#Last year was like a blast since I was less busy than now

[accelerandy15]

A WIP 💙

Vents in the tags warning :)

[watchmegetobsessed]

NOW AND FOREVER

A/N: i am a sucker for this trope and i feel like it has the right to be the last one of the year. thank you for sticking with me in 2023, i know it wasn't smooth sailing writing wise and i can't promise anything for next year, but lets all hope for the best. happy new year babes and have a blast tonight!✨

WORD COUNT: 2k

PAIRING: princess!reader x guard!harry

SUMMARY: New Year's Eve is spent with princess duties, but it's even more torturous than usually, because the person you want to be with is in the room as well. And he also happens to be your guard.

MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!

The man in front of you is talking… and talking… and still talking, but you have absolutely no idea what he is saying. Maybe he is talking about his latest ski trip. Or his father’s business? No, it might be his ridiculously ugly watch that cost a fortune.

Whatever it is, you couldn’t care less, yet you mastered your polite but blank smile so well that he doesn’t realize you give zero fucks about him.

Fuck, you’re too good. But it’s no surprise, you had all your life to learn your ways to be the best version of yourself even at times your mind is miles away. Tonight however, it’s not that far away, only on the other side of the room where one particular man resides in his black, perfectly tailored suit and irresistible curls, his piercing green eyes relentlessly examining the room. 

Harry has been your personal guard for three years and it’s safe to say that you’d gladly put your life in his hands, he’s been through so much with you, breaking through protesting crowds, hiding from paparazzi after your cousin’s scandal, attempted break-ins and threatening mails, promising to have you dead in no time. Harry has been the person who protected you physically all while being your rock mentally and emotionally as well. 

You knew from the beginning that falling for him was inevitable, but you never knew he would ever give in and openly reciprocate your feelings. Well, openly as in between you and him, behind closed doors where it’s just the two of you. You both know no one can know about what’s going on between the two of you, because he would not only be removed from your security team immediately, but your relationship could be an opportunity to those who want to harm you. 

You never wished to not be born as the heir to the throne more than the night you heard him confess his love for you after a man tried to attack you at a public appearance. You were convinced Harry would blame himself for it, because the man somehow got through a security check with an airgun in his backpack and even though he couldn’t have killed you with that, he could have easily caused some serious injuries. You were expecting Harry to be beating himself up for all of it even though he wasn’t in charge of checking the audience, but to your biggest surprise, he confessed his love for you in your bedroom that evening and you knew there was no going back from there. 

Now it has been five months since then and you’ve kept it hidden so well, no one is suspecting a thing. But there are times when you wish you could just openly walk up to him and kiss him, have him lock you in his strong arms and never let you go. 

Like tonight, at the palace’s New Year’s Eve party that’s definitely not a party to you, rather than another night of princess duties. 

“Princess? What do you think?” The man in front of you snaps you out of your thoughts and you tear your eyes off of Harry and back to him.

“Sorry?”

“Would you like to have another drink and then maybe dance?”

The smile on his face tells you he is trying to chat you up and possibly marry into the royal family, but even if your heart wasn’t in Harry’s hands, he would stand no chance. 

“Thank you, but I think I’ll go and refresh myself. Enjoy the evening!”

You nod your head at him respectfully before walking away, straight to Harry. His eyes spot you in the crowd fast, as if there was a magnet pulling him towards you. His face remains still, at least to everyone in the room, but not to you, you immediately notice how the right corner of his mouth turns the slightest bit upwards. 

“Princess?” he nods as you finally reach him.

“I want to refresh myself. Can we go back to my suite?”

“Of course.” Reaching up he gives a quick order through his earpiece to the rest of the security team before escorting you out of the room.

You walk side by side silently, the clicking of your heels echoing in the never ending hallways until you finally reach your suite. You walk in and Harry follows, closing the door behind him and planting himself in front of it as always. With a grunt you kick your heels off and let your feet rest a bit and turning around your gaze finds his. 

“How is the party?” he asks.

“Boring,” you shrug, slowly sulking closer to him. “Lots of people I don’t want to talk to but I have to.”

“I’m sorry,” he replies, his eyes glued to your face as you finally stop only an inch away from him. You don’t kiss him just yet, just tease him by running your hands up his chest to the base of his neck. Without your heels you need to push up to your tiptoes to lessen the distance between the two of you, your nose already brushing against his, but before your lips could meet, you stop and look into his eyes. You want him to make the final move. 

It doesn’t take him long. His hands grab onto your waist and he pulls you against him right before taking your lips in a hungry frenzy. 

If there’s one good thing about hiding your relationship it’s the build up between each stolen little moment. Sometimes you have to go days without even touching each other so when you finally have a moment of privacy you practically devour each other. 

You’ve always known Harry to keep his cool in every situation and not let his feelings and thoughts show, but when it’s just the two of you, he bares his soul to you and you can’t get enough of this side of him that’s only known to you.

The way his fingers dig into your flesh, how his body wraps around you and his lips become one with yours, the little grunts he lets out and the burning warmth you feel radiating from him, it’s so addicting, you have no idea how you could go for so long without experiencing this. 

He turns the two of you around and he pushes you against the wall, the impact makes you moan into his mouth and you pull a leg up, the slit of your dress baring your naked thigh as you hook your leg behind him, his hand immediately sliding beneath the fabric. Your hands are tangled in his hair, pulling and tugging as he kisses down your neck, gently biting the soft skin on your exposed collarbone, making sure he leaves no mark. 

You get lost in the moment, ready to take it further and to your bed, but then Harry slows down and comes to a halt, regulating his breathing before reaching to his ear and you know someone called for him through the earpiece. 

“Will be back in five,” he answers to whoever is on the other end and you swallow back a whine that you were interrupted so quickly. “Your father is looking for you,” he whispers, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. 

“Couldn’t you have said at least ten minutes?”

“It takes three to walk back and we need to get you look like nothing happened,” he smiles as he slowly lets go of your leg, taking a small step away from you.

“Yeah. If you said ten we would have had seven minutes for ourselves, two minutes to freshen up, three minutes to walk back.”

“That’s twelve minutes,” he smirks at you in a way that makes you clench your legs.

“I know, but they would have only sent someone after us if we didn’t arrive in thirteen,” you answer cockily, knowing the security rules as thoroughly as a guard on the team. 

“You have one minute now,” he chuckles, nodding towards the bathroom and you flash him a pout but obey. 

In exactly five minutes you’re back to the ballroom and no one suspects a thing. Harry returns to his spot and you find your father. 

You count down the last ten seconds on the balcony watching over the hills behind the palace, there’s fireworks and you’re drinking champagne, kissing your father’s cheek to greet the new year, but in the midst of all the celebration your eyes find the only person you’d want to be with right now. 

Harry’s eyes are already glued to you and even without words you know you’re thinking about the same thing. You give him a bitter smile and he nods his head before someone taps your shoulder to wish you a happy new year, breaking your silent moment with your lover. 

It’s past three am when you’re in your suite, getting ready to go to bed. The dress you wore is now discarded on the floor of your bathroom, your makeup is gone and your heels are put away. You’re just about to get into bed when there’s a knock on the door.

“Come in!” you call out and somehow you already know who it is. 

Harry walks in and closes the door behind him, stopping there for a second before slowly walking further inside. 

“Everything alright?” he asks and you know it has two sides. As your guard he wants to know there’s nothing out of ordinary and on the other hand, he is checking in on you as the man who loves you.

“I’m good,” you smile as you watch him walk up to you, his hands moving to your hips in a familiar movement. You curl your arms around his neck and close your eyes as he rests his forehead against yours. “I wish we could be alone at midnight,” you whisper. “I never had a kiss at midnight before.”

“Never?” he asks, pulling his head back, making you open your eyes as you shake your head. 

He runs his tongue over his lips, looking around as if he is looking for something and then his gaze stills on something. His arms fall from around you and he steps to your night stand, grabbing the old school alarm clock. You don’t see what he is doing with it so you walk closer and when he sets it down you realize he just set it back so it reads one minute to midnight. 

“Come here then,” he softly says as he pulls you back into his arms and you melt into his embrace as you look at him. 

A tear rolls down your cheek and reaching up he catches it with his thumb. He doesn’t question why you’re crying, because  he knows. Because he can feel the bittersweetness of the moment as well. Finding the person you want to spend your life with, but having to sneak around and hide from the rest of the world, it’s such a torturous feeling. 

And just as the clock hits midnight, again, your lips meet his and that kiss means everything and beyond to you both. His arms tighten around you and for a moment it feels like time has stopped and you can finally be who you want to be, with Harry.

But time never stops and you both know he can’t be in here for too long. So slowly, he pulls back, but not before saying the words you love to hear the most from him.

“I love you, now and forever.” 

This is what he said that night he confessed his love for you and it’s just as magical as the first time. 

“I love you too,” you smile at him tiredly and he presses one last short kiss to your lips before walking over to the door. He looks back once more and you notice his eyes are teary as well before he steps out and the door closes behind him. 

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[kremlin]

@wikwalker hi sure yes anything to give me an excuse to procrastinate the post i should be writing right now. here are all teh drugs and how to manage them. you can trust me, a drug addict

first of all: https://www.erowid.org/ , erowid always

don't be afraid of drugs, if they're the right drugs, you should do them since they will be a blast regardless and overcoming fear is also good (but outside the scope here)

OK to do as much as you want: alcohol - social benefit greatly outweighs health effects, no reason to avoid if predisposed to abuse since that'll happen sooner or later. what can i say? don't be a fucking dork. when you start drinking, really overdo it as much as possible without dying and get a few real nasty hangovers under your belt so you know how much is the right amount to drink.

weed - innocuous enough to be fine but will make you stupid in the long term. make sure to only buy from a real drug dealer and never some legal institution. cut it out when you're a "real adult". don't smoke weed and watch TV routinely, go out and do things so you naturally grow to hate it. good to go through this as early as possible to minimize the time you spend as a cringe weed enthusiast

i guess those are the only two.

ok to do infrequently (annually): "lsd" - or whatever it is, probably not lsd, blah blah blah, if it works and is sold on blotter its fine and won't make you go nuts or whatever. opt for a better psychadelic imo. see psych rule at bottom of section

mushrooms - better than acid since you know what they are. rule of thumb is to always do more than you think you want. minimum 1/8oz. see psych rule at bottom of post

dmt - if you somehow have a dmt hookup you don't need to be reading any of this. lasts 10 minutes which leads to tendency to way overdo it, don't do this, my favorite webcomic artist is permanently crazy from exactly that. using a crack pipe is also not the uhhhh most dignifying-feeling thing to do either. it's harder than you think.

mdma - for use at electronic music event or rave. overuse causes brain lesions or something.

coke - wait until you're in your 20s, have maxed out your roth IRA for a couple of years in a row, and havent missed a car payment in a similar timeframe. better still if you've worked a very shitty low paying job and know the value of a dollar. if you still find yourself buying candy you're not ready. too expensive to be worth it to get hooked on. know that you are VERY ANNOYING to anyone who also isn't high. don't fuck around with the guy selling it to you. avoid discussing or thinking about business ideas. you can't afford to make it a habit + kinda turns you into a piece of shit after a while, but at least a very interesting one

ketamine - another sick drug that rules, but save it for a special occasion. don't try and go into the k-hole your first time

rule for psychedelics - you get one good strong trip a year and that's it, make it count, always opt for doing a bit more than a bit less. but don't make it a habit, otherwise you turn into a very stupid very annoying "hippy" style cliché and believe in ghosts, aliens, crap like that.

ok to try once prescription opiates/benzodiazepine (xanax), valium, this kind of shit - worth trying so you can go "holy shit, this stuff is way way way too good to ever use responsibly" and then never do again. especially if you're white. for some reason we just can't handle this shit. if a doctor prescribes it to you, idk, that's your call to make.

ayhuasca - this is just dmt in a different form. do some other psychadelics a number of times before you do this. once you realize the whole "substantial visual hallucinations" thing is made up, its time. do exactly this: -buy root online (legal). receive box of dirt -boil dirt into "tea" (read erowid for exact recipe) -take over-the-counter anti nausea medicine or anything that will give you a stronger stomach -drink tea (its nasty as fuck, get it down quick) -have someone bigger than you keep an eye on you for the next five hours. -have the experience, which is absurdly intense, has no bearing to the real world, etc etc. don't be a bitch and throw up, if you do it'll only last an hour or so. again there is no way to provide a consistent description of the experience except that you will meet god. you only ever need to do this once and never again. trust me

peyote/salvia/etc - try em if you want, you'll never ever want to again afterwords. these are drugs for idiot teenagers too lame to get real drugs. imagine being very very sick from poison and utterly terrified at the same time. No good

whippets/nitrous oxide - just find a dentist that uses it and don't bother creating hundreds of pounds of trash on your floor for this crap that lasts ten seconds. you have to understand the extremely short timeframe coupled with the cost makes zero sense. go to a phish concert parking lot and do some people watching -- you do not want to be these people. only use is as a motivator to get routine dental exam. also if you somehow manage to make it a heavy habit your fucking legs stop working, no shit, but they start working again once you quit.

don't ever do heroin/meth/pcp - is is truly a mystery why you should never do these 🙄

synthetic weed/k2/shit from the gas station - it is so funny that they sell this as "weed that won't pop you on a drug test". its not weed. it is some dubious chemical sprayed on yard waste. smoke it to have a terrible time and go nuts. only buy drugs from legitimate drug dealers!

kratom - anyone's guess as to why this is legal but it's heroin for pussies. its still heroin

dxm/cough syrup - do you ever wonder why it is exclusively teenagers robotripping? it's because it sucks ass. is like a cheesegrater on your brain in terms of health effects with repeated usage. you're better than this king

inhalants - these are at the bottom of the list for a reason. do not huff gas. don't huff paint. do not consume computer duster. not fun + fastest way to make yourself a complete, uh, (word i can't say anymore) and then dead

not listed quaaludes- unavailable due to no longer being manufactured. these ruled apparantly

sincis2c - unavailable due to not existing, i just made this up

amphetamines - cannot provide objective take here. they're my albatross, lifelong (posted 4:55am natch)

[therealcocoshady]

Lilly and Marshall go out in a public setting and paparazzi start taking lots of pictures and this has never happened to Lilly before so she’s flipping out and Marshall goes into protective dad mode

Author’s Note : thank you for your request ❤️. I always have fun writing about Marshall & Lily ✨. Here is the fic, I hope you enjoy it !

Protective DILF

Being pregnant with twins wasn’t going to be easy, especially when it’s a « geriatric pregnancy ». That’s what the doctors explained when they told Y/N and Marshall that they were expecting not one, but two babies. And as the pregnancy progressed, it turned out to be true : it was exhausting carrying twins and dealing with the symptoms. Marshall’s wife was told to rest as much as possible, even though it was definitely easier said than done with Lily, who was demanding a lot of attention. They’d been told it was normal, but ever since she learned that she was going to be a big sister, she tended to be less independent, seeking her parents’ help and attention for most things. Thankfully, Marshall kept true to his word to be there for every step of the pregnancy and he was as present as necessary for everyone. Since Y/N was put on bedrest, he was the one dealing with taking Lily to school, picking her, taking her to her various activities, as well as managing the entire household. Thank God Lily was an easy child with a good temper, because he had a lot on his plate. And he definitely didn’t need the drama that was about to take place.

