#I'm like whatever now. I'm fine. bad but fine. but hugs from my family would be nice

[soviet-siscon]

maybe later I'll actually try and talk to my mum about how I've been feeling really sad and doomed and awful and get a hug and stuff. that might be nice.

[makeitmingi]

Be Your Solace

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comfort, Slight Angst

Pairing: San x Reader (y/n)

Characters: UniversityStudent Girlfriend!Reader, UniversityStudent Boyfriend!San

Summary: Since your relationship was still relatively new, you were afraid of letting San meeting your family. You didn't want them to chase him away. But your boyfriend can't stand to see you stressed, anxious and exhausted from your family. So he tries to help you and be your solace.

Warning(s): Reader has anxiety and is mentally anxious, bad mental health. Depictions of toxic family dynamic and family members. There may be triggering topics to certain readers. Please read at your own discretion.

[A/N: Happy belated birthday Choi San!!!!!! This is my 'self-indulgent' fic. Some parts you may find rather detailed because it is a close depiction to my own personal experiences with extended family. And how I am going through it right now. So I wrote this to vent, rant and comfort myself.]

Word count: 7.7K

'At the end of the day, family will always be family. And family will always comes first.'

That's what you've been told your whole life. No matter what happens between family members, you'll always be family, you'll always share blood bonds. And blood is thicker than water... right? The expectation that family will always come first was seared into your brain.

"(y/n)? Did you hear what I said?" Your boyfriend's voice pulled you out of your mind's despair.

"Huh? No, sorry, Sannie. What did you say?" You frowned at yourself, not even realising that you were spacing out. You blinked and let out a soft sigh, moving to meet his eyes.

"What's wrong? You didn't even react when I called you 'jagiya'." San joked but his eyes filled with concern and worry.

The reason you didn't like the pet name 'jagiya' because that was what San and his best friend, Wooyoung, called each other.

Instead he calls you, 'baby', 'love' or his favourite, 'baby love'. To him, that was the most unique and it combined his two other petnames for you. And that made it special to both you and San.

"I'm fine. Just a little distracted." You forced a smile. One of San's hand reached out to cup your cheek, the other wrapped around your waist to pull you closer to him.

"You're not fine. Tell me what's bothering my baby?" He tilted his head with a small pout.

"It's just my family... You know how it is... My cousin's coming back to visit and as usual, the whole family is rushing to accomodate her as if she's the queen. She's not even here yet and I'm already so bothered by it." You rubbed your temples.

"This is the cousin that's the favourite of your oldest aunt, right?" He clarified. San hasn't met your extended family yet so he only knows them by your stories and rants about them.

"Yes. And since my aunt is the head of the family, we kind of have to do her bidding. I'd rather not face her wrath." You said.

"I understand." San nodded.

"And she knows I'm off school now so I'll probably be roped into doing more of whatever she has planned. She even made an excel sheet schedule." You groaned.

"Looks like all my weekends are gone." You said, looking at the schedule. San looked over to read through it.

"That's... a lot of things to do..." San frowned. Even he felt exhausted looking at that.

"I know!" You groaned, your head falling onto his shoulder. And what's worse is that you won't be able to see San as much since so much of your time would be taken up for family. San turned his body on the couch so he could face you and hug you properly. You buried your head into his chest.

"I shouldn't be complaining, right? I should be grateful for all these extravagant meals and outings she drags me to. But why do I feel such an exhaustion and dread?" You gulped.

"Everyone has a social battery, baby love. And it is very exhausting. I remember the last time she came back, you were sick after she left."

"Yeah because she has the flu and still came in close proximity to us." You mumbled bitterly.

"Would it help if I was there?" He asked carefully, rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb as you tucked your face into the crook of his neck.

The last thing San wanted to do was to add to your stress or make you feel pressured into inviting him for these.

"Thanks, San. But I like our relationship so I don't want to risk scaring you away yet." You chuckled.

"Baby, you already have me and my love for you is greater than what your family can do to me. If I have to accept your family to be with you, so be it." He laughed and pulled away slightly to kiss the crown of your head.

But from your answer, San knew not to push it or insist that you let him come with you. He didn't want to make things difficult for you. You knew your family and were old enough to judge the situation.

"Wait, it's not that I'm embarrased by you or anything, okay? That side of my family is just judgemental and not welcoming-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Breathe, baby love. It's okay. Hey." He cupped your cheeks in his hands to ground you.

"Sorry..." You mumbled.

"Mmm-mmm, you have nothing to apologise for. Thank you for wanting to protect me." San pressed his forehead against yours. You gave him a small smile.

"I really wish I could have you with me. But there's this whole thing they have about insiders vs outsiders." You sighed.

"Before we continue, let's move to the room. This couch is too small to cuddle." Without saying anything else, San lifted you up and brought you to his room. As he climbed over you, he hovered over you for a few seconds to give you a kiss before landing his body beside yours.

"Here." He put Shiber in your arms for you to hug while he wrapped his arms around you to hug you.

"I'm sorry I'll be more absent these 3 weeks." You sighed, inhaling Shiber's scent. He smelled just like San, which comforted you.

"Don't worry about that now, baby. I'll miss you dearly but that's not for you to worry about. I'm not angry nor do I blame you." He assured pulling you closer to him.

"But I am angry. I need my San time." You whined. San laughed and cupped your cheek to give you a peck.

"You can come over any day, any time you need, hmm? Or if you want me to go over, let me know." He rubbed your back.

"Thank you." You murmured. San wished he could do more, he hated seeing your anxiety peak like this and how stressed out you were. The least he could do was be here for you when you need him.

When San hugged you like this, you felt so safe and protected from the world. Your anxiety was something you were transparent about right from the start. But San never grew annoyed with it, he was always there, patient and understanding.

It's funny because now you wonder how you lived without him all these years because you've definitely grown dependent on him.

"Take a nap, hmm? Rest your mind." He said, gently massaging the back of your neck to help you relieve the tension there. You melted in his touch.

When San woke up from the nap, you were not in bed with him. He heard you talking outside.

"So you've seen the schedule. Just help me book my hair and nail appointments where there's a free slot. No mornings though."

"Sure... I'll call and check. Then update the schedule." You said, nodding to the phone that you propped up using your mug so you wouldn't have to hold it.

"And make a booking at the Chinese restaurant for Sunday brunch too. Since you're usually the one who makes it."

"Okay, hang on for a bit." You blanked the camera and turned off the mic, waving San over. You both still heard your cousin rambling about something on the other end. San shuffled over to you, leaning down to give you a kiss. You giggled and ran your hands through his hair, combing out his bed hair.

"Sorry I left the bed. She called and I didn't want to wake you up with the talking." You sighed.

"It's okay. But you owe me." He smiled with a playful glint in his eyes. You laughed and nodded, giving him a final kiss before he moved away. You turned the camera and mic on again.

"What happened? Why did you have to turn off the camera and mic when we were talking half way? Why are you acting so secretive?"

"What? I'm not secretive." You frowned.

"It's just a boyfriend. You're at your boyfriend's place, aren't you? It's not that big a deal, (y/n). You don't have to act like it's some big secret. I have a boyfriend too."

"I know that. I just... It's not that it's a secret. I just enjoy my privacy." You sighed.

"Privacy? We're family, why do you have to keep it so private? That's making it a big deal."

"Anyway, back to the plans." You diverted the topic. You could only bite your tongue for so long and you didn't want to accidentally say something ugly. There was a nice facade that you had to maintain to keep the peace.

"Also, since I'm back, can you make me that Chinese dish you learnt to make the other time? I've been asking each time I return and you haven't made it for me."

"It's a lot of work and I'm busy..." You chewed on your bottom lip.

"Yeah but you're on holiday, right? What? You want me to pay you? I can pay you to make it."

"Money is not the issue here... It's time consuming and a lot of work. There are other things I need to attend to. Making that dish will take me two days..." You tried to reason with her.

"What's the point in saying you learnt to make it if you're not going to make it?"

"Yeah, my bad." You hummed.

"Anyway, our aunt said that for the two family gatherings, you're in charge of desserts so make enough this time, okay? And try something new, you always make the same thing."

From the kitchen, San listened to the conversation, his frown growing deeper as time went on. This was the first time he heard you speak to your cousins and it's like you're an entirely different person. He hated it and he hated how your cousin used your aunt's position in the family to make you do things.

"Are you bringing your boyfriend for any of the gatherings? I brought my boyfriend the last time I came back."

"I remember. But no, I don't intend to bring him this time." You shook your head, eyes casting to the side to meet San's. He just stared back at you with an unreadable expression.

"Maybe it's best that you don't. I got some heat the last time and I'm the favourite of the family. So, who knows what you'll get."

"Right, thanks for the heads up." You awkwardly chuckled.

"But I'm not saying you should keep him away forever. It's rude of you not to invite him. If you're serious about him and talk about him, you should bring him to meet us."

"I do intend to since he's already met my parents a few times. Just not this instance." You said.

"Keeping him away is not only rude, it's not fair to him either. You'll hurt his feelings and your relationship this way."

"I'm aware. Thank you for the advice." You forced a small smile, swallowing the lump in your throat. The exhale you let out was shaky, you were trying your best to keep it together but it was hard when she talked about how you were 'treating' San.

"Baby, are you free? I need your help!" San shouted. You looked up at meet his eyes.

"Looks like you're needed, you better go. Are you sure you can't pick me up from the airport tomorrow?"

"Seems like he needs me. And yeah, I'm sorry about that. I have a family dinner." You lied, hoping she bought your lie. San had come closer to you.

"Mmm, okay. But you better send me to the airport when I leave. Bye, I'll see you the day after tomorrow then."

After she hung up, you felt your whole body quiver. With shaky hands, you put your phone down.

"Baby love?" San approached you carefully but you stood up. You gulped and took a deep breath. In addition to everything else, now you felt embarrassed that San witnessed that.

"I-I'm going to the restroom." You made a beeline for the bathroom and closed the door. You knew you needed to collect yourself and not constantly depend on San to comfort you, you didn't want him to think that you were using him. Turning the sink on, you splashed your face with cold water.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Love? It's me. Open the door, hmm?" San was heard on the other side of the door.

"Just give me a second." You breathed out. From the gap beneath the door, you saw that he still stood there but he didn't rush you. He remained quiet until you were ready.

"God, I'm so embarrassed." You let out a tired sigh when you opened the door. San was leaning on the opposite wall and stood up.

"What's there to be embarrassed about, baby love?" His eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"Nothing. I'm good, Sannie. Don't worry about me, I-I'm used to it. But thanks for saving me." You threw your arms around his neck. His hands went to their usual place on your hips.

"I'll always save you." He kissed your cheek.

"I hate that she talks to you like that. I... I really hate it... She doesn't know anything about us." He mumbled against your shoulder as he hugged you tightly. You let out a hum, fingers toying with the ends of his hair behind his head.

"You're not rude and I'm not hurt that you're not bringing me to meet your extended family, okay? Our relationship is stronger than she thinks." San squeezed your waist.

"I know. What you think and feel is the most important. That's all that matters to me." You replied in a whisper.

"Aigo, my baby love. My pretty baby, my precious girl." San cooed, patting your butt teasingly.

Before meeting San, you hated people in your personal space. But one of the ways that San shows his love is through physical touch and now, you can't live without his hugs, kisses and cuddles.

*BEEP BEEP*

"Please tell me that's not her." San groaned and buried his face into the crook of your neck as you fished your phone out.

"Oh, nope. It's your boyfriend, he's coming with food for dinner and Yunho's tagging along." You informed, reading the text. San pulled away just to show you that he was rolling his eyes at you. In your phone, Wooyoung's contact was 'San's Boyfriend' and you did refer to him as such.

"He's not my boyfriend and I'm not his boyfriend. I'm YOUR boyfriend. You, (y/n) (y/l/n)." San squished your cheeks, pressing his forehead against yours.

"Not that many people have their boyfriends call another guy 'jagiya'. So can you blame me?' You teased.

"You-" San feign anger, chasing you around.

As you ran away, there was someone at your door. San wrapped his arms around your middle, playfully nibbling on the exposed skin between your neck and shoulder.

"Oh, your boyfriend and Yunho are here." You giggled and opened the door to let them in.

"Jagiya! I'm here!" Wooyoung came barreling in, throwing his arms around San, who caught him before they could both fall over. You chuckled with a shake of your head and wrapped an arm around Yunho to greet him.

"Sorry for coming unannounced." Yunho grinned, wrapping his long arms around you. You shook your head, all of San's friends were nice, you liked being around them.

"Some love for you too, baby girl." Wooyoung tugged you away from Yunho's embrace, planting a kiss on your cheek to rile San up.

"YAH!" San let out an outraged yell.

-

It only took about 3 days after your cousin's return for you to come back to San's place.

"San?" You called out after letting yourself in. He wasn't around, probably in the gym. The first thing you did was shower and wear one of San's shirts. After seeing that you liked to wear his shirts to comfort yourself, he started to set aside some of his shirts in the cupboard labelled 'Baby's Pile'.

"Hi, Shiber." You created a nest of San's blanket and hugged Shiber, just wanted to engulf yourself in his scent. It was the only thing that kept you sane now.

The first thing San did when he arrived home was notice your shoes in the doorway. The past 3 days, you haven't even had the time to text and call each other so he didn't know how you were doing.

"Baby love?" San called but there was no reply. He frowned in confusion and dropped his gym bag on the couch.

"Baby? Where are-" San paused when he saw you in his bed, fast asleep.

"My love." He whispered, hovering over you to give you a kiss on the cheek. You looked so precious and adorable in his shirt, hugging Shiber to you.

San went to take a shower, wanting to jump into bed with you and not disturb you with his sweaty self.

"Sannie?" San heard your sleepy voice from the bathroom and opened the door. You smiled when you saw him there.

"Don't you dare move a single inch. I haven't got a chance to get my cuddles. Let me dry my hair first." San threatened. You saluted and laid back down, squeezing Shiber tightly. You were glad you convinced San not to keep Shiber in storage or something.

"Okay, I'm here." You felt the bed dip as San crawled over to you. His arms reached for you to pull you close to him. The first thing he did was shower you in kisses.

"Come here, baby love." He smothered your in kisses, making you squirm and laugh.

"Ack, San!" You laughed as he gave you a final kiss on the lips.

"Sorry for being MIA and coming unannounced, I just needed to get away for a bit... It's only been a few days since she's been back and I already feel like I can't breathe." You sighed into his neck.

"Don't apologise, I'm glad you feel safe and comforted here. And I'm always happy to see you." He grinned.

"She appeared at my parents' place and wanted to stay over. The moment she left, I came straight here." You told him.

"So that's why you've been MIA. Where's her mom and brothers though? Shouldn't she be staying with them? Or even your oldest aunt, she always stays with her right?" San asked.

"Her mom and brothers couldn't care less. Her mother lets her do whatever she wants and her brothers would rather have her out of the house too since she orders them around and rules the house like a queen. And I think she's only staying my oldest aunt's place towards the end of her trip." You explained.

"My poor baby." San pouted.

"I have the first family gathering tomorrow and frankly, I'm so exhausted I don't even want to go..." You blinked.

"Can you not go? There is another gathering before she leaves, right?" San asked.

"No, I have to. The family will rip me to shreds if they found out I skipped a family gathering to stay with my boyfriend. Because family comes first, right?" You rolled your eyes.

"The only one tht doesn't like her is my mother." You chuckled.

"Your mom never puts up with anyone's bullshit so I am not surprised." San chuckled.

"Plus my mom lowkey doesn't like most of my dad's family anyway." You giggled. San laughed, nodding his head. He stroked your cheek with his thumb.

After you fell back asleep, San quietly grabbed his phone, careful not to disturb you. He thought to send your mother a text to let her know that you were with him and to ask if it was okay for you to stay the night with him.

'Also, I am aware that you have a family gathering to attend to tomorrow. I promise to make sure that I will drop her at your place earlier or the gathering's location on time. - San'

'Alright. Thanks for letting her stay with you, San. She's been stressed and I think she needs some comforting. - (y/n)'s mom'

'Thank you for trusting me. I promise to take good care of her. Have a nice evening. - San'

San then called his mother for recipes because he wanted to cook for you. He wasn't a gourmet cook but he could cook simple dishes for you to eat.

"San?" You called out from the room.

"In the kitchen, love!" San replied from his position by the stove. You shuffled out of the room, still holding Shiber.

"Oh my! Omonim, hello. I'm sorry I didn't see you there!" You jumped when you saw his mother on video call. You jumped out of the frame to adjust your crooked shirt and bed hair, as well to put Shiber down. Then you stepped back to properly bow to her. Both her and San were laughed at your funny actions.

