually a sucker for this shit like OMG-). He's keeping you close, squeezing your hand tighter, making sure that you know that he's here for you, and he's not letting you go until you're better.

| Spoons |

Spooning is SUCH a big thing with Minho. He loves holding you close and feeling your back up against his chest. Being your big spoon is so nice. He's fully aware that it helps you relax and makes you feel nice and safe. Though, I feel like Minho would also be the little spoon sometimes, too.

If Minho's had a tough day at work, let's say practice didn't go well, he's in your arms the moment he gets back home. He won't really talk, just hums and grunts while guiding you back to the couch. And then, the next thing you know, you're holding him to you.

It's just something about the way he can curl up against you, and feel your arms around him while you whisper kind words in his ear, kiss his head and the nape of his neck, even how your hands will go and find his, intertwining your fingers together. His cold facade just melts when you hold him to you. It's just...so easy to relax in your arms.

| Touching Foreheads |

I feel like touching foreheads with Minho isn't really something anyone would expect. But again, I stand by the whole, Minho's putting up this big guy act and then when he gets back to you he's a wittle baby, ordeal. And touching foreheads falls under that.

I think he'd do this when he's having a tough time. Like, if something happens, or if he needs to be serious about a hard topic to talk about, he keeps his forehead on yours. It helps Minho feel closer to you, and he can speak quietly and not have to worry about you not hearing him. And the same goes for you, too. He feels like it's easier to comfort you if something did happen.

But I also think that this is something he'd do if he had to apologize to you. It's more intimate and heartfelt to him. Let's say you both got into a nasty argument, and the aftermath is him going and staying at the dorms for a while. When he comes back, he's apologizing by putting his head on yours, holding you close, and speaking in such a soft but modest voice. And it warms your heart every time.

Hey! Firstly, thank you so much for reading this post, and I really hope you enjoyed! If you did, please like, reblog, or comment so I can see how I'm doing with writing and getting feedback! I hope you have a lovely day! Sleep well, stay in good health, and eat something if you haven't! ❤️❤️❤️

[theres-a-body-here]

hey um trans dude here um looks at u w my big round eyes. could you do some characters of ur choice reacting to their trans male partner wanting to/getting a phalloplasty? im working to get one myself which inspired me to send this ask

I love my trans followers

TW: A homophobic slur, Mentions of surgery and Dysphoria/Dysmorphia

Characters: Ramattra, Asgore, Mohg, Wendell

Wendell is more of a crackpost

Ramattra

When you tell him, he'll be quiet as he thinks for a while

"I'll be back," he says as he abruptly stands and leaves the room

Your heart sinks as you fear the worst

He comes back within minutes and drops a book into your lap before sitting next to you

Confused, you flip it open only to yelp and drop it

It's a dick catalog

An Omnic dick catalog to be exact

He chuckles as he likes it back up

"There are a few exquisite models here, pet. Let's get you one."

He flips to a page and shows you

It's the model he has

Your face burns, hiding your face in your hands as you lean on him

"You're awful," you whine

You peak through your fingers

"Do they have glowing ones?"

"let's see"

Ramattra will be there throughout the surgery, making sure nothing goes wrong

If you ever feel dysphoric, he'll immediately start to comfort you

"Sweet, beautiful boy, I'm so proud of you"

Asgore Dreemurr

He's so happy for you

Be prepared to be pulled into a crushing bear hug

He's with you every step of the way

He'll sit down with you and plan out everything. From the days before the surgery to the aftermath and recovery

However, he'll be sure to mention any monster magic options for you to consider

Whatever you pick in the end, he'll support you

Plenty of kisses and cuddles throughout the process

He knows surgery is scary for humans, so he's sure to make you comfortable every chance he gets

Tea, snacks, and massages galore

After you get your surgery, Asgore will be a nervous wreck

Doting on you like a mother hen, he won't leave your side for a second

Mohg, Lord of Blood

The moment you tell him, he'll have his followers work on finding ways to give you a dick

Riiiighhttt after you give him a few heirs

Unless you don't want to

He'll be pouty but ultimately respects your decision

Him and Varre are your biggest support pillars before and after the process

Mohg literally doesn't let you do anything by yourself

He carries you around everywhere you need to be

"You shouldn't waste your energy, dearest"

Varre will be even worse

"What size would you prefer your phallus to be, lambkin?"

After the surgery, Mohg will keep you in his bed for a long time

Even when you're fully healed, he'll insist you stay resting

Cage his arms around you and nuzzle close like a clingy puppy

Wendell

He's a bit confused, but after explaining it to him, he'll definitely be your number one supporter

"Is there a dick store we go to or...?"

Yeah he's still a bit confused

He'll cling to you during matches and ask you tons of questions

Even during gunfire

"OMG, can we get matching dicks?"

Please be patient with him

If there's time between the storm moving, he'll be sure to give you lots of attention

"MY BOYFRIEND'S GETTING A DICK!"

He screams out in the empty building you two are stocking up in

Or so you thought

"You homos make me sick," a voice calls out, the clacking of heels hitting the floor echo through the area

You two turn to the voice

"INTERNATIONAL POP SENSATION ARIANA GRANDE?!?!?!?" You both exclaim in unison

"Yuh," she says, whipping her hair as she aims a bazooka at you two

[deanstead]

Mistaken

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader, Rhodestead

Requested: no

Summary: As Will finds himself dealing with an unwelcome presence in his life, you disappear in the middle of shift.

Word Count: 5.3K+

Tags/Warnings: established relationships, stalking, kidnapping, hostage situations

A/N: First time I'm trying out writing for Rhodestead so I put this as a double pairing fic. Wasn't sure I was going to let this fic see the light of day but bestie @sheetsonfire gave her stamp of approval (and I haven't posted in a while) so here goes! Kinda (read: very) nervous about this so let me know what you guys think!

JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

“Hey, you wanna grab dinner?” Will asked as he opened his locker next to you.

You glanced back at him, your eyes betraying the mental exhaustion from the day. Losing children was never easy, everyone knew that.

You gave Will a small smile. “No date with Connor?” You lightly teased.

Will chuckled.

Will and Connor had been dancing around each other for almost forever and it had taken you an unbelievable amount of self control not to literally bonk their heads together. Thankfully, they’d gotten off their asses before you had to.

“Connor got pulled into a surgery so I got stood up.”

You let out a small laugh, closing your locker. “Your brother’s on a case so… dinner’s on you.”

Will laughed, nodding. “I got you.”

The both of you ended up in one of the eateries you frequented that was near Med which opened late exactly for this reason - a place that had saved all of you from many late nights. Be it when Jay came to get you from a late shift, or when you, Connor and Will needed to eat after a shift before going to crash. All four of you had even been here together shortly after the shift in dynamics - you and Jay had just gotten married, while Will and Connor had finally started seeing each other officially.

In an effort to steer both your thoughts away from work, Will started a conversation about Connor, and you watched a light in Will’s eyes as he talked about Connor, a light that had finally let its way out into the world.

“What?” Will asked, angling his eyebrows at you before you realized you were smiling cheekily at him.

You shrugged. “Just nice to see you so happy.”

Will smiled, reaching over to ruffle your hair.

“You know you transitioned into this annoying older brother role way too smoothly.” You growled playfully, your eyes narrowing at him.

Will laughed, retracting his hand and chuckling.

“Y/N?”

Jay’s voice reached you first before you saw him but it still made you smile.

“You said you were going to be late?” You said but you were already looping your arms around his waist and pressing yourself into his embrace.

Jay let out a small chuckle. “Sorry, I know things have been a little crazy.”

You shook your head, burying your face deeper into his shoulder. “I just missed you.”

Jay leaned back before leaning back down to press a gentle kiss to your lips. “Shall we stay in tonight?”

You grinned back at him. “Sounds perfect.”

It felt like it had been a while since you and Jay had done this, just stayed in, the television turned on while the two of you had a cozy meal before cuddling on the couch with the wine glasses sitting just a little precariously on the small coffee table Will and Connor had gotten the both of you as a wedding present.

“Everything at work okay?” Jay asked quietly, his arms resting around your waist.

“You know, same-old. We have the bullies, the overbearing parents, but there are also families that remind me why I became a doctor.”

Jay rested his chin gently on your shoulder, his cheek resting lightly against yours before he closed his eyes.

“I think that if you’re here, if I know that I get to come home to you at the end of any day or case, I’ll be able to do about anything.” He whispered.

You knew that voice, the voice that told you he'd had a hard day.

You took his hand gently in yours. “I’ll always be here, Jay. At the end of every difficult case, or day, no matter what.”

Jay pressed a kiss to your cheek lightly and you leaned further back into his embrace.

“Dr Y/L/N, someone’s asking for you in the waiting room if you have a few minutes.” One of the nurses came up to you as you were studying a patient’s chart.

You looked around the ED, it was a quiet sort of day but you weren’t in the best of moods since you’d lost your card holder. Just thinking about having to replace your credit cards already made you feel tired and anxious. Regardless, you nodded with a smile at the nurse, thanking her for letting you know.

Putting on your best professional smile you headed towards the waiting room, scanning the crowd for someone who looked like they’d be waiting for you.

A woman who was about your age made eye contact with you, giving you a small smile. “Y/N Y/L/N?”

You frowned just a little in confusion although you kept your expression mostly neutral and nodded. She seemed a little familiar to you even though you weren’t fully certain where you’d seen her before.

The woman just smiled, handing you back a card case that was most definitely yours.

“I think you dropped this, this morning at the coffee place. I got your name from one of your cards and luckily the cafe said you were a regular so they knew you worked here.”

You felt the relief flood your system, the anxiety that had been clawing at you the whole morning finally seeming to let up.

“Oh my god, thank you.” You could even hear the relief in your voice bounce back at you but you weren't even embarrassed. “You saved me a lot of trouble and well... stress.”

You paused as you looked at her. “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. Have we met?”

The woman just smiled and shook her head. “Maybe in the mornings, I get my coffee there too most days.”

It didn’t feel like a correct answer but you let it go, reminding yourself this was not the time to obsess over unimportant details.

“Look, you did me a huge favor today. Is there something I can do to thank you?”

The woman just smiled. “Maybe you can just buy me a coffee. Tomorrow morning?”

You studied her for a bit and then nodded. She smiled, extending her hand. “Grace.”

You smiled back at her and shook it, agreeing to see each other the next morning at the cafe.

As you watched her walk back out the main door with a friendly wave, you felt that weird feeling again, like something wasn’t quite sitting right with you.

You definitely knew her from somewhere.

As agreed, you’d met Grace the next morning at your morning coffee stop and it had gone better than you'd expected, so much so that you’d talked yourself out of that weird feeling in your gut, putting it down to that tinge of social anxiety you had with new people.

You’d almost caved and asked Will or Connor if they could come with you but decided you didn’t really wanna be a wuss. Besides, the rational part of your brain was telling you that your anxiety was being irrational once again.

Grace had been easy to talk to though, so you were glad you hadn’t overreacted.

But when you opened the door to the doctors’ lounge armed with coffees for both Connor and Will, you sensed something was off.

Will was sitting on the couch, his head ticked up just a little as the door opened and Connor’s arm was around Will’s shoulders, Will gently pressed up against Connor. Even though it was no secret, they didn't usually behave much like a couple at work.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, frowning as you quickly put the coffees down on the table and headed towards them.

Will glanced at Connor. “I’m fine.”

Connor gave him half an exasperated look, even though you could still see the frown lines tinged with worry.

Will might be your brother-in-law, but way before you and Jay had gotten close, the three of you had always been great friends so it wasn’t surprising you could tell they were holding something back.

You raised an eyebrow at Connor. “Someone better tell me what’s going on.”

Will exchanged a look with Connor before he gave him a small nod.

“She’s back.”

She.

You knew exactly who Connor was talking about. That was the part that really made you feel like shit.

Will had been reluctant to call it stalking at first, reluctant to put Jay on this even though the laws on stalking had already greatly improved the past few years. But now it seemed like Will was getting concerned too.

“Will, maybe we need to tell Jay about this.” You said gently, even though you understood why Will didn’t want to tell Jay and make it all official.

Will just nodded. “Maybe. I’ll talk to him.”

Connor glanced at Will before squeezing his hand gently. “I’ll see you later, alright? I've got a surgery."

With a quick kiss, Will and Connor parted and you nodded at Connor to assure him that you were here anyway.

Will had told himself that if it persisted he'd go to Jay but she'd suddenly stopped showing up. The notes stopped and the street was empty when Will left the house.

“Maybe she finally gave up. Like she had one last look and she left.” You said, even though just saying it sounded stupid.

Will just smiled back, asking everyone to stop worrying.

“Y/N, you’re wanted in the waiting room.” Maggie called across the ED and you nodded, patting Will on the arm before heading straight out, shrugging at Maggie.

You’d barely stepped out of the automatic doors when you saw her.

“Grace?”

She looked a little frazzled, like she was startled.

“Y/N, thank god. I didn’t know anyone else and…”

You frowned, stopping her with a hand on her arm. “Okay, slow down. What’s going on?”

“My friend, she got hurt and I don’t think I can move her. It’s just at the next street. Can you…”

You frowned. “How is she hurt, Grace? What happened?”

Grace shook her head. “I don’t know, can you just…”

You took a glance back at Leah, who nodded at you quickly disappearing back into the ED.

Feeling certain that whoever it was that Leah alerted would be able to catch up to you quickly, you let Grace lead you out of the ED, so preoccupied that you didn’t notice the shift in the look in her eyes.

“Anything?”

Will asked, jogging up towards Ethan who shook his head.

Having just gotten a bit of time between patients, Will and Ethan had come out after you almost immediately but somehow you were nowhere to be found.

Will already had his phone pressed to his ear but while it had been ringing earlier, it was now dead.

“Are we sure…” Will’s voice trailed off as his eye caught on something right by the side of the sidewalk. “Wait.”

Will bent down, picking it up. There was no mistaking it, Will thought, as the key-shaped pendant from your necklace lay in his palm. “This is hers. I better call Jay.”

The ringing in Jay’s ears hadn’t stopped since he’d heard from Will.

With no hesitation whatsoever, Voight had sent Jay and Hailey along to Med, while Kim went straight to try to track movements from traffic pods.

Jay frowned now as he leaned over the computer in the security office with Hailey, watching as you spoke to a woman in the waiting room, her face not fully visible from the angle she was standing at.

Hailey glanced at Jay. “She knows where the cameras are.”

Jay nodded absentmindedly, his eyes locked on the image of you leaving the hospital - the last time any of your colleagues had seen you.

Jay ran a hand across his face as he tried to empty his brain to think. Nothing made sense. It didn’t make sense why anyone would want to take you. There’d been no violent patients that you had mentioned recently and everyone Hailey had spoken to earlier couldn’t think of anyone from the past few months either. Sure, there’d been difficult patients and family members but no one that jumped out as being dangerous.

Which meant they had no starting point. And Jay was worried that his brain was too clouded with worry to even think straight. He felt like he was missing something.

“Jay. Here.” Will said, his voice quiet as he put the necklace in Jay’s hand.

Jay’s eyes lingered for a while on the pendant now and Will glanced at his brother worriedly, unable to even imagine being in Jay’s shoes right now.

“Jay, if you…”

Will was interrupted as Jay’s phone rang, his eyes wandering towards the screen of the image capture.

What the hell?

Will glanced up again where Jay was still talking on the phone, before his eyes found the screen again, feeling the knot in his gut seemingly grow in size.

“Will, I just heard.” Connor’s voice broke Will out of what was almost a trance, turning to look at Connor.

Connor registered the look in Will’s eyes almost immediately, his eyes flitting to the screen before he glanced at Will. “That’s…”

“What?” Jay asked now, joining them again as he finished talking to Kim.

Will could barely look his brother in the eye as he glanced up.

“Her name is Grace. Grace Turner.”

Jay frowned. “You know this woman?”

Will exchanged a look with Connor, who merely squeezed his hand. “She's been stalking me."

The room was still spinning but at least it seemed to be slowing down.

Grace had her back to you as she fiddled with something on her table. You knew you should have trusted your gut.

From the beginning, something had felt off about her, like she was being too friendly. But then you’d put it down to your social anxiety, swallowing it down like a bad pill.

Yet now, as you became more aware of the ache around your shoulders from your arms being pulled towards your back, feel the rough material of whatever she’d used to tie your wrists together, you knew your gut had been right all along. You should have just listened to it.

Just as you were trying to figure what the hell you were supposed to do, Grace turned to look at you.

Her lips curled up into a smile that you’d never seen on her face before, something that made the feeling of unease balloon up in the pit of your stomach.

“You’re awake.”

You frowned, your eyes scanning her expression for more clues.

“Grace, what’s going on? What… is this?” You asked, trying your best to keep your voice level and calm, as you’d done many times in the course of your work in the ED, regardless of what you were feeling.

Grace looked back at you, blinking. “I’ve been trying to figure out why he likes you. There’s nothing truly outstanding, you know?”

You frowned.

“What?”

You weren’t sure if she wasn’t making sense or if your head was still kind of spinning from inhaling whatever drug she’d soaked that cloth with before she’d pressed it against your mouth and nose earlier.

Grace turned back to look at you now and you didn’t like the glint in her eye. “I’ve been trying to figure it out for weeks, why he's been keeping his distance. And then I saw you with him, and then I knew. It was you. You’re the one standing between us.”

You frowned, your mind spinning as you tried to figure out what she was getting at. Jay hadn’t mentioned anything in particular and you were sure if there’d been someone following the both of you around, he’d have said something or changed up the routine for the both of you.

“You… what? Listen, if there’s…”

Grace didn’t seem to be listening though. “Is it because you’re both doctors?”

Both…

“You.” You couldn’t hide the contempt in your voice as you realized this was her. She was the woman who’d been stressing Will out.

Nervous as you were, your gut still feeling like it was flipped inside out, you also felt annoyance and the extreme urge to protect someone you cared about despite the situation you were in.

Even with the ache in your arms, you glared up at her. “If you really cared about him, you wouldn’t be doing this.”

Grace turned back towards you, the anger in her eyes more pronounced now. “No one cares about him more than I do!”

You didn’t avert your eyes, the anger you felt bubbling over in you overtaking the fear and uncertainty that was still hanging over you.

“Not even his brother?” Your voice was still even, as you looked at her. “You took me because you thought Will and I were seeing each other?”

Grace didn’t say anything, just narrowed her eyes at you.

“If we really were seeing each other, did you think taking me here was going to solve anything?”

Grace exhaled loudly. “I’ve been watching you with him.”

You studied Grace, feeling your thoughts swirl. She’d been so obsessed with Will, that she saw you when you were with him but she didn’t watch you any further. She didn’t see the times that you went home or on dates with Jay. You were actually more surprised she didn’t know about Connor.

“So what do you actually want?”

Your eyes flicked to the scissors she had in her hand as you finished your question, before she stepped towards you.

Jay was quite literally going out of his mind.

They’d matched the woman’s identity, and went straight to her last known address but the apartment looked like it hadn’t been lived in for months judging by the layer of dust that had settled on the furniture. What they did find was a bunch of photos of Will scattered along the walls and other corners of the apartment.