Lily had been pestering him about going to Chuck E. Cheese. It was one of her favorite places and, usually, Y/N went with her, but she didn’t have the energy. Plus, their little one was really into the trampoline section and it was definitely not ideal for an expecting mother. So it now fell upon him and it did take some convincing from his wife and older daughters but he ended up taking her. At first, he considered paying to have the place closed and avoid attention, but Y/N reminded him that the purpose of such a place was for their little girl to socialize with other children. He ended up reviewing logistics with his security team, picking a day of the week where the place would not be busy and agreeing that two guards would be waiting in a car outside, ready to intervene at any moment should anyone discover that he was there. Y/N questioned the need for security altogether but he insisted. Call it a gut feeling, parental instinct or straight up paranoia, but he felt more at ease having security around. He usually didn’t bother being escorted when it came to everyday life, but it wasn’t the usual errands in their neighborhood where everyone knew them, so it actually made sense to him. If it were just him, he wouldn’t care, but he wouldn’t take any risk regarding Lily.

His baby girl had a blast at Chuck E. Cheese, jumping around and playing games. He was happy to see her all giddy and smiling, cherishing the last moments with her as the baby of the household. Him and Y/N would never neglect her for the benefit of the babies, but he knew they would have their hands full and that moments like these would be more rare. Lily was jumping on the trampoline with a few other kids while he was sipping on some Diet Coke, texting Y/N that everything was going great when a Mom came to him.

- Hi, she said with a bright smile. Is the little girl over there yours ?

- Hi, he replied, looking up from his phone. Yeah, actually. Did something happen ? Did she fall ?

- No, relax, she said with a laugh. She’s actually super cute. She’s playing with my son over there.

- Oh, ok, he said.

- I’m Sandy, she said as she extended her hand. Marshall, is it ?

- Indeed, he said politely.

- It’s so nice to meet you, she continued. I’ve been a fan for years. Mind if I take a selfie of us ?

She already had her phone in hand, ready to take the damn selfie before he could even refuse. She was nice and rather polite and, usually, he would oblige, but he was in a Chuck E. Cheese, with his daughter nearby and now was definitely not the time to take selfies with fans, regardless of how nice they were. He immediately stopped her with a move of his hand.

- I appreciate it, Sandy, but I’d rather not take selfies now, he said as he tried to keep his composure. It’s a family place, I’m with my kid, I’m sure you understand.

- Right, she said. Sorry. I didn’t know you had a younger one. Or that you’re married…

She was looking intently at his wedding band. When he made public appearances, he made sure to take it off (in fact, his team had an explicit order to remind him) but, other than that, he wore it all the time. He immediately put his hand in his pocket.

- Well… Privacy, he simply said. That has nothing to do with hip-hop, you know ?

- Your wife is lucky, she said with a seductive grin. It’s a shame that…

- DADDY ! Lily called him, saving him from the interaction that was growing unpleasant.

- Excuse me, he said politely.

He immediately walked over to his little one, thankful that she called him when she did. She wanted to go to the tube and tunnels area with him and he happily obliged. He focused his undivided attention on Lily and soon forget about Sandy. So much so that he didn’t notice her snapping a picture of him, waiting for Lily to go down the slide. About thirty minutes later, one member of his security team came to see him.

- Mr Mathers ?

- Yeah, John ? He asked. What are you doing inside ? What’s wrong ?

- There’s an… issue, the guard said. Someone tipped off the media, there’s about ten reporters out front. We need to leave.

- Fuck, Marshall sighed. Alright. Lily, come here baby, we’re going home.

- No, Daddy, I want to stay here a little longer, the little one said with pleading eyes. We’re having fun.

- I know bug, but we’ve been here for a while now, he said. Time to go.

He tried not to communicate his anxiety to his daughter. He could see the place’s staff at the entrance, no doubt talking about the reporters. The last thing he wanted was to cause a scene. He just wanted to avoid Lily’s picture being taken.

- What do we do ? He asked the guard.

- I took the liberty to call for a couple more colleagues, just in case, John explained. They’ll be here in ten minutes. Once they arrive, I’ll walk you to the car. I think we should ask the manager if we can use the back exit.

- Good, Marshall said. Lily, put on your shoes, ok ?

- What’s wrong, Daddy ? She asked, sensing that he was nervous.

- There’s a couple of reporters outside, he calmly explained. Remember when I told you about people possibly bugging us ? We’re going to go to the car in a few minutes, and I’m going to need you to listen to me, baby. You do as I say, alright ?

His daughter nodded, nervously glancing at the door. There was a crowd, starting to gather, causing panic among the staff, and it was starting to be noisy. He took off his hoodie and his hat and put them on her. He wanted to hide her face as much as possible.

- I can’t see, Daddy, she complained.

- Just keep these on until we’re in the car, baby, he directed.

When John told him they could go, he carried Lily and they attempted to take the emergency exit, though some reporters were there as well. They retreated inside, the situation starting to get on his nerves. John offered to take Lily with him while Marshall walked to the car with another guard but the little one protested. The noise was starting to freak her out and, as soon as Marshall tried to hand her to John, she started crying.

- Daddy, no, come back ! She almost screamed.

- Baby, it’s just for two minutes, I’ll meet you in the car, he said as reassuringly as he could.

- Don’t leave, she cried. Daddy !

She was starting to sniffle and panic and he knew he couldn’t leave her like this. He held her close and tried to soothe her, tracing circles on her back.

- I’m scared, she whispered.

- I know, he said. It’s scary. But I’m taking care of it, ok ?

His team brought the car as close as they could to the exit and he sent one of them to ask the press not to swarm them. They seemed to reach an agreement, saying they just wanted pictures of him and that they would leave his child alone. He hated the idea of being photographed anyway, but this seemed like a decent deal : at least, Lily’s face wouldn’t be out there. He would allow them to take a pic of him once Lily was in the car. They finally managed to step outside as he was holding Lily who was hidden in his hat and hoodie, face buried in his neck. The reporters were asking questions about her, who she was, if he had her with Kim, but at least, they didn’t snap any pictures. He stayed silent, though, refusing to comment. He was strapping Lily in her carseat when he heard a flash. He immediately slammed the car door shut and turned, only to see a paparazzi holding a lens way too close. He instantly grabbed the camera and dropped it on the ground. The man protested, complaining about the price of his equipment but he couldn’t care less.

- I hope you have good dental insurance, Marshall warned.

- You’re not hitting me, the man taunted. We already have pics of your kid, we’ll publish them anyw-

- LEAK ONE PIC OF HER AND I’LL FUCKING DESTROY YOU, he threatened as he grabbed him by the collar. NOW YOU LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE !

The conflict started to escalade and his bodyguards had to intervene, to protect both him and the paparazzi. He was ready to throw some fists and almost forgot that Lily was able to see the whole scene from the car. John talked some sense into him and he got in the backseat, sitting next to his freaked out daughter, letting his security drive. He helped her take his hat off, examining her tear-stained face.

- It’s alright, babygirl, he said softly. We’re safe.

- You scared me, Daddy ! She said. You screamed real, real loud.

- I know, baby, I’m sorry, he said apologetically. But I’m not letting anyone taking your picture. Because I don’t want anyone bugging you.

She nodded and he held her hand for the rest of the drive, trying to manage his own anger. If Lily had not been with him, he probably would have made a u-turn and broken a few noses. Thankfully, his team was handling everything. When they got home, he let Lily watch some TV while he went to find Y/N, who was resting in their bedroom. He wasn’t too sure how to break the news to her that, nearly four years after he adopted Lily, the press knew he had another kid. However, it seemed like he didn’t need to. She was looking at him with an annoyed look on her face.

- You already know ? He asked with a raised eyebrow. News travels fast…

- I have nothing better to do than scroll on my phone all day, she sighed. Of course I know. How is Lily ?

- Scared but ok, I guess, he said. Managed to calm her down in the car. She’s watching TV now.

- Ok, she said with a reassured expression. And you ?

He didn’t reply, simply shrugged. He wasn’t quite sure how he was feeling. Pissed off, for sure, but also nervous and disappointed. He wasn’t quite sure how much the pictures showed, and where to go from here. How would the public react to him being married, having a secret kid and two more on the way ? Paul would probably advise him to put out a statement so he should think of what to say… he would have wanted to keep his family life a secret longer. The last four years with Y/N and Lily by his side had been so enjoyable and he wanted nothing more but to shield them from his fame. And the thought of the public knowing about his unborn babies made him terrified of the potential attention they would get, too. Honestly, the thought of living his little family to another country didn’t seem so bad. He sighed and sat next to her on the bed, before eventually laying his head on her lap. Y/N gently ran her fingers in his hair, gently scratching his scalp and he closed his eyes for a minute.

- I’m sorry, he muttered.

- Whatever for ? She asked. You’re not the one who tipped the media…

- I failed to protect you guys, he sighed. I failed to protect Lily… you should have seen her, babe… you should have seen them. Hovering like vultures, screaming, scaring her.

- We always knew it might happen, she said. I’m gutted, don’t get me wrong, but we managed to protect her for five years. Married four without people knowing. In hindsight, it’s a miracle people didn’t find out sooner.

- I guess, he shrugged. Still, I’m mad at myself… I scared Lily.

- What did you do ?! She asked, suddenly alarmed.

- I… lost it with a guy, he explained. He tried to take a pic of Lily ! I grabbed him and gave him a piece of my mind.

- So you basically assaulted a man in front of our daughter ?! Y/N asked, starting to get worked up.

- Look, I’m not proud of myself, he groaned. But I wasn’t about to let him get away with that. I simply grabbed him, I didn’t break his nose. No matter how badly he would have deserved it…

- Marshall…, she scolded.

- I know, he simply said. It fucking sucks. I just wanted Lily to have a good time. Now, I’m going to have to call Paul and my publicist… fuck.

- I’m sorry, my love, Y/N said as she kept on stroking his head.

They stayed like this for a moment, enjoying each other’s comforting presence, and Y/N finally went downstairs to check on Lily. She was fine, though she did mention the whole thing was scary. Marshall stayed upstairs for a moment, gathering his thoughts and trying to pace himself before calling Paul back. His manager had tried to reach him ten times in the past hour, leaving various voice messages, urging him to call back. There were good and bad news. The good news was that Lily’s face didn’t appear anywhere, concealed thanks to Marshall’s hoodie and hat. The only thing the media saw of her were her jeans and sneakers. The bad news, however, was that the whole thing had been filmed and that images of an angry Marshall smashing the reporter’s camera were being shared on social media at the speed of light. The response was overall positive and people tended to support him instead of the reporter, who was clearly at fault. However, there was a lot of speculation and even people who claimed to have insider information, making false allegations. They had no choice but to put out a statement. They had a conference call with their publicist, who suggested only giving the necessary information. After quickly consulting with Y/N, he decided not to give any details on Lily, not giving away her name nor her age, as well as avoiding mentioning the pregnancy. The statement would only acknowledge the day’s events, as well as confirm that Lily was, indeed, his daughter and that he was married. To him, that was enough.

« As the result of the publication on social media of a picture taken without consent, today’s events have caused a lot of speculation regarding Mr Mathers’(professionally known as Eminem) family life. Mr Mathers expresses his regret for how the situation unfolded, the altercation with the press having caused distress not only for him but also for the other people present at the location. Mr and Mrs Mathers formally oppose the publication of any media depicting their child and ask for the respect of the privacy of their family life. They also express their intention to sue any individual trying to sell pictures of their daughter, as well as any media outlet who might publish them. »

In the evening, a couple of hours later, the internet was in a frenzy over the whole thing and the confirmation that Marshall was, indeed, married and had a younger daughter. A lot of people were also swooning over the pictures of him holding Lily, obsessing over his strong arms and stern look.

- The internet seems to be obsessing over you again, Y/N mentioned while he was preparing dinner.

- Well I’d rather have them forget all about me, he groaned. I swear, I’m going to retire, just to get some peace. Or move us to the edge of the earth…

- It’s not so bad, she commented. They appreciate how protective you are. Also, calling you the ultimate DILF. I don’t disagree…

- DILF, huh ? He asked with a sudden smirk.

- Look who’s suddenly in a good mood, she grinned.

- I like that you agree with them, he said with a smile. Maybe you could show me how much, later ?

- Gladly, she said as she pecked him on the cheek.

He turned his face and kissed her lovingly. They were interrupted by Lily.

- Mommy what’s that word ? She asked with a raised eyebrow.

- What word, baby ? Y/N asked.

- The one you said. DILF.

- Oh… hum… it’s a word people use when a Dad is very attractive, Y/N explained as she tried to contain her laughter. Like, when they want to talk to him and flirt…

- Like with Daddy and the lady today ? Lily asked innocently.

- Yes, like Daddy and- wait what ? What lady ?

Marshall said nothing and focused on the vegetables he was chopping for dinner, conveniently ignoring the conversation.

- There was a lady who talked to Daddy today at Chuck E. Cheese, Lily explained. She was smiling a lot.

- Interesting, Y/N said with a raised eyebrow. Looks like someone doesn’t need my appreciation…

- Come on, babe. It happens, Marshall hummed.

- Does it, now ?

- All the time, Lily said. All the mommies at my school-

- Lily, baby, how about you go and watch some cartoons before dinner, mmh ? Marshall suggested to cut the conversation short.

- Ok, the little one said with a shrug.

Y/N was leaning against the kitchen island, visibly upset and pouting. He sighed and went to hug her but she turned her head.

- Thought you agreed with the DILF thing ? He asked with a smile.

- They’re allowed to think it, not to act on it…, she groaned.

- No one’s doing anything, he chuckled. Just a couple of smiling, very friendly ladies. What’s up ? You’re usually not as upset when it comes to groupies or fans…

- I know, she said. But this is real life. Now that you’re the one going places with Lily and taking her to school… I hate thinking about all of them making eyes at you. Especially while I’m bored, at home, getting fat.

- You’re not getting fat, he chuckled. I mean, you are, you’re huge, but-

- MARSHALL !!!

- It’s because you’re growing two beautiful babies, he continued. Our babies. No one holds a candle to you. I might be a DILF but you’re the ultimate MILF.

- You think ? She asked with a pout.

- No one ever made pregnancy look so hot, he said lovingly. If you weren’t supposed to rest so much, I would gladly show my appreciation all day, everyday…

- I love you, she chuckled. But im glad that everyone knows we’re married, though.

- Territorial much, Mrs Mathers ? He asked.

- Yes, she giggled. Very.

- I like it, he chuckled.

- You have to protect what’s yours, right ?

- Right. And believe me, I’m going to do everything I can to protect what’s mine, he replied as he put a hand on her round belly.

She cooed and placed a hand over his, when they felt a little kick. They immediately looked at each other and smiled. It was the first time they felt one of the babies move. Y/N’s eyes immediately filled with happy tears and Marshall kneeled to place a kiss on his wife’s stomach.

- That’s right, guys, he said with an emotional smile. I’m always going to protect you.

[delulu-with-wandanat]

ayo i have a request! platonic mob boss!natasha and single mother female reader! nat is a mob boss who is known to be heartless and merciless. reader is struggling financially and decides to take a loan from nat’s mob, which she can’t pay back. she’s taken by nat’s men and beaten, but then when nat sees reader out of place among the drug dealers and crackheads, she takes pity on reader, forgives her debt and protects her, as well as helping reader out financially. kinda like older sister protective vibes

THANK YOU I love all your writing!!

Alternative Proposition-

A/n: Awww thank you! I'm sorry this took a while, life finally catch up on me and I'm find myself writing less and less. I never actually dipped into mob au's beforee so, sorry if anything is out of place. I'm actually a little scared of posting this ngl- :')) I try to not give the daughter a name, only like a nickname so you can decide it for yourself. Anywayy, I hope you like it!!

Reader Description: She/her, single mother, mid 20s.

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x Reader (Platonic), Natasha Romanoff x Wanda Maximoff (Romantic).

Warnings 18+: Mature themes, mentions of drugs, violence, crimes, (idk what else i need to put tbh), threat, use of guns.

Summary: Struggling to take care her 5 year old daughter, Y/n took out a loan from the mob to start a small business in hopes that it would resolve their financial struggles. But small businesses takes time to flourish, which Y/n doesn't have and ends up biting her in the ass... or did it?

