#I really. REALLY. Do not understand 🫠💔

[sepiasys]

Oml there's so much with alterhumanity and stuff akdbkans

Bro how do people narrow anything down??? How do they KNOW?

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

So many labels for experiences... 🫠

[forever-rogue]

I have a Joel request 🥰 Maybe reader was pregnant when the beginning of the pandemic happened and they got separated until years later when they reunite and their kid is older?? Whether or not joel knows about the pregnancy is up to you 🫠

Fluffy and angsty if you wish, but please not too angsty cause my heart is still healing from that angst fic 😅💔

(I see someone has already brought up a similar idea, but I thought I'd request for your take on the story cause I can never get enough of your writing!!!)

AN | Don’t worry babe, I’ve got you! But really I love this concept!

Pairing | Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Warnings | Language

Word Count | 2.7k

Masterlist | Joel, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Joel?" your voice shook, and it was so painfully obvious that you were trying not to cry. Then again, a lot of people had been doing a lot of crying lately. You couldn't blame them; the world had basically ended.

And now it felt like yours was ending all over again. Fuck.

You padded into the living room of the apartment that now served as home for god knows how long. You found him sitting on the couch and staring out the window. He wasn't paying attention to what was going on out there, which happened to be very bleak at the moment. 

"Joel?" you called his name again, moving closer and hesitantly putting your hand on his shoulder. He startled easily lately; you didn't want to be the cause of it. He finally snapped back into attention and looked at you, all dark circles and empty eyes. It broke your heart, "I-I have something to tell you."

He remained quiet but looked raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement. You opened and closed your mouth a few times, suddenly at a loss for words.

How were you supposed to tell him that you were pregnant?

The world had come apart at the seams and he'd just lost his daughter. This was absolutely the worst in the world for all of this to happen.

You waved your hands for a moment, wishing the ground would open up and swallow you whole, "I-I'm-"

Before you could go any further, a loud knocking came at the door. Both of you startled as Joel jumped up and walked over to the door, opening it hurriedly, "what?"

"New horde of infected," a man's gruff voice reached your ears, "FEDRA wants everyone to pack up and go now."

"How far away?"

"Less than a mile."

You did not like the sound of that. A lump welled up in your throat as you looked at Joel helplessly. His face hardened into an unreadable expression before he gave the man, you were pretty sure his name was Nick, a hard nod, “we’ll be ready to go.”

“Good,” he was already moving along to the couple next door, “now go, there’s no time to lose.”

Joel slammed the door shut before letting out a long sigh. He was tired, so, so tired, but he couldn’t just give up. He had to keep going, he had to keep pushing. 

“Joel?”

“Pack a bag, whatever you want grab,” he motioned towards the bedroom, “it doesn’t really matter anymore, but get what you need.”

“What’s going to happen?” your mind was reeling with worry; about you, him, the baby, and whatever the hell was about to go down, “I-I’m scared.”

“I know baby,” he set his large hands on your shoulders, “but right now you can’t worry about that. Just focus on getting your stuff and leaving. Ten minutes, okay? Then we have to get over to the FEDRA station and leave. Yes?”

“Yes,” you agreed shakily, already padding back to your bedroom to get the few possessions you had felt in the world.

Joel nodded as he went to grab his stuff, knives and guns and other weapons, agreeing to meet at the door shortly.

Time seemed to move in a combination of incredibly fast and wickedly slow and before you knew it, Joel was calling for you to leave. You met him at the door the two of you looked at each other in silent understanding.

The trek over to the FEDRA outpost wasn’t far and the other people in the small community were already in a panic to get out, all scrambling around each other. You grew nervous, wondering if you’d be able to get out in time. 

Joel’s hand was on the small of your back as he led you closer to the vehicles designated for exactly this purpose. 

The rest of it all happened so fast. The first group of infected had come around and were making their way into what you had once believed to be a safe space. Chaos ensued as some people tried to get out as quickly as possible and others hung back to try and fight. 

“Go,” Joel shielded you as he walked you over to the one of the vehicles. You were trying to get him inside with you, holding onto his hand tightly and pulled him. 

“Joel-”

“Go,” he insisted firmly and for a moment, time stood still as he kissed you, “go. Get out to safety, okay?”

“What about you?” you hadn’t realized you’d started crying; you hated that he had to be such a good man, “please, come with me now. Please-”

“I’ll find you,” it was a promise both of you knew he might not be able to keep, “I swear it. I’ll find you.”

“Joel-”

“I love you,” he took a step back as the vehicle started up and a few stragglers tried to get on, “I’ll find you soon.”

“I love you,” you cried, “please. Please.”

You weren’t even sure what you were asking for. Everything felt so surreal and left you in a daze; the next thing you knew, he was gone. 

You were leaving to get to the next safe space and he was just gone. 

You’d never felt more numb. 

But you never let go of the hope that one day he’d find you.

Joel Miller was a good man.

A good man that kept his promises.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Luca!" you sighed softly as you tried to find your son. You loved him dearly, but sometimes he just stressed out. He was just a kid though, and you couldn't be mad at him for that. 

He also happened to be extremely friendly and sociable, which made him popular among everyone. You walked down the street to one of his little friend's houses, sure they were just playing.

It was almost too quiet when you got there, and you were sure that they'd gone off somewhere else. You knocked on the door nonetheless and Lisa opened it, smiling when she saw it was you, "hey darlin', I'm afraid they're not here if you're looking for the little bundle of chaos they are."

"I had a feeling," crossing your arms over your chest you rolled your eyes playfully, "it's way too quiet and calm here."

"It's a nice change of pace if I do say so," she winked at you and the two of you exchanged smiles that only a single mother would understand, "do you want to come in for a bit?"

"Rain check?" You asked sheepishly, "I was going to go friend the kiddos….realistically I know they're fine but I'd rather see it with my own eyes."

"Definitely," she gave your shoulder a squeeze, "see you around."

It was a beautiful spring day, warm and breezy with small creatures scurrying about; it always felt like life was back to normal. Or what you had once known as normal…but this had been your reality for almost seven years now. Maybe this was your normal now. 

Nonetheless you decided to remain positive and decided instead to head down to the pond where the kids liked to play. Spring had brought around a bunch of ducklings and you were sure that the kids would be mesmerized by them. But, to be quite honest, so were you. The magic of such simple things was not lost on you. Now, more than ever, these sorts of things were so important. 

“Luca?” you saw a bunch of small figures around and screaming, and you finally relaxed. As you came into view, the boy grinned at you a big smile on his face, his curls roguish from the wind, “hey babe. You doin’ okay?”

“I’m okay,” he confirmed, his brown eyes sparkling as you ruffled his hair affectionately, “are you okay, mama?”

“Of course,” you crouched down so you were eye level with him, “all better now that I know you’re here. Remember when we talked about letting me know when you go out to play?”

“Yes,” he looked worried for a moment before you shook your head softly, “I’m sorry. I got excited about playing and forgot.”

“It’s okay,” you touched his cheek softly, “I’m not mad. Next time can you please remember to tell me?”

“Okay,” he wrapped his small arms around you, hugging you as best as he could. He was a sweetheart and of all the kids you could have ended up with, you were glad he choose you, “can I go back and play now?”

“Definitely,” tender kisses were pressed to his cheeks as you tickled his sides, “go and be good! I love you, kiddo.”

“I love you too, mama,” and off he was, running back to his friend as you watched him go. 

You slowly stood up before stretching and relishing in the popping of your joints. Having been reassured that he was going to be okay, you decided it was time to go back and start tending to the communal gardens. You never really had a green thumb before, but the last few years had really helped you grow. 

You were wrapped up in your own thoughts and almost didn’t notice the man in the middle of the sidewalk, clearly confused. You’d heard some newcomers might be headed your way, but you hadn’t come across any of them yet. Having new people around was something you’d come to love; it wasn’t common most of the time. 

“Hello there,” you were practically beaming as you bounced over to him. The man turned around at the sound of your voice, “you must be new…”

You stopped dead in your tracks as soon as you met his face, suddenly unsure if this was real life or just a wicked dream. You blinked a few times, trying to clear your vision and figure out if what you were looking at was real. There was no way…absolutely none. 

But he looked just like him, watching you with equally curious eyes. Your heart was beating so fast you were surprised it didn’t burst through your ribcage. Your mouth ran dry but you managed to get one singular, “Joel?”

After a moment of stunned silence he nodded before whispering your name in return. The tears were already welling up and threatening to run down your cheeks. Before you knew it, the man that once was your partner, lover - everything - took you in his arms and crushed you to his chest. You didn’t mind.

He was all too familiar, bringing back a rush of memories and emotions as you buried your face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. The two of you held onto each other tightly for some time; you were afraid that if you let him go he would disappear again and you would wake up to find it was all a horrible dream. 

When he pulled back, he took your face in his hands and gently brushed your tears away with his thumb. He drank you in, trying to understand every single thing that had happened since the day you lost each other, “hi.”

“Hi,” you grinned back with a teary smile, “you’re here. Really here.”

“I’m here,” he promised, leaning in to press a kiss to your forehead, “I’m here.”

“Joel, I-”

“Mama!” the small voice of your son reached your ears as he ran over to the two of you, “I found a little duckie and I don’t see the mom duck and it’s so small and can I keep him?”

“Whoa, bud, slow down there for a moment,” he tucked himself behind your legs, suddenly feeling shy when he realized Joel was there. You could see Joel’s eyes flick to the young boy as his brow furrowed in confusion. You put a hand on his shoulder and encouraged him to introduce himself, “can you say hi?”

“Hi,” he sounded so young as he looked at Joel; their eyes mirroring each other, “I’m Luca.”

“Hi Luca,” he held out his hand to shake the young boy’s much smaller one, his mind racing and reeling with questions. But he was a smart man and could put two and two together,  “I’m Joel.”

“My daddy’s name was Joel,” Luca mused as Joel turned his attention back to you, “that’s what mama said anyway. Can I go back to the ducks now?”

“Yeah babe, go ahead. Don’t touch them though and let the mama duck do her thing. I'm sure she'll be back,” he nodded in response before trekking away again, throwing a little wave at the two of you. You nervously turned your attention back to Joel. 

“A son?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion as you nodded softly, “we have a son?”

“Yes,” it felt like a huge weight lifted off your shoulders as you finally got to tell him what you had wanted all those years ago, “we have a son. He looks just like you.”

“I never…I had no clue,” he ran a hand over his face in surprise, “I didn’t even know you were pregnant.”

“I found out that day,” also known as the day. When everything fell apart for a second time and you were separated from each other, “I was trying to tell you, right before Nick had come and knocked at our door. I realized that morning that I was…pregnant. And I never got the chance to tell you…when everything just started happening, it didn’t cross my mind again. And then…I lost you. I thought I’d lost you forever.”

“You had to go through all of that alone,” he looked at you in awe as you shrugged lightly, “you had to go through being pregnant alone and then raised our son alone.”

“I had a lot of help along the way,” you admitted softly, “turns out that times like these are good at bringing out the worst and the best of people. I told him about you; from when he was little. I always wanted him to know what a wonderful man his father was. And now…he got to meet you.”

“All this time,” he could cry thinking about it all. You, alone and scared, being pregnant in a world that was collapsing, and then having to raise a son alone. He’d lost Sarah, a loss that hurt still, and he knew always would, and he’d almost lost his son. But the universe, fate, or whatever was out there had given him a second chance. Not only to find you, but to be you and the son you shared, “baby.”

“It’s okay,” this time the tears running down your cheeks were happy, “it’s okay. You’re here now and that’s all that matters. And now you’ll get the opportunity to know Luca, and it’s…all I ever wanted.”

“We have a son,” he repeated as though he was in a daze, a happy blissful daze.

“You don’t have to…if you don’t want to spend time with him or anything I-I understand,” it would kill you, but you’d understand, “I don’t want you to feel obligated just because. O-or if there’s someone else.”

“No,” he shook his head fervently, “there’s never been anyway else. How could there ever be? It was always you for me; you’re still it.”

“Yeah,” you exhaled with a small laugh, relieved to hear his answer, “it’s always been you for me too.”

“I was just planning on passing through,” he touched your face, thumb gently brushing over your cheek, “but if it’s okay with you, I could stay a while.”