"No worries, dear. Hello." She waved. San was still snickering at you so you secretly pinch his waist. He yelped and jumped, turning to glare at you.

"How are you and abonim? I miss Byeol!" You smiled to the camera, taking the phone up.

"Oh, we're doing fine, dear! Don't worry. And I'm sure Byeol misses you a lot too." She giggled, turning the camera to Byeol.

"Hi, Byeol! Such a cutie." You cooed. Byeol let out a loud meow in response, making you laugh. You could hear San's mom laugh on the other end before she turned the camera back to you.

"Ah, which reminds me. Thank you for sending appa the new foot massager! And for the royal jelly you sent me."

"I'm glad you both like it." You giggled, sitting on the couch and pulling your feet up.

"Like it? I can't even get him to get up from the thing... He even wanted to bring it to the dining table to use it while eating." San's mother sighed with a shake of her head. San smiled softly as he overheard your conversation with his mother.

"I didn't know you sent my parents things." San said after you handed his phone back to him once his mother hung up. You shrugged and leaned against the counter.

"Your mom always feeds me delicious food." You scooped the rice, seeing how San was finishing up his cooking.

"Well, thank you for taking such good care of my parents, baby love." He kissed your cheek.

"No need to thank me. I wanted to do it." You giggled. The both of you sat down at the small dining table to eat together, San handed out the cutlery.

It was nice, spending time with San like this. There was something warm about how domestic and homey it felt.

That's why when San drove you to your oldest aunt's place for the gathering the next day, you didn't want to leave the car. To coax you, San offered to walk you right to the doorstep. You pouted like a little child throwing a tantrum but still let San hold your hand to lead you to your aunt's apartment.

"I don't want to gooooooo. I want to stay with you." You whined, stomping your feet. Full disclaimer, you don't usually act like that, only around San.

"I know, baby. But I promised your mom I would send you here." San chuckled, pulling you along.

"You just hate me, don't you? Because if you love me, you wouldn't send me here."

"Ah, baby~ How can you say that?" San sent you a look. He came up to cup your cheeks, planting a kiss on your lips and swiping the slightly smudged lip gloss.

"Do you want me to stay with you then? I don't mind." San smiled.

"No, you should save yourself when you still can." You groaned. San squeezed your hand and walked with you.

"This is it." You stopped in front of the door, voice filled with dread and despair.

"You'll be okay, baby love. You're strong. But if you've had enough and need me to come get you, just say the word, hmm? I'll be here as soon as I can, your knight in shining armor." San engulfed you in a bear hug, planting a kiss on your temple.

"Thank you, Sannie. I don't know what I would do without you." You hugged him tightly. Before you ran the doorbell, you wanted to wait for San to leave first but you ran into your parents.

They were carrying the two desserts you made before going to San's place yesterday. One carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and the other was cookies.

"Omonim, abonim." San bowed respectfully.

"Thanks for dropping her off, San ah. Would you like to stay for some food?" Your father offered.

"Thank you for the offer but maybe next time, abonim. I already have plans with my sister." San lied. He turned to you and you sent him a grateful smile.

"Ah, alright." He nodded. With a final hug and a bow to your parents, San left. Your cousin opened the door.

"I knew I heard talking outside! Why are all of you just standing there and not ringing the doorbell?" She asked when she saw all of you.

"Oh, (y/n)'s boyfriend dropped her off so we were just greeting each other. But he has something to attend to so he couldn't stay." Your dad explained before entering the house to greet your siblings with your mum by his side. After you removed your shoes, your cousin held your arm.

"Hey, you know... I know your dad said your boyfriend had to rush off but he should have at least come in to say hello to everyone and introduce himself." She leaned in to whisper.

"Yeah but this isn't really the time to introduce him to everyone. Maybe next time." You replied.

"Was he in that much of a rush he couldn't say hi? It just gives off the impression that he's unfriendly and it's honestly quite rude, you know?"

"San's not rude, not in the slightest." Now you felt the need to defend your boyfriend because San was not rude and unfriendly.

"Wouldn't know, he didn't even bother to come in." She chuckled and left you to go.

You felt something boil within you, an ugly anger. She could insult you all she wants but mentioning San was going too far. San would give the world to you, he was a nicest person ever. You chewed on your bottom lip, willing yourself to hold back.

"(y/n)! Why are you just standing there? Come on!" Your other cousins call you. Once again, you took a deep breath, swallowing your anger before forcing a smile and going to join them.

"Hey." You greeted them with hugs.

"My sister said your boyfriend came?" The cousin you were closest to, whispered in your ear as he hugged you.

"Yeah. He wanted to come in to say hi but I told him to just go and save himself. Luckily I did or else he would get grilled, I can't risk that." You sighed.

"Good call." He chuckled, patting your shoulder. You giggled and went to greet your other relatives.

"Oh, (y/n). Can you change the hair appointment you booked for me?" Your cousin asked as you were scooping food.

"You can't make it? I made sure to book it on an open slot in your schedule. And my hairstylist is doing me a favour by coming in on her day off to do your hair before you leave..." You sighed.

"I appreciate that but I don't want to have to wake up so early when it's one of my last days off. You booked it too early." She shrugged.

"Yeah, you should just call and change her appointment. You know she doesn't wake up early for these things, if she goes late, it'll be an even bigger waste of your stylist's time." Your oldest aunt voiced out in support of your cousin. You knew your cousin purposely said it out loud in front of the adults.

"Thank you, you can change the appointment to one of the empty slots in the afternoon or evenings then." She smiled and took her food to go back to one of the tables.

"(y/n), when you booked the chinese restaurant brunch, did you preorder the peking duck?" Your oldest aunt checked.

"No, I was just told to book the table for 8 people at 11 am..." You blinked.

"Ah, you should know we always get the peking duck! Better call them to reserve it before it's too late. I only get peking duck when I am back from London." Your cousin pouted.

"I'll get on it..." You said, trying to contain the sourness in your voice. Putting your food plate down, you went to call the restaurant.

When San heard the doorlock beeping, he checked the time on his laptop. He continued typing on his reports, knowing that you knew your way in. And as he expected, you came trudging in, falling face first onto the sofa.

"Hey, baby love. How was the gathering?" He greeted. You mumbled something into the couch, burying your face into the material of his sofa. San chuckled, putting his laptop and coming to you.

"I didn't hear a single word you just said, my love." San crouched down beside you and stroked the back of your head.

"San..." San didn't expect you to lift your head and to see tears in your eyes.

"Baby! My sweet love, why are you crying? What happened?" San was shocked, he wasn't expecting to see you crying so that sent him into a panic.

"I... I..." You shook your head, feeling like a baby for crying. San hushed you, not wanting to press you for answers.

"It's okay, I've got you." He pulled your leg over his lap so you were straddling him. You clutched onto the material of his shirt like a koala.

"Breathe, my love. Breathe with me. Shh..." His voice was soft as pressed his forehead against yours and purposely breathed loudly so you could follow him.

"It's okay, breathe, baby love. Slow down and take all the time you need." He whispered softly, rubbing your back. You nodded your head in agreement, you did need a minute, a minute to breathe and soak in San's comforting warmth. San was patient, quietly comforting you until your sobs turned to soft whimpers.

"There we go. Good girl. It's going to be okay. Just keep breathing." He kept his eyes trained on you.

"Thank you, San..." You murmured. San guessed that nothing particularly bad happened. You were probably just so frustrated, and mentally and physically exhausted.

"Nothing for you to thank me for. I hate seeing you cry, love." He grasped your hand, rubbing your knuckles with his thumb.

"I know it's tiring. I'm sorry I can't make it any better." He whispered.

"No, you make it better by being San." You pulled away to meet his eyes, cupping his face in your hands. You were so grateful for San being the most amazing person in the world.

"Cute. I'm glad me being San makes you feel better." He chuckled, holding your hand to kiss your fingertips.

"It's not easy being a San." You played along.

"It's all worth it for you. When it's for you, it's never tiring or difficult." San reached up to wipe the last tears off your cheeks. You hugged him again, feeling his arms securely wrap around your waist.

"Do you know she reached over and took food off my plate? Saying that she's deprieved in London so she never gets to eat such nice food. Then she was being annoying by trying to 'convince' me to give my entire share since she deserves it more?" You complained to San.

"In the end, she used her fingers to take bites of my food!" You sighed, shaking your head.

"At that point, I'd rather give her my food. I don't want to know if she's washed her hands. Couldn't she have just taken her own portion and be happy with it?" San sighed, rubbing your arm.

"Apparently not. She kept all this food for herself, saying she'll eat it later so others won't take it and guess what happened?" You asked.

"She didn't even finish it?" San guessed.

"Exactly! First she stops us from eating then after that, says it's too much and she'll feel sick if she eats it. She'd rather THROW IT AWAY!" You exclaimed.

"That's horrible." San frowned. If San was there, he would be frustrated and annoyed too.

"My aunt bought this really fancy, nice ice cream for all of us to share. My cousin took my portion without asking me! She said I could have it again another time but she can't. And by the way, that was her THIRD share. So I didn't have any... It's not even that I wanted the ice cream that badly, it's more... her!" You groaned.

"I know, baby love. I can't believe you two are from the same family when you're so different." San said, leaning his head on his hand.

"She's so different from the rest of the cousins..." You threw your head back.

"I know you said it wasn't about the ice cream but do you want some? I stopped by the store on my way back and stocked up the freezer with your favourite." San offered.

"Why are you so perfect, Choi San?" You whined.

"Far from but I'm glad you see me as such." He kissed the top of your head. You went to the kitchen to grab the ice cream and two spoons.

"No, you eat it, baby." San shook his head when you held the spoon out to him.

"The best part about ice cream is sharing it so take the spoon." You insisted, taking a seat beside him. San peeled open the lid for you to dig in. You leaned against his arm, the both of you taking turns to scoop out of the tub to eat.

"Do you want a blanket?" San asked.

"No, I just want to stay like this... With you... I don't want anything else." You said with a shake of your head. You were just happy in San's presence, he was all you needed.

"Just one more week before she goes back, one more week with one more gathering and it'll be over." You sighed.

"You can do it." San chuckled. When the ice cream was done, San threw the empty tub while you washed the used spoons.

"Go shower and come to bed, hmm? I'll wait for you." San squeezed your hip. You nodded with a hum, feeling slightly sticky on your cheeks from crying previously.

-

The last big, family gathering was at your house. You barely slept the night before because you were stressed. While you baked the desserts in the middle of the night, you were talking to San on video call. You felt bad for making him stay up with you but he was gaming on the side.

"Hello! Welcome." You heard your parents greet the family members that came. You were still setting up the food table, getting everything that you would need.

"Wait, you're wearing that when you have guests in the house?" Your cousin came up to you.

"No, I just haven't got the time to change since I was helping my mother set up." You replied with a soft sigh.

"Well, now that guests are here. You should change. You shouldn't welcome them in home clothes." She raised an eyebrow. You pursed your lips and placed the napkins on the stand.

"Honey! Go change. We can handle the rest, thank you." Your mother came.

"Sure, mom." You nodded with a tight smile and went to take a quick shower to wash the sweat off you.

'She just arrived and she's already giving me grief... - (y/n)'

After sending San a text, you threw your phone aside and took out clothes to change in. You stood by your dresser to dry your hair a little, not wanting to get told off by your relatives by going around with wet hair.

"Oh, welcome! So glad you could make it!" There was a loud commotion outside, you mainly heard your mother exclaim. Putting your hair dryer down, you went outside.

"Thank you for having me." The latest guest said, handing your mother a bouquet of flowers and your father, a bottle of wine.

"What..." You stood there, frozen and dumbfounded.

"(y/n), you didn't tell me your boyfriend was coming!" Your relatives all looked fondly at you and San as he respectfully bowed to greet all of them, shaking their hands too.

"Uhhh, yeah I didn't know too..." You said, frowning slightly hoping you were not dreaming.

"It was my idea to surprise you with San." Your mother giggled.

"Yes, it was all her idea." San, handsomely dressed in a shirt and dress pants, wrapped an arm around your waist, nodding his head.

"Hey." He smiled to you. You smiled back, still kind of surprised by his sudden appearance. But you took a deep breath, San being here shouldn't make you scared, it should make you feel more relaxed and comforted. You were still worried that your extended family will be too hard on him.

"Wait a minute, come here for a bit?" You asked softly. San nodded, following you to your room.

"Baby love, I'm sorry, I know you said-" San was cut off by you throwing your arms around him to hug him tightly. His hands went to hold your hips.

"I'm hoping this hug means you aren't angry?" He chuckled.

"Not at all. Surprised, yes. But angry? No. I know your intentions are good." You smiled softly, pulling away to give him a peck.

"Of course. I'm here with you." He placed kisses along your jaw, making you giggle at how ticklish it was. After that, you both went out, not wanting to stay in your room for too long.

"Let me help you, omonim!" San squeezed your hand and left your side to go your mother in the kitchen.

"Ah, San, go get food and eat. You're a guest." Your mother chuckled, shooing him out.

"You should eat! You and (y/n) have been busy preparing the whole morning, I'm sure you guys didn't get to eat breakfast. Come, I'll take over." San insisted on doing the dishes. Your mother gave up, going to join your father at the food table.

"You wash, I'll dry." You grabbed the dish cloth.

"Baby, I want you to eating something or at least, sit down to rest. You didn't even sleep last night..." San frowned.

"With you, I don't feel tired at all. And we can eat together later." You shook your head. San sighed in defeat, reaching over to knock his head against yours since his hands were soapy.

You weren't done with the dishes but your mother and father came to chase you and San out.

"I guess we should eat." You shrugged. Sticking by San seemed to save you from your cousin and save San from your relatives.

"You want this?" San asked, holding your plate for you. He held both your plates and patiently followed you while you scooped the dishes for both of you.

"No~ No vegetables." San held his plate away when you tried to put spinach salad.

"(y/n), don't be mean to him." Your mother chided. You shot her a look of betrayal while San smirked proudly. With enough food on your plates, you went to sit down with your other cousins. They were nice, making an effort to get to know San and including him in the general conversations like he was part of the family.

"Here." San removed the bones from the galbi and placed it on your plate for you, taking the other pieces that still had bones in them off your plate.

"Thanks." You smiled. Shifting your eyes, you saw the judgemental stares from your spoiled cousin.

"San, would you like a glass of wine?" Your father offered.

"No, thank you. I have to drive later. Do you want a glass?" San turned to you. You nodded and San stepped up, respectfully receiving your glass from your father with a slight bow.

San got along well with your relatives and cousins. You could leave him alone and he would be fine.

"I'm going to the bathroom." You stood up. San held your plate for you while he conversed with your uncle and cousin.

"(y/n), why did you bring your boyfriend to the gathering?" Your cousin stopped you in the hallway just as you were exiting the bathroom. You took a slight step back, suddenly feeling how menacing her presence was.

"I didn't bring him, not planned to at least. You heard it earlier, my mother surprised me by inviting him and my father wanted to introduce him to the family." You spoke calmly.

"Do you know how humiliating and unfair it is with you parading him around in front of me?" She crossed her arms.

"What do you mean? What does San being friendly and nice have to do with you?" You frowned.

"You saw how interrogative they were with my boyfriend, they treated him so much like an outsider. It's unfair that they warmly welcome yours." She scoffed.

"Shouldn't you be finding issues with your boyfriend rather than issues with mine? It's not San's fault that he's better." You glared.

"How can you say that?" She gasped, obviously feeling the shock of someone speaking to her that way.

"Your boyfriend came in, dressed like a slop! He didn't bother to say hi and introduce himself, he just helped himself to the food and didn't bother to offer anyone help with anything. So those issues lie with your boyfriend, they have NOTHING to do with mine." You clenched your fist by your side.

"You-" She took a step forward.

"Hey, baby love. I was looking for- Is everything okay?" San came, a slight frown on his face when he realised it was you and your cousin, the tension in the air heavy and thick.

"I don't know, is it?" You raised your eyebrows at your cousin, making San glance at her as he slotted himself between you and her.

"No offence but this is a family issue, San sshi." Your cousin said with spite. You rolled your eyes.

"I am aware, I just want to try my best to protect (y/n) from anything that may upset her." San smiled. He didn't wait for her to react, or he didn't care.

"Let's go, your food's getting cold." He patted your head. You nodded and walked back out with him.

"Sit here." San naturally brought you to the balcony to sit with him on the bench for some privacy, bringing your plate and wine glass with him. The way he did it, no one paid any mind. He disappeared for a bit and came back with a throw blanket from your room.

"Thanks, San. I'm fine. Really, and this time I mean it when I'm fine." You chuckled as he draped the blanket over your lap so you wouldn't be cold.