PUNCH!

Right on the stomach. The man tugged her from behind so she would stand up straight.

TWACK!

Christ, her nose was probably broken now. Perhaps she should've known better than to follow her friend's advice.

"Fucking bankers..." Y/n said out of frustration. Her appeal to take out a loan was rejected once again. At this rate she might have to finally settle for just working double time and barely making ends meet for her and her daughter. Suddenly, she hears her neighbor next door arguing and smashing god knows what.

For fuck sakes, again?

Gun shots can be heard from out the window, a few minutes later a police sirens follow through. The neighbor above blasting music and making noises on what could only be... something.

Her heart ached as he mind raced to the 5 year old sleeping in her room. No, she deserves a better life, a better living condition, a better future. She has to find a way, there has to be. The front door flew open and her friend walked in with a dopey smile.

"You look like you could use a happy sniff!" Y/n only rolled her eyes at her friend.

"I'm way past that, and you know it. Besides, those things are bad for you." Y/n responded without even looking.

Her friend plopped down beside her on the couch with an exaggerate groan. "You've gotten so boring since she was born. We used to have so much fun, no?"

"Grown out of it," She looks at her friend. "So should you."

Kate then rested her head on Y/n's shoulder, looking over her notes. "Bank denied you again?" She said almost mockingly with a pout.

"It's so stupid. I just need some cash to start this business, I did the numbers and the market is huge! Yet, none of them are willing to even listen at all..."

Kate then repositions herself to rest her head on the arms of the sofa. "You're asking the wronggg people." She giggled. Clearly high on drugs.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know someone who could help you. Actually... I know someone who KNOWS someone. No questions asked, just gotta pay them back on time."

"No questions asked? Sorry, Kate, but that sounds really shady." Y/n is too tired to even listen to her.

"Give it a tryyyy. You're confident about your business?" Y/n nodded. "What's the worst that could happen?" Kate concluded. Perhaps she was right, that what it takes to start a successful business no? Take a risk-

TWACK!

Famous last words. She did in fact took out a pretty huge loan, and promised to pay once a month with interest. Very high interest. Even though Kate was right, they asked no question whatsoever, the risk was also extremely deadly-

SMACK!

-right on the jaw this time. "I was late, I'm sorry. Please I promise I will-"

TWACK!

"We've heard that excuse many times before." The man said with a thick Slavic accent. He grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged it harshly so she would face her. "And when you take out a money that big, the boss doesn't play around."

TWACK!

"Please..." The poor woman pleaded. "I swear-"

"Swear on your life? That is what we will take." Instead of a punch, the platinum haired man pulled out a gun, Y/n felt her stomach dropped the moment he pointed the gun to her head.

"Wait, wait!"

"Hold." She heard the other man who was holding her from behind spoke. "We're needed elsewhere."

"Now??"

"Just put the rat back in her cell, we'll deal with her and the rest later."

The blonde man hesitated for a few second before putting away his gun. He bent his body to her eye level and spoke, "You are one lucky son of a bitch."

Y/n was put back in the filthy place. Among with all the other hostages they have taken and beaten. She grunts at every single move she makes, every part of her body was extremely sore with the amount of punching she had endured.

The warehouse was dark, there was only one source of light, it was now probably almost midnight, fuck she needs to get home. She asked Kate to babysit her daughter, which was probably not the best course of action as Kate was quite a heavy drug user. But fuck she didn't have anyone to go to.

Kate will take care of her right? Well, she was... She wasn't addicted, but- Oh fuck her mind is running a mile minute.

She doesn't know how long time has passed as all she could think about was her daughter. Her sweet little bug. "Be safe, please, please be safe."

Oh god, what if Kate uses drugs in front of her? Come on, Kate was the one helping Y/n throughout the pregnancy, she would be more mature than that. Then again drug addicts are selfish- No, Kate is not like that. Kate adores Y/n's daughter, even going as far as supporting this business so the little bug would have a better future.

But what if Kate-

Y/n perked up at the sound of a door opening. Heavy sets of footsteps could be heard walking in her direction. "Cut the crackheads fingers as a warning, that oughta teach them." Y/n shivers at the woman's command. "Their debt remains, any late payments will be paid by their hand."

"What about the dealer?" Her men asked.

"Kill him, he went against our terms and conditions. Make him suffer." Y/n heard a unanimous 'Understood.' This woman definitely held a high power among all of them.

"And Stark's men?" Another one of her soldier asked. There was a beat of silence as the woman weighted her decision.

"Send him our... parcel. He'll understand." Whatever it is, Y/n is sure it's not what is implied.

She heard a few cells opening, some of the hostages cried and plead for their life. "I have nothing to do with this!" The man screamed. "It was Mr. Stark's order-"

"Stark and I, despite our rivalry, have mutual respect with each other." The powerful boss spoke again. "Though I won't be surprised if the orders did in fact came from him."

"Please..." The hostage started crying. "Please, I- I have kids-"

"And a wife?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. At least there's someone to take care of them." Fuck this woman is a sadist.

The poor man continued to thrash and screamed, yet he was no match in his condition and the strength of his taker. His screaming gradually disappears as they take him god knows where. And finally, the woman came into view as she stood just outside of her cell.

Y/n had pushed herself into a corner, hugging herself, knowing she would be next. And from what she has heard, there was no way of convincing a woman who holds such power and fear. Reality dawned on her that she had failed her daughter, her sweet 5 year old bundle of joy.

I'm sorry, bug...

The red headed woman studied the hostage before her. Seems like her men had taken her after she had finished her shift, Y/n was still wearing her waitress uniform.

"It's the one that took out the big loan." Another woman with blonde hair told the boss. Y/n notes she has a thick Russian accent.

"And?"

"She claims the purpose was to start a food and beverage business. Late payments, but I doubt the business even took place. I haven't seen or heard any new establishment in the area." The blonde woman explained.

The boss narrows her eyes. Y/n refused to speak or even look at them in the eye. As the red headed women was about to decide her fate, they heard a phone ring. Y/n's head turned to the source of the ringtone, it was her phone. "Shut that phone." She told her men.

"No wait!" All eyes turned to Y/n as the hostage finally spoke for the first time. "Please, that's mine. It might have something to do with my daughter..."

The goons gave the boss Y/n's phone. The woman looked at the caller id, "Kate."

"That's my friend, she's babysitting her. I just need to know if she's alright." The blonde and red haired woman shared a look, they've seen this before. Last act of desperation to seek help.

Finally, the boss bent down to her level beckoning Y/n to get closer from her position. Y/n hesitantly crawled closer so she was able to speak to the phone. Before the boss answered the phone, she looked at Y/n dead in the eye. "Any attempts, I will track this caller id. Understood?"

The boss didn't have to elaborate further, Y/n nodded while shivering in fear. The woman then accepted the call, and put it on speaker. "Mama??" A little girl's voice could be heard.

"Hey there, bug!" Y/n responded with fake enthusiasm. It was very convincing, even an adult wouldn't notice anything. "What are you doing up so late huh?"

"I'm waiting for you! You promised me movie night." The little girl said sadly.

"Awww, I know bug. Something came up at work, and I needed to work extra hours. But how about this, I'll make it up to you and we'll go somewhere special on your birthday, how does that sound?" Y/n spoke, her heart aching as she was making fake promises to her daughter. After all, the mob would most likely take her life.

"Yey!!! Aunty Kate, did you hear that?" It seems like the little girl was so happy at the idea. Y/n can imagine her daughter running to Kate in their tiny apartment excitedly to tell her the news. She then heard Kate responding as excitedly to the little girl. This is her chance.

No. She can't put her friend in danger. Even though that idiot gave her the stupid idea- No, I made the decision.

"Kate, it's already midnight. Can you make sure she sleeps please?"

"Aww, it's weekend! I'm sure she can stay up once a while with her aunty." Kate responded over the phone.

"I gotta go." Y/n said after noticing some of the goons growing impatient. "And Kate..."

There was a beat of silence, would she do it?

"Please remember to restraint yourself." Kate could be heard signing on the other side of the phone.

"You know I would never do that in front of bug. I promise, I'll take care of her. Just come home safe ok?" Kate understood Y/n's fear. And Kate knew better than to use drugs around children's proximity. In fact, she wasn't using the addictive substance as much as she used to... Only when she party that is-

"Of course. See you." The red haired woman then ended the call. She wasn't going to lie, she was quite impressed at this hostage. Perhaps this girl was something else...

-

Natasha came home way past midnight, it wasn't unusual for her of course. Though she does sometimes wishes to leave the crime life completely. Well, sometimes was an understatement, she wants to leave the crime life and focus on her own family. However, her sister was far from ready and there were numerous business she had to resolve first.

Then again, perhaps that was just an excuse. The cycle would never end. There's always something coming up, and she was the one the city held respect and fear for. By the end of the day, Natasha wasn't even sure if this life would leave her completely.

It was tied to her like an anchor.

She sighed and walked over to the master bedroom quitely. When she opens the door, she found her wife already fast asleep. She made her way to the bathroom, changed her clothes into something far more comfortable. She opted to skip her nighttime routine, and walked out of the bathroom.

Her wife had moved in her sleep, and it seems like she is awake. A small smile appeared on Natasha's face. "I didn't mean to wake you up." The mob boss said apologetically.

"The Americans would say, old habit dies hard." Wanda responded with a sleepy smile. Natasha soon joined her on the bed, giving her wife a loving kiss on her lips, and the slope of her nose. Despite being married for a couple of years, it warms Wanda's heart at Natasha's actions.

For someone who have gained the reputation of being merciless, she was so gentle on the people she loves.

"Everything alright, darling?" Wanda asked, she knew there was always something in this line of business. But really, what else was she supposed to ask?

"Same old, same old." Natasha answered as she settles on the bed next to her. Wanda then nuzzles onto Natasha like she always does every single night. "I'm getting too old for this."

Wanda chuckles, "Well, Yelena is next in line."

"Oh please, she her patience is as thin as a baby hair. She wouldn't last a 30 minute meeting." Natasha then starts to rub small circles on Wanda's back. "And you?"

"Just the usual, took the boys to school. They're already asking me if they could get their own car now that they're in middle school." Natasha let out a small chuckle.

"I hope they know they have save up their own money for that."

"I doubt it." The two women shared a laugh and fell into a comfortable silent. It was nights like these that Natasha adored. She may ruled the city, and had resources the average person can't imagine, but all she wanted was simple nights in the arms of the woman she loves.

Crazy to think how they met each other, all those years ago. When Natasha was only a second in command and Melina was ruling the mob, and Wanda was just a single mother trying to get by. Just like-

"Your thoughts are loud, detka." Wanda said, her wife truly knows her inside and out. "Care to share?"

Natasha lets out a sigh before continuing, "There was this girl, probably in her mid 20s." Wanda stayed silent, listening to her wife. "She reminds me of you..."

Wanda pulled away slowly to look at Natasha in the eye, "Natalia... If this is your way of asking us to open our marriage-"

"Excuse me, how did you even come to that conclusion?" God no, Natasha never even had that thought.

"Well when you start with that kind of sentence..." Natasha only rolled her eyes and pulled Wanda back into her arms.

"No, It's not that." She sighed, trying to find the right words. "I'm just..." She trails off once again. Wanda waited patiently for her wife to form her words, except Natasha ended up letting out a soft chuckle. "I think I'm just getting too old and too soft for this."

Wanda made herself more comfortable on Natasha's chest, listening to her heartbeat. Something she finds rather comforting. "You kept your heart. That is something I love the most about you." She shifted slightly so she could look at her wife in the eye. "But moreover I think that is something Melina would be so proud of..."

Natasha's heart warmed at Wanda's words. She pulled Wanda into a soft kiss, pouring the immense love she had for the woman before her. Natasha's hand gently cupped her wife's face, she held her ever so carefully as if Wanda was the most precious and delicate flower to ever exist.

--

Y/n waited, and waited.

She glanced at the clock, and then back to the front door. Still no one...

She heard a groan from Kate and looked at her friend/co-worker now. "Where are all the people..." She whined as she waited at one of the empty seats.

"It's ok. There's time like these, we just have to be patient." Y/n responded optimistically, even though deep inside she was screaming. The restaurant barely made enough to be self-sufficient. Despite it being small, and having herself as the staff with the occasional help of Kate, all of the profit had gone to running the business.

Moreover, she has to pay back the mob.

Fuck... "Kate, what day is it?"

Kate quickly checked her phone, "Friday. Why??"

Shit... shit, shit, shit. Her next payment was due tonight. She opened the register to check on the cash she had separated to make the payments. Y/n hastily re-counted the money and found that she was still $1000 short, "Fuck-"

"What's wrong?" Kate asked upon noticing her friend's frustration.

"Nothing..." Y/n sighed, no point in panicking now. She rubbed her temple and started giggling out of the immense frustration she was in. "Out of curiosity, is there a way to make $1000 in less than 6 hours?"

"We could always turn to crime."

"Few years ago I would've agreed, but I have a daughter to take care of." Calming herself down, she puts the money back and closed the cashier. "I need to pick up bug soon, you think you can manage on your own?"

"Don't underestimate me..." Y/n only gave Kate a look as she walks towards the cashier, "I will man the fort."

Y/n merely chuckles and took her bag, she gave Kate a quick hug. She has been such a great help, the definition of true friends lie on none other than Kate Bishop. "Thank you, I'll be quick!" Y/n said as she made her way out of the restaurant.

--

"-And I made a new friends!" The little one said as she held her mother's hand on the way to the shop.

"That's wonderful, bug!" Y/n responded as enthusiastically. Relief that her daughter was doing well on her first day of elementary school, not that she ever doubted her daughter's capability. In contrast to Y/n, her daughter was much more outgoing than she was when Y/n was younger.

"Maybe I can invite them to the restaurant!" Y/n chuckles at her statement.

"Well you know what? Tell them I will give their family a VIP service." The little bug scrunch up her nose in confusion, she look up to her mother.

"What's a VIP??" She asks, just before they entered the shop. Y/n bent down to her level with an adoring smile.

"VIP means, 'Very-Important-Person'. And because they're your friends. They're important, don't you think so?" The little girl nodded her head as her mother explained, "Meaning they'll get special treatments."

It was like a lightbulb switched on inside the little one's head. "Oh! I get it!!"

"My brightest star." Y/n said while ruffling her head, "Come on, let's head inside. Aunty Kate might need some back up."

The two entered the shop to find Kate talking to a customer. Oh thank god. Their back was facing Y/n, once Kate noticed Y/n she perked up. "Oh! Y/n, you're just in time. This is our owner, and the mastermind behind all these amazing dish!" Well, gotta give the enthusiasm to Kate.

The customer turned around and Y/n felt chills down her spine.

"So I see." The same powerful woman spoke. Y/n tensed up, but the little hand she was still holding kept her grounded. "Y/n, was it?"

"Y-yes." She cleared her throat. No, nononono, the payment was still in a few hours. Well, she was still short a $1000. Fuck, fuck, fuck-

The redhaired woman shifter her eyes downward to look at Y/n's daughter. "And who might you be?" She asked the little girl kindly. Was it genuine? Y/n doesn't even know.

"My mom and aunty calls me bug!" The girl said excitedly. "I like your hair."

The mob boss laughed, "Thank you! I like your little braid. Did your mother did that for you?" Oh well, she's surprisingly good with kids?? Such a stark contrast to the one Y/n met at the warehouse-

"Yeah!" The little girl giggled.

"I'm having trouble choosing something to eat. Since I have the owner and I'm assuming the chef, perhaps you could recommend me something?" The woman asked.

Y/n snapped back to reality, "U-uh, well... Our uhm the-" Speak, SPEAK, why am I so-

"Oh, oh!" Her daughter excitedly ran up to the dangerous boss, she went on her tiptoes to take the menu off the counter. "You should get this one! It's my favorite and my mom makes it the best."