“How about forever?” you asked softly, “i-if you want to. I-I mean we can figure it out, but-”

“Forever sounds perfect.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

[coldarena]

Hi hello I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you with the touch starved Eddie thingie but uni said no rpf for a bit 💔 Anyway now is my time 😌

Just thinking thoughts about Eddie who's been in the army for a good 7 years, who's used to that environment of 'manly men' who only touch each other in the occasional rough housing or hand to hand training, who certainly don't hug each other and so the only 'soft' touches he get being when he gets to go home for a few days when he has leave but those are far and few between 🥹 but Eddie is a Man so he barely even realizes that he misses physical touch itself, merely thinks of it as an extension of missing his family, i.e. missing when his ma brushes his curls off his forehead when he's sick in his bunk

And then, comes Andy Haldane, football captain who's used to reaching out and touch (wasn't there a study somewhere that team sports are actual great for positive masculinity because teammates often display emotions with each other and hug and stuff often? Anyway THAT), but more than that, who doesn't know how not to because that's what he's been doing his whole life. So he doesn't think twice about patting Eddie on the shoulder but he does think a lot about how Eddie tensed when he did that, so he's trying to be careful, to reach out for Eddie less because he understands that some people may not like it but it's so HARD because 99% of the time his hand is already so close to Eddie's shoulder when he realizes what he's doing, changing directions would be ridiculous (he does it anyway because he doesn't want to make Eddie uncomfortable)

Meanwhile Eddie is having a Crisis, slowly realizing that 1. He doesn't mind Andy's touch and 2. He craves it so bad now that he got a taste of it 😭 Trying to reconcile that craving physical touch that isn't play fight doesn't make him any less of a Man or anything 🥹 Growing sooo frustrated after the umpteenth time Andy changes direction at the last moment when Eddie KNEW he was going to reach for him, trying to give Andy hints that yeah, this is good, like slowly (and often unconsciously) leaning into Andy's side/touch hoping he'll get the hint 🥹 (Andy's losing sleep trying to figure out what it means)

Add to that a very unhealthy dose of pining and yeah. Who's writing that fic/making that fanart pls, I need it to live

And then!!! When they finally get together and solve this, and Andy cannot for the life of him keep his hands to his side when Eddie is *right there* 😭 Something about how every time he pats Eddie's shoulder in the show, his hand drags down to nearly Eddie's elbow when he pulls away like he has to visibly force himself to go away because he knows that any time he stops touching Eddie might have been the last time he ever touches him </3 needing that sweet reassurance that Eddie is warm and his shoulders move as he breathes because Eddie is all Andy's got and vice versa 🫠 Also because this, the physical touch, is all they've got in front of their men, because Andy can't kiss Eddie when he gives him a new helmet in a "pls be careful", can't hug him and kiss his temple to comfort him when he comes back to k/3/5 to find Eddie so distraught

ANYWAY... yeah, thinking lots of thoughts about them <3 so sorry for the huge paragraph tho 😭❤️

i think they should cuddle in a foxhole

eddie who's been in the marines and hasn't had the close physical contact of his family, and then losing his first marine buddies to the war + getting shuffled around from company to company so he doesn't really know anyone and misses out on physical touch until ack ack arrives makes me fucking violently unwell category five insane bitch moment being had rn. also yeah ack ack is SO touchy like ??? its defo the football. i know k co is having football huddles. ik ack ack is randomly giving out shoulder rubs becoz he did as football captain and coach for the muscle tension hes gotta help his boys! ik hes a MENACE trying to light eddies cigarettes or jokingly tuck eddies shirt back in becoz 'he's never out of regulation!'. Honestly K co probs see him walking with his arm around some officer's shoulders or his pal Ev like yeah thats our CO hes a football star and we love him. he is constantly patting hilb's shoulder or arm in the show it makes me fucking sick there was no need for any of that, eddies sad wet poncho scene and ack ack goes back for another pat before he leaves is in my manifesto. hanks i hope u know what ur responsible for!! lt ack ack patting this random 1st sgt out of habit and he flinches but then it becomes smth they both need when eddie becomes an lt and joins k co and they're disgustingly pining for each other.... eddie fully not knowing how to react to ack ack throwing an arm around his shoulder or slapping his back to say hello... (sidenote: eddie knowing ack ack is super friendly and nice to everyone and really wishing he was special and it meant more. gonna be ill call me in two days) Terrible if they wake up kinda entangled in their foxholes occasionally with ack acks arm around him and eddie is all... lemme just scooch over a bit more while ur still asleep xx ack ack is not asleep and also panicking becoz eddie is running his fingers over the scars on his forearms. sick. smth about their nonverbal touch and body language and being able to read each other is sooo important to them. eddie trying to reciprocate ack acks touch but hes just awkward and strange about it. there is literally so much about it. you could fill 300k words with it and it would not be enough. also them play fighting becoz ik ack ack can tackle. wheres the fic!!!!!!!!!

[koqabear]

Hmmm, I'm really into fantasy. As for groups, I stan a lot (probably too many), so you could recommend any 😭

Also, what do you mean?!😭 Your personality is just so 💜💜💜!! Like I have never admired a stranger so much in my entire life 😭😭😭

-Lvlee

hi loveee !! so as it turns out,,, making a rec list is very hard. very. i've read a lot less fics than i thought omg (which is why all the ones i listed are on the older side LMAO), so i am here with some txt and bts recs 😭 they're mostly supernatural/fantasy, but you can always check out my main blog (@/michipan) if you wanna see anything else!

also 🫠 please.... im sobbing rn u are the cutest ever </3 i am nothing but a silly little normal person i promise

to anyone who decides to check out these recs, pleeeeaaase support the authors!! please im genuinely begging you!!! leave a little review and a reblog and show them love bc they're amazing <3

BTS Recs

☆ Beastly Gods by @lemonjoonah

✧ hybrid!taehyung x fem!reader x ???

wc: 8K // genre: hybrid au, thirller, drama, smut, potentially dark and triggering content so read the warnings carefully!

Summary: ‘Don’t leave the forest,’ a rule that you’ve been forced to follow since birth, but you are tired of living in this wooden cage. Out of desperation you cut a deal with Taehyung, who claims to be the only one who can get you out safely, even though he might be just as dangerous as the god you’re trying to escape.

sol's personal notes:

oh. my. GOD. this was one of the first few fics i read when i joined this site, and it's literally stuck with me ever since. i can't say too much about it without spoiling it, but the worldbuilding and pacing was just. immaculate. the storyline is so well done and just. everything about it is perfection omg. there's another part that goes along with this story, but i can't link it bc ofc... spoilers 😖i wish i had more to say about this fic, but i read it years ago and forgot to write a review for it T_T

☆ Treasure by @sombreboy

✧ faerie dragon hybrid!jimin x fem!reader

wc: 4.7K // genre: pwp smut, hybrid, yandere, fairytale, again potentially dark and triggering content so read the warnings carefully!

Summary: Jimin loves to collect sparkly riches and playthings. You just happen to be the next treasure that ignited his obsessive desires.

sol's personal notes:

(fucking explodes into a million pieces) i can't. i had to reread this story real quick to get a refresher on it and just. jimin's character in this is literally so perfect and mischievous and evil!! and i love it... <3 he is characterized so well and the descriptions are just so well done... ouuu i just read over the smut again and i teared up a little. the dialogue is genuinely so insane im not normal abt this fic sorry.

TXT Recs

☆ the prince and the jackal by @gyuluster

✧ prince!beomgyu x woodcutter!metalbender!reader

wc: 11.8k // genre: fantasy au, fluff

Summary:  in the Kingdom of Terrae, you, a metalbender, believe in the deforestation to modernise the land. As a member of the Lumberjackals, you thrive on cutting down trees and stealing resources until you get caught by the Crown Prince, Choi Beomgyu, a lover and embodiment of the nature you wish to destroy. However, instead of imprisoning you for your crimes, Beomgyu decides to show you the beauty and wonders of nature, leaving you to doubt your beliefs, your identity, and your very feelings for the certain boy determined to change you for the better.

sol's personal notes:

unfortunately the author is no longer active on this account (💔💔💔💔) but like. this story literally changed my brain chemistry i dont think you guys understand. it's been so long since i read this but even so, it lives on in my mind... the world building and characters are so well done and from what i remember, beomgyu's character was literally so charming T_T such a pretty story, i might go reread this bc like... the fantasy was executed so well and i love me a good royalty au <3 not to mention the whole concept of the powers is so cool!

☆ Swimmin' in a Mirror by @bangchanswolfpelt

✧ soobin x2 x fem!reader (stay with me here)

wc: 2.5K // genre: magical school au (not a harry potter au) smut

Summary unavailable.

sol's personal notes:

this one's like a whole 180 from the last fic LMAO but GOOD GOD. this author isn't active anymore from what i know of but like. they were literally revolutionary and this fic is just. never seen anything like this before but )#%(&#%??? it's genuinely so impressive how they managed to pull this off alkghadg so hot so insane so creative

☆ that's the spirit! by @agustdiv1ne

✧ sixth sense/ ghost hunter! soobin x fem!reader

wc: 14.6K // genre: high school au, fluff, angst, some elements of horror

Summary: a couple weeks before halloween, you find the quiet boy from your high school staring up into your bedroom. you're a little creeped out, and miles more scared, but then he shows you something that changes how you see, well, everything.

sol's personal notes:

are we surprised. i don't think so. i literally never shut up about this fic ever like i'm such a sucker for unique stories and this is definitely one of them! the pacing, supernatural elements, and environment was written sooo well, and the worldbuilding and explanations that comes along with the plot is so perfectly executed and well thought out. such a cool story, with a banger playlist to go along with it :]

☆ Dirty Little Secret by @petrichor-han

✧ vampire! yeonjun x gn!witch!reader

wc: 4.0K // genre: angst, dark fantasy, vampire!au, witch!au, enemies to lovers

Summary: yeonjun is one of prince seungmin’s most trusted bodyguards. born as a low-class vampire, he worked his way to the top and is proud of his accomplishments, beginning to adapt his friends’ classist mindsets and forgetting where he came from. but when his brothers come to visit one day, exposing his poor ancestry, everyone turns against him except for one: a lowly servant whom he’d picked on in the past—you.

sol's personal notes:

are you kidding me. DARK FANTASY. yeah that's literally all it took for me to fall in love with this story; the imagery is beautiful and the storytelling is so heart wrenching and good and i am literally clawing at the bars of my enclosure rn btw. this fic is sososo good and i'd literally kill to get another morsel from this universe !

⭒⭒⭒

✧ again, make sure to show all these lovely authors some love!! if any of you manage to see this (unlikely. for the most part) i literally cherish these stories sm and would literally die for them idcidc u guys truly made some masterpieces over here ✧

[therealslimshakespeare]

my dearest darlingest marina i need you to know you have broken me quite thoroughly and i might never ever forgive you for it as long as we both shall live ! ❣️

to clarify- ive been saving "let's fall out of love" to read later ever since you posted it cuz i didn't feel ready- didn't think i was emotionally stable enough to read it then. well, tonight ive been clearing out my list of unread fics from last year aND GODDAMN WAS I EVER RIGHT ABOUT THAT.!!!

started getting all weepy and shaky before that first courthouse bathroom conversation and i didn't ever stop 😭 sobbed so hard and for so long at the unfairness of it all (for both of them !) i gave myself an asthma attack and had to stop reading.. what really broke me was e's bittersweet and somewhat detached realization on the courthouse steps that all their kids had flocked to laney during the divorce. couldn't stop thinking abt how badly i would've wanted to tell jesse off for being sharp to his daddy, and the knowledge that elaine COULDN'T, that it wasn't quite over yet and she still had to save face for a bit longer despite how much it killed them both, despite being the only person who could truly understand just how deep elvis was hurting right then and having been the one who'd made a whole life out of loving him hard.......... the idea of him resigning himself to having lost that forever (false) and her having to go against everything in her nature to let him ache a while longer,, oh it just shattered my spirit to bits right then and there. oh god im gonna start crying again just thinking about how lonely they both made each other 💔💔💔

im literally inconsolable, even with the reasoning behind it/ knowing how it ends beforehand, and having those future timeline fics to fall back on did nOT SAVE ME like . dear GOD woman how is that even possible?!?? if i had any shred of humanity left in my body id wax poetic for three more paragraphs abt how that speaks to your truly absolutely outstanding talent as an author and worldbuilder, but alas i think i cried out everything that was keeping me sane sometime in the last half hour and now i have to go lie facedown on the floor in my hallway and die abt it all instead 👍 fantastic work as always i love all your work so much forever etc etc 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

ps: it took me the better part of an hour to type all this out since ive lost the water content of approxinately a small ocean w my tears and am doing physically poorly in response 🫠🫠 so thanks for ur patience in this trying time 😔🙏

I spun around in circles upon reading this like my poor coon dog when she had a stroke -jovially of course. Like this is the stuff every writer dreams of getting for feedback but holy smokes, your talent for screaming? Beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve always told you how much I appreciate your time and enthusiasm to tell your thoughts Mary Hope, and now is no exception. My babe and co-author @elvisabutler deserves the pleasure of reading what we’ve wrought, as well. I’ll be halving all your medical and psychiatric expenses with her. 😏

Tbh, despite knowing both imminent and longterm reconciliation was to happen after this segment, we were just as cut up about tearing them apart as you were to read it. In fact, it was worse than all the lead up fics where the passive aggressive accumulation of grievances came across as hurts but ultimately only aggravations. This is just…PAIN. Funny how what was untenable before a tragedy suddenly appears to have been idyllic after it. Anyways.

Thank you for reading, here’s some Kleenex, albuterol and do know the sequel to this divorce is in drafts, so not finished AT ALL but it is in the works.

Not that it’ll hurt much less than this one. 😈

[carmenized-onions]

Ahhh this was incredible! Allow me to spiral

Chip checking Carmy’s location even though she’s upset and is convinced he hates her 💔

Syd once again being the absolute best and Richie waiting on his informer’s say in order to even consider forgiving Carmy…I love them

“whore-d’oeuvres” makes sense and should be the only acceptable pronunciation of the word

Carmen doing Chip’s prep entirely by himself before making her a sandwich just like Mikey used to make and even giving her a granola to snack on…as Chip said, fuck this fucking guy for making it hard to stay mad at him 🫠

I also love how you reiterated that he’s not good with words so instead he channels what he’s feeling into his craft and Chip, bless her heart, understands that this is him trying to apologize and sends her own olive branch in the form of the lavender coffee 🥺

Lol her beating herself up for not being petty enough and giving Carmy the cold shoulder for a while longer/indefinitely is such a mood

“Can I get a uh…a Negroni…sbagliato? With prosecco?” EMMA D’ARCY was a guest at this wedding?!