"What happened?" He asked softly.

"Blaming you for things that have nothing to do with you. You know that I would take any insult but when it comes to you..." You sighed.

"My hero." San cooed teasingly, scratching your chin like you were a cat. You knew he did that because you always did that to him, comparing his likeness to that of a cat.

"You're always protecting me and being my rock. I can protect you too." You cleared your throat.

"Thank you, baby love. You're so cute. But you know I don't care what anyone else thinks. All that matters to me, is what you think."

"Well, I already think you're the most amazing person in the world and that I don't deserve you-" San stopped you by putting his hand over your mouth.

"There you go again, sprouting nonsense." He pouted with a frown. You laughed and held your hands up in defeat, stabbing a piece of meat to eat. San looked at you with pride and happiness, as if you were his whole world. And if you ask him, he'll probably say that you ARE his whole world.

"Shall I get you a refill of wine?" He offered, gesturing to your empty wine glass.

"No, it's okay, just stay here with me?" You asked.

"Of course, as long as you need." He smiled softly, letting you lean your head on his shoulder. Lacing fingers with you, he brought your hand up to kiss the back of it.

You were wrong, there was nothing for you to be scared of, bringing San to a family gathering.

It didn't bring you more stress and anxiety like you thought it would. Instead it made you feel reassured and comforted having him around, the same feeling San always gives you.

Your crazy, chaotic family didn't chase him away. They welcomed and accepted him, seeing him the same way that you do.

"I'm grateful I have you with me, Sannie. Not just here and now... but always." You squeezed his hand.

"I'm glad you feel that way because I'm not letting you go that easily. Plus, I think I can safely say most of your family loves me. Including your dad! He wanted me to drink wine with him and told me I could stay the night if I need to." He grinned proudly.

"Wow, that's really progress. Coming from my dad. I thought it would take a while more for him to be friendlier with you." You chuckled.

"He's just protective of his daughter like any father is. I would be too if my daughter was like you." He said. You rolled your eyes and snorted at his cheesiness.

"And this is a warning, I will be protective of our daughter. I'm serious." He said seriously.

"W-What are you saying now?" You grew flustered at his words and punched his arm, fanning your face. But deep down, you knew you would want nothing more than to have a future with San.

~

Masterlist

[hockybish]

I Didn't Want This Either

l Luke Hughes l masterlist l part 1 l * warning: death *

"Can we talk?" Jack knocked on the window of Luke's car. He didn't like what he was going to ask Luke, but he needed to get the conversation over with.

"What's up?" Luke watched as Jack fiddled with the sleeve of his jacket.

Jack took a deep breath in, counted to five, before let out the inhaled air.

"I know this is never probably going to happen, but I just want to be prepared just in case. because you never know what could happen. and Addie agrees with me, for once, I know it's crazy.

"Jack spit it out."

"Now that I have two kids. I've been thinking more about what happens to them if something happens to us. And I think I want you to raise them if we can't." The older brother asked of the younger one.

"Jack, I don't know." Luke contemplated what he was being asked, which was really nothing, but he knew. "Isn't there anyone better for the job? Mom? Quinn?"

"No, Luke. Quinn and Liv have enough going on and Mom and Dad don't need to raising two little kids after the raised us." Jack explained. "Plus you're great with them and they love you so much. Please Lukey."

"Fine"

"Great! I'll add you to daycare pick up." Jack reached over to give his brother an awkward hug before they went on with their separate ways.

--

"You're pretty." Jack chanced a glanced over at his beautiful wife. They had just dropped the kids off at daycare and were on their way to the rock.

"You're not too bad yourself Mr. Hughes" Addie said scrunching her nose at the man next to her.

"I'll talk to Luke or Nico today, maybe one of them can take the kids and we can have tonight." He kept looking back and forth from the road to his wife.

"Jack watch the road please." She clenched her jaw. There was traffic all around them, making her feel a bit nervous.

"What Ads? It's fine." Jack's eyes left the road again to look at his wife.

"Jack!"

Jack never saw the car until it was too late.

--

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Luke jumped out of bed. He scrambled to get ready for practice when the brain fog cleared and he saw it was after 10 am already.

He was so late. His alarms must not have gone off or something, because he was never late for practice. And here he was going to be late for the first time in forever.

Luke chose to forgo his usual morning routine and caffeinated beverage, thinking it might give a chance to get to the practice facility faster.

He was almost there when the traffic started to picked up. There must have been an accident. All sorts of emergency vehicles were surrounding the area.

As Luke got closer to the heart of the situation he noticed a two crumpled up cars. A silver one and a very familiar looking green one.

Luke got a good long look at the wreck as he passed it. Two white sheets littered the ground, the car accident must have been that bad that people died.

That's why there was so much commotion.

He felt bad for the family that was going learn the news that they lost people they loved. Little did he know his phone was blowing up at the moment, messages and phone calls from his parents and brother, family members, teammates, and close friends with that specific news.

The now super late hockey player got to his destination only an hour later than he was supposed to be there. He thought it was a bit odd how the normally packed parking garage was near empty. Where was everyone?

"Luke what are you doing here?" Nico frowned at the defensemen who was trying to get ice ready as fast as he could.

"I know I'm late. I didn't set my alarm and then there was some big accident. I'll do extra of whatever you want. I'm sorry." Luke finishing up lacing his skates up. If he had been looking at Nico eye's went wide at the mention of the accident.

"Practice was cancelled a couple of hours ago."

"Why would they do that we have a game tomorrow?"

"The league is thinking of postponing it"

"Why?" he stopped what he was doing to look up at his captain. There was a feeling in the room, there was something seriously wrong.

Luke finally glanced around the empty locker room, it held the same odd feeling that the lot had.

"Um. Have you looked at your phone lately?" The older man scratched the back of his head nervously.

Luke furrowed his brows at the question. No, he hadn't looked at his phone, he had been a little busy trying to get there as quickly as he could, the action didn't feel necessary at the time.

But now a bad sinking feeling was telling him that maybe he should.

He had a total of 19 missed calls from him Mom, Dad, and Quinn alone. Not to mention the other various voicemails that completely filled the digital voicemail box was completely filled. On top of that there were over a hundred txt messages from a variety of people.

There was even a message from Jack, a simple heart emoji followed by an 'i luv ya bro,' that was timestamped hours before everything else.

"Nico, what's going on?" His voice hitched after he read a txt from Trevor that read 'i just heard about j. i'm so sorry.' When Luke looked up from the device he took note that Nico was now accompanied by their new coach and a few devils' personal.

"Luke you should call your parents back" The captain picked at the skin around his fingers.

"No just tell me. What's going on?" He thumbed through his device trying to decipher the

"Let's take this somewhere a little more private. Yeah?" The group of higher ups attempted to usher then to a different room a little more quiet and appropriate to have this conversation. Luke shook them off, wanting them to just spit it out.

"Say it Nico" Luke shook them off. He wanted Nico to just spit it out. He was tired of this go around and the hesitation

Nico sighed heavily. He didn't want to be the one to tell his friend the news, it would be better if it were coming from a family member, but they were all on there way to New Jersey at moment. So he had to do his best.

"There was an accident" Nico began to say. Luke felt his heart beat faster, and a pit forming in his stomach as he realized what Nico was telling him. Maybe this would have been better coming from his mom or dad, hell even Quinn.

"Jack and Addie were in the car-" Nico continued. That green car that look familiar. Jack had a green car.

"No no no no no no no." He covered his ears in an attempted to block out what Nico was telling him. This wasn't happening.

"they didn't make it." Nico finished. He put his hand on Luke's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. The kind gesture didn't help anyeay as Luke grabbed the nearest garbage pail and emptied the contents of his stomach in it.

It was true. It couldn't be true. Jack wasn't dead. This was all just some sort of prank, a sick joke. Jack was going to walk around the corner and say sike.

He need to get out of there. Anywhere but there. He had this pain in chest, and it was hard to breath anytime he thought of his brother.

He got in his car and drove without a destination in mind. He drove and drove until he found himself in a deserted mall parking lot, not another car or person in sight.

Luke sat in his perfectly fine car and screamed. There wasn't anyone around, so no one would be able to judge him. Not that he cared. He needed to get his emotions out.

Why Jack? Why couldn't have been him? If only he had been on time today, maybe it would have been him in that accident and Jack would still be alive.

He had been receiving texts all day. Luke ignored all of them. A few people called, he ignored those too. Ellen had been calling him at least once every hour, but he still refused to talk to her.

There was one number that had been persistently calling him, even more than his mother had. Maybe she had gotten a hold of another phone and was calling from that. He didn't know, but he finally decided to answer the call.

"Hey Luke, this is Y/N calling this Happy Times Nursery, how are you?" The very peppy and friendly lady ask.

"I'm um, I could be better. What is this pertaining to?" He mumbled his reply confirming it was him.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Well we've been trying to reach Jack and Addie for a couple of hours now seeing that it is well past pick up time for Lucy and Felix. We were just wondering if someone was on their way to retrieve them. They are our last kids for the night and we would like to go home."

Shit, the kids

Let me know what you guys think!

[randoimago]

Fandom: Critical Role / Legend of Vox Machina

Character(s): Percival Fredrickstein Von Whatever Whatever De Rolo III

Note(s): I have no idea what possessed me to write this. Here I am looking for cute, fluffy things and trying to decide who to write for when all of a sudden The Changebringer took the wheel. Here's some Hurt/Comfort with Percy set during the Chroma Conclave stuff but no campaign spoilers (just mentions of things that have happened already in the TV series)

"Are you okay?"

Percy rolls his eyes at the question as if it's the dumbest thing anyone has asked him. And honestly, in this moment, it might be. He's had his family almost wholly taken from him. A demon pretty much had him under possession at some point, attempting to kill those he cared about because of his damn pride and need for revenge. Dragons are every-fucking-where, and he's just a human with a gun.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine, just like the sky is green. Next question," he mutters, tone his usually casual with a hint of frustration.

"Percival-"

"How I'm doing is pointless. Caring about me right now is pointless. Who gives a shit if I'm okay. How about you ask the people of Whitestone, who have been under the thumb of a vampire for years? How about you ask those that lost their homes to dragon fire, acid, ice, and every other bullshit element under the sun. I am fine." It's been a while since he's let out his feelings. Since he's spoken and the weight he's carried seemed to drain a bit. Since he's felt tired.

It's silent for a moment. And usually, he would turn around and stomp off to go sulk. But he doesn't because he feels bad. Who the fuck are you to make him feel bad?

"I'm sorry. It's just… It's a lot happening, and I don't know if I will ever be okay," he admits with a sigh. And now you're silent and he's feeling even worse. Out of all the blasted emotions, guilt must have been created by the Hells.

"Percy, you're allowed to be tired. You're allowed to be angry and frustrated. You're allowed to want to scream and punch in someone's face." He can't help but chuckle a bit at your last words. He'd rather shoot someone in the face, he might break a nail if he punched someone.

"Am I? I'm part of a small group of people who seem to be the only ones able to do anything against all of this. Am I really allowed when so many are looking at us for guidance? How fucked must the world be that we're their last hope." There's a dry sense of humor in his words, and you shake your head at them, but he knows you have the same tired amusement that he does.

"Yes, you are. And if they don't like it then they can kiss your ass."

"Most people are unworthy of kissing my ass."

"There's the bitchy noble I know."

He makes a face at you when you call him that, but it doesn't hold up as more amusement takes its place and he shakes his head. His arm moves to land on your shoulder, initially just wanting to hold you for support before the rest of his body treacherously pulls you in for a hug, holding you tight.

"I'm not okay, my love. I was truthful earlier with not knowing if I can be. But thank you for still staying with me. Despite me being a… bitchy noble." You chuckle at the huff he lets out with those last two words, but it puts him at ease.

"You might not be okay now, but we'll get through this. Yeah?"

"Yeah. You, me, and this group of assholes that we travel with for some godforsaken reason." You laugh again and he smiles more, feeling that diminishing weight vanishing for just this moment.

[class1akids]

BNHA 426 - First thoughts

I have mixed feelings:

My No 1 wish was Toya being able to talk, so I'm glad we got that. Though super-sad about the "slowly dying" thing. But he's not dead yet - so I'll consider that "open ending" for now.

Way too much focus again on Enji feeling bad - I'm glad Toya called him out for doing everything only when it's too late / doesn't matter anymore

I’m also glad that Touya reached his goal - he destroyed Endeavor, the hero fully. His body, his reputation, his legacy. Everything Touya was created for, he burnt to ash. (But at what price 😭)

it's also super-hollow to say he's sheltering the family from the fallout, after they've just talked about how Fuyumi lost her job (and got a new one through the connections she herself built). How is he going to do that?

What a contrast between Bakugou and Deku getting thanks from All Might and being called greatest heroes - while not a single person in this family thanks Shoto for the extraordinary efforts he made for them (not only in this war, but since his first visit to Rei) -> they never deserved my boy tbh...

The Shoto - Toya scene was easily the highlight of the chapter for me. I really wanted this for both of them. Everyone in the family is talking about how they will talk, but Shoto is the one actually asking a question to Toya; he still wants to know his brother after everything.

And I love how that's the final breakthrough for Toya -words supported by actions - to start crying and to say sorry. I think his inability to cry was one of the big reasons he could never move on, so I hope in whatever time he has left, he can get the emotional closure he needs. And I'm glad Shoto got at least one person in the family acknowledge his efforts, even if with just a "sorry".

It makes me super-sad though because you can see that Toya and Shoto's relationship had so much potential!!! They would have been the best of brothers.

Natsuo cutting off Endeavor is fine for me. I didn't expect a big group hug - all the kids are grown up with their own lives - like Toya said "why not sooner". Them becoming a big happy family was never on the cards. Though I'm more disappointed Natsuo had nothing to say to Toya. He's a lot like his father.

Is Rei sticking with Endeavor? I hope she's just escorting him to the agency car and not like moving back to the house with him.

I'm super disappointed that Shoto got no hug from his mom or even a line of direct dialogue. In 426 chapters, they never spoke directly!!!!! - Shoto is the only kid in the family Rei never had a dialogue with as a grown up. Hori really fumbled her too.

So Shoto - just like Izuku to Bakugou - never gets to respond properly to Endeavor's apology. Still, I interpret his line to Enji and Rei that even if the family doesn't get a dream ending, he's going to be ok because he has friends who support him and he's strong enough to shape his own identity. I'm glad we didn't get like a "it's water under the bridge" or an even worse "I'll restore the family's honor" kind of plot for Shoto. He did everything he could, he did the heavy lifting for every single relationship - he's more than earned his freedom (though I doubt that the public will easily forget that he's "Endeavor's son and Dabi's brother").

It's really bittersweet, but Shoto is still better off compared to where he started - he built some kind of relationship (however distant) with every person in his family and I guess he'll stay in touch without feeling like he has to carry all of them.

And more importantly has a safety net of friends, and he got out from under his father's thumb, away from the toxicity of his birth, forged a positive self-image, has clear goals, etc. He's an amazingly strong person, with a great mental fortitude and I hope in the 4 remaining chapters we'll see him smile at least once. He deserves it.

I'm glad Kiddo and Onima are alive. I would have hated it if they died from the copied Phosphor. I guess Burnin' is running the agency now? Though probably it gets closed down after Endeavor's retirement.

Hawks being the new prez of the HPSC was expected. Let's see what he can do.

Nagant "I want to stay in prison" is super-weird, but whatever. Hers always felt like a half-baked plot.

Gentle/La Brava is the first canon ship confirmed. I don't like them, but good for them I guess.

So next up: Spinner - Deku talk?

I need some processing time and some translations and the missing pages, but it's not the best or the worst. It delivered the thing I wanted most, though less talking from Enji and more talking from Touya and Shouto would have been better.

[targaryenrealnessdarling]

No Pain, No Gain | Part 1 | PersonalTrainer!Aemond x fem!reader

Summary: The personal trainer your roommate Baela recommended to you is rude, condescending but also hot as hell. Series Masterlist.

A/N: shoutout to my personal trainer Alex for rotting my brain. This is my first modern!Aemond fic, so any feedback is genuinely appreciated, I hope you enjoy this, it was an absolute ball to write (and there will be more!)

Also I could not post this without tagging some absolute modern!Aemond QUEENS who inspired me to write this. @valeskafics @oneeyedvisenya @sapphire-writes​ you’re the real ones! Also massive hug to @ewanmitchellcrumbs​ for hyping me up and being a parent to this child she didn't choose to create.

warnings: EVENTUAL SMUT, 18+, sexual tension, binge eating, mentions of breakup, cursing, dickhead Aemond, reader is horny af, English slang (soz), warnings will be added when needed

To say you were broken-hearted would be a bit of an understatement.

