#Our baking is much better and their everything else is better

[writerjayne]

Wymack owns apartments au

This was inspired by my friend and their wacky ass neighbors in their Apartment complex (including one who is apparently wanted by the police??) We were talking about said neighbors and I went: what if the Foxes lived in the same apartment? But Exy wasn't a thing because being a team gives them a common interest (using that word very loosely), and just being neighbors would not. So without further ado, have this AU that I'll probably never write a full fic of:

So, keeping Wymack in character: he owns an apartment complex focused on renting to people who would be rejected/denied housing by other companies. He inherited it from his parents who were awful to thier tennatns and borderline slumlords. Wymack poured everything he had into the apartments, renovating and modernizing them, determined to make something better than his parents could ever dream of. Wymack lives on the premises and every opportunity he has to do the opposite of what his parents would do, he does. 

Dan's a stripper and can only pay cash? She has an awful credit score, but hey, rent's getting paid, why would Wymack care? (Eventually, he rents some units to her stage sisters too) Matt eventually moves in with Dan, and Wymack doesn't bat an eye. 

Nicky showed up as a 19 year old with two 15 year olds who he has custody of? Wymack knocked a wall down between two units so they had 3 rooms (even if they stayed in each other's rooms half the time Wymack understood the twins may need space and privacy as they get older), and he gave them a discounted rate until Nicky got a solid job.

Kevin escapes his abusive adoptive family and runs to the only other person he knows outside of that circle. If he has no money/prospects? Wymack knew Kevin's mother, of course, he'll take the kid in, set him up with an assistant manager job, and get him enrolled in classes so he can get a certification while also helping Kevin with the legal side of things. Kevin sleeps on Wymack's couch for a month before he's comfortable having his own apartment.

Renee, needing to start over far away from her old gang? Her mother called Wymack and he had a unit free. She quickly befriends other tenants and suggests a community garden to Wymack who is happy to oblige. (Andrew often gardens with her and everyone thinks the friendship is weird) She and Andrew bond per canon and Renee becomes the heart of the complex and as much of a unifying force as she can be given the circumstances.

Allison, disowned and cut off from family money, with no job? Wymack sets her up with a unit and helps her apply for jobs, telling her she won't pay rent until she has a job, as long as she keeps applying. She finds a job within the month and Wymack holds off on charging her rent anyway.

Seth can't hold a job and has multiple evictions on his record? Wymack still gives him a chance. Second and third ones too when rent's not paid. Or when cops show up looking for him. Or when he starts fights with his neighbors. Wymack can see the scared kid who just needs someone to believe in him. 

So when Neil shows up, clearly trouble and too young to be on his own, desperately trying to come across as normal, Neil, who flinches when Wymack moves too fast, but offers enough cash to cover first and last months' rent plus double Wymack's normal deposit request? Wymack asks no questions and simply sets him up in the unit across from Nicky and the twins. 

It would be easy for them to be the kind of neighbors who never interact, but enough of our Foxes are friendly/nosey that I think they would all eventually become friends. So here's how I think some of that would happen:

Allison and Seth do date but it would be a lot more volatile than cannon (though never abusive) with lots of fighting that everyone else in the building just get used to. (Dan and Renee always check on Allison and Matt eventually becomes friends with and starts checking in with Seth too) 

Renee is everyone's friend and often bakes (just seems like her vibe) she unintentionally scares the crap out of Neil his first night by dropping off some chocolate chip cookies to welcome him to the building. (Much later, she's very apologetic about it, and Neil is able to acknowledge that it wasn't anyone's fault. Besides, he had never been upset with her over it, just cautious)

Nicky is the nosiest neighbor but not to the point of invading people's privacy. Anytime there's movement outside, he's peeking out the windows and has been known to crack the window open to listen to loud conversations/arguments outside. He does know everything about everyone even though he hasn't been here the longest.

Aaron is still going to med school, Andrew and Nicky are supporting him.

Andrew often goes up to the roof to smoke (boy likes to be tall) and this is how he and Neil actually meet face to face. (Andrew was aware that there was a new tenant but hadn't seen him) Neil sits up there to burn cigarettes and stargaze, kinda. Andrew immediately is like 'this kid is weird, let's figure out all his secrets,' and Neil is basically along for the ride.

Neil would still be on the run but maybe from just his dad, Mary did still die so Neil was desperate for a slice of normal and took a chance with Wymacks apartments. I haven't expanded this to much further than what I've shared here so I don't have all the answers or even a plot really but I think Neil would pull everyone together like canon.

Layout-wise (if you're curious), I'm picturing we have Building 1:

First floor- Dan and Matt in A1, Allison in A2, Renee in A3 and Seth in A4

Second floor- Nicky and the twins in unit A5 and A6. Across from them is Neil in A7 and Kevin in A8 

Basement has washers and dryers as well as storage units for each apartment. 

Building 2 has Wymack's double unit (B1 and B2), Kevin still crashes here sometimes but Wymacks door is always open to anyone who needs to talk. Abby also has a unit in building 2, B5, and she also helps out where she can. 

Building 3 has an assortment of different tenants, some of Dan's stage sisters, a couple small families and a couple single person units. 

[wall-eye]

If you annoy people for fun, don't be surprised when people don't like you

Work rant in tags. Didn't know there was a 30 tag limit lol

[cursedcola]

Prompt: Couples will evidently begin to mimic their better half after some time. What traits do you steal from him, and vice versa? Fandom: Twisted Wonderland Characters: Everyone - because I want to and I’m amidst fleshing out all my Yuu/Character dynamics + designs Format: Headcannons. Masterlist: LinkedUP Parts: Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle (Here) | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia A/N: Putting all my brain rot from my notes into something cohesive. Contrary to my love for ripping your hearts out, I've come with some fluff this time around. BTW you may or may not already do things mentioned - I write my works with a specific Yuu in mind for each character so this is based on them. Just a reminder.

Habits You Steal:

Bargaining (Inherited AND Developed): No partner of Azul's is a shmuck. Not because of his standards (a little bit), but because you will learn to negotiate through trial and error. Being his pearl does not exclude you from daily verbal tango. He can and will still come after Ramshackle if given the opportunity. What? Just come stay in Octavinelle. He won't even charge for it, and you can bring Grim. He is always three steps ahead. Buying him a present is like the world's most daunting task, because he somehow already knows what's inside the box. Every. Time. Even if you shop a year in advance. Don't even start with arguments. He has a rebuttal for EVERYTHING. There is never a winner, only a settlement because he is so stubborn (and you equally so. Pride is contagious). As adults you're constantly exposed to business deals and sometimes have to deal with handling negotiations. Not to mention people with grudges against Azul attempting to shmooze their way through you. Only to find that you are just as manipulative.

"Pearl, Jade says that our deal with the Bas triplets for the next semester has been renewed? I hadn't scheduled their extension meeting until the first Saturday of next month. Would you have anything to say on this?" <- Long story short, the triplets tracked you down to beg for help in getting out of their work contract with Azul. He was always fair, and they entered willingly. No corruption on his part...but they were hell bent on not working in the kitchens with Floyd anymore. Solution? You managed to shmooze an extra week on their terms, in exchange for not being put on Floyd's shift anymore. Azul is so proud - but don't do that again. You're the one telling Floyd he doesn't get to play 'spot the difference' with the triplets anymore. Not him.

Smell Sensitivity (Developed): Nothing shanks the nostrils like sea brine. No pun intended. Lingering around Octavinelle equates to constantly smelling fish. Most students there come from the coral sea and don't mind it. Others only stop in for a quick bite to eat, and don't stay a moment more. The Mostro Lounge just has a potent smell that can't be found anywhere else. Like McDonald's french fries...but fish. Grim loves it, you now get nauseated when a scented candle is lit.

"Must you pinch your nose? Think of my- Octavinelle's reputation for a moment" <- Azul is brewing a scent masking potion as we speak. You're really hitting his pride here, even if you can't help it.

Glasses Wipes (Developed): Octopunk heats up when you so much as touch him in public. Then his glasses get foggy. If you wear makeup, its smears on his skin (to which he acts unbothered, but we all know it's a ruse). He obviously carries a hankey but having some wipes on hand is a nice gesture. Unnecessary, but sweet-ish.

Refined Pallet (Inherited): The cup ramen and foraged greens just do not cut it anymore. Not when Azul's made a VIP menu over at the lounge just for you. Sure, the place has a variety of options but he'll always get Floyd to cook up whatever you're in the mood for. At a discount (since Grim can eat him out of pocket). Have you ever had 100% dark, sea-salt chocolate imported from the coral sea? Ever tasted it in a rich devil's cake, baked fresh with only the best ingredients? Betty Crocker, who???

"I must say, your diet could still use some work - do not look at me that way. The twins found your hidden stash of instant noodles during our 'occupation' at Ramshackle. Under the stairs, pearl? Really? When was the last time your sodium was checked?"

Aversion to Sea Food (Developed): You will never understand how the Coral Sea students are okay with the Mostro Lounge. Neither what was running through Azul's head when he decided to open a SEA FOOD restaurant. Honestly? Red flag. One you ignored, but still a red flag. The existence of merpeople and therianthropes is still new and novel to you. To each their own, but you can't eat any sea creatures knowing that it could be - no, it can't be? Floyd's always joking that Azul is tasty but...it's just a joke, right?

"As much as Floyd loves to special make your chicken strips with wedges...why do you never order from the public menu? I assure you, Mostro Lounge is supplied with only the highest quality - h-huh? What crazy thoughts are you having?! Honestly!" <- This explains so much. He always thought you stared at the food with envy, because Grim would eat your pocket out and leave you to sip on lemon water. He had to force the special 'vip' meals down your throat at the start. is this why you're so uncomfortable having lunch with Floyd and his weekly Takoyaki binge?

Appraisal (Developed): Ever see those shows where a professional goes around to antique markets, and can point out forgeries, fake gems, etc. by eye? That is Azul. He's a collector of gadgets and gizmos aplenty - anyway. Strolls through antique marts, coin collecting showcases, and other marketing events will undoubtably train the eye over time. No scammer will ever shmooze ya out of house and home. Sorry Sam.

Habits He Steals:

Jacket (Developed): Mermen run cold. The uniform blazer Azul dons is more-so just for show than anything. Clothes are overall a novel concept, since most in the coral sea dress minimalistic (or not at all). The lounge runs quite chilly as well. Not enough to deter customers, but the perfect temperature to get uncomfortable after a few hours. Now Azul has many jealous bones in his body, and would rather drop dead than see one of the leech twins loan out their blazer so you can nap in the back room (they're doing it on purpose). Azul often offers his coat out to you the moment you walk inside - so often, that all the part-time workers know if you're on lot if he's walking without it.

"I need my jacket back, please. Why? N-no particular reason. Do I need an excuse to wear my own clothes?" <- Ruggie - Mostro Lounge's most reliable and simultaneously difficult part timer, mind you - was the first to pick up the correlation. If the VIP lounge was shut, and Azul was out doing quality rounds? It meant you were in the back, and he was in a better mood. The perfect time to sneak a platter unnoticed. Azul must take precautions.

Snitches Get Stitches (Developed): ONE perk of living with ghosts. Honey you get ALL the tea on campus. You just need to butter them up with a game of pranks and it’s ripe for the taking. Now, who do you think is going to make full use of this? Azul. They won’t give it to him directly because it’s more fun to make him frustrated. Which means he has to go through you. *Which means* he gets very crafty in buttering you up for details.

Midnight Hour (Developed): This mainly applies to his adult years. Wherever he goes - business or otherwise - you come with more often than not. As a youth his dealings were important - yes. Yet he was still getting his swimming legs in business and his primary demographic was students. Contrary to his pride, Azul wasn't someone important. Someone actually worth targeting like the Briar Prince. The real world is much more risky. You can help with negotiations and running facilities. You might 'think' he is tossing you into the end zone with all his ambitions...but no. Any dealings with high-stake confrontations are handled only after midnight.

"Two-o-clock in the am hours. That is the latest I can offer - well, it seems we've reached an impasse. This deal clearly is not worth my effort, if such 'accommodations' are beyond your capabilities. Allow one of my partners to escort you off the premises." <- Let's make one thing clear. No contract is ever worth putting you at risk. One twin (usually Jade) will remain at his side, the other (Floyd...because he's honestly not the best for negotiations. More guard dog material, and has fun hanging out with you) back with at the house/hotel. Azul doesn't trust 'anyone', and the Leech family is obviously in business with him. He takes no chances, screw probability, and can't kill the inner control-nerd in him. He's never out past three-am and would rather you feel a bit left out then dead somewhere in the Stillwater.

Land Legs (Developed): Considering he will be on land more for the foreseeable future, Azul puts more effort to building his land legs. Not that he wasn't trying before, but there wasn't any guarantee that he'd be working the land beyond NRC. So with the reassurance that 'something' (someone) will require his attention on shore, he decides to invest the effort. Azul will not get on one of those flying deathtraps past academy years though. He's getting a license and pulling up in a new Bugatti.

Pictures (Inherited): Much to Azul's chagrin, you love photos. Maybe it's because you have little to recall from your own world. Maybe it's because you're in the photography club. Maybe it's because you love his misery - but you are always taking photos. At first he insisted that you never get him in the frame. He hates them. Still does, do not misunderstand...and the idea of someone having so many with him included eats him up. Yet his insistent denials do lessen, and he tolerates them. You cannot post them anywhere. Yet...he will only 'mildly' grimace when looking at them around your house. Only because who the heck is coming over that he hasn't approved of?

"This picture? Ah...that is my dear pearl. They are breathtaking, are they not? I truly am the most fortunate man alive. Ah. My apologies, let's return to discussing the contract terms. May I see your completed punch-card?" <- And because you're in them too. As a youth, he kept your photo on his desk in the lounge. Sometimes a client would ask about you, and he'd lapse for a moment before folding the frame down and out of their view. He'd tuck it away whenever you came around, but would talk to it when alone. About his day, his work, whatever first year came crying because Floyd used them as a dart board - and dare I say that he'd keep a family photo in your later years together. Azul hates pictures of himself, but not as much as he loves ones of you. Look at him. Big softie.

—

"Of course. I have remarkable potential as an instructor, do I not? Is it not a great fortune to have me as one's partner? Take this as a lesson that your boss can influence even the most lost souls." == Azul shows no reservation. The moment he caught two part-timers gossiping about your 'conversion' to the 'dark side'. Why, he was positively beaming. His grin wide with a touch of something sinister. Gossip is fine, but they should know better than to do so in his den. Anything noteworthy would undoubtably reach his ears with time, but oh was it a joy to watch them squirm. Honestly. They're fortunate that he's in such a good mood - what was intended to be slandering has just made his day. They're still getting put on shift with Floyd though. He's merciful, yet no martyr.

Habits you steal:

Foraging (Inherited): You are always looking around for plants to propagandize. It's like stealing but not - because Crowley doesn't have any 'rules' about it so...heh. Free food. Jade's a living encyclopedia when it comes to botany and agriculture. He's the whole reason you've got a mini apothecary going in the kitchen and that instant-noodle stash got amped up in flavor. What? you ever add some fresh mushrooms and green onions to that instant chicken yakisoba? Mwah. The mountain lover's club needs to look out, 'cause the Ramshackle Prefect is about to bleed campus dry for every last specimen.

Yapping (Developed): Spinning off the above 'route'. Many people think Floyd's the talkative twin. Nah. This motherf*cker does NOT shut up. He treats you like his second conscience, asking questions he doesn't expect to be answered and giving commentary like your own personal narrator. Who needs thoughts when he literally says everything before you can think it? Floyd salutes you - 'cause finally. Finally, it isn't him subjected to Jade's inner spiels. Sorry Shrimpy, you are a sacrifice he's willing to make. If you ever break up or fight with Jade - Floyd's going to hunt you down - he can never go back. Never.

On a side note, you're an excellent listener now.

Tea (Inherited): Do you hate tea? No you don't. Not Jade's tea. There isn't much to comment on here, other than you will develop a taste for his Atlantic Twice-Seeped Water-Lily brew. You'll be craving it every night if ever sent back to our world (as if that'll happen). Mixed with honey from the Afterglow Savannah and served in a baby-blue ceramic cup that has a shimmer handle. That's your mug, by the way. He has other brews...some improvised and caution is indeed extended. They're tasty for the most part though.

“Ah, just smell that aroma. I developed this blend made just for you, my dear. I’m not one to seek out sweet floral notes for my tea, yet this flavor is an acquired taste that pulls you in for more. I finish the cup without realizing each time” -> Jade can be sweet himself, when he wants to be.

Wearing gloves (Developed): Jade makes you touch weird shit. All the time. Unprompted. He also makes you eat weird shit, but more often than not you can escape by shoveling his experiments onto someone he can get a more interesting reaction out of. Classically condition him not to feed you the weird shit by being unresponsive - off topic. Point is that with his obscene collection of terrariums? Plus being pulled along for foraging quests? You will be touching unknown and possibly poisonous plants, bugs, dirt, maybe some aquatic creatures like toads and fish. For all that is good, keep a pack of rubber gloves in your schoolbag. Keep a pair of insulated leather gloves in your breast pocket at all times too. Hand Sanitizer as well. Who knows when you’ll be elbow deep in murky water riddled with mysterious rainbow moss. What makes it rainbow? You don’t know and Jade won’t say. He does quip that it changes colors with emotions. Screw Twisted Wonderland and it’s freakish botany.

“Oh my, would you look at that vibrant shade of purple. Why are you so frightened? These are meant to be happy ‘bonding’ times for us as a couple, isn’t that what you said? Fufu - oh. Hurry up and put it in this jar. You’ll ruin the sample at this pace,” <- In truth, Jade saw red blooming at the edges of the moss and called quits before your nerves turned to anger. Fear? Amusing. Especially since you have more harmful ‘house plants’ growing on the mantle back at your dorm. Curtesy of Jade himself, of course. Azul doesn’t let him store his more precarious collection in Octavinelle and what you don’t know won’t hurt you. Yet he won’t push the jokes too far, since so few ever come out foraging with him. No no. He needs you to continue as a willing participant. Don’t get angry at him just yet, there are still so many places to explore and the day is young!

Doppelgänger Paranoia (Developed): The Leech twins tried to pull that shit where they swapped places for a day. Therefore you are now freakishly paranoid of Floyd trying to take Jade’s place to pull a prank. It is no help that Floyd is insanely good at mimicking his brother and vice versa. Sure, you could make a keyword or ask Jade to wear something special as a give away. Mark him. Maybe make an excuse of it being a thing human couples do and stick a pin on his lapel. Yet there isn’t a guarantee that he won’t just let Floyd in on it to see what happens. He’s a jerk like that, but your jerk nonetheless.

“Your caution is entertaining, and I do find all this extra attention flattering. Yet there are more taxing worries to mull over, wouldn’t you agree? Surely I’ve earned enough trust to circumvent any doubts in that mind of yours?” -> Do you know that the twin-swap was just a one time trick? Probably not. Doing it again would be boring with no novel results, but Jade does love watching you squirm with suspicion. He’ll offer an assurance eventually, and it will be your call to believe him or not. Until then? He has no problem being under your watchful eye. It’s quite cute, after all.

Habits he steals:

Grammar Control (Developed): Purely to piss you off. Coming from another world - your dialect isn't exactly the same as everyone in Twisted Wonderland. There are region specific languages, and then there is the common tongue. For simplicities sake, let's just say that everyone in TWST can speak common tongue and transferring over gave you this ability. Except (like Epel) you carry a heavy accent - and Jade loves to play grammar police. Your irritation never ceases to amuse him. That's right. He's the train kid from the 'Polar Express'. Just less nasal.

“Let’s try to capture that illusive letter ‘R’, shall we? You don’t want to give onlookers any more ammunition as a respectable prefect.”-> Says the only person using this as ammunition, except for Ace when he gets really snappy and Riddle’s mild cringe when your accent butchers a toast at the Unbirthday party. At this point you’re hearing ‘red leather, yellow leather’ and ‘mark went on a lark after dark’ in your sleep.

Routes (Developed): Another one with the need to have a bit of control. Just a bit. Get ready to roll out of bed at the ass-crack of dawn, because he will be there at five-am sharp to haul you back to Octavinelle (or on a hike. Saturday's only). Isn't it a human custom to stick close to your partner? He's just making sure you're cared for. Which is why you exist attached to his hip most days

Symbiosis 1 (Developed): Only a mild-note for Jade. His brother, noted below, takes this concept more to heart. Jade uses it as an enhancing factor to an already “well-rounded” relationship. The law of the sea dictates that those stronger will enter a ‘pact’ with weaker creatures - protection in exchange for care. You are not in need of protection with that frosh posse and stubborn head of yours. Jade mostly uses this ‘symbiotic relationship’ as a way to get you to do things for him, and to talk down your impulsive behaviors from time to time. Aka you won’t create excessive trouble if it means he feels ‘bound’ to go with (as if he wouldn’t be overjoyed to get in some chaos)

Observation (Developed?): Jade...knows everything about you. It's infuriating (to you, not him), but you are still a potential client regardless of his personal interest. Hobbies, tastes, your worst and best subject, weaknesses -all categorized. Azul and his business come first. Yet you're the only student on campus that has a 'doctored' file. Why?

“I never realized you are adverse to crowds. Yet you handle navigating Night Raven with no difficulties? Is this a mere preference, or would you prefer to find somewhere quiet while I accompany the others? What do you need?” -> (During Playful Land Event) He can't get the finer details without asking questions. There is no source for information about your world or your person other than your word of mouth. His unique magic would be easy - but it's just one question. One, and you might be too resilient for a response. Where's the fun? What makes this a habit is that Jade's keen eye becomes sharper.

Ramshackle (Developed): Bro just moved in. I’m serious. He got permission by pulling a favor. Azul doesn’t let him keep the more precarious plants in Octavinelle, so Jade has overtaken the kitchen with potted flora and fungi. Floyd is enthusiastic that he doesn't have to share a room - what? Twins don't always stick together. Those two probably fight more than they get along. Plus with Jade at Ramshackle it's an excuse to go see what's up with Shrimpy and maybe play with torture the little freshies you hang around with. It’s chapter three but you aren't booted out and have to deal with both Leeches every day. Seven preserve you.

—

“I let my excitement get the better of me for a moment…please, continue as if I am not here. My apologies.” == How rare for Jade’s mask to slip in front of his underclassmen. He was able to brush it off - giving a fib about his clubs upcoming excursion (not entirely untrue. He is excited to go for a hike with you this weekend). Yet the normally dull gossip of his dorm-mates was too much to bare. Not because your changes are becoming more pronounced, but because these little fish are foolish enough to think it’s making him soft. Enough to gossip so blatantly in his earshot? Gods, they make his job much too easy.