Jay could feel the anger building inside him. Even if this crazy woman hadn’t taken you right under everyone’s nose, the fact that this was somehow connected to his brother was pissing him off so much it was taking all his effort not to punch something.

The sounds of fingers dancing across keyboards, as well as the sound of rifling papers reminded Jay that he needed to keep his head in the game.

“Hey, Jay.”

Jay glanced up to see Connor heading out of the pantry where he’d been with Will, his eyes flicking towards the back view of his brother before he nodded.

“Listen, I was thinking. Will mentioned he’s seen her around his apartment a few times, so couldn’t we…”

Jay froze. “Wait, what?”

Connor frowned. “He didn’t say anything to you?”

Jay’s eyes flicked back in the direction of his brother. “He should have told me about this when it happened.” His voice was slightly reproachful but Connor could hear the tinge of worry as well.

Connor just nodded, realizing he needed to tell Jay almost everything.

“So, can we…”

Jay’s mind was already there as he nodded, leaning back down over his computer, trying to run matches between Grace’s known family and acquaintances with recent rentals near Will’s apartment.

Jay’s eyes scanned the screen in front of him quickly before he paused. “Ruz, what did you say her sister’s name was?”

“Kayla.”

Jay frowned. “I have a Kayla Lloyd here.”

Kim was right on it. “I think you’re on the right track. Kayla Turner married Nash Lloyd three years ago.”

The team exchanged looks. Hailey nodded. “It’s the best we got so far. I say we go.”

Voight was already standing at his office door before he nodded. “Let’s go.”

Connor glanced at Will from where they were sitting in the back of Jay’s truck.

Will was glancing out, his fist curled into a ball as it rested on the seat between him and Connor. It wasn’t that he was that affected by this woman, but the fact that he hadn’t done anything which ultimately got the people around him dragged in was really eating at him.

Jay glanced at his brother through the rear view mirror before training his eyes back on the road. He didn’t have the capacity to think of anyone else but you right now. He didn’t know how to. But he could feel the fear clawing at him, but he just exhaled slowly, turning the corner towards the address they’d found earlier.

You exhaled, hearing Grace pacing outside the bedroom she’d put you in.

Your eyes darted around the room, your brain feeling like it was finally clearing up enough for you to form thoughts that were coherent enough for you to take in other details you hadn’t noticed earlier, like your phone sitting on the dresser.

Grace had been a little out for it for a while, alternating between mumbling to herself or ranting at you about Will. You hadn’t exactly pointed out the fact that you weren’t Will’s girlfriend, like she’d been thinking when she’d grabbed you. Other than the insinuation that had seemed to pass right over her head, you weren’t sure if it was going to make things worse if you pointed out that there was nothing going on between you and Will.

But you needed to do something.

You struggled a little to get to your feet, especially considering that your hands and feet were bound together but you managed to stand a little shakily with minimal sound, feeling a bead of sweat travel down the side of your face.

Gritting your teeth to try not to make any other sound, you gently hopped, grateful that at least she’d put a carpet on her bedroom floor. You angled your body, wobbling backwards as you neared the dresser, your hands finally closing around your phone. You fumbled with your fingers trying to at least turn it on so that Jay could somehow find you. You felt like it was forever, trying to wait for the stupid logo to disappear and for the phone to start but you’d just turned around again to peer at the screen when the door opened.

You froze as you watched the look on Grace’s face shift to one of rage as she took in the scene before her.

She lunged and you threw yourself out of the way, your eyes not missing the fact that she was still gripping onto the scissors in her hand. Your phone slid out of your hands and onto the floor with a thud and you felt your heart sink with it as you tried to reposition yourself on the floor, trying to ignore the shooting pains from the shoulder you’d landed on.

But you knew it was useless, especially as you heard her frustrated breath and a low growl before you felt yourself get yanked up by the hair.

She was freakishly strong for a woman her size.

That was the thought that entered your mind as you tried to regain as much balance as you could. You felt your breath catch in your throat as the threatening cold metal blades hovered near your neck right before the door crashed open.

You’d never felt such a sense of safety overwhelm you until you saw your husband’s face now, his gun ticked up high, his eyes betraying a mixed look of relief and worry at the same time, if that was even possible.

“Y/N.” Your name left his lips like a reflex, his eyes locked directly on yours, even the unspoken words putting you slowly at ease.

Jay was here.

Jay’s eyes flicked towards the woman standing behind you who looked as startled as a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

“Put the scissors down.”

You heard the effort it took for Jay to keep his voice steady, knowing that it would just take something small for Jay to lose it. So you locked your eyes on his, even though you felt the anxiety once again eat at you.

Grace hadn’t reacted and Jay kept his gun raised, his trained eyes looking around the room.

“Stay out of this.” Grace forced the words out through her clenched teeth. “I wouldn’t have done this if she didn’t…”

Her words trailed off as your body froze, your eyes catching the flash of ginger at the door.

“Will.” You felt the jolt of worry hit you, interrupted only by a growl from behind you, the scissors that inched dangerously closer towards your neck reminding you that maybe you shouldn’t have said his name.

Will’s eyes lighted on yours and despite the predicament you found yourself in, you wanted to smack him upside the head for that guilt swimming in his eyes.

Your eyes moved back towards Jay’s and he nodded discreetly at you.

“Grace. Listen to me. Put it down and we can all talk, alright?” Jay said quietly, lowering his gun just a little as a show of faith.

Grace frowned, her eyes flicking up towards Will before she spoke. “All I needed to do was get rid of her, right?”

Will’s frown deepened just slightly as he absorbed what Grace was saying.

“I was just getting rid of the obstacles standing in our way.” Grace said, her voice cracking just a little. “I see the way you look at her, but if it wasn’t for her, we'd be together!"

Will glanced at you and you frowned just as his eyes flicked back to Grace, his head shaking slowly. “I need you to let her go. Can’t you see you’re hurting everyone?”

You heard Will’s voice crack softly, Jay’s eyes flicking towards his older brother as well.

“She’s my… she’s my sister. There’s nothing… You… you’ve misunderstood.”

You could hear how much it was killing Will to keep his voice even and steady, when he was just as close to losing his cool as Jay was.

You felt Grace’s hold on you loosen just a little as her focus shifted entirely to Will. “Your…”

She shook her head, her shaking hand once again inching closer towards you. “I’ve seen the both of you… you don’t have a sister, don’t lie to me!”

“It’s true.” Will said quietly, glancing at Jay who nodded, now lowering his gun even more, Hailey stepping just half a step forward in case.

“Grace.” Jay said quietly. “Look at me.”

As Grace turned her attention to him, Jay exhaled gently. “You know me, don’t you? If you know Will as well as you do.”

Grace nodded slowly. “I just want my wife back.” He said quietly and you heard the quiet crack in his voice, one that only you would have picked up on. “Just give her back to me, please.”

“Your…”

Grace angled her head back down to you and you nodded. “I tried to tell you.”

Caught off-guard, Grace looked like she wasn’t sure what to do next. In her hesitation, her hand holding the blade moved slightly away from you, hovering off to the side and Jay nodded at you.

You threw yourself in the opposite direction, falling back down onto the ground with a crash, the pain in your shoulder causing you to groan. Jay lunged towards Grace, the metal blades of the scissors clattering across the ground as she lost grip.

“Y/N, are you hurt?”

Will’s voice reached you first and you opened your eyes, the groan escaping your lips. “My shoulder. I think…”

Jay was back at your side as Hailey took over the arrest, slicing through the cables around your wrists quickly. The relief was almost immediate and a quiet sigh escaped your lips as the pressure of your arms being pulled behind you was released, even though your shoulder still gave a small throb.

“Are you hurt?” Jay’s voice was quiet but you could feel every single emotion that pulsated through those three words.

You winced as Will’s fingers applied pressure on your shoulder but Will glanced up a little guiltily at his brother, shaking his head. “It’s a little strained but I don’t think it’s a serious injury.”

“Chloroform I think.” You told Will, glancing a little worriedly at Jay for an impending reaction.

Instead, Jay just leaned in, pressing you gently into his embrace, as if worried you’d disappear right out of his arms.

You felt tears well up in your eyes as the adrenaline still pumped through your veins, the anxiety from everything that had happened pulling to the surface, a quiet sob escaping through your lips.

Putting a gentle hand on your head, Jay pulled you deeper into his embrace, soothing you quietly and as you felt your heartbeat slow, you didn’t feel like crying anymore.

The only time Jay had let go of your hand was briefly in the ambulance when the paramedics needed to put a line in, as well as when Ethan had asked him to wait outside and you’d nodded quietly at him with an encouraging smile.

But the moment Ethan had let him back in, Jay was once again next to you almost like a bodyguard while Ethan assured him that everything seemed to be okay except that your shoulder was slightly bruised from the fall and that you were getting an ice compress and they’d examine you again after.

As Ethan left the both of you alone in the room again, you leaned your head against Jay with a soft sigh.

“You doing okay?” Jay asked quietly.

You didn’t answer immediately before you nodded. “You heard Ethan.”

“You know that wasn’t what I was asking.” A reproachful tone crept into Jay’s voice despite his efforts to hide it.

You pulled away to look up at him and Jay took the opportunity to lower himself down towards you, sitting at the edge of your bed so he could be close enough for you to remain snuggled into his side.

“I remembered where I knew her from…” You’d barely begun when your eyes caught Will hovering at the entrance of the room.

Jay glanced up, nodding at his brother who was closely followed by Connor. Connor had Will’s hand protectively clamped in his own, which only made you want to smile.

“Hey, you doing okay?” Will asked. “Ethan said whatever she gave you was probably just a sedative and that other than a busted shoulder you’re…”

You smiled. “I’m fine.”

Will glanced at Jay, which made you look at your husband as well.

“Look, Y/N. I’m sorry. This is all…”

“Will Halstead.” You snapped, interrupting him. “I swear to God, if you take all the blame for this one I will smack you upside the head. Hard.”

You narrowed your eyes at him as Will looked a little startled, even though a smile was playing on the corner of Connor’s lips.

“How the hell were any of us supposed to know this was her? Or that this woman following you around would actually think I was your girlfriend and kidnap me in broad daylight?” You said, glancing over at Jay as if this was directed at him as well.

Jay just nodded at you before looking at his brother. “Will, I wasn’t blaming you, I just…”

Will nodded. “I know. I kept thinking if Connor had disappeared…”

Connor gave Will’s hand another reassuring squeeze.

“We done?” You asked, almost accusingly at Will.

Will’s eyebrows bunched together in slight confusion as he nodded.

“Now, get over here. I need a hug from my older brother.” You snapped.

Will let out the first real smile that day and stepped forward to pull his arms around you. “I’m sorry.” Will whispered.

You shook your head. “All of you came to get me. That’s what matters.”

Will pulled away and Connor reached for his hand once more. “Told you so.”

You smiled, leaning back into Jay’s embrace. “You almost induced a heart attack today. Don’t ever disappear on me again.” Jay whispered, pressing his lips onto your temple.

You just closed your eyes, letting out a soft hum of satisfaction at being safe with Jay, accompanied by Will and Connor, the ache in your shoulder barely even bothering you anymore.

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

If you want to support me, buy me a coffee!

[scribblesofagoonerr]

It's only up from here now on, kid

Since this one won in the poll that I put out, here it is ✌🏼

Thank you so much @alotofpockets for the help with this post!

Let me know what you all think & I hope you like it.

Ps. It's almost 2 am and I'm tired so I apologise if the last bit of this doesn't make much sense at all... 🫠

“It’s going to be fine, remember?” Beth tries her best to reassure you as she takes a gentle hold of your hand on her own, “Just breathe, you’re okay” she adds.

“I’m scared” You admit, barely louder than a whisper.

Viv glances at you and smiles at you sympathetically from the seat opposite, “It’s normal to feel like you do, kleintje” she tells you.

“We’re going to be right here for you the whole time” Beth promises you as she moves her free arm to wrap it around your shoulder and tug you in a little bit closer, “We’re not leaving you” she states in reassurance.

It was unfortunate for you that the day of your planned surgery came around quicker than you initially would’ve liked and you couldn’t avoid it any longer now.

The way that your uninjured knee bounced up and down anxiously and your hands that were ridiculously clammy was a clear indication of actually how worried and scared you were about this.

Both Beth and Viv could tell straight away that you were beginning to freak out the moment that you had stepped into the waiting room; You’d always hated hospitals, there was just something about them that made you always try and avoid them when it was possible.

However, this surgery wasn’t something that you could just brush under the carpet, because it was important and it was needed if you wanted to continue with your career.

Initially you thought the hardest thing that you would have to face would be dealing with the aftermath of it all, listening to the media drone on about how this injury would rule you out the rest of the current season and any international breaks for the next 9 months, like you didn’t already need enough of a reminder about your dream of the olympics being over.

It was like a virtual kick in the teeth.

You hated the fact you were sidelined from the games and despite how much you had the support of Beth, Viv, Laura, Leah and hell even the rest of the girls, it still hurt to deal with it all.

Even Kyra’s mischievous ways couldn’t put a smile on your face most days, nor the adorable puppy cuddles from Myle, Beth & Vivs’ new pup that you’d completely fallen in love with.

“Is it too late to just turn around and go back home?” You can’t help but wonder, glancing around the hospital waiting room apprehensively.

Beth lets out a small laugh, “We can’t do that kiddo, we’re already here now” she replies to your question.

Pouting quietly, you fumble with your hands which has become a trait that you’d do when you're nervous, “I… I don’t want to be here. I’m scared” you confess.

“I know kiddo, but you have nothing to be worried about” The blonde tells you in reassurement, doing her best to ease your worries about your feelings of the upcoming surgery, “The surgeons are good, they know what they're doing here” she reminds you.

“They have done it enough times” Viv chips in quietly, earning a small chuckle from Beth.

“I hate hospitals” You complain a few seconds later.

“I know that you do, kiddo” Beth smiles at you sympathetically, all but wishing that she could take your pain and suffering away.

It had hurt Beth and Viv so much to see you go down on the pitch in the way that you did, they’d not openly had a conversation about it but it was definitely understood that they shared mutual feelings about the whole situation.

None of it was fair for you, you were on the path to succeed and just like that, this cruel injury has wiped that all away in just a blink of an eye.

Life really was cruel sometimes.

“Can you… Can you run me through it again, please? Just so I remember what’s going to happen” You mumble quietly, but still loud enough for the two women to hear you ask the question, “Please” You whisper, sounding unusually vulnerable compared to usual.

“Okay” Beth exhales a sigh, she’d already run over the whole procedure of what would happen at least twice, or maybe even three times previously, but if it eased your own worries than she’d do what she could to help you out, “You want me to run you through the procedure, or the whole of it in general?” she wonders.

“All of it” You whisper, fumbling with the strings of yours– Laura’s hoodie that you had somehow stolen from her but you liked the way that it buried you and made you feel small enough to try and escape the world.

The blonde nods in understanding before she starts to explain it once more, “So in the next hour or so from now, your names’ going to be called and you’ll be taken to the room that you’ll be in before your operation” she pauses for a minute to let you catch up to speed, “You’ll have a hospital gown to change into that they’ll give you when you go into the room along with a pair of them snazzy socks, huh? So you just be able to pull the look off” she jokes with you, trying to keep the conversation light and jokey to avoid you getting any further worried.

“Nobody can pull a look like that off, well other than Leah I suppose” You mumble as you giggle slightly at the comment.

“Well she can pull anything off” Viv chuckles, shaking her head amusedly as she tries to bury her own feelings down to not have you feel any more scared than you need to be.

“Even a bin bag” Beth jokes with you both, “Alright, so your surgery isn’t until 4 o’clock, remember? So you’re going to have to wait a bit, but we’ll be right in the room with you to keep you company, up until the minute you go down” she adds.

You follow along and nod, somehow Beth running through everything again does a little something to settle your bubbling nerves, “What happens after that?” you ask.

“Before you go down to the operating room, there will be an anaesthetist that will come and see you beforehand to discuss the options of anaesthetic before you go down” The blonde tells you, pausing for you to quickly catch up on the last bit of information, “Remember how we spoke about the anaesthetist inserting a cannula into your vein as well? They’ll do that, so they’ll be able to administer any medicine that’s needed during the operation” she tells you.

“Will the cannula hurt?” You start to panic once more, you were vaguely familiar with the fact that a cannula was a sharp needle that would be painful and you absolutely hated needles.

“It will be just like a sharp string, but it’ll be over soon enough” Viv is quick to tell you when she notes the panic in your eyes, they both definitely knew how much you hated anything medically, and they’d definitely experienced their fair share of dealing with your panic attacks when you’ve needed any type of injections in the past, “They’ll give you the anaesthetic that’ll put you to sleep” she adds.

“Will it be a n… needle?” You absolutely hate needles, you’re terrified of them and every single doctor's experience in the past had always been disastrous ever since you were little.

“You won’t feel it initially, kleintje” Viv tells you as she places a gentle hand on your uninjured knee to stop it bouncing anxiously, “You’ll have a cannula in your hand. When you're down in the operating room, the anaesthetist will ask you to count backwards from 10 while they administer it and before you even get to finish, you’ll be completely out of it so they can begin the operation” she explains to you.

You slump your shoulders as you feel slightly more at ease, “Oh, okay then. That… That doesn’t sound too bad then” You mumble, swallowing the lump that forms in your throat, “So the doctors will know what they’re doing?”

“They do, they have done it enough times” Beth says as she lightly chuckles.

“And when I wake up from surgery then Leah and Laura will be here as well, right?” You ask hopeful, after all they’d both told you that they would be and you hoped that they wouldn’t break their promise.

“Yes, they have both promised that they will be here” Beth replies in agreement.

Smiling slightly, you nod in agreement with the blonde, “They can’t break the promise then, can they?” You quietly ask, fumbling with the strings again.

“No they can't, otherwise they’ll face a very unhappy girl after surgery” The blonde jokes, ruffling your hair, which earns a small grumble of protest from you.

“Feel less nervous now?” Viv questions, hopeful that you did feel at ease a little bit.

“A little bit, but I really hate hospitals” You huff in annoyance, shaking your head, “And I really hate stupid knees’ as well” You mumble quietly.

Beth can’t help but snort amusedly, “Don’t we all, kiddo… Don’t we all, hey?” she jokes, still trying to keep the conversation light still.

“Okay, we’re going to take you down now, Y/N” The surgeon tells you once they’ve finished spieling all of the medical jargon, which you didn’t really listen to too much.

When they placed the cannula, you can’t deny that it didn’t hurt. There were a few tears in your eyes, but you consider yourself to be mostly brave in comparison to not freaking out about it.

“O… Okay” You swallow the nervous lump in your throat that had formed, the nerves settling in once again.

Beth takes a gentle hold of your own when she can sense your worries, “Don’t be scared, kiddo. You’re in great hands” she reassures you, or at least tries to do that.

“We’ll be right here waiting for you when you come back” Viv chips in, trying to contain her own fears and worries in favour of yours.

You glance between them wearily, “Y… You promise?” You question in fear, although you know that of course they’ll be sat waiting in the room for you and they wouldn’t let you go through this on your own.