You were angry, annoyed, frustrated, wound up tight and pissed off to the highest degree.

And it showed in how you acted these days as you polished off the salty family-size bag of crisps on your own in 10 minutes flat.

You look over at your phone and sigh when you see it’s already 6 o’clock in the afternoon. Another day sat on the sofa, wallowing in self-pity, eating yourself into oblivion and fairly soon pouring a glass of Baela’s finest white wine (now that it was officially almost evening anyway and it was justified).

Scrolling through instagram was like twisting the dagger that was already in your chest. All that stupid fucking app could show you was ‘ex in the bar with his new girlfriend’, ‘ex in the drive-thru with his new girlfriend’, ‘ex on the beach with his new girlfriend’.

It made you want to throw your phone directly at the wall. But you settled for squeezing the life out of it, imagining it was your ex’s stupid face instead.

The absolute waste of space had broken up with you over text on the night you were supposed to go out on a date. And as if that was not bad enough, not even two weeks had gone by before he’d managed to stick his dick into someone else with a pulse. At the time, you were so angry that you didn’t accuse him of anything, he’d already broken up with you. But you did suspect that this ‘sudden’ relationship he’d gotten into wasn’t as recent as first thought. 

It’s been a month since you found out about the other woman.

And clearly you were coping really well.

Indulging wasn’t something you usually did, but now you feel you deserved it. 

“Hello~” the soft, ringing voice of your roommate Baela was at the door. You half-considered hiding all the packets of various foods you’d managed to stuff down your gob, but Baela had seen worse of you. She’d seen you while you were throwing your guts up after freshers week at university. Nothing was worse than that and you shuddered at the memory.

She walks in, looking more put together than you by a long way, having been hanging out with her sister all day. That’s what you like about Baela, she’s not judgemental, and so when she sees you’ve barely moved an inch she just flashes her usual smile.

“Good day then?” she says with a smirk. You raise your eyebrows in return.

“Apart from seeing him plastered all over instagram I’m great” 

“Got any left?” she asks, extending a greedy hand for a crisp. You offer her the bag with a sigh as she slumps on the sofa next to you. She watches boredly whatever you have on the TV,

"Why don't you just block him?" She asks. And to be fair, she has a point.

But you huff and shove another crisp in your mouth, whining, "Cos I'm a nosy bitch with no boundaries"

Baela sighs, pulling out her own phone and scrolling through her notifications, "As much as I love you y/n, this is pathetic, even for you"

You'd be offended if she wasn't completely right. And you know she's only half joking so you just shrug.

"How was Rhaena?" You ask.

"Yeah fine, usual shit with Dad. Oh I didn't tell you-" she starts.

She has that glint in her eye which spells trouble. She's got gossip and you raise your eyebrows in anticipation.

"Hold that thought, wine first?"

"Obviously"

After giggling and waltzing over to the counter to pour two glasses of the finest box wine you could get for under seven English pounds, you hand her one and wait almost too excitedly for her to spill whatever sweet gossip she has.

She sips it, almost like she needs the liquid courage to begin, and she hisses at the sweet, acidic taste.

"God that's foul" 

"It was 2 for 1!" You retort with a laugh, but she is right, it does taste foul, "Stop stalling, tell me tell me tell me" 

She looks at you as if to say bitch, you are not fucking ready.

“Dad’s married Rhaenyra” 

The force of which your jaw drops open is almost comical. You’d guessed for a while that they were at least fucking, but to just elope?!

“I need money, cos I betted on this shit happening!” 

“Oh my gosh, Rhaena was fucking hysterical. Jace and Luke aren’t surprised at all, but Alicent is beside herself in the family group chat, it should honestly be a reality TV show” Baela says scrolling through said group chat. From what you can see without being too nosy, is that there’s a lot of long paragraphs and angry emojis.

“What about Viserys, surely he’s…” you ask, trailing off to sip the pissy wine in your hands.

“Oh no, he’s thrilled. Which pisses Alicent off even more if that’s possible”

“Baela I think your Uncle’s gone insane” you bite your lip to stifle a laugh.

“No fucking kidding”

You slump back onto the sofa, “Holy shit, I am a genius. I knew the whole time” you say, smirking in victory.

“And so humble too” Baela gives a sarcastic grin which you return.

“How do you feel about it?”

Baela shucks her phone onto the coffee table, sighing, “Not bothered, we’re all adults now, so it hardly makes a difference to me. Suppose it’ll get Dad to stop bringing back random women now” she says exasperated, “but Rhaenyra gets the impression we’re all really bothered so she’s invited us all to a retreat for a week. Think she just wants to butter us up for marrying our Dad”

“Oh? Anywhere nice?”

Baela looks over, giving you a wearied look.

“What?”

“Well that brings me to you”

“Oh god, what” you ask, dropping the tone to emphasise the seriousness of the talk all of a sudden.

Baela fiddles with the remote, in an attempt to appear cute, “Well~ There’s a spare ticket going and you’re my bestest friend. And I would hate to endure a week of watching my Dad eat Rhaenyra’s face off, so come with me please?” she begs.

You sigh, “Baela usually I would love to sponge off you like that but-”

“Pleasepleaseplease~” she begs, “Rhaena’s bringing her boyfriend and we’re basically together!” 

You fake a gagging sound.

“Oh come on, a week on a beach in bikinis,sweltering weather with as many cocktails as you can hold isn’t exactly torture”

You give her an incredulous look, opening your arms to emphasise all the bags of junk food around you, “Do I look beach body ready to you?!”

“Oh fuck off, you’re hot and have an ass that can keep the world fed” 

“I know I am hot, I just don’t feel hot” you stare blankly at the TV, trying to ignore her and stuff another crisp into your mouth.

Baela sighs, “I was just thinking it would be a nice distraction, that’s all” 

“I want to it’s just…” you start, trying to think of the right words, “...I don’t feel my best”

Baela gives you a playful slap on your arm, “Look, forget your ex, he’s dumb as fuck and it’s not solving anything by staying inside with the curtains drawn all day. If you want to feel better, might be worth taking care of yourself a bit, hm?” 

Fuck her, you think, rolling your eyes, she’s right.

You hate how often she’s right. Because she gets that look on her face when she is. Always has done.

“How about that gym membership you’ve not used since February?” she asks,

“Okay firstly, ouch. Secondly, I realised I don’t know the first thing about how to work out in a gym, besides the guys there were…weird”

You shudder at the thought. It was January and so all the new year’s resolution guys were at it in full swing, using the gym as a means to try and pick up girls. And since graduating you find that more often than not the guys who hit on you were students. Maybe it was different now?

Baela pokes her cheek with her tongue, racking her brain.

“One of my cousins is a personal trainer? I could text him to see if he’s happy to take you on. Mates rates” she smiles.

You side-eye her hard. You’ve heard briefly about her cousins. Some of the stories are a bit more…eccentric than others. And even though you’ve never met them, you’ve heard enough stories to satisfy your curiosity. 

“This isn’t the manwhore cousin, right? Because if it is then no” 

She scoffs, “No. Aegon hasn’t set food in a gym since graduating and he only went cos it was free. The personal trainer one is Aemond. He’s a bit…anti-social?” she pulls a face when she says it.

“He’s anti-social and he’s a personal trainer?” you ask, eyebrow raised, “makes so much sense”

Baela scrolls through her contacts, “Yeahhh. Don’t worry though, he’s just grumpy” she explains, “want me to text him?”

Your head falls to the edge of the sofa in a huff. You want to go and on top of that, it might be nice to finally have a break. That and you’d love to shove it in your exes face when he sees you’re on holiday looking your hottest. 

“How long ‘til the holiday?”

Baela grins victoriously, “A month and a bit. He does a month course for stuff like this, I can ask him about it”

What the fuck am I getting myself into, you think briefly.

Fuck it.

“Fine”

The force at which Baela’s nails tap against the screen is almost desperate.

Baela snorts a laugh at the message and turns her phone to show you the messages.

“He seems lovely” you roll your eyes sarcastically.

“Like I said, he’s just grumpy. He’ll be professional though” she says.

You sigh, crushing the empty bag of crisps in your hands.

“Can’t wait” 

After following him on instagram, you did a bit of shameless stalking. You’d heard a little bit about Aemond from Baela talking about her family, but he seemed the most mysterious out of all of them (save for the youngest whose name she struggled to even remember). 

He had very little photos of himself, mainly progress pictures of other clients he’s helped. And he seems to be pretty successful so far. A girl with a similar body to you managed to get toned on his one-month program and looked hot afterwards, so you had some high hopes that it was possible for you as well. But you did wonder what he looked like. There were only two photos where he was in frame, and he’d been tagged by another person, looking away from the camera.

From what you could see, he was very tall, lithe and slim but built, with silver hair that had been pulled up into a bun. Ah, so he’s a man-bun type of guy. Yikes. 

Unfortunately, the photo showed very little of his face, so you couldn’t be too nosy.

You sent a very brief message, introducing yourself, trying not to cringe at the idea that he might be doing the exact same stalking to your instagram right at this moment. A shiver went up your spine at the thought. 

It’s only when you’re in TKMaxx with Baela, shopping for gym gear the next day, that you finally get a reply from him. 

“What do you think of just wearing a sports bra?” Baela says, eyeing up a black shirt.

You’re too busy staring at the message, “Hm? Oh, I’d just go in gym leggings and a bra yeah. Just got a reply from your mysterious cousin”

Baela hops over, “What’s he said? Nothing bad I hope” she grins.

 You show her the screen.

Baela raises her eyebrows, “Very formal. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised” she says, seeming surprised that he’s at least cordial.

“It’s very ‘serial-killer-esque’ of him not to have a profile picture” you joke, locking your phone again.

Baela picks out a black gym set. Black leggings with a mesh pocket on the side for your phone and a black sports bra. You nod, “Yeah looks good to me”

“Oh please you’re gonna look hot in this” she smirks, leading you over to the counter to pay.

She rewards you for your efforts by driving you to McDonald's drive-thru. A send off to junk-food so to speak.

And when Monday rolls around, you nod in the mirror. She was right, it does look hot on you. At least in the safety of your flat where there’s nobody to look at you. In a gym, surrounded by other fit people and a personal trainer you’ve never met? It might feel slightly different.

There’s a faint swirl of anxiety in your gut but you pull your trainers on, grab a hair tie from your nightstand and drive to the gym you’ve agreed to meet at. Luckily it’s your local gym, large and packed to the brim with some good equipment at least. And you briefly wonder what kind of workouts you’ll be doing before pulling into the car park.

You see him as soon as you enter the gym. He’s very tall, slender but muscular and fucking gorgeous. What the fuck, is all you can think when you shamelessly scan him from head to toe. Like the pictures, he has his long silver hair in a bun, with a few pieces having come free and falling around his face. His legs are miles long in the black sweats he’s wearing, as well as the black top that sticks a bit too snugly to his front and shoulders, making your mouth water a bit.

And you can’t help but admire his side profile, how his jaw just so naturally and sharply juts into his chin. How his cheekbones sit so prominently and high on his face, framing his features. His sharp, defined nose. And you can’t see from here because he’s looking down at his phone, but his eyelashes are unnaturally long for a man. It’s just unfair, frankly.

Shaking yourself briefly from the trance you were in, you right yourself and approach him.

He looks up to see you before you even have a chance to open your mouth. Now that he's looking at you face on, you can see the shocking blue of his right eye and the paler, soft hue of the other. Not only that but the angry scar that ran down the side of his face, extending from his forehead to the mid part of his cheek, straight through the eye.

You look at it for a split second, surmising that perhaps he's partially sighted or blind in that eye. But you choose not to say anything and instead smile with an awkward wave.

"Hey, you must be Aemond"

He openly drags his eyes over you, from head to toe, just like you did a moment ago without his knowledge. But now that you're standing right in front of him, in the gym gear that you totally don't feel a bit self conscious in, it feels a bit weird.

He doesn't reply for a moment.

"I'm y/n" you say, forcing a smile to your nervous face.

"Hm" he responds lowly, "Baela's friend" 

You pull an awkward face and nod.

You feel so stupidly small against this absolute giraffe of a man and you daren't step forward any more, for fear of looking even smaller under his judgemental and indifferent gaze.

He sighs and gestures for you to follow him, seeming disinterested as he looks down at his phone. For a brief second you wonder how this guy keeps his clients if he's this rude, but you shake the thought away, not wanting to judge too quickly.

He leads you into one of the consultation rooms, separate from the rest of the gym. He sits on one of the seats, sighing as if he's had the hardest day in the world and taking a swig of water from his bottle.

Sat across from him, you feel a bit small under his gaze. He's quite intimidating, you now find.

"Have you ever worked out before" he asks flatly.

You shrug, "I've tried I guess, but never super seriously" you laugh awkwardly, but he doesn't return it.

He runs his eyes over you again, as if to say yeah I can see that.

"Stand up. Shoes off. We're going to take your weight and measurements" he orders, going to his bag to grab some things.

It's beyond awkward and quiet in the room with him as he idly takes down your weight, height and current eating habits, which you've had to be more honest about than you'd cared to admit.

Standing in the middle of the room, he twirls his measuring tape on his fingers. He measures your upper body first, which isn't too bad until he gets to your bust. You try and look anywhere else in the room while he measures across it, his fingers landing softly at either arm, taking a note of the measurement. You internally scold yourself, he is so much taller and surely must be able to see right down the sports bra. It only serves to make your face heat up with embarrassment.

If that wasn't enough, he gets to your lower body, measuring your hips and then thighs. He gets to his knees to do it and you resist the urge to pull your hands into fists at the proximity of him to your intimate area, separated only by a thin pair of gym leggings and underwear.

He doesn't seem to bother himself with the awkwardness. And every time you look at his face, he seems indifferent, bored even. Even then, his face is unnaturally beautiful, even with the scar.

He must really not like people.

Aemond sighs having taken all his notes.

"We'll do one training session and see how much weight we can do" he instructs. You nod.

"I expect you to be in the gym four times a week, three in the week and once at the weekend. We'll do one session together a week so I can check your progress" 

His tone is so flat, all you can do is nod. He looks at you,

"Got it?" 

Your cheeks heat up, "Um, yeah"

"Good"

He leads you outside to the actual gym floor which luckily isn't too busy, side-eyeing you massively when you pull your hair up into a ponytail to get it off your neck.

His large form leads you over to where the mats are kept, haphazardly throwing two to the floor.

He doesn't say anything past one or two word commands and it's incredibly difficult to not look in the mirror in front of you to watch him as he stretches. The way he stretches his arms over his head and it lifts the hem of his shirt a little, showing his happy trail, biceps rippling.

And when he does leg stretches, instructing you to do the same, you can't help but stare at how his thighs are basically bulging out from his sweats. It takes all of your strength and will to not look any higher than that towards his hips.

He watches your form as you try and copy him stretching. And your heart almost leaps into your chest when he uses his hand to move your ankle slightly, so that you put pressure on a certain muscle. But he focuses completely, professional.

Fuck, be professional.

All caution is thrown completely to the wind when he gets you on machines. He demonstrates some of them first, starting with the so-called 'easier' ones, like the inner and outer thigh machines that look way too…suggestive.

Of course, he's got it on a ridiculous weight to demonstrate which makes you scoff a bit. And when you get on the inner thigh machine, it locks into place with your legs spread. You thank every god there is that there's no mirror in front of you on this machine.

"You have to start with your legs spread as much as possible" he states simply, pushing the pads against your legs even further. It makes your eyes widen, sinful thoughts pop up in your head. But before they take root you shake them away.

It's ridiculously hard the first few times and he raises an eyebrow.

"Really?" He mocks a bit, the tiniest of smirks on his face "you're only on 14kg" 

"Fuck off" you mutter under your breath. He tuts and changes it to 9kg, bruising your ego a bit. But you finish the set nonetheless.

You think he's a bit of a psycho, because after that little remark he has you on every leg machine available. Making fun every time you have to be on the lowest weight.

After the session, you're aching in places you didn't even know existed and you haven't even rested yet. Knowing full well you'll be achy as fuck tomorrow and even wlrse than right now. The faintest sheen of sweet is visible on your pinkened chest.

"You're weaker than I thought" 

He runs his long fingers through his hair and you want to slap that stupid fucking self-indulgent look off his smug face seeing you all out of puff like this.

"Thanks, means a lot" you say sarcastically, drinking from a water bottle. He raises an eyebrow at the attitude.

"I'll send you your workout plan. If you have any issues do me a favour and don't bother me with them" he retorts.