He’s still using her hair products and the Old Spice body wash she prefers��oh be still my heart

Also, thank you for letting the cat eat the flowers 😂 I couldn’t decide on the plate, but now I see that bringing it back in to be put away was the right choice. It means so much to her, so it wouldn’t feel right to let it be destroyed

And for Chip to say that Carmy, despite all his faults, somehow makes every space easier to breathe in for her and lights up a room for her is so heartbreakingly beautiful because that’s exactly what she does for him and what Mikey once did for them both. But they don’t seem to realize the effect they have on each other and it’s too late for Mikey to realize it at all 💔 I’m not crying

Chip wondering if she’ll ever get to have a wedding like this and taking notes of what she would want to include in her own 🫠 I just know she’s going to be making a Pinterest board soon

The whole bit with Fak was the perfect example of comedic relief 😂

“It was extremely apt and even more upsetting for him, the way time literally stopped, when you left. When he made you leave.” Once again, your skills 😮‍💨

Ahh I wasn’t expecting Uncle fucking Lee to show up! Loved that Chip put him in his place and was prepared to stab his old ass with a fork lmao (and Carmen ready to swing at him for throwing that fake punch at Chip??? 🙃)

Chip being really sweet to that man who’s in recovery is just…she really is the best and deserves all the good things life has to offer 😔

And that ending…I never would’ve guessed what ICE stood for and I’m glad I didn’t because I had that “ohhhh” moment just like Carmen lol

So she had Mikey make folders of all the people who loved him so he could remember that life was still worth living 💔

And all along she was his sponsor…I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Also, I knew she wasn’t in a relationship/situationship with Mikey because she’s right, Richie would’ve said some shit to Carmen 😂

TL;DR: I LOVED this chapter, A+++ for you 💜💜💜

Thank you as always for spiraling and letting me be a part of it as always!! i'll never be able to express how grateful i am. so i won't even try.

The way Chip/Syd/Richie all show the different ways they care in those first few scenes,,, GRREEAHHH!!! that's what it's all about baby mother FUCK!

fuck this fucking guy is right! how dare he make Chip fold so quick and make a fuckin lavender coffee!! son of a bitch! i hope he drowns in it ! i love him !

EMMA D'ARCY IS AT EVERY WEDDING! I also did find out from a bartender that i love and trust that negroni sbagliatos taste terrible. i can't confirm this for myself i did not try it but i do feel like based on what's in it, probably yeah.

I think wildly enough that poll went to frisbee that fucking plate or don't destroy either. I went with it as a sort of trolley problem for chip LMAO-- Like letting the Cat do it's thing was not pulling the lever, and putting the plate back inside was like well this is what i'd normally do. And listen plants can grow back.

But to be honest in the original concept of Just Dropped that plate was getting yeeted out the fucking window it was gonna be . so sad.

EXACTLY MAN!! EXACTLY WITH THE BREATHING EASY-- I just think it's very special with the way Carmen constantly pedestals her, including in this chapter, and it's like my guy she thinks you're inspiring and calming ! get it together!

Chip is a DIY queen too i KNOW her boards are crazy. she's making a new one every two seconds frfrfr

COMEDIC RELIEF BUT STILL I THINK SO MUCH CHARACTER / LORE REVEALED I really liked that bit. I told y'all I'd tackle the handyman beef eventually!!

Listen Uncle Lee showing up was the FIRST thing Chip asked Jimmy about I knew damn well I had to put him in there and really just fucking. GRREEEAAAHHHHHH. I have a lot of. personal anger. about. his whole being. i would just fucking.... It was therapy honestly, for me, to write this motherfucker getting taken to motherfucking task.

CHIP STAYS ON TOP! And she brings everyone up with her too i love my baby

and 100% AS CHIP SAID MAN THINK ON IT FOR TWO FUCKING SECONDS OF C OU R SE RICHIE WOULD'VE SAID SOMETHING IF HE HAD EVEN AN INKLING CARMEN WAS FEELIN A TYPE OF WAY.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AGAIN IM SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT I HOPE YOU LIKE THE NEXT ONE DROPPING AT 11 PM EST YEEHAW LOVE YOU BYE!!

[lostfracturess]

miss nici! I don't know how are you doing that, but i am in awe of you talent, god bless you and your genius writing 🙏🏻 (did i stress enough how brilliant you are? if not I AM STRESSING IT NOW) no but like the way you pulled out this soft and fluff (for s&c YES. I CONSIDER IT'S SOFT AND FLUFF i mean we should be grateful for any happy moment in this story because god knows what nici may be up to 😭 with a hints of angst ofc because it's the way this story is) after absolutely heart wrenching soul crashing devouring previous chapter??? i swear soft!gojo healed my heart and soul, actually got tired up because of him and the reader and the way he expresses his love (with words, with touches, with acts of service, our multi love language king, almost dying in her arms- AHEM what was i talking about 😀). also had to remind myself that he doesn't exist and he's fictional so it's okay to not be loved like that (though i want to be loved by s&c gojo 😭😭 i can fix him, no really i can ™). i absolutely adore how you depicted his soft and vulnerable side, finally something not crazy😭 it literally leaves me speechless how you can write both fluff and angst 😭😭

also i liked the way you portrait the reader girl, i am very happy we've got to know more about her! and her being vulnerable!!! her strength, determination, stubborness, insanity amaze me, such a bold woman, i love her so much 😭 it also worth noticing that she feels very...alive? because she doesn't have anything done for her, whe works hard to be where she is! also want to point out the way you express grief, it really touched my heart 😥 feel shattered and want a hug from satoru as well 🥲

and what was it in the end of the chapter???? you're not even together again, what's it like, in advance???? "no i won't kiss her (while fucking, but okay nvm, because we aren't in relationships anymore), then i will protect her as i always do, take care of her, tell her i love her and then i will wait for her forever) and now i will ask her mother for her hand! sounds like a plan ❤️

by the way, his love confessions???? i was really crying, what are you and both doing to my fragile heart 💔🫵

AND WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT??? WE DIDN'T EVEN HIT THE LOWEST POINT???? SO YOU'RE TELLING ME NOW WE HAVE TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING WORSE THAN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER????? yeah i am so happy....

thank you for this amazing chapter and looking forward to the next one, sending you a lots of inspiration!!!

and now my thoughts while i was reading 😭:

"In the end he chose his addiction over fighting against it alongside you. His addiction had won out over the fragile connection you shared — had won over you" I've just realised that (for now) he chooses his addiction to drugs over his addiction to the reader girlie 🫠🫠🫠 (addiction in a figurative (or no) way, this really hurts 😩

"It had been weeks, but the memory of finding him, barely breathing on his bathroom floor, lingered as a physical ache within you. That image refused to fade" what if i smash his stupid head-

"Understanding him made it worse. It twisted the knife deeper, making the hatred you clung to feel empty, useless, leaving only the bitter sting of disappointment" i just don't know how do you keep making it worse and worse with every word 🥲 a genius. she understands him and that he can't be a normal partner for her (for now at least) but her heart aches and yearns for his stupid blonde head 😭 (i love gojo yeah)

"Because hating him would be easier". YES THAT'S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT

"And it was undeniably addictive.

Too bad it wasn't enough for Satoru." you know what it makes me think? that he's doing (throwing himself into) everything with a maniac devotion, his work, his study work, his researching work, even the relationships with the reader... and yeah drugs count as well i am afraid 🥲 this borderline addiction to something he loves is a part of his character

"You turned and reached for a towel, desperately needing to put something, anything, between you and his pitying gaze" at this moment i am really questioning if suguru knows the reader 🥲 she's clearly not a person who has to be pitied

"No right?" Suguru's voice rose to match yours. "And watch you both go down? Satoru was a ticking time bomb! It was better this way—better him destroyed than you dragged down with him." i understand suguru here :( and i get the reader 😭 but let's look into it more rationally - i thinks suguru is partially right, he wanted the best for both of them, but it turned the way it turned 😭 satoru is an adult man and I don't agree with the reader to blame suguru for their break up, it was satoru in the end who did this, though i can perfectly understand the reader because she's so hurt she decides to blame suguru for the break up 😭

"Why are you saying this now?"

"You know damn well why." NO FUCKING WAY IS HE IN LOVE WITH HER???????

"You want to use me to exploit a grieving woman just to line your pockets?" LET'S GO QUEEN DRAG HIS OLD ASS

Satoru stormed in, his fury barely contained. "What the hell is going on here?" YESSSS OUR KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR 🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️

ahhhhh thank u so so much for taking your precious time to write me yet again such detailed reation to the latest chapter !! i really appreciate it so so much and it makes my whole day to read them :'))

lol love how u interpret the latest happenings as fluff, because yeahhh, that's basically as fluffy as things get can get in this story in between all the hurt.

i mean we should be grateful for any happy moment in this story because god knows what nici may be up to

helloo??? just good stuff of course ehehhe, but i'm happy soft gojo healed u, because we have to be prepared for what else happens …

also had to remind myself that he doesn't exist and he's fictional so it's okay to not be loved like that

lol nooo u deserve a love like this !! maybe without all the drama but really this kind of devotaion i whish for everyone :')

i absolutely adore how you depicted his soft and vulnerable side, finally something not crazy

finally something not crazy, ahahaha <33 love this so much.

it also worth noticing that she feels very…alive? because she doesn't have anything done for her, whe works hard to be where she is!

so happy to hear u like the reader persona in the story !! and that it kinda feels realistic to some point. that's really what i wanted to achieve <3

and what was it in the end of the chapter???? you're not even together again, what's it like, in advance????

boy is always prepared for whatever outcomes is in it for him xdd. nah, he's so in love and delusional that he's SO SURE he'll make up with her and everything will be good eventually. also i think it's so funny and kinda romantic, that even when everything is against them and literally falling apart around them, he still sees them as endgame and just follows that part stubbornly no matter what <33

by the way, his love confessions???? i was really crying, what are you and both doing to my fragile heart

<33 so happy i could stir up such emotions :')

lol and about "we haven't even reached the lowest point" - i think it's maybe equally like chapter 11 but like not that depressing, or like depressing in another way?? but like no one is actually dying okay !! no gege move over here <3

i just don't know how do you keep making it worse and worse with every word

hahaha i'm so SORRYYYY. i'm totally doing it on purpose but i'm aware and am sorry <33

a genius. she understands him and that he can't be a normal partner for her (for now at least) but her heart aches and yearns for his stupid blonde head 😭 (i love gojo yeah)

i think that's really the tragedy with them, like as u said, she understands him and that makes it hard for her to hate him bc she still cares and loves him and don't sees his flaws as flaws but rather yk consequences of things that happened in his life.

this borderline addiction to something he loves is a part of his character

yes totally !!! that's how i imagine real life gojo, always on the edge of things, chasing the next high !!

at this moment i am really questioning if suguru knows the reader

i think he just can't help it or does it unconsciously but yeah, she really need no pity

i thinks suguru is partially right, he wanted the best for both of them, but it turned the way it turned

u sum that up perfectly !! it's really a messy situation, with both her hurt and the human desire to have someone to blame for it and on the other hand him trying to keep her save in some kind of selfish way. really everyone in this story does stupid things, and no one is really "better than the other", or at least that's what i try to convey.

NO FUCKING WAY IS HE IN LOVE WITH HER???????

🤭🤭🤭🤭

[ashadowofburnedoutstardust]

Dear Christopher,

(Or whoever actually bothers reading this)

Everyone 🫂 both you and your fans are victims of this mess, what your fans have been put through because of your teams bad decisions that led to this debacle while everyone was being targeted 🏹 by professional trolls 🐒 looking to bleed you dry like a vampire 🧛‍♀️

I had hoped you 💙 would find the strength 🦾 of your own voice and use it for everyone's benefit, you have a platform

You have a voice 🧜‍♂️I wish you would use it

Love is free Christopher 🖤🤍💜

I've tried defending you 💙 and other fans from harm by intentionally attracting the attention of the trolls 🧌 in order to debunk these rumours with literally anything I could, and I did, swinging nothing but a stick for 2 years as of today, along with many many other fans who were also victims of the people 🐷 trying to set you up

Many of us have suffered from the web 🕷️ that they've been spinning and that needs to stop 🚨

We wake up from nightmares ⏰ please wake up 🫠

I'm not getting paid by anyone to be here and I've suffered more than most, a lot of it at my own hands because of the pressure and self doubt 😞

It's been a lot of ups and downs....

I had greatly admired your willingness to speak up for the greater good especially during a turbulent time in your countries 🇺🇸 history, what happens in your homeland has a ripple effect on the rest of the world 🌏 - and what you do or don't do now matters more than you may know

I guess it's an introvert/INTJ/Ravenclaw/demisexual thing 🪄

Using your platform 🔊 to try and make a difference, it's the first time I ever really took any notice of your existence outside of your movies - character matters 👏

I've even tried doing it for the first time myself because you weren't here, doing my best to fill the void ⚫ left in your absence, it's not an easy thing for an introvert to do, it can feel very lonely sometimes but I've had some good friends 🐕💚 supporting me along the way that have helped hold me up while I kept fighting, so I understand the anxiety from the attention it can garner when bad people are focused on you ⛰️

This has been one of the few times I have broken one of my own rules because the greater good mattered more and it's a worthy 🏏 reason to keep swinging that stick

I've done my best to keep the fire 🔥 going, and to put other fires out, but I've run out of fuel - and water 😢

I'm hoping what's still out there at least tips the scales ⚖️ in your favour and gives you some kind of shield 🛡️ to use to fight back

I'm still hoping you are who you said you are 💔

This is what little light I have left 🕯️

🙏

🩶🪽✨

[onlyswan]

you spoiled us rotten with this drabble artemis. IT’S TOOOO SWEEET. with a pinch of angst :’)

except jungkook is worried. at home and at work, he has many people fussing over him when he’s not feeling well. most of the time, you only have yourself to rely on. he doesn’t like thinking about your past boyfriends, but he hopes that they took care of you when you would get sick. as for the future, he hopes that he’s there.