“We promise” Beth replies in agreement.

“We promise, kleintje” Viv adds in.

“Love you both” You tell them, it’s barely louder than a whisper but both women are able to hear it and smile at you fondly.

“We love you too, kleintje” Viv tells you, placing a light kiss on the top of your head.

Beth smiles and swaps places with Viv to be closer to you, “We love you so much, our wonder kid” she tells you, kissing the top of your head again, “We’ll be right here when you come back. We’re not going anywhere” she adds.

The very single second that you left the hospital room with the surgeons, it was like Viv completely fell apart trying to hold it together any longer now you weren’t there, constantly pacing the floor in the hospital room up and down as Beth watched her girlfriend, worriedly.

“Viv, you’re pacing the floor so much. You might put a dent in it” Beth jokes lightly, furrowing her eyebrows as she watches in concern as her girlfriend get worked up

“I know, I can’t help it” Viv admits as she still continues to pace the floor, not pausing to take a breath or speak to her girlfriend, 

“I think you might be more nervous than Y/N was before she went down” Beth jokes, trying to keep the mood in the room light.

“I am nervous for Y/N” Viv admits quietly, just loud enough for her girlfriend to be able to hear what she said.

Beths’ facial expression softens in realisation at just how worried Viv actually was about you and your impending surgery, “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks.

“BecauseI was trying to be strong for Y/N, she was scared enough without seeing me to fall to pieces” Viv explains to the blonde, shaking her head and still continuing to pace the floor, “You’re not worried for her?” she asks.

“Of course, I am nervous for her but I’m trying to be brave for her and put my feelings aside” Beth replies to the Dutch womans’ question, “I know it’s hard to keep it all in though. You know that she’s going to be okay though” she tells her.

Viv exhales a sigh and shakes her head, “I’m trying, but it’s so hard and she’s still so young. None of this is fair, Beth” she mumbles.

“I know, leifje” Beth mumbles in agreement before she exhales a sigh herself.

“This is her first major surgery. You saw how scared she looked before, I just can’t help but be worried right now” Viv states, still pacing the floor continuously.

Beth frowns and moves to step in front of her girlfriend to stop any further pacing, “Viv, leifje. I know you’re worried for her but you know that the surgeons here are good and you know that she’s in safe hands” she does her best to reassure her girlfriends’ own fears.

Viv halts from her continuous pacing and exhales a loud sigh, “I know, and I know that too as well but I still can’t be less worried about her until I see her” she confesses.

“That might still be a while yet though, so how about we just sit down?” The blonde suggests, gesturing to the empty chairs in the room, “This pacing isn’t healthy either” she notes.

“What if something goes wrong?” Viv questions in concern.

“Viv, Y/N/N is going to be fine” Beth still tries to reassure her girlfriend, gently pulling her towards the empty chairs, “She’s going to be so brave” she tells her.

“But what if–” Vivs’ question is cut off.

“Viv, leifje” Beth interjects with a soft smile, “Listen, I know you’re worried but there’s nothing that we can do to control this right now. Y/N is in safe hands with the medical professionals, remember?” she reminds her girlfriend.

“You’re right, I know you are but what if–” Viv starts to speak again.

“Vivianne, all that we can do right now is sit down and wait” Beth cuts in, holding her girlfriends’ hand in her own, “I’m just as worried about her as you are, but all of this pacing the floor isn’t going to help ease your worries nor mine, so please just come and sit down” she tells her girlfriend gently.

“Okay” The Dutch woman nods in agreement and moves to sit down beside her girlfriend.

Beth smiles at the woman and joins her to sit down, “Thank you. Y/N/N is going to be okay, she’s our strong girl” she states, trying to remain positive for the both of them.

“We’re here!” Laura announces, rushing into the hospital room as fast as she could without injuring herself again.

“We made it here, finally. Traffic was a nightmare on the way here” Leah follows the younger girl in, shaking her head, disgruntled by the typical London traffic that made her get stuck in the middle of rush-hour traffic.

“You both made it here, that’s the main thing” Beth breathes a sigh of relief that she’d been holding in for a while, glad that both of them had made it to the hospital before you came back from surgery.

“The room was a little hard to find. Hospitals always confuse me still” Laura mumbles, moving to sit down in an empty seat in your hospital room.

“Baby England still down in surgery?” Leah questions, settling into the seat Laura.

“Yes” Viv exhales a sigh.

“They took her down around 4 pm, so hopefully it won’t be much longer now” Beth hopes as she takes a quick glance at the time on her phone, apprehensive to mention anything about complications in case that would make Viv panic all over again.

“Gotcha” Leah nods in understanding, glancing between the couple, “How’re you both holding up?” she checks in with them.

Beth can’t help but chuckle slightly, “Well I think Viv’s been a lot more nervous about this than I was led to believe, so it seems like I’m just trying to hold it together for the two of us at this point now” she jokes with the blonde, mock-teasing her girlfriends’ need to worry so much.

“Hey, Y/N is like our own kid. You’re just as worried about her as I am!” Viv insists firmly, shaking her head at her blonde girlfriend.

“I am worried, leifje” Beth responds in agreement, taking a gentle hold of her girlfriends’ hand in her own.

Leah chuckles slightly and shakes her head, “The rest of the girls all send their love, they’d be here as well but they didn’t want to crowd her too much. Steph had to pull Kyra back from her trying to get in my car to join us” she adds in, amusedly.

“We can invite them around when Y/N/N is up for visitors” Viv suggests, trying to chat now to distract any more nervous thoughts about you. Beth was right, you were in safe hands and there was nothing that she could do to change what happens in the operating room.

Beth smiles and nods in agreement, “I’m sure she’d like that” she states.

It felt like several more hours had passed before you finally made an appearance in the room, fast asleep still from the general anaesthetic that you’d been given.

“Here she is” Leah cheers quietly as she spots you still asleep  as they wheel your bed back into the hospital room.

“Surgery went well?” Viv checks in with the surgeon.

“Surgery went very well” The surgeons beams a wide smile in agreement with the woman.

Given the general post-op run down from the surgeons, they left the room and the ACL crew were now just waiting for you to wake up and come back around from the anaesthetic, which wasn’t too long afterwards thankfully.

“Ah, look whos’ finally woken up” Beth jokes when she sees your eyes prise open, “Hello sleepy head” she adds.

You groan as you come around from the slumper you were previously in, feeling slightly disoriented about things, “Ugh. Where am I?” You mumble, not completely aware of your surroundings yet.

“You’re in hospital, Y/N” Beth chuckles slightly and shakes her head, “Did you bang your head down there, huh? We’re all here for you, just like we said” she motions around the room the 4 familiar faces.

“Mhm, oh yeah. Had knee surgery-- Le, you're here, you came!” You mumble in realisation as you squint your eyes and look round the room, spotting Leah and Laura along with Beth and Viv, who had been strangely quiet still since you’d woken up.

"Ahem, I'm here too, you know?" Laura chips in, amusingly.

"Laur! You're here too!" You exclaim in realisation, excited to see the older girl, "Can I go home now?" You ask, eager to get out of the hospital as you thought you had already been here long enough.

“Whoa easy there, let’s just take it slow, huh? There’s no rush” Beth replies, laughing amusedly as she watches you try and climb out of the hospital bed, still very much under the anaesthetic so you couldn’t feel how much pain you were really in.

You can’t help but pout in disappointment, “My own beds’ more comfier than this one though” you note.

Leah can't help but chuckle amusedly, "Glad to see that you've not lost your sense of humour, baby England" she teases you lightly.

"Le!" You exclaim in glee, so high still from the anaesthetic that you forgot she was here again and you are just so happy to see her again, "You're here!" You add in joy.

"I am. I promised you that I would be here, didn't I?" The blonde defender laughs in amusement at your own expense, "It's nice to see that you're in the land of the living now, eh?" she still continues to tease you.

The second that you lie your eyes on Viv, it only takes a few seconds before the floodgate of tears is opened as you stare at her in shock, before you giggle slightly.

"Seriously, Vivi? You told me to not be worried yet here you are, balling your eyes out" You can't help but laugh hysterically, mostly from the anaesthetic making you feel so loopy, "This whole time you've been so worried yourself!" You add in.

Beth chuckles and shakes her head amusedly, "Oh kiddo, she's been beside herself with worry" she tells you as she gently squeezes you on the shoulder, "Remember now, it's only up from here now on, kid" she tells you.

"It's only up from here now on" You parrot the blonde in agreement, happy enough to be closer to leaving that dreaded hospital.

© scribblesofagoonerr

[luveline]

Here’s an idea for the roan and eddie series?,,

what if Roan gets a bad toothache and Eddie + The reader have to take her to the dentist but it’s her first time so she’s extra scared and nervous about the dentist Eddie and The reader help try to get her to feel better about it

thank you anon! dad!eddie x almost step mom!reader, 2.5k

tw for dentist’s office visit and related minor trauma, minor oral surgery, sedation, infection and blood (there’s no graphic description but mentioned)

You're sitting in the back seat of Eddie's car, gaze flitting between his stone-set brow and his crying daughter intermittently. You've never seen Roan in pain like this before, and Eddie's reaction is heartbreaking. 

"I want more Mapap," Roan says tearfully, cheeks shining wet with tears and bright red, "Dad, I want Mapap, please." 

He keeps his focus on the road, but his voice betrays his panic, "You can have more in just a minute, babe. One minute." 

"I want it now," she says. 

Her toothache began a few nights ago after a mishap with a sharp tortilla chip. She'd cried unexpectedly —the older she gets, the better she handles small pains— and Eddie had doted on her lovingly, rubbing her back for hours until she was calm enough to show him the fallout. He shined a torch into her mouth and found the problem, a cracked baby tooth, her spit orangey-red with blood. 

He called the dentist the next morning, though she'd woken up without a fuss, and they'd agreed to see her in four days time to make sure it wasn't a problem. 

Three days later, it’s definitely a problem. Clearly the cracked tooth and exposed gum has become infected and left your poor almost-daughter in a lot of pain (almost because you and Eddie aren’t married yet, not because you don't love her like one). 

You give her knee a little rub, shushing and humming as sympathetically as you can. 

"Almost there," you murmur. 

"It hurts," she says sullenly, "daddy, I want the Mapap." 

Eddie's shoulder tense. He's not mad, you know that, he's just not sure what he can do. He licks his lips, turning into the parking lot, and doesn't answer until he's parked. 

"I'm coming, Ro," he says, "two seconds."

Eddie gets out of the car. You wait for him to open her door and scoop her out of her car seat before you get out yourself, dipping into the passenger side for the papers he'd set aside earlier, all of her medical information in a neat folder. 

You're pretty sure he forgets to lock the car, pat pat patting Roan's back as you begin the short walk to the dentist's office. Roan whines for painkillers and Eddie praises her for being so good rather than refuse her again, "You're so brave, babe," he says, arms full as you reach the door. 

You put your hand on his elbow before you open it. "I got this," you say. 

He nods stiffly. Together, you enter the dentist's office and Eddie quickly takes a seat, Roan longer than ever and yet impossibly small as she curls up in his lap, her swollen cheek held away from his chest. 

"I want to go home," she says, "I don't like it in here. I want to see Uncle Wayne." 

"Hi," you say as you approach the front desk, wincing at her crying behind you as it grows louder, "we’re here for an emergency appointment for Roan Munson."

The receptionist smiles, clicking Roan's name into the computer. She nods, ticks a box or two, and hands you a clipboard. "Fill this in, please. The dentist is on schedule, so it should be any minute now. Don't worry about finishing the form in time, as long as you hand it back before you leave." 

"Thank you." 

Eddie's promising things as you return, hand on Roan's knee. "I swear, sweetheart, it'll stop hurting any minute now. The dentist will give you a little bit of medicine to make the pain stop, and then he'll fix your tooth. How's that sound?" 

"I want medicine at the house," she says, eyes wide. 

Her wriggling panic from the pain has abated some now Eddie's holding her, but she hates the dentist, and it's written plainly on her face. The poor baby is terrified. 

You fill in her clipboard forms as best as you can. You're a Roan expert at home, having known her for more than a year and loving her that whole time, but there's some medical stuff you can't answer. You don't know what her blood type is, you certainly can't tell them where she was born. You assume Hawkin's general hospital, but you just don't know. If they wanted to know her favourite pair of shoes, or what shape she likes her pancakes in, you’d be the girl to ask. 

"You gotta fill this in," you say. 

Eddie looks up. "What?" 

"I don't know this stuff, sorry." 

He gives you a quick smile and takes the clipboard. "That's alright," he says, pressing it to Roan's leg. "Roan doesn't know your blood type either. Equal exchange." 

You crouch down by their seat and meet Roan's eyes. Tender, you tuck a sweaty curl behind her ear and give her your softest smile. 

"You're so brave, princess. You just tell me what you want after this and we'll go get it. Anything you want." 

Her lip wobbles. "It's scary in here," she says, like she's breathless. 

You find her hand and take a deep breath, hoping she'll take her own to match. 

“Don’t be scared. Me and dad are right here with you. Don’t be scared.” You smile at her, though really you want to frown, perturbed by her sniffling and her rumpled hair, her tear-sticky collar. “You think I’d let them hurt my girl? No way. We’re here to make you feel better, and I promise that’s all we’re gonna do. Me and dad aren’t going anywhere.”

She gets called into the dentist's office soon after. You take back the clipboard and Eddie puts her down on her own two feet for the short walk into the room, wiping his face with the back of his hand. You say polite and rushed hellos to the dentist and her assistant. 

"Hi, Roan," says Dr. Mackenzie, a tall, pretty black woman in scrubs and a white doctor’s coat . She’s known Roan since she had teeth to look at, but her presence unfortunately doesn't calm her. "I didn't think we'd see you so soon. What's the matter, hun?" 

"She cracked her tooth on a tortilla chip," Eddie says succinctly, though he does add, "Hi, Dr. Mackenzie. It's good to see you." 

She waves her hand at Eddie, grinning at you. "God, he's charming. Alright, Roan, let's have you up on the big chair. Dad can hold your hand, here we go." 

The assistant stands with her prepped tools, and Dr. Mackenzie grabs the circle light and moves it over Roan' face. Eddie rubs her little knuckles in a careful hold as Dr. Mackenzie investigates the wound. You stand off to the side feeling useless and wishing you were the one holding Roan's hand as she yelps. 

"I see," Dr. Mackenzie says. "Okay, so this is the tooth with the cavity we filled last time, do you remember? It's only a little tooth, and we wanted to prolong its lifespan, but the filling we used was a temporary one because it was white. White fillings look good, but they aren't as strong, and you must've had a very sharp chip. So what I want to do now is take an x-ray to assess the infection, and then we'll fix your poor tooth. How does that sound, dad?" 

"Is it a bad infection?" Eddie asks worriedly. 

Dr. Mackenzie shakes her head. "Not necessarily, but the tooth is cracked all the way to the root, that's why she's in so much pain." 

"Can I have Mapap now?" Roan asks, when the mirror tool's and the lollipop stick have been removed from her mouth. 

"Something stronger," Dr. Mackenzie agrees. 

You and the dentists have to step out of the room for the x-ray, but it only takes a second. Eddie stays and absorbs whatever miniscule radiation it is that's exuded. They don't show Roan, but the infection is a small abscess in her gum wrapped around the root of the tooth. Dr. Mackenzie has a couple of options for treatment, but the best and luckiest is that Roan can either be put under mild sedation or she can breathe some nitrous oxide, both methods avoiding all the pain and traumatic memory of an extraction. 

"It's more expensive to be sedated," Dr. Mackenzie says, because she has to. "But it's what I recommend."

Eddie's at the point where you're sure he'd do anything. "Then we'll do what you recommend," he says. 

"Alright. We'll only need a few minutes to prepare. Has she eaten today?" 

"Breakfast, but nothing since, she can't," you say. 

"Alright. Roan, I'm gonna give you a glucose dissolvable, hun. It tastes very sweet and chalky, but I want you to try and let it dissolve on your tongue, okay? You don't have to chew it." 

Roan eats the glucose tablet. You and Eddie stand hip to hip and as out of the way as you can manage as they prepare the room for her procedure, laying the chair very flat. When it's time to start, they usher you back to the chair at the opposite end of the room. Eddie holds her hand the whole time. They medicate her, and you're glad she's sedated, even if the procedure isn't especially brutal. They clamp and wiggle out her broken tooth in two clean pieces in about a minute, before draining the abscess and packing her wound with gauze. It's done in fifteen minutes altogether. 

They give her a couple of minutes to come around properly, asking guiding questions. Do you feel any pain, hun? Dizziness? Do you feel sick? 

Eddie doesn't let her walk. He picks her up with infinite gentleness and positions her head on his shoulder like a pillow, smoothing the hair from her face a strand at a time as the dentist talks about cleaning and prevention of further infection. 

"She might, uh, need to spit," the assistant remarks. 

Drool dribbles down Eddie's front. He's practically all smiles now that she's finally out of pain. "That's okay, I'm used to it by now." 

Back to the waiting room for more paperwork. There will be another heap to come in the mail sure enough, you can already picture the arguments you're going to have on the phone with Eddie's insurance, 

"World's most expensive bag of Doritos," you remark on the way back to the car. 

Eddie's thumb rubs thoughtlessly against the bumps of her spine. "My girl," he says, not talking to you, lips on Roan's forehead, "poor girl. Though I bet that's much better relief than a spoonful of Mapap, huh?" He kisses her smooth forehead. "You're the bravest girl in the whole world." 

His severeness startles you, but of course you agree. "The bravest in the universe," you agree. "How about I drive, handsome?" 

Eddie dotes the entire drive. You make a stop at the store for soft foods, ice cream and yogurt and soup, as well as a cute cup to make the salt water wash she's going to have to endure more appetising, as well as some general treats. Eddie, usually averted to you spending money on treats, doesn't say a bad word when you show him the new pyjamas, socks, and Barbie doll you've bought for her. He strokes some life into Roan's cheek and says, "Oh, look what Y/N's got for you, angel." 

"This isn't her present," you say firmly, turning back to the wheel. "She still gets to choose something else." 

Eddie kisses the top of her head, pleased when she has the sense about her to say, "My mouth tastes funny." 

"Yeah?" he asks. "You want to drink some of my water?" 

She drinks some water, though the majority of it ends up back in the bottle. She's still mildly woozy when you park the car in the driveway to your house and usher them inside of your sanctuary. Eddie's wrapped her up like an octopus, unwilling to part with her, and for once allowing you to expend some of your own energy on things that need to get down. You set them up with drinks and blankets and TV while you clean the mess of the kitchen. You give yourself a breather by the open window, and it's quiet enough to hear Eddie's praising murmurs. 

"You're so, so brave, Ro. You're such a brave girl, and me and Y/N have never been so proud of you… I know this has been a really hard week for you, and I promise I'm gonna make it up, okay? I love you." 

"...Love you, daddy." 

"I love you," he says again. "Can I have a look at your gauze, sweetheart?" 

"I'm tired." 

"Really quickly. Really quickly, and then we'll get you into some pyjamas." 

There's a gap of silence. 

"Dad, you have yucky stuff on your t-shirt." 