"I will take your word for it." The woman said with a kind smile, she turns to Kate. "I'll take the recommendation from this little one. I'll sit in that corner."

"We'll be right with you, ma'am!" Kate said, obviously oblivious to who this woman is.

Fuck.

--

Y/n hand shook as she plated the food for the mafia boss, Kate noticed it and giggles. She clearly doesn't realize how bad the situation is.

"Hey relax, boss." She nudges her friend, Y/n only let out a nervous chuckle. "Alright, I'll take it from here." As Kate was about to take the plate to serve, Y/n stopped her.

"I got it, why don't you go stand by the cashier in case any more customers comes in." Thankfully for Y/n, Kate agreed and went back to her station. As much as she would like to avoid the mob boss at any cost, she doesn't want Kate to be involved further.

Y/n walks towards the table with food in hand, the woman was sitting by the corner looking out the window. Heart stammering in her chest as fear and anxiety tried to take over her body, what did this woman want?

"Your food, ma'am." Y/n sets the plate with shaky hands.

"Oh, thank you. It looks delicious." The redhead said turning to face Y/n with a smile. Just as Y/n was about to leave, the lady stopped her. "Hold on just a minute, I wouldn't mind the company of the owner herself. Take a seat." It sounded more like a demand than a request.

Y/n took a deep breath and sat across from her. The woman took a sip of her drink, still looking out the window. Maybe I should've poisoned her food or something-

"I believe I haven't introduced myself." The woman's voice took Y/n out of her trance. She looked up to see her staring back at her. "Natasha, pleasure to meet you under... better circumstances." Natasha offered her hand to shake.

Y/n reached out, hand still visibly shaking a little as she shook her hand. "Y/n, although I'm sure you knew that already."

Natasha only nod, she then picked up a fork and a knife and started eating her food. After the first bite, she lets out a soft laugh. "Your daughter wasn't lying when she said this was the best."

Y/n could only force a smile as multitude of things ran in her head. Was she here to execute her? Did she know that Y/n was still a few dollars short? Was this a genuine interest in her food or was she here for business?

"How's business so far?" There it is.

Y/n sighed and looked around at the empty restaurant. "We've had better days."

Natasha only raised an eyebrow as she continues eating her food. "So I see."

There was a few minutes of silence as Y/n waited for Natasha to speak further, however, it seems like the other woman was just simply enjoying her food.

"I have to say I am incredibly impressed with your cooking." She said as she wiped her lip with a napkin and set aside her cutleries.

"Thank you, I learned it from my mother."

Natasha nodded and fixed her posture as she set the plate to the side to rest her hand on the table. "I'm sure you know why I'm here. It's strictly business." Y/n took a deep breath, but before she could say anything Natasha cuts her off. "Although, seeing the state of your establishment, I'm assuming It's barely making anything to run itself."

"I- I promise you I can-" Y/n stammered.

"Oh don't make promises you can't keep, Y/n."

"This month's payment might be a lower but I swear it just takes-"

"I've thought so." Oh god, what has she gotten herself into. Her chest started to feel heavy, something felt like it was stuck on her throat. Y/n couldn't utter a single word. She was a dead woman...

"Which is why I would like to offer you an alternative proposition." Natasha as she leans back against the chair. Y/n who was still in the state of fear only looked at her. "I would like to turn your debts into an investment."

...I'm sorry, "W-what?"

"I would like to invest in your business instead, I see great potential. It should help lighten the burden." Whoa, what??

"I- What's the catch?" Natasha only laughs, not one of those evil laughs, just... laughed.

"I get 20% share of your profit, but to say that's a catch would be misleading as that is just the nature of investment."

Y/n thought for a moment, this wasn't so bad. No, actually it was great. Instead of having debts, she only need to pay Natasha a share of the profit that the restaurant made.

"That's... a very generous offer, Natasha. Thank you. Although, may I negotiate?" Natasha smirked slightly at the sentence and nodded, she liked this girl. Normally people would take the offer without any hesitation, so to have someone negotiates back was refreshing. "I think 20% is too high, how bout 10%?"

"Hmmm, that's too low for me. How about you and I meet in the middle, 15%?" Y/n nod and Natasha had a satisfied smile on her face. This time, it was Y/n who reached out her hand.

"We have a deal."

--

To say the mob boss was being generous was an understatement, but Y/n wasn't going to ask questions. It helped elevated the financial burden a little, as she did not have to pay a fixed price every month. If the business soars Natasha gets a good cut of the revenue, it it fails, well they fall together.

What's weird was Y/n had expected for there to be a catch, maybe even have Natasha suddenly barging in and run the business however she likes. Or making some sort of speakeasy underneath her restaurant, or anything crime related really. But she never did, in fact, Natasha became a regular at the restaurant. She comes by once or twice every week, one time she even comes with a lovely lady who Y/n quickly learned was her wife.

Natasha's wife, Wanda, was a truly lovely lady. Overtime, Wanda stops by more often on her own. Although truth to be told, Y/n had a feeling they adored her daughter the most as bug truly was the ray of sunshine in the restaurant.

Doorbell chimes through the restaurant, the little bug excitedly dings the bell on the cashier counter top informing the kitchen of an incoming order.

"Ms. Wanda's specials!" The little girl said loudly, causing Wanda to giggle slightly at the scene. Y/n comes out of the kitchen door to greet her as she was in the middle of cleaning up.

"Wanda, good to see you again! Your usual?"

Wanda smiled and nodded. "For me, as always. Another one of the same for my wife, and 2 dish of your recommendation for my boys please."

"Anything in particular?" Y/n asked.

Wanda hummed for a moment, before glancing at Y/n's daughter who's practically bouncing on her little feet to make the decision for her. She then smiles and said, "I'll let the little chef surprise me."

Bug beamed upon hearing her sentence, Y/n smiled at her daughter and gave her an encouraging nod. She pulled down her mother to her level and whispered her recommendation. Y/n then pulled away and playfully gave her a salute, "Right on it, chef!"

As Y/n was walking back to the kitchen she heard her daughter yelling, "And be quick, it's for our VIP!"

She was glad her daughter seems to make the restaurant her own little playground, most of the costumers adored her too whenever bug was around. She wishes that her daughter could go out more often and wasn't forced to be stuck in the restaurant as much as she is now.

As time goes by the restaurant started to gain more and more exposures around the neighborhood and Kate has been a big help through it all. Arguably it was good for her too, as she used her spare time to work instead of partying and doing drugs.

Many more months have passed, and their popularity continues to rise and rise to the point where Y/n NEEDED to hire a cook helper and a waitress. She was grateful to say the least, but she wonders if the mob boss had something to do with it.

Y/n noticed that she had seen one of the customers being the one that kidnapped her, she was terrified for a minute only for the same platinum haired man to apologize and leave her with a huge, and I mean HUGE tip. She found out that his name was Pietro and he was surprisingly a funny, cocky, yet quite the gentleman.

The other one was the blonde woman that stood next to Natasha. However, at that time she was rather busy in the kitchen so Kate was the one who interacted with her the most. She didn't learn much about the blonde woman, only that her name was Yelena and that Kate seems to have a big crush on her.

She starts to wonder if half of her customers were affiliated with Natasha's mob. There were times when Natasha came by with a group of people, was it for a business meeting or whatnot she doesn't know. She doesn't even want to know. One thing for sure, Y/n's perception of Natasha changed. The initial impression of Natasha being a cold, heartless, merciless woman was gone, it turns out Natasha has a heart of gold.

From spreading the word about her restaurant, to giving huge tips every time she eats, refusing on-the-house meals and paying more than what her bill stated. To even, at least to Y/n's assumption, keeping the area of her restaurant safe. It wasn't confirmed by any means, but Y/n had a gut feeling Natasha had something to do with it.

--

All in all, business was great and was making enough for her to profit from it as well. She can now take her daughter out occasionally and not having to worry about starving herself in process.

Today was rather slow than usual, thank god...

She probably shouldn't as a business owner, but damn girl needs a room to breathe sometimes. Calm before the storm they said, and Y/n was going to use it to her advantage and catch up on her book as she waits for the next customer.

A good few minutes into her book, the door bell rings. Y/n looks up and put on her smile at the customer. Kate called in sick today and their waitress was having a day off, so Y/n had to cover both for both. "Welcome! What can I do for you on this fine day?"

"Hi there." The woman with a black hair said with a kind smile. "I heard this was the new hotspot in town. What would you recommend me?"

"Well that depends, are we looking for somethings sweet or savory?"

"Hmmm...." The woman scanned the menu quickly. Finally she looked up and said, "I'm feeling adventurous, surprise me."

Y/n smiled, "Take a seat anywhere you like, I'll be right with you." The customer thanked her and sat by the corner. From the corner of her eye, she could she the woman seems to be observing the restaurant. It wasn't weird by any means, maybe she's just one of those food bloggers.

Nah, she's dressed so formal to be a food blogger. Oh, shit... is that a food critique? We'll let's impress her.

After a few minutes, Y/n goes to her table. "This is one of our favorites." She said as she set the plate on the table, "And this is a complimentary drink, it's on the house."

"That's very kind of you." The black haired woman said. "Say how long has this place been established?"

"Oh we've just opened a couple of months ago."

"The owner certainly has an exquisite design taste." Y/n smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you! It was highly inspired by my heritage." The woman raised her eyebrow.

"I take it you are the owner?" Y/n nodded. "Wow! Congratulations on your business! The food looks amazing, please, would you mind joining me? I would love to listen more to your stories."

"Certainly!" Y/n took a seat in front of her, she was used to this, sitting and talking to different customers. It helps build relationship and making them a regular. "Are you new around this area?"

The woman chuckles, "No, I know this city like the back of my hand. My name is Maria Hill, pleasure to meet you." Maria offered her hand to shake.

"Likewise, I'm Y/n." The two shook hands and Maria leaned back on her seat.

"I'm guessing you're not originally from here?"

"No, my family and I migrated to the US when I was younger." Maria hummed again as she stared Y/n down, honestly Y/n was feeling rather uncomfortable. It was like she was... observing her, maybe even assessing her?

One thing for sure, Y/n was starting to get really bad vibes.

Maria suddenly let's out a small laugh, "Perhaps I should be more frontal." She fixed her posture and leaned her elbows on the table. "I was going to ask you sooner or later."

Oh god, what is it? Am I getting deported??

"Are you aware of an individual named Natalia Alianovna Romanova?"

Y/n twisted her head in confusion. "No, that doesn't seem to ring a bell."

"What about Natasha Romanoff?" The woman continued to prod. Well, she only knows one Natasha, she's a-

"I'm sorry, I just-" Y/n was confused, "What is this all about? Are you a health inspector or an immigration officer because-"

Maria raised her hand to stop Y/n, "No, neither of those." Y/n raised an eyebrow. "I'm an FBI agent."

Oh...

"I've been investigating an organized crime for the past few years."

Oh, fuck.

"You're not in trouble, Y/n. I merely require your assistance."

This isn't fucking calm before the storm-

"So are you or are you not," Maria took out a picture, a photograph of Natasha walking out of HER restaurant. "acquainted with this individual."

This is calm before a fucking typhoon. And she is in the middle of it.

[rozeliyawashereyall]

Modern Korey rant!

Suggested this to @willowve01 and wanted to do one as well-

She's 19, turning 20!

Still a She/They bisexual, just a little less chaotic one this time (I'm fucking lying she's worse than OG korey)

A bounty hunter! Works with Raine best :3 Occasionally acts or models along with Esther and Raine. Her main weapon is a hand gun! (Dear god who gave this girl a gun, oh no, oh fuck-)

Her friend, Jay, was also an actor and basically suggested her when one of the actors couldn't pull through. Also, Marco helped!

Her backstory is still the same as her OG one. Parents are still very neglectful and emotionally manipulative (how has CPS not been called yet??) And she still has face blindness and Hypomania.

She has her own house, and her little brother Noah lives with her since he gets the same treatment from their parents instead of being the golden child like in the current au

Also, Raine's uncle Bill adopted her, so her and Raine are cousins now (trust me bro)

And of course, Varen is also adopted into the Adiel family! (Give up @keyaartz I'm winning this custody battle-)

She still has a lot of scars, and they're still there because she was a curious dumbass

Has a golden retriever named Argos (greek mythology reference lmao)

Noah is about 15, and Ezra is 24. He's an intern at a hospital

Has a full arm snake tattoo, matching with Jay but i keep forgetting to draw it- (Jay is dead in this au too so ig not anymore-)

GB headcanons

First met Marco during one of her first bounty hunts, gave her a few clues on the person she's after, and became friends from there (she was chasing someone with a knife and he was, as any other person would be, very concerned)

Introduced her to Timothy and Bodie a month into the friendship, and all 4 have been friends since

Occasional cooking lessons with Bodie because it does not matter if this is still a different AU. Girlie is still shit at it. Jer sense of direction is a LITTLE bit better tho (Raine still has to make sure her ass does not get lost)

Timmy dog sits Argos when she's out on a bounty hunt as it can take more than a day to find the person

Very long phone calls with him while she's out, basically just narrating everything that's happening while she finds the person "Yeah so anyways, I started blasting both bullets and 1980s music to get the suspect out of the house." -Korey, probably

Still haven't decided if I want Timmy and Korey to have crushes on each other or just be REALLY good friends.

Also, instead of pining on Sparky in silence like OG Korey did, she actually got into a relationship with her! Though it lasted 7 months before breaking up due to...'family' business and rivalries

_

When Timmy was kidnapped by Circe's hunters, she was called by Bodie to retrieve him at all costs, but then BAM! a portal opens, and there's like 2 different versions of the boys and 2 more bugs! <- How Korey canonicaly met Raine and Esther (@asmrbrainrot ) and probably the rest of the bugs aswell!

The fanon version is that Bill saved Korey, and she met Raine from there! They were both 14 at the time, so they've been friends for 5 years! And then they both met Esther when they started training together! She was both of their mentors :3

No major drawings this time, so just have these cropped photos of my drawings of what Korey would wear +2 doodles. I made half asleep

[beigetiger]

Trying to write about Skulduggery and Valkyrie in an AU. It is turning out very long, so in the meantime I’m gonna talk about what the Sanctuary is up to.

This au pulls the very stereotypical “most of civilization has collapsed”, so Roarhaven is incredibly crowded full of people mortal and sorcerer alike, and the city is shielded at certain times of the day to protect from threats (most notably Mevolent/Serafina or the Faceless Ones).

Like, when I say packed, I mean packed. Pretty much the whole city is stacked on top of each other and some people are seeing if they can connect the buildings together to form one massive structure, and even that isn’t enough to hold all the people now penned up in this city. Splashes of magic are becoming even more widespread, especially among mortals, to the point that some of the police have started to crack down on it. There are also people who can’t afford places to stay who all sleep together under one big tarp to conserve body heat, it is a mess.

China got aged down to about her forties in this au because of the magic blast, which really led to her being annoyed that magical explosions kept tampering with her age. She’s no longer the principal of Corrival and now she lives on the edge of town running a business as a Signum Linguist (since Signum Linguists are in very high demand in Roarhaven). She doesn’t create Splashes, but she does make weapons and/or enhancements for soldiers, particularly mortal ones (which I will get into later).

Corrival Academy is technically no longer functional but many of the teachers do still teach, and they find places and times to do it so that students can show up in groups and learn. Teachers like Fletcher and Militsa are partially helping the Sanctuary keep organized and on-task and partially trying to organize and actual school for kids since the last one fell apart. Also Militsa broke up with Valkyrie again on account of Val being an evil god (AGAIN), and now she and Fletcher are disaster besties who’re trying to keep it together. The two of them somehow managed to keep Xena alive until her death at an old doggy age.