Habits you steal:

Leering (Inherited): Floyd...oh dear. He has this habit of staring holes into the back of your head. Anyone's head, really. His presence is intimidating, and it's hard not to pick up what’s going on in his head. There's a catch to this though. You only leer at other people when he isn't around. Too busy with the man in question to bother 'people-watching' (unless you're actually pissed). Riddle is constantly on edge now because he has TWO people giving him the heebee-jeebies. Prefect, it was bad enough you were taking influence from ADeuce. Now the Leech brothers? Well, he'd still take you over Floyd any day. At least you won't try to act on that unsettling aura...yet.

“Somethin’ on my face?…why’re you staring at me like that? Unless you want my attention? Hehe, ya shoulda just said so!” <- Floyd can do it to you, but you can’t to him. Not unless you want to be suplexed and squished tightly for hours on end.

Impulse actions (Inherited): Chaotic energy anyone? Floyd needs a partner who is one of two things - can kick his ass on occasion so he'll play nice, or who will match his freak. Since matching the strength of a Moray Eel isn't something most humans can do? Well, maybe a bitch slap here or there but be aware he is letting it happen. Just know. Better be playful too, not no actual challenge. Point being- you need to match his freak. No buzz-kills.

“Ne Ne~ Yanno, I’ve never seen those super fancy fireworks you land people like to set off. Wanna go get some and rig the - eh? You already got them?….Hahaha Shrimpy’s getting gutsy. I’m so happy” -> His eyes are practically glowing with anticipation. You’re now Azul's third headache 1000%, someone get that man an Asprin.

Snacks (Developed): Floyd can EAT. The only one with a stronger appetite is Jade, but he has a better control over his hunger. While their bodies changed to look human, their appetites did not decrease. Going with ‘symbiosis,’ Floyd gets a bit needy and talks like you’re his internal clock. Jade’s the yapper but Floyd just expects you to know what he needs. So you will always be carrying a selection of snacks (Grim gets in on this) in your bag/purse. Also fidget toys. Not for eating, but to give him when you’re stuck anywhere particularly boring. Props if you can somehow get a two-in-one with the twisted wonderland equivalent of those Air Heads Pull-Aparts.

Lullaby and Goodnight (Developed) : Instant calming effect. Merfolk are very particular with music and are sensitive to vocals. Floyd in particular is super picky. You could be the worst singer on the planet (Floyd will give you half-assed lip for it if you are, in all fairness) but the easiest way to calm him down is with music. It’s cringey and unrealistic to us land-folk but there’s plenty of singing in Atlantica. So humming a soft lullaby for him while sitting together won’t earn any looks in Octavinelle. Unless you sound awful, to which he will punt anyone that speaks out. Not that they would, since a calm Floyd is a godsend no matter the means achieved.

“Did I say you could listen in, hah? Sounds to me like someone’s in the mood for ‘my’ kinda song….don’t move, Shrimpy. This’ll be quick.” <- Good or bad - doesn’t matter. Getting to hear you is Floyd’s privilege. He’s a bit possessive of it, to be frank. So if someone butts in when he’s in the middle of calming down, Floyd’s going to be pissed to the max.

The Little Mermaid (Inherited): Drags you down to the sea at every opportunity. Don’t fight him, just guzzle the vomit-inducing potion and get a move on. Floyd doesn’t care how much a mer-transfiguration potion costs, Azul can take care of it. Floyd hates being restrained to dry land, and hey. He’s up here, so it’s only fair you go down into the sea trenches too. Don’t worry, he won’t take you anywhere too dangerous. He’ll even teach you how to get your sea legs - fish legs? Look. He teaches you how to swim in your mer-form, which he is severely disappointed does not resemble a shrimp.

Habits he steals:

Phone Privileges (Developed) : Floyd’s cellphone is normally in DND mode at all times. The only exceptions are Azul and his Momma - Jade was one too up until they came to dry land. There’s only so many mushroom photos and long voicemails about random crap that Floyd can take. Oh - and you’re an exception now. He saves all your voicemails - some for callbacks to win arguments and others to play when he’s about to sleep. You just better be careful when you call him and what for, also always pick up if he calls you. Otherwise there’s going to be one angry eel lurking by your bedroom window. With ‘first-contact’ privileges, all the unflattering candid pics he has of you are just a click away from being shared if he feels like it (teases but wouldn’t do it. Well, unless you really are ignoring him. Be warned)

Using F*cking Doors(Inherited) : Yes. Yes, you read that right. Floyd loves to parkour across campus. The amount of times he’s snuck into Ramshackle through that tiny circle window in the attic is frustrating. You’re seriously considering bolting the thing shut if it keeps him off the roof and on the ground. Y’know, for someone who can’t fly a broom? He sure has no problem climbing brick walls with his bare hands like some kinda cockroach. A Leech cockroach. Jamil’s worst nightmare good god. After the sixth-or-so heart attack, Floyd’s not allowed anywhere near Ramshackle if it’s not through the front door. The ghosts have strict instructions to punt him…to which he took as a challenge (because of course he did). Until a window was smashed, and you sent hellfire down upon him.

“I said it was an’ accident! What more do you want from me, huh? It’s your fault anyway for sicking those ghost fish on me - Urk…fiiine. I’m sorry or whatever” <- Always will back down the moment you come across as genuinely pissed. Usually with a grunt and hiss under his breath, kicking his foot before stalking off to cool down for a bit. Always fixes whatever he broke or tries to make amends once his mood is less sour.

Symbiosis II (Developed): Paired with the above 'match his freak' and second rendition of Jade's. Except Floyd is 100% serious. Floyd's going to do right by you, but you've got to do right by him. People are going to wonder why the small-pint prefect is sitting here covering one of bro's shifts (they feared for your life when you basically told him to 'fuck off', knowing he was angry after getting scolded by Azul) but that's how it is. Floyd's symbiosis is different than Jade's. He's more impulsive, yet also more predictable with what he needs. The definition of "no one can tell me to do shit except my spouse" 'cause symbiosis is a mutual respect and trade. No one can pick on you except for him. No one can help you the way he does. He is not going anywhere. Ever. Bonded for life - that kind of ‘sappy shit’.

"I already said I don't wanna... ughhh, babysitting those frosh fishies is so booooring. Can't we just ask Azul to lock 'em in a tank or somethin'?.... ALRIGHT, Little Shrimpy. I get it already so stop yammering in my ear...." <- Floyd's the softer brother, if you can believe that. Acts of service are what get him and he thrives on being needed. So you'll be doing it a lot to earn that compliance from him. Be the iron fist that gets him to back down, and simultaneously the one slipping him a few party poppers to set off at one of Heartslabyul's tea-parties as a reward.

The ✨Fashion✨ (Developed) : Surface-world fashion is one of Floyd’s special interests. Oddly enough? You’re a perfectly-sized dress up doll. It’s cute how large his shoes are in comparison to your feet. Hah! You look like a clown clobbering around in those things. He 100% gives you a pair of light up sneakers that sparkle when you walk - makes it easier to find you in crowds. Not that he needs to. Mostly it’s just for fun. He’ll even get a matching pair so you don’t feel zeroed out.

VIP Menu (Developed) : Floyd has a ‘secret’ menu over at the Mostro Lounge. He’s the head cook, don’t ya know? Makes real tasty dishes. C’mon, praise him. He’ll add a few dishes just for you since you’re so picky - that’s a bad trait to have for a broke Shrimp by the way. Good thing he’s around to make sure you’re eating.

“Oi! I told ya that was for you. If the lil’ seal’s hungry he can get somethin’ off the menu on his own…unless he’s lookin’ for a squeeze?” <- One major gripe Floyd has with Grim is how he’s always mooching off your plate. It’s fine if Azul’s picky with his food, cause that’s Azul. You’re different ‘cause in Floyd’s mind responsible for you. Again. He takes the symbiosis thing more seriously than Jade, and will poke your cheek relentlessly and comment if it’s lost it’s squish. He always serves you something to eat, even if you don’t order. Doesn’t let anyone else prepare it either.

Protective (Developed) : At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Floyd is very attentive. He’s clingy as hell and always looking for an excuse to have a good tussle - you’re his favorite person to screw with. Yet only himself, Azul, and Jade get the green card to look at you with anything other than respect. Cause he knows they don’t mean it - and even your little freshman buddies don’t get a pass. Maybe the seal since Floyd could squish Grim like a grape and he knows it. Leona’s almost gotten many challenges for the whole ‘herbivore’ thing.

—

“ ‘s nice, right? What’s better than one of me? Two, hah! Jade might have my face but now Shrimpy’s got my personality” == Finds the situation funny for like, an hour? Maybe two? Doesn’t matter because ‘Shrimpy is Shrimpy’ - plain as that, really. He gets more joy out of teasing people when they find out you’re with him. As if Floyd gives two sh*ts what other people think? Nah.

[imjustreadinglmao]

BLUE PART II

Paring: Azriel x reader, Lucien x platonic!reader

Series summary: After Azriel and Elain‘s courtship is revealed, their mates, Lucien and Y/N, are left to deal with the consequences. While fighting against Koschei and for Prythian‘s freedom, Y/N has to navigate her emotions and learn how to live with the heartbreak of a one sided mating bond. But what happens when secrets are revealed and everything turns out differently than they thought?

Warnings: unrequited love, death, detailed descriptions of fights and blood, angst, characters being idiots

A/N: my last azrielxreader post won’t appear in the tags so reblogs are very much appreciated.

Word count: 3.3k

It’s a beautiful, crisp spring morning. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and the wind carries the lovely scent of freshly baked pies. I sigh at the prospect of leaving this peaceful place and trading it for the Autumn Court.

As I push the heavy oak doors of the River House open, I can feel anxiety coursing through my veins. After fleeing Autumn seventy-three years ago, I didn’t expect to return there so soon, even if only temporarily. It was difficult for me to leave. I couldn’t risk telling anyone about my plans, so I never had the chance to say goodbye.

Knowing my father, he had probably been more concerned about how me leaving would affect his standing with the High Lord and the other noble families. But my mother and sister… I would give a lot to see them again.

All those years, I have missed the familiarity of my home court, the traditions, and the celebrations I cherished so much as a child.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself as I step into the foyer. Rhysand, Amren, Azriel, and Lucien are already there, waiting for me.

Except for Lucien and me, who are wearing traditional Autumn Court attire, everyone else is dressed in midnight black.

Lucien looks up as I enter, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. “You look… convincing,” he says.

I let out a breathy laugh at that. The last time he saw me in Autumn colors was at a ball my family hosted, which ended with me puking my guts out, most of it landing on Lucien’s shoes.

Judging by the face he is making, he hasn’t forgotten either.

Azriel, standing beside him, nods in agreement. “It suits you,” he says quietly, his gaze lingering on me for a moment longer than necessary.

His shadows peek over his shoulder as if they want to take a look too.

I try to ignore the flutter of emotions his words stir within me. Instead, I focus on the mission ahead, on the role I must play. The safety of Prythian depends on our success, and I can’t afford to let myself get distracted.

Rhysand steps forward, a mischievous smile on his face. “I have to say, you both pull off Autumn Court fashion far better than I expected. Maybe we should visit the Autumn Court more often.”

Amren, her eyes assessing our disguises, retorts, “If you spent as much time on strategy as you do on fashion critiques, we’d have won the war by now.”

I have to cover my mouth to not laugh out loud and accidentally anger the century-old creature that’s lurking beneath that Fae body.

Rhys just rolls his eyes, clearly undeterred by her sharp tone. “I’ll have you know that looking good is part of the strategy.”

With one last look at me, he stretches out his hand and asks, “Ready?”

I nod, take his hand, and let him winnow me away.

———————————————————

Arriving at the southern border of the Autumn Court, I am immediately struck by the beauty of the landscape. The trees here are taller than I remember, their leaves a riot of red, orange, and gold, perpetually caught in the peak of autumn. The air carries the earthy scent of fallen leaves and the smoke of distant fires burning in hearths.

As we step onto the moss-covered ground, bittersweet memories flood my mind. I find myself thinking of the simpler days of my youth, the carefree ones.

I feel dark talons gently scraping at the shields in my mind and lwt Rhys in. So lost in the beautiful nature, I barely realize him wishing us good luck and winnowing back to Velaris.

Right after Rhys leaves, Azriel begins to scout the area for any magical traps or shields set by Koschei, leaving us to wait for his return. As the minutes stretch into an hour, my anxiety starts to build.

I pace restlessly, my mind conjuring all sorts of terrible scenarios.

Lucien tries to reassure me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“He’ll be fine,” Lucien says softly. “Azriel knows what he’s doing.”

But his words do little to calm me.

“How can you be so sure? He could be injured… or worse. We don’t know what Koschei is capable of!” I snap.

I begin to ramble, listing every possible way Azriel could have gotten hurt. “What if he’s caught in a trap? What if there’s a magical barrier he can’t break?”

Just thinking about him being in trouble makes me want to vomit. “That’s it. He’s taken long enough. I’m going to find him and—”

Amren steps in, her voice cutting through my panic. “Enough. Get your shit together. We don’t have time for this.”

Her bluntness shocks me into silence, and I sulk, feeling chastised.

But Amren isn’t finished. “Oh, quit acting like a child. Maybe if you told him about your feelings and the mating bond, you wouldn’t be so anxious, girl.”

My mouth drops open and I look to Lucien, his face also morphed into shock. When I look back to Amren, she just lifts an eyebrow.

“How do you know about the bond?”

Amren lets out a long sigh. “Only someone stupid wouldn’t have picked up on that. And Azriel being the stupidest of all.”

She rolls her eyes and starts picking at her nails. “We all suspected it. For a while we thought it snapped for Azriel too. The way he followed you around like a love sick fool, we were sure of it. But I guess it didn’t.”

I don’t say anything else after that, my mind not coming up with a response.

——————————————————

Another hour passes, and my worry only deepens. I can’t stop imagining Azriel injured or trapped, his shadows unable to find a way back to us. Every rustle of the leaves makes me jump, hoping it’s him returning.

Lucien tries to keep me distracted, but my thoughts are a whirl of dread. He tells me stories of his own missions, but I can’t focus on his words. My mind is entirely on Azriel.

Finally, just as the sun reaches its peak, Azriel returns. He looks slightly worse for wear, his clothes torn in some places and his face smeared with dirt, but otherwise unharmed. He notices the tension immediately, his eyes narrowing in concern.

“What happened?” Azriel asks, looking between us.

I step toward him, my relief overwhelming. “Are you okay? What took you so long?”

Azriel nods, his expression serious. “There were more traps than I anticipated. It took a while to disable them all, but the path should be clear now.”

Amren crosses her arms. “Good. We don’t have time for any more delays.”

Lucien places a hand on my shoulder again, this time with a reassuring squeeze. “See? I told you he’d be fine.”

I manage a weak smile, still shaken by the fear that gripped me. Azriel’s eyes soften as he looks at me.

“We should move quickly,” Azriel says, breaking the moment. “It won’t be long till they notice that their shields and traps were destroyed. Amren and I will accompany you to the Forrest House, then we’ll separate and follow the original plan. It’s too dangerous otherwise. We can’t risk you.”

Lucien nods and gestures for me to go first. “Let’s get moving then. The sooner we’re done here, the better.”

We begin to move deeper into the forest, leading to Beron’s residence. The beauty of the surroundings contrasts sharply with the danger I know lurks nearby.

As we walk, I steal glances at Azriel, wondering how he can be so calm and collected all the time.

Gods, I nearly lost my mind over him doing his job. I am a hypocrite for snapping at him the other day. Yes, I am mad at him for courting Elain, but I also can’t expect him to be loyal to me when he doesn’t even know that we’re mates.

How different things would be if it had just snapped for him the second it did for me...

It happened three years ago. Unbeknownst to us, we were just celebrating the last winter solstice without Rhys when it snapped into place.

One moment I was admiring him from afar, the next I was connected to him for the rest of my immortal life.

He had still been in love with Mor back then, so I chose not to say anything. A huge mistake, because soon after, Elain came into the picture.

Truthfully, I never thought they were anything more than friends until I overheard Rhysand ordering Azriel to stay away from her. It wasn’t until then that I realized I had lost him forever. He wasn’t going to stay away from her, so I accepted my fate and kept silent.

———————————————————

After five hours of hiking through bushes, stepping in rabbit holes, and nearly getting killed by a boar, I can feel the exhaustion creeping into my bones.

“Can we please take a break? My legs are going to fall off,” I ask.

Amren smirks, not breaking her stride. “And here I thought you were tougher than this.”

Only Rhysand’s plea to behave and work together holds me back from strangling her. Gods, she really is a cranky hag.

Lucien chuckles softly and turns to me. “We’re only a few minutes away. Hang in there.”

I groan but press on. As we finally crest a hill, the sight of Beron’s castle comes into view, exactly as I remembered it. The imposing structure looms against the deep orange sky, its dark stone walls lined with creeping ivy. Tall, narrow windows glint in the dawning light.

“It’s just like I remember,” I whisper, a mixture of awe and dread washing over me.

Lucien glances at me, his expression unreadable. “Let’s get ready. We need to find a way to get in there.” He points to the entrance of the castle, where nobles are lined up to enter the masquerade ball hosted by the High Lord himself.

We slip through the dense forest that surrounds the castle, our movements silent and precise. Azriel scouts ahead, his shadows cloaking him in near invisibility. After what feels like an eternity, we find a secluded spot to prepare for our infiltration.

“Here,” Amren hands both Lucien and me a stack of clothes. “These are your disguises. You will pose as Lord and Lady Hawthorn. The late Lord Hawthorn died three months ago. You are recently married with no offspring or heir yet. This is your first outing as Lord and Lady. Some might recognize your name, though they should not look twice your way. Be discreet and don’t draw attention.”

“What about the real Lord and Lady Hawthorn? What if they decide to turn up and out us as imposters?” I ask.

Azriel shifts on his feet and answers a bit sheepishly, “Don’t worry, they have already been dealt with.”

My brows furrow in confusion. “What do you—” realization dawns over me. “Oh… oh, okay. I guess that makes this a lot easier.”

I grab the clothes Amren gave me and head for the nearest bush to change. When I look back, Azriel has his head tilted sideways and smiles at me.

The dress I change into is a deep burgundy, adorned with delicate golden embroidery.

The fabric is soft and luxurious and fits me like a second skin. The mask is made of similar fabric, with intricate golden lace around the edge of it.

As I step out from behind the bush, my eyes find Azriel’s immediately.

His eyes, usually so guarded, widen slightly as they take in my appearance, his gaze lingering on the details of my dress and the way it clings to my form.

“You look… stunning,” he murmurs, his voice low and sincere.

I feel a blush rise to my cheeks and look away, focusing on Lucien. Lucien is similarly attired, his outfit complementing mine with its dark tones and subtle elegance.

He grins at me. “Shall we, Lady Hawthorn?”

I bark out a laugh. “We shall, Lord Hawthorn.”

———————————————————

Getting inside the Forrest House was easier than expected. We just walked right up to the entrance, stated our names, handed them our fake invites, and were ushered in.

As we step into the grand ballroom, the sheer opulence of the scene takes my breath away.

Crystal chandeliers hang from the high ceilings, casting a warm glow over the sea of elegantly dressed nobles. Musicians play softly in one corner, their melodies mingling with the murmur of conversation and the clinking of glasses.

At the far end of the room, atop a raised dais, sits Beron, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd. To his right stands Eris. Our eyes meet briefly, and I give a subtle nod, which he returns.

Lucien and I mingle with the guests, keeping our eyes and ears open, waiting for Eris to give us our signal.

As Beron rises from his throne, a hush falls over the grand ballroom. The guests turn their attention to him. He begins to address the crowd, his voice echoing through the vast space.

“Welcome, esteemed guests, to this celebration of our enduring legacy and power,” Beron proclaims, his tone laced with self-satisfaction.

Just as he is about to continue, the heavy doors of the ballroom burst open. A squadron of Eris’s soldiers rushes in, their armor clanking loudly. The crowd parts like a tide, murmurs of confusion and fear rippling through the room.

Beron’s confident façade falters, replaced by one of anger and panic. “What is the meaning of this?” he demands, his voice rising in pitch as he glares at the soldiers.

Eris steps forward, his demeanor calm and resolute. “Father,” he begins, his voice carrying a chilling edge, “it is time. Your reign has been marked by tyranny and cruelty, and I will no longer stand by and watch my people suffer under your rule.”

Beron’s eyes narrow, a sneer curling his lips. “You think you can overthrow me, Eris? It takes more than a few soldiers to claim this throne.”

Eris begins to smile. “Oh, I know. A noble to swear me in and an heir to secure the lineage, right? Well, here they are.” He gestures to Lucien and me.

My eyes widen as I whisper-shout in Lucien’s ear, “He cannot be serious? THIS is his plan?!”

Lucien replies, equally as quiet. “I have learned a long time ago not to question my brother’s way of handling things.”

“You are truly deluded, Eris.” Beron laughs, a harsh, mocking sound. “They won’t accept a random noble as your heir.”

Eris stands his ground, his gaze unwavering. “But they will. Take off your masks,” he says to Lucien and me.

And so we do. Nobles everywhere are gawking at us. Some eyes fixed on me, most on Lucien.

Beron steps down from the dais. “What a surprise. The lost son finally returns home.” He turns his gaze to me. “And you, you’re Lord Yarrow’s daughter, no?”

I don’t answer. Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could. I’m rooted in place, not taking my eyes off Beron.

Beron turns to Eris again. “Well, it seems you really are full of surprises. But you’re forgetting one important thing. You would have to kilI me to claim the throne. And you’ve always been weak, Eris. You’re not strong enough, but you shall try.”

In that moment, I realize what Eris was doing. He was provoking his father into accepting his challenge, and Beron just did exactly that.

“I’ve had a long time to prepare.”

And with that, all hell breaks loose.

———————————————————

Chaos erupts as Beron and Eris clash, their swords flashing in the bright light of the ballroom. Beron's strikes are powerful, but Eris is swift and precise, his fire magic flaring up with every swing.

Lucien and I are quickly surrounded by Beron's soldiers. The nobles' screams fill the air as they flee the room in terror. I manage to grab a blade as the first soldier aims right for my neck.

My heart races as I parry another soldier's blow, my muscles straining with each clash of steel. Lucien fights beside me, his own fire magic scorching the air around us, incinerating our enemies with fiery blasts.

The ballroom is a whirlwind of chaos.

As we cut through the soldiers, our eyes are locked on the fight between Eris and Beron. We try to reach them, but more and more of Beron’s soldiers are streaming in.

Eris and his father fight with brutal intensity, their swords ringing out as they meet. Eris dodges and strikes with a precision that keeps Beron on his toes, but his experience gives him the upper hand, forcing Eris back step by step.

Just as Lucien and I are within seconds of reaching Eris and Beron, the ballroom doors burst open again. Five of Koschei's soldiers, dark magic radiating from them, storm in. They immediately begin slaughtering nobles, women, and children alike. Their dark magic tears through Eris's soldiers as if they were paper.

Lucien and I have no choice but to turn away from Eris and Beron and face Koschei’s magic wielders.