"Charming" you mutter under your breath once he's gone past you. You watch as he walks away, briefly appreciating his broad shoulders, until the sour taste of his poor behaviour settles in. And you huff, texting Baela immediately.

You curse every god there is that you drive a manual car, because right now the thought of having your aching leg pressing on the clutch pedal might actually drive you to mass-murder.

This is going to be a long month.

Taglist: @mrsgrwy @lovelykhaleesiii

[fruity-mega-coconut69]

The Quiet Kid Pt. III.

[pairings]: Tara Carpenter x Reed!Fem!Reader

[Summary]: After the attack at the apartment, it wasn't long before the others found out about who you really are.

[warnings]: swearing, bad writing

A/N: I don't know, I'm thinking about changing my username. But only if you guys are okay with that. Also thanks for almost 400 followers. Holy Shit!Oh and should i Do a pt 2 of One more chance? If so, tell me what would you like to be in it.

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

After you’ve been patched up in the ambulance, you decided to just lean against it. Tara and Mindy are there too. Sitting on the back of the ambulance with Mindy’s head on Tara’s shoulder. Anika has been driven to the hospital because of the amount of blood she has lost.

As you are daydreaming by yourself, you see Chad walking up to you. However, you pay no mind to it, even as he settles beside you. There’s a long beat of silence before he speaks up. “So…..how are you?” You just look at him and after a couple of seconds he nods. “Listen, I-.....I know you like Tara. And I know, you  know that I do too.” He takes in a deep breath as he finally looks up from the ground. “ But I think it’s pretty fucking clear who she like back.” Chad laughs breathlessly.

You look up at him with furrowed eyebrows. “And who would that be?” 

“You, dumbass!” He exclaims. “ i mean, yes we maybe closer and all, but the way she fucking looks at you? She-....” Chad pauses and looks down at his shoes. “She will never look at me like that. And besides, I think liking Tara was just……my mourning.  I thought that, maybe if we’d get together, I don’t know, we could…..help each other move on. Shit, that’s such bullshit.” He laughs pathetically at himself.

“That’s not true. It just seems that the both of you are dealing with what happened to you in such different but still somehow familiar ways.  Okay? I-” You couldn’t finish your sentence as Chad’s attention is turned towards Ethan, who has just walked into the closed down area. Chad mutteres something among the lines of, ‘That mother fucker’ and ‘ Son of a bitch’ then storms over to Ethan. 

Suddenly, you see Tara’s face come into view. She smiles at you slightly. “ Hi.” You nod back at her. “Hi “ 

She looks down at the ground and swallows hard. “ So, uh, are you planning on telling the others about Kirby? “

While hesitantly nodding, you suck in a deep breath. “ Yeah, I do. But I don’t think right now is a good time for that. “Tara nods then looks over where Sam is and sees Detective Bailey stumbling out of the apartment building. Tara’s face softens and she looks back at you, grabs your hand and starts walking towards them.

Letting out a yelp, you try to keep up with her. When you arrive you see Bailey sobbing.  Tara looks up at him. “I’m really sorry about Quinn. “

He nods at her and looks down at the ground. “Thank you. “ Bailey sniffs and looks up at Sam. She puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Both my kids are gone. My whole family…..gone.” Bailey sobs out. You bite your lip as you look at the grieving man.  Sam and Tara glance at each other . then you feel Tara squeezing your hand, well you didn't even realize she was still holding it. “ they took me off the case. But I'm not gonna stop until I find him. You fuck with my family….you die.”He says angrily while glancing at Sam.

“Agreed”

Suddenly, you hear a voice-that you know all too well- say behind you with rushed breaths. “Hey, are you okay? I came as soon as I heard. “ You smile and go over to her. She grins at you then holds out her arms, welcoming you in a sweet hug. When you pull away, Tara once again takes hold of your hand. 

Sam perks up. “Gale, I swear to god.. “ She warns Gale. 

“Truce, okay? I’m here for whatever you need. “ She says, almost pleading.

Sam scoffs at her. “Yeah, okay. Nice try”

“Really, I am. “ Gale looks at the three of you then sighs. “Okay, fine. Off the record, okay?” Tara looks at Sam and she nods hesitantly. 

“Okay. Thank you. “

Then, Tara and Gale make eye contact. Tara starts shaking her head. “I’m…sorry I punched you. “ A light smirk grows on Gale’s face. “No, you’re not”

“I’m not. “ Tara smiles. Gale turns to Detective Bailey but your attention remains on Tara until your ears perk up at the sound of your sister's voice.

“Ladies. “ Kirby walks up to the five of you and when she notices you, her eyes quickly fill with concern. She steps closer to look at your bandages . “Oh, shit. You okay? “ You just nod at her and she wraps her arms around you in a quick hug then she turns to the others. 

“Kirby? What? Is the whole familia here?” Kirby rolls her eyes. “Gale” 

“She’s with the FBI” Says Sam as she looks at the two. 

Gale looks at her in disbelief. “She’s a child. When did they start letting children into the FBI?” 

“I’m 30 “ Kirby says with a sassy tone that makes you giggle. Tara smiles lightly as she looks at you then turns her attention back to Gale and Kirb’s conversation. 

“Well, you look like a zygote” 

“I have a gun, Gale” She puts her hands on her gun that’s attached to her belt around her waist.

Gale looks down at it. “Okay, fine. You’re gonna want to see this too. “

— —

About half an hour later, you guys find yourself outside of an old theater. Gale is leading the way inside with Kirby trailing behind her as you and your friends silently follow. 

“Apparently, they used fake names to rent this place.” Gale says more to Kirby than you guys. 

“How did you find it?” 

You are currently walking between Chad and Tara who are just quietly looking around and listening to Gale and Kirby. You stare ahead while walking, trying to not make anything awkward. When you arrive at a door, Gale opens it with a swiping card and lets you guys in. You go up some stairs then you come across another door. Gale swipes the card again and a couple of seconds later, every one of you is inside as Gale turns on the lights.

When the lights turn on, you see the theater. “It’s a movie theater. “

“It’s not just a movie theater. “Gale pauses as she looks at each of you. “It’s a shrine.” Your eyebrows furrow and you start walking further inside.  You look around and your eyes widen at the sight. It’s a bunch of evidence from all the previous attacks. Then, the curtains go up and on the stage is revealed all 9 robes of all 9 killers with Sam’s father’s, Billy Loomis’, in a glass box in the middle.

You all split up to look around. You go and follow Kirby as she makes her way towards the dummy with Jill Robert’s shirt on. Next to it was a display case with a photo and a knife in it. You clench your jaw as you see the slight sadness on your sister's face.

And that’s when you hear Mindy’s voice shout. “ Holy shit! Is that a kid in that photo?! “ Your eyes widen as the others walk over to her. Sighing, Kirby grabs your arm and walks you over too.

“Wait…..I-look “ Chad points at the ripped newspaper page next to the photo. “Right here, it says, ‘ Y/N Reed is officially the youngest victim of another ghostface massacre.’ What the fuck? “ They all turn to look at you as you stand beside your sister awkwardly. Of course, Tara, Sam and Gale nowhere surprised, but the twins, Ethan and Bailey? Oh, they had many questions. 

“You’re Kirby’s sister?!” 

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A/N: Sorry, this is very short!

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓

Let's get this one off the ground! I'm very excited for some Christmas angst!

You get the first Eddie POV sneak peak!

102 for 🐓:

---

It’s not all bad. He has to look at it that way. It’s not all bad. At least he’s able to be here, close to his son. At least things aren’t worse. 

He didn’t end up buying a new place down here, before he moved. He didn’t want to miss Christmas. So he rented. Has a six month, short-term lease on a two bedroom apartment. First floor, for Chris. He did manage to sell the house back in Los Angeles. So he’s not hurting financially. He starts his new job with the El Paso Fire Department in January. 

It’s all fine. He’s lucky. He’s near his son again.

Not that that’s all smooth sailing either. If anything, it’s been mostly choppy weather, with the occasional let up. Something that Eddie wishes wasn’t so discouraging for him. But he’ll admit it. He’s fucking discouraged. 

At first, Chris had been happy to see him. Which felt amazing. He smiled and hugged him and told him he missed him, and for a moment, it just felt like Eddie had been gone on a long trip and was now home. Like maybe time really did heal all wounds and Chris was ready to be a family again.

Then Eddie told him he wasn’t leaving. 

It hurts a little. Eddie really was honest and raw with him. Fair, he thought. 

“I’m not expecting things to be changed overnight, I’m not expecting anything to be fixed,” he’d told Chris. “But I can’t continue to be where you aren’t. You’re my son. Home is where you are.”

“So you moved to El Paso? And got an apartment?” Chris had replied, face tight. 

“I did. Yeah. At least now we’re close, and we can-”

“Why would you do that?” Chris had demanded. 

“Why would I want to be in the same city, let alone the same state, as you?” Eddie replied, feeling frustration rising in his chest. 

Christopher’s face had gone bright red. Like Eddie had said something to embarrass him. He hadn’t.

“I don’t want you to be in El Paso. I don’t want to spend time at your stupid, sad apartment. I don’t want to talk to you!” Chris had shouted in response. 

And he hadn’t, for a bit, after that. Complete silent treatment, just like back in May and June, during the worst of it. Eddie panicked. Spiralled. Felt that he made things worse, all the while ruining what had still been good in his life. But after a brief pity party, Eddie remembered why he came here. To do whatever it takes to make sure the gap between himself and Christopher doesn’t get wider. So whatever. Chris can be mad. He can be silent. But Eddie is here. 

So Eddie had kept seeing him anyway. Fought with his parents about, and came to the resolution that Eddie gets two evenings with him a week, minimum. More if Chris wants, which… Well, maybe he’ll start wanting. Hasn’t yet, but at least he’s no longer silent. Quiet and grumbly. But not silent.

Each dinner or forced quality time activity seems to be slowly making a difference. Like crack by crack Eddie is getting through to him. But he honestly doesn’t quite understand why he has to. They’d been doing so much better. Why is Eddie’s proximity such a problem? Maybe… Maybe Chris really doesn’t want him around. Maybe he was calling Eddie or answering Eddie’s calls out of obligation, but really, he was done. Maybe he’s happier the farther Eddie is from him. Maybe all Eddie is to his son is a source of pain.

So being near Chris again makes him happy. But… But it’s not an uncomplicated happiness. It’s tainted. Tainted with the knowledge he might just be being selfish. That he might not be the best thing for Christopher, after all. 

And that is a sort of agony. 

All this to say, Eddie spends five of seven days a week alone. And even the days he does see Chris, it’s not the full day. It’s a handful of hours at most. Sure, he manages to spend a lot of time visiting Abuela when he can. But other than that, he’s on his own. It’ll be better when he starts working, he thinks. He’ll have a team again. They won’t be the 118 - no one ever could be. But maybe they’ll at least care about him. Right now, other than Abuela - who  is aging and doesn’t need Eddie’s stress - no one here really gives a shit about him. His parents have made that much clear. 

As Christmas draws nearer and nearer, Eddie struggles with the loneliness. He knows, in his core, that he’s miserable. He doesn’t want to say it out loud. Can’t call Buck or Bobby or anyone to admit it. That he’s done the wrong thing for himself. Again. It’s too… It’s too shameful. He’s always filled with so much shame. 

And honestly, maybe he could call Bobby. Bobby who is patient and full of grace and understands that shame better than anyone. Maybe he could even find a way to call Father Brian. He certainly can’t talk to the priests at his family’s church. He knows that from a childhood of bullshit. But… He really can’t call Buck. Not about this. Eddie knows Buck took him leaving hard, even if he tried not to show it. And now he sort of hardly communicates with Eddie at all.

[jacks347]

(After the latest BVZ episode, I have to get this out of my brain. Enjoy Albus visiting home out of panic.)

Faith barely heard the door open and slam shut over the low buzz of the early evening. Faith was working on dinner, Kerano was doing her homework at the kitchen table. If anything, she expected the sound to be Devlin. It wasn't until she felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her in a tight grip, burying his face in her hair.

It was...odd. Faith almost didn't want to breathe, lest she break the atmosphere. Albus didn't do hugs, Faith would know. But here he was, clinging onto her like she'd disappear if he didn't. If she really listened, she could hear him mumbling something. "She's safe, she's okay, he can't hurt her now." Over and over like a mantra. Just what had happened out there?

She slowly reached up, smoothing over the warrior's hair. "Albus? Are you okay?" That seemed to snap him out of it as he lifted his head, his near death grip loosening. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine, Faithful. Just...had a rough mission." Faith leaned her head back to raise an eyebrow at him, unable to resist a teasing smile. "What's this? The impervious Albus York admitting he had a bad day?" He snorted, almost offended as he pushed her away. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. Next time I'll just leave you to worry like an old housewife." "Don't you dare, I will march out to Maya myself and hunt you down if I have to." Faith warned, brandishing her spoon like a sword. Albus only chuckled, pushing her spoon down and kissing her forehead. "You're cute when you think you're intimidating, you know that?"

The healer could only sputter and blush, unable to find the words to counter him before pointing towards the table. "Just...go sit for dinner. You came all this way, you're not leaving until I know you're not going to drop over dead from hunger or something." "Stickler as always, Faithful." "Go!" "Alright, alright, I'm going."

Albus wandered to the table, settling into the chair across from Kerano with a sigh. "How ya doing kid? Listening to your sister?" Kerano’s head popped up with a toothy grin. "Mr. Albus! When did you get here?" "Ah only a couple minutes ago, you didn't miss much." "Oh well that's good! Big sister really misses you when you go away for so long." "Oh does she now?" "Yeah! I mean, she has Mr. Devlin and she's always happy with him but she talks about you a lot. Wonders where you are or what you're doing or if you're okay. She really worries about you. She tries not to show it but she acts different when you haven't been around for a while." Albus raised an eyebrow at that. "Acts different? How?" "Her shoulders get all tense. They get closer to her ears bit by bit like a wind-up toy. And she gets really nervous. Then you come by and she relaxes again. It's kinda funny to watch." Kerano giggled as Albus’s heart flipped. She really worried about him. Gods above, if only she knew how much he put on the line to protect her.

"Kerano, honey! Can you clear the table? Dinner's ready!" "Yes big sister!" Kerano hopped down from her seat and quickly cleared her papers off the table, setting out dishes as Faith brought in a delicious smelling meal. As they both took their place at the table, talking and dishing out food, Albus sat quietly and watched. He watched his girls talk and laugh, watched them be happy like a mom and daughter.

This was his mission. This was the thing he fought so hard to protect. Fuck whatever he told people, fuck his own life, he fought for his family. For the woman he loved, the girl he cared for as his own, and the brother he'd grown to have. He would never deserve it, never deserve a place in their picture perfect life, but he'd be damned if he let his actions be the thing that destroyed it. So he would defend them with his life.

"So Kerano tells me you get all jumpy when I'm away. Haven't convinced Vinny to give you any stress relief, eh?" "Albus!!"

(There. Brain worm satisfied. I can finally finish my homework in peace-)

[taestarii]

live - seonghwa

[seonghwa x reader]

genre! - angst, fluff at the end, hurt/comfort

synopsis! - Y/n continuously gets picked on by her family, even at a family gathering to let her parents meet her boyfriend

warning! - swearing, references to body (y/n is neither thick or thin she is how you imagine her, the mom is just a jealous almond mom dw), familial issues

first time writing seonghwa! let me know if you like this and want more ateez link to request page

"Y/n, are you alright?"

Seonghwa looked up from cleaning his glasses as your hands shook in the mirror. You tried to wipe away any imperfections in your makeup and cover up and with foundation. You already knew your sister was going to upstage anything you did without fail, she's been flawless all your life. You finally felt secure enough to let Seonghwa meet your family, and your mom informed you a few days prior your siblings would be joining.

Great.

"Yeah, I'm alright," you finished evening out your makeup and checked the time. "We gotta go soon.“ You gulped down the rest of your water to try and calm your racing heartbeat. Seonghwa wrapped his arms around the your waist and buried his head into your neck. "You look beautiful, love. You always do." You smiled and turned your head to kiss him. No matter how bad you felt, Seonghwa was always there to show you your worth. "Everything is going to be fine! You're family is gonna be great. Now let's get rolling." He smiled and grabbed your bag, placing a kiss on your cheek.

You smiled back weakly, but in truth, Seonghwa knew nothing about what your family was really like. That's why you were so hesitant about this dinner, but you knew the more you cancelled the less they believed he was real, that's just how much they doubted someone could actually like you.

You drove in almost complete silence with Seonghwa's hand on your thigh, running his thumb up and down as you rested your head in your hand. "I'm really excited to meet your parents, Y/n." You sighed and placed your hand in top of his. "I know you are." You glanced over at him and he was practically beaming. You prayed on his behalf that your family grew up.