Ghastly is still running things over at the Sanctuary, and he is having a VERY rough go of it. On top of mortals finding out about magic and chaos ensuing, he also has to deal with the fact that he now knows that Skulduggery is Lord Vile (because of what Cadaver told him) and that Valkyrie defended him for years (and has now turned into a slightly deranged god). He, Tanith, and Temper have been working together to create different military units with different purposes now that they have more demographics of people to keep track of, protect, and make use of. In short, Ghastly is even more burnt out than he was before the apocalypse.

The mortals have also been making themselves useful, usually working as soldiers for the Sanctuary. I talked about technomages a bit earlier, and I am talking about them now. Lots of the mortals now living in Roarhaven have been going out of their way to equip magical tools (usually weapons) to help them keep up with the sorcerers. This has led to them basically forming into military units working for the Sanctuary and has greatly increased their firepower, making them slightly less appealing to attack.

On top of Temper, Tanith, and Ghastly at the top of the Sanctuary, Dexter Vex also has a little group of his own who technically don’t work for the Sanctuary, but stay in Roarhaven and are more than willing to do tasks alongside them. Aside from Dexter, this team consists of Saracen (who was revived in the same way as Anton), Kierre, Aurora, Frightening, Donegan, and Gracious. Kierre showed back up when the Sanctuary (aided by China’s sigils) figured out a way to fix her boyfriend, and Aurora and Frightening found each other in America shortly after the general apocalypse (North America did not take it well) and then hopped over to Ireland to find Dexter. The Monsters Hunters did something similar to this except that they were in England at the time, and Saracen basically respawned in Ireland.

One of the people who is not present at the Sanctuary (or in Roarhaven at all) is Anton Shudder. He’s off working for Valkyrie for reasons that I plan on explaining in a later post, but he (and Valkyrie) are missed dearly by their friends.

Unlike most of the other groups in this au, Roarhaven isn’t actually aggressive and doesn’t go out of their way to pick fights with other gangs, instead working to act as a safe space for refugees from the war. They’re also completely stationary, which is why they have the part-time shield to protect them from attacks. Valkyrie is willing to spend resources to protect them, but they don’t entirely trust her and so she tends to give them space. They do get visits from her occasionally though, and she’s described as feeling like a harbinger of doom.

Much words, sorry to spam you all with au stuff

[wherethefireliliesgrow]

(3) 1070 days: whisper grey

Myoui Mina x reader

Part of the series: Palette

Previous chapter: (2) 1446 days: ivory black

Another filler chapter, sorry please bear with me The next chapter picks up, I promise!

1070 days.  

Ryujin had successfully debuted with the girl-group ITZY and was considered one of the prodigies of the fourth generation of KPOP.

You were extremely proud of her for achieving her dreams, but you couldn't help missing your best friend. Living alone now, Ryujin had to stay in the JYP dorms with her bandmates, and you didn't get to see her that often as she was always busy.

Despite her promises to take you to her concerts, you never saw any colors appear. It was always the same haunting grey, and you were starting to lose hope. You would stand near the stage for every concert, and look down below at the sea of fans and see only a tinted grey version of the world.

However, your photography work blew up on the internet, and you landed a job at W Korea. People praised you for your exceptional talent in black-and-white portrait photography, describing your work as "chefs-d'oeuvre of the shadows". You were acclaimed as the shy but talented photographer who could see beyond color when, in reality, you were just a soulmate-less Wayward who had not managed to gain an ounce of color visibility back in the past two years.

Time was running out, and you were panicking. You had not managed to cross paths with your soulmate at all, and you would think they didn't exist if it weren't for the magnetic feeling in your veins.

"It's for the best," you tried to convince yourself, attempting to stop yourself from finding and interfering with the life of your soulmate. They deserved more than being tied down by a random person in the world.

“We’ll need all staff on hand for this shoot,” announced your manager, Seulgi, during your company’s weekly meeting.

"Why? I have my day off that day," drawled your coworker and close friend Karina, who sat next to you with her lips pursed in annoyance. The raven-haired photographer was definitely not a fan of working overtime.

"Because we will be having a photo shoot of all of JYP’s artists for the announcement of their world tour," explained Seulgi, who then walked over and patted Karina’s head as if she was petting a child. "I’ll give you guys an extra week off for this gig."

Karina harrumphed, trying to hide her satisfied smile.

"That sounds like fun!" squealed Danielle, "Do you think we can get free tickets to their concert? I had a blast during Twice’s concert last year. I can’t wait to see them again this time. Do you think they’ll collaborate with other groups? I think they'll probably have a collaborative stage with ITZY, and Nayeon will try to h-"

"Make her shut up, bro," groaned Minji, nudging Hanni.

"It’s too early for this."

Hanni quickly clamped her small hands over Danielle's mouth, shutting her up immediately.

"Thank you," Seulgi smiled gratefully at Hanni before continuing. "Since there are many groups in the line-up, we have arranged five days for the photoshoot. This includes group photos, individual shots, and all JYP groups together."

You groaned internally. Photoshoots like this often-meant extreme work schedules and lack of sleep. At least you’ll be able to hang out with Ryujin a bit during the shoot if you were lucky.

It was also a good thing that your team consisted of a bunch of funny weirdos who took their jobs seriously, making work a bit more bearable.

Seulgi was one of the most compassionate and understanding managers you could ever ask for and had a knack for calming down your icy CEO (and her soulmate), Irene.

Karina was a talented photographer and filmmaker with stunning visuals. She shared the same perspective on the soulmate connection and knew about your temporary colorblind situation.

"I'd rather live and love freely for five years and die happy," Karina would say when asked why she wasn't looking for her soulmate. You and Karina clicked immediately when you joined the team, and she reminded you of Ryujin, whom you've always wanted to introduce her to.

Minji, Hanni, and Danielle were the “kids” on the team. Despite their youth at only 18 years old, they were all exceptionally talented at their jobs. Minji, the serious and soft-spoken visual director, collaborated seamlessly with you and Karina and often kept the other two rowdy girls in check. Hanni, the lighting technician, boasted her ability to eat bread for a week straight without feeling sick. Danielle, the talkative and positive force of nature, put all artists at ease with her makeup skills and welcoming demeanor.

After the long meeting that seemed to drag on for hours, you took out your phone to text Ryujin.  

As you gazed at your phone, a faint smile crept onto your lips. Despite not understanding the reason, you felt an unusual sense of anticipation for the upcoming shoot - almost eager even. You told yourself that it was simply the prospect of seeing Ryujin again that excited you, but the faint prickling sensation of your tattoo hinted otherwise.

It seems that with the announcement of the shoot, the bleakness in your eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a subtle, soft grey hue. It was as if a glimmer of hope had entered your world, and the shadows had transformed into mere whispers of grey. Previous chapter Next Chapter

[thewingedswine]

Are you going to finish writing Know You?

NOTE: I am so sorry the answer became a novel, but here you go anyway🤣

That is such an inadvertently loaded question that it hurt my heart when I read it😅

So, YES, I do plan to finish it, and yes, though you didn’t ask, I still plan to start the sequel soon after- I mentioned I think in the first or second chapter that I plan to keep the story going for a few years- and it will end with the characters being like ELDERLY(not all of them but you’ll have to wait and see which ones I YEET)

But honestly what slowed me down in the first place was the dwindling interest and the disdain for stripes as a main oc.

I have a good handful of people who want to see how it ends and I LOVE them, and I love writing for them, but Know You became much closer to my heart than I expected,

And while Stripes is admittedly a dick, I try to make the characters as aware of that as possible. People scold her, she has reasons for acting that way, she sometimes feels bad about it, and she is actively making SMALL unconscious changes throughout the story, (since I plan to make this story last YEEEEAAARSSSS, I can’t give her an arc that ends quickly, I understand how the slow slow progression is frustrating but it’s realistic) and so on-

When people started commenting that they didn’t like the story because of her, I was not in a good place, and I think I emotionally latched onto that as me being a bad writer instead of “this story just isn’t for those people”. And, though I know better now, that feeling still hasn’t gone away

ADDITIONALLY, when I started the story I had sold a big slice of my small business and I had a lot of free time to update frequently because the money was just rolling in and I had very little to do- plus the movie had just come out so the hype was high and people wanted whatever Avatar fics they could get their hands on.

Now there are more options for readers, I’m starting a new business so there is less time to focus on putting out those big meaty chapters, and Know You’s popularity has died so my motivation to post for it (*often*, because I’m still very much in love with the fandom and with my characters and I’ve written out too much of the fucking 75 year timeline to just STOP) has died a bit as well

Lastly, the 2% of my personality that ISNT Avatar is writing. My grandmother has a doctorate in English language and literature (I said in a few places it was composition but i oopsed) I’ve been reading and writing with her as a hobby since I could blink and I DO love writing,(I’m not the greatest writer ever but I do love it)

The reason I write fanfics, which don’t pay, is for the dopamine blast I get when someone says they like the story. I don’t think there is any writer out there that can say they don’t do it at least a little bit for that.

So with the minimal amount of dopamine I get from the satisfaction of making the story exist in general, and the breadcrumbs my 3 online friends who read the story are throwing me every so often, I am indeed army crawling my way to the finish line, but it’s going to be extraordinarily slow.

I hope that answers your question, sorry about the rant, the ending is going to make you explode✨

[puckhq]

though my eyes could see i still was a blind man || THROUPLE

tagging: Morgan Weston ( @morgan-weston ), Eva Anderson ( @anderseva ) Noah Puckerman

date & time: Thursday, August 29, 2024 @ some time between 3 pm- 5 pm

location: Professor Eva Anderson's fancy smancy PSU classroom

warnings: none!

summary: What was suppose to be them christening Eva's new desk turns into Puck and Eva telling Morgan some not so easy news to digest.

PUCK had been busy as fuck this week. Between Maya starting her sophomore year of high school, which, according to her, is a 'big deal, dad' and juggling... whatever the fuck Morgan, Eva and him were doing and having all the god damn meeting for the security department, and the reappearance of not only Santana but also his father, the ex-Marine had kind of neglected - more like forgot, about the fact that he was starting college in less than a week. So the last couple of days had been him running around stressed. Oh and speaking of baby mama's- people, baby parents returning, there was the no so small matter of, Andy's kid probbaly being Morgan's and him having no fucking idea. When, Eva had shared her suspicious, truthfully it was the only option that made sense. With Andy's general attitude toward Morgan and the timing, it was clear as fucking day, and Morgan deserved to know. Since Andy was determined to punish both their child and Morgan, that left Eva and Puck to bring it up and Puck just didn't know how the hell it was gonna go, because all he knew is what he would do. Sitting on top of the desk, he looked at Eva. "Do we hold his hand for this or do we give him space? What if he's fucking pissed? I don't know what the man looks like angry but it can't be good. Well, nah, he's probably hot as fuck angry, but you know what I mean." Then Puck ran his hand over his face. "What if he's sad?" Puck was really shit at comforting people, he was a fix it kinda guy not a cry on my shoulder type.

EVA To say that this week hadn't been hectic and messy as hell would be quite the understatement. Eva had dragged her feet all summer and put her syllabus off, as well as not deciding how to decorate her classroom, so she was in crunch mode essentially. And as if she needed another thing on her plate, that convo with Andy had left her wanting to fight for multiple reasons, but it also left her at a crossroads, which was why she'd filled Puck in on it. He had a kid himself and while his situation was different, and had no drama, she knew he'd probably have a better idea of what they should do. And of course, he did. While their plans had been to have sex in her classroom at first, things had shifted to them using the neutral space to tell Morgan their suspicions. Could she be wrong about this? Sure. Did Morgan at least deserve to know and get a paternity test done to be certain? Absolutely. Trying not pace around her classroom, Puck speaking pulled her out of her head and she sighed as she glanced over at him. "Maybe we give him space. Just to be safe." She hummed as she opened her laptop and pulled the conversation up just in case Morgan needed to read through it and see why 2+2=4 in this equation. "He'll probably feel a lot of emotions, so we just...let him feel them, and then we ask him what he needs from us." God, this right here was why she didn't want kids herself, or to be involved with them period, but there was no turning back now.

MORGAN was happy. The wind was blowing through the car, the dirt was whirled behind the wheels up into the air, and the sound of "Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas was blasting through the speakers of the red pick-up truck, as it zoomed from his ranch into the city. The gravel was soon replaced by real concrete, and it didn't take long to find the first stoplight, and therefore the first sign of the city. The cowboy's hands were banging against the steering wheel to the beat of the song, and he was grinning as the guitar solos rang through his ears. He could smell the sweet cake that was next to him on the passenger seat. Eva and Puck had been incredibly busy lately, getting themselves ready for the new semester. It was so cute, how they were both new at this; Puck being a student, and Eva being a professor. So the tall man wanted to show up and support his two lovers in any kind of way that he could. He'd parked the car, grabbed the little cake box and had headed into one of the many buildings on campus. There were so many damn doors, he had to stop and ask some random person for directions. "Ms. Ander- I mean, Professor Anderson's office?" He was shown with a point, and Morgan gave the person a big smile and nodded. "Thank you! Have a great day!" He almost skipped down the hallway towards the door, knowing what two people he'd be seeing behind it, but he knocked a few times - trying to see if he could knock a little happy tune - before he opened the door and greeted Puck and Eva with a grin. "Howdy, y'all!" He moved in to peck each of their lips, and set the cake down. "Chocolate cake. I wasn't sure- I mean, I tried my best. It tastes okay." He chuckled nervously, his hand scratching the back of his head, before he snapped out of it and took a step back to admire the desk that had been assembled, and afterwards the rest of the office. "It's looks really good in here! Very professional!"

PUCK nodded in understanding of what Eva ws saying. It was probably best to give him space, and to not immediately go into talking about how to go about ensuring Morgan get the DNA test he's going to need. Only if Morgan specifically asked. Puck could be a shoulder, he has very nice and broad shoulders that are perfect for crying on, so he can put them to use and just mentally think of how to fix it, so if Morgan does come to him wanting help he'll be ready. Yeah, Puck could do the emotional intelligence thing. Just as he was about to say something, the thought was lost at the Sound of a very happy 'Howdy y'all!'. Dear god this was gonna be rough and Puck was ready to back out and just fuck on the desk like they were originally planning. But then he was getting a sweet little peck and there was a homemade chocolate cake and Puck had never wanted to be the bearer of tense news less than he did right now. But damn if Morgan was the sweetest man he'd ever encountered for making them a whole ass cake. "Hey chocolate cake made by you, gotta be good." He said supportively because he was all about encouraging chocolate cake. "Our girl knows how to make anything look good, don't she?" He looked over at Eva with a smile before getting off the desk to sit in one of the chairs by the cake. "Why'd you make us a cake?" He asked genuinely curious but also stalling.

EVA didn't like this any more than Puck did, but after blowing up with Andy, she was trying to prepare herself to be the calm one. After all, Puck was a parent and was seeing this from a parental POV, whereas she was simply just wanting to do the right thing for someone she cared about. Delivering this news was going to crush Morgan, but someone had to be strong in this situation. Though, as soon as Morgan came bouncing in with a cake, she didn't know how she'd get through this. Smiling softly at the peck, she glanced at the cake and only now did she actually remember him wanting to bake one for them. And it was a very cute gesture, one she would have been a lot more stoked about if not for the elephant in the room. Taking in the compliment about her room, which led to Puck throwing out one too, Eva shook her head. "Okay, okay. I barely did much in here, but thanks, boys." She giggled. She was grateful that Puck decided to stall first, so she pushed the chair to the desk back a little and motioned for Morgan to have a seat. "Yeah, I know the sex has been amazing, but what did we do to deserve a cake? Not that we're complaining, and I'm sure much like anything else you've made for us, this is gonna taste great, but what's this for?"