*sigh* i really and i mean reeaally love him and his attentiveness 😔🫶🏻 made me think of when he wiped the blood on oc’s thighs and that soft and quiet “let me”… made me full on tears. it was peak attentive for me 😭🤚🏻 he just gets it. and of course all of his other acts of care for oc <3

nooooo he really loves taking photos of oc 😭 he has been doing it since this early stage of their relationship 🥹 i love this little detail :’)

jungkook, what do you mean “sit here?” SIT? HERE? ON YOUR LAP? curse him indeed. you really are a menace jungkook. a sweet one.

curse him and his hand on your neck and his soft lips pressed to your cheek.

back at it again with the cheek kisses T-T♡ got me internally screaming and giggling and blushing and kicking the air.

i know you said that there’s jimin cameo but stil… i went “eekk!!!💥🥰🫠✨” a little tmi, jungkook was the first one that got me into this bangtan sonyeondan shit and my first bias, and jimin was the one who locked me IN. i got jim-IN💀🫶🏻

i love that you make the pace of the stages in their relationship just right. not too fast that there would be no chemistry (that sometimes can make the characters’ feelings for each other would not make sense) and not too slow that it would be annoyingly painful. the pace perfectly fits their personalities so much like not rushing things because they were thinking about each other and weren’t stalling / wasting time because they knew what they wanted.

thank you artemis, this really made my day! a really sweet pick-me-up after all the angst dabbles and a fresh breeze after the steamy ones :D ✨ have a lovely weekend my love ♡

-🌷

hehe can you guys tell i have a sweet tooth 🤧

nonono not that scene omg it also makes me want to cry when i remember it because he’s so sweet 💔😭 actually what was wrong with me when i wrote that!!!

from the very start oc really fueled his love language of acts of service >:( your honor i adore him wholeheartedly

nooooo he really loves taking photos of oc 😭 he has been doing it since this early stage of their relationship 🥹 i love this little detail :’)

🥹🥹🥹 i’m so happy that you noticed this thank you

JAJAJSJAHDH no bcs the photobooth part was so freaking fun to write i was giggling every time i had to type the word ‘curse’ like yeah oc i understand!!! what a menace what the hell 🫠

hehe yay so glad you liked the cameo 🥰 and you’re so real for that pls jimin’s charms are just SO deadly. him in the bst music video… yeah… i couldn’t look away again…

i love that you make the pace of the stages in their relationship just right. not too fast that there would be no chemistry (that sometimes can make the characters’ feelings for each other would not make sense) and not too slow that it would be annoyingly painful. the pace perfectly fits their personalities so much like not rushing things because they were thinking about each other and weren’t stalling / wasting time because they knew what they wanted.

tulip anonieeeee ☹️ oh my god you have no idea how relieved i am to hear thisjdksjkskskjf this is definitely one of writers’ biggest worries and i always wondered what the readers thoughts on this are. this was very comforting thank you for making my day too and i love you :") i hope you have a wonderful week ahead my beloved! 💕💕💕

[kneelingshadowsalome]

I continue to be amazed with your work😍 just when I think you can’t outdo yourself you prove me wrong again😭👌🏻💕 your latest ghost story (and the one before that w the virgin reader which I HOPE you consider writing a part two for because that cliffhanger had me crying 😂) once again gives so much life to this supportive, understanding and intense man you’ve made the character to be. Your take on him is literally my favorite ever in this whole fandom, I’ve definitely come to that conclusion by now. Not only do you really get the characterization so right, it’s also the way you create the feeling and the atmosphere of being loved by this man that’s so tangible through your stories. Both from the mental and physical point of view of the reader character in question. It’s amazing how you manage to translate those complexities to written word. Like I am 100% convinced that this man could fuck love all of the pain away if you give him the chance😩. He just gives off that brute energy, but once you get to the core of him he’s so eager and willing to be soft and caring for you🥲😩

(I am also currently halfway through the first part of your konig story and when I tell you the whiplash I got from going from soft and caring ghost to… that freak🫠🫥 I am both terrified and intrigued, I do love me a lil ol creep once in a while but damn that man is entirely in a league of his own 😳)

Oh you are so incredibly kind ❤️❤️❤️!

And YES he would definitely fuck and love your pain away. I love me some intense, gruff Ghost too (that's why I wrote and continue to write the medic stories and his pov) but I stand behind my headcanon of him as a man who takes full resposibility. He's distanced and cynical and cold to his enemies, sure. The soldier Ghost is not a role, it's part of him, he embodies war in full. But he doesn't have the emotional intelligence and capacity of a potato. He might be a little rough around the edges, run like a stray dog from attachments at first, but when he's there, he's there. When he settles... Damn, he really fucking commits.

And umm, you're not the only reader who has voiced their wish for a pt 2 to that Virgin story. It's on the to do list, sort of, but I can't promise anything 🙈

And omg you went from this to Just Friends noooo my dear I wish I could give you a hug and a pat in the back and tell you it's gonna be ok 😭💔

It's kinda funny how in my masterlist there's first the soft!König story with the summary "König doesn't want to hurt women"... and then under it lies this yandere dumpster fire. Like, I really split him into two different beings, didn't I. And now I hear he's also a colonel and that gives me a whole new (dilf!!!1) vibe... Good god, this game and my brain.

There will be more soft Ghost stories in the future and I hope they make up for the toxic perv that is my latest König. Thank you for this message, it's the sweetest thing! 🩷🩷🩷💋 It makes me so happy if and when I can give comfort/entertain people with my stories.

[the-jam-to-the-unicorn]

Jam!I just listened the part of Economist podcast with Olena(the full version will be on a weekend)

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4g1FARQMh8aY3qMGpBxdJm?si=qrGPZVRARs-L6_p2maaCWw

Here is the link if you need!

The interviewer asked her about the future she sees for herself and her family after the war. It was so bittersweet💔 She said «Our family will be reunited. We will live together with my husband and my children. …. We will go somewhere. Four of us. Anywhere. It will be a long vacation. For a month»😭😭💔💔💔God is so sad. I still can’t comprehend how hard it must be for all of them to be separated all the time.

Olena also said that after vacation they will think about what to do next. She said something new and creative. I assume she talks about what kind of job or occupation they want to work in.

Also, she doesn’t want him to run for a second term. She said it would be impossible(?)

I wonder what will happen if Ze decides to run for president after the war.(As far as i understand there won’t be any elections in war time) I think it can create a big problem between them and maybe even divorce? i understand Olena just wanting peace after all that happened. But i also doubt that Ze will go against his family and go for second term. And i think he is understandably tired from his presidency to continue🫠

I hope they can overcome this together💔😭

Also, on more positive note Olena said that Sasha got a boyfriend!!😃She also said that it’s stressful for Ze to cope with the fact that his little girl is not little anymore🥹

Sorry for the long message Jam🫣Just wanted to share my thoughts to someone!!

Hey, thank you for the link!!! (and the summary! 😁)

I also had listened to it but I'm sure everyone else will also be happy about the link. 😉 (you can listen to it without a spotify account)

In general, Olena said some bittersweet things on different occassions recently. Like in the interview with the Asian media. As cute as she was (and to a surprising degree relaxed and even being goofy here and there), some of her answers just hit really deep.

So yeah, even more heartbreak to hear her now and to hear these answers. 💔💔💔

I think, we can't even imagine to 100% how much they all suffer from that separation. They obviously have a very, very, very close family bond, filled with lots of love. Adding to that, we know that Vova suffers massively when he's away from Olena (as he said in the past). And this is something entirely different from what they were used to when Vova was away for work and both of them traveled as First Couple or something like that.

And despite them being able to see each other - it's not the same. Also because they are no longer the same.

It was sweet but at the same time so sad when Olena said in the Asian media interview that she tries to let Vova feel the family warmth and give him that, whenever they see each other. And that she tries to talk about family with him as much as possible to distract him and that, for once, they don't talk about these horrible things that are happening around them. (like right now they discussed what to get the kids for St. Nicholas and how they spent the holidays this year and that the prestens are not ready yet)

God alone knows, how much they long for that family and normality.

I would also say, she was talking about their jobs. I mean, they have to do something. Both of them are people who need something to do and can't just sit around.

And they are both creative people. (even though, right now, I have a hard time imagining both of them returning to their old jobs) I mean, there was a time when they both ditched their safe jobs for being creative and making a living with that.

Yeah, I also didn't quite get the impossible part. Maybe it makes more sense with the full interview (maybe the impossible was about him going for two more terms since Vova can only run one more time).

If he decides to run again, it will probably be a very big and difficult decision. He already decided agains this family's wishes the first time (Olena and Sasha were against it, especially Olena). But Olena, because she loves him so much, found her way of dealing with it and supporting him. But if he does that again - it would be something entirely different. I doubt that Olena would forgive him that easily this time, if he decided something like that against her wishes or without letting her know this time.

It's probaby a really torn situation. I can Ze wanting to continue, to rebuild Ukraine, to still help the country and secure many important laws and international relationships and memberships. Also to somehow find a peaceful and good end. But I can also see him going after the war because he no longer wants to do it and everything that happened. The decision about his second term will not be an easy one.

(about the elections: yes, martial law forbids elections)

I'm sure they overcome this together. They are strong as a couple and have a really special and deep connection. Their love is something unique and I would say they both know that they have something in the other one they would never find again. The are perfect for each other and belong together. I think, that's something Olena always also says in the subtext of when she talks about their relationship - they endure all of that, stay together, are strong together, because they have each other.

Hahaha, yes, the boyfriend part was so cute and funny! The way she said "stressful" made me laugh so much. 😂 Ah yes, not an easy time for Papa Ze. 😁 And probably also not for her. 😁

But good for Sasha for finding a guy and having her first serious boyfriend and being in love! ☺️

[c0rrupted-mov]

chiakis 💄💝💔😶🫂

chihiros 🏳️‍🌈👗🎶

Sorry for replying late, I forgot 🫠

Chiaki:

💄 An appearance headcanon

Chubby!! I think it’s a universal agreement the fandom has

💝 A headcanon about their love language

Quality time I think. She doesn’t have that much energy to do a lot of things together like going out plus she’s too much invested in her games to get distracted. So she would enjoy just being in the same room with her partner and do their own things. And gaming together, of course

💔 An angsty headcanon

I couldn’t decide between these two so here you go

1. (we love angst here but not this much. So the Nanami survived AU time) She has a lot of scars from her "execution" and she they make her insecure

2. Always had a hard time socializing and bonding with people, so one of the first reasons she got into gaming is because interacting with characters there is easier than with real people (though dating sims are still too difficult for her </3)

😶 A random headcanon!

She wanted to try cosplaying once, but lost interest in the process too quickly </3 But she still wants to try it one day again

🫂 A friendship headcanon

Her and Makoto would be friends!! Short gang fr. At first Makoto would be the only one to listen to her gaming ramblings. He doesn’t understand a thing she says but he finds the way she’s invested in it inspiring and super cool </3

Chihiro

🏳️‍🌈 A sexuality headcanon

I would say bi (if I never thought of their sexuality or genuinely don’t know it’s the standard option)

👗 A headcanon about their clothes

Her favourite colour is green so lots of green clothes!!

🎶 A headcanon about music

Isn’t really into music, just listens to whatever she likes. BUT really likes 8-bit styled music or old game’s OSTs (got that from Nanami gkhkg)

[theoutlawfaleena]

Hey there! 👋 Not sure if this account is still used by you 🥹 but I wanna share some brainrot anyway. 😊

I dislike how COD manages to rot my brain every few months 🙄 and is then not quiet, but silent for another few months 😶‍🌫️ so I apologise for being here and not being here sometimes. 🫠👍

By the way, this brainrot is a mix of tiktok headcanons and my own. 🤝

Alright; I was thinking a bit about König in the past week. 🥰 Yk, think of him as a character that isn't an infant that constantly needs help. 🤠 So, what's the opposite of a school kid? You guessed it, a murderer! 😌

Now before you think: "Zombie-Anon, what the fuck are you talking about??" 😳 Let me arrange the rest of the pictures. 😉e

In König's backstory, bullying plays quite a big role 😤 and I think he joined the military at the age of 17 (either canonically of some other tumbler theorised that) which ain't common in Austria. 🇦🇹⛰️🍻

So... what if the bullying got so bad 😟 that he snapped one day and either did kill one bully or simply attempted to do it. 🫢

Now, based on what my sister just told me, this would result in teenjail, some massive amount of rehabiliation and therapy and probably no entry into the military... 😬 but since this is Call of Duty I'm gonna ignore that. 😎

Or if we do want to stay realistic, 🤔😥 König 100% has murderous thoughts. Stop supervising him and he'll strike at whoever he's mad at. 🤩 This man is filled with rage, murder, metal and the ability to kill casually. 👍

And since it has been some time, I have fully stopped working on my Zombie-AU simply because I've got no motivation for that anymore. 🥲 Instead I've been reworking a COD OC of mine, whose really slaying now 😏 and I have no idea how I was able to create the thing I made at the very beginning?? She was bland, had an uninteresting backstory and no spice whatsoever. 😒 I also created an OC that's like, sort of the opposite of her snd he slays a lot as well. 😌

I love traumatised characters, they're my favourite flavour.

Signing off, Zombie-Anon. 🧟💛

oh my gosh. zombie anon. i'm so happy to hear from u 🥺 u and i both are just going thru phases of falling off the face of the earth i fear 😭 i do still pop in on this acc from time to time but life has been life-ing and i haven't been able to write or do anything with it in a rlly long time 🥺 and every time i do get motivation i fear the hype has since passed on, so i just kinda pop in and check every now and then and then skedaddle 😔

listen 😳 u know how much i love unhinged könig,, i 100% think he has some pent up rage from his youth and mayhaps it manifests in some battlefield behaviors 🫶🏻 he absolutely has the capacity to snap necks on a whim and u know what?? i support his rights and his wrongs.

i would be lying if i said i'm not mourning the zombie au rn 💔💔 but i totally understand losing motivation for something and moving on to better things. never lose ur creativity. i'm excited to see what else u have to share 🫶🏻

[borathae]

First of all Sibi what the hell 🫠 these last chapters has been a roller coaster emotions and don’t get me wrong I loved it 💜 so here are some things I want to point out

“Who are you?” you ask him, feeling really dizzy. What happened? Where are you? Your body is still burning up in pleasure, but it feels so burdening all of a sudden. "Please don’t hurt me. I, I know Min Yoongi. He will hurt you", you beg.