I take several hits to the gut, and a sword slices across my cheek, but I fight on, managing to take down one of the dark soldiers. Lucien, with his fire magic, kills two more, but before the third soldier is turned into ash, he drives a sword straight through Lucien’s chest.

Lucien collapses to his knees, blood pouring from the wound. I rush to his side, my heart pounding in my chest. Lucien's eyes flutter, and he tries to speak, but I stop him. "Save your energy," I beg.

He begins to close his eyes, the loss of blood making him weaker and weaker. "Lucien, stay with me!" I cry, trying to stem the flow of blood with my hands.

I have to get him to a healer fast; otherwise, he will bleed out. So I do the only thing I can think of.

Desperate, I tug on the bond with Azriel, praying that he will sense my distress.

A moment later, Azriel bursts into the room, Amren in tow. Azriel’s eyes widen with panic as he spots me and Lucien. He rushes to us, dropping to his knees beside Lucien.

"Azriel, you have to winnow him back to Velaris," I plead. "Find Madja , now!"

Azriel looks torn. "I can't leave you," he says, his voice tight with fear. “I— not like this. Not with you being my—”

"Amren is here, I’ll be fine," I insist, glancing at Amren, who is finishing off the last two of Koschei’s soldiers. "Please, Azriel! I can’t watch him die. I am begging you, just go, please!"

Azriel nods reluctantly, wrapping his arms around Lucien. With a final, desperate look at me, he winnows away, leaving me behind in the chaos.

With Azriel and Lucien gone, I feel a pang of anxiety, but I have no time to dwell on it. I turn back to the fight, watching as Eris and the High Lord continue their deadly duel.

Around me, the battle rages on. I join Amren, who is ruthlessly dispatching the remaining dark soldiers with a ferocity that belies her small stature.

Together, we fight our way through the chaos, our movements synchronized from years of fighting side by side.

We are fighting for what feels like hours. My arms ache from dealing blow after blow, and my eyes are getting blurry from the lack of sleep.

I steal a glance at Eris and Beron, watching as they exchange hits. Eris manages to land a few blows, but Beron shrugs them off.

The two of them are evenly matched, but the High Lord’s power coursing through Beron's veins gives him a slight edge.

Suddenly, Beron lunges forward, his sword aimed at Eris's heart. Eris barely manages to block the strike, their blades locking together. Fire erupts between them, and for a moment, it looks like Eris might be overpowered.

But Eris digs deep, summoning a burst of strength. He pushes Beron back, their swords disengaging with a loud clang. Eris's flames burn brighter, and he steps forward, pressing the attack.

The next moment, everything is quiet. No swords clashing, no screaming, just utter quiet.

As the flames subside, there, in the middle of the ballroom, not moving, is Beron.

The High Lord of the Autumn Court is dead.

[tmrwsuns]

(❆⋆.˚) the secret ingredient !

✶⋆.˚꩜ .ᐟ [hirota riki x reader] ...୨♡୧... wc. 2.3k w. curse words! fluff ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

maki was slightly upset.

well, slightly wasn’t the right word, but he would never admit how upset he was at the fact that his sister had somehow managed to be stuck in the middle of nowhere during christmas eve when they were supposed to carry out their tradition and make their infamous christmas cookies. had she no respect for the art of baking yummy cookies and decorating them like they were being judged by pierre hermé himself?

he scoffed as the thought crossed his head, his arms securely crossed against his chest as a sign of annoyance as he sat on his bed, a random show playing on his screen as he awaited for the only person who could cheer him up at the moment.

you.

maki believed you were some type of magical being, maybe an angel of some sorts. it was the only explanation his mortal little brain could come up with, really. there was nothing else that could make sense as to how much better he felt immediately after seeing you. no matter where he was, the cause of his annoyance, or how upset he was, the moment you walked into the room everything banished. his world was suddenly tinted pink, he could only hear your voice and smell your exquisite cinnamon perfume that matched every single season of the year as if the world only changed in order to not be left behind by your constant, beautiful, evolution.

hell, even thinking about it had already made him feel better.

he hummed softly as he tried to erase the smile off of his lips, the image of your smile that wandered around his head almost making him forget why he was so upset in the first place. what was it about christmas cookies? oh, right! his stupid sister and her abandonment tendencies.

the boy tried to focus back on the show after checking the time on his phone for the eleventh time in the last five minutes as an excuse to look at the pretty picture of you that adorned his lockscreen. how much longer would it take you to get there? he was having withdrawals, and it was his fault for listening to you and not going to pick you up himself like he initially planned.

he should just text you, right? you always said you loved when he was clingy anyways.

just as he picked up his phone again, there was a knock on the door that could not be anyone by you. he stood up a little too fast than he should have, but still ran towards the door as fast as his socked feet allowed him too without slipping even if he was currently seeing colored dots in the air.

“hi babe,” you laughed softly as his body practically slammed into yours, his arms enveloping you and pressing you to his chest in a bear hug. maki swore he could cry when his senses were filled with your scent and your hand tangled in his hair like it always did when he hugged you like that.

“hi, pretty,” he smiled once he broke away from the hug, taking your face in his hands and peppering kisses all over, making sure not to leave a single centimetre unkissed.

“what’s up?” you asked after leaving a small peck on his lips, getting into the house and closing the door behind you. maki almost forgot to answer as he watched you slip off the various layers of clothing that were unnecessary in the heated ambiance of his apartment.

“my sister is still stuck, but outside of that everything is fine,” he muttered, a lovesick smile on his face as he watched you.

“that sucks, i’m sorry,” you sympathized as you took your hand up to his face to caress his cheek, feeling your heart melt at how adorable he was.

“it’s fine, i’m just annoyed that i can’t show you how good our christmas cookies are,” he pouted, looking even more like a puppy than he always did.

“are you sure that’s what you’re upset about?” you asked, an endeared smile adorning your pretty lips.

“what else would it be?” he asked, genuinely confused as he furrowed his eyebrows.

“maybe, just perhaps, you’re upset because you might not spend christmas with your sister this year? you’ve never spent it without her and you have been missing her a lot, haven’t you?” you suggested, looking at him with that softness in your eyes that was characteristic of them when looking at your puppy like boyfriend.

maki thought your words over for a few seconds. you were right about him never spending christmas without his older sister before… also about missing her more lately….

“no, it’s about the cookies,” he concluded, making you roll your eyes affectionately.

“you’re impossible,” you commented, and he felt his heart race at the thought of being able to see the love your eyes harbored everytime they were looking at him.

“but you love me, don’t you?” he asked, even when he knew the answer.

“more than anything,” you smiled and left a quick kiss on his cheek. “now, can we go watch a christmas movie? i’m thinking the grinch,” you said after moving away from him and beginning to walk towards his bedroom. 

maki stood there entranced by the way you walked around his house as if you owned it, as if it were your home, too. it made him think of the future, when his house would have you in it permanently and the aroma of cinnamon lingered naturally in every place you went, not only on the side of the bed you took every time you slept over.

he shook his head softly and followed you into his room, cooing at the sight of you already settled on his bed, remote in hand as you browsed through his tv.

“do i have to send you an invitation through mail or are you gonna join me already?” you asked as you raised your eyebrow, making the boy roll his eyes before jumping into the bed and tugging you close to his chest.

...୨❆୧...

“no way you’re crying, we’ve watched that movie so many time,s” you laughed as maki wiped the tears that ran down his cheeks.

“it’s not my fault you’re heartless, you know,” he complained, playfully pushing you from your shoulder, his strength making you fall on the bed with a laugh.

“aww, my baby is just sooo sensitive,” you cooed teasingly while you moved up, grabbing his face and squeezing his cheeks together.

“you’re so annoying,” he laughed affectionately as he let you squish him as you pleased.

“you love me,” you smiled and kissed his nose “what do you want to do now, my love?”

maki thought about it for a few seconds, weighing his options in his head. “do you want to make cookies?” 

you felt your heartstrings being pulled at the way his eyes softened slightly as he asked. maki was such a gentle soul, and even if he tried to mask it, the fact that his sister wasn’t there to continue their lifelong tradition was breaking his heart a little.

“of course,” you smiled like what you hoped would be reassuring “i might not be as good as your sister, though.”

“don’t even worry about that, i’m the secret to why our cookies are so good, she’s just there for moral support,” he said cockily, making you roll your eyes humorously.

“sure, mister baker,” you patted his head as you stood up, walking to the kitchen and knowing he would follow.

“i’m completely serious,” he insisted, starting to prepare all the materials needed to bake as soon as he got to the kitchen. “the cookies would be nothing without me.”

“whatever floats your boat, maki,” you said, knowing that it annoyed him when you agreed with him like he was a little kid.

“whatever floats your boat, maki,” he mimicked you with a stupidly high pitched voice and a silly tone, sticking his tongue out at you like the child he was.

“you’re so childish,” you muttered, trying to bite back the smile that fought to take place on your lips.

“and what does that make you, huh?” he teased, looking at you with a raised eyebrow “i bet you didn’t think about that one.”

you groaned lightly and decided to ignore him, partly because you had no comeback to that and partly because you were unable to act annoyed when even the slightest thing he did elicited a giant smile from your face.

“let’s start, do you have a recipe?” you asked as you tied your hair up to avoid its intrusion on your field of vision and possibly in the batter you were about to make. you were concentrated in your actions, which led you to miss the way maki looked at you, with a lovesick smile and shiny eyes.

“of course, first we need some flour…”

...୨❆୧...

maybe baking wasn’t your strong suit as a couple.

you had never been very good at the art of baked goods. your skills were limited to measuring the ingredients and maybe cracking an egg that would most likely end up going into the mix with some eggshell along with it. your lack of talent was an issue for the given situation, but at least you had the decency to admit your own uselessness. 

on the other hand, your boyfriend claimed he could make christmas cookies that would join armies, even without his sister being there to “aid him with the utensils”. there would be no issue with him recognizing his skill if he actually had one, but based on the current lack of perfectly shaped cookies and the dough that looked a little too gooey to be edible, maybe he was stretching it a little when he called himself a god.

“you have to trust the process, baby,” he said, for what seemed to be the nine hundredth time in the past hour as he kneaded the slimy dough with his hands. “see, the flour is preventing it from sticking to my hands.” 

the flour wasn’t preventing jack shit, but who were you to tell him that?

“hmm, i see,” you hummed as you watched the dough move along maki’s fingers as if it was store bought slime that had been overused. “and at what part does the dough actually form?”

maki glared at you playfully before sticking his tongue out to you, taking his hands out of the slimy mixture and heading straight for the sink to remove the rest of it off of his hands. “we just need to add more flour, that’s it,” he assured.

once he finished with his hands he turned back around to face you, already aiming to try and salvage the cookies (along with his pride) when a splash of white powder landed on his chest.

“is that enough flour or should i add more?” you asked with a playful smile, and if maki wasn’t too thrown off by your action he would have probably taken his time to properly gush at how attractive you looked in that moment.

“no way you just did that,” he breathed out, still shocked as he watched you with his mouth slightly agape. 

“i’m sorry, mister baker, i misunderstood what you meant by putting more flour into the mixture,” you played innocent, feeling way too smug at your own joke. if you hadn’t been so busy gloating, you would’ve predicted the fist full of flour that collided with your chest a few seconds later. “oh, you’re so on!” you exclaimed as you charged at your boyfriend at full strength, looking for things to throw at him without a single care in the world apart from beating him. the kitchen had already been a mess even before your little food fight had started, and the eggs and cocoa that began being thrown around didn’t help much either.

whatever, you would clean it up later.

...୨❆୧...

“i’m sorry to say this, but those are the fugliest cookies i’ve ever seen in my life,” you commented once maki had taken the batch out of the oven. 

you both stood in front of it, staring wordlessly at the deformed, broken and slightly burnt cookies that rested on the pan. 

“there is no way we did that bad," maki muttered, more to himself than to you as he reflected on what went wrong in the process. he had followed every single rule and instruction perfectly like he had done for years on end, and there wasn’t a single batch that ever end up like this one.

“i’m sorry to break it to you, but we did do that bad,” you chuckled softly.

“maybe the decorations can salvage it?” the boy asked, pointing at the many different candies that stood waiting on the counter to be used as christmas decoration.

“i don’t think anything can salvage them at this point,” you defended, your nose furrowed at the smell of the burnt cookies.

maki sighed in defeat when he heard your words. he knew there was nothing left to do, and now he had to accept that he was not in fact the secret master of the recipe. 

“i´m sorry we couldn’t get them to be perfect." you mumbled, getting closer to him and hugging his torso.

“there’s nothing to say sorry about, baby,” he smiled and hugged you by your shoulders, not caring how dirty your clothes were because of the earlier incident, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. “now we know baking isn’t our forte,” he chuckled and leaned down to steal a quick peck from your lips.

“definitely not, imagine if we had agreed to do the stupid gingerbread house competition…” you giggled as you left a kiss on his shoulder, making maki laugh softly and shook his head.

that’s a disaster waiting to happen.

𐙚 blue's corner ;; my first ever andteam work ! i know many people follow me for xikers content and i promise i will keep it coming but still, the andteam boys deserve it too. this is a part of the love actually series that i'm doing with both my blogs, so be sure to check it out ! 𐙚 taglist ;; @tiramisumin @astrasng @chiiyuuvv @nicholasluvbot 𐙚 back to the masterlist. 𐙚 please do not copy, adapt or steal any of the content !!!

© tmrwsuns, 2024

[todosdream]

can I? | ony.eren (prologue)

10.6k wrds. flashbacks. angst.

warnings: bi!ony, bi!eren, miscarriage mentioned, sickness/death mentioned (minor character), grief, eren has a learning disability, and a potty mouth, repression issues, cursing, weed smoking, dealing with self-worth/comparison

a/n: the story of our boys before their lady is introduced. hope you enjoy <3

you can touch my heart and soul,

as well as my body, if you please.

the story of the sun and moon,

joined by both fate and destiny.

amari can barely hold her excitement in as she waits for her friend to arrive at their favorite cafe. the lighting is soft and welcoming and the smell of coffee grounds reminds her of all the times she’s sat in this very booth, either alone or with company. her husband chuckles and softly rubs her back as she all but dances in her seat, happy to be home, happy to see her friends.

he’s watching her with those eyes she loves so much, the ones that see her clearer than anyone else. his admiration for his lady is palpable from the other side of the room, eyes holding his heart and soul as he gazes at the embodiment of love and joy. “I love yo’ lil ass, you know that?” he asks fondly.

the woman smiles and leans into him, softly cupping his jaw as she presses a kiss to his cheek. then another and another because there’s nothing that could ever keep her from showing her love, not a person or location. “you better,” she grins, eyes lifting to meet his. “hate to bring a giant down in front of all these lovely people.”

armond’s head tilts back with laughter. he *loves* his wife, adores everything about her. especially her sense of humor and tendency to threaten. establishing dominance, he guesses.

“yeah, okay, love. look, here they come,” he says as he nods his head at the door. entering the cafe are carla, amari’s closest friend, along with her husband grisha. the doctor lightly presses on carla’s back to encourage her to sit while he places their order.

amari squeals and stands, holding her arms out to welcome the woman. it takes no time for the two to come together in the tightest hug known to man, swaying side to side dramatically as their jewelry jingles and clinks.

“oh, I missed you!” carla gushes as she squeezes her best friend. “tell me everything and don’t leave a single detail out!”

amari tugs carla to sit at the table, and after carla and armond exchange hugs and greetings, they all gather in their usual corner. grisha joins as amari begins the top to bottom story of her and armond’s most recent travels. she talks about the welcoming people, the beautiful culture, the water that stretched beyond what the eye could see.

her husband watches her with a tender gaze as he lets her talk, chiming in to remind her of small happenings she might’ve forgotten. the group is in their own bubble as they listen to her, her shine even brighter than normal.

“and…” she begins the ending of the story by lifting a bag that was previously hidden under the table. she slides it towards carla with a big grin on her face and the woman just rolls her eyes with a grin. “you better have gotten me a small gift this time. I’ve run out of space for all the souvenirs you’ve brought back!”

amari just bites her lip and pushes the bag closer, armond hiding his grin in his wife’s curls as they watch the other couple. carla digs in the gift bag and pulls out a piece of cloth.

her eyebrows furrow. amari usually doesn’t buy her clothes because carla’s quite picky.

her eyes widen and her jaw drops when the cloth unfurls. it’s a onesie with the words ‘you can stop asking now’ in cursive.

“shut. up. you are not!” carla beams.

amari and her husband nod with excitement in their eyes. they’d already privately decided that after this trip they’d be ready to welcome a bundle of joy. turns out said bundle was baking the whole time.

“yes, ma’am! we’re pregnant!” amari laughs joyfully.

carla wants to reach across the table and shake the woman with how excited she is. she doesn’t know what to do first, cry or scream or run outside to yell “finally!” even if it scares the people on the street. she’s going to be an auntie, and she’ll be spoiling this baby with all the love she can give.

well… as much as she can.

she and her husband look at each other with something in their eyes. “this is insane,” grisha chuckles in amazement. he nods his head at his wife in encouragement.

“what, what’s happening?” amari asks. she was expecting a big reaction, and although she can see the excitement in the other woman’s eyes, she’s surprised at how frozen they are. carla just purses her lips as she places her own gift bag on the table. she covers her mouth, speechless.

the two stare at each other.

“…you’re kidding,” amari mumbles, eyes widening. carla just shakes her head, tears building in her eyes.

after years of trying, an angel sent to heaven before they could bless the earth, and so much disappointment, carla is finally pregnant.

“we- we waited before saying anything. just to make sure nothing happened. but the baby is completely healthy and we’re so blessed,” carla sniffles. it was hard to keep the secret, but they just couldn’t take another round of what happened last time. bagging up all of the things they’d purchased in preparation, breaking the news to family and friends, dealing with a loss they’d prayed to never experience.

amari briskly stands and walks straight to her best friend. she takes the woman into her arms as her own eyes start to leak. “holy shit, carla. oh my God. I’m so happy for you, love.”

grisha and armond look at each other, communicating silently. the whole table is in shock, neither couple expecting the other’s news. there are blessings overflowing.

the two best friends are crying in each other arms, hug lovingly tight as they both absolutely ruin their makeup.

”I can’t believe it, mari,” carla sniffles. “I can’t believe it. we’re gonna be mommies.”

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“you’ve gotta be kidding me,” amari murmurs. little ony just won’t stop crying no matter how much she rocks him. he’s fed, changed, and just had his nap. she’s hoping nothing’s wrong with her baby boy, but her nerves are so frayed from the day.

her back hurts and her head is starting to show signs of an oncoming headache, but she perseveres. “c’mon, baby. what’s wrong?” she coos. “mommy’s right here. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”

she jumps a bit when a hand starts to softly rub her back. she didn’t even hear her lover return home from work in all the noise and exhaustion, but as he pulls her into him, it soothes her in a way no one else can.

“I got it, sweetheart. why don’t you take a rest, hm?” armond asks tenderly. amari frowns with worry as she leans closer to her lover, her husband gently taking their son from her arms. she feels inadequate, like a bad mom. frustrated with her own incompetence, exhausted from the day and her sweet baby boy.

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” she murmurs. “I’ve done all the things, but he’s so upset and I don’t know why.”

armond places a sweet kiss to her forehead, then ony’s. “he’ll be just fine. you’ve done so good, you know that, right? you’re a great mommy, honey,” he mutters reassuringly. “lil man’s just fussy. go lay down and don’t get up until you feel rested. you let me know if you need anything and I’ll take care of it.”

amari sighs and rests her forehead on his shoulder for a moment. he’s her rock, her everything. she doesn’t know what she’d do without him. days like this, he’s like a cool breeze in the middle of june. “okay,” she answers softly. “I just- I wish I could calm him.”

“baby,” armond smiles down at his lover. reassuring, loving, soothing as always. “you gave birth to him. you take care of him. but you’re not doing this alone. I’m here for both of you. go rest up, mama.”

amari lets out a breath, shifting to rest her cheek against his bicep. her face is all cute squished against him like this, like a pouty little chipmunk. “I love you so much,” she says softly. armond hums as he presses another kiss to her forehead.

“I love you more than I can express. now go lay down, mister man done stressed my baby out.”

amari places a kiss to ony’s cheek, then her husband’s before heading up to their shared bedroom. she gets cozy on armond’s side of the bed to immerse herself in his scent, snuggling into the soft fabric. sleep immediately begins to welcome her after such a tough day, her body weak and mind tired.

before she dozes off completely, she hears ony’s cries start to subside in his father’s arms.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“alright, eren. if I have to change your diaper again, you’re sitting in the tub,” carla huffs as she sits with said boy in her lap. the boy, only seven months, just laughs and reaches for her hair.

amari snorts as she burps little onyankopon. “good luck with that. he’ll just be sittin’ and shittin’,” she chimes in. the little carla look alike is already showing signs of being more than a handful, but he’s just so cute and goofy and loveable that it almost excuses all of it.

ony’s a much more mild-tempered baby, though he does cry a lot. he’s a velcro baby through and through, always wanting to be in someone’s arms. all he has to do is pout his little lip and everyone in the room comes running with open arms. the two have adorable little personalities already and it’s hard to believe that they’re going to be watching two little humans that they birthed grow.

if carla and amari thought they were bonded before their little ones were born, they’re practically attached at the hip now. learning and experiencing motherhood together makes it just a bit easier to get through the tough moments, so they spend a lot of time together. it helps that they’re babies are only a couple months apart.

the two are sitting in amari’s living room with ms. rachel playing softly in the background. eren’s had his diaper changed for the nth time, and now he’s babbling nonsense as he reaches for his baby colleague. amari turns just slightly to where ony, currently on her shoulder, can see him.

“careful, baby,” carla mutters as eren tries to get closer. ony is staring wide eyed in wonder as carla’s mini-me reaches for him, grin on his face and babbles falling from his lips. ony lets out little sounds as he watches, a smile crawling across his chubby face. he squeals excitedly and starts to reach back.

“we made the cutest babies to ever live,” carla coos, eyes watering as she watches the two experience life through their little eyes. she’s so blessed to have her eren, so grateful that the two get to grow up together.

amari’s already imagined it all. they’re going to be close just like their moms are, always having a friend to lean on and have through life’s ups and downs. she’s excited to be able to have a front row seat for it all. “they’re literally gonna be best friends,” amari giggles.

“they have to be. that’s the only thing I’m forcing on this child,” carla snickers.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“eren, do not climb on that!” grisha scolds, lifting the young boy into his arms. the duo is waiting for armond and ony outside of the zoo and eren’s excitement for the day is high. so high that he needs an outlet now, and grisha can barely keep up. the little gremlin is always giving him a run for his money, and most times he can’t help his laughter.

he’s glad he brought the backpack leash, as embarrassing as it is.

eren starts to wriggle around in his father’s grip, tantrum imminent, but grisha can see armond walking up with ony in the distance. he sets his son down, maneuvering the backpack onto his body because he knows the little trickster will try to take off as soon as he sees his friend.