MORGAN moved around the quaint space, looking around as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He knew that it was about to become an intense time for both Puck and Eva. They wouldn't have as much time for their little fun shenanigans once work and school kicked in, so Morgan was soaking it all up. For the first time, he really truly understood why people were in relationships; the time spent together, memories being made, getting closer and learning more about each other. It excited him! So, knowing that he probably wasn't going to see them as much going forward, any time spent with the two was now cherished time. Turning around at their questions regarding the cake he'd made for them, a slight red tint grew on his cheeks. "Oh, well, y'know- you guys are working hard, gotta get some sugar in ya!" Was it because he was trying to impress them? Absolutely. For Morgan, one of his main love languages was acts of service - and what better way to show people he cared about them, than through cooking? Baking was something he wasn't so good at, but everyone liked baked goods. He watched as Eva pulled out the chair, and moved to sit down, his hands coming out of his pockets and instead going behind his head as he leaned back. "So, what's up? You guys seemed so quiet when I got here."

PUCK was not thrilled that all of this was happening so early in the development of this... throuple. They really seemed like they were headed somewhere and it's not like going through big shit isn't an importnt part of building any legit relationship, but, what if it was too early? It was hard for Puck to imagine that this kind of news wasn't going to be too much strain for something so new. While Puck wasn't ready to lose this, he was aware it was a possibility. But, it was also possible that this whole thing, while messy, could bring them all closer together. That sounded equally as scary and Puck was kind of ready to just bolt and let Eva do this shit on her own. I mean, she was the one who spoke to Andy, why was he even here? Right, for support. "For future reference I'm cool with there being no reason for a chocolate cake, but that's actually fucking adorable." He'd eat some later, right now his stomach was not feeling the whole food thing, he needed to get all this possible kid shit out first. "Unlike you I've got self control." He said with a smile, regerencing the other night when Puck walked in to Morgan and Eva two second from fucking on the couch. "Nah, we were just waiting for you, big guy." He said, looking to Eva, because she'd definitely explain all this better.

EVA couldn't help but give a half of a smile at Morgan simply baking them a cake simply for being stressed out about the school season starting. It was really thoughtful, and he hadn't even needed to go out of his way for them like this but she appreciated it anyways. She nodded in agreement with Puck's sentiments. "Yeah, I'll take anything you wanna make for me too, for any reason or no reason at all." When Puck didn't make a move to cut the cake and grab a piece, she assumed they were both in the same position of not having an appetite for it at the moment. Deciding to let Puck's other comment slide as Morgan took his seat, she was already trying to sort out how to break this news to him when the ball was practically being thrown in her court. And she would have been slapping Puck's arm if it didn't make sense for her to be the one to break the news, so she hopped up on her desk and turned to face Morgan. "We technically planned for all three of us to break in my new desk, but then something came up." She sighed. "First of all, I may have overstepped a boundary or two with your former lover and friend, Andy. We were talking about you, and they gave a timeline for you two breaking up and them getting pregnant...and to me, it sounded like you might be the father. I tried to push an answer out of them and they got super defensive, and they went from denying it to basically assuming that I was trying to come for their son and threatening to take legal action, and then saying they wouldn't let you around the son because of me now. Which isn't confirmation that you are the father, and I didn't actually come for your son which you can see for yourself but — anyways, I told Puck and we both thought that if anything, you deserve to talk to Andy and get answers in case I'm right." Once it was all out there, she finally exhaled another breath before shrugging. "I'm sorry, that was a lot, and I could be fucking wrong, but it doesn't hurt for you to be sure, right?"

MORGAN smiled as Puck talked. The man oozed confidence like nothing he'd ever seen before; it wasn't until he was in a more intimate setting that that confidence started to crack a little, but Morgan wasn't the type of person to cause those cracks to become bigger. He just appreciated the fact that he wasn't just one big facade, and that there was more to him than that, even if he probably wouldn't let people believe that. Eva, on the other hand, really was confident through and through - in the best way possible. It was the type of confidence where she really believed in herself, and didn't hesitate about her next move. She was tough and badass, and Morgan felt so incredibly honored to have been let in to see the softer and sweeter side of her. It was the sides of these two people that Morgan constantly hungered for; that sweetness, that closeness, the bond that they had. And maybe he was trying everything he could, to further grow it. So his eyes went from Puck to Eva, as it seemed like he kinda passed the baton on to her, and Morgan listened intently as she started telling everything about the conversations that the tall cowboy had blissfully been unaware of. His throat started closing and becoming dry, his heart beat picked up, and he found himself wanting to melt into the chair and not exist anymore. The words 'pregnant', 'son', 'defensive' and 'threatening' seemed so loud in his head. Blinking a few times, Morgan looked away, his breathing getting slightly heavier. He couldn't keep sitting. He was feeling restless, needing to get that anxious energy out of his body. So he stood up quickly, turning his back to Eva and Puck as she finished explaining. And the wheels inside Morgan's head started turning. What was he supposed to say to them? What was he supposed to say to anyone? He walked up to the wall, his fingers pushing one of the framed pictures up slightly, making it hang more straight as he took a deep breath. He knew what to tell them.

"I've already spoken to Andy about it." He said quietly, and turned to the two. "A few weeks ago, I asked them. He's not mine." Morgan walked up to the back of the chair, holding onto it, as if to hold on to his anger and keep it inside. "I've known Andy since I was a kid, they wouldn't lie to me. Not about that. And I believe them. But to threaten you? To take their frustrations with me, and our break-up, out on you?" Morgan's eyes never left Eva's. He wanted to make sure she understood this. His fingers tightened around the fabric of the chair. He was thoroughly pissed off. "To do anything that would cause you any kind of hurt?" He was quiet for a moment as he breathed heavily. The idea of Andy even doing that hurt him. "I'll talk to them about it."

PUCK fell as silent as he's ever been, back a little straighter, like this conversation demanded him to be at attention. As Eva spoke, Puck never looked away from Morgan, he wanted to read every micro-expression and his body language, as if it would give him the ability to read his mind or emotions. Once Morgan turned from them, Puck knew the taller man was in thought and needed a minute to process before he spoke again. Both Morgan and Eva were better at thinking before speaking than Puck was. Looking over at the professor he sighed before his eyes went right back to Morgan. It didn't really surprise him that Morgan had already asked Andy about all of this. I mean if Eva can do the math so could he, but it did surprise him how easily he was willing to accept it as the truth. While Puck didn't know Andy, he knew people and people did fucked up shit when they were angry, hurt and/or scared and from what he knows, Andy was all of those things after their breakup with Morgan. Again, his eyes stayed on Morgan, even as Morgan looked so intently at Eva, like he'd hurt anyone that brought harm to her and he wondered if being regarded by the cowboy felt as incredible as it looked, he'd have to ask Eva later. Standing up, Puck made a little nose to break the moment with his hair, which, interrupting moments between these two is starting to become his thing. "Look I don't know Andy but I do know hurt and angry folk don't act like themselves. I'm not saying they're lying to you, I'm saying they could be and I'm telling you as a father, you're gonna be heartbroken if that little boy is yours and you lose anymore time with him." All he could think was how devestated he'd have been if Maya had been kept from him, if he had missed two years of firsts. "You owe it to that kid and to yourself to make damn sure it ain't you no matter what Andy says." Maybe he had spoken out of turn but it was too late now.

EVA had half expected Morgan to need to get up, so she didn't even flinch when it happened. He was much calmer than most people would be in his shoes, but she was used to this sort of softness to him anyways so it was on brand for him. But as she watched him adjust a frame on her wall, all she could do was sigh. That was until he started explaining that he'd already asked Andy and they'd said no. That was exactly what Andy had said to her when she'd first started asking, before they got defensive. It had been bullshit, and for someone who could sell anyone anything, she knew the antics of someone trying to craft a narrative that was false and then breaking when someone challenged it. This was probably the first time the kid's paternity had come into question like this, it seemed to her as though Andy hadn't been prepared for it. Letting Morgan get worked up over Andy taking their frustration out of her, she kept her eyes locked on his until he'd finished. This situation had just gone from messy to pure hell, and as she glanced over at Puck as he spoke, she was grateful that he was pushing this as much as she was. "Puck's right. You can check the conversation for yourself if you want, but..let's just take a step back here." Eva suggested, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders. "Andy implied two things: they're still in love with you and can't be just friends with you, and they still think you're the same person you were three years ago and that you can't make time for work. They can't let you back into their life, let alone the kid's, if you're going to do what you did before. Their words, not mine. I tried to tell them that you're different now, that you have no problem making time now, and it fell on deaf ears." She explained, tempted to roll her eyes at how hard Andy had pushed back on it when they didn't know the man Morgan was now. "And don't worry about them coming for me. I can handle myself." She reassured him with a small smile.

MORGAN's jaw clenched as he stayed silent. He didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do, didn't even know what to think! He was frustrated, sad, angry. He could see where Puck and Eva were coming from, pushing for him to do something. All the signs were pointing towards it. Why else would Andy be so angry at him? It made sense! He didn't make time for them before, so why would he make time for their kid now? And that kind of mindset was being held against him. It was why they were so angry with him! But then again, Morgan came back to the fact that Andy just simply wouldn't lie to him. They never had before, why would they start now? Morgan's head was starting to hurt, as he was being pulled in both directions, and the palm of his hand rubbed his temple softly as he thought about what was next. "Andy's not in love with me. Is there still love between us? Yes! But it's the kind of love that never leaves two old best friends." Morgan claimed, looking between his two lovers. His voice was slightly louder than before, but he also knew other people were working in offices next door. "D'ya really not think they'd tell me, if the boy was mine?" Morgan asked, almost hesitant and like he didn't believe it himself. "I just..." closing his eyes, Morgan ran a hand through his hair, groaning quietly in frustration. "I'll talk to them." He sighed, a sudden wave of surrendering washing over him. He looked back at the two gorgeous people in front of him, sad that all of this had happened. "I'm sorry."

EVA was certain that they'd somehow taken a trip to delulu land when Morgan first shot down the idea that Andy was still in love with him. It was wild and utterly ridiculous to her that they'd still be clutching onto feelings from three years ago; however, she'd never fallen in love herself, or had a kid, so all she could do was assume that this was the type of dumb shit people did when they had one or both of those. Her jaw dropped yet again when he questioned whether they thought Andy would lie about the kid's paternity, which was the whole reason they were here after all. She just stared at him blankly as he seemed to be at least agreeing to talk to Andy, and then when Puck didn't immediately speak up, she took that as her cue and grabbed her laptop, scrolling to the important parts of that convo. "Cowboy, listen to me closely. Their exact words were: "I'm still bitter, I still love him, I can't just be his friend." Oh, and then my personal favorite was: "I just don't see a future where he and I end up together anymore and as it stands, I can't see myself going back to being just friends with him either." I might not know or like Andy very much at this moment, but that's not friend love. In fact, they also doubt that you two were ever really friends, which I'm gonna guess is them thinking that you leaving them means you weren't a real friend or lover or whatever." Eva stated before she sat her laptop down and exhaled a small breath. "I'm not saying they're a bad person, and my guess is that Andy is lying because they're afraid that you won't stick around for your son just like you didn't stay for them. Pretty sure it's also because they don't want you around as just a father to your son if they can't have you back as a lover, but that's a whole other issue. I can't judge their way of trying to protect their son — but if he is yours, you have every right to know and to be given a fair chance to prove Andy wrong. That's all we're saying."

PUCK was grateful when after Morgan spoke Eva was right there to swoop in with a response, because Puck just couldn't stop looking at Morgan. Why did he seem so calm? I mean, Puck noticed the jaw clench and that was a clear indicator of growing frustration and it made him wonder how much he could hold down before he all came pouring out and when it did who would it be aimed at, what would it look like. Morgan had already made it clear that he'll be damned if any harm comes to Eva, so he probably wouldn't direct it there. Would it be him? Would Puck have to bare his anger and frustration? He could handle it, he had endured much worse. As Eva kept talking Puck could only imagine hearing Andy's own words was tough. And very uncharacteristically, Puck wanted to comfort Morgan and tell him, no matter what it's all gonna be okay. That they would be there with him to figure this out and help him through it, but instead he stood where he was and waited for Eva to finish because even though what she was saying might be hard to hear she was 100% right and Morgan needed to hear it. "All this is... a lot. I'm guessing it's gut wrenching to think your Andy, your childhood friend, could maybe do something like this to you, but it's just a possibility, something to prepare for." Puck tried to reassure without sugarcoating, too much. "You definitely ain't gotta be sorry. Life's always throwing shit at us that we aren't sure we can catch but it ain't just you, you know? you got people. Not to sound like an after school special, but you aren't alone in any of this, man." Again, Puck was shit at this, but he was trying.

MORGAN ran a hand through his hair, watching Eva pick up her laptop and pull out the evidence. He was beginning to get frustrated. He knew it wasn't their intentions, he knew that all they were doing, was to make him aware of it and ask him to do something - especially if Oakley was his after all! And that it was all coming from the best of intentions! But as Eva read out loud exactly what Andy had said, he couldn't help but almost feel like he was being shown his mistakes, or even being made to choose. Some irrational part of him was whispering in his ear that this could also be Eva and Puck's way of getting rid of Morgan. But that was the completely irrational part of him that he, nine times out of ten, didn't believe in after all. As Eva kept explaining, Morgan had to look down at the ground. He hated this. It was heartbreaking, hearing that his ex had spoken to his...situation like that, but also that his situation suspected his ex of not telling the truth. Eva finished and Puck picked up, following after, and Morgan's eyes shot up, finding his dark brown ones. The ones that he could find himself staring into and get lost in for way too long. Nodding along slowly, Morgan sucked in a deep breath, and nodded to himself, making a decision in his mind. "Thank you for this." He said and pushed the chair in, giving both Eva and Puck a look that was determined. "Enjoy the cake." And with that, Morgan started walking, leaving the room. He almost felt the need to be sick, but he just had to get away. He needed time to think about how the hell to approach Andy like this. And how to make it up to Puck and Eva. But that required him to be alone. And so, he left; left to go home to think.

[wixelt]

Pearl stumbled upon the portal that Grian was just at. (Hermit tales au)

Okay, wow. Wasn't expecting an AU I put out there over a year ago to come back, but i'm not complaining.

I leave asks open for all my old AUs, after all. :D

The initial thought & 1st part, as context for those newer to my stuff.

---

Hermit Tales AU #002 - Pearl and the Gateway

Pearl has never felt such primal fear as this.

Never felt something that read as such anathema to her own existence.

It permeates her veins and the part of her that was once a Watcher begs - pleads with her to run and never look back. Even after all she's been through - with the Watchers and the Life games and everything else - she's never felt something so visceral.

Something she can be so horrifyingly certain means nothing good.

The Hermits' resident reincarnated farm goddess turned Watcher turned cleaning lady slams to an abrupt stop outside of Grian's base, wings flaring behind her and sending a blast of air and dust in all directions as she halts herself.

The sight that greets feels like the definition of wrong.

The misshapen, bleeding obsidian gateway of serene, green mist looms ahead, simultaneously growing out of and encroaching into the surrounding earth like a tumor.

On any other day, Pearl might throw caution to the wind and investigate, but this fear is so instinctive - so deep after feeling her brother's presence flicker out right after asking after the very thing in front of her - that it roots her solidly to the spot, unable and unwilling to take another step towards this abomination of a gateway.

So instead she does the smart thing and moves backward.

She has far more room to dodge than Grian did when the tendril lashes out at her.

Wings flashing out, she leans around and away from the thing trying to grasp at her, the former Watcher quickly putting as much distance between herself and it as possible.

It catches a glancing blow - Pearl winces and cries out as her veins burn with toxic antithesis, and she stumbles mid-flight for a moment - but she isn't halted, and quickly puts Grian's entire base behind her, moving with frantic rapidity in the direction of spawn.