Without a doubt Oc knows that the only person who will protect her no matter what is Yoongi 🥹 every time she’s in danger he’s the first person that comes to her mind. And I totally agree with the anon who said that her relationship with Tae it’s jus a memory of something beautiful they sheared (this is so sad cause they were really in love) but in some way I feel like Tae is too weak when it comes to oc like it’s not the first time he hurts her. 💔 how does he believes Jimin over oc??? His stupid reason is because is Jimin ???? Bro that’s why you shouldn’t believe him 👊🏻 you spent centuries with the man just to know how manipulative he can be. Tae definitely needs to grow some balls and took responsibility for what he did to oc. He acted like nothing happened 🙄

This is all your fault. Once again you burned down something so important just because of your own selfish childishness. This is just like with Cookies and your house. It’s your fault. You are the reason why everything is in ashes. 

This broke my heart 💔 oc feels extremely sad omg but she never thought that sharing her blood with Tae would get out of hand like this because in the past just like she said it was a romantic moment and a declaration of love between them. But Tae was so caught up in the moment that he lost control without even realizing he was killing her ☹️

You follow and so he places his arm underneath it, closing it around you in a way so that he can play with your hair. You sob and sob and sob. You sob so much that you don’t even notice when Yoongi lifts your hand to check for your ring only to furrow his brows when he realises that you aren’t wearing it anymore. You sob so much that you also don’t feel the soft kiss he places on your empty finger, but you do feel how his fingers brush over your temple.

This!!!! So glad Yoongi notice the ring was missing 👀 but now what??? Can he get another one? 😰 what if Namjoon takes advantage of Tae and Jimin and tries to convince them to get back to him 🥹 we done know what he’s been doing in the sábado es all this time and that scares me so much

I don’t know what to think now 🫠 I wish I could say more but my English is not really good but I hope you can understand what I tried to say 😅

- Eli 🍄

Without a doubt Oc knows that the only person who will protect her no matter what is Yoongi 🥹 every time she’s in danger he’s the first person that comes to her mind.

CATCH ME CRYING ABOUT THIS FACT EVERYDAY 😭😭

you spent centuries with the man just to know how manipulative he can be. Tae definitely needs to grow some balls and took responsibility for what he did to oc. He acted like nothing happened 🙄

RIGHT?? He literally knows how reckless and manipulative Jimin can be. I mean? In the first book he was all like "please don't hang out with jimin without me" and now he is all like "but is jimin :(" LIKE BRUH??

she never thought that sharing her blood with Tae would get out of hand like this because in the past just like she said it was a romantic moment and a declaration of love between them.

yes this!! It changed from something sweet and lovely to something dangerous and fucked up istfg I wanna give her such a big hug :( she deserves the best :(

This!!!! So glad Yoongi notice the ring was missing 👀 but now what??? Can he get another one? 😰 what if Namjoon takes advantage of Tae and Jimin and tries to convince them to get back to him 🥹 we done know what he’s been doing in the sábado es all this time and that scares me so much

THE PLOT WILL THICKEN IN TODAY'S CHAPTER OOHOHO

Thank you so much for sending in your thoughts my dearest Eli ehhehe! I understood everything perfectly, don't you worry you are amazing hehe 🥺💜

[hyunverse]

ik it’s so embarrassing 💔💔 i remember that week being not the best so maybe i was just emotional in general ?? idek 😭. i also cry over fluff more than angst. i read angst when i’m like at a rly low point bc it’s almost kinda comforting ……. idk dw bae i sound insane rn too ! we pretty much have the same favorite cereal bc if i had to choose i’d get the chocolate rice crispy ones (or honey nut cheerios) and i LOVEEEE milo. my nana from australia always sends it over and it’s delishhhh. so nostalgic. YES spanakopita is life, it is so so so so good. lmk what you and your mom end up getting ^_^ that sounds so fun i love eating w ppl

ITS THE HYUNE BODY ROLLING SO TRUE. i like when he dances with short sleeves or sleeveless tops bc the arm muscles just make me 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 insane !!! i’ve been wanting to watch a new movie so maybe i’ll watch howl now ^_^ i’ve heard a TON about it and i think you just fully convinced me hehe. do you have any other movie or show recs ?? i’m not a big movie or show person but im tryingggg to watch more stuff so tell me any of your faves

oh yea i could slander america as a professional job. like don’t get me wrong i’m extremely grateful to live somewhere where i can get a good education and just like survive but at the same time … i’m barely surviving ?? all our money goes to stuff that doesn’t even benefit us ??? idk man i’ll keep going if i don’t stop myself BUT YES PLS all the mcflurries 🙏🏼. possible unpopular opinion but oreo mcflurry dipped in fries = chefs kiss. it’s an underrated combo fr

i would pay MONEYYYY to experience one skz dance practice but hyunjins alone oh my oh my oh myyyyy. i don’t think i’d survive, his clinging would be ineffective bc i’d just be 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠. smth about the way he dances just GAHHH. YES CONFIDENT MISCHIEVOUS LITTLE YONGBOK he’s so cute 😭😭😭😭 i love his korean name it’s adorable

i watched the live when i woke up this am and it was the cutest thing ever <///3. felix looked so bf and i swear the There music video made it WORSEE. the parasocial vibes rly smacked me in the face and said grace u need to wake up and accept you can’t have these men 😔

spamming once again gahhhh can u tell i’m bored <///3. im stuck inside for another day bc nyc is having a rly bad snow storm rn and it’s torturous lol. as much as i love being in my bed all day, it gives me a raging headache every timeeeee

- 🐈‍⬛ kisses 4 uuuuu i hope ur sleeping well ^_^

i've never tried honey nut cheerios but now i kinda want to?? lets see lets see. going back to my campus this saturday so i gotta stock up on my food stock 🫡 i'm gonna try honey nut cheerios hehe. milo is good but i can't drink it that much bcs its best mixed with milk and im lactose intolerant </3 i mean i do consume dairy anyway but milo and milk is a deadly combination. one sip and you're gonna end up with diarrhea. even worse when u have lactose intolerance. god lactose intolerance sucks so bad, especially when i love dairy </3 life is a war game and the toilet is my battle field. </3 aaa me and mumsies ended up not getting breakfast bcs we didnt wake up on time LOLL love that 4 us 🤞

sleeveless tops on hyune always look so good. his arms are so nice, the type that isn't frail nor too muscular, he's just nice. dont get me started on his hands yo his hands are pretty big too and his fingers?? majestic. slender and pretty. makes me dizzy just watching it 😵‍💫howl is incredibly good, u reaaaaaally need to watch it <3!! mmm for tv shows, i really like gilmore girls and jujutsu kaisen. or if you like romance, u shud try out horimiya!!

I UNDERSTAND ABT THE MONEY THING... malaysian road taxes r no joke. youngsters going broke frm paying taxes is CRAAAZY. fries dipped in vanilla ice cream is so good so i get u!!!!! it's the mixture of sweet and salty 🤌

when hyunjin does a lil smirk while dancing... im frothing drooling melting. like bae stop i will get through this phone screen and kiss u 😭 so pretty. YONGBOK IS SO CUTE AND YES HIS NAME!! I LOVE WRITING HIM AS YONGBOK BCS I LOVE HIS NAME SM... i also love jeongin's name. it's cute and suiting for him.

the live c hdbhs i was fixated on seungmin the whole time... was just staring at him dreamily like... 💭 he made a mess but i's ok bcs it's seungmo!!

THE THERE MV OH MY GOD GRACEEEEEE. I'LL NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT IT. HYUNJIN AND SEUNGMIN'S PART GOT ME GIGGLING!!1 also can i just say that the settings suit them so much? it feels like it's actually their ideal date. jeongin with the shopping for clothes, hyunjin with the camera and channie in the studio... it makes so much sense. omg what if it IS their ideal date? bye im gonna combust. why are they parasocializing with us!! its making the delusions worse!!!

talking abt parasocializing, felix needs to calm down. bro was wiping at his mouth and stuff r u indicating that we just made out?!?! not very pg13 of him. i heard he spams om bubble too 😭 he needs to find a gf his bitchless behavior is getting worse 😟

ur spam is always entertaining so dw!! i take my time with it always cs i wanna put thought in my words hehe. sorry to hear abt the storm :(( i hope ure staying warm <3

[seitmai]

I have so many thoughts I'm gonna make use of the read more function lol

Bob turned back to you, your eyes meeting for the first time and you were taken aback by how blue his were.

Those blue eyes 🫠🥰🩵💙

“I should get going, if you ever need a volunteer to help around the classroom, please don’t hesitate to ask. I wanna make this school year as good as possible for her.” Bob said as he stole one last look at Cassie.

That's so sweet 🥺

Meanwhile at base, Bob was freaking out. For one, he knew that meetings like this were not good signs. It was typically because a child was acting out or causing problems during class. Cassie was an angel at home, sometimes she could get moody when she was tired, but besides that, she always listened. Secondly, this meeting meant he was going to have to sit across from a woman he considered to be the most beautiful person he’d ever met and actually talk to her for more than 3 minutes in a hallway. Not to mention, the idea that she might view him as not cut out for this filled him with dread. 

Oh no poor Bobby is so stressed and for no reason at that, he just doesn't know 🥺

Bob felt his heart swell with pride. He loved Cassie more than anything in the world and was so happy that she was adjusting to a new school, new house, and even a new guardian so well. Not that Bob taking care of her was anything new, it had just been a few years since he’d been that active in her life and he was terrified of falling short.

He's doing an amazing job 👏🏻

“Cassie doesn’t know the details on why she is here if that is what you wanted to ask,” Bob cleared his throat and looked down at the carpet, “I’ve just told her that her mom needed a little help and that she would be staying with me and my friends for a little bit. I think she’s still distracted with how new this life is to realize this is forever…”

I just know he has the worst feeling of guilt even though he knows it's better for Cassie 🥺

“Has Uncle Bobby answered yet?” Cassie asked through sobs and your heart broke further when you had to shake your head.

I just wanna give Cassie a hug 💔😭

You watched Bob clench his jaw as he watched Cassie begin to doze off on the plastic bed. Your stomach turned as you feared he was angry at you for not calling earlier and you prepared yourself for the worst. To your surprise, Bob turned to you and placed his hand on your arm to get your attention. In a soft voice, he spoke as you made eye contact, “I’m really sorry, I can’t have my phone up in the plane and the two emergency contacts were also up in the sky with me. It’s my fault,” he ran his hand through his hair, “I’m just so new to this whole thing and when they asked who I wanted, I put the two people I trusted most, but neglected to think about how one of them is flying my plane. Thank you for sitting with her.”

He is trying so hard and doing his best and is too hard on himself 🥺 I just wanna give him a hug and tell him he is doing great🫶🏻

 You took a step back as Bob wiped her tears and pushed the hair off of her face and behind her ears. He spoke in a calm voice and reminded her to take deep breaths. You had a small smile on your face that dropped quickly when you saw Cassie try and push Bob back as he raised his arms to hug her. A confused expression fell on his face as he tried to understand what he did wrong. “NO! My clothes are gross and I smell bad, I don’t wanna get you sick!” Cassie raised her voice and you saw a hurt expression flash across Bob’s face. “Pumpkin,” he started, moving his hands to hold her face, “I don’t care that you got sick and your clothes are dirty, okay? That’s what the washer is for. Plus,” he grabbed her hand and put it on the back of his neck, “Feel how sweaty I am, we’re both gross today.”

They are just the best together 😭🥺🥰

Shortly after Bob had to pick up Cassie early from school she had come home with a sheet of paper announcing career day and Bob immediately knew he needed to be there. He requested to take half of that day off and started planning what aspects of his job he wanted to talk about. Some people might have found it silly he was putting in so much effort for a class of 3rd graders, but he felt this was the best chance for him to show to everyone he could show up, that he was cut out for this. 

I love how excited and motivated he is 🥹

As they made their way towards the front doors of the building Bob felt his anxiety coming back. Cassie must have sensed this because she grabbed his hand and led him closer to the doors, a big smile on her face.

Cassie is the best🫶🏻

You were relieved when Sarah arrived and you could force her to speak for you to avoid embarrassing yourself. As you made your way to the back of the classroom Sarah leaned in, “So which one is captain DILF?”

This cracked me up hahaha

You saw him take a deep breath and move his shaking hands to his pockets, something you probably wouldn’t have noticed if you weren’t watching him so intensely. You felt Sarah look at you and a smirk spread across her face as she leaned in, “Oh yeah, you’re down bad.” You shushed her without taking your eyes off of him.

I mean, how can one not 🤷🏻‍♀️

You could tell that Bob had a lot of respect and admiration for Natasha and it warmed your heart to see how much his expression brightened when he talked about her.

I love love love how Bob treats the women in his life, professional and personal he is truly the best 🫶🏻

The one question he wasn’t ready for was who her emergency contact should be, in case they couldn’t get a hold of Bob. He panicked because he never thought there would be a time when he wouldn’t drop everything to get her. He put down the two people he trusted in the sky most: Natasha Trace and Bradley Bradshaw. If he could put his life in their hands, he could also do so with Cassie’s. His last thought before he pulled the ejection handle was that the first person they were going to call to get Cassie from school when he didn’t answer was about to be ejected from a plane with him and the second person was going to insist on being the leader of search and rescue for them.

🥺🥺🥺

Cassie jumped up from her seat and ran towards him, “UNCLE CHICKEN!” she yelled in an excited voice. You held back a laugh as he leaned down to pick her up in a crushing hug.