“you lockin’ lightning up?” armond calls out with a teasing grin, using the nickname he gave eren. they’re still a good few feet away and eren starts to pull against the backpack leash as he reaches for them. “set that lil man free!”

“can’t do that,” grisha chuckles as he watches his overexcited son. “not unless you want to chase after him all day. maybe say hi to the lion when he climbs the fence?” armond just snickers in response and pats the other man’s shoulder.

“rennie!” ony grins, barely being able to pronounce his r’s with his speech impediment. the two fathers watch as eren lets out some type of war cry before charging to hug ony tightly. with all of his energy, the brunette tries to lift the smaller boy in his arms. it’s a struggle because of his lack of strength.

“eren, be careful,” grisha chastises. him and carla are a bit overprotective as parents, especially after losing their first. it doesn’t help that eren’s got the energy of five kids. “did you even ask if you could do that?”

eren just pouts and hugs ony closer. as far as his little brain can comprehend, ony is his. if he wants to lift him, ony’ll let him. “my friend!” eren responds, tugging the other boy closer. ony smiles and throws an arm over eren’s shoulder. “best friend,” ony grins.

it’s adorable how close they are, precious even, but they need a bit of correction.

“I got it, grish,” armond chuckles, placing a hand on the shorter man’s shoulder. it takes a village to raise a kid, and he never minds stepping in. “hey, boys, lemme talk to y’all real quick, yeah?”

the boys watch as armond crouches in front of them. “first, you have to be careful, okay? you don’t wanna get hurt or hurt someone else. I know you two are friends, the best of em all, but you still have to respect each other,” armond smiles warmly. “also, asking for consent is asking for permission. it’s very important because everyone can say ‘no.’ maybe they’re not feeling good and don’t wanna be touched. you guys understand that?”

he gets two cute little nods in return, eren pouting a bit because he feels like he’s in trouble. he just got excited, that’s all. little ony holds him tighter, hoping to hug his sadness away.

“hey, it’s okay, lightning. just be careful from now on,” armond ruffles the young boy’s hair. “just think of it this way: when you’re with someone you care about, they should get the most respect you can give ‘em. that means everything you do and say matters, even the smallest thing. it’s how you show you care and think about their feelings. you get me?”

the boys nod dramatically, always all ears when it comes to armond’s words of wisdom.

“good. gotta raise you boys right,” he grins. “now let’s go see some stinky animals.”

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“ony-ony!” eren gasps when he sees a car pull up into his family’s driveway. he’s been looking forward to having a playdate with his friend all week and he’s finally here! the little tike can’t help but giggle and bounce in excitement as he watches mrs. amari open the back door to her car.

carla smiles as she watches her son bounce around in excitement, the flopping of his hair a reminder that it’s definitely time for a haircut. she softly cards her hand through his strands and laughs to herself when he ducks her touch.

“mooom, stooop!” he whines. eren calls himself fixing his hair, his small hand ruffling the brown tresses, but it only looks worse. “ony-ony’s here! I get to show him my new toy, right? he’s spending the night, right?! how long is it gonna take them to walk to the door?” he rambles dramatically.

“relax, honey,” carla laughs. “they’ve got to get all of his stuff. and of course you can, you’ll have allll night to play together.”

she waits patiently as amari grabs ony’s bags, but she notices how her friend seems to be almost sullen. carla’s brows furrow momentarily, but she writes it off as the woman just being tired. she'd asked for ony to sleep over to “catch her breath,” so maybe she just needs some time.

the door opens when the two finally approach and both moms watch as eren almost jumps on little ony. he stops himself, always keeping armond’s words in mind, but ony grins brightly and opens his arms wide. eren grins and hugs his friend tight. “you’re finally here!” he cheers. squeezing his friend tight. ony laughs and hugs eren back just as tight. “hi, rennie, I missed you! hi, mrs. c!”

“awww, hi, ony,” carla smiles fondly as she watches the two. she can’t fight her motherly excitement, whipping her phone out and snapping picture after picture. “say cheese, you two!”

the two smile brightly, showing off their matching missing teeth. carla feels her heart squeeze at how adorable the two little best friends are, a reflection of her and her own best friend. ”so cute,” she coos as she looks at the photos. she’s definitely getting those blown up and framed.

carla hears a chuckle from below and looks down to see amari taking little ony’s shoes off. her curls are a bit flatter today, not as springy or vibrant, and it matches her weakened emotional state.

something’s definitely off with her friend, but she can tell amari’s putting on a brave face.

“hi, rennie. you lost a tooth too, huh?” amari smiles softly. usually, she’d be ruffling the kid’s frenzy of brown hair, maybe holding him upside down to make him laugh. her soft greeting doesn’t register as anything different to him in his exuberance. eren nods frantically, holding ony’s hand in his. “mhm! same tooth on the other side, see?” he smiles big and bright, and sure enough, both boys are missing their canines but on opposite sides.

she takes ony’s shoes and lines them up against the wall before patting her son’s head. “you two are so connected, hm? just precious. go on, I know y’all wanna play and talk about all the things,” she laughs. ony smiles up at his mom, rushing forward to give her a really tight squeeze. tighter than normal.

eren beams at his friend. “come on, I wanna show you my new stuff!” before ony can respond, he’s being dragged away by his unruly-haired best friend.

“be careful!” carla calls after the two. it’s mainly towards the overexcited eren because she knows how her son can rope the other little boy into doing just about anything. a sigh from her side catches her attention, and she looks over to amari. the woman is watching the two boys with a certain look in her eyes that carla’s never seen before.

“hey,” she nudges the other woman softly. “what’s going on with you? your sunshine’s dimmer today.”

amari’s not going to cry. she’s tired of crying. but, of course, there’s no end to the tears. she’ll have to deliver the news once again, deal with the way just thinking about it makes her throat clog with poorly restrained sorrow.

“I have… somethin’ to tell you,” she murmurs. carla’s eyebrows furrow in response as her gut fills with a tell-tale intuitive dread. something’s really wrong. she quickly wraps her arm around amari’s shoulders and pulls her close. with that, the two travel to the kitchen together and begin to talk in hushed voices.

the boys are in their own world.

eren is ranting and raving about all of his new toys, informing his friend of his updated rankings. his dinosaur that’s held the top spot has officially been bumped down after months. it’s being replaced by what he considers to be top notch gifts. ony’s watching, as always, and ‘wow!’-ing at all of the cool features of eren’s new number one toy.

“I don’t know what to do, carla,” amari mutters. she watches her son play with her best friend’s boy. the two are laughing blissfully, unaware of the trials and tribulations of life, and amari so wishes that they could stay that way. “we… we’re supposed to have a whole life together, maybe even have another kid. we worked so hard for this family, you know? I’m glad they caught it early, but it’s still so scary. I just have a bad feelin’.”

carla sighs and rubs her friend’s back. she’s never seen the woman so crestfallen. amari and her husband really have worked through so much just to have the happy family they’ve built, and his diagnosis is a huge shock to everyone. they were just planning their first family vacation since they had their little one, an amazing first adventure for him, but everything is scrapped now that they have to think about treatment.

“I know,” carla says softly, her heart hurting with the situation at hand. “I know, mari. I’m so sorry. I wish there was more I could say. you know I’m going to support you both every step of the way.”

amari let’s out a sigh, feeling another tiresome bout of emotions start to rise. she’s cried so much, she didn’t even realize she had any tears left. she keeps thinking about losing her lover, her baby boy losing his father, and it just breaks her heart. she’s grateful for her best friend being there through all of it.

on the other side of the room, ony and eren are now playing their favorite game of cars. ony has a mini car in his favorite color green and eren’s all a buzz about his new fire red one.

the young brunette is once again showing ony the car from all angles, looking excitedly at all the cool designs painted on the sides. he doesn’t notice how little ony’s eyes flicker to his mom’s frame, how his shoulders start to drop, and he doesn’t immediately notice when ony’s usually devout attention redirects to his toy car that he’s slowly rolling back and forth.

ony’s distracted demeanor eventually makes eren scrunch his nose up. it’s a new toy with cool colors and he was excited to show his friend and maybe even let the other boy play with it. but then he follows his gaze and… he understands.

“your mommy’s crying,” eren mumbles. it’s not something either of the boys are used to seeing. amari shines like the sun, bringing light wherever she goes, but her sadness has created a dull overcast now covering the entirety of the home.

ony’s not sure what’s happened in the past week, but even his young self can pick up on the fact that something’s wrong. the house feels quieter. no singing from his parents around breakfast time, no music playing when it’s time to clean… just sullen smiles and lots of really tight hugs. he won’t tell, but he’s heard crying too.

little ony looks back down to his toy car. if he were a puppy, his ears would be down and tail motionless. “somethin’s wrong,” he murmurs.

eren looks at his friend, emerald eyes taking in the furrowed look on his face. he doesn’t like it. not at all. “hey,” he pokes at the young boy’s greased up knees. “I don’ like when you’re sad,” he says. “feel better.”

ony’s lower lip pouts. “don’t know how to feel better if I dunno what’s wrong,” he mumbles, sadly rolling his car back and forth.

ugh, eren really doesn’t like this. he doesn’t like seeing his friend sad, and he doesn’t like how his friend’s sadness makes him sad. eren frowns, eyebrows furrowed and lip pouting. “you’re my friend. I want you to feel better, so I wanna help. can I?”

ony smiles a bit at his friend’s determination. he can always count on his rennie.

“yeah, rennie. you can,” he murmurs.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“I got it, momma,” ony mumbles, taking the bags from her hands. she’d gone grocery shopping earlier that day, wanting– no, needing fresh air. life is trying to choke her fire out, it seems, but she perseveres.

or compartmentalizes.

“thank you, baby. didn’t think you’d be home. why don’t you spend some time with rennie? it’s saturday,” amari says tiredly. ony shakes his head and swats her hand away when she goes to reach for more bags.

“I got it , momma,” he smiles. it’s a tense smile, the one he gives when he doesn’t want to add onto her long list of burdens. he’s training himself to never be on that list, no matter what. she already has too much to carry. “wanted to keep an eye on dad. he’s… having a tough day.”

amari’s eyes close briefly at that. tough days are starting to increase in number and she’s barely catching her breath. she’s trying to hold it together. for armond, for ony, for herself. “nausea?” she asks softly.

“and neuropathy,” ony says quietly. armond tries to hide it, but he’s struggling. the nerves in his hands and feet ache from the chemo and he’s getting more nauseous and lightheaded the further he gets into his treatment. it hurts to watch.

the sigh amari lets out is heavy with exhaustion.

“go rest, ma,” ony says carefully. he hates when her shoulders fall like that, weighed down by the world. if he could carry it all just to see his mom smile, he would. “I know you exhausted. just take the day.”

“I can’t let you do that, ony,” amari smiles weakly. “let me handle it, okay? momma’s got it.” she starts to head inside as she mentally encourages herself.

ony bites his tongue, but only for a moment. he simply can’t watch his mom try to carry everything anymore. he can’t. he has to step up. “momma,” he calls after her, voice firm. “let me. I know, okay? you wanna protect me. but I wanna protect you just as much.”

amari turns to look at her son, seeing the look in his eyes. she knows. she understands. and as much as she doesn’t want to burden her son with anything a child shouldn’t be burdened with, she really needs this day.

“you’re so much like your father,” she says, voice tinted with pride but also pain. stubborn, caring, protective, always wanting to take care of things. she sees so much of her lover in their son, and she’s grateful, even if it hurts sometimes.

she reaches to caress her son’s cheek. he’s so tall for his age, just like his dad, and it won’t be long before he surpasses his mother. ony leans into her touch.

“we’re gonna get through this, okay?” she murmurs tenderly. “it’s hard, and there’s not much I can say to make it better. but I love you, onyankopon, and we’re gonna get through this.”

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

it’s a sunny day in the city of trost, a beautiful saturday morning. the spring air is fresh and rejuvenating for those out and about and many are thinking and planning a way to enjoy such a lovely day.

it’s a cruel twist of fate, the town buzzing and happy on the day ony lays his father to rest.

he wishes the sky would cry like he is, how his mom does every night and morning. he wishes the weather would reflect the storm he’s feeling inside. he wishes the clouds were overflowing like he is.

eren and his mother spent the night beforehand spending time with their respective friends. carla held amari as she cried rivers of sorrow and eren let ony rest his head on his shoulder as the younger boy struggled with the weight of both his and his mom’s hurt. it was a hard night. much like the years, months, weeks spent watching his father wither away. much like the day his father joined the ancestors.

“you gotta get up, ony,” eren mumbles. it hurts to watch his friend like this, but he has no intentions of looking away. he’ll be there for him in his need, searching for any way possible to soothe him.

“I can’t,” ony forces out. his throat is rough, his eyes are swollen, and his heart is heavy. he can’t do this day and he doesn’t want to. he can’t listen to his mom cry anymore as the pain of her sobs could bring him to his knees. he feels weak. physically, mentally, emotionally.

this whole process has changed ony’s life. his entire experience of this world is now tainted with grief. he’s had to deal with his own but also his mother’s who can barely find the strength to stand. he wants to carry them both, but he doesn’t even know how to keep from drowning in his own hurt.

eren’s eyes close as his heart aches for his friend. he’s tasted a loss that eren can’t relate to. they’re both so young and eren doesn’t feel like he can offer what ony really needs right now. he wants to do more, needs to be the friend that’s needed right now, but he doesn’t know how. he doesn’t know what to say or do.

“I’m… I’m gonna go get my mom. she can help,” eren chokes out. he can’t sit here and watch the younger boy suffer without knowing how to support him. he feels useless just standing by the bed, watching as ony sinks into the painful comfort of his depression. he turns to leave the room, only to feel a tight grip on his wrist.

ony’s feeling too many things all at once, and he can’t bring himself to fall apart in front of anyone other than eren. the brunette never presses him, never looks at him with pity in his eyes. he doesn’t want to bother his mom, doesn’t want her to use what’s left of her strength to lift him up. just eren’s presence is enough to keep him from succumbing to the impossible weight holding him down. he needs him to be by his side today, no one but him.

“I need you, ren,” ony murmurs. it’s raw and vulnerable and although eren can’t see the boy’s face, he knows he’s crying again. ony sniffles before speaking again, his words hitting eren right in his chest. “I can’t– I just… I need you. just you.”

eren maneuvers ony’s hand into his own, giving it a meaningful squeeze. those words fill him with a strength he didn’t know he had. ony’s asking. asking for him, for his comfort, for his presence. like hell he’s leaving now, not when ony needs him like he does.

“I’m here. I’ll always be here,” eren replies with renewed conviction. “scoot over.”

ony looks up, half of his face covered by his arm. his eyes are tired and red, so puffy from the oceans of tears that have escaped his honey-colored eyes. “huh?” he rasps.

“scoot over,” eren mumbles again. less confident, but still intent. “I just wanna… can I… hold you?”

ony doesn’t say anything, but his heart beats faster. he wordlessly scoots over to make room for his friend. his best friend. eren crawls in beside him, hesitant at first, but soon his arm loops around ony and pulls him close.

they stay there for a while, ony crying and holding onto eren tightly. they stay there until they have no choice but to get ready for the day ahead. but just like he promised, eren stays by ony’s side all day.

and every day after.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

”you thinkin’ too hard,” ony murmurs quietly, breaking the silence between the two. the best friends are sitting in ony’s living room, absentmindedly watching an old re-run of ‘living single.’. he nudges eren with his knee. his touch is familiar and welcome by the brunette, even if not expressed.

ony’s holding his baby sister close to his heart, responsible for watching her while amari makes a quick run. his thoughts are on his silent and broody friend, but his eyes are on maya. he’s making sure that if she so much as coughs, he can react in a couple of seconds flat. she’s using her inhuman baby strength to grip his shirt tight and she’s having the time of her life as she chews on her teething ring. ony couldn’t be more content.

except for the obvious dark cloud over his friend’s head.

eren scoffs quietly and rolls his eyes. he’s always thinking too hard, it’s nothing new. there’s always something tinkering up there, it’s why he’s always moving somehow. a shaking leg, a fiddling hand, a pen twirled between usually charcoal-stained fingers. it’s a habit he’s always had and something he can’t seem to control. or care to control.

the tan boy lazily rubs a hand over his short brown hair, ruffling it in a way his mother wouldn’t approve of. had she seen him, she’d be fussing and reaching for the growing boy’s mop of strands with a pair of scissors.

“yeah, well,” he starts, leaning back on the park bench. “I’m flunking english. I gotta cram a semester’s worth of shit for a retest or my mom’s gonna kill me.” he’s stressed, but it’s not an unfamiliar predicament. he’s been in this position many times before, and he hopes he can get by with the skin of his teeth to just graduate and be done with it.

ony sighs, eyes closing just for a moment to calm his nerves. he should’ve known.

soon, his eyes are back on maya. “told yo’ as–... told you to ask armin to help you study for that exam. you know you don’t do tests, e,” he sighs. the older boy’s pride is always keeping him from asking for help and it always takes the same expected turn.

ony’s just trying to help, but he hit a sore spot. eren’s face scrunches much too quickly, overly reactive as per usual. what he heard was: ”you’re stupid, ask your genius adopted brother.” not even close to what was said, but eren absolutely hates feeling stupid, and the mention of armin is an instant trigger in that regard.

“why does everyone think I’m incapable? that genius little fuck—“

“—watch your mouth, maya’s right here—“

“—that little twink—“

“—that ain’t much better?—”

“—armin isn’t the solution to all life’s problems. I can figure it out,” eren finally spits out.

ony’s not surprised, but it does make him realize the insensitive nature of his delivery.

armin’s definitely a genius, there’s no doubt about it. he’s skipped a grade, is in those college prep classes, and he speaks three languages. he’s student body president, president of the debate club, and already has three college acceptances.

eren’s been lucky to even pass to the grade he’s in now.

he’s not stupid, he just learns differently. apparently a way that no one cares to teach. his mom used to struggle teaching him his letters and numbers because they’d just get jumbled in his head. he’s had tutors since he was young, but all of them have been the most condescending, impatient, and compassionless people he’s ever had to deal with.

grisha’s salary has them both in one of the most prestigious schools in the city, so naturally, the comparisons are many.

it grates eren’s nerves.

he’d never hate the blonde. no, they’ve bonded way too much at this point. but he resents him to a degree. report card day, end of the year awards ceremony, test scores… it’s all drowned by a feeling of just not being good enough. armin always brings home a stunning report, always has a list of awards and recognitions. and eren…

well, eren’s passing. it’s an accomplishment that’s celebrated because his parents really are proud of him, cheering him on all the same. but standing next to armin in that moment just makes him feel small.

so no, eren’s not asking the cabbage patch kid for help.

ony’s silent for a moment. he knows what eren’s going through, he’s heard him talk about it time and time again. he was there when eren was first excited for a little brother, the thought of the boy’s parents adopting after being unable to have another kid something to look forward to.

he was there when eren first started talking about armin. how the blonde was really shy but warmed up when eren decided to be a good big brother and show him all his video games. the two bonded like they’d always been together, and ony had to shake off the ridiculous trickles of jealousy.

he was there when the admiration turned to acknowledgement. eren went from singing armin’s praises to saying how he felt dumb talking to him.

and he was there when the acknowledgement turned to comparison.

“can I?” he asks quietly, turning to hold eren’s emerald gaze. it’s unfamiliar for the current circumstance. ony keeps his eyes on his sister always, serious about his responsibility of watching over her when their parents are gone since she’s so young and close to his heart.

but now, he’s looking at eren with something in his eyes that he doesn’t see from many.

understanding.

his eyes are on eren. the boy who’s usually in his little brother’s shadow, the boy usually at the back of the line. he sees him, he understands him, and he doesn’t pity him. eren’s eyebrow raises and his stomach does something funny.

“can you what?” the brunette asks. ony tilts his head.

“can I tutor you? for your retest?”

eren blinks. ony watches him.

ony’s not at the top of the class, but he’s not far from it. the only reason he’s able to go to such an expensive school is because he’s on an academic scholarship. with his dad passing, he wanted to become the “man of the house,” but his mom quickly encouraged he let go of the notion. he wanted to make up for their loss, help carry her as she takes care of him. she told him his responsibility was to be a kid and focus on school.

so that’s what he focused on. he focused so well that he’s in this fancy ass school with all of these palm colored people, eating lunches that could quite frankly use a lot more salt to sound so complicated. he’s always been stubborn, so it didn’t take him long to start stepping up in the house too.

now his mom has a new job and fell in love again, like she promised her late husband she would. she’s married to mario now, a guy that’s actually pretty decent and a great father figure. the house is more alive now and he has a new responsibility of watching over his lovely little sister, who he’d do anything for.

they’re not rich, but they’re not struggling. now he sees that he can kind of just… do whatever, if he keeps going. nothing calls to him as a purpose quite yet, aside from wanting to be a good man like his father was. to make him proud and take care of those close to him.

he knows how to study, different techniques for remembering things, different ways of understanding the same thing. he could tutor anyone, really. but for eren… it’s a sensitive topic. the brunette gets embarrassed by the way he struggles with certain problems, gets frustrated at his own inability to learn the same as everyone else.

ony knows that.

“…you’d do that?” eren asks, his eyebrows furrowing.

“I’d do whatever for you,” ony mumbles. his eyes hold nothing but sincerity, the years together solidifying their bond like no other. eren’s been there for him through all of life’s toughest moments, the happiest too. he’s been his shoulder to cry on, one of the first people ony delivers good news to, and the younger boy will never forget that. he’ll always show how much he cares for his friend.

he turns to face forward again, letting maya’s little hand wrap around his finger.. “you know I’d do whatever for you,” he adds for good measure.

eren does know that. he’s known that for a long time.

he’s known it since ony’s been there for every rant, listening to all the words eren usually keeps to himself. he’s known it since the first time ony told him that he understood, the sincerity in his eyes then never changing over the years they’ve known each other. he’s known that through every hardship that the two have faced, every celebration and milestone, always together and leaning on each other.

he’s never felt more heard and seen than the moments he’s sat at the other young man’s side. he’s never remembered a time when that wasn’t his reality, doesn’t remember a life without their friendship.

“…yeah, okay. you can,” eren answers quietly.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

there’s confetti everywhere, stray graduation caps scattered across the football field as cheers ring from all over. people are searching for their families and friends in the crowd, tears and bright smiles on their faces.

ony feels his lungs fill with fresh air, feeling so light after years of hard work. it’s hard to believe, but he’s grateful for it. he hopes his mom is proud, though he’s sure she’s probably cried enough to fill a lake today. he hopes the sun’s increased brightness is due to his father’s pride. he hopes that he can keep going, that this isn’t all he can accomplish.

he tries to focus on the win, not the fear of the unknown trying to crawl into his skin.

two hands clasp onto ony shoulders, giving them a warm squeeze. “can you believe we actually did it?” eren grins. he’s more than glad to be free from the hell of high school, and he’s so damn excited that he got accepted into his dream art school. “come on, we gotta find our moms before they cry their eyes out or something.”

eren tries to pull ony away, but ony doesn’t budge. eren finds himself being tugged into his strong grip. ony’s hand presses against the older boy’s back as he holds him close, other hand cupping the back of his neck.