On the edge of her perception, she faintly registers the portal appendage recede - be it autonomous or directed - its chosen prey now beyond its range.

In the terror, however, she won't remember this detail for days.

Every other Hermit is stirred abruptly from their business, calm giving way to fear and confusion as Pearlescent Moon floods comms with multiple panicked red alert messages.

There hasn't been a high alert since Mumbo called the emergency session to discuss the then-alarming "Big Moon" situation.

And that was orange, many magnitudes less concerning than whatever has sent Pearl into a terrified frenzy.

The Hermits - every last one, every project or curiosity abandoned without a second thought - converge on spawn, each wearing an expression of grim uncertainty rarely seen among the group.

Despite her having raised the alarm, Pearl is among the last to arrive at the spawn lake.

She crashes unceremoniously to the ground in the middle of the gathering - dishevelled and afraid and barely standing as her nerves still sting and scream - it taking both Gem and Impulse together to help her to her feet.

Fighting to stay conscious, Pearl's quickly blurring gaze wanders across her friends one by one until she finds Xisuma.

Admin. Protector. Guardian.

And yet so unaware of the infection on his realm.

But how could he know? How could any of them know?

Pearl's seen the blight firsthand and even she doesn't know.

And yet the words she conveys to X are as honest as they are haunted. They feel as true as breathing, piercing her own heart as she speaks them.

"...Grian's gone."

She can't feel her brother anymore.

Even when he was with the Watchers before her, or off in another world, she's still always felt him out there.

But now, for the first time in her life, he's not there.

He's gone.

She's alone in her head.

Pearl breaks.

---

The Hermit Tales AU is an AU built entirely out of replies to your short prompts, making story & set pieces out of everybody's one-sentence asks & seeing if anything resembling a plot evolved.

If you have anything to throw in, even after so long, feel free. :P

[robbiefischer]

💭 📚 🩹 🎶 for Viola and Jamila?

Ooooh, these are such great questions anon, thank you!! And tysm for asking about my girls! Since I've never talked about them here, here are the absolute basics. Jamila (35 years old) and Viola (37 years old) are another set of my doctor wives - Jamila's a plastic surgeon and Viola's a trauma surgeon, and they both work at the same hospital in New Islington. I apologize in advance for any missing words/spelling issues - my dog's kept me up most of the night the last couple of nights because of storms (plus my partner, who she adores, has been on a business trip) and my brain feels mushy af not getting much sleep.

💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)?

So, I don't usually do MBTI or enneagram stuff for my OCs but I decided to take a test for each of them answering as I think they would based off of what I know about them and it was a really interesting experiment, ty!

Viola is an ENTJ-A (assertive subtype, apparently) which... makes perfect sense, really. She is 100% a natural born leader, is extremely charismatic, loves nothing more than a challenge and is very goal and achievement-oriented. She has a very big personality and sort of commands attention and respect, if that makes sense. She's not obnoxious about it at all, it's just who she is and how people respond to her energy. She's also an enneagram type 8, wing 7 which seems to correspond well to her MBTI type.

Jamila is an ENFJ-A, although quite a bit less extroverted than her wife. She's closer to the border between I and E and definitely has moments where she needs time to herself to recharge her energy. She very much has the "wants to do the right thing always" trait, and loves nothing more than an opportunity to help her friends and family grow into the people that they're supposed to be. Jamila is an enneagram type 3, wing 2.

📚 BOOKS — what level of education has your oc most recently completed/is currently in (GED, undergraduate, grad school, phd, etc)?

Jamila and Viola both finished medical school, then went on to do fellowships in their respective specialities - Viola in trauma surgery, Jamila in plastic surgery.

🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities?

Sorry, I know this is probably boring but I don't think either of them have any physical or mental disabilities.

🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often?

Viola absolutely loves music and listens to it whenever it's practical (the only time it's not blasting in her OR is when she's got another surgeon in there with her who can't concentrate with music on). She tends to be drawn to rock, especially harder rock and alt rock, punk and post-punk, heavy metal, some industrial and EDM (especially dubstep). When she was younger (as a teenager and young adult) she was a constant presence in the local scene, and spent so much of her time going to shows and being in the pit. Now, she still loves going to shows but is a lot more careful and less willing to take dumb risks especially if she could hurt herself or her hands - her job's too important to her.

Jamila's not actually a huge music person. She doesn't dislike it or anything, and has artists she really enjoys but she just doesn't tend to think of putting it on most of the time. She's another of my OCs who tends to really prefer music without lyrics - she loves minimalist, modern piano music and film scores more than anything else. If she's going to listen to music she'll probably put on a little Joep Beving, Arvo Part, Megan Wofford, Gavin Luke, Franz Gordon, Reeder, Arden Forest, Ludovico Einaudi, Max Richter or someone like that. It's soothing and helps her center herself, and she has a playlist that she always listens to before bed to help her brain wind down (it's one of the few times she DOES think to listen to music).

[myloveforhergoeson]

hi - under the cut is a preview for the beginning of chapter 27! if you don't want to know before the chapter is officially out, don't read. but if you're missing tasw like i am, this is a little snipet for you! enjoy <3

Eight days. 

James had been back in Minnesota for eight days. 

192 hours, 11520 minutes, 691,200 seconds since Roxy had dropped him off at the airport… Not that she had been counting. It had been nearly impossible for her to keep track of time thanks to the extra effort Gustavo and Kelly were expecting from her, Logan, Kendall, and Carlos to make up for their bandmate's absence. 

None of them had expected their bosses to be okay with the singer’s request for a full eight days off of work to celebrate Hanukkah with his mother; Their work schedule was already jam-packed between recording sessions, media training, and dance practices since the native Minnesotans were all planning on heading home for the holiday season on December 24th. 

“You can’t just say ‘No,’ to Brooke Diamond,” James had told her, getting the phone call from the entrepreneur two weeks ago asking him to come home for her holiday celebration. There was a bit of dismay in his voice as he shared, hinting at how he felt about heading back to Duluth, something his girlfriend was reluctant to comment on.

He had been correct in his statement about his mother, learning she had also called their boss with the same request, and his time off was immediately approved without a second thought. Gustavo even offered to pay for his round-trip flight, as long as James could make it back to record in the four-day gap between the last night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve. 

Roxy had a sneaking suspicion his decision would have been the same even without Brooke’s intervention. Even with the band’s tough working conditions as the year was coming to a close, she suspected that they were rubbing off on him more than he cared to admit. The other day he had let Carlos collaborate with Mr. X to formulate a new dance routine, Logan had convinced him they needed more than one half-hour break throughout the workday, and it seemed as though he was yelling at Kendall far less than he ever had in the past. Gustavo was even critiquing her songwriting less and less, acting more as a songwriting partner than an authority figure. So, James’ approved time off was only supporting her theory, though she knew the man would never admit it. 

In between work days, packing for her trip home, and making and shopping for presents for her friends and father, Roxy and James were on the phone constantly. Text messages if they were caught up in something, phone calls on the way home from places, FaceTalk all hours of the night… Carlos had taken her phone away from her when they were playing Biohazard Blast the other day against Kendall and Logan because it was a ‘“major distraction.”

Tonight, Camille and Jo had done the same when they entered 2-H for a dinner get-together they had planned now that Roxy and Camille could stand to be in the same room as each other. Their first time hanging out together in quite a while would also be the last time all three girls would be able to spend time with each other before their respective trips home. While their busy schedules were much appreciated, it made seeing one another almost impossible these days.

“Don’t look so sad! We’re way more fun to hang out with than your virtual boyfriend,” Camille joked over the sound of holiday music drifting from Roxy’s tape player, poking around in songwriter’s cabinets to find the right cookware for the tacos the three were planning on making. 

Taking the ingredients from her fridge and pantry, Roxy chuckled at her friend’s comment, “While that may be true, it doesn’t change the fact that I miss him so much. My journal is full of sappy, cliche songs to prove it.”

Not only had this been the longest James and Roxy had been apart, but the boys had told her this was also the longest they had ever gone without seeing James as well.

“Girl’s Night is about forgetting all of that!” Countered Jo, who slid into one of the chairs at the small kitchen table while looking the songwriter up and down. “Can we trust you in that t-shirt or do you need to change?”

Referencing Roxy’s choice of dress, one of the merch items from the Big Time Rush tour, the actress reached out and poked the picture of Kendall standing beside his friends on the front of the shirt. 

“If you go put yours on we can match…” The songwriter trailed off, slightly singsong, before the other girl loudly cleared her throat.

“Forgetting!” 

Finally, the assistant grew compliant with her friend’s wishes. “Big Time who?”

“That’s the spirit!” For the rest of the time spent preparing the meal, the three were finally able to catch up on everything they had missed during Roxy and Camille’s fighting period. Jo was still having trouble getting along with her New Town High co-star, Jett Stetson, despite the first season filming slowly drawing to a close. From her descriptions, Jett was finding it difficult to separate his own life from that of his fictitious counterpart, Drake Steele. The actor had even gone as far as to mistake Drake’s relationship with Jo’s character, Rachel Blesse, for reality, which Kendall was less than thrilled about. 

On Camille’s turn, she was elated to share all of the projects she had been in the process of auditioning for. Her ability to completely give herself over to the roles she was pursuing shocked the other two, as she showed off a few scenes she had been practicing for the TV show Break a Leg, Charlotte!, the movie Rock Camp 5, and the musical Billion Dollar Trio. Since she wasn’t currently filming anything and she wasn’t spending time with Logan anymore, the actress had far more time to continue to hone her talent and blow the casting directors away.

In exchange, Roxy allowed herself to share some updates on a few incomplete songs she had been slowly piecing together. Normally, she’d be bothered by the fact she wasn’t finished with them yet, but Gustavo had been overlading her and the band with work this week the two hadn’t found any time in which to collaborate. Tentatively, she planned to have at least one song ready for Big Time Rush to release by the new year, she just needed some more guidance on one she had titled “Got Something.” Beyond that, there wasn’t much else Roxy had going on at the moment, so she rambled about going back to Minnesota as the girls loaded up their plates with the delicious meal of rice, beans, and tacos they had prepared together. 

“After being in Los Angeles for so long, I’m afraid my body has acclimated to the perfect sunny weather… The minute we touch down in Duluth the snow is going to kill me!”

Camille and Jo both nodded in agreement as they took their first bites, both of them far better equipped to handle the cold weather than their friends who were Los Angeles-born and bred, like the Jennifers.

Sitting at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Marion, North Carolina would often see snow during the colder winter months, so Jo’s hometown was no stranger to low temperatures. However, that would be the least of her worries about her holiday journey home. 

It wasn’t often she spoke about her family, but from what Roxy had gathered over the course of their friendship, her father and grandmother were the people she was closest to. Since her grandmother couldn’t make the trip from Marion to Los Angeles, Jo hadn’t seen her in quite some time. The real issue, however, was seeing her mother, Donna, and older sister, Vic, who had split off from the family together almost fifteen years ago. As Jo had mentioned before, getting together for Christmas and birthdays with her divorced parents and uncaring older sibling was always a drag and she expected this year to be no different. 

“Never mind the snow! My dad said Mom’s bringing her new boyfriend over this year… How fun that’ll be. On top of having to see that, she’ll probably hound me about Kendall too - try to find any sliver of connection between us and pretend as if she cares about what’s going on with me.”

The blonde scrunched her face in disgust, leading Camille to ask, “What if you just locked yourself in your room with your grandma? She’ll protect you.” with a mouthful of food.

Half-joking, half-serious, that comment seemed to lighten the mood just enough for Jo to crack a small smile. “She can be quite scary as long as her cane is within reach and she’s always very vocal about how she doesn’t like my mom or Vic so they tend to steer clear… Maybe it won’t be all that bad. I just don’t get why they insist we do this every single year!”

While Roxy wanted to offer some advice to her friend, slowly chewing away, she didn’t understand family dynamics in the same way Jo and Camille did. Being an only child in a single-parent household made it difficult for her to even imagine what Jo was going through. The closest thing she had ever had to sisters were the girls in her apartment right now and not getting along with them royally sucked; Jo and Vic’s relationship had been strained for so long, it seemed completely unsalvagable. 

“My parents hate each other's guts, I can’t stand to be around my sister, and none of us know how to make a honey-glazed ham. It’s always a disaster. I wish I could just go with one of you guys instead.”

“I’d offer if we wouldn’t have a full house in New Windsor,” Camille shared, pushing around some of the rice on her plate, mentioning one of the two homes her family owned in Connecticut. “Normally we stay in our vacation home in Westport, but Gabriel and his husband are staying with my mom so we needed the extra space. That, and Elliott and Claude are bringing their college roommates with them.”

At times, it was difficult to keep all five of Camille’s brothers straight, even with the context in which she spoke about them. Roxy knew that Jules was only a year older than her and still in high school. Of all of her siblings, she was the closest with him, so that meant the twins Elliott and Claude were the next in age since they were still in college. She was pretty sure Gabriel was the oldest, considering he was the only one of the Roberts siblings to be married, which left only Jean-Luc to fill in the second child gap. 

Sucking in a breath at the sheer notion of having that many people in one place at the same time, Roxy breathed, “I don’t know how you manage to buy everyone gifts each year. My head almost exploded getting stuff for you two, the boys, Jennifer, Katie, Gustavo, Kelly, and my dad.”

All eleven of her gifts had already been handmade or purchased and completely wrapped in the brightest red paper she could find, hiding under her bed so no one would find them before they were supposed to. 

“Oh, trust me, I’m moments away from not even using gift wrap… I’ll just put everything under the tree and they all have to figure it out.” The actress deadpanned. “How I’ll even get them all home is another story.”

Nodding in agreement as she pushed her clean plate forward, Jo seemed to be facing the same issue as well, “Kendall mentioned that Mrs. Knight is an expert packer - Maybe you can ask her for help.”

“My dad also claims to be an expert packer but every single year we fly home we’ve had to rearrange our bags because they end up being too heavy!”

Had she not been preoccupied with thinking about her own flight home, Roxy might have added something to the conversation, but she was beginning to feel slightly queasy with her final bite of food. She and the band were flying home in the afternoon, meaning they wouldn’t get to Duluth until late into the evening.

At least I’ll get to see Dad and we can have some semblance of a Christmas Eve celebration. Hopefully, the flight doesn’t knock me out. Maybe if I put a playlist on and lay on James’ shoulder I can sleep the airsickness away. Oh! I need to call him tonight, he hasn’t texted me at all today. Probably because he’s busy, not because he’s-

“Roxy? What about you?”

“Hm?” Her head snapped up, pulling her away from her thoughts. Despite not having heard anything her friends had said for the last minute or so she tried, “You can sleep on my floor, Jo. It’ll just be me and my dad. From what I’ve told him about you, he thinks you’re pretty neat, but be warned he might try and put you onto some Minnesota underground punk band.”

The songwriter watched as Jo and Camille paused for a second, glancing at each other before bursting out laughing, the sound echoing off the walls of her small apartment. 

“Too busy thinking about James to pay attention to us?” Jo teased and Roxy felt her face flush, which was all the response the pair needed to know they were right in their suspicions. “I was telling Camille I got Kendall a signed, framed poster from the movie Revenantland - Our first date! What did you get James?”

When Roxy pushed back, “Sorry, I don’t know anyone by that name…” per the Girl’s Night rules the blond had established at the beginning of the evening then promptly broke, Camille stuck her foot out and pushed the assistant’s chair, jostling her. 

Kicking her chair right back, ignoring the creaking of the ancient wood, she protested again, “It’s a secret! If I tell you two, then Jo will tell Kendall, who will tell Logan, who will tell Carlos, who will tell James! That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

“So dramatic…” Camille said, clicking her tongue a few times, which made the writer want to defend her actions further. 