Uncle chicken 😂

Bob let out a long breath and watched her through the window, “I really scared her this time. She’s been having a lot of anxiety and nightmares. I told her I would talk to you about it… I know every time we talk I find a way to say that I wasn’t prepared for this part of parenting, but I think I’ve met the worst one yet.”

I just wanna give him a hug so bad 😭🥺

She nodded enthusiastically before replying, “Yes, whenever Aunt Tasha comes over he spends a long time talking to her in the kitchen and a few nights ago she called him a wimp for not talking to you more,” she laughed and you choked on air as your skin felt like it was on fire, “and when he came to talk to the class, my braids were uneven because he spent too much time on his hair and didn’t have time to fix mine.”

Hahah Cassie is not holding back

Bob let out a laugh and leaned down to give Cassie a kiss on the forehead, “Oh boy, that’s never good.” 

Oh he knows Cassie hahah

“It’s a date.” You replied, excitement bubbling in your chest. You somehow not only survived the school year, but had a new way to celebrate the end of the year.

A date with Bob?! The best way to celebrate!

You glanced back out the window and saw him pacing on your porch, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He checked his watch a few times and you watched him closely as you slid some sandals on. You slowly made your way into the hallway and as soon as the clock ticked to 7pm, there was a knock.

He is perfect

He spread out the biggest blanket and placed the basket in the middle of it. You took a seat as he pulled out an assortment of fruit, sandwiches and snacks. Blown away by his efforts, you looked at him with your mouth slightly open in surprise. 

I reapeat: he is perfect

You watched him closely, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were glossed over behind his glasses. When you moved closer and offered your hand he accepted it graciously before continuing, “I’ve tried to go home as much as I could, but this last visit, I just couldn’t let Cassie stay there anymore. So I took her to court and won custody.” “Bob…” you said in a low voice, hoping he would look back your way. “None of that changes how I feel about you in a negative way, if anything it shows me how caring you are and how much love you have for her. I think it’s really brave what you did.” Bob shook his head in protest, “It’s what anyone would have done.”

🥹😭🫶🏻

He leaned his head down to your neck, a new confidence present and in a low voice, he mumbled against your ear, “If I don’t leave now, Phoenix might just have to sleep on my couch.”  You let out a breathy laugh and put your hands on his chest, signaling him to lift his head and look at you, “I can’t have Phoenix hate me this soon… Good night, Bob.”

Oh I can already see Phoenix sleep on the couch or Cassie having sleepovers at Phoenix or uncle chickens place in the near future 🤭

I absolutely loved this story! 👏🏻

The Six Times You Met Bob Floyd In School and The One Time You Didn't || Robert "Bob" Floyd

Description: How Single Dad!Bob x Teacher!Reader's relationship progressed over the course of a school year

Content: emetophobia warning (mentions of upset stomachs and throwing up but it’s very minor), the bird strike is a plot line, mother's not being the best sometimes (it's like one sentence), bob is a great father figure, fluff

Word Count: 9k (I'm so sorry lol)

A special thank you to @imjess-themess for mentioning this in the discord and everyone who helped talk about the backstory/offer stories from their childhood ( @hederasgarden, @mayhem24-7forever, @jostystyles). Of course, thank you to @callsign-phoenix for rereading this a million times, encouraging me, and for making this beautiful header.

If anyone likes this or wants more about this story, I have an entire google doc of headcanons waiting for the internet to see!

One: 

The first day of school was always exciting, it was a mark of a new beginning and a new time of change. You didn’t realize how true those two things would become until later in the school year. Standing by the door of your newly decorated classroom, you greeted each child as they came in, doing your best to learn their names as soon as possible. You tried to make a mental note of how many students had come in. The task was becoming increasingly more difficult as more families crowded the hallways and children rushed passed to get to their new classrooms. A short blonde girl with mismatched socks and crooked pigtails caught your eye as she hurried down the hall, a big smile spreading across her face as she made eye contact with you. When she got to where you were standing, you leaned down to ask her name but were cut off by a voice.

“Cassie! You forgot your lunch, I know you’re excited but-” the voice stopped as he got to where you were standing.

Your eyes were met with a pair of old converse and when you looked up to see who they belonged to, you were caught off guard. He couldn’t have been much older than you and was by far the youngest parent you’d met all day. As you stood up straight to introduce yourself he looked down at the girl, Cassie, the name rang a bell but you couldn’t remember why.

“Cassie! You forgot your lunch, I know you’re excited but-” the voice stopped as he got to where you were standing.

Your eyes were met with a pair of old converse and when you looked up to see who they belonged to, you were caught off guard. He couldn’t have been much older than you and was by far the youngest parent you’d met all day. As you stood up straight to introduce yourself he looked down at the girl, Cassie, the name rang a bell but you couldn’t remember why.

“She’s very um… very excited, I’m so sorry.” He adjusted the small backpack on his shoulder to try and stick his hand out to shake yours, “I’m Bob Floyd, her uncle and legal guardian and I’m assuming you’re Mrs-” 

“Miss…” you corrected him, suddenly embarrassed by this, “I’m not married.”

“Oh I apologize, I guess I just assumed…” he trailed off as his gaze fell to your empty ring finger, looking away quickly before he leaned down, “Cassie, how about you go inside and see where your seat is.”

A big smile spread on Cassie’s face as she hugged his neck goodbye. You saw tears well up in his eyes as he whispered “I love you” into her shoulder. He stayed crouched down as he watched her walk into the classroom, greeting everyone she saw.

He stood back up and stuck his hands in his pockets as he lowered his voice, “I’m not sure if they told you about Cassie’s situation, but I could uh-I could tell you more about it if you had any questions.”

You were suddenly reminded why the name seemed so familiar, you had received an email regarding the custody status of one of your students a few weeks ago. It wasn’t unusual to have students being taken care of by relatives, especially so close to a military base. The file didn’t share many details, only that Cassie’s mother had lost custody at the beginning of the summer and an uncle was going to be receiving full custody. You had to admit, when you heard she was going to be taken care of by an uncle, you expected him to be an older gentleman. Yet, here he stood, slightly taller than you and in casual clothing. He had a baseball hat and glasses on, making it impossible to see most of his face, but you could tell he was quite attractive. Not that it mattered, it would be inappropriate to crush on a student’s guardian. 

“No need for that, the school told me that you would be taking care of her and as long as she is happy and safe, that’s all that matters.” You replied as you looked at Cassie and back to Bob. 

Your heart swelled at the smile on his face as he watched Cassie continue to introduce herself to everyone. Bob turned back to you, your eyes meeting for the first time and you were taken aback by how blue his were. Your voice was caught in your throat as you watched him scan your features. After a moment, he looked down and cleared his throat to speak.

“I should get going, if you ever need a volunteer to help around the classroom, please don’t hesitate to ask. I wanna make this school year as good as possible for her.” Bob said as he stole one last look at Cassie.

“Absolutely, you’ll be my first call.” You replied, trying to stabilize your voice. This was going to be a long year. 

Two:

As the first month of school came to a close, you had decided you wanted to have meetings with Bob to discuss Cassie a bit more. While phone calls home and meetings with parents were usually a bad sign, this one couldn’t be farther from. It wasn’t any of your business and you expected Bob to tell you off for asking, but you were curious to see if Cassie was adjusting well at home. She was the perfect student in class, but sometimes that can be a way for children to overcompensate. As you read her file, you saw Bob’s number and dialed it. You had no idea what he did for work but you just hoped he wasn’t busy. After a few rings, he picked up.

“Uh, hello?!” He semi-shouted into the phone, noise filled the background and it caused you to slightly pull the phone away from your ear.

“Hello?” You cleared your throat slightly, “Is this Robert Floyd?”

You heard him excuse himself and the sound of a door slamming before the background noise became nothing more than a dull hum, “Yes, may I ask who this is?”

“This is Cassie’s teacher, I was wondering if we could schedule a meeting to talk about a few things.” You answered, cursing yourself for how stern your voice came out.

There was some shuffling on the other end of the line before Bob was mumbling something you couldn’t make out under his breath. “Um, yeah” he started but was cut off by the sound of a door opening and some shouting that sounded urgent, “I’m sorry, things are crazy here right now, can we do it today when I pick her up?”

You barely got a reply out before he rushed to say goodbye and you heard the beep of the phone call ending. You felt horrible, obviously he was busy at work doing whatever he does and you had to call and bother him instead of just waiting until the end of the day to ask. This was not how it was supposed to go, you wanted to explain to him that this was a good meeting and tell him not to worry, but there wasn’t enough time. 

Meanwhile at base, Bob was freaking out. For one, he knew that meetings like this were not good signs. It was typically because a child was acting out or causing problems during class. Cassie was an angel at home, sometimes she could get moody when she was tired, but besides that, she always listened. Secondly, this meeting meant he was going to have to sit across from a woman he considered to be the most beautiful person he’d ever met and actually talk to her for more than 3 minutes in a hallway. Not to mention, the idea that she might view him as not cut out for this filled him with dread. 

He tried to distract himself with training and drills but nothing worked, his mind was stuck on the meeting planned for this afternoon. When the time finally came for him to leave to pick up Cassie, his palms were sweating and his voice was shaky as he bid everyone goodbye. 

Once he got to the school and made his way down the hall he saw Cassie sitting in the hallway, not a good sign. She looked up and her face lit up with a big smile when she saw Bob walking towards her. Bob kneeled down to greet her, trying not to show the nervousness he was feeling as he kissed her forehead and mumbled, “How was school today pumpkin?” against it.

“So good Uncle Bobby, we did multiplication and I learned how to spell Massachusetts!” Cassie beamed with pride as you walked out of the classroom and ushered Bob in, telling Cassie it’d only be a few minutes.

As soon as the door closed, Bob began to rattle off apologies.  “Listen, I’m so sorry if she has been acting out, this has been a huge adjustment period for both of us and I’m kind of working on setting boundaries and none of these parenting books prepare you-” He stopped abruptly when he noticed a big smile appear on your face as you let out a chuckle and waved your hands to motion him to stop talking. 

“Mr. Floyd, that’s not why you’re here.” You said and he let out a sigh of relief and rested his hands on the back of a chair. He watched as you sat behind your desk, motioning for him to join you. “Like I said Mr. Floyd, Cassie-”

“Please just call me Bob” he interrupted and wiped his palms on his jean clad thighs, “It’s what everyone else calls me, Mr. Floyd makes me feel like I’m old.”

“Okay,” you started again, “Cassie didn’t do anything wrong, quite the opposite actually. She is one of the brightest students I have, not to mention she is incredibly kind hearted and will do anything to help around the classroom”

Bob felt his heart swell with pride. He loved Cassie more than anything in the world and was so happy that she was adjusting to a new school, new house, and even a new guardian so well. Not that Bob taking care of her was anything new, it had just been a few years since he’d been that active in her life and he was terrified of falling short.

Your voice got his attention again, “Her file doesn’t say much about her life before moving here…” he could tell you were proceeding with caution to avoid overstepping so he sent you an encouraging smile.

“Cassie doesn’t know the details on why she is here if that is what you wanted to ask,” Bob cleared his throat and looked down at the carpet, “I’ve just told her that her mom needed a little help and that she would be staying with me and my friends for a little bit. I think she’s still distracted with how new this life is to realize this is forever…”

Bob didn’t have to look up to know you were staring at him, gaging his reactions. He quickly wiped a tear that had started to fall before he stood up, accidentally scaring you with how sudden it was. “If that’s all, we really better get going, Cassie gets hangry if she doesn’t have a snack around this time.”

Bob took a step away from his chair when you stood up to walk him out, “Of course, it was lovely seeing you again, you two have a good night.”

As soon as he was out of your eye sight, Bob let out a deep sigh and ran his fingers through his hair, trembling from the aftershocks of seeing you again. What was he going to do the rest of the school year?

Three:

As the school year continued, flu season quickly arrived. It was inevitable for kids to become sick and once one kid had it, it was like wildfire in the school. Which was how you ended up sitting on a plastic bed in the back room of the office, trying to comfort Cassie while they called Bob for the third time. You still didn’t know what he did for work but you imagined it must have been something really important that he couldn’t pick up the phone. 

“Has Uncle Bobby answered yet?” Cassie asked through sobs and your heart broke further when you had to shake your head.

Another twenty minutes had passed and Cassie calmed down a little, but was still sniffling. It was at this point you had begun to become impatient and frustrated with him. How can you not answer your phone and make the emergency contacts impossible to reach as well? As if on cue to your thoughts, the front office door burst open to reveal a very sweaty Bob in a green flight suit. 

“Oh no,” you muttered as you stood up and took a few steps towards where he was standing. You were filled with guilt at your thoughts because you now understood that he wasn’t just busy at work, he was 30,000 feet in the air. You stayed halfway down the hall and observed as time slowed and nearly everyone in the office stopped to admire him for a moment. His hair that was regularly in perfect condition was now windswept and slightly damp, his fair skin had become flushed and the sleeves of the suit were rolled to his elbows. It wasn’t until he began to frantically ask where Cassie was that everything came back to full speed and he was motioned to walk towards you. Bob didn’t slow down as he got closer to you and it forced you to have to explain what happened as you tried to keep up with his long strides.

“She said her stomach started hurting a little after you dropped her off, but she didn’t seem too sick so we held off from calling but then,” you turned your head to look at her through the window into the small room, “She got sick and we tried to call you as soon as it happened because she was so upset but we couldn’t get a hold of anyone.”

You watched Bob clench his jaw as he watched Cassie begin to doze off on the plastic bed. Your stomach turned as you feared he was angry at you for not calling earlier and you prepared yourself for the worst. To your surprise, Bob turned to you and placed his hand on your arm to get your attention. In a soft voice, he spoke as you made eye contact, “I’m really sorry, I can’t have my phone up in the plane and the two emergency contacts were also up in the sky with me. It’s my fault,” he ran his hand through his hair, “I’m just so new to this whole thing and when they asked who I wanted, I put the two people I trusted most, but neglected to think about how one of them is flying my plane. Thank you for sitting with her.” 