“I’m so fuckin’ proud of you, eren,” he murmurs into the boy’s shoulder, who blinks in surprise. “of us. there’s no guarantees in life, but we did it. through everything, we did that shit.”

eren can’t help but melt a little at that. he’s right. in all the excitement and eren’s desire to just go home after this early ass graduation, he hadn’t taken the time to just… be proud and grateful.

eren wraps his arms around ony’s torso and squeezes him tight just like he always has. he’d try to lift his friend, but the boy’s solid muscle and probably wouldn’t even budge.

“I’m proud of you, too,” eren mumbles. “armond would be so proud of who you’re becoming. I know you’re gonna figure out what you wanna be, ony-ony. trust that.”

ony laughs at the old nickname, patting eren on the back before pulling away. the two look at each other, emerald and honey eyes meeting intimately.

eren clears his throat and looks away. “we should go, yeah? I’m hungry as fuck. stomach’s about to be touching my back.”

ony smiles fondly. “yeah. just… before we go,” he murmurs. “you goin’ to school miles away, chasing your dreams. ren, you’re gonna do big things. that art of yours is meaningful and it makes people feel and see you the way I do. I’ll always support you. just don’t forget about me, aight?”

eren rolls his eyes. ony’s been stuck to him like glue since birth almost. there’s no future in his eyes without ony. “I’d never. shit’s not even possible,” he shakes his head. “now come on. I want some of your ma’s mac n’ cheese.”

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

eren and his brother stand on the outskirts of their parent’s backyard. the space is abuzz with guests for their fourth of july celebration, streamers and fireworks that they know they’ll have to clean later strewn about. eren’s itching to sneak away to smoke a quick joint, maybe get his brother to take a hit or two for the vibes, but he’s on the lookout for a familiar face that he hasn’t seen in person for a while.

his best friend, his partner in crime, the man that stayed in town while eren went to a distant college in a distant city. the brunette’s been pursuing an art degree, using his privilege from his dad’s occupation to pursue the one thing that quiets his brain, but ony stayed in town to be close to his family and try to figure out what he wants out of life.

they haven’t lost contact, of course. they’re best friends. the two have stayed connected through facetimes and text messages, but eren still really misses him.

maybe more than he should.

this’ll be their first time seeing each other since last summer because eren stayed an extra few weeks away for an internship. he worked through all of his breaks to finish up his projects, always getting lost in the art of expression. he’s gained great opportunities working with and learning from the best, even as a rising junior. he’s passionate, chasing his dream of creating and expressing himself in a way that people can actually understand and connect with.

for what feels like the first time, eren is excelling in school.

but he missed his family, and that includes ony.

there’s an outbreak of obnoxious laughter from mario as he and grisha play some kind of game, the tall man always too loud when the drinks get flowing. eren actually likes him, but damn is he noisy. it makes him reach to check for the plastic tube and lighter in his pocket, wanting to make sure he has everything he needs before he slips away.

he stops in his tracks when he sees his best friend enter the backyard through the gate.

he looks straight out of a movie, really. eren’s phone screen didn’t do him justice. his hair is freshly cut, line-up impeccable and waves able to drown whoever looks too closely. his dark skin is glistening as the sun sets, cut off sleeves revealing muscular arms with new tattoos all healed up. eren feels a funny feeling tingle in his stomach when he sees just how ripped ony’s gotten, how his smile shines much like his mothers, how he’s grown.

but then his stomach drops.

“...who the fuck is that?” eren grumbles. his voice has way too much bite and his eye is threatening to start twitching from overstimulation and irritation.

armin looks up from his phone, pushing at his face out of habit of wearing glasses. contacts. right. “who’s wh– oh. oh. you… didn’t know?”

there, in all his glory, is ony walking hand-in-hand with someone.

a guy.

a guy eren’s never seen or heard of before.

he’s short, close to armin’s height, and most likely mixed with his light skin and curly hair. he’s thin, clad in some jean shorts and a tank top. eren can’t make out much of his features from the distance, but it doesn’t matter. he’s not unattractive by any means, but anyone pales in comparison to ony.

“didn’t know?” eren asks, eyes flickering to the blonde. “you did?”

armin’s mouth opens and closes as he struggles to answer. his eyes flick over to jeremy, introduced to him at the beginning of summer. the young man follows behind ony as he greets people, smiling at some with familiarity and others with a soft shyness as he’s introduced. loose curls blow in the wind, dimples are revealed when he smiles a certain way, and eren wants to vomit.

there’s no way this is happening. first off, if ony was dating anyone, eren would and should be the first to know as his best friend. the two have been friends since diapers and have shared every secret, every life event, every frustration since the dawn of damn time. second off, a guy? ony’s never said anything about being gay. and again, if he were to come out to anyone first, it should be eren.

there’s a mysterious third thing ringing in the back of his head that he doesn’t acknowledge.

does ony not… lean on him anymore? do they not share that protective bubble anymore? what happened to talking about everything? being each other’s go to person? seems like eren’s the one being left behind. he’s never feared losing ony because he never thought he’d have to. he thought they’d always be side by side.

no, eren doesn’t like this. he doesn’t like how he can feel his whole world tilting. eren’s in shambles. spiraling. at a fourth of july party in his parent’s backyard.

“is this drink spiked or something?” he mumbles, even glancing down to his glass almost dramatically as he tries to come to terms with what he’s seeing and hearing and feeling. he just feels off and out of place, almost like he’s wearing two left shoes. he can’t make sense of it.

armin quickly tries to do damage control, knowing that eren’s mind is coming up with a whirlwind of thoughts that are more than likely moving way too damn fast. “um, maybe he jus–”

“what’s his name?” eren mumbles. his eyes are still on the stranger, but his usually vibrant irises are darkening with each thought. he’s picking him apart from afar.

“it’s jeremy, but–”

eren scoffs. “fuck ass name. what do you know about him?” it’s not like the boy has any control over his given name, and eren hasn’t even met him to form a true opinion about him. his hurt is clouding his judgement, not thinking clearly with such a sudden change in his life.

“well…” armin starts hesitantly. “ony introduced us when I got back. he didn’t say much, just introduced him as his boyfriend and left it at that.” it was weird at the time, side eyes all around on that day. no judgement for him being with another guy, but everyone had kind of grown to think that other guy would be eren.

“boyfriend?” eren asks, head snapping to look back at his brother. a few others close by look over at his volume as armin tries to shush him discreetly. “there’s no way in hell. how the fuck did he not tell me?”

“eren alexander,” he hears from his side. he frowns and turns to fuss, but the look in his mom’s eyes stops him. carla can send the fear of God through the boy with a simple look, and he’s feeling pretty fearful right now, despite his frustration.

she’d been walking over to give the two young men some popsicles from the secret stash she keeps hidden (eren will blow through the whole bag in a week if she didn’t) and overheard the conversation. even if she knows the depth of eren’s feelings better than he understands himself, she won’t let eren cause a scene in front of everyone, especially grisha’s colleagues. lord knows she’s been just barely dealing with their spouses.

“go cool down and take some breaths,” she states, holding the sweet treat out to him. she’s still got that look in her eyes, the one she passed down to eren, but hers is a lot more bone-chilling.

“but he didn’t tell me,” he presses, his eyebrows furrowed. he’s hurt, and it’s plain to see all in his eyes. they always tell the story of what he’s feeling, and right now? he’s struggling. blindsided by the one person he trusts with all of him.

carla softens at that. she knows why he’s hurting, even if he doesn’t realize the root of his own pain. if she’d had her way, she would’ve sat the boy down to have a conversation about ony a long time ago, but grisha warned against it. ”he’s stubborn, you know that. there are some things he needs to figure out on his own,” he said. and he’s right to a point.

she just hates to watch her son struggle through something he’s feeling so deeply.

“I know, ren,” she murmurs softly. “just… go sit, okay? don’t jump to conclusions. you can talk things out with a clear head.”

eren sighs and closes his eyes momentarily. it’s not that big of a deal, is it?

it is. but whatever. he’ll shove his feelings down since they’re too much for everyone else.

he grabs the popsicle and walks away, leaving his mom and brother to exchange glances. he can almost feel the metaphorical cloud gathering above his head as he makes his way to his secret spot in his mom’s garden. instead of sitting on the bench, he sits on the ground behind it, his hand instinctively reaching for the lighter and tube in his pocket.

his eyebrows are furrowed as he pulls the pre-rolled joint out. his mind is racing, racing, racing as he places it between his lips and lights it. he just can’t help but wonder what he did wrong.

the two have talked often but ony never mentioned any of this. he feels like the rug has been ripped from underneath him and his chest feels hollow. why the hell didn’t he say anything? and why the hell are eren’s hands shaking?

he’s supposed to be calming down. he’s supposed to be taking breaths like his mom said. the popsicle in his hand is melting as he takes hit after hit, mind whirling and coming up with scenario after scenario. he inhales quickly when he burns his finger, not even realizing that he’d been sitting so long that he smoked up his joint.

“shit,” he murmurs, quickly putting it out on the stone bench behind him. he forces himself to take a breath, trying to get his mind to center and stop running like crazy. he’s so distracted that he can’t hear the approaching footsteps.

ony’s quiet as he walks up. he dreads the coming conversation and the guilt that’s already bubbled up in his chest.

honestly, he didn’t think eren would be here since he’s always postponing coming home. eren’s been… busy. busy losing himself in his work, chasing his passions, and essentially leaving ony behind. he’s got his own life and future bright ahead of him and ony truly believes that one day, he won’t be standing by his side anymore.

he feels forgotten.

because unlike eren, ony just can’t seem to find his passion, his purpose. he’s going to a local university, spending time with his family, working part time as a security guard. he feels distant from everyone else, all his friends going after what they want in life. he pales in comparison.

that’s when jeremy entered the situation.

they bonded quickly, bumping into each other at a restaurant. ony had almost knocked the poor boy down and was more than apologetic for it. a couple of drinks in, jeremy used his temporary confidence to tell the taller gentleman to make it up to him with dinner. and he did.

ever the one to please, jeremy repaid him that night with his tongue, his touch, and his attention.

ony had tasted the experience of being with a woman before and enjoyed it thoroughly, but because of a pull to a certain brunette, he was always cognizant of the fact that he could be bi. that night confirmed it for him.

things continued to grow between the two. ony figured that with eren continuing to focus elsewhere, maybe this is where he’s meant to be. eren will do great things, just as ony always expected, and ony’s journey will take him down a separate path. he’d save himself the trouble of expecting anything different, shove that tug in his gut away, and continue to figure life out for himself.

“hey, e,” ony greets lowly. instead of sitting next to the artist on the ground, he sits on the bench behind him. he wouldn’t want to risk getting caught in the storm brewing in the brunette. it’s a bad choice. if anyone knows eren’s habit of taking even the slightest thing personally, it’s ony. because of course he takes notice of the empty spot next to him. it’s like salt in the wound.

“boyfriend, huh?” eren mumbles. his original excitement to see his favorite person has been replaced with hurt feelings, so fuck a greeting. “you never mentioned him.”

ony sighs in response. he hadn’t meant to blindside him, not at all. it’s a strange topic to approach considering his own complex feelings about the situation. he wonders what exactly has eren so upset. is it just that they hadn’t discussed it or is it maybe something more? he won’t make assumptions, no matter how deep the desire.

he tries to smooth it over with humor. if he can get the brunette to laugh, that’s all he needs.

“figured you wouldn’t care too much about my shit, mr. picasso,” he murmurs, reaching over to flick a tuft of brown hair. the look eren throws over his shoulder makes him feel dumb as shit, but he’s surprised when eren simply turns around to face forward again and mumbles a “whatever.”

ony doesn’t like that. at all.

in all their years, he’s never been brushed off by the brunette. if he’s angry, he’ll fuss. if he’s sad, he’ll cry. eren’s no stranger to shoving his feelings down, but not with ony. never with ony.

the dark skinned man fears he may have taken a fatal step. something in his gut sinks, screaming that he made a wrong turn that’ll cost him. he watches eren for a moment, almost frozen.

”when you’re with someone you care about, they should get the most respect you can give ‘em. that means everything you do and say matters, even the smallest thing.”

he feels like there’s something unspoken. eren’s not just upset about not being told. sure, they tell each other everything, but the hurt seems deeper. had he known his avoidance would come back to bite him in the ass, he would’ve forced himself to have the courage to communicate. “don’t be like that, e. I’m sorry,” he murmurs. really, he is.

eren can’t exactly put this betrayal into words. he can’t explain why he feels sick to his stomach about this whole ordeal. so his best friend is dating someone and didn’t tell him. what’s the big issue? he doesn’t have the bandwidth to figure this out right now. he just wants to be left alone.

“nah, it’s whatever. we can’t be up each other’s asses 24/7, I guess. happy for you,” eren shrugs. eren is indeed not happy, but he’ll say what he needs to in order to get ony out of his face. he needs to process. his fingers itch for some charcoal and a canvas.

he can’t explain to ony why his heart feels so heavy, and for the first time, he doesn’t want to.

“eren,” ony presses. he can tell the artist is shoving his feelings down, shutting ony out like never before. it’s unfamiliar and sickening in a way ony just can’t deal with. “just talk to me. I’ll listen, you know that. tell me I fucked up. tell me you’re mad. tell me what’s wrong.”

deep down, eren wants to talk. he wants to yell and scream and figure out why the hell his heart is wrenching in his chest. he wants to push ony away but also pull him closer. he wants war, but also solitude, but also a hug that squeezes his pain away. he wants to ask ony so many questions.

but the distant look in eren’s eye proves that the door to his heart and mind is shutting. whatever battle he’s fighting, he’s fighting on his own. there’s a wall building between the two that’s never been there, and it feels heavier than anyone can bear. ony can’t lift it on his own, and eren refuses to open up.

“it doesn’t matter, ony. you’re happy. you don’t need me anymore,” eren mumbles. it makes ony tense.

“what? no. I do need you. I always have and always will,” he presses. “I ain’t tell you. I’m sorry. you’ve just– you’re focused, e. you out living yo’ life, and I’m proud of that. I just… I have to figure things out for myself. that’s it.”

eren’s eyebrows furrow as he turns to look at his friend. “I’ve told you about every art piece, every showing. just because I’m focused, doesn’t mean I don’t wanna live life with you in it. I’ve invited you to come, or did you forget about that? what, did fuck-ass jeremy not wanna come?”

“don’t do that,” ony shakes his head. he wanted to go, he did. but between work and babysitting maya and school and the ever-living comparisons ony puts himself through, he couldn’t. it was never jeremy. “don’t disrespect my boy like that.”

“your boy?” eren laughs humorlessly, shoving up off of the ground. “yeah, this is bullshit. I’m going inside.”

“what’s yo’ problem, man?” ony fusses, standing himself. “I get it, I should’ve told you. but you’re acting like I—“

“just forget about it!” eren yells. he can’t deal with this. he can’t even understand for himself, let alone explain it to someone else. especially the person he feels betrayed by. “go to your boy. I don’t give a shit anymore. he can have you.”

he doesn’t think, the words just slip, much like the way he can feel eren slipping away. the fear, the feelings of not being enough, it’s all coming tumbling out in the worst way and to the one person he never wants to hurt.

“have me? like I was ever yours in the first place?”

eren freezes.

wow. wow, is all eren can think. he feels twisted up, discarded, left out to dry. there’s a hole building in his chest that makes him want to cry and scream. he was hurting before, but now it’s just too much. those words were too much.

“fuck you, onyankopon,” eren spits. he feels an arm wrapping around him, the scent of his mom’s perfume wafting through his nose as she tries to calm him. he doesn’t know when she got there, but he doesn’t care.

“so much for being forgotten, huh?” the brunette forces the words out with all of him, feeling tears prickle at his eyes. “fuck this. I wish you the best, ony. I’ll just excuse myself since it ain’t with me.”

carla tries to stop him, pleading with him to just take a breath and relax, think about what he’s saying. it’s all muffled in his ear as he storms away.

ony wants to chase after him. scream and say he was wrong, fuck jeremy if it means no eren, no sunshine from the passion that pours out of the boy like no one he’s ever seen. but he remembers that this was always going to happen. maybe not like this, but somehow.

eren’s meant to do more than ony could ever dream of. he was always going to leave. the dark skinned man never thought it’d be his own fault, but he figures the ending would’ve never changed.

so he lets him leave.

there was a shift that day between the two friends. what was once an uninhibited and safe connection slowly became an unbridgeable gap. words unspoken, emotions no longer shared, touch a distant memory.

you can have my heart and soul,

but only if you never leave.

the story of the sun and moon,

separated before the stars came to be.

a/n: me vs wanting to turn every idea into a chapter fic. I love writing with detail out the ass, wanted this to be like 20k. how we feelin’ chat? yay or nay? feedback welcome!

wanted to release everything at one time but it's just too much goin on. I’m swamped but the full shebang is still coming.

my updates are slow, no lie. but! taglist is open <3

taglist: @empressdede

[punkrockmlchael]

Midnight Tea

Masterlist | Fred Hechinger Characters Masterlist

Customer: @prettycalla

Order: butter pecan in a cup with caramel

Ingredients: Fem!Reader x Emperor Caracalla, Fluff, Forced Proximity, Reader Comforting Caracalla, Might not be Super Historically Accurate (oops)

Total: $10.76 (1076 words)

Order note from the scooper (Emperor Caracalla): "Angie, my love. Thank you for your order! While I am still unsure as to how I go into this role of working... I do hope you enjoy your ice cream. I think that this was the best combination possible; you definitely have good taste!"

Check out our ice cream parlor here!!

thank you to @the-witty-pen-name and @keeryhours for reading this over I love you both so so much <3

Emperor Caracalla never really meant to be drawn to you; it just sort of… happened.

It shouldn’t have happened, but it did happen. You were below him, so below him in fact that he shouldn’t have even looked at you but you quickly became the one he trusted the most in the palace—second to his lovely companion, Dondus. You were the servant he called upon the most, he loved your spark for life and your humor the most during the darkest of his days.

When he was feeling his most ill mentally, you were always there to lend a helping hand; most of the time, just sitting with him and listening to the words that came out of his mouth was all he needed to feel a tiny bit better about most situations.

Everyone else feared him, they thought he was sick in the mind and that his anger outweighed anything else in his body.

But not you.

No, you were different.

You saw Caracalla for who he was on the inside; you saw his heart, his mind, his soul. You saw the scared man that just wanted love and affection, not the heartless man that craved violence and bloodshed.

You saw Caracalla for who he was, and that was something that surprised him in the best way possible. Because never in his life did he think he would have someone who would go out of their way to check on him and make sure he was okay. He never thought he would find support and even love until he found you.

Each and every day you came in and made sure he had everything he needed, that he was happy and that he knew he was cared for by someone… even if that someone was you.

And, tonight was no different. Geta had said something yet again to upset Caracalla, and now Caracalla was pacing around his private chambers, mumbling under his breath to his tiny companion, Dondus. He glanced at the door every so often, hoping and praying you would be on the other side to ease his mind and calm his nerves.

“Where is she?” He mumbled, glancing at the door before glancing at Dondus who was perched on his shoulder. “She should be here by now,” he added, pacing around the room more. Dondus chirped slightly, tiny fingers tangling through Caracalla’s hair softly. “I know, I know,” Caracalla nodded, as if he could understand what his companion was saying. “She’ll be here soon… I hope.”

Your feet padded against the hallway floor gently as you made your way towards Caracalla’s private sleeping chamber. This seemed to be an every night affair for you. A silver tray in your hands as you balanced the freshly baked pastries, tea pot and various other items on your short journey.

You stopped in front of Caracalla’s door, knocking three times—the knock you two had agreed on so he knew it was you—and waited.

Caracalla moved quickly on the opposite side of the door, almost tripping over his feet before he opened the door, looking at you. “It’s about time you got here,” he said softly, allowing you into the room.

“My apologies, my emperor,” you replied, walking into the room slowly so as to not spill or drop anything. “The pastries weren’t baking properly.” You added, setting the tray down on the bedside table gently.

“I don’t care about any pastries,” he admitted, shaking his head. “I care about you.” He mumbled, walking towards you after closing the door. “I had the worst day, and I just needed to see you.” Caracalla wrapped his arms around your waist gently, pulling you close to his body. Dondus hopped off of his shoulder onto the bed before stealing a small pastry, munching on it through chirps.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered, arms wrapping around his body gently. Caracalla sighed, his head resting on your chest as he stood there, collapsing into you and your attention.

“It’s quite alright,” he whispered, his eyes closing as he pulled you closer to his body. “Geta was just… being mean. Everything is always ours. Nothing is ever just mine. Except you,” he snuggled into your chest.

“Is that so?” You asked softly, a small smile forming on your face as your right hand moved to his hair. You ran your fingers through his locks, detangling them softly as he sighed again, relaxing slightly.

“Mhm,” he mumbled, nodding slightly. You glanced back at Dondus who sat in the middle of the bed, happily munching on the pastry, chirping slightly as if saying thank you. You looked back at Caracalla and smiled, mumbling into his hair.

“I brought you some tea,” you said softly, your words muffled into his hair. “It’s your favorite.”

“You brought me tea?” He asked, lifting his head slightly to glance at the tea pot and tea cups waiting for him. After being in your arms for a moment—your fingers soothing his body and mind—he remembered the pastries you had also brought along. “And… are those sweet pastries?” He added, his head lifting more, a small yet giddy smile forming on his lips.

“Yes,” you responded, nodding as a small giggle left your lips. “Freshly baked just for you, and apparently, for Dondus as well.” Caracalla moved towards the tea and pastries, reaching for the tea pot. “No, no,” you said softly, shaking your head as you followed him. “Allow me, my emperor,” you smiled, pouring him a cup of tea.

“How kind of you,” he smirked softly, sitting on the bed as he took the tea from your hands. He brought the cup to his lips and smiled softly, inhaling the sweet smell before he took a small drink, the liquid instantly warming him through. He looked at you, watching as you rearranged the items on the tray. “Sit with me, please?” He asked, moving slightly to allow you a seat beside him.

You shifted reluctantly, sitting beside him on the bedspread. Caracalla sighed, his arm wrapping your waist gently as he held you against his body. “I wish you could stay here all night,” he mumbled, looking at you with pleading eyes.

“I can stay here for as long as you’d like,” you replied, pushing his hair out of his eyes gently. “Just say the word, my emperor.”

Caracalla closed his eyes, leaning into your touch. “Stay.”