"Ew, I know. I was just crying so much worried about you," he teases. 

You grin at his silly fib and trek back into the living room where Roan's propped back on her big fluffy pillow on the couch, Eddie leaning over her just slightly. He's inching forward threateningly, Roan's gross dribble splotch on his chest and growing closer and closer. She giggles lazily. 

"Don't," she begs. 

"Don't what? You don't wanna hug me?" 

"Get changed, dad," she says, pushing his chest away. 

He sits up, noticing you where you wait by the back of the couch. "Hey. Y/N's gonna sit with you and I'm gonna change my shirt, okay? I'll be really fast, Ro, and then you owe me a hug." 

Roan sighs morosely. "Okay, you can have a hug now." 

"I can?" Eddie beams at you, beams at his girl, and looks properly light-hearted for the first time in days. "Thanks, Roan. You're the bestest." 

"I know." 

Eddie grabs blindly for you and tugs you down to join the hug wonkily. It’s haphazard and ill-fitting, but he squeezes your shoulder, and you try to get in on the love. It reminds you of any other night. 

Eddie tears himself away from her eventually to change. You stop him from stepping around you, taking his stubbly cheek into your hand. “Good job, Munson,” you say, letting your hand slide down his neck to the curve of his shoulder. “You were…” You swallow down the cheesy praise you were going to give him. “I think you deserve a treat too.”

“We all do,” he says. “I know you were freaked out–”

“I wasn’t,” you interrupt, though you concede, “Okay, a little bit.”

“Me too. I’m majorly impressed by how fast they fixed her.”

“You’ll be majorly impressed by the bill,” you joke softly. 

He steals a hug. “Ah, well. Worth every penny, right?”

You hug him back. “Definitely,” you agree. She’s worth whatever it costs. “Good thing we’ve been saving. Goodbye, familymoon.”

“We’re still going on vacation,” he says. He pulls back to chuck you under the chin. “Even if we have to walk there.”

“Dad, can I spit again? My mouth tastes bad,” Roan says. 

You usher him upstairs and tend to his daughter unflinchingly, happy to take the icky job. She’s worth a million times more than a vacation, and you’d deal with worse than spit if it means she feels better. 

—

more eddie, roan and reader <3

[k-s-morgan]

Katrin, are you alright? You haven’t posted anything for two weeks, I’m growing more and more worried.😔 Please stay safe, please! Pray for you and your family🙏

Ask from @themoonfoundmyfantasy: Hey, can you let us know how you are please? A lot has happened in the news….x

Another ask: Hello! Please update everyone, we’re all so worried for you. How is everything in your country? How is your family? Are things better?

Ask from @ifpjo: hi!!! hope you’re safe! 🙏🏻 praying for you and your family!

Another ask: How are you today?

------

Hi! Thank you all for your lovely and caring asks and messages <3 My last few weeks were not very good - my pigeon Lidok, the one that my family considered a little miracle, our good-luck charm, passed away; my Dad is about to have surgery that keeps getting delayed, and I got a flu or whatever this irritating thing is. Plus Russia has been attacking us every other day, which really strains my nervous system. I'm sick of air raids.

But a lot of similar things happened to me before, and I guess I'm getting a little bit used to it. I'm now reacting with more melancholy and weary acceptance rather than driving myself crazy with grief and fear. This is probably progress - at least it feels better.

I haven't done any writing for these last two weeks, but today is the day I feel fine enough to go back to it and to make contact with the outside world in general, so here I am)) Thank you for waiting. I really can't wait to share the next chapter of ATLWETD, it's probably my favorite yet.

[buttfrovski]

Any PC Creek headcanons you have?

tweek doesn't drink coffee anymore.

they have a nice wine collection going.

they have a medicine cabinet that overflows with tweek's prescriptions and advil. craig's had like.. two prescriptions total and they were for a surgery he had on his shoulder like 10 years ago.

i haven't really decided on headcanons for jobs. whether they both have jobs or one stays at home.. idk. i like to think craig has a cool stem job like aerospace engineering and he's kinda a big shot.

however, tweek is the one that cooks. to this day it leaves a big mess every time, but at least the food turns out good. he bakes a lot too.

for his birthday- craig got tweek a nice grand piano to replace the keyboard he had before.

craig tried using that ONE hair dye for old guys to hide his grey hairs and tweek chewed him out for it cuz he likes the grey hairs.

they watch TV shows and movies all the time. almost every night. reality tv crap, some hoity toity critically acclaimed typa movie, a disney movie, popular shows, etc. they've seen it. however, they can't watch any of gordon ramsey's shows because he makes tweek nervous.

both of them are good with mechanics around the house and such... it's just that craig tries to get to it first b4 tweek notices cuz tweek has electrocuted himself multiple times before.

craig is rlly good at wordle, connections, crosswords, puzzles, all that stuff and tweek hates him for it. (but still asks for his help)

they didn't speak to eachother for three days after trying to put up an ikea set together.

i drew this one time- but craig puts the peanut butter on the highest cabinet all the way in the back so tweek can't reach it. tweek knows he does it and just hops up to grab it- but craig denies it.

they do still have guinea pigs. many. they always have at least one named stripe.

craig is the one who drives. that's all i gotta say.

craig's a chronic blanket stealer and snores. tweek murmurs in his sleep and has never woken up gracefully in his life.

i'm gonna stop myself here. i prolly have 100 more because domestic fluff is my specialty.

[82mitsu]

{18Trip} <CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A: Sun will R1ze!> 001-A06 Off to a rocky introduction

A translation of 18TRIP's CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A by 82mitsu. ENG proofreading by sasaranurude.

TL note: 

Renga mistakens 罷免 (himen, to dismiss someone from a position) for 日麺 (himen), a word combining day (hi) and noodles (men). Which is why he thinks it's some new type of noodle. Joke has been reworked to make it make sense in English.

Kaede: (Who would’ve thought it would be happening on my third day of working here. A face-to-face meeting with the current Ward Mayors…!)

Yachiyo: Uuuwuhg… I’m nervous. Me supporting the Morning Squad… Guh-gonna puke…

Kaede: T-take it easy, Yachiyo-kun. Kafka said he’s also part of the Morning Squad. Remember?

Yachiyo: Y-you’re right. Ugweghh~ I need to look back at my notes in times like these!

Yachiyo: For the meeting with the current Ward Mayors, wait in front of the office… Okay! When I see them, greet them and… Eh, what do I say!?

Yachiyo: Gugugugreet them……..!? Our greetings need to be able to correspond to any time of the day so a goodmornafternight will do, yes!?

Kaede: It’s morning right now, so I think a normal good morning is fine enough…

Kaede: (Agh… Now I’m nervous too… Though I did meet all of the Mayor Wards once before.)

Yachiyo: Mutter mutter… Profile memos of the current Ward Mayors…

Yachiyo: The 2nd Ward Mayor is Kamina Yukikaze, an active figure skater… Gweh! Isn’t he a celebrity!?

Kaede: It’s common that mayors of a special tourism ward are famous people to begin with, since their role also includes advertising. 

Yachiyo: The 3rd Ward Mayor is Nishizono Renga… Hweh! He’s that high and mighty model talent, right!? W-w-w-w-what do I do, are lowbrow commoners even allowed near him…!?

Kaede: ……

Yachiyo: The 4th Ward Mayor is Lu Liguang… the Number Two from the Lùróng Family overlooking Chinatown… Isn’t he s-s-s-s-s-someone you don’t wanna cross paths with…!?

Kaede: Who’s to say—we have to meet him regardless…

Yachiyo: Leaving the others aside, Kamina Yukikaze is a top athlete, a living national human treasure! Aaaaah what do I doooo, Chief, how can you be so calm about it~!?

Kaede: Uhm, Yachiyo-kun, calm down…

Yachiyo: Ah!!! That’s…!!

Yukikaze: ……

Yachiyo: Athlete Kamina Yukikaze…!! The Scion of Ice…!! The handsome beauty of a gem that’s a living national treasure!! In t-t-t-the flesh……

Yukikaze: ……

Yachiyo: He- suh- he smiLED…!!!?

Yukikaze: I missed you…

(Yukikaze hugs Kaede)

Yachiyo: ~~お@dあk%!?!?!?

Kaede: (I'm the one who's being hugged here, yet Yachiyo-kun is jumping out of his skin…)

Kaede: Yukinii, sorry. Hold off. Since Yachiyo-kun’s freaking out…

Yukikaze: Huh? Oh, good morning. Are you an employee?

Yachiyo: Eh, wuh, wah, chee, kami…!?

Kaede: (Why and how are Chief and Kamina-? I think? Why can I interpret him…)

Kaede: The current 2nd Ward Mayor, Kamina Yukikaze, is my older cousin. Sorry, I should’ve told you earlier…

Yachiyo: D’oh, hooh, yuki, couh!?

Kaede: (D’oooh, the living national human treasure- Kamina Yukikaze- your cousin!? I guess…)

Yukikaze: I was hoping to see you as soon as possible after getting back from my overseas trip. It felt like an eternity until today.

Kaede: Sorry, Yukinii. All I’ve been doing is running all over the place since the company got established. How was the competition?

Yukikaze: …It felt lonely because you didn’t watch.

Kafka: Aaah- close, too close, touching is forbidden.

Kaede: Wah, geez Kafka, be careful with suddenly wedging yourself between us.

Kafka: Is there something wrong up there for you to hug someone the second you see them? Grabbing hands is also off the table. That’s a criminal amount of skinship.

Yukikaze: ...Long time no see, Kafka. Congratulations on the success of your surgery. If you're feeling left out, want a hug from me too?

Kafka: Hah? Are you trying to make me snap?

Kaede: (Here he goes again… Kafka’s always harsh with Yukinii.)

Kaede: (Just as I expected, though, from the moment I heard how the squad of current Ward Mayors would have Kafka in it. too…)

Kaede: Ah, another car has stopped… Looks pretty luxurious. Wonder if it’s the 3rd or 4th Ward Mayor?

Kaede: (And then one more car popped up immediately right after…!? S-such dangerous driving…!)

Renga: Yes! Passed him! How’s that Liguang! I, the greatest in the whole world, arrived first!

Liguang: Sigh… how stupid…

Renga: What was that!?

Kaede: (The nightmare from the airport all over again… These two are fighting every time I see them…)

Yachiyo: It's the a-actual Nishizono Renga… Lu Liguang is as beautiful as a model too… Howawa…

Kaede: 3rd Ward Mayor Nishizono Renga-kun and 4th Ward Mayor Lu Liguang-san, right. It’s our first time… well not the first meeting, but um, I’m the Chief of HAMA Tours.

Liguang: …Ah, you… We met at the airport.

Kaede: (That’s unexpected. Liguang-san remembered me!)

Renga: …! You’re…

Kaede: Ah… H-hello.

Kafka: Seems like all Ward Mayors have assembled. Guess it’s time to go inside the office.

Renga: …

Kaede: (Renga-kun’s, like… staring really hard…!? Wonder if I upset him somehow…)

Renga: Listen, you…

Kaede: Y-yes.

Renga: No it’s… uh…

Renga: The rose—it’s in a vase. That’s all.

Kaede: (...!)

Kaede: (I didn’t expect that either. He took the rose and brought it back home with him…)

Kafka: —And that covers everything for my “NEO18Wards” plan. Any questions?

Liguang: ……

Yukikaze: You’re amazing, Kafka. Your wisdom is seeping out from these documents. 

Kafka: Hah? What’s prompting you to state the obvious? Well, whatever. I guess that means you approve, at least. 

Renga: …I'm not convinced.

Kaede: …!

Renga: I recognize you as the 0th Ward Mayor. But, the 3rd ward will bring HAMA back to life in its own way!

Liguang: …Hah, big talk for someone who’s been dragging everything down.

Renga: Whaa-!? Who’s dragging what down!?

Kaede: (Uh, well, Renga-kun’s the person responsible for the weird changes to Landmark, right? I’m anxious, to be honest…)

Liguang: Ignoring the idiot in the room, I cannot endorse this. The plan itself is logical, but teaming up with this fool beside me is illogical. 

Yukikaze: I think it’s a good idea. Most importantly, being able to work together with Kaede makes me happy enough. 

Kafka: Okay, nobody asked for your feelings on the matter. Also, everyone will be work colleagues from now on, so make sure to address people properly by their title. 

Yukikaze: Yes, I got it. Chief, right.

Kafka: Sigh, anyway, I didn’t expect for all of you to be on board from the get go. But I want everyone to reaaaally think about their own standing thoroughly, okay.

Liguang: …

Renga: Standing!? What are you implying with that!

Kafka: As the 0th Ward Mayor, I have the right to sack the other Ward Mayors.

Renga: Sack, like a potato sack? We’re getting potatoes…?

Liguang: Sigh… Bèndàn…

Kaede: Renga-kun, getting sacked means you’ll get dismissed…

Renga: …Dismissed…

Renga: Ahem, I-I knew that!!

Renga: No, wait…!? Are you threatening me!?

Kafka: …Calm down for a second and think about it with a cool head. HAMA failed to meet the tourist quota for two years in a row. The way things have been going needs to get completely overhauled or it’s a bust, in other words.

Kafka: Renga, Liguang too, you should’ve been putting serious effort into the revival of your own wards these past two years. You understand what I’m getting at, yes? Basically—it’s time for a change.

Kafka: In any case, if we don’t overcome the tides this year, then the special ward zone will fall and everyone here will lose their status as Ward Mayor. Why not try doing things differently than before, even if it’s just once?

Liguang: …Is this what the plan is for?

Kafka: Morning Squad will go out on the field first—if the first tour isn’t received well at all, then you can take your leave. 

Kafka: All I want is one chance. I beg of you.

Kaede: (Kafka…! Going as far as bowing down…)

Renga: Ueh, nuh, uh…

Liguang: ………

Liguang: …Understood—I’ll obey until the results of the initial response are out.

Kaede: (...! Liguang-san… He’s way more upright than he looks…!)

Renga: … Me, too… I’ll go along if you insist…

Liguang: Why are you the one acting condescending?

Renga: Haah!? I’m being my normal self!?

Kaede: (...And they’re back to fighting in the end.)

Yachiyo: Hawawa… C-can these people here really help us out…!?

Kafka: Friendship is beautiful, isn’t it.

Kaede: (Eh. That’s your takeaway from seeing this play out in front of you?)

Kafka: Guess it was a good thing I was prepared for this, right?

<<previous chapter / next chapter>>

chapter 001 side A directory: TBA upon completion

[creamecafe]

Hii!! Can you do one for Stephen where he found out he and the reader are married in several words thanks to America, and the two of you are pining for each other until he accidentally reveals he’s truly in love with you? Thank you!! <33

I Know I'd Go Back to You

Summary: Stephen has always loved you and you with him from the start. But you both ended things on short notice. Until America reveals you both are together in different worlds in the multiverse, will Stephen take the risk to let it happen in his universe?

Pairing: Stephen Strange x GN!Reader

Word Count: ???

Warnings: none just fluff, pining, a bit of angst, flashbacks, heartbreak, deja vu to palmerstrange 🥲

Author's Note: I'm literally so sorry @smokeywhalee that this literally almost took 2 years. But here it is, FINALLYY! Hope you enjoy

Navigation | Main Masterlist | Marvel Masterlist | Stephen Strange Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Join my taglist!

Read on Wattpad and AO3 here

Life was normal for neurosurgeon, Doctor Stephen Strange and for you too. You both met in college in New York, he was studying to be a doctor and you were studying to be a lawyer. 

Despite your guys' different classes times and different career choices, both of you had a unexplainable attraction to each other. You started off as friends, Stephen would walk you to your class or you would walk out during the four seasons.

But both of you knew you wanted something more. It wasn't until in March 2013 that Stephen asked you to be his partner. He was a nervous wreck, worried that he would ruin the friendship, you both have. But you said yes. Now being with you is the best thing to happen and to occupy his life happily besides being a neurosurgeon.

You would wait for him after work to drive home and spend time together. He would also love to take you on expensive and fancy dates, because he always wanted the best for you. Life was going great for the both of you. 

Until February 2, 2016 came. The day of Stephen got into a car crash. You were waiting for him in the restaurant with the reservation you guys both made 5 months in advance. 

10 minutes had passed and you started to become worried. You knew he wasn't the type of guy to stood you up or leave you hanging. It was until you got a call from the hospital Stephen works at. You picked it up

"Hello?" Your voice shaking nervousily

"Hello, is this Y/N?" 

"Yes it is"

"I'm sorry to inform you that Stephen Strange has been in a car crash and is in critical need."

Your heart stopped. You couldn't believe this was happening. Stephen gotten into a car crash. 

"Oh-oh my God. Is he ok?" Your voice got higher and shaking even more

"We're trying to take care of him right now and get him under care as immediate as possible."

"I'm on my way, please tell him that."

"Will do, sorry to tell you the news."

Grabbing your coat, you wasted no time leaving the restaurant. You explained to the waitress you have to leave to a emergency. You called out a taxi and asked to go to Metropolitan General Hospital." 

7 minutes passed with traffic in the way. You ran to the front desk and asked to see Stephen Strange, saying you were his partner. The lady in the front told you that he's in surgery and won't be conscious in another day or two. You were willing to wait those days, just to make sure he was still alive. You took a seat in the waiting room, hoping and praying Stephen would be ok. The anxiety was eating away of how bad his condition could be. Soon enough, you fell asleep until the next day.

You take a look at your phone and see it's 5am of February 3, 2016. You go to buy yourself a snack fron the vending machine as you missed your dinner from the restaurant you and Stephen were supposed to be. You waited and bought 2 more snacks to keep yourself awake. 

"Y/N L/N?" 

Your head raised to who was calling you. 

"Y/N L/N?" 

Ahead of you see a lady in a white coat and scrubs with a clipboard call your name.

"That's me." You raise your hand.

"You can see Stephen now."

Your heart beat gladly. It must be a sign he's still alive, probably the not best condition but you're glad he's still alive. 

You go to him room and see him in bed. His right eye is swollen and both of his hand are raised up supported by strings and 11 stainless steel pins to support his nerves. He was sleeping. You quietly thanked the nurse. 

You sat by him and waited till he woke up. 25 minutes have passed and he did. 

You held his shoulder gently until he was fully conscious. 

"Hey, hey. It's me Y/N. It's going to be ok." 

Stephen looks at you and looks at his hands. 

"What did they do?"

You explained everything that the doctor told you and how long he was in surgery, the same time you waited for him to make sure he was well.

He repeated the same words "What they did do?" Can't believing what his eyes are seeing. 

The next past few days you stayed by his side to make sure he was well. You were by his side in therapy, helped him shaved supporting him along the way. 

But his attitude didn't change of bitter he had become. And he definitely didn't show appreciation for you either. You went into his apartment to drop off the groceries you bought for him. He was upset due to a meeting regarding a procedure in Tokyo. He was going on he needs a loan of at least $200,000. 

You tried to tell him it's best for him to stop as this was having so much control over him, especially his condition. He explains that no matter how much therapy he receives, he's not getting any better, can't get back to the way he was before.

You explain to him that there other things that can give his life meaning. 

"Like what? Like you?" He snapped back at you.