-

Seonghwa pulled into the driveway of your childhood home and got out of the car. You sat and watched the light glimmer in the bay windows, the same windows that held so many of your emotions and memories. You got out of the car and held Seonghwa's hand as you walked up the front steps to the door. You already took note of your brother watching through the window so you figured he yelled to your mom that you were there.

"Shut your mouth!" You heard your mother yell behind the door, presumably to your father. Knowing him he was probably yelling over whatever sport was on, and your sister was probably fixing her appearance. Your mother swung the door open in one giant gesture with her arms spread, her signature smile painting her face. She quickly ushered you in and greeted Seonghwa.

"Hello, dear! It's so great to finally meet you." She wrapped her arms around him and he smiled, hugging her back. "Hi, mama." You said, stepping out from behind Seonghwa. She dismissed you with a smile and quickly rushed Seonghwa into the living room to meet your father. When you stepped into the room your father stood up, clearing his throat, and held out his hand. Seonghwa gently shook his hand with a slight bow and smilied. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Likewise." Your father nodded before turning back to the game. There was a small, awkward silence before your mother clapped her hands and turned to you. "Y/n, dear, my don't we leave the men to talk." Your grip tightened on Seonghwa's hand. He smiled down at you reassuringly and squeezed you hand. It's not like you were scared to be left alone with your mother, you just didn't want to leave Seonghwa, especially when he's with your dad. You let go of his hand and followed your mother into the kitchen, where your sister was sitting at the table on her phone.

"Oh my goodness, Y/n!!" Your sister let out an ear splitting screech. "It's been so long!" She wrapped her arms around you and made a big show of smelling you. "Gosh Y/n, where'd you get that perfume? You smell cheap." She twisted her face in disgust, when you knew for a fact you didn't smell bad. It was a pretty pricey perfume but nothing special, and one of your favorite sweet and flowery scents. Her face of disgust slowly turned into a half wicked grin and half smile. "Aww!" She took your face into her hands and studied you, you could feel her eyes studying your makeup. "Looks like someone tried!" She laughed and rather roughly let go of your face. Maybe it's because you haven't been doing makeup since you were old enough to talk to, or in her case, touch boys. You could feel tears already pricking your eyes, but you were prepared for this. You've dealed with this all of your life, your sister disguising her harsh worse through a sugar sweet tone was nothing compared to anything you've had to deal with for the first 18 years of your life.

-

Your brother had finally come down from his room and you all sat around the table while your mom got out all the food. "It smells great!" Seonghwa said as your mom brought out the meat. "Thank you, honey! I usually don't try this hard, but we have a special guest." Your father and brother were already shoving their food down their throats, not one word had even come out of your brother's mouth yet. You stood up from your seat to get some food when your mom stopped you and held her hand out in front of you for your plate. "What..?" She grabbed the plate from my hand and started filling it with childlike portions. "You're gaining a little weight sweetie, I just thought I should help you out." Worry crossed Seonghwa's face as your mother placed the food infront of you, your head hanging low. Seonghwa placed his hand on yours and shook his head, frowning. He have your hand a light squeeze before shooting a half, ingenuine, smile to your mother.

"So," your father cleared his throat, "you're a very good looking man. Well put together. What are you doing with Y/n?" The whole table laughed at his joke, but Seonghwa didn't seem to find it very funny. "She's a very beautiful and genuine person, what she feels is what she shows and I admire that." Your sister gave Seonghwa a look, eyeing him up and down. "How sweet." She deadpanned. Your father, under no popular demand, opened his mouth again. "And you, Y/n? How's your 'job' going."

"Well, thanks for asking," you spoke through gritted teeth. "Two of my art pieces sold at the exhibition for almost 26,000 dollars." Your father almost choked on his food. "Really? I would have never thought someone would spend money on something like that."

"You'd be surprised."

"What about you, Seonghwa? What do you do?" Your mother spoke. "Oh, I'm a surgeon," he said. "But I also dabble in the art business." Your sister's face lit up. "Surgeon, huh? You must make sooo much money." She spoke, dragging out almost all of her words and twisting hair around her finger. Seonghwa caught on to her gaze and quickly looked away. "I make enough." He said, growing increasingly uncomfortable with your sister's lustful gaze.

"Well my son here, he's a very successful man. He's going to take over the business someday. We're very proud of him." Your father boasted. For some reason, this is what broke you. "What business, dad? It's a fucking convenience store, not to mention he's a deadbeat loser that isn't gonna take over shit. How about you be proud of me for once? I work two fucking jobs, and still find time to paint." Your mother sighed and rolled her eyes. "Great, another one of her little outbursts." You laughed.

"Don't you fucking even, mom. All you've done since I've got here is brush me off and shame me, probably because your sad with your own miserable life because your old and dad isn't attracted to you anymore." That shut her up quickly. "And would you PLEASE stop eye-fucking my boyfriend." You called out you sister, who grew a sour look on her face. Your father slammed his fist down. "Enough, Y/n. You will sit down and eat, right now, you are being incredibly disrespectful." You balled up your fists as tears started to spill from your eyes. You had held it in for so long but now hot tears ran down your cheeks in pure anger. How could he call you disrespectful? For 18 years all he did was disrespect you, and the one time you finally have enough and snap, you get ridiculed.

"I don't think she will." You looked over to Seonghwa, who stood up from his chair. "Since she's gotten here all you've done is give her shit. I can't even imagine what she's had to endure growing up. So, either you will listen to what she has to say or you will shut up."  The pure look of shock and disgust on your father's face was so satisfying. "Where is this coming from, young man?"

"It's coming from me not appreciating you treating my very beautiful, talented and lovely girlfriend like shit. If anyone should be treated like that, it's you." Seonghwa grabbed your father our of his chair and held him by his collar. "Now apologize."

"I-I'm sorry, Y/n. Please!" Your father stuttered out, rubbing his hands together, pleading. You didn't think he would give in this easily, but Seonghwa practically towered over him.

"I don't think I can forgive you right now, or any of you." You spoke softly. The tears were starting to fill your eyes again as Seonghwa grabbed your hand. "We're leaving."

When you got to the car, Seonghwa held you close as you cried into him. It took a lot of courage and bottled up anger to finally blow up at your family, and Seonghwa knew that. Right now, his only worries were being there for you.

"I'm so sorry, baby. They're shitty people who don't see you the way they should. The way I see you. You're more beautiful than you could ever think, you're so talented and I'm so, so proud of you. I love you so much." He kissed the top of your head and held you as your cries slowly turned into sniffles.

"I love you so much."

-

link to request page

[11queensupreme11]

I promised myself to wait a little more before reading but I couldn't focus when I just knew this was big.

So yeah, I end reading porn while my lecture... no regrets.

Me, reading chapter 31: Percy, your daddy issues are SHOWING my girl.

Can't blame you tho, your dad's hot. He's not a DILF, he's THE DILF, He deserves every capital letter.

Love that crazy blonde, have a special place in my heart.

Grover just got himself a VIP ticket to HELL, my boy, you just got yourself a target in your back and, all satyrs in both worlds are going to suffer for that decision even with Percy's help.

Poseidon promised to do nothing, but the rest of the family didn't

Love it, cause at least they know SOMETHING is happening now, kinda of. Well, now they KNOW she's alive and that's something...

Could be worse, wondering if Grover noticed her dress and what he's going to see about it. She has become a wife/prisoner? she did run away? Percy is using really expensive jewellery like mere rocks and can say something (a god? a god from a different pantheon?)

Anyways, she's now one bad fall from diving into the incest sin and I'm pushing her, after the first wet bed... well, we know they aren't known for their patience.

I'm rotting for Sun Wukong, just imagine what that tail can do 😏😏😏 (for once, I'm not being horny, but imagine him using that tail to push her close and hugging her. I'm a bitch for cuddles, make me blush like no porn has done before).

(Odin, the other way, is a DILF I totally respect ❤️👄❤️)

Chapter 32

Well, I did see this scenery come... but Zeus accusing Hera of being unfaithful? wishing it to be real, maybe with Ganymede, just to add more burn.

Totally deserves it, but you know, isn't happening.

(Sometimes, for a little bit, I feel sad for her. Her husband is The Bitch, has an almost impossible mission and no one is helping her... well, then I remember how she treated her husband's lover, literally kids, how she's just searching for Percy cause she needs her and then I'm fine, totally deserved)

(Now I'm rooting for the RoR gods, not because they're better, just cause at least they're honest about their feelings about humanity and, don't treat their children like guns with discount in Walmart)

Poseidon taking advantages from all his chances to discover new kinks with Percy (*screams, giggles, hides her face*). You're spoiling us, brat taming is my favorite kind of dom/sub smut, so this was gooooooooood for me

Poseidon just making her cry and then making her kiss him? Percy, you're living a wattpad history and is niceeeeee

Percy/Poseidon and Percy/Beelzebub fans, we're winning tonight!!!!

Beelzebub: A life with Percy or no life at all Me: Whatever you say king, I love your crazyness, don't change

He really is ready to save her, no matter if it means she's leaving him... a maturing king, love it.

Okay, we know he'd never send her to another's man arms (Sorry, I always forget his name), but he's TRYING and that's all I ask from him. He's closer than the others...

(Feeling like that TikTok "what if he's the devil? at least the devil has a job")

(What if he's throwing away her chances to go back home, at least he takes her to Midgard dates 🙄🙄🙄🙄)

Yes, I looking throught the BIGGEST red glass, not seeing red flags, just hearts around Beelcy.

Me:

Poseidon for the horny side and Beelcebub for the romantic side ❤️❤️

You know what would be amazing? Nico having to see all of this.

Imagine, the drama.

We know you love the drama queen, don't try to fool me, I know you survive from our tears and horny desires.

(Queen... just wondering... is this a harem history (Percy ends with all the yanderes) or just one of them? cause for now in my mind they have a horary where they share Percy like a divorce child)

Amazing like always ❤️❤️❤️❤️

YOU READ INCEST PORN AND CANNIBALISM DURING YOUR CLASS LECTURE??? 💀💀💀 i could never, i don't have the guts even when my phone has the privacy screen protector thing 😂

also, "all satyrs in both worlds are going to suffer for that decision even with Percy's help." yeah the satyrs in ror verse are still in deep shit even tho percy tried to help them, cuz even though it was only the GREEK council who saw it, this whole thing made BIG NEWS

can you imagine shiva, parvati, kali, and durga's reaction to hearing that percy was "violated" by an unknown satyr IN HER DREAMS?

or loki's reaction? or literally any god that knows about her and likes her???? or just gods in general (especially the protector of children gods) 💀💀💀 like, satyrs already have a terrible reputation, but to target a "one year old" daughter of poseidon IN HER DREAMS (which is unheard of for satyrs to be capable of, which makes it even more terrifying)???? they're FUCKED 💀💀💀

pan and dionysus are gonna have to put them into hiding or something lmao

there's more posy coming in in the futre, and as for beelzebub, he's just digging a deeper and deeper grave for himself lmao. he is singlehandedly ruining his own ship 😭😭😭 but at least he still has beelcy shippers on his side 💀

[starlightsuffered]

My Boyfriend’s Sister’s Boyfriend (p1)

Warnings - drinking, thinking of cheating, bad relationship, toxic friend, mentions of transphobia

I walked into the pub. My boyfriend, Dillon, was at my side. We'd been dating a little over a year and it was.....okay. Fine, nice, whatever you want to say. By this time I'd convinced myself "the spark" didn't really exist. You ended up with someone who met most of your desires, and you went with it. That night, my opinion changed.

Dillon was an old family friend. His parents and mine had been thick as thieves. When they'd had kids, they encouraged us to be friends. I'd actually had a crush on him when we'd been young, then we'd gone into a phase of hardly talking. Eventually, he joined my school, and he'd asked me out years after we graduated. I'd been so surprised I said yes, even though I wasn't that attracted to him. Ever since then, it'd been easier to just be with him. I didn't want to ruin the relationship between our families.

I was going to be meeting Dillon's sister's new boyfriend. I wasn't the biggest fan of his sister. She was the type to say things she knew would bug you, just to get a reaction. I wasn't one who was able to hide my feelings well.

Dillon hated most social outings. I wasn't the biggest fan either, but we hadn't been out together in ages. I was sick of going to his house to watch marvel movies, and eat fudge.

Dillon was talking to me about some vague computer part he'd ordered. I tried to listen, I really did, but I just didn't get that kind of stuff. I would have been more willing to try if he didn't openly mock nearly all my hobbies. He didn't understand why it bothered me. I never did the same to him.

"Oh there she is," Dillon waved to his sister, but I couldn't pay attention to her. Beside her was the most gorgeous creature I'd ever seen. He was tall, with curly dark hair. His form was slender, just like I preferred, with soft pale skin and hazel eyes. I was transfixed by him. I followed his every movement as he walked along with his girlfriend.

That's when he looked up. When our eyes met, it was like the world stopped turning for a minute. There it was, that spark, the thing I'd stopped believing in. It seemed he felt it too because he had stopped in his tracks. He was no longer following his girlfriend, he was staring at me. Neither of us were moving, I wasn't even sure if I was breathing. How was this happening?

"He looks like a stoner," Dillon said, breaking me from my reverie.

"He does not," I snapped, oddly protective of this man I didn't know. "You be nice!" I ordered.

"Alright, alright," he rolled his eyes.

When I turned back around, they were in front of us. My mouth hung open in shock. He was even more breathtaking up close.

"Hey y/n, hey Dillion," Julie said. Julie was his sister. Their relationship confused me. They acted like they literally couldn't stand one another, yet they always made time for one another.

"Hi," I said, giving her a small hug.

"Well, this is my boyfriend," she said. "Timothée."

I now knew his name.

"Hi, I'm Y/N," I said, sticking out my hand for him to shake. When we touched, it was like an electric spark snapped between us. This was bad, this was really bad.

"What a lovely name," he said.

"Timothée is part French," Julie said, and it took every part of me not to grind my teeth. She had said it to bug me. I'd always been the one interested in England, and France. No, I didn't have a monopoly on those things, but they way she said it, I could tell she meant to make me jealous.

"That's so cool," I told him, and I could practically feel my eyes sparkling every time I looked at him.

"Je n'ai jamais vu quelqu'un avec des yeux aussi beaux que les vôtres," Timothée said to me. I didn't know what he'd said, but it still made me blush.

"I once failed a Spanish test in highschool six times," Dillon announced. It took a lot of strength not to roll my eyes. Dillion had to be the best at everything, even if he was the worst at it, he had to be the best at being the worst. I could tell he'd felt threatened by Timothée's bilingual abilities.

"This is my brother, Dillon," Julie said blandly.

"Nice to meet you," Timothée said politely.

We all found a place to sit and chat. I couldn't get over how beautiful Timothée was. He was equally as charming. He talked with his hands, and seemed so genuinely kind.

"So what do you do for work Timothée?" I asked. I had tried my hardest to focus equally on every member of the group, but it wasn't working well. For some reason I wanted to know absolutely everything about him.

"I'm in a performing arts college at the moment. I hope to one day become an actor. I work for a school as an elementary soccer coach," he explained. I could have melted right there on the spot. An aspiring actor, who worked with children. Could he be anymore precious?

"I bet they all love you," I chuckled.

"Why do you say that?" Dillon snapped. He'd been brooding all night. I didn't exactly blame him.

"Babe, I literally work with kids. I know personality types they like," I told him.

"So you're a teacher then?" Timothée asked.

"Yes, but I'm an aspiring author," I smiled, he seemed to like what he heard, but Julie had to butt in.

"All her stuff is so angsty, I can barely stomach it," She said. This wasn't true on her end. She didn't mind angst, for God's sake her favorite show was Supernatural.

"Well, it's just what gets me creative," I said, looking at my feet. I was very sensitive about my writing.

"Hey, pain, and angst have fueled some of the most beautiful art. Look at Starry Night by Van Gogh. He was in an asylum when he painted that," Timothée countered.

"That's my favorite painting," I said eagerly.

"That's my cue," Dillion said. "If we are going to be talking about art and mental illness, I'm headed home."

"Alright, see you later," Julie waved. He looked angry that I wasn't accompanying him, but I was having a good time. Plus, he was the one being grouchy.

We ordered more drinks. I threw mine back, wondering if I could blame my fascination with Timothée on alcohol later.

"If you could play any character, in anything, who would you choose?" I asked. I always loved asking this of aspiring actors.

"I think I'd like to play Laurie from Little Women. He has a lot of depth, and quite the character development," Timothée answered. It was a good answer.

"If you could have originated any character in literature, who would it be?" He asked, and I blushed.