You gave him a soft smile and cleared your throat as you felt eyes fall on the two of you. He took the hint and pulled his arm back before walking into the room. You stood in the doorway and watched as he kneeled next to the bed and gently shook Cassie awake. She sat up quickly and began to get upset again when she saw Bob was in front of her.

“Uncle Bobby,” she took a deep breath as tears started to slide down her cheeks again, “My stomach really hurt and then I got sick and it got on my desk and on my clothes.”

You took a step back as Bob wiped her tears and pushed the hair off of her face and behind her ears. He spoke in a calm voice and reminded her to take deep breaths. You had a small smile on your face that dropped quickly when you saw Cassie try and push Bob back as he raised his arms to hug her. A confused expression fell on his face as he tried to understand what he did wrong.

“NO! My clothes are gross and I smell bad, I don’t wanna get you sick!” Cassie raised her voice and you saw a hurt expression flash across Bob’s face.

“Pumpkin,” he started, moving his hands to hold her face, “I don’t care that you got sick and your clothes are dirty, okay? That’s what the washer is for. Plus,” he grabbed her hand and put it on the back of his neck, “Feel how sweaty I am, we’re both gross today.”

Your heart swelled as you watched Cassie let out a squealing laugh, the first sign of happiness she showed all day. When you turned around, you saw that everyone else in the office had been not only watching Bob and Cassie interact, but also you. They sent smug, knowing smiles to each other as they pretended to busy themselves with paperwork. Bob walked out of the small room, Cassie’s hand in his and sent you a smile that made you sweat as he walked her to the desk. You tried to compose yourself as you walked past him, but you couldn’t help but notice how small the pen from the sign out sheet looked in his hand.  

You watched them walk out the front doors for a moment and right before you turned around, Bob sent you a wave before picking up Cassie and getting her buckled into the back seat. You sent back a small wave before taking a few steps and leaning against the cool concrete wall. This was not getting any easier. 

Four:

Shortly after Bob had to pick up Cassie early from school she had come home with a sheet of paper announcing career day and Bob immediately knew he needed to be there. He requested to take half of that day off and started planning what aspects of his job he wanted to talk about. Some people might have found it silly he was putting in so much effort for a class of 3rd graders, but he felt this was the best chance for him to show to everyone he could show up, that he was cut out for this. 

When the day finally arrived, Bob woke up extra early to make sure he had enough time to get him and Cassie ready. He usually just drank a coffee and put on something casual to drop her off in, but this was important. On his second attempt at fixing his bed head, Cassie walked into the bathroom.

“Uncle Bobby?” she asked and he hummed a response to tell her he was listening, “Are you almost done? We have to leave soon and I don’t have my hair done.”

Bob checked his watch and cursed under his breath, they had to leave in 20 minutes and Cassie’s hair was sticking up in every direction. He picked her up and put her on the counter so he could try and brush through the tangles. He liked to think that his braiding skills had gotten a lot better since the first day of school, but sometimes Phoenix would stifle a laugh when she’d see Cassie’s hair after school.

The entire drive to school was nerve wracking, Bob was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, rechecking his ribbons and switching through the stations. As they got close to the building Bob looked in the rearview and the sight of Cassie smiling at him was all he needed to calm his nerves for the remainder of the drive. 

Bob pulled into the parking lot and Cassie excitedly undid her seatbelt before Bob was able to park. He shot her a warning look, “Cassie Grace,” he started.

“I know, I’m sorry I’m just so excited,�� she said while nearly shaking in the backseat. Once they were parked she pushed the door open and jumped down.

As they made their way towards the front doors of the building Bob felt his anxiety coming back. Cassie must have sensed this because she grabbed his hand and led him closer to the doors, a big smile on her face. Once inside, she went into the office and Bob felt all eyes on them. Both women at the desk jumped up and reached for a pen to sign him in. They asked him questions about flying and what each ribbon meant, causing a blush to creep up on Bob’s neck. As soon as he finished signing his name Cassie saved him by pulling him away from the desk and towards her classroom. 

The classroom was buzzing with excitement and Bob found himself scanning the room until he found you. You had a big smile on your face as you reintroduced yourself to family members and asked them questions about their work. Cassie let go of his hand and ran to where her friends were, leaving Bob standing alone in the doorway. Your eyes found his and you waved your arm to tell him to come in. He felt your gaze as he walked in slowly and took a seat next to Cassie, his knees bumping the desk.

A few weeks had passed since Bob had picked Cassie up in his flight suit and you were so grateful that people had begun to forget about it. It took a matter of 3 hours for word to spread that one of the students had a hot, young dad that flies airplanes for the navy and was also so sweet and delicate with her. It was tortue to listen to everyone in the break room talk about him like they knew him. Not that you knew much, but you knew that he wasn’t Cassie’s dad and that he didn’t fly the planes, he was a weapon systems officer. You didn’t like the jealous feeling that gnawed at your chest as they told tales of pilots they’d slept with due to the base being in such close proximity. You had no reason to be jealous, he hadn’t shown any interest in you and you didn’t even know if he was single. It was nothing more than a little crush and it would die off.

When you decided on doing career day this year, you knew you wanted to do it combined with one of the other teachers you had grown close to since starting, Sarah. She was a few years older and took you under her wing when you needed guidance. Also, she had also heard the gossip about a hot father figure in the navy and was astonished when she found out he was the guardian of one of your students. Needless to say, she wanted to see what all the fuss was about. 

“Alrighty everyone,” you began and a silence fell over your students, “let’s start by welcoming and thanking all of our guests today.”

Your class erupted into a chorus of “thank you” and claps. You made eye contact with Bob who had a smile on his face as he watched you conduct your class. Your mouth went dry and your heart sped up as you had time to finally take him in. His uniform was neatly pressed, his face was freshly shaved and he looked incredible. You were never nervous speaking in front of kids or even parents, but knowing that he was watching you made your stomach turn.

You were relieved when Sarah arrived and you could force her to speak for you to avoid embarrassing yourself. As you made your way to the back of the classroom Sarah leaned in, “So which one is captain DILF?”

You stared at her with a slack jaw before looking around frantically to see if anyone had heard. When you saw that everyone was engaged in their own conversations, you whispered back, “He’s a lieutenant, not a captain.” Sarah’s eyes went wide and she fought back a laugh.

The presentations went in alphabetical order by last name, which put Bob as the second presenter. You had to admit, you were a bit surprised to see him not only here, but in dress blues. He seemed so reserved about himself and his line of work. Not that you were complaining, you were starting to understand why so many women hung around the bars closest to base.

When it was time for Bob to present, you clapped your hands to get the attention of the class and did your best to make your voice sound even, “That was awesome, everyone thank Ava’s mom for coming in.” You paused as they all thanked her. “Next we have Cassie’s uncle who is a naval aviator, let’s give a warm welcome to Lieutenant Bob Floyd.”

Bob stood up slowly and straightened the front of his uniform before walking to the front of the class. You saw him take a deep breath and move his shaking hands to his pockets, something you probably wouldn’t have noticed if you weren’t watching him so intensely. You felt Sarah look at you and a smirk spread across her face as she leaned in, “Oh yeah, you’re down bad.” You shushed her without taking your eyes off of him.

Bob looked to Cassie who had her thumbs up and was sporting an encouraging smile before he cleared his throat and straightened his posture. “Hi everyone, thank you for having me. As you know, I am Cassie’s uncle and I am a naval aviator, but more specifically a weapon systems officer. They also call us backseaters.”

The longer he spoke, the more comfortable he began to look. His face lit up when he saw how invested the kids were in what he was saying. When his eyes met yours you shot him a big smile, causing him to fumble over his words slightly. 

“We are…they uh, they call us backseaters because we sit behind our pilots. We usually work as a team for a long time. My pilot’s name is Natasha, but we call her Phoenix.” Bob said, a proud expression on his face as he spoke about his partner. “My job is to help aim and operate the weapons we have in our planes. But even more important than that, I’m responsible for being her extra set of eyes in the sky and helping to guide her decisions.”

You could tell that Bob had a lot of respect and admiration for Natasha and it warmed your heart to see how much his expression brightened when he talked about her. Bob continued to talk about different parts of his job and you were hooked on every word. The shy, nervous man you’d met before was gone and replaced with someone who could make life changing choices without a doubt in his mind. 

Disappointment nagged at the back of your mind as he finished the questions a few of the kids had and sat back next to Cassie. Maybe it was because you wanted to know everything about his job, or maybe it was just because you wanted to hear him talk again. Either way, it was obvious now that you were falling hard for him, and there was nothing you could do about it.

Five:

When Bob had signed Cassie up for school, they asked him a lot of questions. Most of them he knew without giving it a second thought. 

What’s her birthday? April 17th, 2014.

Does she have any allergies they should be aware of? Bees and no she doesn’t need an epi pen, it’s a mild reaction. He’ll pick her up, give her Benadryl and she’ll be okay.

The one question he wasn’t ready for was who her emergency contact should be, in case they couldn’t get a hold of Bob. He panicked because he never thought there would be a time when he wouldn’t drop everything to get her. He put down the two people he trusted in the sky most: Natasha Trace and Bradley Bradshaw. If he could put his life in their hands, he could also do so with Cassie’s. His last thought before he pulled the ejection handle was that the first person they were going to call to get Cassie from school when he didn’t answer was about to be ejected from a plane with him and the second person was going to insist on being the leader of search and rescue for them.

At the same time that Bob was being ejected from an F-18 you were finishing morning snacks with your students and getting them settled for a lesson about fractions. As you finished passing out their practice sheets a knock at the door got your attention. The principal, Mrs. Collins, was standing at the door and was motioning for you to come into the hallway. After instructing your students to work on completing the assignment, you walked to the door and stood just outside of it. She was typically a cheery person so the solemn expression she wore made your heart rate increase.

“Something has happened, but before I tell you, I need you to know you must continue to appear calm and then you have to continue the rest of the day. Is that understood?” She warned in a low voice and you nodded slowly, confused where this was going.

She saw her upset face had caught the eye of a few students so she did her best to have a neutral expression before she continued, “Cassie Floyd’s guardian was in an accident at work. He is alive but is going to be in the hospital overnight and will not be able to get her from school today.”

She continued to speak but your ears refused to hear any more. Your stomach dropped to the floor and your heart began to ache. You were aware of the dangers of Bob’s work, but you never allowed yourself to consider this outcome. You looked back into the classroom and saw Cassie focused intently on the paper in front of her. Mrs. Collins caught onto what you saw and let out a sigh, knowing exactly where your head was at.

“I know continuing class will be difficult, but it is not any of our places to tell her. One of her emergency contacts, Bradley Bradshaw, will be here at pick up.” She said as she tried to put on a fake smile, urging you to follow.

After a moment, you took a deep breath and cleared your throat before following suit. “That sounds amazing Mrs. Collins, how exciting!” You said, raising your voice in a fake cheery tone so none of the students would suspect anything.

You found it impossible to focus the rest of the day. Your thoughts were consumed with scenarios of accidents, how injured Bob was, but above all, Cassie. You still didn’t know a lot about her life before, but you knew how much she loved Bob by the way her face lit up every time he picked her up from school. It was going to break her heart to find out that Bob was in an accident. Yes, and maybe you were a little selfish and upset that he could have died before the school year ended and you could finally tell him how you feel. 

When time for pick up came around you anxiously awaited the arrival of Bradley, as well as Cassie’s reaction to seeing him. You didn’t know if she and Bob had ever had a conversation about what would happen if he got injured at work. For all you knew, Cassie could know what happened as soon as Bradley walked through the door. Your thoughts were interrupted by a tall man with a mustache and white tank top walking in, eyes scanning the room. 

Cassie jumped up from her seat and ran towards him, “UNCLE CHICKEN!” she yelled in an excited voice. You held back a laugh as he leaned down to pick her up in a crushing hug.

“Hey kiddo.” He said as he set her down and ruffled her hair, earning a laugh from Cassie.  

“What are you doing here? Where’s Uncle Bobby?” She asked, looking between you and Bradley for answers. The two of you shared a knowing look and he kneeled down to be at eye level with her.

“Something came up so Uncle Bobby sent me to get you.” Bradley started, awaiting a response from Cassie. She gave him a skeptical look at first, but eventually turned around and walked to her desk to grab her backpack. Bradley stood up and walked over to you as she did.

“You must be Cassie’s teacher,” he started, looking over to see where Cassie was before continuing, “I’m Bradley, one of Bob’s coworkers. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

You were thrown off by this comment, but decided to ignore it, needing answers, “Bob, is he… how bad was it?” 

Bradley let out a sigh before lowering his voice and leaning in slightly to avoid anyone potentially hearing. “There was a bird strike during training, both engines caught fire and Phoenix couldn’t get control. They ejected in the nick of time and now they’re in the hospital overnight for observation.”

As you opened your mouth to ask more questions, Cassie walked up to Bradley and he cleared his throat before leaning back down to her, “Alright Cass, what do you say we head home and I’ll make you mac and cheese for dinner?” 

A big smile spread on Cassie’s face and she grabbed Bradley’s hand to lead him out of the classroom. You sent Bradley a small smile and he mouthed, “Thank you” your way.

Two days passed and Cassie hadn’t been in school for either of them. You did your best not to think about Bob or how Cassie reacted to the news with little avail. A few of the other students Cassie was close with had asked where she was and each time you just said she was sick. It was now Friday and you knew that if she wasn’t back today, it was going to be another two days not seeing Bob, two days you would spend worrying about Cassie. Sat at your desk you saw a familiar tall blond walk down the hallway. Your hands started to sweat as you watched him make his way, a little slower than usual, to the door. He had a few butterfly stitches on his cheek and he winced when Cassie hugged him, but he was alive. He pulled away from the hug and patted her back to motion for her to sit down at her desk before standing up and looking at you. You made eye contact for a moment before he walked towards you.