You were shocked. He never spoken to you in a matter like this before. No matter how cocky he could be, he knew better than to talk to you in a way that he knew could hurt you.

"This is the part where you apologize."

"This is the part where you leave." 

That's when it hit you, he really changed. He wasn't the same boy who would walk you to class or always compliment your outfits. He was still Stephen, but not the Stephen you have loved for 3 years. 

You try to talk to him, but he still had this fire coming out of his voice, like daggers stabbing.

"You just care so much, don't you?" Stephen yelled.

"Goodbye Stephen." You went ran out the door and slammed it behind you. You went to your car and started driving to your place. But you couldn't hold it in anymore. You were crying, sobbing. You didn't want things to end this way, but you can't bear to see Stephen this way or the way hes treating you. 

A year pass and you're going on in your normal life. That's when Stephen makes a portal to where you are. You are scared and shocked. But also confused to what he's wearing. He apologizes everything to you and the way he treated you. You accept it but didn't feel ready to get back with him. Stephen accepts and leaves you be, taking on protecting the world as new priority. He's just at hurt as you a year ago with breaking up with you. But he knows he must move on. 

In 2018 the blip happens and you disappear, so does Stephen Strange. 5 years later you come back and you try to get your life back to normal. Stephen tried to do the same but couldn't stop thinking of you still. 

Later on, he meets a teenage girl named America Chavez that can travel through the multiverse. 

With different versions of Stephen around the multiverse, he didn't realize the possiblity of still being with you. 

"How's Y/N?" America asked. 

"They're good. Happy. They're happy." Shaking, Stephen says, now thinking about you. 

"I can imagine. They're happy with you."

"Uh, well we're not together. We used to be. We broke up 8 years ago. I disappeared due to the snap and it felt like we ended things on short notice."

"What? You both are not together in this universe?" 

He was confused about what America meant by that. "Together? In this universe?" 

"What do you mean this universe?" 

"Every Stephen I know there with Y/N. You both are together. Married. It always felt to me no matter what universe it was, you always were meant to be together. And nothing could stop that."

He had to stop and think for a moment. Every universe he's with you?

"I'm with Y/N in every universe?

"Don't you love Y/N?" 

"I do. But it was 8 years ago, almost a decade. They most likely moved on..."

"You'll never know if you don't tell them. America interrupts. "In a million ways it can go where you are together, why not risk one chance. Tell them how you feel."

He thought about it. Being with you is the only thing that can help him be at ease. Making amends with you is something he doesn't want to stop doing.

He practices of how he's going to talk to you, what he will say. Walking back and forth, he's trying to think of the right words. 

"Don't overthink it. Just talk naturally, say how you really feel."

"I don't know if I can. What if they already moved on?" 

"You'll never know unless you tell them. Come on, I know you can do this." 

Stephen takes America's word into his mind and try to come up what to say.

He spent the next few days going over of how he's going to approach you and he knew exactly what to say.

Until he thought he did until he saw you. He greteted you and you did the same. He was a stuttering mess with you

"Y/N-Y/N. I would like to tell-tell you something."

"Ok, what is it?"

This was it, he could tell you.

"I was thinking we could get coffee sometimes." He cursed himself in his head.

Why couldn't he say what he really wants to, to you?

"Uh sure, what day? Because this whole week and the next I'm kinda really busy."

"Tuesday?"

"Yeah that could work, oh wait I have a meeting"

"Friday then?"

"Friday, but could it be at 6pm because I have-"

"I love you Y/N."

You were stopped talking and were taken back.

"What?"

Oh no. This could be the perfect opportunity to tell her everything or mess up, or both.

"I tried to stop thinking about you, but I can't. And it's okay you don't feel the same way. I love you. I love you in every universe."

Stephen took a deep breath and waited for you to say something, anything. He knew he would mess it up and make it awkward quick.

That's when you kissed him. You wrapped your arms around his neck. He was taken back, but soon melted into the kiss and he wrapped his arms around you back.

"I can't, couldn't stop thinking about you either. I love you too Stephen." A tear goes down your cheek.

This made him happy, America was right all along. It looks like you guys were meant to be after all.

Taglist: @bitchy-bi-trash

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to heart, reblog, share, comment on what you think, and follow for more works! You can also find me on Wattpad and my other socials in my bio. Feedback is always much appreciated!

Have a great day/night or wherever you live around the world!

[dfortrafalgar]

I'm Losing You

Having a family isn't always as easy as fairy tales make it seem.

Warnings: Read chapter 1 for warnings. Additionally, this chapter is the setup for the second half of the entire story! Stuff starts to go downhill again from this point onward. I know I've mentioned that in recent posts, but it's always nice to have a reminder.

Also, I've come down with a pretty bad cold and have pretty bad brain fog and I haven't been able to proof-read chapters 14 and 15 as well, so there might be a bit of a hiatus for a few days while I recover. I'm still online, but i'm operating at 50% brain capacity ;w; I'm also plucking away at a few pallette cleanser stories that are NOT angsty, so stay tuned for those as well!

Taglist: @phsycochan | @mirillua | @augustanna | @chaixsherlock

Chapter 13

[Prev] [Next]

You were seated on the closed toilet lid, your hands folded in your lap.  You were perspiring so rapidly you were starting to feel dehydrated.  Your heel bounced spastically against the linoleum floor, making your entire body tremble with the force of your anxiety.  Butterflies filled your chest, an impatient, fearful tingling sensation that spread out over your shoulders and into your head.  You were starting to feel dizzy.

Law was across from you, leaning against the wall with his lead lowered and his arms crossed over his chest.  His inked fingers were drumming against his arm, his own subtle way of channeling his nervous energy outward instead of bottling it in.  His breaths were shallow and uneven, as if he was trying to contain an outburst.

Like a sauna, the air in the room was stifling.  

A developing pregnancy test was sitting on the sink counter.

Here you were again.

“Five minutes,” Law muttered, a sound so faint and airy that you almost didn’t hear it.

You released an airy chuckle, your voice coming out in a wavering quiver.  “No matter how many times we do this, it never gets less stressful.”

Law smirked, letting go a huff of his own, his shoulders bouncing slightly with the motion.  “The passage of time keeps fucking me up, really.  How long has it been since your surgery?”

“A little over four  months now, I think,” you replied, counting in your head.  Four months since your surgery, and almost six months since your miscarriage.

“God,” your husband muttered, gently knocking his head against the tiled wall of your bathroom with a soft thud.  “And here we are once more.”

“Suffering,” you added.

Law barked out a sudden laugh.  “You’re not suffering on my watch, baby.”

You covered your face with your hands, hiding your embarrassed smile.  Law took the opportunity to snatch the pregnancy test off of the counter while you weren’t looking, inwardly fed up with the tension and apprehension.  When you gazed back up at him, your chest contorted at the sight of his face.  He was staring at the white stick, expression completely emotionless.  You absolutely could not tell if he was feeling elated or distressed.

“L-Law…?” you wearily called.

Silently, Law rotated his wrist to reveal the display of the test, his mouth morphing into a smile as he did so.

Two red lines.

Your heart was hammering wildly behind your sternum as you stood from the toilet seat, yanking the stick out of his hands and holding it close to your face, as if the results were false.  The positive line was quite vivid compared to your first positive test, or what you could remember of it.  Your hands were trembling, nervous shivers wracking your entire body as you absorbed the sight in front of you.  Your mind was whirling with incomprehensible thoughts, your neurons firing so rapidly you felt as though your entire psyche was filled with nonsensical radio static.  The corners of your vision grew blurry.

With a broad grin, you once again looked at your husband, who had a rare, toothy smile of his own.

“I’m almost scared to celebrate again,” you whispered.

Law stepped toward you and pulled you into one of his tight hugs you loved so much.  He squeezed you like a boa constrictor, like he was trying to funnel every ounce of affection he had in his weary heart into your soul.  You stifled a wheeze, squeezing him back as hard as you could.  His feet were planted to the ground, the only sound in the small room being your shared breaths of apprehension, nervousness, and excitement.  You could almost feel his own erratic heartbeat through your skin.  His hands were glued to your shoulders and waist as he wrapped you in his embrace, afraid that if he released you you’d disappear in front of him.

He inhaled an uneasy, shaky breath.  “We don’t have to tell anyone so soon this time, if you don’t want to,” he offered.

You inhaled the faint scent of laundry detergent mixed with that lingering hydrogen peroxide smell that always remained on his clothes.  “I think we should still tell Shachi and Penguin, after everything they’ve done to help us…”

Your husband simply hummed in response.  “What would you feel comfortable with?”

You shimmied in his arms, making him release you from his iron grip and step back slightly.  “Maybe we can wait a few weeks and then tell them.  Just to make sure everything is going okay.”

Law nodded, gracing you with that small, polite, slightly insecure smile that you loved so much.  “I like that plan.”

“And,” you continued, “I’ll call Robin tomorrow.”  You smiled to yourself, knowing that was going to be Law’s next question.

Indeed, he smiled.  “You know me too well.”

A faint boof bounced around the narrow halls of your apartment as Bepo demanded attention in the living room, making the two of you chuckle awkwardly after being forced back into reality, enclosed in your small bathroom.  Law began to step away from you, opening the door that was cracked open and stepping out into the rest of your home.  “I’ll take the fur baby outside.”

“Alright,” you replied, voice barely higher than a fleeting breath as you watched him round the corner and walk away, Bepo’s excited paw steps tapping across your floor.  You once again glanced at the test in your hands, a warm feeling swelling in your chest that also fought with an intense feeling of unease.

—

You stared at the pale yellow wall in front of you, your left arm outstretched and resting against a small tray as a tired-looking nurse wrapped a tourniquet around your bicep, pulling it uncomfortably tight and harshly squeezing the fat of your arm.  You watched her out of the corner of your eye as she disinfected the inside of your elbow with an alcohol swab, leaving a cold wet patch of your skin that made you suppress a shiver.  You were somehow wishing she could engage with you in even the most menial of small talk, anything to diminish the sheer awkwardness that permeated the small laboratory room around you.  You subtly winced as you felt the needle be inserted into your arm, followed by a swift cap and a tube to extract a precise vile of blood from your body.  You didn’t consider yourself squeamish by most means, but the sight of your dark red blood pooling rapidly into a plastic laboratory tube made your stomach twist, so you opted to continue looking away until the nurse expertly released the cap, extracted the needle, and covered the vile.  She labeled it with your name and patient number just as quickly as she ripped a portion of medical tape from its roll and used the sticky strip to adhere a piece of gauze to your skin.

“You’re all set, you’ll receive a call from your doctor when your results are in,” she said plainly.  Half of your mind felt a bit sorry for coming into the lab so early in the morning, the poor nurse was probably only halfway through her morning coffee.

You stood from the chair, grabbing your bag from the floor and flashing her an apologetic smile.  “Thank you.”

She simply nodded and placed your tube of blood into a small, white tray, carrying it out of the room and away from your sight.  Your stomach quickly filled the silence with an intense, hardy grumbling.  Shouldering your bag, you briskly exited the lab area, paced through the waiting room of the clinic, and back out through the entrance doors.  The early summer sun beat down on your skin as you walked through the parking lot to your car.  You tossed your bag into your passenger seat, immediately turning your key in the ignition to blast the air conditioning and diminish the stifling warmth that permeated the inside of your vehicle.  You blindly fumbled through your bag for your phone, tapping the screen to pull up your texts with your husband.

Hey babe, i just finished at the lab!  They only took one thing of blood from me, i thought thered be more but im also happy it was only the one  ;3; anyway, i’ll call you when i hear back from the doctor, she said hopefully it shouldnt be more than a day.  Good luck today, i love you!!!!!! ^3^ ^3^ ^3^

You were just about to put your phone back into your bag before the screen lit up once more with an incoming text from Law.  You grinned- he must be on break already.

Baby~~<3

Make sure you eat something filling at brunch, even if it was just one vile you should still replenish.  If you hear back and I don’t respond, I’m most likely in an operation.  I love you so much, baby, I’ll see you later tonight.

Leave it to your husband, always making sure you were on top of your medical needs even while on a shift where he was responsible for 30 other people.  You finally placed your phone back in your bag, putting your car in reverse and beginning your drive.

—

Ikkaku was already waiting for you with a table by the window of the cafe when you arrived.  She smiled, a grin so bright it could blind you, as she eagerly waved you over.  You gleefully followed her motions, plopping down across from her.  She barely gave you time to adjust your posture in your seat before she began excitedly speaking.

“So…?  You said yesterday you had something you wanted to tell me.”  Your curly-haired friend leaned forward with her elbows on the small table.

“Geeze, girl, let me breathe first!” you chuckled.  “I haven’t even registered where I am yet!”

Ikkaku jokingly snapped her fingers.  “Then hurry up!”

With a smile, you gazed downward at the paper menu that had been placed in front of your seat before you arrived.  A milkshake definitely sounded good right now…

“What are you thinking of ordering?” you asked, making Ikkaku huff impatiently, though she quickly gazed over her own menu.

“I was really eyeing up the veggie omelet,” she replied.  “I need something savory or I’ll die.”

You laughed.  “That does sound pretty damn good…” you trailed off, thinking deeply before asking, “Would you want to split an extra large milkshake?”

Ikkaku’s impatience with your dawdling finally dissipated as her large brown eyes lit up in excitement.  “Uhm, fuck yeah I do!”

Soon after, a waitress came by with a small notebook and placed down your orders.  A short stack of pancakes, a veggie omelet, and an extra large chocolate milkshake to share.  Once your table was left alone, you finally leaned forward and grabbed your friend’s attention for the information she was so desperate to hear.

“Okay, I need you to keep this a secret from everyone, and I need you to seriously promise me that,” you began, your voice indicating intense directness that immediately told Ikkaku that you weren’t messing around.

“Of course,” she responded.  “I know I tend to be a chatterbox, but I’ll hold your word.”  She lightly pounded her fist against her chest, a silent symbol of her promise.

You grinned faintly before taking a deep inhale through your mouth and whispering, “I got a positive pregnancy test a week ago.”

Ikkaku sucked in a shocked gasp, pulling her hands to her mouth in bewilderment.  “No way?!”

“Shhh, Ikka!” your hand shot across the small table to land on her mouth in a futile attempt to silence her before the entire cafe knew of your news.  “I’m really keeping it on the down-low for now, since… you know.”

Your friend’s eyes were shining with delight, almost tearing up in the corners as she gazed at you with love only a life-long friend could have.  “That’s incredible, oh my goodness, I’m so excited for you!”  She was finally keeping her voice down, but her wavering squeaks as she talked revealed the sheer amount of effort it was taking her to keep her composure.  “When did you find out?”

“About a week ago,” you replied.  Your lips finally broke into a wider smile as you took in her infectious excitement, though your chest was still fluttering with a fear that had yet to disappear.  “I’m only telling you because I want you to be there in case anything happens again.  I love our friends, but you know how gossipy they can be.  I think I can trust you better than anyone else.”

Ikkaku grabbed your hand that you had reached toward her, clenching it tightly in her own grasp as she followed your posture and leaned over the table.  “You have my word.  You know I’m always a phone call away, in and out of work.”

“Thank you, Ikka…” you responded to her promise with an airy sigh, feeling your own sinuses grow achy with the risk of impending tears.

Your overflowing emotions were quickly subdued when your waitress returned with an astronomically large glass filled to the brim with a rich chocolate milkshake, dolloped with a generous swirl of whipped cream and two maraschino cherries for each of you.  You briskly ripped open your straw and dove it into the sweet drink, taking a long sip to drown your tears.  You refused to cry over a nice brunch, and a little chocolate therapy was always the best medicine.  Ikkaku was giggling at your desperate actions as she inserted her own straw and took a savoring sip of her own.

“Have you told anyone else?” she asked, still keeping her voice fairly low.

Your lips finally released their death grip on the tip of your straw.  “Only Shachi and Penguin.  We wanted them to know first before anyone, because…” you awkwardly tilted your head, hoping you wouldn’t have to bring up the elephant in the room again.  “You know.”

Much to your relief, Ikkaku nodded, understanding your intentions immediately.  “Of course, of course.  I’m glad you have those two living in the same apartment building as you!”

You laughed, running the tip of your finger along the cold glass of the milkshake, collecting some of the condensation on your skin.  “Me too, they’ve basically been raising Bepo for us.  I feel a little bad for the poor thing, honestly… I know he’s probably confused with all the fussing going on in our home.”

Ikakku grinned.  “If you ever need some extra hands for that polar bear you know where to find me!”

Your waitress returned for a third time, this time bearing two plates of food, both dishes steaming and filling your nostrils with the addicting scent of a weekend brunch.  Your mouth was watering as your pancakes were placed in front of you, golden brown and perfectly cooked on either side, moist and subtly sweet, the succulent aroma of the small amount of cinnamon in the batter warming your soul.  You quickly got to work dolling up your plate with a small amount of butter and a bountiful drizzle of fresh maple syrup from your table.

“Ikka, how’s your–”  Your sentence was cut off when you finally glanced up at your best friend just as she shoved a heaping fork-full of crispy home fries into her mouth.  Her wide, brown eyes stared back at you like a deer caught in headlights.  You were laughing at her display, your shoulders bouncing as you reached for your own fork.  “Nevermind, I think you just answered my question.”

—

[CODE PINK]

Law’s heart was pounding wildly in his chest as he rounded the corner of the cardiac ICU into the room where the code was directed, already spotting his colleagues surrounding a bed with the crash cart.  A male nurse was positioned on his knees on the bed, frantically performing CPR on the small figure beneath the blankets.  As if his actions were second nature, he approached the crash cart and assumed an authoritative roll, preparing the on-board defibrillation machine for immediate use.

A blood-curdling scream reverberated around the small space, a nurse at Law’s side rushing over to the entrance of the room to usher a panic-stricken woman out of the area.  Her cries were deafening, making a younger nurse across the bed from the surgeon wince, her face flushing red with adrenaline-fueled horror.

“DEFIB is ready,” Law called, passing the machine off to a technician who expertly manned the paddles, timing his procedure with the nurse performing CPR.  A few more nurses, as well as Dr. Tony entered the room and began their assistant procedures for the code.

Law finally got a glimpse of the body under the sheets.  A young boy, no more than ten years old, was laying limp, eyes wide open and glued to the ceiling, yet reflecting no light.  The tiny child’s skin was paler than the white walls of the hospital room.  His form lurched with the force of the defibrillator, which only did so much to muffle the sounds of the screaming, crackling sobs from the hallway.  A heart monitor, connected to the child’s skin with sticky electrode pads, was showing zero signs of life.  A different nurse assumed his position on the bed to continue administering CPR, but as soon as he forced his gloved hands down onto the boy’s chest, a trickle of blood exited the corner of the child’s mouth.

“Stop,” Law immediately called.  He stepped forward, pressing two fingers against the neck of the boy, right under his jaw.  No pulse.  His skin was icy cold, sending a chill up Law’s spine.  A tiny stream of blood continued to trickle from the child’s mouth.  His ribs were surely broken after the force of the compressions on his fragile body.  The ECG monitor on the crash cart continued to display no signs of cardiac activity.  The mother of the boy continued wailing from the hallway, the sound now the only thing filling the ears of the workers in the solemn room.