"My answer is stupid," I said.

"I bet it isn't," he urged.

"Regulus Black from the Harry Potter series. I think he's so nuanced. You never even meet him, yet his story is so viscerally moving."

There was something akin to fondness in Timothée's eyes as he looked at me. His smile was bright. I felt as though we were kindred souls at the moment.

"I don't think that answer is stupid at all," he said. "Not one little bit."

"Can't believe your saying that y/n," Julie drawled. "She's a transphobe, and you're all over that LGBT stuff."

She had finally riled up into a reaction. I glared at her. She was also "all over" that LGBT stuff, we were both openly bisexual. She was only being flippant to bother me.

"Unfortunately, bad people can create good things. I don't support her financially anymore, or engage with any of the new stuff. Also if by "LGBT stuff" you mean peoples rights, yes I am all over that."

"I don't know, some of her arguments make sense," Julie said, and that was a huge mistake. She'd forgotten we weren't alone. It wasn't just me to take the bait.

"That's a disgusting opinion," Timothée said in horror. She flipped immediately.

"It was just a joke. I was being sarcastic," She promised. Timothée seemed to relax at that, but I rolled my eyes.

Just then Julie's phone rang. She picked it up and looked panicked after a moment.

"I've got to go!" She said hurriedly grabbing her things.

"What's wrong?" Timothée asked.

"My apartment is flooding," She explained and rushed out. She left Timothée and I there alone.

"I suppose you want to leave now?" I asked.

"No, I'm having a great time," Timothée said, knocking back a drink.

"Me too," I smiled, and he chuckled. We continued to talk, and drink. Eventually, the two of us were a bit tipsy.

"Hey, I want to dance," Timothée said. I looked around with a giggle.

"We're in a pub," I said.

"I know a club really close to here, wanna join me?"

My stomach was doing flips. I nodded eagerly. He stood up shakily and held out his hand for me. I took it, even though the thought of touching him led me into treaturous thoughts.

We giggled as he led me across the street into the bustling club. It was loud, and smelled of cologne and liquor. It was a pretty nice place all things considered.

"Let's dance," he said, pulling me into the crowd. I felt like I would follow him anywhere. We were moving to the beat of the music. As I watched him, I felt the horrible urge to pull him in for a kiss. He was so close to me, mouth hanging open so I could feel his breath on me.

"I need to go," I said quickly. I needed to get away from him. His orbit was too alluring, I was sure to be sucked into it.

"Yeah, yeah, me too," he said, but he hadn't moved.

"It was really nice getting to meet you," I said earnestly.

"I feel the same way," he nodded, and I couldn't help but look for a deeper meaning in the words. Shit, I REALLY needed to get out of here.

I said my goodbye hurriedly, not able to resist much longer. I called an Uber that took me back to my apartment. Once home, I sat down on the couch, putting my head in my hands. What was happening? My world had been upturned.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Since my previous posts on fish Digimon and mermaid (and mermaid-adjacent) Digimon got lived, fuck it, all aquatic Digimon. This will be a series of posts because there are too many for one.

I'm going to start with Digimon with codified evolution lines. For non-fans, know that while Digimon evolve through different stages, its much less linear than in Pokemon. While Pokemon evolution usually goes a to b to c, Digimon evolution can go more like a to y to r back to g then merge with e to become q. That being said, there are some lines that are clearly intended to be the default, often because they featured in the animes where evolution is usually a lot more linear than in the games and virtual pets.

Literally the OG aquatic Digimon is Betamon. It debuted on the first virtual pet alongside series mascot Agumon and yet its never been in the spotlight. I say Betamon deserves to be a major partner Digimon in some anime or game by now. I love this little frog/lizard/ wamp monster/whatever it is. Betamon also has a recolored variant called ModokiBetamon. Using a recolor as a new Digimon was fairly common in the early franchise. I generally prefer variants to have more changed about them than just the color. I also generally don't like x-antibody Digimon. To make a long story short, x-antibody Digimon are variants of existing Digimon that I generally consider to be overdesigned and ugly. Betamon has an x-antibody variant that isn't too bad as far as x-antibodies go, but it's still adding unnecessary elements to a perfectly good design.

Betamon

Betamon X

Betamon's main evolution is Seadramon and it's a classic for a reason. This sea serpent is a beast and played a significant role in the first anime as a monster of the week. It can also breathe out a stream of supercold air that freezes its targets. When I think of aquatic Digimon, Seadramon is usually the first to come to mind. It's also notable for having an x-antibody variant that actually looks good.

Seadramon

Seadramon X

Seadramon evoles to MegaSeadramon, which is a great follow-up to Seadramon's design. The red body is nice and striking and that big metal horn can shoot electricity. Come to think of it, both Seadramon and MegaSeadramon were monsters of the week in episodes of Adventure where a partner Digimon unlocked an evolution. Maybe that's the line's specialty, they never take the spotlight but they play support to the heroes. MegaSeadramon has a recolor called WaruSeadramon which is just darker and evil. MegaSeadramon has an x-antibody variant that is so overdesigned I can't help but grudgingly respect it.

MegaSeadramon

MegaSeadramon X

The final evolution in the family is MetalSeadramon which is where the line stepped into the spotlight with MetalSeadramon being a major villain in Digimon Adventure. It was upgraded by the Crack Team (a hacker group that upgrades Digimon into cyborgs for their own nefarious goals) to become incredibly powerful and the fastest of all underwater Digimon. And according to the anime, it can fly. Unlike the others, MetalSeadramon doesn't have an x-antibody variant. Sort of. There is GigaSeadramon, which has the x-antibody and looks exactly like what you'd expect from MetalSeadramon X, but isn't. I dunno why.

MetalSeadramon

GigaSeadramon

The aquatic line most people will be familiar with is the Gomamon line doe to its role in Digimon Adventure. Gomamon is a cute little seal. Specifically, it is a spotted seal, or a gomafu-azarashi. I really like this guy doe to its role in the anime as a laid-back and goofy partner to a compulsive worrywart of a human. Gomamon has an x-antibody variant that's fine, but I still prefer the original.

Gomamon

Gomamon X

Gomamon evolves to Ikkakumon, a big, fluffy walrus with a unicorn horn. It looks like someone that would be great to hug if you can get past the fish breath. Also that horn can open up and shoot out\t a torpedo. Because Digimon.

The next stage is Zudomon, who is now a humanoid walrus who appers to be suffering from hair loss. It's now adept at moving on land and in water. It also uses tools, wearing a giant turtle shell as armor and wielding Thor's hammer (despite what the English dub will tell you)

The final stage is Vikemon, a badass viking walrus complete with the helmet. It leads an army of Zudomon and Ikkakumon and (in another viking reference) will go into a berserk rage in combat. It does lose a lot of the aquatic design elements, but I'd say it works out.

While Vikemon is now the default end of the Gomamon line, for a while in the early days it was Plesiomon instead. I can see why they changed it, as the viking walrus has a much better connection to the rest of the line than a plesiosaur. I honestly thin it works better as an ultimate/perfect or champion/adult level than a mega, but I'm not saying no to a Plesiosaur Digimon. Plesiomon has an x-antibody variant.

Plesiomon

Plesiomon X

What do you get when you combine a cyborg sea serpent and a plesiosaur? Turns out a mechanical submarine dragon. This is Aegisdramon, who was created by the afore-mentioned Crack Team using data from MealSeadramon and Plesiomon. While it was created by malicious hackers, it mostly handles data analysis and will allegedly purify evil. When it does fight, it's an absolute badass who is probably one of the Digital World's ocean's top dogs.

Syakomon was a fairly obscure Digimon until the game Digimon Survive made it a partner and gave it a defined evolution line. Syakomon answers the question of "how do you make a bivalve cute" by giving it a little puppy face. Weirdly enough, Syakomon originally debuted as a ultimate/perfect level before being retconned to be a rookie/child level, which makes more sense. It also has an x-antibody variant that is just atrocious. That's not fanart or concept art down there, that's the quality of the actual official art for it. Bandai paid for that quality.

Syakomon

Syakomon X

Syakomon evolves to Shellmon, which is definitely one of the weirder-looking Digimon; a weird, amorphous pink monster in a turban snail shell. Sound familiar? Yeah, it's pretty similar to Pokemon's Slowbro and Slowking. That's because they're based on the same thing: the sazae-oni, a legendary Japanese sea demon that wears a turban snail shell. Shellmon also has a green recolor called MoriShellmon.

Shellmon evolves to Mermaimon, which I covered in an earlier post. The mega/ultimate level is then MarineAngemon, one of the cutest and friendliest Digimon out there. While most mega/ultimate level Digimon are gigantic combat monsters, MarineAngemon is tiny and very peaceful. It spits heart-shaped bubbles that cause targets to calm down and lose their fighting spirit, meaning it disarms its foes with the power of love. It's based on a sea angel, a type of sea slug popular in Japan.

Another anime-canon line that leads to MarineAngemon comes in the supplemental material for Digimon Tamers. It starts win Penguinmon or Penmon. It's a Digimon penguin, nothing really standout about it, but a solid design. It also has a tropical themed red recolor called Muchomon.

The next stage is Dolphmon or Rukamon. Being a dolphin, it is very intelligent, but its thought processes are completely alien and nobody else really understands it. I think thats an interesting take on dolphin intelligence.

The next evolution is Whamon, a very cool whale digimon. This thing is one of the biggest Digimon out there and so large that only a few computers can fully render it. Absolute unit. and in most appearances, it's been a friendly ally to the heroes. Just an all-around excellent cetacean. In the Tamers universe, Whamon evolves to MarineAngemon, meaning one of the biggest Digimon evolves to one of the smallest. I dig it.

The final default line I'm going to talk about today is the Otamamon line. Otamamon is a half-metamorphosed tadpole that is also a singer. It crawls out onto rocks and practices its singing. While Otamamon prefers col water, it has a warm-water red recolor. It also has an x-antibody variant that is pretty ugly.

Otamamon

Otamamon X

Otamamon evolves to Gekomon, which has an amazing singing voice and a face only a mother could love. They're born from musical data and are some of the greatest musicians in the Digital World but man are they ugly. That tongue gives me the creeps.

Gekomon evolves to ShogunGekomon or TonosamaGekomon, which is where the line ends as they don't have a dedicated mega/ultimate level. It's still really gross to look at and still a great musician that leads choruses of Gekomon. I don't really have much else to say about it.

Now that the dedicated lines are done with (the Jellymon line is in the mermaid post), I'll do more freeform entries in a post coming soon to dashboards near you.

[canirove]

Friends, lovers… and an orange | Chapter 6

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"I'm seriously moving to the North Pole."

"What?" Jourdan laughed.

"I'm sure paparazzis would not find me there."

"Don't underestimate them."

"I just... How did they find us in Paris? How did they know?"

"It was fashion week, there were photographers everywhere."

"Urgh" Adele grunted, sinking a bit lower on the sofa.

The day after the Dior photoshoot, she had woken up to her and Mason all over the internet. A paparazzi had caught them during their walk and then while having lunch, and there were what felt like hundreds of articles talking about it, most of them saying the same: that things were ok between them after she had been seen getting cosy with Nico at that party. 

"You do look like an actual couple, tho. Again."

"Jourdan... Not you, please. I already have enough with my mum, Toni, and our brothers. You should see our family group chat, I had to silence it."

"That bad it is?" she chuckled.

"Worse. They keep saying that they believe we are just friends as we tell them, but that if something else is happening or will happen, we have their support."

"That's cute."

"That's... I don't know what it is. But nothing is happening."

"I disagree, Adele. Because something is happening: you and Mason are getting closer. You may not be dating or falling in love, but you are slowly becoming the type of friends everyone expected you to be since you were born."

"Yeah... I guess. I just wish they would leave us alone for five minutes."

And after those Paris photos, it looked like they had finally left them alone. Each day there were less photographers outside Adele's house and less often, and people online had also relaxed. Though it probably was just because there was a new scandal surrounding the royal family. Either way, she was glad her mundane life was back. Kind of. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Mum, please, stop!" Luca complained.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I've missed you so much!" Elizabeth said.

"I know. But if you keep squeezing me like that, you will miss me forever."

"Luca! Don't say that!" she scolded him. 

"Sorry” he said, trying to shrug. “But please let me go. I'm sure dad also wants a hug."

"I'm fine" he chuckled.

"Addie?"

"Mase just arrived, gotta go open the door for him. Sorry" she smiled.

"Yes! Run to your boyfriend instead of helping your dying little brother!" 

"Whatever" Adele said, rolling her eyes. 

That year they had decided to spend the holidays all together in Switzerland, having some proper white Christmas as when they were kids. And, of course, the Mounts were joining them. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"If I hit Luca in the back of his head with a snowball... What do I get in return?"

"Another one?" Adele laughed. It was Christmas Eve, and they were going back to the resort where they were staying after having lunch in town.

"Boring" Mason said, rolling his eyes. 

"Sorry for being realistic" she shrugged.

"What the fuck!" Luca screamed. "Who hit me?"

"Your sister!" Mason said, pointing at Adele.

"What? It was... Fuck!" she complained. "Luca! That hurt!"

"So did mine!" he replied.

"I think they are having a snowball fight without us" Adele's dad said. "Should we join them?"

"Darling..." Elizabeth started. But it was too late. Everyone was already throwing snowballs, screaming and laughing. 

"Mase, no. No!" Adele laughed while trying to run away from him.

"Come here, Addie!"

"No!" she laughed again, running as fast as she could without slipping.

"Oh, you've made such a big mistake, Miss Turlington."

"Shit" she whispered when she realized she had run into a dead end. "Mase, please... I didn't mean to hit you in the face, I'm sorry."

"I made a living out of it, you know?"

"I know, and I'm very sorry."

"It's too late for that now" Mason smirked.

"But that snowball is huge! Mine fitted in my hand, and that one is bigger than your head!"

"I have a small head."

"You do" she snorted. "Wait, I'm sorry. Mase... Mason."

"Too late, Adele. Time to face your destiny" he said, lifting the big ball and throwing it against her. Throwing it... And missing.

"Oh my God" she laughed. "That was so bad! You hit the wall!"

"Addie..."

"You better not have that bad aim with everything."

"Addie... Adele!" Mason said, quickly grabbing her by the arm and pulling her against him.

"Holy shit" she whispered after a big chunk of snow fell where she had been standing just a moment ago. 

"That was close."

"So close" she said, suddenly realising how close she was to Mason. To his face. From that distance, she was able to perfectly count the freckles on his nose.

"We should join the others." Four, five, six... "Addie, did you hear me?" Ten, eleven... "Adele!" Mason chuckled.

"Damn it" she said under her breath, losing count. 

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just... Just a bit chilly. We should go back."

"Are you sure you are ok? You looked... Distracted."

"It was the shock of the snow falling, nothing else."

"Ok..."

"Hey, what are you two doing there?" Luca said behind them. "Making out?"

"You are so funny" Adele said, rolling her eyes.

"I mean, you are hugging and way too close to each other. If I was a pap and saw you like that, that's what I would think" he shrugged.

"And you would be wrong" Adele said, letting go of Mason. She hadn't realized she had her arms around him. "Not let's go, I'm getting cold."

"Then ask Mason to keep hugging you" Luca smirked.

"Fuck you" she said while walking away, trying not to think too much about what had just happened, or what she had felt.

[stitchchin]

Chisholm Drive of 1873

Huskerdust cattle drive AU.

TW: Period-Typical Homophobia.

___________________

Husk leaned against an old, definitely unstable, wooden fence in desperate need of fixing. It was sunrise on the morning of March 3, 1873 and he could almost feel a bad omen for the herd of cattle he was about to take along the Chisholm trail. The sun looked favorable, or as favorable as it could be in Texas, upon the horizon while it slowly casted the earth with its warmth. Although to Husk, the sun seems to cast the world with doubt, dread and displeasure. The Leon River looked dazzling in the morning light, as the herd of longhorns he was transporting drank up their last bit of water before the twenty mile day ahead. The trail, of course, had plenty of water sources but it could be an entire day before they happened across another one.

Today, Husk and his group of fellow contracted cowmen were to start the over 500 mile journey to Abilene, Kansas in order to deliver 1521 market-ready longhorns to be sold into the, currently booming, meat market. As the trail boss, Husk was currently waiting for his other cowmen to say their final goodbyes to their normal life before heading out on their multiple week or even month journey. His cook, in particular, was taking a very long time while saying farewell to his sister Molly.

His name was Anthony, or Angel, as he had heard Molly call him just a minute ago. Husk wasn’t exactly eavesdropping but the pair of them were talking so goddamn loud that he could hear them from across the plain he was standing atop.