“It’s true! Jo’s been 100% honest after her fake boyfriend fiasco and Kendall’s nosey! All of you are just going to have to wait until the appropriate time to receive your gifts. Until then, my lips are sealed!”

“Killjoy…” Jo jokingly muttered with a roll of her eyes, speaking just loud enough to annoy her friend as she got up to clear the plates from the table. 

Turning to Camille, who was also pushing away from the table to help with the dishes, Roxy matched the actress’ volume as she contemplated, “I think eleven gifts is far too many. Who’s should I return first? Hers or Kendall’s?”

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, a smile curving her gorgeous features, she managed to catch a glimpse at the clock on the microwave. In an instant, her smile turned into a frown. “When did it get so late?”

That caught Jo’s attention, who glanced over her shoulder to check the time as well. “Shit! We’re starting our shoot at 7 am tomorrow… I still need to go over some of my scenes. Jett gets so bitchy if we have to do more than a few takes per scene - Like he’s some sort of perfect actor!” 

Her scoff was not lost on her friends; While she loved her job more than anything in the world, Jo still had to deal with annoying co-workers.

Joining her in front of the sink, Roxy slung an arm over the blonde’s shoulder, “Hang in there, girl! Just remember Rocque Records isn’t that far from Collosal Studios. If you ever need the guys to take a trip down to the New Town High set, just let us know.”

Jo easily leaned into her friend, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath as Camille walked over and joined the girls’ embrace. “I should probably head out too. Morning auditions.”

“And I’ve got to get James from the airport bright and early before work…”

Even though it was time for the night to come to an end, none of them made any attempts to move, simply enjoying the warm embrace for as long as possible as the tape of holiday tunes filled up the silence.

***

It didn’t take Roxy very long to clean up dinner. Lazily singing along to the music from her tape player, the dishes were done in a flash, there was barely any food left to save for later, and the red tablecloth covering her table was thrown into the washing machine. 

When she was finished, she attempted to FaceTalk James, but he didn’t pick up. Chalking it up to the two-hour time difference, she tried not to take it personally that he hadn’t even sent her a goodnight text after no messages at all for most of the day. Just in case he was still awake, she sent him a smiley face and a few hearts before setting her phone down to charge and heading to the bathroom to wind down for the night. 

One nice, long shower later, she had changed into her pajamas and settled down on her bed to write her journal entry for the day. Like most entries, this one had come easy to her. 

Whenever she had a wonderful time with her friends, it was effortless to recall and write down; She had even managed to snatch the recipe Camille had used to make the taco meat and scribbled that out as well as a reminder for the future. Towards the bottom of the page, Roxy managed to get a few sentences out about her worries that James hadn’t texted her, ultimately deciding that the sooner she went to bed, the sooner she’d wake up to a message of his in the morning. 

Just as she set her book and pen down on her nightstand, rolling off her plush duvet to turn off the lights in 2-H, she left her bedroom only to hear a quiet knock on her front door.

Instantly, she froze, heart rate levels spiking to the roof.

Who could possibly be here this late?

Had it been one of the boys, Mrs. Knight, or Katie, they would have used the door connecting their apartments. That ruled out almost everyone she’d be okay with seeing at this hour. 

Scanning the kitchen table, she didn’t notice anything Jo or Camille may have left behind and they certainly would have sent her a message if they were intending to come back over. 

Buddha Bob, the maintenance man only came upon request and everything in her apartment was in proper working order. Mr. Bitters, though always looking for a reason to kick her and the band out of the Palm Woods, didn’t care enough about his job to come knocking at her door this late.

Knock knock

Once again, the soft tapping at her door came again and Roxy slowly crept over to her couch, squatting down to grab the old hockey stick Logan insisted she hid there when they first moved to L.A. in case she would ever need it. 

Better to be safe than sorry, she told herself, gripping the smooth, taped-over wood in one hand as she made her way to her front door. Heart still threatening to beat out of her chest with anxiety, she moved as quietly as possible, undoing the deadbolt and slowly cracking the door just enough to see who was outside. 

Two big suitcases, one hockey duffel, and a familiar, tall, handsome boy stood in the entryway with a big, ridiculous grin on his face. 

Before James could even get out a word of greeting, the hockey stick Roxy had been holding loudly clattered to the tiled floor at her feet as she pulled the door wide open and launched herself at her boyfriend. Hands easily meeting around his neck, legs tightly wrapping around his waist, she squeezed him so tightly she could have cracked one of his ribs. 

Despite his winded, “Oof,” his duffel hit the floor with a thud as one arm encircled her waist, the other burying itself into her hair as he pressed Roxy into the crook of his neck. 

“Hey, baby. Miss me?”

[sheliesshattered]

about 10 years ago I was in need of an iron, particularly for sewing but also because I somehow just. didn’t own an iron. I went looking for recommendations and reviews, and decided that the irons that people rave about are way too fancy and in all likelihood I wouldn’t know the difference anyway.

also I’m a little weakling spoonie with frequent dislocations and other joint problems, and all the serious business irons out there looked heavy. and my sewing space is incredibly small, really just one corner in a room that’s meant to be a dining room, but is also the pass-through from the kitchen to the rest of the house. so in the end I bought a tiny little travel iron for less than $20 on Amazon, in like May 2013. 

it has a steam on-off switch, and buttons to squeeze for a blast of steam, and a dial that goes from off to high with three little temperature markings in between -- no actual temperature numbers, no fabric types, just low medium high. it can hold about 1/4 cup of water at a time, and it is only barely bigger than my hand.

but I figured, for that price, if it died in a year I could just replace it and have a better idea of what other features -- which is to say, any features at all, lol -- I would want in an iron.

but then over the last decade of not infrequent use. it just. hasn’t died. it’s been a little champ of my tiny little sewing space, tackling everything I throw at it, pressing cotton and silk nice and crisp on high, but not melting polyester on the low setting, either.

I’ve never particularly babied it, since again I paid like $18 for it. I’ve always put tap water in the reservoir and often left it sitting in there, and over the nearly 10 years of its service, it’s built up a bit of calcium scale. every now and then it shows up on the soleplate, and I’ll clean it up a little bit, but that’s about it.

well today, as I was trying to squeeze in a little pressing for the next step of my RRD cosplay project, this little champ of an iron started spitting calcium water as it was heating up. just bubbling and foaming and generally looking really unwell. thankfully it wasn’t anywhere near my fabric (tho that silk has been washed and will be washed again, since it’s going to be the underdress), but I unplugged it and thought, welp, I guess it’s finally happened. I guess my little iron is finally dying.

I went to look it up on Amazon just to see if they still have it -- they do, and now it’s only $12. Jack said I should just order it, rather than risk something happening to my nice cosplay fabric.

but I find myself weirdly attached to this little workhorse of a tiny iron? not just this model, but this specific iron. we’ve been through a lot together, and I know that if I’d been feeding it distilled water all these years like I should have, it wouldn’t be so congested now. 

so I went and looked up some info online about cleaning calcium scale out of irons, and followed some instructions about putting a mix of white vinegar and distilled water in the reservoir and then out through the steam system. it may need more than one round, with all the heavy water it’s had over the years, but I’m hopeful it may yet be saved. but hey, if not, at least I’ll only be out $12.

it’s just. idk. humans will packbond with anything. even literally the cheapest and simplest iron ever made.

edit: I was able to clean out the calcium build-up by putting a half and half mixture of white vinegar and distilled water in the reservoir and letting it steam off, then replacing that with distilled water, and now it’s all cleaned up and working like new again. it’s this little Sunbeam brand travel iron, for those who are curious

[ihearthoonie]

YN anxiously glanced at the clock above Mr.Choi's balding head. In less than ten minutes, she would be flying out of that door toward the main library, which, to her good fortune, was on the other side of the campus

She honestly, considered bailing on Yunjin's idea. But, if she bailed, she knew hopes of this wedding would be in a box, shipped to her mother, and smashed with a hammer.

And then her mom would smash her head with said hammer.

YN swallowed dryly, once again glancing at the clock. Her classmate, Jimin, noticed this much.

" You look ready to go more than usual today," Jimin mused. Wiggling her brows, she continued, " Got a hot date?"

" Nope, though that would nice!" YN replied, matter-of-factually. " But today I have important business to attend to!"

Jimin snorted. " Important business? Like what, renting an ice cream truck and riding around campus blasting Lemonade?"

YN shook her head, making sure to file that idea down. " As tempting as that sounds, no! I have to meet with Yunjin and everyone to find a wedding planner to help me plan my mom's wedding.”

Jimin's face morphed into pure shock. " Wait, what? Your mom's getting remarried? I though you said that she said she would rather jump off of a cliff into a pit of king cobras that get married again."

YN nodded. " That's what she said," she clasped her hands together, batting her eyelashes for effect, " But I guess true love's arrow finally pierced her heart."

Jimin shook her head amused at YN’s theatrics. "Have you met her fiancé yet ?"

YN put up one finger. "Just once when I went to the house to pick up more of my stuff.” She squinted her eyes in deep thought, “ I think his name is Paul.. Matt.. something like that,” she shrugged,” Eh,I don't remember."

Jimin sighed.

"And now you have to plan the wedding for your Mom and whatever his name is?"

" Yes ma'am!"

Jimin sighed again, deeper and more disappointed. "May the odds be in your favor, my dear."

YN kissed three fingers on her left hand and tried to touch Jimin's face, to which Jimin swatted her hand. YN went to try again when suddenly her teacher's voice cut in.

" Class dismissed. Don't forget your final drafts are due next week!'

YN immediately stood up and began packing her things with lighting speed.

" Love you, Jimin," she said, rushing down the steps, " I'll fill you in later!"

Jimin's goodbye rang out behind her. " Good luck, YN! Tell everyone I said hello!"

YN kept running, giving a thumbs up to her as she bolted out of the door. Dodging students came naturally to YN, since she usually did so to avoid the campus police.

( Now pause. Let's not be mistaken, she's a good kid. Twenty-two, straight A's, currently ranked fourth in her university, great friends who loved her, and a stable income from a job that has yet to fire her. But unfortunately, she took after her father when it came to common sense. For example, during her first year, she rode a hot pink golf cart around campus in a unicorn onesie to prove to Beomgyu that she was, in fact, not chicken.)

But apparently, her skills were getting rusty. She hadn't had any time to react before she slammed into a boy carrying a mile-high stack of books. Yelping, both came crashing down to the floor, books splaying everywhere. YN immediately sprung up, used to falling due to past experiences ( one of which happened last week).

But the boy did not fare the same. He remained on the floor, rubbing his head, still dazed. It gave her time to get a good look at him. She noticed his black hair was slightly messy as a cowlick stuck up from his head. His wire-rimmed glasses hung haphazardly from his face, barely hanging onto his pierced ear. When his cat-shaped eyes opened, they reminded YN of the tapioca at the bottom of the milk tea she made at work. She could stare at them for hours and hours and not get tired. His voice, revealing his tiredness, brought her back to reality.

" Are you okay?" His tone was seeped in worry, like it was her on the ground slightly buried in a pile of books and papers.

" Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! But are you okay? Can you stand? I am so sorry! Let me help you clean up!"

She quickly kneeled down to pick up some of the books, distracting herself from some of the titles so she didn't blatantly check the stranger out.

"How to a Run Medium-Sized Business: For Beginners, Stressed Out: Essays Submitted by the World's Most Stressed Out People, How Rude!: The Ultimate Guide for Handling Rude Customers.. poor guy," she thought to herself.

As she did so, another set of hands began picking up organic chemistry and advanced calculus papers with her handwriting on them.

" You seem to be in quite the hurry, so you can leave this to me!"

She waved off his request, smiling, " No, it's alright, most of the papers are mine anyway. And besides, my friends most likely expect me to be ten minutes late!"

" It seems we both were on our way to see friends," he responded kindly," As much as I would love to stay, I have to make sure they don't burn my apartment down- so let's finish quickly!"

Speedily, they continued, sorting books and papers and giving each other their respective property.

" Thank you so much for your help," the boy said, bowing as best as possible with twenty books.

" It was no big deal, it was my fault anyway, which again I'm sorry for," she responded, slightly embarrassed, " I'll let you get going! I don't want your apartment to be in flames because I kept you too long."

" Don't be sorry, it was an accident! I'll catch you later, yeah?"

Then, he showed her the warmest smile she had ever seen in her entire life. She could have sworn her heart stopped when she saw his dimples pop out. Her mind became a blank canvas, painted with only thoughts of this boy.

" Sure, " she managed to reply without stuttering.

He smiled again, killing YN's heart once more, and turned to walk towards his hopefully still-standing apartment. YN was thankful he was going in the opposite direction. He would have come face to face with her deep blush.

After his boba-shaped head disappeared,  she remembered why she was running in the first place. Sighing to herself, she began jogging once again. She sure hoped that Hanni had decided to bring extra Baja blasts for everyone.

She was going to need one to calm down her raging heart.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

prev | m.list | next

03: May the odds be in your favor, my dear

OR in which the daughter of bride has been tasked with planning her mother’s wedding and falls in love with the cute wedding planner

TAGLIST: (OPEN) send an ask or ask in the comments

TAGLIST: @idyllic-acid

a.note: and so the first meeting has happened! by the way, I practiced picking up fourteen books instead of twenty, just to see if the idea of carrying at least ten books made sense.

[meat-pvppet]

ok so im gonna infodump under the cut cuz im insane

warning! this all probably makes no sense and is really really messy

so remember this guy?

ive been reworking him actually ever since last year but i just never found a concept design i liked fully

yeah hes the one im gonna be reworking (and who im probably renaming to Lucius Donovan)

and tbh i still dont have one but whatever im gonna blast you all with his lore or what i got so far atleast (if youve been here long enough he might be a wittle familiar)

anyway he's the founder and sole human worker for a tech company focused on manufacturing robots and prosthetics

he was a prodigy whos been building rudimentary robots ever since he was a teenager, his eldest bot and personal assistant having been around since he was 17

when he started his business, he sought to help humanity using his bots, believing that humans were frail and robotic companions helping them would lessen the burden and help humanities chances of not imploding hopefully

once he started making a name for himself, he got into a huge accident (either caused by his own recklessness or a secondary character that ill need to polish up still) that took his legs, arm and a chunk of his face (mostly around the eyes and frontal lobe and a bit of his mouth)

still figuring out the full extent of the damage but just know his torso didn't go unscathed cuz obviously

most of the damage was obviously from the accident itself but also from getting crushed by rubble

its a miracle he even survived, but he was basically half dead so his bots were the ones to revive him using the tech he had already developed

the accident made him more reclusive and paranoid (not that anyone other than his walls know that cuz we love a guy whos really reclusive and paranoid and hides it all behind a mask of confidence), now adding more security measures to every bot he manufactured, even making it so every bot he had sent him the logs of their every action and everything they saw in case they couldnt identify smth properly

also following the accident he became less empathetic than he already was, making it difficult for him to understand more emotional reasonings behind things

also also following the accident, he began using robotic copies of himself to make public appearances whenever he really needs to cuz he thinks with how he is now he's no longer presentable in a way

and also cuz his paranoia and anxiety is so high he genuinely believes something horrible will happen to him or others as soon as he steps out of his factory that basically doubles as his home at this point due to him doing nothing but work all day

there are a few of these clones just

fucking around in his factory though, specifically in the underground facilities, that work as security

And also a way to bait people who do end up reaching the underground facilities looking to kill him or smth

also due to the nature of his prosthetics (and years of trial and error after the accident to improve them) hes kinda got a pseudo immortality thing going on where all this tech is basically gonna keep his body from failing

anyway he can keep adding more and more tech if something goes wrong

but then that makes him think about how disconnected he is from being human at this point

hes more metal than flesh and that makes him anxious

at what point is he just another one of his bots?