“Of course,” you replied, your cheek resting on his head softly. “Always.”

emperor caracalla taglist: wanna join? click the form here! ; @janis01127 ; @keeryhours ; @losingmygrasponreality ; @prettycalla ; @ali-r3n ; @alexa0813 ; @samslvrgirl ; @littlemissholy ; @robinbuckleywife @daliah-xxo ; @fallout-girl219 ; @cheesesandwichsanto ; @kawaii1kitten

[itsjustaninchident]

Baked with Love

Carlos Sainz x baker!reader

summary: where everyone is just obsessed with yn's pastries or where carlos is jealous because everybody seem to be obsessed of yn and her pastries.

warning/s: none

author's note: just a sudden burst of imagination. Anyway please let me know of what you think of it. It would be nice to hear some feedbacks! ❤️

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55, landonorris, and 764,084 others

yourusername baking a little something

view 452 comments...

carlossainz55 I don't think I can finish all of that, mi amor

yourusername who says they're for you?

user1 HELP

user2 NOT YN HUMBLING CARLOS DOWN

landonorris did u make some for me yn?

yourusername kids shouldn't consume too much sweets

user3 I LOVE YN OMG😭

user4 not yn humbling them both😭

user5 I LOVE YN SO MUCH SHE JUST BAKES AND PUT CARLOS IN HIS PLACE

user6 DOES CARLOS REALIZED HOW BAD OF A BITCH YN IS

user7 RIGHT? HE BETTER WIFE HER UP

liked by carlossainz55 and 234 others

user8 NOT HIM LIKING THE COMMENT

user9 he better get the hint

user10 he should because i will do my best to steal yn!

scuderiaferrari

liked by carlossainz55, charlesleclerc, and 422, 054 others

scuderiaferrari what a way to start the race week in the ferrari hospitality! thank you for these delicious cookies yourusername! we might have to add these to the menu next race week!

view 2,320 comments...

user1 THAT LOOKS SO GOOD

user2 i might have to disguise myself as a ferrari staff to get my hands on those cookies

user3 count me in!

user4 gonna sneak in the ferrari hospitality for the cookies

yourusername you better not f up the strategy or no more cookies!

user5 she's so real for this

user6 i do believe the cookies will work like a charm

user7 she's just like us😭

redbullracing what do we have to do to get a taste of the cookies? 👀

yourusername maybe if you let carlossainz55 through I will consider

user8 I LOVE HER YOUR HONOR

user9 SHE'S SO😭

carlossainz55

liked by charlesleclerc, landonorris, and 893,434 others

carlossainz55 no better way to celebrate your birthday than your girlfriend baking your cake! I love you, mi amor. ❤️

tagged: yourusername

view 4,239 comments...

yourusername i love you too! you're stuck with me and my pastries 🥰

carlossainz55 wouldn't have it any other way❤️

user1 IM SO SINGLE

user2 ME WHEN

user3 suddenly i wanna be a bird on the race track and just be ran over

landonorris ew couple

carlossainz55 kids are not allowed here

user4 not lando being their honorary child

scuderiaferrari happy birthday to our smooth operator!

charlesleclerc happy birthday mate! You better leave some cake for us

landonorris he better be

danielricciardo yourusername please sneak some in the paddock next race

carlossainz55 this is for me only!

yourusername there's plenty enough for you all stop fighting like kids

user5 YN AND HER BAKED GOODS

user6 CAN YOU GIVE US SOME TOO YN

liked by yourusername and 23 others

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55, danielricciardo, and 694,903 others

yourusername it is definitely a challenge to bake a lot of cookies😅

view 3,345 comments...

carlossainz55 I'm so hurt that I don't get to keep it all

landonorris stop gatekeeping yn's cookies!

user1 oh to be carlos sainz, who literally tastes everything yn bakes before anyone else😭

user2 one day there will be a get together at carlos and yn's house for the drivers because of how good yn's baking is.

user8 I will be waiting for that

charlesleclerc I will enter the paddock early, last time everybody finished it and there's nothing left for me

lewishamilton roscoe thinks the cookies are good, can he please have some?

yourusername roscoe can have as much as he wants!

user3 NOT LEWIS USING HIS DOG TO GET SOME COOKIES

user4 sir there is a line!

user5 sir please go to the back we're all waiting here

lilymhe please give me some🥺

yourusername i will never forget to give you some bae❤️

carlossainz55 life is really unfair

user6 how is carlos surviving this? he literally has so much competitors for yn's pastries

user7 i mean can u blame them she's literally the sweetest girl ever🥺

carlossainz55

liked by charlesleclerc, landonorris, and 1,023,649 others

carlossainz55 you get to taste the baked goodies but I get to taste the baker😉

view 73,394 comments...

user1 HE'S HERE TO REMIND US OF OUR PLACE😭

user2 IM SO SINGLE

user3 i hate it here

user4 why can't single people be left in peace

landonorris get off my timeline

carlossainz55 get off instagram then

yourusername you can just tell me you want tiramisu no need to make a post 😉

user5 MOTHER

carlossainz55 you know me so well, my love

user6 YN SO REAL

user7 IS NO ONE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE CAPTION😭

user8 IN BROAD DAYLIGHT?

user9 not the smooth operator for nothing

please send me requests of any scenario with a driver ❤️ I'd love to make them on my free time.

[hypnos333]

Sloth + lust = Fizz

fizzarolli x Reader x asmodeus

Synopsis: Fizzarolli and Asmodeus purposed to you but only Asmodeus can announce his proposal and Fizz is upset about it

“Just in we have wonderful news for Lazy town and lust city it seems like Asmodeus purposed too the sin of sloth and united both the town and cities-” the Tv cut off with Fizz turning it off pouting as He sat next to a still sleeping you with your diamond ring on your ring finger from both him and Asmodeus.

“Lovely aren’t you supposed to be making deals today” Fizz asked shaking you gently to wake up. Making one of your eyes open as you look at him in a sleepy way.

“Hmm, nope i’ll just have Asmodeus do it” You simply said closing your eyes, Fizz thought maybe he could ask you since even if lazy you were reasonable and less busy. “Why does Asmodeus only get to announce his proposal to you but I can’t do mines publicly” Fizz bluntly ask emotional making you tiredly stare at him as he fiddle with his hands.

You tiredly reach holding his hand, “Me and Asmodeus are overlords hun, but you are different, your special but your also below us it would be a disgrace to every overload if we show up unannounced with you hun” You said reasonably 

Fizz teared up making you instantly sit up and hugged him, he nuzzled into your neck. He sobbed into you. “I-I hate us hiding, I h-hate it so much” He cried.

“Shhhh I know hun, but this isn’t permanent until we can find a right time to announce you before our wedding, I promise honey” You vowed to him kissing him all over his face.

“IM BACK WITH SOME FOOD MY LOVES” Asmodeus yelled out making you jumpy but luckily Fizz was able to calm you with a reassurance hand squeeze. You sigh tiredly before wiping Fizz tears with your sleeve. “Dry your tears hun, everything’s gonna be okay” You said before dragging him downstairs to go downstairs for food.

“Ah hello my sleeping beauty it’s nice to see you awake with your beautiful self” Asmodeus greeted you lifting you up placing kisses all over your face.

“Hello to you too my king” You mumbled before you threw yourself down from him making Fizz panic before clinging to you before you fell off the floor trying to injure yourself. They both looked at you unimpressed as you dragged yourself to get some food in your sluggish both.

“She is something else” Asmodeus bluntly said making Fizz hum in agreement as his heart was still racing from you almost getting hurt.

“Hello Fizzy, How are you?” Asmodeus asked doing the same thing to him too what he did to you.

“I’m okay” Fizzarolli said simply but with a fake smile and sadden voice. Asmodeus gave a questionable face and before he could ask his other lover you came running with baked honey garlic chicken stuffed in your mouth.

You pulled Fizz down from your lover making him try the chicken that claim “Taste better then anything else in hell” making Fizz feel better with you cheerfulness.

“Okay okay I’ll try it” He said making you silently cheer before holding the chicken up to his mouth with a fork, He bit into the chicken before chewing it.

“What did you think about it hun?” You asked

“It’s delicious baby” He answered smiling at you, Asmodeus watched you and Fizz love sickly being loving to one another. He loves days like these.

“Oh right My sleeping beauty I had handled your deals and you have a couple of good ones” Asmodeus stated making you sigh tiredly. “Now now my Beauty we both know you have no choice but to do this” Asmodeus added.

“I know but you know I don’t get nothing done” You said tiredly.

“Let’s go baby we can do it together” Fizz said cheerfully making you nod in agreement before dragging both of them into you office.

“Thank you my loves” You said kissing Fizz lips first before kissing Asmodeus lips. They both sigh in content as you turn to lead them in your beautiful office that your man’s did for you.

[cursedcola]

Pov. : Valentines! Who doesn’t like a lil’ gift huhu Fandom: Twisted Wonderland Characters: Epel Felmeir, Idia Shroud, Azul Ashengrotto, Kalim Al Asim, Ruggie Bucchi, Deuce Spade, Leona KingScholar, Sebek Zigvolt, Liia Vanrouge, Ace Trappola, Grimmiepoo, and Malleus Draconia. Masterlist: LinkedUP A/N: I’ve always wanted to draw something with an imagine set ^^. Some are longer than others, my bad. Happy Smoocharoo day, everyone. Writings for each square are below the cut.

Pov. A Valentines Surprise :0

Mans was not expecting a present. At all. This is his first year beyond Harveston, where the most romance going on is between the squirelles in the trees. Since Valentines day is a ‘our-earth’ holiday…well, Epel definitely is a bit dense. You might mention it in passing but he won’t think much. Especially since the topic isn't re-occurring. It's definetly there in the back of his mind, but he forgets until the day of.

On the opposite spectrum - Rook clung to the idea like bees to a fresh bloom. He gave out flowers to anyone who crossed his path - all in the pursuit of spreading joy. Vil gets a giant bouquet of roses, but Epel’s happy with his little bushel of lavender sprigs.

It's kinda nice to get a gift just because - y'know? He isn't going to prepare anything since he doesn't want to lose his 'macho bravado'. Yet Pomefiore gets in the spirit hardcore, so he can't escape it.

Whether it’s obligatory, or romantic - Epel’s grateful to get a gift from you. Flattered. Dare I say puffing up just a lil’ bit, because you ain’t giving this to anyone else, right? He’s getting a bit cocky on the inside, look out.

To get a gift on a day like this one, you have to think he's cool. At least better than the others. His competitive streak comes out a wee bit.

He’d have accepted your last cup noodle as a gift (taking great effort to smuggle it in to Pomefiore without being policed. All he wants is one. Just one. ) - but the fact you went out of your way to get macarons makes him feel all sweet inside. Like honey-crisp jam and clotted cream over warm biscuits. He tries to push that feeling down but it just takes over.

Especially when Ace tries to snag one for a taste. Epel should've known better than bringing it to lunch. He let it slide since Ace couldn't come to Fleur city with them, but you bet he was guarding that box like a bloodhound.

Out of all the trouble that came from Fleur city - you remembered his preference and that’s enough to make him accept the gift without a peep. Expect a freshly baked apple pie on White Day. He’s not much for words, but Epel will pull out the best apples for it. No bruises or soft spots.

Idia.exe has crashed. Please reboot and try again.

Seriously. He opened the door expecting Ortho with his monthly snack restock - just to get ambushed! You can’t just pop into a guys safe space without warning!

Aka. Ortho indeed came back with his delivery + 1.

Knowing Idia and his tendency to self-sabotage….yeah, it’s best not to breathe a word about the holiday in advance. He’s not exactly prying for information on ‘our-earth’…well, aside from our tech and a bit on your personal lore. Everything else is on a need-to-know basis.

Considering Ortho brought back a signed card and a few extra bags of gummy worms than he ordered? Now is definitely part of the ‘need-to-know’. Sparing his crap attack by not dropping in personally just causes more anxiety - because is it obligatory? Is it romantic? Does he want it to be romantic?

Ofcoursehedoesbutthatsopeningapandorasboxthatheisntemotionallyreadytoconfront

Holy shit you got his favorite brand and - did he ever tell you that? Have you been watching him like he’s been -

Oh man. Oh man. This is way too much for something he can’t even research - and now he’s gotta get you something back, right? He knows exactly what you’d want but ew why would you want a Valentines gift from someone like him. He can get Ortho to grill you, right? Right. But it can’t be too obvious and he needs to say thank you but can he just send a text or is that lame?

Expect Ortho to drop off a gift-card for one of the systems Idia gave you back in CH.6…and a bag of candied pomegranates. Some sugar coated, some covered in dark chocolate. Definitely higher quality than anything you could afford.

You mention the holiday when discussing the opportune market back in ‘our-world’. Azul does have a nasty habit of making everything about work - even if you’re just stopping by for a spot of tea. Unheard of by any other student.

Alas. Holidays are a great chance for promotions. You’ve seen festivals and the like in Twisted Wonderland - but there are some tips and tricks to contribute. Like how western culture has totally whipped consumerism in gear with a holiday tacking a price tag on love and affection

Whether you buy into Valentines Day or not - Azul does not forget, and tries to establish a bit of a promotion at the Lounge. Hard to do in a school with nearly 100% male population…but he does manage, there are many forms of love other than romantic. It’s also easy to prey on lonely shmucks feeling down on their luck -

*sigh*

Despite remembering the day and campaigning for it - Azul isn’t prepared to receive a present. Not one without strings attached. It’s nothing much. A singular piece of rich, creamy cheesecake, wrapped in a neat little box with his name scrawled on a gift tag. Just enough to indulge but not tempt him to gorge. The perfect sweetness for someone like him to kick back at his desk and enjoy a brief respite.

Has consistently inviting you over for tea finally worked? All those nights of meticulously planning, trying to gather notions and novels while not overbearing you…like fishing. Carefully reeling in and letting loose until you willingly came to him

…no. He mustn’t assume. He will not. This could be obligatory, friendship….familial? No. Certainly not yet.

For all his predatory behavior on those lovesick ‘shmucks’ - Azul enjoys that piece of cheesecake with a bit more gusto than he’d let on. On White Day, do accept a ‘traditional’ assortment of cookies and chocolates, alongside a private dinner reservation.

Oh sweetheart, he’s already way ahead of you. This sunshine never forgets a single holiday. Any chance to celebrate is always taken. He was the first to ever inquire about what parties and events people in ‘our-world’ follow, or at least the ones you do.

Kalim likely picked out gifts in advance - some for his friends, his dorm-mates, a special thank you for Jamil…

And you, of course. The main focus of Valentines is romance, eh? You think he’s going to let that chance slip through his fingers? Especially if you’ve never gotten anything for Valentines before. You’ll be setting off to go track him down, just to find him carrying a teetering stack of boxes up to Ramshackle. Grim’s already drooling.

Part of him wanted to make something with his own two hands. Yet with limited experience in the kitchen, his options were small. He also didn’t want to frustrate Jamil by making a mess…but isn’t the point of this holiday to make one’s feelings clear?

Enlisting help also wouldn’t do. He had to do something on his own. Kalim can buy you the world, but some things need to be done with a man’s own two hands.

Inside the smallest box on the very top is a paper elephant that Kalim folded himself. It’s nothing extravagant, but he’s done crafts with his siblings before. Rather than toll away in the kitchen to come up with something near inedible, Kalim wanted to do something with his skills. Something fun and unique. You can fold it down too, so it can be stored away somewhere safe.

The sight’s a bit intimidating, especially with your small bouquet of yellow and roses, partnered with a few sprigs of baby’s breath. Yet Kalim looks so pleased to bring you his gifts, it’s hard to feel anything but happiness. Especially when he takes one look at the flowers and near bounces to the clouds.

Sure, you might’ve given little gifts to your friends but no one else has flowers. You thought of him first!

Does that mean he’s special? He sure hopes so. Part of him wishes he got you more gifts, but he had to stop somewhere. Otherwise you’d feel overwhelmed…

Guess you’ll both have to do something for each other on White Day though, huh? A banquet for two sounds perfect to his ears.

Ruggie's easy to please. If it's free, he'll take it. You could have offered up the last soda in your fridge, and he would have took it without a second thought.

Problem is - nothing's 'free'. He knows you're not like that - the cunning type (like him) - at least when it comes to abusing others for personal gain. Socially, to be clear. Aka. You know the struggle of scraping coins together to get by, so he's 99.98% sure you're not one to toss a gift his way just 'cause you don't want it anymore. You're also not abundant in resources - so you wouldn't use money to butter him up like Leona does. Maybe a bit of pulling the heart-strings (which regrettably works, not that he'll ever admit it).

Which is why he's doing a lil' mental rodeo when presented with heart-shaped cream donuts. Not the cheap kind either. The good ones. Glazed with cholate, stuffed with vanilla custard, and a dollop of whipped cream on top with a cherry. He won't look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes the basket like you're handing over gold.

For something this good, you've gotta have a good reason. It's not his birthday. Not a holiday he knows about. He hasn't helped you out at all either - at least, nothing out of the ordinary. He'd be super suspicious if this was literally anyone else.

Let's just completely bypass the heart-shape and nervousness bleeding out as you hand the goods over. Ruggie knows better than to hope for a good thing.

He just chalks it up to you spending too much time picking up baking tricks with Trey - ya do hang around Heartslabyul a lot. Ruggie's admit to enjoying a good donut - maybe you were using him as a test dummy for a recipe? Yeah. That's it. He won't get ahead of himself. He'll totally be chowing down on these later, and stuffs the box away for safe keeps (Savanaclaw bros will eat anything).

When he's in the clear? Happily downing his spoils in the sanctity of his dorm, chilling by the waterfall in the lounge? Jack pops in,, spots the donuts, recognizes the wrapping, and comments that they're different from what everyone else got.

and thus - Ruggie learns about Valentines day...and recounts the encounter with a new perspective.

Ruggie acts nonchalant about it. He was already savoring the donuts, but now he's eating slower. Reallllly thinking it over....he's not dumb, y'know.

You might have slipped by him this time, and as a bit of payback he'll reign himself in. It'll be fun watching ya stumble here and there for a bit - knowing he's got the 'good thing' guaranteed.

For White Day? Expect the tables to turn with a pack of sugar cookies - what? They're quick, simple, and sweet. Oh, and they're shaped like hearts too. Familiar? Take that as ya will, shishishi~

Well-informed about Valentines Day. Grim would not shut up about it for an entire week with all his whining and bemoaning about being surrounded by candy that he couldn't eat. Not if he wanted to keep living in Ramshackle.

Deuce thinks it's admirable that you prepare gifts for everyone. Group mentality, y'know? Making sure no one gets left out...even the people who don't deserve that kindness. It's no wonder you're a prefect, even if it was by default.

Yup. Somehow the holiday inspires him. Deuce is invested and supportive. He offers to keep Grim on lockdown at Heartslabyul if you really want to protect all the goodies. Just in case of sticky paws.

Also? Deuce will do anything to make you feel a bit more at home. Seeing you so excited to celebrate something from your world, especially after adhering to Wonderland's festivals (starsending, harveston sledathon, cloudcalling etc) - well, it would be shitty of him not to be supportive. Do you want help passing out gifts? You helped him collect wishes when he was a stargazer, it's only fair.

Imagine when the day comes and everyone's received their little baggie of treats - Deuce is left with one short. He made sure that everyone got their share first, and was happy to have helped despite being disappointed that he was one-short. He thinks you've miscounted and it was on accident. Not for a moment does Deuce think you would intentionally forget him.

Which is exactly why he doesn't say a word. Seeing you happy an being a part of your holiday is more than enough for Deuce. It's corny, but your smile is his present. He'd rather swipe some of Ace's and fib than make you feel bad for miscounting.

Except you didn't miscount. When Deuce heads back to his dorm for the night, he opens his bag to see a surprise slipped inside the outer pocket.

There's a small card, explaining that it felt unfair for everyone to get a surprise but him. Expressing gratitude for his support - both for helping celebrate Valentines and as a friend. Also that his gift was 'special,' and you wanted to spare him the awkwardness of receiving it in front of everyone.

He wonders what kind of 'special' you mean. Deuce pulls out a box of creme filled chocolate eggs. While the bags he passed out earlier were all exactly the same in quality and size - this gift was different.

Different. Special. Cute. Thoughtful. Romantic? If his gift was 'special' compared to everyone else's....

His roommates find Deuce passed out in an emotional sugar coma on the ground. No one moves him. Ace gives you crap for 'running juice-y ragged' the next day and gets pummeled for it.

Deuce tries time and time again to see if your gift meant more...but ultimately fails. His seniors can't watch him flounder anymore, and on White Day he steels his courage. Ready for battle, Deuce offers a bouquet of wild flowers and heartfelt sentiment.

Impressing Leona is both the simplest and most daunting task. What can you give a man who can purchase anything he wants on his own?

Wholesome Sincerity.

Leona acts uninterested when discussing your world - and for the most part? It's not feigned. He grows curious when politics, sports, world progression (research, etc), and how function without magic works. Good examples could be American Football and Rugby - which play similar to Spelldrive and pique his tactical mind. Also diplomatic relations between our countries, the use of differing energy sources other than magic, etc. The stuff a prince who wants to improve his homeland would want information on.

He does not care about celebrity fads or a famous gorilla named Harmbe.

Using this logic, you'd assume he wouldn't want to hear about a commercialized holiday like Valentines Day...right?

Partially correct.

No, he does not care about capitalism preying on sweethearts and monetizing love. Waste of his brain space. What Leona does care about is your investment in the holiday. Just like how he'll have one ear tuned in during those rare moments you let information about your life before Night Raven slip out.

You don't breathe a word about celebrating the holiday to him, but Leona expects a gift. Cocky, sure. He just knows ya too well, sue him. Even though you don't mention giving presents out, you bring up the holiday one too many times when chatting with others in his vicinity. Unlike the fresh meat, he doesn't need to be told straight out when cogs are turning in your head.

So he's plays the quiet game all day. He won't seek you out, but he'll hang around spots you know to find him at. Ruggie pops in during lunch with a wrapped baggie of sweets in one hand and lo-behold, Leona was right. You were giving gifts out like the good herbivore he knew you were. A few look arounds while walking on campus show the same goody bag in roughly every 10th student walking around. All in freshman year, all you likely see in class. With the exception of more obvious relations such as the...eugh...Leech Twins. It's hard not to know Floyd got something with his loud mouth and taunts.

All the same. Obligatory, he notes.

Leona spends longer than usual lazing in his dorm's lounge that night, resting with his eyes closed and lazing on one of the open rocks. A singular perked ear gives him away though, and it twitches when familiar footsteps approach.

Just as planned, you're leaning over him with that sickeningly earnest grin. All to eager to hand over one of those little bags of chocolate he's seen -

Except you set a large, heavy box on his stomach, and he can't maintain his indifference when faced with something....well, definitely not obligatory. An idiot would think this is obligatory.

Ceramic Sunflowers. Exactly six of them in a small white vase. The paint job is shoddy and honestly Savanaclaw is not a place to keep fragile items. He kind of wants to, since the only place you could get a kiln for this is the Gargoyle Studies Club...the thought of that lizard showing you how to carve clay taints the gift just a tad.