“Excuse me, can we talk outside for just a minute?” he asked, sticking his hands into the pocket of his hoodie, despite the weather starting to get warm again.

You stood up slowly and looked at the class, it was still early and many of your students hadn’t arrived yet, “Yes, of course.”

You followed Bob out to the hall, making sure to stand within view of your students while you spoke to him. His hat did little to conceal the dark circles under his eyes and the oversized hoodie covered most, but not all of the bandage on the side of his neck by his shoulder. He caught you staring at the white gauze, “It’s not as bad as it looks, I swear.” Despite his reassuring smile you didn’t believe him.

“How are you?” You asked before realizing your mistake, “and Cassie? How’s Cassie holding up?”

Bob let out a long breath and watched her through the window, “I really scared her this time. She’s been having a lot of anxiety and nightmares. I told her I would talk to you about it… I know every time we talk I find a way to say that I wasn’t prepared for this part of parenting, but I think I’ve met the worst one yet.”

His eyes were tired and you could tell Cassie wasn’t the only one not sleeping at night, “And how are you holding up?”

Bob sucked in a breath and rubbed his eyes under his glasses, “I’ve been better, just wanna see her okay again. I think being back at school is going to help a lot.”

You could tell there was more he needed to say, but it wasn’t your place to ask any further questions. This left you staring at him as you tried to find the words. Bob must have sensed your discomfort, but for the wrong reason when he spoke up again, “Anyways, I have the next week off, so if she needs anything during that time, please call at any time.” 

He turned around and walked back towards the door slowly. You wanted to grab his arm and tell him that it wasn’t him confessing something to you that made you uncomfortable, or yell down the hallway and make him tell you everything he was ever too scared to admit to anyone else. You wanted to tell him if he needed any help, you could be there, but instead you just watched him walk away until he pushed the door open with his good shoulder and got into his truck. 

Six:

Just as soon as the school year started, it had come to an end. Somehow, it was already the last week of school and all of your students were anxious for Friday to come so summer could officially start. Usually by the last week of school you were pushing students out the door so you could go home too. But here you were, 20 minutes after pick up ended, directing Cassie on which posters to take down. You didn’t mind staying after class with her, you knew Bob was busy at work and always tried to get there as soon as he could. Some days, like today, he was held longer at training. Eventually Cassie broke the comfortable silence that had fallen between the two of you, “Uncle Bobby talks about you at home a lot.”

You dropped the pin you had used to hold up a poster at this confession. Trying to remain professional and calm, you looked at her with surprise in your eyes and cleared your throat. “Is that so?” You asked.

She nodded enthusiastically before replying, “Yes, whenever Aunt Tasha comes over he spends a long time talking to her in the kitchen and a few nights ago she called him a wimp for not talking to you more,” she laughed and you choked on air as your skin felt like it was on fire, “and when he came to talk to the class, my braids were uneven because he spent too much time on his hair and didn’t have time to fix mine.”

Cassie changed the subject and began to tell you about the beach day she had with Bob last weekend, but you couldn’t hear her. Your mind was in overdrive at her confession, did Bob really talk about you a lot? Sometimes kids could be dramatic, but talking to Natasha about you? You forced yourself to stop thinking about it so you wouldn’t get a false hope. 

Shortly after, Bob ran through the door of your classroom in his flight suit like he had in the office so many months ago. “Oh my goodness, I am so sorry. There was maintenance that needed to be done and then there was traffic because I left later than usual and I know I always say it will never happen again but I swear this is the last time.” He rambled as he made eye contact with you.You put down the pen you were correcting papers with and stood up to greet him. 

“It’s completely okay, Cassie and I were just talking while she helped me with some stuff I had to do before the school year is over,” you said as you motioned to her testing your markers and throwing out the bad ones. 

Bob let out a laugh and leaned down to give Cassie a kiss on the forehead, “Oh boy, that’s never good.” 

With you only being Cassie’s teacher for a few more days, you saw an opportunity and if it went poorly, you probably would only see Bob in passing at school when he dropped Cassie off next year. Navy bars were never your scene so that wouldn’t be a problem and you could always change grocery stores to avoid him. You mentally weighed the options before speaking up. “Yeah, she was just telling me about her Aunt Tasha and how much you talk to her about Cassie’s school.”

You saw Bob stiffen, obviously aware of the conversation you were referencing, “Yeah uh, she… I’m sorry it was completely inappropriate but you’re just so-” He cut himself off before he could finish his sentence. His gaze fell to the floor and a deep blush appeared on his cheeks. 

That was the only confirmation you needed to continue, “It’s not that big of a deal, but between that and now I’m at school extra late, I’m starting to think you might owe me dinner or something.” A playful smirk appeared on your face.

Bob stared at you and you panicked, wondering if you overstepped yet again. After a moment, his mouth formed an O as he understood what you were getting at. “You might be right, are you free this Saturday? I could pick you up at 7?”

“It’s a date.” You replied, excitement bubbling in your chest. You somehow not only survived the school year, but had a new way to celebrate the end of the year.

Plus 1:

“That’s the problem, I don’t know what we’re doing, where we are going or anything!” You huffed as you crossed your arms and stood amidst a mess of clothing on your bedroom floor with your best friend on facetime. It was 6:45 and Bob said he would pick you up at 7. Your racing heart and sweating palms made it difficult to focus on the task at hand. “That’s it, I have to cancel.”

“Stop saying that, it’s going to be fine.” She said, her patience visibly wearing thin, “Put the first option back on, you picked it first for a reason.”

Maybe she was right, you picked the sundress up off the floor and pulled it over your head again. You did a half turn in the mirror to look at the back, it was shorter than anything you would ever wear to teach in. After 9 months of long pants and skirts to school, you felt naked in this. As you took a step away from the mirror, you spotted a truck stopping in front of your house. Upon closer inspection you realized that you recognized not only the truck, but the dirty blond hair in the front seat. Your head turned quickly to look at the clock and then back to your phone screen.

“Oh no… Oh no no no. He’s 10 minutes early, I thought I had more time to prepare!” You exclaimed, desperately gathering a few things to put in your bag. In all honesty, you hoped he’d be on time, but didn’t expect it. It didn’t have anything to do with him, just with the history of guys you’d been on dates with. 

You watched from the window to see if he would text you to come out, but nothing came through. After a few minutes of waiting he got out of the truck and began to walk to your front door. Now it was 6:55 and you didn’t even have shoes on.

“He’s walking up to the door, I gotta go, bye love you!” You said, quickly hanging up before she could respond. You sat still on your bed, awaiting to hear a knock or your doorbell, but it was silent. You glanced back out the window and saw him pacing on your porch, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He checked his watch a few times and you watched him closely as you slid some sandals on. You slowly made your way into the hallway and as soon as the clock ticked to 7pm, there was a knock. Somehow your shaky legs carried you to the door and you opened it with a smile. He stared at you a moment before glancing down at the bouquet. 

“You… wow um, these are for you.” He stuttered, handing the flowers to you, his eyes not breaking contact with yours, “You look absolutely amazing.”

A smile crept onto your cheeks as you took the flowers from him. It took you a second to process that not only did he pick you up at the door, but he was early and brought you flowers. As you felt his eyes on you still, you realized you hadn’t spoken to him yet. 

“Oh my goodness, I’m being so rude. Thank you so much, these are beautiful, how about you come in while I grab a vase for them?” You asked, finally looking him over. He was dressed fairly casual, but you were still in awe. Your neck became hot as you turned to lead him to the kitchen, suddenly hyper aware of the dishes in the sink. 

You reached into a cabinet and grabbed the vase with one hand and used the other to try and keep your dress from rising up. When you looked out of the corner of your eye to see if he was watching, his gaze was focused on the wall. Once you were flat on your feet again, Bob looked back towards you with a polite smile. You gently placed the flowers in the vase and filled it with water before taking a small step back to admire them. 

Bob watched you a moment before he spoke up, “All good to go?”

The two of you made your way outside and as you reached the end of your driveway, he jogged ahead of you to open the door. He offered his hand to help you in and closed the door gently as you did the buckle on the seatbelt. Once he was in the driver’s seat he looked over at you again, seemingly trying to memorize what you looked like before turning the key.

You had dreaded the driving part of the date all day, it was always awkward and filled with small talk questions to make conversations. With Bob it was different, the conversation about how your days went flowed and any anxiety you had faded. The drive was short and ended at the local beach. Everyone had begun to pack up due to the sun setting, which left the sanded area less crowded than normal. Your gaze shifted from the beach when Bob reached behind you and revealed a cooler with a bundle of blankets. Before you could react he was opening his door and running around to open yours again. He offered his free hand to help you down.

Grateful of your past choice, you took off your sandals and carried them in one hand, the other was around Bob’s bicep as he guided you down closer to the water. He spread out the biggest blanket and placed the basket in the middle of it. You took a seat as he pulled out an assortment of fruit, sandwiches and snacks. Blown away by his efforts, you looked at him with your mouth slightly open in surprise. 

Bob caught this expression and let out a chuckle, “Sorry if it isn’t very fancy, I’ve kind of forgotten how to eat like an adult.”

“That’s not it at all, this is amazing.” You praised, watching him lower his head slightly in an attempt to hide the blush that had appeared. 

You spent the next hour or so talking about your hometowns, favorite books, and ridiculous hypotheticals. The conversation was lighthearted and felt like it took a weight off of your chest as you watched the sun begin to set. Your gaze was still focused on the water when you asked where Cassie was tonight.

Bob smiled and let out a laugh, “Everyone took her bowling, who knows what they’re up to now or how much sugar they’ve given her.”

A smile spread across your face and you looked back to where Bob was lying on his side, “It’s really great they do stuff like that, it has to make this whole thing easier.” His slight grin was replaced with a serious expression at your comment and you furrowed your brows in concern, wondering what you said wrong.

“Yeah it’s nice,” Bob sat up slowly so that your shoulders were touching, his touch sending electricity through you, “Speaking of that… I need to be honest with you.” Your heart sank but you nodded slowly, encouraging him to continue.

He cleared his throat, “I really like you, Cassie absolutely adores you and hell, Phoenix has been begging to meet you for months. But before you decide if you want to go through with this whole thing, you need to know what you’re getting into. It’s not fair for this to be sprung on you randomly a few months down the road.”

His words caused your anxiety to spike, as far as you knew there wasn’t anything he was going to tell you that would change the way you felt about him. You already knew he had a child he cared for, you knew about his job and after some late night research, you understood he couldn’t always be there. What else was there to tell? Your voice was barely a whisper when you replied, “Okay, tell me.”

He took a deep breath and adjusted his glasses before turning slightly so both of his eyes were on you. “You know Cassie isn’t technically my kid, she’s my niece.” You nodded in reply.

“I was only 17 when she was born and my older sister was, well she still is, a bit troubled. My mom thought she would get it together once Cassie was born, but I knew she wouldn’t. So I did whatever I could to help out.” Bob’s gaze left you and he turned his head to look at the water. “I fed her in the middle of the night, stayed up late rocking her when she was colic. But that only lasted a year, I enlisted right out of high school and shipped out shortly there after.”

You watched him closely, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were glossed over behind his glasses. When you moved closer and offered your hand he accepted it graciously before continuing, “I’ve tried to go home as much as I could, but this last visit, I just couldn’t let Cassie stay there anymore. So I took her to court and won custody.”

“Bob…” you said in a low voice, hoping he would look back your way. “None of that changes how I feel about you in a negative way, if anything it shows me how caring you are and how much love you have for her. I think it’s really brave what you did.”

Bob shook his head in protest, “It’s what anyone would have done.”

You leaned over and rested your head on his shoulder, “You’re doing a great job.”

The two of you stayed on the beach until long after the sun had set and the air had become chilly. You exchanged stories about your childhoods, dumb things you did in high school and what you wanted to be when you grew up versus where you had actually ended up. At one point Bob noticed you trying to hide a chill and without hesitation placed his jacket over your shoulders. You were surprised at how well the conversation flowed and how relaxed he made you, despite how nervous you had felt when he originally pulled up.

A little after midnight, Bob received no less than 6 text messages from Phoenix. They ranged from asking how it was going to asking if she should sleep on the couch tonight. He let out an embarrassed chuckle when he realized you caught a glimpse of what she had said. You reluctantly told him he should probably get back home before Cassie woke up and realized he was still out. He let out a deep sigh as he got up and offered his hand to help you up.

The drive home was a comfortable quiet, the only sounds in the truck were him humming quietly and the sound of the ocean from the coast. His hand held onto yours over the console and he rubbed circles into your thumb, occasionally glancing over at you. You gave him a soft smile each time.

At your house he once again ran around to your door to open it and you held onto his arm for the walk up to your porch. His face was illuminated by the warm glow of your porch light and you could see the slight green hue his eyes had. After a moment, he took half a step closer and his hand came up slowly to cup your cheek. You saw his eyes flick from your eyes to your lips and back up. You tilted your head up slightly, giving permission and he took the message, gently closing the gap between you. His lips were soft against yours and the slight stubble he had sent fire throughout you. His body was pressed against you when he pulled back slightly, his pupils were blown and his gaze darted between your eyes. 

He leaned his head down to your neck, a new confidence present and in a low voice, he mumbled against your ear, “If I don’t leave now, Phoenix might just have to sleep on my couch.” 

You let out a breathy laugh and put your hands on his chest, signaling him to lift his head and look at you, “I can’t have Phoenix hate me this soon… Good night, Bob.”

“Good night.” He replied before placing one more kiss against your lips and walking slowly back to his truck, your eyes on him the entire time. Apparently, that feeling of a new beginning you have on the first day of school can be there at the end of the year too.