“I know, but I’ll have Fat Nuggets!” Anthony distantly said- no more screamed- to Molly. Husk wasn’t sure why Anthony needed to be so loud in order to have a simple conversation with his beloved twin sister.

“Please, just be careful. Herding is dangerous. Especially on the Chisholm. Remember that I love you, Anthony. You can’t die out there!” Molly exclaimed, but Anthony just laughed it off.

“This is not my first herd i'm delivering in Abilene. We’ll be fine.” Anthony's accent was more reminiscent of west Texas, a contrast to Husk’s Louisiana and East Texas mush he had. Husk had grown up, on his own ranch of course, with just his Mom. The two of them lived near the border between Louisiana and Texas and he sounded like it. His family had been taking care of that ranch ever since civil war times.

“Hey! Cookie! Get your ass ready quick now. Say your goodbyes and be done with it.” Anthony needed to get the chuck wagon ready for the drive today- though he supposed he could have gone about it nicer. A happy cook meant a good drive. He would likely be staying up later and getting up earlier than even some longhorns on this drive. “Yeah, yeah.” Anthony grumbled.

After a bit longer talking to Molly, Anthony gave her a final tight hug and they parted ways. Anthony made his way over to the chuck wagon to do a last look through of their supplies, and started saddling up his mustang. So, Husk made his way over to the less than pleased cook.

“What's its name?” Husk asked.

“What?”

“The name. What is your horse’s name?” Husk asked again.

“Fat Nuggets”

There was a beat of silence.

“What.”

“The horse’s name. It's Fat Nuggets.”

“Yeah. I got that. I just didn’t like it” Husk sighed. His horse's name was Angoliath, and while that might not be much better, it was still damn sure better than Fat Nuggets. “Why on god's green earth did you name your mustang Fat Nuggets?” Husked asked, incredulous.

Anthony paused for a minute after this and thought, as if contemplating whether or not to tell Husk the truth. “I don’t know. I wasn’t the one who named him. He belonged to a close… acquaintance… before he was my horse. The previous owner named him” Anthony answered honestly. Mostly.

“Well your acquaintance was real fucking stupid.” Husk jabbed.

“Don’t I know it.” whatever that meant.

__________

The group had been traveling for four hours now after leaving the ranch at around seven A.M. Husk was leading the herd of longhorns and men in the front of the group, isolated from his other cowmen, as was his job as the trail boss. This left Husk with quite a bit of silent thinking time in which he got to smell the sweet aroma of livestock and look out upon the rich landscapes of Texas. Husk could not stop thinking about Anthony and his unintentional humor, those leather chaps (that showed his ass perfectly),his wide brimmed hat and million dollar smile. It was a real shame that he was working as a cowman and not off in some other more glamorous state, living a glamorous life with a glamorous girl on his arm.

On this particular cattle drive, Husk’s group consisted of One point man leading the herd at the front, but behind Husk taking directions from him when needed. The point man was named Alastor and Husk thought his smile was creepy as fuck but he seemed to know what he was doing. Then, two swing men- or women- Vaggie and Charlie. Charlie was on the left and Vaggie was on the right of either side of the herd, both about a third of the way back from the point man. Husk had only spent a little bit of time with those two since leaving for this journey but he was ninety percent sure something was queer about them. In more ways than one. Behind them were two flanks, Sir Pentous and Cherri Bomb, who were responsible for turning away any strays and keeping the herd in a line formation. Cherri Bomb weirded Husk out but somehow Sir Pentious weirded Husk out even more. Both seemed like they did not belong in the middle of ‘Buttfuck Nowhere, Texas’ on a cattle drive, but he supposed that he belonged back home gambling with his friends in the local saloon so he chose not to question it.

In the very back of the large herd, behind all the cattle were three ‘dust eaters' or the drags. God he almost felt bad for those guys if he didn't already feel so bad for poor Anthony. They had, in his opinion, the second worst job. They ride behind the giant herd keeping the slower cattle moving and getting bombarded with the dust that 1521 cattle kicked up. That was Nifty who seemed a little off her rocker, Emily who was probably the only normal person here, and finally a slightly off putting woman named Rosie. Overall though, all three seemed to have good intentions and Husk knew if it came to it he could count on them.

Off to the side of the herd was Anthony driving the chuckwagon. His job was the worst in the group. He was responsible for cooking for them and would most likely be battling sleep deprivation the entire time as well. Behind Anthony was the wrangler who was in charge of taking care of all the extra Mustangs that they had on the drive. His name was Lucifer which Husk found hilarious. When he asked his real name, though, he just looked at Husk and changed the topic.

This group was definitely the strangest he had ever rode with and this was also his first drive being a Trail Boss. In some ways the job was pretty nice. Nobody argued with him (unless they wanted to lose their job) and he enjoyed the sense of independence he got from it. He was directing their group, selecting daily routes and making any decisions while out on the drive. It did some with a certain pressure to it. If anybody died out here, he would feel personally responsible. With some of the dumb fucks in this group, he wouldnt be suprised if one of them somehow did lose their life as well.

__________

“This ain’t half bad.” Husk bit into a particularly edible piece of beef. It wasn’t great but it was edible and he couldn't really expect much to be great when it came out of a damn chuck wagon. His cookie, Anthony, had made the group beef, beans, biscuits, and of course coffee.

“I’m just happy that we're gettin’ meat tonight. Don't get used to it.” Anthony replied. The group let out some chuckles. “Maybe on our last night together in however many weeks I'll cook up some meat, desert, and I’ll buy us some alcohol.” Anthony thought aloud.

“I, for one, am very on board with that plan” Cherri Bomb chipped in, and a couple others hummed in agreement.

The air was lively for the entirety of dinner, and Husk had (surprisingly) enjoyed conversation with most there. After their meal time, Husk volunteered for the first watch and most others went to their respective bed rolls. Except for Anthony, who was still packing up the chuck wagon in order to make breakfast tomorrow and was positively exhausted. Husk, however, thought he looked ravishing even covered in dirt and grime.

“Hey.” What the fuck was wrong with him.

“Hi.” Amthony sent him a tight lipped smile.

“How did you end up being a cook?” Husk asked, trying to break the very clear ice between them. Anthony looked up at Husk, who was adjusting his saddle and rifle on his horse getting ready for his two hour watch tonight.

“Why do you ask? What about you? How did you become a Segundo?” Anthony asked rather defensively.

Goddammit, Husk had to admit, the way Anthony said ‘Segundo’ was downright sexy. But he couldn't be thinking those kinds of thoughts out here. Or anywhere. For years now he had been trying to find the right woman to marry back home and ignore his very obvious attraction to men. If Anthony kept being so attractive, Husk had no idea how he would keep his rather sinful thoughts to himself. But he had to. Anthony could turn him into the authorities, or worse, tell his family and friends he was a queer.

“Number one, I ain’t no Segundo. I’m above that now, ya hear. And number two, I ain’t mean no harm. I just rarely see a cookie who's not as old as time or too injured to do anything else.” Vaguely Husk wondered if he sounded like he was trying too hard to be aloof and nonchalant.

Anthony fully turned to him now, “My mama taught me how to cook, and I was never too good at riding or shooting anyways. When she sent me off to find work as a cowmen this was the position I was most qualified for. And I can make a mean gravy.” He flashed one of his infuriatingly perfect smiles at Husk, though something about it seemed fake.

“She ‘sent you off’? What happened?” Husk was definitely using this as an excuse to get to know his, rather attractive, fellow cowboy.

“She thought I was involved with the… wrong crowd. Caught me doing stuff I shouldn’t have been up to.” Anthony left it vague and it was all too clear that he wasn’t in any kind of mood to talk about it. His body language was stiff and suddenly he was avoiding all eye contact. Husk now turned towards him, leaving his work behind momentarily.

“Listen kid, I know we barely know each other but it seems like you've had it hard. If you need someone to just listen to you or offer any advice I’m here. As your trail boss, it’s my job to keep y’all healthy and happy and alive. If you need to let it all out in order to fulfill the ‘happy’ requirement then you can lay it all on me. Anytime.” Husk tried to sound sincere but it was made significantly harder due to how tired he was at the moment. For a moment, something akin to tears and sadness made its way onto Anthony's face before it was pushed aside.

“Thank you Husk. That means a lot.” Anthony sincerely replied.

“Of course.”

“I ain’t a kid though.” Anthony teased.

“What? How old are you?” Anthony had to be no older than eighteen.

“I’m twenty-eight.” Anthony replied with the most serious tone Husk has heard on him yet.

“Well I’ll be damned. I’m thirty. I can’t fucking believe we are only two years apart.” Husk's eyes had to be as wide as Alastor’s creepy ass smile. Anthony looked youthful, untouched by the stressors of a normal cowmans life. Like getting attacked and killed.

“No shit? I thought you had to be at least forty!” Anthony poked fun at him.

“Alright you little shit. You’re lucky that I’m feeling particularly exhausted tonight or else I’d rock your shit.” Husk grumbled.

“I’d like to see you try” Anthony sticked his tongue at him, like a six year old.

“Consider it a promise then. Next time you get on my nerves.” Despite his threat, Husk was smiling. This was the first time in a long time Husk had truly enjoyed talking to someone. Both during the entirety of dinner, and now while he was fixing to go on watch.

“I’ll look forward to it then, old man.” Anthony replied, coolly. Husk just shook his head, that same dumb smile still on his face, and mounted the Mustang. This one was named ‘Arwen’, a weird name in his opinion, but he was traveling with a man named Lucifer and a woman named Cherri Bomb so he supposed he could ignore it.

“I enjoyed talking tonight.” Husk nodded towards Anthony before using his spurs to encourage Arwen into a trot towards the herd he was supposed to be watching 10 minutes ago.

“I’ll look out for our next!” Anthony called after him.

Come to think of it, if anybody else had called Husk ‘old man’ like Anthony did a minute ago he would either force them to take his watch in his place or just straight up fire them. But Husk could already tell Anthony was going to be an exception.

___________________

Lmk if y’all liked this because I have a general plane for 5 chapters. Just need to know if I should write them or not! If you see any issues or have constructive criticism please let me know. Can’t find a beta reader so it’s all me lol. I don’t use tumblr very often, so I am sorry if this was formatted weird or something. You can find me on ao3 under the name “StitchFace1708”. Thank you.

[quennofsblog]

Rosy cheeks

Suguru Geto

You enjoy a good night after work with your family.

Warnings: au!no curses (we want happiness), Suguru calls the reader "Kika", they are married and have a beautiful pair of twins, mentions of Gojo and Satoru, reader is clumsy.

Enjoy <3

⚠️English is not my first language, high chances of finding mistakes because I am not confident with my English !!!

"Mommy? Are we going to be long?"

"Honey, we're already home." You say softly as you help one of your daughters out of her car seat, taking the opportunity and grabbing her primary school bag and your own from work, you both smile as you watch your apartment floor with lights on.

"I wonder what dad made for dinner? Huh? Huh? I hope curyl!!" Hana jumps up and holds her hand tightly.

"It's curry dear, and we ate it yesterday, don't you want something else?" You wave to the doorman and enter the elevator, pressing button five, the addiction to curry, more specifically your daddy's curry that your daughters had, was a little evident, if it weren't for your demand for different dishes, they would certainly they would eat curry their whole lives.

"I don't know, whatever daddy does is fine." She says with a beautiful smile, remembering yesterday's chocolate cake for dessert, as well as other aspects of the previous night.

Taking the keys out of the suitcase, (not before almost dropping all the contents of the suitcase), opening the door, a smell of Ramen appeared making your mouths salivate, in addition to the smell of the soft house appeared, it was like entering another universe, as if there were no problems on the other side of the door.

You were deeply proud to have created this loving home with your long-time husband Suguru Geto, your soulmate, together the two of you created a beautiful environment to raise the next generations.

"Daddy made ramelen!" She takes off her shoes and coat as quickly as possible, then runs down the hallway in search of her father and sister. "Daddy! Kana! We're here!"

You smile, taking off your shoes and placing your coat and suitcase on the rack, stretching your arms and heading straight to the kitchen, only to find a bowl of ramen on the floor, a Suguru cleaning up, and a Kana comforting a crying Hana.

"What happened?" You run over to Suguru, helping him clean up the contents from the floor.

"It seems like Hana-chan inherited your bad manners." He smiles sweetly, placing the bowl in the sink. He comes close to you, tucking a strand of hair behind your hair, tilting his head towards you, looking closely at your face, before grabbing your waist and bringing you closer with a warm hug.

"Um, what a good hug, I missed you love..." Suguru hugs you tightly, squeezing his strangely beautiful waist also with tenderness, he has always been sly and affectionate, since the days of dating.

You rub your head against Geto's chest, your cheeks with reddish tones and your ears that used to be cold, now warming up, you move away a little and look into each other's eyes, love surrounded you and hovered in the air, he got closer, pressing your lips together In yours, at this moment everything disappeared and only the sweet strawberry flavor was felt.

But everything was broken into pieces by Hana's gentle fungi, who still felt guilty about the bowl of ramen.

"Daddy! I'm sorry!" Your heart broke when you saw your daughter's sadness, you moved away from Suguru, kneeling in front of your daughters, hands on their small shoulders.

"Hana, it's okay... Daddy isn't upset, you were just a little careless, weren't you?" You dictate softly, Hana nods carefully before grabbing her sister.

"How about taking a shower while Daddy finishes dinner?" The two look at each other before running upstairs and finding out who will choose today's toy.

You get up awkwardly, due to the tiredness of office work, before also heading towards the stairs, giving Geto an air kiss.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Having showered, everyone sits at the table to have dinner calmly, with the twins sitting in front of you.

"So how was school?" You suck down a large portion of tasty dough, almost choking, but you covered it well.

"It was cool, Professor Helena taught me about numbers and gave me good behavior stamps." Kana says with a shy smile, she was always a little more closed off and quite shy around new people, much more like Suguru, while Hana was much more like you.

"It's good that Kana-chan already knew them before learning them at school, isn't it? And you, Hana-chan?"

"Um... It's just... I..." She shrinks in the chair, you and Geto look at each other before asking.

"Kana? What happened?"

"It's just that Professor Puff gave me stamps of... of... bad behavior, but Hilo took a piece of the Pope's bento!" She says determinedly, even at her young age, she understands how important food is, a courtesy of you for sure.

"Hana-chan... You didn't need to take such violent actions and that's why you have Puff Sensei to help, you have to talk to him about what happened, okay?" He says calmly as always but inside Suguru just repeats:

Hiro-kun isn't it... I want to see if he will steal again when he sees the beautiful amount of very green vegetables tomorrow...

"Daddy is right, whenever something happens to you, tell Professor Puff or Professor Helena right away, yes?"

"Yes mommy!!"

"When are we going on vacation? I want to go to Uncle Toru's house..."

"There's still a long way to go before vacation, Hana-chan, school started a month ago."

°°��°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

With dinner finished, you and the twins eagerly awaited Suguru's return, as October was the month of dessert debuts, that is, once a week, your husband debuted a new dessert, so far everyone received 5 stars.

"Tcharam!" Suguru placed a plate with cookies of several different colors.

"That's what daddy?"

"Macarons! It's a typical French recipe, it has chocolate, matcha, I even made a special one for Kana-chan, purple, just how you like it."

"Great!!"

You all took one, before sighing in pleasure at the intense flavor, you quickly got up and grabbed Suguru who was waiting for your evaluations, you hugged him by the arm.

"Suguruuuu! It's so good! Should you give up your life as a teacher and become my personal cook...?" You smile at Geto's side profile, who was taking out the purple (grape) macaron to hand to Kana, who opened her mouth and bit off a piece of the macaron with her small hands.

"As much as I'd love to be your personal chef, I love my job as a teacher, and also, how would I go home without the school gossip?"

"Um, you're right! Don't even think about quitting your job!" You squeeze him tightly and feel a kiss on the top of your head.

Leaving the hug and picking up another macaron, only to find a plate with only five, as it didn't start with about sixteen.

"D-Did you... Take t-all of them? Especially the chocolate ones?" Her eyes became bright and trembling, she picked up a matcha macaron, looking at it sadly.

"Own, my love... I can do more for you..."

"I know, Su-chan, but these were at the premiere, I didn't want to do this, but I'm going to have to punish-" A wind blew in her face and looking at the girls' now empty seats.

Suguru laughed loudly, and wrapped his arms around your shoulders, you hit him and tears ran down your eyes.

"So much drama, Kika. I'll check that they brush their teeth for two minutes."

"MY NAME IS NOT KIKA SUGURU!" He quickly ran up the stairs and disappeared, you just sighed in defeat.

Hello everyone, not many expectations for this, but I hope you like it 🤪🤪.