The nurses surrounding the table tossed nervous, frustrated, and pained glances at each other while waiting for Law to respond.

The black-haired surgeon tossed a glance at the digital clock hanging on the far wall.  “Time of death is 11:47 AM.  Dr. Tony, can you please contact the coroner and have him report to room 204 immediately?”

The younger doctor vigorously nodded.  “Yes, sir.”  He departed the room in a hurry, headed to the nearest nurses’ station for a pager.

“The rest of you,” Law continued.  “Please secure the room.  I’m going to speak to the patient’s mother.”

The nurses and technicians silently cleaned the scene, wiping down the face of the boy and closing his lifeless, marbled eyes.  Law paced out of the room and into the hallway, where the mother, at least that’s what he assumed, was still draped over a nurse, wailing in sheer desperation and agony.  Law attempted to keep his shoulders poised, exuding an air of confidence and humility as he approached.  The nurse looked up as Law stepped closer, obviously doing her hardest to hold in her own heavy tears.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Law called, trying to keep his voice as level as possible.  “I’m sorry, but your son–”

He barely had time to think before a harsh slap was planted against his cheek.  A sharp, intense stinging sensation spread throughout his skin and his tongue got caught in between his molars, making him involuntarily clamp down on the muscle as his entire body was lurched to the side with the force of the blow.  The metallic taste of blood began to flood his mouth, making him cringe as he was forced to swallow it instead of spitting it out onto the hospital floor.  His sharp, golden eyes gazed at the woman who had landed the blow on his face.  She looked furious, almost feral, and her hand was contorted into a fist that she was clearly keen on using against him.

“FUCK YOU,” she screamed, her voice cracking in despair.  “YOU KILLED HIM.  YOU KILLED MY SON.”

More colleagues from the hallway who witnessed the scene approached, attempting to assist the weary nurse in restraining the frantic woman while a few others made desperate calls for the closest security officer.  Law simply stood across from her, stunned yet stoic, as he felt a trickle of blood flow down his cheek.  Her wedding ring must have scratched him.  

More curses were lobbed in his direction.  “How can you just stand there and look like that after you let my son die?!  How can you just go about your life as normal after letting him die?!”  The nurse originally holding the woman was releasing a quiet plea, her voice audibly trembling, begging her to take a step back and let her guide her to a quiet room where she could calm down and grieve, but the mother’s screams were too loud.

A security officer’s heavy footsteps bounded down the hallway, his gear jingling on his belt.  The officer placed his gloved hand on Law’s shoulder, forcing the doctor to take a step back.  “We’ll take care of her, go clean yourself up, doctor.”

Law gazed fiercely at the officer.  “You better show her some compassion.”  He turned tail and briskly paced back toward the doctor’s only area, entering the private restroom and flicking on the light.

He cringed at the sight of himself in the mirror.  Sure enough, a long, yet somewhat shallow, slash was dug into the tan skin of his left cheek, dribbling slow-moving blood down his skin.  He winced when he trailed his fingertips over the wound, the heavy, dull ache clearly the sign of a hefty bruise developing on his cheek bone.  He opened his mouth, leaning closer to the mirror to get a glimpse at the inside of his mouth.  He had bit his tongue, leading to a painful gash in the muscle that continued to bleed sour, coppery blood into his mouth.  It coated his back molars with a morbid crimson.  He silently bent over the sink, turning on the tap and collecting water into his hands that he readily slurped up, swishing around his mouth and spitting back into the sink bowl.  The water was a vibrant pink, heavy with blood.  His tongue stung from the contact the foreign liquid made with the muscle.  He splashed some more water on his face, cleaning off the cut in his cheek that continued to ooze blood for a few more moments before finally slowing a beginning to clot.  He swished water in his mouth a few more times.

Law’s hands remained poised on the bowl of the sink, supporting his weight as he leaned over the tap, struggling to take in enough oxygen.  His arms were trembling as adrenaline continued to pump through his body.  He tossed himself a scalding glare in the mirror as he pushed himself away from the sink and left the bathroom.

—

You were still awake when Law sulked through the door.  His shoulders were slumped, his entire posture ragged and weary as he followed his usual routine of kicking off his shoes, shrugging off his jacket, and dropping his bag to the floor.  Your greeting was silenced by yourself as you took in his visibly distraught demeanor, a large, white bandage on his left cheek, a black and blue bruise flourishing underneath the wrapping.  Law’s eyes appeared sunken in and red, as if he hadn’t slept in a year.

“Honey…?” you called meekly, standing up from your spot on the couch and meeting him halfway in the living room.

Silently, Law took your hand, led you into your bedroom, and pulled you down onto the bed with him.  The way his hand was violently trembling in your grasp made your heart ache in your chest.  He wordlessly buried his head into your neck, wrapping his long legs around your own and holding you as close as he could with his arms around your body.

It didn’t take a genius to guess the kind of day he had.  You followed his silence, lacing one of your arms around his shoulder and weaving your other hand into his hair, running your fingers through the slightly greasy strands of raven-black in the way you knew he loved.  

A warm, wet sensation seeped through the collar of your cotton shirt.

[notsocheezy]

V-Day - The First Twenty-Four Hours

Guess who's got two thumbs and no penis? That's right, this girlish-shaped thing!

👍👍

My "the surgery" went off without a hitch! And it couldn't have happened at a weirder time. The news has been absolutely wild this week, hasn't it? Mass Windows system outages, Biden dropping out of the presidential race... probably some other stuff... I'll be honest, I'm a little woozy from the Oxycodone, so a lot of the past week escapes me at the moment. But let me tell you all about the first day. I still remember most of that.

I arrived at the hospital at about 5AM yesterday, and they had me wipe down with CHG wipes even though I'd just taken a CHG shower. I guess they like to be safe. But it leaves a residue that isn't the most pleasant thing in the world. It's kind of like when you step out of the ocean and the salt dries onto your skin in a fine, well-seasoned flaky layer.

After that, they gave me a morphine injection into my spinal fluid, which according to the pain management guy, reduces the overall necessary intake of opiates/opioids (what is the difference between those anyway?). So far that seems to be very true. My new bits don't hurt in the slightest even now, after the injection has worn off.

On the other hand, though, there has been excruciating pain in my chest and shoulders. You see, this was a laparoscopic surgery performed with a fancy robot - the DaVinci XI - and they had to pump me full of CO2 so they'd have room to work. That's right folks - I'm carbonated. And they didn't just give me one new hole, but an additional five incisions on my abdomen, which also don't really hurt but damn are they itchy. It turns out though, being a human balloon is a really bad experience. If I'd had an inflation kink before, this would probably have killed it in its tracks.

When I woke up in Recovery, I was at 10/10 on the pain scale. It was truly miserable. They had to inject me with Fentanyl (Ooooooh, scary!) just so I could breathe. Once they did, though, I was fine. That is, until they moved me onto the bed in my room several hours later. Now the pain comes and goes, but I'm on pills for that.

Other than the chest pain, the most uncomfortable thing is the catheter. It constantly feels like I've just gotten back from a long road trip without pit stops, or the credits just rolled on an IMAX screening of Oppenheimer (I saw that twice, by the way). I have to pee so damn bad, but I'm just kinda... always peeing. Very weird. Nice not to have to get up, but I'm not even really allowed to get up. Which is a shame, because I'm told moving around will help the CO2, ahem, escape. Via the most obvious channel, of course.

On that note, I was on a liquid diet until about an hour ago, and now I've got an omelet and some oatmeal that they forgot to put sugar or salt in. They really want to get my guts up and running again - they gave me a laxative and a stool softener. But I'm nervous about getting up from the bed. I've got more wires attached to me than my PC at home, so I'll need to unhook everything to get to the bathroom.

Anyway, other than being misgendered a concerning amount of times by people who should be able to read the word "vaginoplasty" on my chart, everyone has been very kind. I thought I'd be more scared and depressed being left in the hospital by myself, with all my loved ones hours away, but I've been able to make friends with the nurses.

If you're on the fence about getting this done because you're scared of the recovery process, don't worry. I'm only a day in and I'm doing just fine. Electrolysis was significantly more painful down there than this is. Can't speak for more traditional methods, but the robot is damn good. I, for one, welcome our new robotic sex-change overlords.

Anyway, stay tuned for more. I'm here all week.

[tangledinink]

Chapter Sixteen of I'm Sorry, Teenage Mutant What Now? Is up! The boys begin negotiations with Big Mama, to Yoshi's absolute horror... Read it in ao3 or below the cut!

[ prev ]

Yoshi rounded on the guard he had been walking with like a wolf did to prey, his lips curled back in an absolutely furious snarl.

“What are they doing here?!”

“This isn’t my--”

“Let them out! Let them out this instant!!!”

“Sir, I don’t have the authority to--”

“I do not care about what authority you do or do not have,” he spat, leaning over the other, his shoulders squared and his face darkened with absolute fury. Every muscle in his body was visibly coiled and tight and quaking. “You listen to me very carefully. You have two choices. You can either open that door and let them out right now, or I will take the keys from you. Do you understand?”

His voice was so cold. Mikey’s eyes widened, and he thought to himself that if he didn’t know better, even he would be terrified of their father right now. He had never in his life seen him so angry. And he had dropped an open can of paint down the stairs before.

The yokai guard was smart enough, at least, to cower before their father, and rushed to unlock the door to their jail cell. The absolute second there were no longer bars in the way, Mikey threw himself at their dad, a sob working its way up his throat before he had even realized it had been in his chest to begin with. His Dad was doing the exact same thing, physically grabbing him to pull him into his embrace. The rest of the family was right behind them, all six of them colliding together.

“I knew we’d find you--!” Mikey gasped.

“What are you doing here!? What-- what happened?! My sons--!” Their dad stammered breathlessly, his voice waterlogged with tears, and it might have scared Mikey with how rarely he saw his father cry, but he was crying, too, and he was so fucking happy he didn’t have the time to be scared or upset or anything else at all.

“It’s-- it’s a long story!” He laughed, tears running down his face, only squeezing his dad tighter. This was the best hug he had ever had in his entire life. Raph just got moved down in the rankings, ‘cause nothing could ever be better than this. 

God, he had missed him so much. 

“I’m sorry,” their dad kept saying, holding them all as close as he possibly could. “I’m so sorry, my sons, I’m so, so sorry--”

“Yeah, Dad, we gotta have a talk after this… whole situation.” Leo laughed, and Mikey could hear just from his voice that he was crying, too. He was pretty sure they were all crying. Even Donnie. 

“How did you get here!? What-- what happened!?” He questioned again, pulling away just enough so that he could look at Mikey properly, holding his face, and there was this bewildered, searching element to his eyes that almost made Mikey pull back a little bit, glancing almost nervously to the side. Because. Well. Yeah.

They did look… different, didn’t they? Mikey doubted that their dad hadn’t known, but…

“Okay, so, you know that crazy sheep-looking dude who broke into our house…?” Leo snorted softly.

“What!?”

In the background, Mikey could hear the guard speaking on a walkie-talkie.

“Uhm, Big Mama? We have a… situation.”

“You tell her to get down here right now!” Yoshi snapped, whipping his head around so he could glare at the rather nervous-looking employee before immediately turning back to his sons, his anger giving way to concern once more. “How did you even get down here--? What are you doing here?” 

“Rescue mission. Obviously,” Donnie said. 

“Rescue? My sons, this is-- it is not that--“ 

“Uh, yes, ma’am, er, involving… Lou Jitsu? And those turtles we picked up a few days ago…” 

“Days?!” Their father howled as he turned on the guard again, his voice pitching even higher with absolute outrage. “You have kept my children here for days?! How dare you!!! Give me that walkie-talkie— GUMO!!! WE HAD A DEAL—“ 

“A deal?…” Leo echoed. 

“I don’t care if you are doing open heart-surgery! No! RIGHT NOW!!!”

Now that he had stepped away, no longer crowded in amongst the rest of the Hamatos, all the brilliantly colored bruises and lacerations painted along his father’s body were easily apparent. Mikey’s heart crumpled a little. “Dad…?” 

“Ah-- it is alright, Mikey.” His father’s voice softened once more. “I will get you boys home. And fix your bracelets…! Do not worry, we will fix this…”

“… And you’ll come home too, right?” 

There was a beat of hesitation that opened up a pit of dread in his stomach. 

“Dad?” 

His father opened his mouth to speak, but before anything could be said, a bright flash of magick which Mikey could, at this point, pin as a teleportation circle, bathed them all in light.

Mikey was not so proud that he couldn’t admit that he had screamed and hid behind his father when a hulking spider had leapt out, near shaking the ground as she landed, though with surprising grace, looking down at the group through a gaggle of brilliant red eyes. His siblings might not want to say so, but they all screamed and jumped, too. Their father didn’t. He held firm, glaring at the creature, planted stubbornly between the two parties.

“Hm,” the creature hummed, seeming almost thoughtful as they tilted their head to the side, and Mikey had not been expecting this to be what their voice sounded like at all. “Well, this is a bit of a prickly-snitch, isn’t it?”

“Oh!” Dad absolutely bristled, and Mikey swore he could hear his teeth grinding. “Do not give me that! What is the meaning of this?! We had a deal! You gave your word! You gave your word that you would leave my family be!”

“And I have!” She immediately defended, huffing loudly, as though insulted, placing a hand over her chest. 

“You clearly have not!” He scoffed. “What are they doing here!?”

“Well you would have to ask them,” she insisted, giving a wave of one of her claws. “Because I can assure you that I did not bring your little turtleyboo’s here, dearheart, they showed up entirely of their own accord. I can’t be held responsible for that!”

Their father spluttered for a moment, glancing between the spider and the family, not seeming sure who he wanted to yell at for a second there. Mikey winced slightly, moving just a teensy bit closer to his siblings. Yeah, this had not exactly been the reaction they were expecting…

“I hardly think that matters!” He finally landed on the spider. “You’ve had them here for days!? Days!? Locked in your dungeon!? That is not ‘leaving them in peace!’ I don’t care how they got here-- you should have brought them back home! Why are you keeping them here!?”

“Well, obviously, I was doing the responsible thing and checking with my legal team to see what options I might have…” 

“EXCUSE ME?!”

“Oh, they’re fine! I didn’t even hurt them.”

“Didn’t hurt them?” April scoffed under her breath. “I think Donnie’s concussion and fucked up shoulders would beg to differ…”

“His what!? Are you injured, my son? Let me see!”

“Dad, stop it, I’m fine--!”

“My employees were merely defending themselves!” The yokai protested. “The little turtleyboos are the ones who broke into my place of business and attacked my poor Nexus attendants! That could hardly be considered my fault.”

“Couldn’t it?!”

“Oh, come now, huggypoo. Don’t be a noodge about it. I’m sure we can work this all out and everyone can walk away hotsy-totsy…”

“Huggypoo?” Donnie muttered. “Uhm, ew.”

“Don’t you try to sweep this under the rug!” Dad spat. “They are down here, being held in your dungeon, none of your crystals are working, and they were attacked by Baron Draxum, who you told me you would keep them safe from--!”

“Excuse me, are you trying to imply that my magicks aren’t adequate?” She hissed in response, suddenly bristling, leaning in closer to glare at their father. He stood his ground, but Mikey shrunk back, paling slightly. He could see his own reflection in her eyes. Jagged teeth flashed from between the sharp bends of her long, pointed jaw. “My enchantment is foolproof. Draxxy can’t lay a hand on them.”

Leo’s eyes lit up a bit. 

“Is that why he passed out when I grabbed him?!”

“That would be exact-ively why!” She gestured to their father as if to be like, see? I told you. “If my magick isn’t up to your expectations, I can always take it back… If you’re backing out…”

Their father grit his teeth. “I did not say that.”

“Wait, you cast spells on us?!” Raph spluttered slightly, looking down at himself, as if expecting to see something crawling on him, or spy some witchy sigil etched into his plastron.

“Oh, I’ve cast many spells on you, little turtles,” she laughed, and the way she smiled made Mikey shiver. “One might even say you lot owe me one…”

“They owe you nothing,” their dad growled, taking a step forward, physically forcing her away from him and his siblings. The shadow she had been casting over them retreated slightly. “You! You must fix this! They should be safe! Back at home! I have kept my end of the bargain--”

“Pops, we came to get you,” Raph protested, reaching out to touch their father’s shoulder. 

“We’re not leaving without you!” Mikey insisted. 

“Yeah! I don’t care if we do have to fight a giant spider, we’re getting you back home!” April added in.

“It’s not that simple,” Dad said.

“Why not?” Donnie pressed. 

“I’m sorry, it is… it is complicated--”

“No!” Leo snapped, elbowing his way to the front of the group to face their dad properly. “No more ‘it’s complicated!’ I don’t wanna hear ‘it’s complicated,’ that’s not an okay answer anymore, Dad! We’ve been patient. We’ve let you keep your secrets, let you have your boundaries, we’ve let you not answer any of our questions about literally anything about you… But we’re in a fucking bloodsport stadium! And we’re reptiles!” He threw up his hands. “You can’t just tell us it’s complicated. We already know it’s complicated! Dad, you have to tell us what’s going on! Are you a reptile, too?!”

He grabbed their dad’s arm, and the bracelet circling his wrist caught the light as it moved.

“What even are you?!”

Their father’s shoulders slumped. Mikey thought to himself that he looked so tired.

“I am sorry,” he repeated. “I will… I will explain everything to you boys, I swear, but… I cannot leave. I made a deal.”

Leonardo threw down his father’s hand, bristling as he went. He turned his sights on the spider.

“A deal?” He echoed, a note of bitter laughter in his voice. “What? With her?”

“Blue, please--”

“Fine then,” Leo took a step forward, pivoting his body so that he was facing the eight-legged yokai properly, his chin tilted up so that he could meet her gaze.

“I wanna make a deal, too.”

---

“Leonardo! No! Absolutely not!”

Leo blocked him out, crossing his arms over his chest.

“So, what? The deal was he’d stay here and fight, and you’d leave us alone, get us cloaking crystals, and keep Draxum off our back? Do I have that all right?” Leo quipped, raising a brow before tsking very slightly. “I dunno, I think our Daddy’s got a point. It doesn’t really seem like you’ve kept up your end. But…”

“Leo. Listen to me. Do not speak with her about this--”

“I think we could pencil up some new terms to smooth it all out, and everyone can leave happy, just like you said. Right?” Leo continued, hands on his hips. “I mean, obviously we have to get something figured out here, given the current state of things. Probably wouldn’t be too good for your rep otherwise, right? Really, this could benefit all of us!”

Please let these be the right things to say. He had no idea what he was doing. He was flying completely blind-- he didn’t know a thing about this woman or what her motives were, he didn’t even know any details about the original deal to begin with. 

But he was not leaving without his entire family.

“Leonardo!” His father hissed in his ear, grabbing his arm and yanking him slightly. “Stop! You do not know her like I do-- no one ever comes out on top when they make deals with her!”

Leo wretched himself from his father’s grip. “I don’t know her like you do?! Great, well, then, enlighten me! Who is this!? And how do you know her?!”