Except it's entirely novel all the same, and the hidden meaning is blatantly obvious too. Sickeningly sweet, he might lose a fang. Giving a gift like this to someone like him...with that poorly hidden affection.

He prepared a return gift in expectation for your chocolates. He's a jerk but wouldn't put down your holiday...but before that, he'll ask straight out of this is romantic or platonic. No mercy.

If romantic? Well, he'll waste no time meeting your sweetness with a kiss, clasping a colorfully beaded necklace around your neck in the moment.

Tradition is meant to be honored! Just because you are no longer in your world, does not mean you can shirk your civic responsibilities!

It takes some effort to explain that Valentines is an optional holiday. That it is not celebrated in every country in your world, and that most people do not partake at all. No holiday is mandatory, although some are more widely advertised than others. The meaning behind those days changes by the person.

You can try using Malleus' birthday as an example - it's a big day in Briar Valley after all. It won't work, since Sebek thinks it should be celebrated worldwide and anyone from Briar Valley not doing so should be considered treasonous.

Regardless if you enjoy Valentines or not - Sebek will remember the day (as well as others you mention, and any traditions that you may consider important). He wants you to celebrate, and already told his liege. Malleus was all too eager to hear a bit of your past and is going to send a card. Are you going to not return his good grace?! That's unthinkable - you will celebrate and that is that.

It's important to note that Sebek honed in on the familial and friendship aspects of Valentines. Aka he heard about a chance to revere the people he cares about and went with it. He did not ignore the romance part. In fact, it wavered him enough for his thoughts to roam a brief moment. Then he forcibly snapped himself out of it, and returned to lecturing you about upholding tradition....

He doesn't intrude upon your home - isn't it expected for the giver to prepare their gifts alone? That is what gives the present meaning.

On Valentines day, he presents Malleus and Lilia with presents. Silver too...begrudgingly. Also small candies for his 'friends' since Lilia said it would be against the day's law to forgo them for his ego. Malleus gets the most though, since he is whom Sebek admires above all. Fair warning.

He is pleased to see that you've given out presents to the others as well. Proud, even. It is important to remember your roots and he is pleased to have played a part.

Which is exactly why Sebek proudly boasts a gift for you. It's not the small candies the others received, nor the lavish sweets given to Malleus. As per tradition, Sebek presents you with a heart-shaped box of mixed truffles. He does it in front of everyone else too...very loudly...and despite his insistence that your gift is different since you're a close friend to Malleus? That bright red blush creeping out of Sebek's collar says otherwise.

Emotions and admiration are not something to be hidden. Repressed? Perhaps, but not hidden.

So you give him his gift in turn. Somehow his heart pounds just as hard for your box of chocolates as it did for Malleus' card. He takes it with the stiffest movements you've ever seen, jerking like a toy doll. As if anything beyond a curt 'thank you, human' will cause him to combust

That's because it will. Just saying.

....oho?

Ah. What a precious holiday. Truly.

Lilia is always looking for ways to spice up life. Compliance and predictability are good - but do you know what's better? Fun. Sometimes it’s best to just ‘go with the flow’ as people say.

Your flow always has something exciting in it's path - but so rare does it involve lighthearted joys such as as sweets and love. What a nice change of pace, and novel too! Lilia can't help but grow curious when you tell his about Valentines. A baby that flies through the air and shoots people with arrows? Clad in a diaper? Don’t give him ideas. Maybe TWST could use a bat Cupid…

He’s eager when you invite him and his boys to a party. Malleus is overjoyed to have an invitation to Ramshackle, Sebek goes whereever Malleus does, and Silver wouldn't make light of an invite from a friend. You must be excited to host as well, no? Can he help at all?

He almost refrains from pulling mischief. Almost. In Lilia's defense, his intentions were pure. You wanted to share a bit of love with the people you cared about, no? It would be negligent for him not to do the same!

So….he prepares a special batch of brownies to the potluck. Made with the eggshells included for a crunch! And what’s love without a little spice? He added extra hot sauce for a kick. He just knows it will be a hit!

It was a ‘hit’ alright….you hadn’t the heart to tell him no, and Silver had no time to swap out Lilia’s batch for a palatable option. His brownies sat mostly untouched on the table for the entire party. He tried to steer some unfortunate souls friends towards them, but somehow they never met their mark. Cater tripped and dropped his on the floor. Kalim was a bit quick to add that he needs his food tested, and Jamil was always preoccupied somewhere out of sight. Grim wolfed one down but disappeared before Lilia could ask how it tasted.

At some point half the platter did go missing….Silver said that it was so good, he was the one to eat them. Well, he’s still growing. Lilia doesn’t mind but he should have saved some for everyone! This is a day meant to spread joy and love after all.

Luckily Lilia prepared. To be safe, he’d made an extra batch. One he intended just for you. He made this one extra sweet with roughly chopped coffee beans inside. The strong kind that can keep a horse for three days straight! With the most “satisfying” texture! He knew soldiers that would crunch these bad boys whole during the war, and you do have much on your plate these days. He cut them into hearts as well. Someone name a better use for his blade skills? He’ll wait.

So he leaves the party early, intent to let his boys have their fun and return later on in the evening. That night a tiny bat carrying such a heavy package zips through the kitchen window, nearly scaring the plates out of your hands.

Now. On one hand, you’re happy he’s returned. He left so sudden and you wanted more time together.

On the other?….it’s doomsday once you see that tray of brownies. Lilia is proud when he describes all the ‘beneficial’ ingredients and why he chose them just for you. It would make your heart throb if not for the fear twisting knots in your gut.

Lilia wiggles the platter just by your face, his impish grin pressing his cheeks plump. Only to be rendered stupefied when you pull out a plate of chocolate strawberries from the fridge.

These weren’t on the menu earlier. He’d recall such a cute assortment. The berries are all dipped in fun toppings as well - akin to a sweet Russian roulette packed with unexpected combinations. It seems you were more than saddened that he left early…his invitation extended past the pretense of a friendly party. The blush on your cheeks says as much.

As does a brownie from his earlier tray. You seemed to snag one, not wanting to eat it during the party aka wanting to have it when your stomach could perish in peace

While Lilia hadn’t been amiss to these developments in both your heart and his….well, he hadn’t expected a personal present. Perhaps some joking flirtations, but you were a sweet thing. Much more than he could expect, and Fae never take on matters of the heart with mirth.

This was your holiday, no? Just because it dabbles in amour does not mean you would intend to pursue a cheeky thing like himself….alas, he’s too cute to resist and so are you. Give him a moment to process and expect the party to truly begin

What are you waiting for? Have a brownie <3

Head of the ‘Gimmie Gimmie Brigade’. Ace isn’t invested, but he’s also not disinterested. Valentines seems like something people over at Royal Sword Academy would buy into. From the way you’re talking about it - a holiday meant to celebrate lovers and all the amorous things in life is way too goody-goody for Night Raven.

No one here’s happy enough to buy into that. Wait - no, scratch that. They’re all miserable but with a bit of tweaking it could have some merit. Thing is that people here are way too invested in themselves to ever pull a gift exchange or be open about their *gag* feelings

Of course, Ace only aims to shut you down when it comes to spreading the love with campus. You want to keep it within Heartslabyul? Better yet, just between the two of you? He’s all for it. We all know he’s just talking it down to look cool. This is his plan from the get-go.

Hey. Think you guys could get a holiday excuse from class? Is this a religious thing? No? Damn. Can you lie and say it is?

Ace knows you’ll go out of your way to make something for everyone - if ya do it at all. Which is likely since once an idea gets set into that skull of yours, Ace knows it’s better to just ride the coaster than try to hop off…

For a holiday meant for lovers, you’re sure dense. Has he told you that you’re a Dummy yet? Yeah? Well he’s going to say it about every other hour, because you’re completely missing his signals. It has to be on purpose. He is absolutely sure that you’re screwing with him, making candy for all these other dudes.

For all his complaining, Ace isn’t going to let anyone ruin your holiday spirit. His protective side comes out and Ace is right there doing the delivery route too. He’ll hand over the candy on your behalf to anyone that even looks like they’ll give a bit of lip. A bit more harsh than necessary too, with his little challenging squint. Again. He seriously thinks you should’ve kept this to Heartslabyul and maybe your close friends…other dorms don’t deserve it.

He also makes a point to enforce that it is obligatory chocolate, given as a gesture of good will as a new Ramshackle Holiday. So no one gets any funny ideas…chk. Dream logged bastards.

As part of the gimmie gimmie parade, he expects a gift of his own. Ace makes sure to snag one (or three) of the candy bags while you guys walk around….and for his leg work? He wants to sleep over. So you better give him the bed. He takes your easy compliance as a won victory, and sticks his tongue out to Deuce while packing his bag cause it’s ‘helpers only’ night.

On one hand? Bro is happy the day is done with. It was good giving a bit back and seeing you so happy. Although he will once again say that you shouldn’t have given chocolate to so many guys - just to really grill it in there before bed

Speaking of the bed? It’s so nice. Much better than a stuffy dorm with three other guys…that is, until you rip the sheets out from under him and send Ace’s ass to the floor. He’s this close to doing the same. His hand’s reaching over the bedside with malicious intent, but your head pops over the ledge and points to the clock

11:58pm - the day’s almost done, and you’ve got a last surprise for him. Tadaaaa! Cherry cordial chocolates. Just for Ace. Did you really have to push him out of bed for it? No, but he was a whiney jerk all day so you felt it was right.

Ace is peeved. Not enough to yank you down anymore, but he takes the entire box of candy and starts to eat them all in one-go so you can’t have any. They’re his, yeah? Special jussssst for him? Maybe this isn’t a bad holiday after all…so long as you don’t do anything special for another guy.

For all your ‘good will’…he’ll be happy to drag you along to an ice-cream parlor on White Day. With a bit of wordplay, getting the day placed as mandatory activity is a breeze.

The only way to catch Malleus by surprise is when he’s most vulnerable. Aka…morning hours. Surely he lets his guard down more when it is just you and him, but there’s still decorum. There is still calculation. There is still a working braincell in his head.

And oh do you wish to surprise him. Just once in this lifetime. He loves hearing stories about your world and sharing thoughts. You couldn’t spend the winter holiday together. Everyone left campus and so you partied with Grim and the ghosts….but now there is a chance to give Malleus a cultural experience!

Which means you will need to enlist help. Insert Vanrouge, who unceremoniously hints that the dear Ramshackle Prefect is freezing their tukus off in a dorm with only a hearth to heat the building.

Hook. Oh, woe is the prefect. Humans can get sick from the cold and even die from hypothermia.

Line. Despite the fire fairies working hard to maintain NRC’s temperature during the cold months, Ramshackle is still on the tail end of their list. Other dorms take precedent due to their population.

Sinker. The poor prefect, all alone in that large building. They toughed out the winter but there’s supposed to be an unexpected ice storm this weekend! Possibly the biggest that the Isle has seen in years! Hopefully they stocked up on firewood and safety gear.

And thus, an invitation was extended.

Malleus is hardly one to insist, then again he’s rarely denied. Yet your body is a temple and he would love to have you as a guest. Better yet, transfer to Diasomnia? No? Okay. Guest will do. You can even stay in the room next to his. It’s been empty since his enrollment, and he will personally see to your safety.

Little does he know that there will be no ice storm, you are as fit as a fiddle, and Lilia will do anything to give Malleus a fun surprise.

Truth be told - Malleus thought you were a bit quiet. Mayhaps secretive. At first he thought you felt intimidated by his dormitory, and it saddened him so. He did lay the invitation on thick but it was for your safety! You wouldn’t let anyone carry your bags, not even when he offered to teleport them to your quarters.

While you chat the first night away, sipping tea and enjoying each other’s company in the lounge…a rare evening for him indeed. He quite likes the sight of you in Diasomnia with him. Regardless, Malleus goes to bed with a disquieted heart. He hopes you like it here, and that he won’t feel off-put when it is time for you to go home. Malleus remembers how he felt when you disappeared to the Isle of Woe. It was unpleasant to say the least.

Unsuspecting and a bit miffed from missed sleep - Malleus wakes the next day with an unceremonious stretch and yawn. He’s about to get ready for the day when there’s a loud string of crashes and thuds from the next room. Needless to say, he forgoes to even put on his slippers before teleporting over.

….

Concern is definitely a word that describes one of the various emotions going on. Bewildered is another. Also something else - lacking definitim and unfamiliar. It teeters somewhere on the cusp between good and bad. A weird, twisted fondness that he’s only felt in your presence on occasion.

You stacked a chair on top of the dresser, trying to hang paper streamers of hearts and snowflakes across the ceiling. Grim was hissing curses while trying to lift said dresser off you, because the whole thing came crashing down in the process.

Along with the curtains. The rod barely clung to the window, with one end hanging in the air. A splatter of melted icecream cake streamed down the wall and onto the floor. It left stark streak of red against Diasomnia’s brick

Your expression - utterly horrified. He can ascertain that without any hints. Not with fear but just complete mortification. Malleus has no idea what’s going on, but it’s so ridiculous that he’s biting down laughter while levitating the dresser back to it’s normal state. His brain was lagging behind just -

What lets him loose is the little ‘surprise?’ you squeak once freed - which is is nothing but a grasp at straws as you try and fail to salvage the wall cake. By the time Lilia comes to check on your ‘progress,’ he finds Malleus laughing harder then ever.

All this just to surprise him? Oh. Please tell him the entire story from idea to execution. People go to extreme lengths for Malleus all the time, but this is just something so entirely….hm. That feeling isn’t going away. It seems all he needs to do is think about your clumsy efforts and it comes around again.

This is a gift in itself. He must know how to reciprocate appropriately, so what do you wish for this ‘White Day’? He hasn’t been this excited to gift something in quite some time.

Special Mention : Grim!!

This little shit.

This smug little shit.

Grim thinks he’s sooooooo smart. Doesn’t matter who you’re making treats for - he’s claiming tax on every bag. It’s a one for you, one for me scenario.

Every batch of chocolate prepared comes with that forsaken paw stretching up past the counter, the ‘gimmie’ motion is getting old. He needs new tricks or else you’ll swat him with the rolling pin next.

Valentines day? That’s another human holiday, huh? He ain’t heard of it….but if it’s important to you, then he’ll bite. It helps that he gets free food out of it.

And tuna. Lots of tuna. Grim doesn’t want to see you give ANYONE else a gift that’s bigger than his. They don’t deserve it. None of them do. Maybe Ace and Deuce….and Jack, but that’s it. Even if they get somethin’ big, Grim’s should be better

Which is exactly why by the time Valentines day comes, he’s on his ‘nth’ can of tuna and you physically have to take privilege away before your pockets go dry.

Why’s it like this? Because you’re his henchman. You shouldn’t love anyone else more than you love him. You’re a team.

He sees you give the ghosts chocolate and tries to swipe it. They can’t even eat the stuff! Why bother?

Thus, Grim gets his little but chased out of the kitchen…and the dorm…and all the other dorms since he’s tailing your delivery runs

Grim doesn’t care too much about the meaning behind Valentines day. Yet no one getting your candy better be ungrateful, or expect anythin’ more than obligatory gifts. He has claws and will use them. He ain’t known his ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ too well before NRC…but these guys better use it or they’re getting fried tooshie instead of sweet nothings.

And at the end of the day? He doesn’t have much to offer ya in return, but there’s a stack of ‘favor’ coupons smacked over your head right before bed. Isn’t a big stack, since Grim can only tame himself so much…but they’re exchangeable for good kitty behavior! There’s one for uninterrupted studying, one to have the bed to yourself for a night, one for a free delivery, and a few chore coupons. His handwriting is hard to read, but you assume Riddle helped with the arrangement from the nice stationary and perfect spelling.

Don’t go using them all at once either!…by the time he’s done bashfully giving you his ‘perfect’ gift, Grim’s already curled up next to you and passed out cold. It’s a food coma for the books.

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Dammit

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.5k (including lyrics)

Warnings: heavy angst, minor fluff

Summary: There’s an open house you visit where you imagine the life you and Steve might have had together because the alternative is just too damn depressing.

Square Filled: getting lost together (2020) for @star-spangled-bingo

Author’s Note: this is based on the song Dammit by Jana Kramer

x

I was drivin' to town and I passed by a house The one with pillars on the porch, Had a sign on the door that said "for sale" So what the hell

You’re not even sure where you’re going. You just get into your car and let your feet drive you to where they think you want to go. The world is a better place than before but it doesn’t mean all that trauma has gone away. Trees pass by as you zoom down the street, not a single destination on your mind.

Sometimes a girl just needs to go on a drive with nowhere to go.

The trees turn to houses and before you know it, you’re in some rural neighborhood. All the houses look the same but they stand tall and proud. People are outside either tending to their lawns or talking to their neighbors. The houses are spaced far enough apart to give each house some privacy but close enough to have friendly neighbors. You pictured yourself in a place like this before. This is where you and Steve wanted to build your life together.

Up ahead are balloons attached to a sign that says, OPEN HOUSE UNTIL 7 PM. It’s a beautiful two-story house with a wrap-around porch with pillars spread out evenly. On the porch is a swing and a small glass table for morning coffee. There are two big trees in the front lawn that could easily hold a tire swing or a small treehouse.

It’s perfect. It’s exactly what you and Steve want. Before you can talk yourself out of it, you pull over and get out. What the hell, right? It doesn’t hurt to look.

I walked in, sat down on some stranger’s couch Solid oak hardwood floors Didn't need to see more 'Cause I could hear you in the kitchen Playin' your guitar, All our friends coming over Little lights in the yard

The realtor must have baked some cookies before opening the house up to the public because it smells like freshly baked goods. The oak hardwood floors sparkle and shine, and it’s honestly the only thing that made you want this house. You don’t even have to see the rest. The place isn’t too busy but there are others looking at the house.

You ignore them as you sit down on the couch. Every single person disappears from the place until it’s only you and your imagination. From here, you can see the kitchen perfectly. From here, you can see the staircase. From here, you can see the entire front lawn. Open space with floor-length windows.

Everything you’ve ever wanted and more.

“Y/N!” You look toward the kitchen and imagine Steve standing there making breakfast. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

“I’m coming.”

You walk down the stairs in cozy pajamas and join your husband in the kitchen. He has his shirt off and is only wearing a pair of sweatpants. It doesn’t matter how much you see him like this, every time is like the first time.

“Remind me why I’m the lucky one,” you grin and sit on top of the kitchen island.

“It’s me who is the lucky one. You look beautiful. Radiant in the summer sun.”

The curtains are open, allowing the sunlight to pierce through the windows and into the kitchen.

“You’re just saying that,” you blush.

Steve smiles but doesn’t say anything else. As he cooks, he feeds you small pieces of the food. He parts your legs and steps in between them, and you pull him closer to you. You kiss him, temporarily forgetting that he has eggs cooking.

From the couch, you can see parts of the backyard. There is a beautiful wood deck that has a firepit that dips down with cushions and stairs around it, a built-in pool is farther ahead, and even more trees surround the area. It’s easy to picture you and Steve, surrounded by friends, just enjoying each other’s company.

Steve has been wanting to learn how to play the guitar, so you got him one for Christmas last year. He knows how to play certain songs that he now uses to impress his friends. Bucky, Sam, Tony, Natasha, and even Thor are here. The sun had just passed the horizon so the fire from the pit lit the area nicely.

It’s a great way to end a hot summer day.

You look away from the backyard just as a tear rolls down your cheek.

I think the owners could tell I was lost in myself So they left me alone, and said "Make yourself right at home" I was already makin' dinner, Callin' you down the stairs Little girl out the window, Hear her laughin' out there

“Miss, is everything okay?” The realtor noticed you sitting by yourself staring off into space. “Miss?”

“Sorry,” you whisper and break out of your trance. “I was just lost in myself, I guess. This is a beautiful home.”

She smiles politely. “Make yourself right at home. Let me know if you have any questions.”

It’s like she could tell you wanted to be alone. The second she leaves, everyone disappears again, and you’re lost inside your head.

You’re in the kitchen cooking dinner for the whole family. The second you got home, you got started on a new recipe you saw online while at work. You’re about to put the finishing touches when you call out for your husband.

“Steve! Dinner is ready!”

“Coming!”

Hearing his heavy footsteps on the wooden stairs brings a smile to your face. He’s always hungry. There isn’t enough food in the world that would satiate that man, but you try to keep him full at all times. That’s the downside of taking that serum. He needs more than the average human to be satisfied.

You wipe your hands on the kitchen towel and walk to the back doors. You open the sliding door and walk outside, soaking in the brisk fall sun. Your little girl, Amy, is outside with your young golden retriever, Poppy. The trees have already begun shedding their leaves, so the two of them are jumping into the pile of leaves. Her laughter makes your heart so full and happy.

“Amy, it’s dinnertime. Come on in.” She rustles out of the leaves and runs toward the house with Poppy in tow. “Go wash your hands.”

She runs into the house, almost running into Steve’s arms. He picks her up and tickles her, and she lets out the cutest squeal.

“Come on, let’s go wash those dirty hands.”

If you squeeze your eyes tightly, you can hear her laughter echo from the back of your mind.

Now I'm driving away Thinking "Oh what a shame" You can pray, you can hope But you just never know I guess that two-bedroom picket fence magic Can't ever be ours now, can it?

The open house is over now but you don’t want to leave it. You don’t want to leave the life you could have had. Still, you get into your car and drive away, and you keep it in your rearview mirror for as long as you can. The drive home is longer than the drive there because you don’t want to go home.

You don’t want to go to a place that is a reminder of what you can’t have. As much as you and Steve planned for that life, you can’t have it. Life isn’t fair. Life takes whatever it wants without any warning, leaving you in the dust.

One can hope and pray for everything they want, but you’ve been around long enough to know that God isn’t watching over you.

Maybe there’s an alternative universe where you, Steve, and Amy are living their best life.

Oh, what a shame.

Man now I just dammit Baby, didn't we almost have it? Honestly, I still don’t understand it We used to love to sit, talk and wish And picture and plan it Man, now I just... dammit

You don’t want to be here. Anywhere but here, but you have nowhere else to go. You unlock the front door and step into your empty and dark one-bedroom apartment. You turn the light on and toss your keys into the ceramic bowl on the small table next to the door.

The silence is the worst. It hurts.

You kick the door shut and hang your jacket on the coat hanger. You walk to the small kitchen that can barely fit one person and take out a microwavable dinner from the freezer. You’re not even hungry but you haven’t eaten today and you need to eat otherwise you’ll feel faint. After putting it into the microwave, you stare at the empty spot on the couch.

You can picture him sitting there, laughing at something you said. You used to sit and talk all night, planning what your future was going to look like. Now the seat stays empty and will stay empty for as long as you live.

That’s where Steve is supposed to be. He’s supposed to be here. Instead, he got lost when trying to return the stones. You never saw him again. You almost had it with him, too.

Almost.

You slam your hand on the kitchen counter and quietly sob.