There was visible hesitation from his dad, who turned bright red as he looked to the side.

“She… is my ex.”

Oh. You know, maybe some secrets were actually okay.

Mikey gasped shrilly, pointing a finger. “That’s the hotel lady!?”

“The Grand Nexus Hotel is run by a spider!?” April cried.

“You dated a spider?!” Leo wailed, leaning over to shake his father by the shoulders.

“Look, now do you understand why I say ‘it’s complicated’ all the time?!” He snapped in reply, huffing loudly as he batted Leo’s hands off of him.

“Okay, okay, whatever. So not the point,” Leo sighed, scowling a bit. “Look, the point is, I’m willing to make a new deal with you, spider lady! So let’s talk.”

“Please,” she said. “You can call me Big Mama.”

“... Yeah, there’s no way I’m calling you that. For, like, sooo many reasons…”

She sighed thoughtfully, tilting her head ever-so-slightly to the side. Leo usually considered himself a pretty good read; he had always been adept at picking up on body language, on little hints and cues, at translating people’s expressions, but… he was used to doing that with, you know, people. Not giant arachnids. 

“We can talk,” she finally said, her eyes narrowed into slits. “What would you propose?”

“Blue, please,” his father hissed. “This is too dangerous! Let me handle this!”

Leo didn’t even look at him.

“We’re taking our dad back home,” he said. “You didn’t keep your end of the deal, so he doesn’t have to keep his. You’ve had him for, what, two weeks now? Quite frankly, that’s an extended run for a performance…”

She laughed at him.

“I don’t think you understand the value that your father brings,” her grin was eerie. All teeth. She reached past them to snatch their father up in one of her claws, dragging him to her, and Leo had to resist the urge to reach out and snatch him right back, bristling. She near draped herself across their dad as he scowled. But he didn’t pull away. “My little cuddlekins is the most fantabulous champion my Nexus has ever seen. He’s undefeated, you know! The Hidden City just adores him,” she sighed happily, tapping the tip of his nose as he growled. 

“Do you have any idea how many tickets he sells in a day?”

What, was this about money? Or was it about their dad? Both, he thought dimly to himself. She wants both. 

“Well, if it’s entertainment you want,” he said, taking care to keep his tone as cool and casual as he possibly could. “I’m sure we could come up with some big hurrah to keep the people talking.”

“Oh?”

“You know what’s even cooler than Lou Jitsu? The son of Lou Jitsu. Seen here for the first time ever, exclusive Battle Nexus content! Come on, people eat that kind of stuff up!” He laughed, throwing out his hands to gesture to himself with exaggerated pride. 

“Absolutely not!” His dad spat-- and now he was trying to pull away, but Big Mama didn’t let him, holding fast.

“My undefeated champion in exchange for one performance with an imitation isn’t exactly much of a ballyhoo, dearheart. I’m afraid you’ll have to be a bit more impressive than that,” she tsked.

Leo froze up for a minute. He knew that wasn’t good enough. He had known it wasn’t going to be good enough as soon as offered it, even before he offered it, but what else did they have?--

Swallowing a brief wave of panic, he glanced, just barely, back at his siblings behind him.

Four pairs of equally determined faces started back. And all their eyes said, ‘whatever it takes.’ Leo’s resolve instantly renewed itself, and his heart rate settled ever-so-slightly. He wasn’t going to let his family down. He could do this.

He could do this.

“Okay. Fine. What about four sons of Lou Jitsu? Plus an added-bonus daughter,” he challenged. “And you can forget about everything else. The cloaking crystals, the protection spells, whatever. Take it back,” he said, narrowing his eyes and setting his jaw. “Put us in your Battle Nexus. Do whatever you want. We’ll make a day of it! We’ll make you your money. And then at the end, we all get to go home.”

Her grin was getting wider.

“Well, that’s a bit better,” she hummed. “But not very exciting, is it? Let’s see here…”

Oh, so is that what this was to her?

A game.

“We can play for keepsies. What about that?” She said, abandoning their father and instead beginning to pace-- stalking slowly around the Hamato children, her eight legs tapping gently against the stone floor. “If you win, you can take your father, keep all your little boobles and trinkets and enchantments-- they don’t matter to me. You can la-di-dah off into the sunset,” she hummed.

“... But when I win. All of you will stay here. Deal?”

Leo didn’t have to look back at his siblings this time.

“Deal.”

---

“Please! Please! Plleeeasseee can we go up! We were good! I promise to be good next week, too! Super good!” Leo begged, holding his hands up like a prayer to plead with their swim instructor-- all but clinging to their legs.

“Just once! Pretty please?” Raph added, moving to echo Leo’s pose in support.

Jon sighed deeply, exaggeratedly, crouching down to join them at their level, his arms crossed over his knees.

“I dunno… it’s pretty high. Are you sure you want to?”

“Yes! Please!” Leo insisted.

“We can do it!”

“And you’re sure you’ll be good next week?”

“We will! Right, Donnie?”

Donnie wasn’t really participating in the desperate cajoling the way his brothers were, but he offered a little nod anyway. 

“See!”

“Okay. Okay. Fine. You can each jump once, okay?”

“YES!” Leo shrieked in delight.

“But if you go up the ladder, you have to jump, okay? There’s no coming back down. Once you’re up, you gotta jump off. Understand?”

Raph seemed a little bit less sure about that. “How come?”

“Going backwards down the ladder of the high-dive while soaking wet isn’t the safest thing, kiddo.” Jon explained, reaching over to ruffle Raph’s hair a bit. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But if you go up, you can’t go back down. You’ve gotta jump. So be sure you wanna jump before you go up.”

Raph, who had, seconds ago, been endlessly enthusiastic, suddenly seemed a bit nervous. He glanced over at Leo, frowning. “Leo, it’s really high…”

“Yeah, that’s what makes it awesome!” He enthused. “Don’t worry! It’ll be fun! Diving is super cool!” He insisted.

“But what if you get up and you don’t wanna anymore?”

“I will,” Leo insisted. “Here, I’ll go first. You stay here and watch with Donnie so he doesn’t get scared.”

Donnie looked up, seemingly annoyed, giving Leo an ‘excuse me? I’m not scared,’ kind of look, but luckily didn’t say anything and blow Leo’s cover. It’s for Raph, not you, doofus.

“Be careful, Leo,” Raph said, grabbing onto Donnie’s hand, who, to his credit, only wriggled a little, pulling a face but not pulling away. The pair watched as Leo began to scramble up the ladder to the long-desired, long-admired five-meter diving platform.

The higher he went, rung over rung, the more excited he got, practically wriggling as he climbed up to the top, pulling himself up to his feet. And his eyes widened, his mouth gaping in a shocked little ‘o.’

He was up so high.

Leo had never been up so tall before. Not like this! He had been up in some pretty big buildings with his family, but that was so different from this; standing up here on this platform, looking down at the water below, no walls or windows separating him and the rest of the world. His brothers looked tiny, almost, and as he crept forward to the edge of the platform, for just a second, he felt it. Belated, slower than his brother did, but he felt it.

Fear.

For a second there, he wasn’t so sure about this. It was… really, really high, and the water was really, really far below, and he was gonna have to jump. And fall. He realized, distantly, that he had never fallen so far before, and for just a second, he frowned, drawing his arms nervously around himself and shuffling his feet a bit. 

Movement caught the corner of his eye. 

Leo looked over, across the pool, way to the far edge by the doors to the locker rooms, and there was their dad. He didn’t stay and watch lessons anymore, but he always came to pick them up when lessons were over, waiting for them with towels by the locker rooms before herding them off to get changed and head back home for dinner. He was there already, swim bag in hands, ready for them to be released from their class, and he was waving at him.

Once Leo was looking at him, Dad smiled, and he gave him two thumbs up. 

That was all. Just a smile and two thumbs. But it was plenty. It was more than enough, and Leo wriggled a bit with renewed excitement, all the fear draining out of him and puddling down at his feet, because things just got even better. He didn’t just get to go off the high-dive. 

He got to go off the high-dive and his dad was gonna watch.

“COWABUNGA!” He shrieked, leaping off the platform without another ounce of hesitation, his legs tucked up to his chest and his arms flailing wildly as he plummeted downward. All his organs, seemingly, didn’t get the memo that they were heading down to the water now, because Leo swore that they were yanked up through his chest by gravity, his stomach ending up in his throat and his heart ending up at the top of his head as he fell. 

He had just enough time for another short, pitched little shriek before he hit the water, a massive splash frilling up around him like a fan, droplets flying in each direction. Gravity stopped, and just for a second, Leo floated there in the middle of the pool, ever so slightly dazed-- suddenly still and suspended in place after his rapid descent. He lingered there for a moment, watching all the tiny bubbles rise up to the surface around him before he followed suit. 

His head popped up, and as soon as Leo had grabbed a breath of air, he laughed loudly, his arms and legs doggy-paddling wildly as he began to head back towards the edge of the pool.

“THAT WAS AWESOME!” He cried. “Raph! That was so cool! You gotta go next! DAD! Dad, did you see me!? Did you see me jump!?”

---

He had been left here.

Left here in the Luxury Box like some misbehaving child, left in time-out while the parents discussed. Left here alone to question and panic. Yoshi paced furiously through the space, swearing softly to himself as his mind raced. Six times now, he had tried to convince the guards posted by the door to let him out, to bring him to Big Mama, to bring her to him, anything, and had been denied each time, despite his threats. He considered the logistics of jumping over the balcony, (which he had done before, but it had gone poorly and he was a whole lot younger back then.) He was just weighing the pros-and-cons of making good on his previous threats and breaking out, going and finding Big Mama and his children by force, when the doors opened.

She was in her human form, and looked perfectly casual, calm, and collected as she entered the box. As though she wasn’t aware of what she had done. As if she didn’t know what she was doing. Yoshi bristled, clenching his jaw as he stormed over.

“You cannot do this,” he hissed through grit teeth.

“Oh, but cuddlemuffin, I’m afraid the terms have already been agreed upon. I can’t just go back on my deal, now can I?” She tsked, walking right past him to head over to the couch, sitting down primly and crossing her legs. Yoshi chased after her, resisting the carnal urge to pick her up and throw her out of the Luxury Box. 

(It wouldn’t even work, anyway.)

“Why not?!” He spat. “I see no reason why you cannot back out! Nothing has even happened yet-- just send them back home! There is no need for this.” 

She sighed deeply, frowning as she turned to face him.

“Darling, I thought you’d be pleased,” she protested.

Yoshi’s face flushed bright red.

“Pleased?! Pleased?! Why would I be pleased with this!?”

“Well, I always thought you were quite fond of those little turleyboos--”

“They are my sons! Of course I am!”

“And that you missed them! So this way, you’ll get to be here together. Isn’t that better?”

“No! No, it is not better!”

“Oh, but huggypoo, this will be good. You’ll get to see them all the time this way! You lot can all have your little row-de-rows in my Nexus together, you’ll get to be around them all the time, and you’ll still get to be my fantabulous champion,” she said with a smile. “And don’t fib and pretend like you don’t like getting to be famous for me. They’ll like it too! I’m sure,” she insisted with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Everyone wins! Don’t you think?”

“You don’t believe that,” Yoshi whispered. “I know you don’t.”

She hummed, shrugged with a small smile, and turned away, picking up her teacup from the coffee table to take a sip.

“Please. I will stay with you. Just let them go. Don’t do this. You wouldn’t agree to this if you believed they would win. They are going to get hurt--”

“You’ll stay with me either way, Noodles,” she said, not even looking at him.

“If you do this,” he breathed, his voice weighed down with anger, with heat, with grief and with desperation. “I will never forgive you. I swear. If you go through with this, I will never forgive you for it, Gumo.”

She paused, turning just enough to give him a long look. It was almost soft-- as though she were sympathetic. And she tsked.

“Well, it’s not the first time I’ve heard that, now is it?”

---

If Leo was being totally honest with himself, this was exhausting. It was taxing and nerve-wracking, and every single time he opened up his mouth and spoke, he wondered if this was the time he was going to fuck it up and say the wrong thing and watch it all come crashing down around them. 

He was the actor, like their dad, having begged him from the age of seven to let him do movies like he did. He had eventually bargained his way from local theater all the way up to supporting roles in a couple of films, taking immense pride in any play, commercial, TV show, or movie that had his name in the credits. He was that loud, funny kid in class who always had a quip or remark and who distracted the teacher so they didn’t have to do actual work. He was the best liar in his family, and had always been the one who would talk them out of situations when they found themselves in the middle of a mess-- like that time their basketball ended up in that construction site and they had to retrieve it. Or that time they tunneled under their elementary school. 

But this? This was a beast of a different color. They had never had stakes higher than ‘detention’ before. Not like this. 

“Okay, so, if we’re gonna make this work,” Leo had said, terrified out of his mind at being trapped in a room with a literal giant spider but pretending otherwise, draped casually in a red velvet chair across from her desk. “Obviously we’re going to need to put some PR into it, right? And if we’re gonna be pushing the ‘sons of Lou Jitsu’ angle, then we need to do something about--” he gestured to himself. “This whole situation. Otherwise, no one’s gonna buy it. So obviously we’re gonna have to fix these little doohickies,” he kind of flipped his wrist back and forth a few times, “And maybe give it, like, a day, maybe two? To get the word out there.” That should be enough time for Donnie to bounce back… The bruising and swelling had already gone down quite a bit, but he was still worried about his head. He’d like to give him a lot longer to recover from a concussion before sending him into a, like, legit deathmatch, but… “Which also means we have some time to work out some other little details, right? Like. Weapons, no weapons?... We can maybe take a look at both options, I dunno, do some mock-ups for the campaign posters and all that…”

She had listened, shockingly enough. Leo found that often, when he talked for too long, people would eventually stop listening. It was a common trait in his family. But she was listening, and, even better, seemed to actually be considering what he was saying, and Leo clung to that thread of hope desperately. 

“My Lou Jitsu always fights without weapons,” she remarked, and Leo felt his stomach flip-flop for a second.

“Yeah, I mean. There’s definitely merit to that. But we’re trying to raise the stakes, right? Big blow-out type deal? So, you know, add some pointy things to the mix, and that usually pumps people up. Plus… merch opportunity!” He had added, stretching his lips wide over his teeth in the imitation of a grin, making sure to crinkle the corners of his eyes as well, because he’s not an amateur. “Your guy can have your weapons, too! I mean, fair’s fair…”

She had smiled widely.

“My ‘guy’ doesn’t need any weapons.”

Leo’s heart had stuttered, just for a second, and a shiver skittered its way up his spine, but he kept himself still and kept his expression steady. “I mean, if you don’t like it, we don’t have to do it for the actual shebang! I’m just saying. Like. You know. Let’s explore all the marketing options, right?”

She had seemed almost amused by him at the time, but had agreed, saying that they could ‘take a look,’ and, after some further careful, calculated coaxing, had even agreed to let Leo into whatever armory or trophy room or vault their weapons were being held in to fetch them, though only after Leo had pitched the hell out of their own weapons providing ‘the best possible performance,’ and feigned an inability to describe their weapons well enough for any employee to fetch it for them. 

Quite frankly, he was pretty much sure that the only reason he was able to get away with any of this was because she didn’t see him as a threat. She wasn’t stupid, by any means, Leo already knew, and he wasn’t completely fooling her. But she was already sure that she would win, and she thought that he was funny, or so it seemed, so she was willing to go along with his act and laugh at him as they went. That was fine. Leo would do whatever worked.

And now he was here. Just him, a giant spider woman, five armed guards, and about half a million mystic artifacts filling up a tightly locked, hidden room, where no one would ever find his body.

No problem.

“Jeez, do you just, like, throw things in here?” He mumbled, taking big, long strides as he wandered through the space, picking over and through all the various amulets and enchanted swords and cursed statuettes-- lingering over each one, just for a moment, leaning over to examine them before moving along to the next thing. “Have you ever considered investing in a label maker?--”

“We’re not here for a tour, foozle,” she had remarked primly, narrowing her eyes in such a way that made Leo inwardly sweat a bit. He was toeing the line-- he had been toeing the line for a while now and he knew it, and he picked up the pace, even as he continued to roam, wandering a wide lap around the vault.

“Do you have, like, a magic weapon shelf, or…?”

“Tick tock. Find your things, or you’ll leave without anything, dear.”

“Oh, here they are!” He exclaimed, pointing at the previously confiscated odachi. “This would be April’s, and the lame stick is Donnie’s…”

He knew better than to grab for any of them. That’s how you get in trouble. April’s dad taught him better than that. The guards collected them in his stead once he had pointed them out.

“There we go,” she said, making her way back to the exit. “Now, then, I’ll just take that little booble from you.”

Leo froze.

“Take what?”

“Well, foozle, you did want me to patch up those little trinkley-dinks you have on your wrists, didn’t you?” She hummed.

Oh.

Right.

He did say that.

He supposed he just hadn’t realized he’d have to… take it off. For the first time, he stumbled, hesitating ever-so-slightly.

“I. Uh. I’m not sure if I… can…” he said, pulling experimentally at the bracelet curled around his wrist. The bracelet that had been there the past ten years of his life. The bracelet that had always clearly, at least in his mind, marked him as a Hamato. The bracelet that ‘kept him safe.’ 

The bracelet that he had never, not once in his life, ever taken off.

“Oh, of course you can. You just have to want to take it off. It’s a simple little trickey-trick. Just think about it when you do it, and it’ll slide right off, no trouble to it. You do want me to fix them, don’t you?”

“... Yeah.”

“Then take it off.”

Leo paused, just for a moment. This was silly, wasn’t it? He knew now what it did, what its purpose was, why they didn’t take it off… And it really wasn’t doing anything right now, as clearly evidenced by his scaly green skin and the cinnamon red crescent moons streaking across his face. 

But still…

He swallowed hard. And he removed the bracelet.

It was easy, just like she said. It slipped right off his wrist without any real trouble once he made the conscious, definitive decision to do so. 

Nothing in the world changed. He didn’t change. Nothing terrible happened-- there were no screams, no meteor strikes, no alien invasions. His body felt just the same as before.

He handed it over.

“Now then, give me a few hours with it, and it’ll be good as new. I’ll collect your brothers’ as well, and I’ll get all this higgeldy-piggeldy all sorted for you little turtleyboos,” she assured, all but herding Leo out of the vault, back out into her office. Leo felt a bit dazed.

“Right… Thanks.” 

“Now, then. You can take him back to his room. Your trinket will be delivered later this evening. Toddle off now,” she waved them dismissively, and two of the guards fell into step beside him, beginning to guide him from the office. Leo struggled to keep his steps even, suddenly feeling a bit unsteady.

His wrist felt… empty.

Though his siblings and he were no longer being kept in a dungeon, it would be foolish to believe that the hotel rooms they had been put up in were anything aside from nicer prisons. At least they had beds now, but it was pretty clear that they were not to leave the rooms without explicit permission, so he had, in exchange, lost any direct contact with his family, each of them sequestered away on their own. 

I can’t believe I’m missing a jail cell, he thought to himself with a roll of his eyes as he was ushered into the room, the door slammed shut behind him. The attitude was so not necessary. 

But that had gone better than he thought it would.

He hurried to his bed, doing a quick visual sweep of the room, just in case, making absolute certain there were no prying eyes before he sat down, unzipping his hoodie just enough so that he could shake a fuzzy yellow yokai out of it. The creature tumbled from where it had been hiding near the largest curve of his shell, tucked away beneath the folds of his sweatshirt’s hood, helpfully concealing the critter.

“Jesus, dude! We have got to trim your nails,” Leo hissed, reaching to rub the back of his neck and give them a look. Mayhem blinked up at him, chittering in response and waving his tail. Leo just sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Please tell me you saw something helpful in there,” he begged.

To his absolute relief, the creature puffed itself out, giving a definitive nod of its head, and Leo felt a huge weight tumble from his shoulders. “Oh thank god,” he huffed, flopping back down across the bed, resting his hands on his face for a second. This had been such a fucking shot in the dark! The entire plan was ‘investigate as much as possible and pray that I either figure it out or Mayhem knows something.’ After taking a moment to compose himself, breathing in deep, he came back out from the cover of his hands, glancing over at Mayhem again as they hopped up to their paws and promptly disappeared in a twinkle of blue. 

He reminded himself to treat April to a pizza or something one of these days for finding this little guy. 

Scooting back up into a sitting position, he grabbed the little “Grand Nexus Hotel” branded notepad and matching pen from the nightstand, scribbling out a quick message. 

“Might have something. Don’t worry. Fixing the bracelets. See you all soon.”

He didn’t dare put too much information down in writing, should their Mayhem-sponsored-Pony-Express style of communication be intercepted. But at least he could tell them something. He’d ask Mayhem to pass it around to his siblings once he was able. He knew that blipping around too much tired him out. 

But jesus, is it useful, he thought to himself as Mayhem came warping back into the room, hopping gracefully back down onto the bed and scampering over, proudly dropping something into Leo’s hand-- like a dog fetching a tennis ball, wagging tail and everything.

“This is it?” He questioned, raising a brow, and Mayhem nodded, gesturing a few times. Leo sighed and shrugged. Well, it wasn’t like he had any room to doubt them anyway, and so he pocketed the item, reaching over to pet the yokai’s head, scratching at his ears. 

“Nice job, buddy,” he muttered, getting a happy little trill from Mayhem in reply. Leo couldn’t help but smile. “We’d be so screwed without you.”

He frowned a bit, chewing the corners of his lips for a moment.

“You make it look so easy…”

There was a moment of silence, the only sound in the room being Mayhem’s happy little chirps and barks. Leo pet them for a bit longer, before finally, he pulled away, shifting back so that he could sit up properly-- legs crossed, hands rested on his knees, back straight.

Mayhem whined slightly, pawing at Leo’s leg, and he chuckled softly.

“Sorry, bud,” he hummed softly, letting out a long, slow breath. “I’ve got a lot of practice to get through.”

Okay.

Let’s move.

---

His skin was chocolate brown. It was relatively smooth and relatively untextured, save for the occasional blemish or spot (thanks, puberty,) and polka-dotted all over with freckles. The fact that he had hair at all was noteworthy-- twisted into ombre locs, they shifted from a rich, inky black at the roots to a pale orangey-hue at the ends, tipped with colorful beads. His fingers were just as dexterous and capable as he remembered them-- and there were five of them on each hand. 

It had felt so achingly odd to be without his bracelet. But now that it was back on his wrist, Mikey noted that he really didn’t feel much at ease at all. 

Things still felt… off.

He examined his face in the mirror, pinching his cheeks, pulling back his lips to inspect his teeth, leaning in close to peer at his own eyes in the reflection. He tugged at his ears, spinning the little star earrings that he had miraculously maintained throughout everything a few times. He pulled off his shirt so he could look at his back-- watching how the muscles shifted beneath the skin, reaching back so he could run his fingers along the knobs of his own spine, plain and clear to see.

This was his body. This was the body he had always had, or so he had thought. The body that he had grown up in. He looked at himself, and it was familiar. He looked at himself and thought, hey, that’s me!

So why did everything feel so alien? 

He ran through the same routine again, breaking down his entire self from head-to-toe, and didn’t feel any better by the end of it. He did it for a third time, and fourth time, and a fifth, but still, the feeling persisted. Mikey scowled deeply, chewing on the insides of his own cheek.

Why did he feel like he was being tricked when he saw himself now?

Everything looked real. It all felt real. His shoulders, his feet, his fingers, they all seemed perfectly natural and normal and genuine to him, but now he knew that none of it was, and it made something inside his stomach twitch just the tiniest bit with an emotion that he couldn’t quite name. What? Anger? Anxiety? Confusion? This, too, he re-visited over and over, but couldn’t resolve. And he hated it. Not just the feeling itself, but just--

Just not knowing. Not understanding. It just made it worse, not being able to identify it while it was taking over, completely encompassing him, soaking every bit of his body like gasoline, and he didn’t know what the feeling was but he just-- he just-- felt--

A thin ribbon of smoke caught the corner of his eye.

Mikey yelped, his hand immediately ripping itself away from the dresser he had been leaning against, revealing a scorched handprint underneath, and went reeling backwards. He didn’t stop until his back hit a wall, and he nearly fell over, his heart hammering a tempo prestissimo in his ears.

Not again. Not again. Not again. Mikey whined loudly, balling his hands up into fists and drawing himself in, as if to hide, to tuck in close and make himself small. Tears began beading up along his eyes like pearls, immediately ready to answer this call to action and throw themselves over onto the frontlines, and Mikey swallowed back a sob. This couldn’t keep happening. He couldn’t keep letting himself lose control.

He was the one who started this whole thing in the first place when he lit his notebook on fire. Their life had been perfect before that happened. 

He was the reason that Donnie got hurt. He never would have had to protect him if he hadn’t lost control of his weapon.

And now he was the reason there was a smoldering handprint on the dresser, and he didn’t even understand why or how to stop it! He had no idea how to fix it, but he couldn’t let this keep happening.

He could not let himself keep being a liability to his family.

---

When Raph had finally been allowed to see his siblings again, he had grabbed them all and hugged them as tight as he possibly could. It really hadn’t been that long since they all saw each other-- but it had been way, way too long to be alone.

Raph hated being alone. He didn’t care if he was in some nice, fancy hotel room now or whatever. He’d gladly go back to the dungeons if he could do so with his siblings. He had spent the entire time pacing, floating in and out of various degrees of panic. The only reason that he hadn’t gone totally off his rocker was Mayhem, who spent a majority of the time with him, and brought him little written messages from his family every few hours or so.

Every time he was about to really, truly lose it, he’d get some little note from April, some doodle from Mikey, some scribbles from Leo or Donnie, and he’d be able to remind himself that yes-- definitively, most certainly, without a doubt, they were all okay. They were close by and hadn’t forgotten about him, were thinking about him, and they’d see him again soon. 

And they did.

And he didn’t want to let go.

In fact, it had taken a bit of convincing from his family before he finally released them from the embrace, chuckling nervously and rubbing the back of his neck, mumbling out a few apologies even though he knew they didn’t hold it against him. And, yeah okay, he felt better now that they were all here, but…

It could be under better circumstances.

The locker room was empty except for him and his siblings, and he supposed that that, at least, was an upside. Less people, less stress, right? And his family was all here. Or, well, most of them, at least… But April and his little brothers, they were all right here, and he could see all of them, so it was fine…

He just really wished their dad was here. He wished he at least knew where they were keeping him. He knew that he’d be here if he had a choice.

He paced through the aisles, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

“Poor little guy. After all he’s done for us, and we’ve totally exhausted him,” April tsked softly, holding Mayhem in her arms as if he were a baby. The yokai was completely passed out after spending the past day or so continuously bouncing around hotel rooms to pass along messages, and Raph winced with quiet guilt. He chewed at the joints of his fingers.

“He’s earned his naptime for sure,” Leo muttered, smirking a tiny bit, watching as April carefully settled the yokai down into a little nest of towels on the benches.

Raph wrinkled up his nose, resisting a whine.

“It’s okay. He’ll be safe and sound back here while we’re busy kicking Nexus butt!” Mikey chirped, grinning.

How could the rest of them all be so calm!?

They were literally about to go into the freakin’ ring of terror and fight for their lives! For their freedom! Didn’t they understand how high the stakes were? Weren’t they concerned?! What if they didn’t win? What if someone got hurt, or worse--

“Raph.”

Raph jumped at the sound of his name, his eyes snapping around to meet April’s eyes

“Everything is going to be okay,” she soothed, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “Look. I’m freaked out, too! But we’re all going in there together, okay? We’ve got your back! And we all have you to look out for us and protect us, too! We’ll be fine.”

And it was reassuring. Really, it was. But tears built up in Raph’s eyes anyway, completely without his consent, and his lip started to absolutely tremble even as he nodded. Mikey got over to him even before April could, somehow, crashing into his side with a hug, the rest of the family close behind-- even Donnie.

“It’ll be okay, big guy,” April assured, snuggled up against his side. “You guys are literally world-champion martial artists! You’re the actual sons of Lou Jitsu! We got this!”

“Yeah. And it’s not like we’re going in there alone, remember? We’ll all cover each other,” Leo said. “I mean, come on, if Dad can do it on his own, then it’s gonna be a piece of cake with all of us in there, right?”

He forced a weary little laugh, hugging his family close.

Oh god. How was he gonna protect them all?...

“Right. Yeah, okay. We’ll be alright,” he said, sighing deeply, and no sooner had he said this did a bright green light blare above the doors, flashing insistently at them. All of them floundered for a moment, and it took Raph a moment to realize that they were all looking at him.

“I think that means it’s time to go,” he muttered, taking a long, deep, shaking breath. “... Everyone just stick close, alright? And… follow my lead.”

The group gave a chorus of mumbled agreements, and Raph bit the inside of his cheek. Aw man. Now he just had to figure out what lead they were gonna follow…

With a long, deep breath, Raph made his way through the door, trusting that his siblings were all right behind him. Already, the air in the tunnel felt different somehow. Colder. It prickled at his skin and he drew his flannel a bit closer to himself, gritting his teeth.

“Introducing--” The booming voice that came over the announcement system was so loud it shook the walls, and Raph’s steps stumbled ever so slightly. He moved a bit closer to his siblings, keeping pace with them as they made their way down the tunnel. He thought dimly to himself that it was just like football-- rushing out onto the field at the start of the game.

Right. Sure. This is just another game. Another tournament or competition or something. Just… Think about it that way.

“For the first time EVER in the Battle Nexus--”

It wasn’t a game, though. Not for them. This was real. This was life or death. 

Oh, god, what were they thinking? This was a horrible idea. Something bad was gonna happen. Someone was gonna get hurt--

This is how you bring Dad home, a little voice in his head reminded him, and Raph steeled himself, clenching his hands into fists.

This is how we bring Dad home. This is how we’re gonna bring Dad home. You all have each others’ backs-- and this is how we save Dad. Everyone is counting on you, big guy. 

We can’t screw this one up. This is how you protect our family.

As they stepped out into the ring, Raph winced at the glare of the lights. Everywhere he looked, there were faces of unfamiliar creatures absolutely screaming at him. The roaring of the crowd was so frantic and loud that at some point, it stopped being voices and all melted together into one roaring buzz, threatening to swallow them all up and drown them. Raph swallowed.

No backing down down.

“The sons of Lou Jitsu!”

[ next ]

[reneeluv154]

It’s okay

Hope you enjoy 🤍🤍🤍

Remember to spread love wherever you go!!!!

In this imagine you get your period while spending the night with Jack Dawkins accidentally bleeding on the bed. He calms and takes care of you.

sorry if it’s a bit long.

If you like this imagine I have a few more on my profile.🫶🏼

I was nervous, at the top of the stairs waiting for Jack to come back from galavanting around town doing only lord knows what. I had no place to stay. My parents kicked me out because I had “gone mad”. I fiddled with the lace of my dress when I heard Jack, looking up to see him walking while Fagin slumped behind him listening to his lecture. Jack came to a holt when he noticed me. “I’m sorry y/n, just trying to teach this twat a bloody lesson.” he slapped Fagin on the back of the neck making me smile and Fagin wince.

“It’s alright. I have quite a big favor to ask of you.” I was now standing with him on the top step Fagin having already gone to Jack's room. “Go on.” I was anxious. Trying to remember what I rehearsed to tell him. “My parents have kicked me out, I have nowhere to stay. I was wondering if you had an extra bed? Maybe some clean sheets I can borrow for the night?”

“I'm afraid all the beds have been taken, Hetty would there be any clean sheets left for y/n?”

She pursed her lips slowly shaking her head.

I gave a small smile. “That’s okay, thank you for your help, Jack.” I began walking away but felt a strong hand grab my arm. “No, you can stay with me. You'll take the bed I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“I couldn’t. You already have so much on your shoulders with Fagin and your patients. Lord only knows what else you’ve gotten yourself into.” But before I knew it I was sitting on Jack's bed in his night shirt with a cup of tea. Him and Fagin chatting at the table. I noticed a few books beside his bed and decided to flip through one. The pictures depicted what to do in different surgeries. They intrigued me yet worried me at the same time.

“Enjoying yourself?” Jack smirked

“I don’t know how.” Fagin murmured. I smiled putting the book back

“just intrigued.”

“Welp sleeps been calling my name.” Fagin chuckled. Jack stood walking towards his closet beginning to change. “Old hag.” He muttered making me giggle. He sent me a small smile. “I really don’t mind sleeping on the floor, Jack.”

“It’s alright, here I’ll tuck you in.” I laid down slightly blushing. He fluffed out the blanket making sure it covered me. I thanked him while he walked over to where he set some clothes out on the floor and laid down covering up with his coat. “Goodnight y/n.”

I smiled “Goodnight.” I closed my eyes drifting into sleep with slight guilt but much comfort.

I woke to the sweet smell of bacon. I stretched sitting up, the sunlight slightly blinding me. “Morning sleepy head.” Jacks voice was nice to wake up to. Fagin must have gotten an early start on shenanigans, I didn’t see him anywhere. “Good morning.” I smiled moving to sit up but feeling something wet on my inner thigh. I reached down slightly touching my thigh, maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me. I brought my hand up keeping it out of Jack’s sight. Shit! The day of my period I just had to be on Jack Dawkins’s bed, in his shirt!

“You okay? You look panicked.” He asked standing in front of me, a piece of bacon in hand. “Jack I’m so sorry. I guess I started my period. I-I promise I’ll clean it up as best I can a-and”

“Y/n.” He grabbed my shoulders.

“It’s okay. Come on let’s go ahead and get you cleaned up alright?” I nodded still wanting to cry. “Do you have any extra underwear you could wear?”

“There in my bag.” I had carried a small bag only carrying underwear and a bra or two. “Here I’ll just bring it to you. I’m gonna go out here so you can change okay? There’s a bowl of water and sponge right here if you need it.” With that he walked out closing the door behind him. I quickly changed and began stripping the sheets and grabbing the sponge making sure it was damp trying to soak up as much blood from the mattress as I could. I heard a soft knock and the sweet calm accent. “May I come in?”

“Yes.” I didn’t realize the tears rolling down my cheeks until it was to late. “Y/n, don’t cry love.” He wiped my tears before bringing me into a strong hug. “Shhhh it’s okay love.” We rocked back and forth him slowly relaxing me. “I’m so sorry.” He shook his head grabbing my face gently. “You can’t help it and I know that. Y/n I’m a doctor a little bit of blood doesn’t bother me.” He smiled giving my head a small kiss before calling Hetty to wash the sheets.

[isalisewrites]

A ramble on writing where April broke my heart

Hooo boi.

March was a dream in comparison to April.

Emergency gallbladder surgery? Someone faking their death in my server? Good times. I wanna go back.

I have been through much in three short months. April has shown that it's taken a toll. I have missed many more days of writing. I'm still missing them in May. But I'm slowly gripping onto the last vestiges of my raw determination, all while in the face of so much.

I had a falling out with my closest family member that shook me to the core of my heart. I barely slept for most of the month again. Gallbladder surgery has proven to have some complications on my nervous system, making normal daily life difficult where it's hard to sit or lie down without experiencing full body numbness and tingling in various areas, including my hands and fingers. (No, not blood clots. 100% without a doubt it's my nerves.)

If you've followed me here (post one and two) and have read my author's on Terrible, But Great Chapter 30, then you know what went down with my family member. It took so much of my time and energy. I wrote well over 8,000 words trying to reason with this family member, only for all of it to be scorned and mocked. A part of me feels like that energy was wasted. I could have 8,000 more words in TBG, but I don't. This is all I have.

A part of me looks at it and says, "Give it back. Give me back my writing." What happened to January? Or even February? What happened to the girl who could wake up at 4am in the morning, an hour before she had to leave for her hysteroscopy, to power write 700 words?

Some days, I go up the stairs and I'm winded like I ran a marathon.

Some days, if I walk on the treadmill for more than 6 to 10 minutes, I feel like I'm dying.

It's been an uphill battle. The struggle is real, but so am I.

In the last week of December of 2023, when I realized how long it would take me to finish Terrible, But Great, I was overcome with what I call 'The Stirring.' I don't know what else to call it, but it always has an air of mystery and premonition for what it is to come. I thought at that time, "If I had limited time to live, what do I want to do?"

"I want to write."

So, I did.

In 2023, I published a total of 43,000 words in TBG. In 2024, from January to April, I've written 110,604 words and have published 35,000 words thus far. The year isn't even halfway over and I've done better this year than I have last year.

In spite of it all, I'm doing pretty damn good.

There's still hope. I'm not giving up. It might feel like morale is low, but it's not. I'm going to keep going as much as I can through all the hardships because writing is truly the one thing that breathes life into me.

By the end of April, I finished my business class with an essay about how the class shifted my beliefs. This class in combination with all of my health issues and social conflicts sparked an overwhelming revelation and a new rising determination within my soul.

You see, you all have witnessed my love and passion for writing Terrible, But Great, a Harry Potter fanfiction, but I also have original stories that I've wanted to write. Yet, I haven't been able to finish them because I'm always thinking about the market in the real world, instead of what I want and what the story wants. Fanfiction, I can do whatever the hell I want and yall are just gonna have to strap in and hold onto dear life cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride. Original novels, however, are done differently and I've often struggled due to so many factors.

I have ADHD. I am autistic. I have health issues which are rapidly piling up on top of each other. My career choice might not even be feasible for me in the long run, so why I am allowing myself to be pressured into doing more than I can handle with a class load?

I want to write. I want to write. I want to create.

Oh, how I want to create.

So, I will.

Two years ago, I gave up on my dream of writing original novels and earning a living through them. I've since repented of that notion. As I continue write Terrible, But Great, I'm also going to be working on my original novels on the side. Someday, perhaps, I'll be able to earn a living as a published author.

That's my realistic ideal.

I wrote 457 words today, May 9th. That's good enough. The goal this month is to write more than April. I can do that. On the days where prose is hard, I simply write my scene idea in a zero draft style. I don't worry about the prose; I'll fix it later. Every word counts. Every word can be changed. Every word can be made better.

Every word is good enough.

Until next month.