“Damn it,” you whisper.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[itslusii]

🤍 Dating Franco Colapinto

pairing: franco colapinto x reader

request: yes/no

warnings: food, one cuss word and i don’t really think anything else

Author’s note: heyy so i was bored and i felt like doing this!! hope you enjoy it !🫶🏻 down here i’ll leave the translations/meaning to some of the spanish words i used!

mate= traditional drink from Argentina that is similar to tea asado=barbecue but better. bizcochitos= salty biscuits empanadas= is a baked or fried pastry filled with, usually, meat and chicken, or cheese and some other stuff. merienda= tea time!!! te amo= ily

-Franco is from Argentina (obviously) so he would need you to know about our his culture. He’d make you try mate and maybe some pastries if you’re into more sweet stuff. But if you are not, asado and some salty bizchochitos would be a great choice.

-he would love when you go to his races and support him. His name in a jersey on your back would be a something he’d be really proud of.

-just like i said in my Carlos post, he is also a very family guy. All his little cousins would love you and his sister is your number one fan.

-he’d ask you to cook for him because he may be good at driving but he’s useless in the kitchen area. Since he left home at a really early age, he didn’t really had time to learn some stuff about being independent and living on his own.

-in relation to that, please cook some empanadas for him, he’ll love you forever🙏🏻🙏🏻

-i don’t really see him as of being someone who uses words for his love language. I see him being clingy and not caring about others. But if your love language is words of affection or any other he’ll gladly take it!

-Sunday’s afternoon are his jam, even tho these seem to be sort of depressing he really knows how to make it better. Some music, maybe a movie and lots of cuddles.

-he will support you in everything you do and desire. But for example if you know how to play an instrument he’ll be asking you to play his favourite songs for him all.the.time

-your waist/hip area is his favourite place for his hands to go. If you’re in public it’d be rare if his hands aren’t on your waist or your lower back.

-he’s really funny, so expect your stomach to hurt after laughing so much. Not because he’s cracking jokes every single minute of the day, it’s just the way he says things that are funny.

-workout with him!! he’ll love it, but do know he gets kind of cranky when working out. But a really good merienda afterwards would solve that issue.

-he’d say i love you first. One afternoon early in the relationship he saw you watching some youtube video on how to cook something he had mentioned he liked and he knew then he loved you with all his heart. But he blurted it out when he saw you wearing an Argentinian football jersey.

-Sometimes just because he’s a cheesy motherfucker he will say te amo instead of i love you. But you love it nonetheless.

[garbinge]

BIO-HAZARD

Leroy Jethro Gibbs x F!Reader // Word Count: 670 Summary: Based on S2E22, Swak. When Tony opens an envelope with an unknown white substance, Gibbs gives you a call to give you a heads up. Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Light angst. Bio-Hazard material mentions, banter. A/N: A little small Gibbs fic I've had in my WIPs for a while :)

When the phone rang, it was clear you weren’t expecting the news that it was ringing with. You thought it’d be a quick minute to tell you he’d be home late, again. Which never bothered you, you knew Gibbs was married to the job just as much as you. It was more of a disappointment these days than anything else. You had a few weeks off and were taking the opportunity to be home, catching up on relaxing and being still. Two things Jethro was never good at. Currently, you had decided to give baking a try, the kitchen was a disaster, and so were the brownies you were attempting to make from scratch. 

“Why do people bake again?” You answered the phone, wiping some batter off your forehead and moving to the sink to wash it off. 

You couldn’t see it, but Gibbs gave a slight smile, a disappointing one as his eyes shut. All his way of preparing to tell you as he realized how good of a mood you were in. He was able to see past your disdained comment to know despite failing at baking, you were having a damn good time doing it. 

“Oh no, you’re doing that silent brooding thing that usually means you’re gonna be home late. Look I don’t normally mind, but these are my last few days home before I’m back on the job and I’ll be the one calling you that I’m coming home late.” 

You were met with more silence. 

“Jethro?” You stopped what you were doing and grabbed the phone with a slight eagerness. 

“We got a letter sent here with white powder in it. Got opened up in my bullpen.” His voice was solemn–straight to the point. Giving you the information he had and you needed. Nothing else. 

“Jesus Christ.” You felt like you needed to be moving, grabbing your keys to go rescue him even though every logical fiber in your being knew there wasn’t anything you could do. 

“We’re on lockdown here until we know more. I’m workin’ with Duck. Everything’ll be fine.” His voice was so calm, it was so like him, if you wanted to be with anyone in a crisis, it was Gibbs for this very reason.

“You know, you say that every time and it never makes me feel better.” You fully let go of the idea of rescue now, trying to wrap your mind around what you were going to occupy yourself with while you waited for more information from him which definitely wasn’t going to come now. You had to be just as strong as Gibbs was right now. 

“But every time it’s true, right?” Now you two were talking like there wasn’t a biohazardous emergency at hand. 

You tossed your head back and forth before teasing him. “99% of the time.” 

“What’s the 1%?” 

“When you forgot our anniversary. I’ll get a last minute reservation for tonight, everything’ll be fine.”  You mocked his famous words from that one forgotten anniversary. 

“I recall everything being more than fine that night.” The power he had to be making sexual innuendos to you in a moment like this. 

“We ate goldfish and whiskey for dinner.” And the power you had to continue the conversation just the same. 

“Wasn’t talking about the food.” 

After smiling to yourself over the quiet line, you brought the conversation back to the reason he called. “Call me with updates please.” 

“Yes, boss.” 

That earned him a bigger smile from you. Always did. It made you not want to hang up the phone yet even though you knew you were on a short timeline. “How’s Abby?”

“A working wreck.” His answer came quickly, and you could tell he was on the move now. 

“Me and her both.” You took a deep sigh. “I’m gonna be at the edge of my seat all day.” 

“Work on that brownie recipe. I’m gonna need one when I get home.”

Divider by @realitycanbewhateveridesire *ੈ✩‧₊˚ 🕵️ NCIS Taglist: @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @kmc1989 @ilovemark1951 @shamelessturtlebeliever (let me know if you’d like to be added!)

[nathandrakeisabottom]

⋆ Nathan Drake: Domestic Headcanons ⋆

The long-awaited, completely unasked for companion piece to @durrtydawg's Sam domestic headcanons piece. Revel in my self-indulgent, self-absorbed, and grotesquely specific fantasies of getting to call Nathan Drake my house husband. A house husband who jumps off speeding trains with a handgun on the occasional Thursday.

Not only does our pretty boy Nathan Morgan need someone who grounds him— (though that can mean many things; Nate is anything but a one type man)

But for someone who he genuinely believes won’t judge him for who he is

With them, every morning is peaceful and slow 

Will come up from behind before breakfast with a slow grasp at their waist, a delicate kiss he doesn’t break for a good few seconds against his partner's cheek or neck (will literally sigh into it)

And he fucking loves if they do the same for him

Everything is slow and silence and sighs

(He’s rarely so fucking quiet, and he appreciates someone who he feels comfortable finally letting everything go for. His voice gets hoarse with how much he’s always screaming and snarking)

Will shudder more from morning intimacy than straight up sex; if he’s surprised by kisses up his back as he makes some (admittedly, pretty runny) eggs, he'll accidentally drop and shatter dishes like nobody’s business

Speaking of which, only ever gets the cheapest plates/cups because he’s always fucking breaking them (thrift store, preferably)

James Taylor, Norah Jones, Michael Buble, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and (oddly enough) Barbra Streisand for relaxing morning music 

And will white man boogie with a comically bit lip if they quietly, affectionately look at him for long enough 

Speaking of: despite his best efforts, as he starts to wake up, he’ll grow increasingly jokey and self-aware (but soft lil’ earnest boy always comes back eventually)

Will take all the trash and recycling out in one clean go, tucking shit between his bent elbows and under his chin; He’s not afraid of a challenge yes he can fucking do it by himself NO SHUT UP HE’S GOT IT

His partner hears the clang of soda cans falling on the pavement twelve seconds later

A Trader Joe’s BITCH

As much as he loves some sensory overload and a bajillion snack options, big supermarkets kinda overwhelm him

Also they’re always more expensive and this boy is a complainer (and if he can make his partner laugh while he’s dramatically whining, even better)

Literally the man who ACTIVELY LAUGHS at the names of products 

“A Blueberry WALKS Into A Bar? Do you get that? BAR? Oh, that’s goddamn hilarious.”

And then will laugh for a good minute in the aisle; fuck the old people side-eyeing him from the dairy section 

Overbuys groceries rather than underbuys; there’s a lot of food he doesn’t realize has gone bad until it’s actively going into his mouth

Expect to be investing in a good broom, because he constantly needs one

Will open a bag of frozen peas from the wrong side and all of a sudden he’s spilling the entire thing onto the hardwood floor

He just hangs his head with a long, forlorn sigh

God fucking dammit

And huffs before power-walking to the closet

But at least he’s used to it; he’s got a broom in every place he can hide one now 

LOVES to cook, but that doesn’t mean he’s good at it

Probably just likes the theatrics: catch him in double oven mitts and a dozen hand towels at the ready and a novelty apron that says “spooned with love”, “rubs his own meat”, “mister good-lookin’ is cookin’”, or “license to grill”

King of wearing an apron and nothing else without telling; loves surprises and loves giving them almost as much; and will absolutely play coy about it (“I’m just baking out here!! What are you screaming about?”) 

Relatedly, loves stealing his partner’s shirts without telling, especially if they’re too small

“Baby tees are for big, strong babies like me.” “But you’re gonna stretch mine out!” “Heh-heh. Nice.”

Is a fucking sucker for any sort of gender role switch, but also can’t help the flutter in his heart when he sees his partner doing his laundry 

It’s the intimacy of another person touching his clothes and wanting them to be soft for him; loves if they have to reach kinda high to hang them up in his closet, too

Fucking loves to make love to his partner— and yes he loves the phrase “make love”, leave him alone— or hell, do anything to them while the washer is going on heavy duty wash cycle 

Somehow related, but is a hippie at the best of times. Women got off using washing machines before there was anything else and it’s a part of history and now they are too and isn’t it beautiful we’re not all so different isn’t life and history beautiful

Loves smoking weed once there’s a lengthy enough break with his partner, coughs and needs water every time (“nah, I don’t need it” — starts hacking to fucking death)

Loves a local mall trip: J Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch, and REI are his go-tos; he always needs an excuse to go out

“Jeez, is this what the kids are wearing these days?” in any store that isn’t those three

Every time there’s a big ad of a hot guy in a canoe or a girl smiling so hard it looks like her teeth are gonna pop out, he loves to outlandishly mimic their expression to make his partner laugh

Touchy, clingy, whiney 🥺; uses a body pillow and weighted blankets when he has to spend the night by himself

Needs to be the small spoon (at minimum) once a week, otherwise he gets sad and grumpy but isn't quite sure why

“Let’s get some new furniture.” “What? We have Ikea right next door! I can just make it!”

Drills a hole too big or loses the most important screw and has to go buy new furniture anyway 

Adores above all else impromptu massages: whether it’s on the couch or in the bedroom when he’s on his belly watching TV; moans more shamelessly during those than he even does during sex

Those massages often turn into him begging his partner to ride him… or he just fucking falls asleep

By the way, will fall asleep in any position or location you could possibly think of; a habit from his childhood when he didn't have a bed to sleep in

Snores and drools, but not loud or wet enough to be too annoying

2 in 1 shampoo. One bar of soap.

Unless of course he’s all out or… curious about what delicious-smelling shit his partner has; maybe it’s like the reverse of when a dog pees on something to claim it. Something like that.  

Get. him. flowers. His favorites are daffodils.

Really into helping out in his community: soup kitchen, pet shelters, planting trees or veggie seeds for community gardens— and then will abruptly stop because he’s tired and doesn’t feel like doing it anymore 

Until the next summer when he sporadically goes — “You know what we should do?!”

King of late-night karaoke bars (especially if he gets wasted and busts into a weepy song that totally kills the mood)

On the same note, a big musical theatre lover. Wine and dine him!

Loves a dog, wants a dog, needs a dog

Never fucking trains or reprimands the dog but whatcha gonna do

Gets both super shy and vulnerable and horny when he's actively referred to as a “husband” ; loves a good big business partner/house husband roleplay (whether horny or just a joke)

Please, oh god please, do shortform improv with him every time he starts doing a bit

Living with Nathan isn’t always easy, or frankly cheap, but is so fucking gentle and so fucking happy, that you can no longer imagine a world where your life was anything but 🌼💙🗺️

If you hurt him, OP (and Sully) are out for BLOOD.

[fluentmoviequoter]

hi hanna! since your requests are open, i was wondering if i could request a deacon fic where he comes home late from work one night. and when he comes home, he hears music coming from the kitchen, and when he walks in the kitchen, he sees wife!reader in the kitchen baking cookies (maybe she couldn’t sleep, so that’s why she’s baking late at night) and she’s singing and dancing while she’s baking them too! and then while her cookies are in the oven baking, her and deacon end up slow dancing in the kitchen with each other!🥰

Hi, Rachel! I love this idea so much!! I'm sorry it's short but I hope you like it!🫶🏼

0.5k+ words of pure fluff and the king of country music

Just Want to Dance With You

Deacon sighs as he unlocks the front door. You’re not there to greet him, but Deacon’s smile grows when he hears music playing in the kitchen. Deacon follows the soothing melody, intermixed with the quiet sounds of pans moving and your soft singing, until he reaches the doorway. Deacon leans against the counter as he watches you dance to the music while evenly spacing homemade cookie dough on a pan.

It's late, and while Deacon feels bad about not being home when he was supposed to be, he’s happy to see you. Even if you should be asleep. After you place the pan in the preheated oven, you turn in time with the music.

When you see Deacon, you stop. Smiling, you beckon him closer.

“What are you doing up?” he asks softly, as if speaking too loudly will shatter the moment.

“I couldn’t sleep,” you admit, wrapping your arms over his shoulders.

“I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. How are you?”

Deacon’s eyes flutter closed as you brush your fingers through the short hair at the nape of his neck.

“Better now,” he admits, pulling you closer by your waist. “Dance with me?”

“Forever.”

Deacon opens his eyes and smiles as he reaches for your phone. Lifting it from the counter, he finds a song. As the music begins, he lifts his arm and twirls you. Against Deacon’s chest, you look up at your husband and smile.

The sound of George Strait’s I Just Want to Dance With You fills your home as everything else fades away. Dancing with Deacon has been one of your favorite things to do since you first met, and since getting married, it serves as a reminder of the love you share and your past together.

“I got a feeling that you have a heart like mine,” Deacon sings. “So let is show, let it shine. If we have a chance to make one heart of two, Then I just want to dance with you.”

“How are you really?” you whisper.

“We’re all okay,” Deacon assures you. “Hicks needed a team on standby while the fugitive squad served a warrant. We spent the night at the station. What about you? How are you really?”

“Well, I’m dancing with my husband, who I love more than the cookies in the oven, so I’m doing pretty well. Thanks for asking.”

Deacon smiles and spins you around the kitchen before he dips you. His lips brush against yours, then he pulls you upright, cups your cheeks, and kisses you as if it’s the first and last time.

“I love you,” you say against his lips.

“I love you,” he replies. “More than the cookies in the oven.”

“We’ve gotten better at dancing since our first date.”

Deacon laughs at the reminder of when he tried to dip you but slipped and fell with you. “We’ve gotten better at everything, I think.”

“I agree. We’re great.”

“George was right,” Deacon muses. “Holding you in my arms is what they intended dancing for.”

“I’m glad you’re home. And in time for cookies.”

“I’ll always come home to you,” Deacon promises. He holds you close, swaying around the kitchen with nothing on his mind but you. When the smell of cookies spreads throughout the house, he might think about that, too. But mostly you.

[callmelilone]

Craving you ~ Azriel x Y/N

~ You and Azriel were recently discover the mating bond between you two and let's just say you both end up in the house of wind locked up away from everyone else! (+18)

It's been a chaos since this morning in the town house, everybody from the inner circle came to congratulate you and Azriel for your newly bond.

Everybody wanted to help you design your marriage while all you wanted all day was to stay alone with your mate.

Fayre and Mor was arguing about the decorations and your gown while on the other side Amren and Nesta was drinking one of the good bottle of wines Rhysand had for a special occasion.

You were currently sitting at your mate's lap and watching your family all around you happy with you two, you all deserved a happy moment after the war with Hybern.

Elain came from the kitchen holding a freshly baked cake and left it on the table in front of you.

"It smells delicious." You said and lean forward to smell the cake while everyone else run to take a piece.

When you lean back up again Azriel left a kiss at the crook of your neck.

You smell delicious bunny. Azriel said in his husky voice in your head through the bond you two share. He kept leaving wet kisses at the base of your neck and his grip on your hip tightens.

You could feel his hardness poking your butt and by the minute he only grew harder and larger. Your breath was getting heavier and the heat between your legs was getting worse.

Fuck, how much you wanted everybody to leave and stay with your mate alone, but you didn't want to ruin everybody's gathering, they seemed like they were having fun, something you all didn't get often.

You felt Azriel grinding you in his hard cock, you looked around to see if anyone noticed this sudden movement, but everyone else was focused on themselves.

Az can't you wait until they leave? I passed to him trough our bond and turned to him.

A sly smirk on his face and his gaze darkened. You felt one of his shadows going under your dress and up your thighs, it was cold and soft, it stays there for a moment caressing your thighs.

"So Y/N how do you want your wedding dress to look like?" Feyre asked from the couch he was sitting with Rhys having his hand wrapped around her.

"I have some thoughts about it, I want it to be purple, strapless with a veil on top of the main skirt and be puffy, also... I huuh." I lost my words as I felt the shadows under my dress climbing higher up my thighs and closer to the heat between my legs.

I looked at Feyre, she had a concerned look at her face.

"Is everything okay love you seem a little red?" Feyre asked you.

"Yes...yes i just felt a little dizzy maybe I drunk a little too much." I say trying to excuse my actions on the wine while trying to keep the other actions that was going on under my dress hidden from anyone else.

Feyre nodded her head and returned the conversation to Mor and the others.

Azriel's shadows now where circling your clit over your underwear and the tension was too much to handle, you were feeling close to your climax, another shadow made its way through your underwear and pushed it in your entrance. The chill sensation combined with the heat I felt made me drip and wanted to feel Azriel inside me now.

Az I need you now. I say in our bond, I see his smirk grow wider as he left another kiss on my neck, his shadows stop all the perverted actions beneath my dress.

I thought you wanted to stay sweetheart. He teased through our bond.

Fuck Az, I need you to fuck me. I say desperately.

With one last kiss in my forehead Azriel stood up and put his hand on my waist.

"I'm sorry guys I think we have to leave Y/N is a little bit drunk." Azriel said with a smile and kissed me on my forehead.

"Ohh you poor little thing, you can go rest we can talk about more details tomorrow." Mor said to me and hugged me.

"Would you like me to winnow you to the house of wind tonight, you can have a little privacy and rest better up there." Rhysand offer.

"If it's not trouble." Az talked for you.

You hear Cassian laughing next to Nesta and when you and Azriel looked at him, he wink and gave you both a smirk before Rhysand winnow you to the house up the mountain.

You were wrapped in shadows, Azriel was holding you close, when the shadows disappear you were in the dinner room in the house of the wind.

Azriel didn't waste a minute before he pressed his lips on yours, kissing you with passion and a hunger, he put his hand on your neck and a moan came out of your mouth, he pushed his tongue in your mouth and the kiss became deeper.

He pushed you on the table and lay you there, he started kissing and biting your neck leaving love marks all the way to your cleavage. He pulled down your dress exposing your breasts and already hard nipples.

He grabbed one with his mouth licking it and teasing it while he massage your other breast with his hand.

You felt his erection on your inner thigh, it made you wanting him more if that is possible.

He returned to your mouth attacking it with wet kisses while he reached for the hem of your dress pulling it up.

He pressed to finger on your clit over your drenched underwear.

"You're so wet for me, sweetheart." He whispered in my ear.

You felt your face heat up from his words, he wasted no time as he pushed your underwear to the side and pushed two fingers inside you, soft moans were leaving your mouth while he was pushing his fingers in and out of you.

"That's it bunny come all over my fingers." He started circling your clit with his thump and you felt your climax building up. He kept licking your nipple while working you down there and with one last pump you arched you back and you felt the ecstasy in your body.

After a moment he pulled his fingers out of you and licked your juices.

"You taste so good love, I could taste you all day and still be hungry for more." He said and leaned over you to kiss you, you were feeling your high in his tongue.

You got up and flipped him so he was standing at the edge of the table this time.

You kissed him and cupped over his clothed erection, he dropped his head back as he leaned in your touch trying to fins dome release.

"Fuck love, you're so hard for me already." You teased him a little as you started unbuttoning his pants and dropped them to the floor.

His big cock springs out thick and very hard already leaking precum because of you, because he wanted you the whole day, now he can't wait to be burried inside of you.

You squeezed his cock and you hear a deep moan coming from his throat.

You drop to your knees and spit on his cock tip, your eyes never leaving his gaze that is now dark from lust. You started by licking his balls, and then his shaft before you put him whole to your mouth.

He grips your your hair with his fist as you suck him hard, your hands on his thick as stone thighs for leverage.

"Shit, this mouth gonna make me cum like I'm a fucking teenager learning about sex" He said with his eyes closed as he started pushing his cock deeper in your throat. The lewd sounds you were making only making him harder and your breasts bouncing with each thrust making him want to cum at the moment.

He pushed his cock all the way to the back of your throat and stayed there until tears starting to form in your eyes, you were feeling gagging and wanted to take air but at the same time you wanted him even more, you were already turned on the whole day and now you two are alone, you wanted to feast on him as much as he wanted to feast on you, ravage each other until you both can't take anymore.

He pulled out of your mouth with a popping sound and the saliva connecting with your mouth and his cock dropped to your breasts.

His gaze went feral like that of a wild animal. He pulled you on your feet again and his hand went in your hair as he pulled you close to him again for a kiss, his other hand exploring your body.

"This." He said and showed your dress. "This is in my way." He continue and with one quick motion he tear the dress, leaving it to fall on the ground.

He quickly took of his remaining clothes too leaving you both naked, he grabbed you by the ass and lift you up, you quickly wrapped your legs around his waist, his large wings stood glorious behind him and as you look at him he looked like a god, a god obsessed with you, that you were his and only his.

His shadows covered you both as he teleported you, he couldn't last for long as he teleported you to an empty hall and pressed you against the wall.

The cement chill in your back giving you goosebumps you wrapped your hand around his neck and kiss he desperately.

"Fuck love, I can't wait any longer." He said and positioned his cock on your wet slid.

Slowly he entered you, he was so big, every time you were having sex you felt like he was stretching you out.

You both moan as he fully enters you. You look down to where you both were connected, as he slowly pushing in and out of you to adjust to his size, you knew he would fuck you senseless later and that's all you wanted but now he is leaving soft pecks on your lips forehead and cheeks before he rest his head on the crook of my neck.

He teased me with pulling out leaving only his tip inside of me and not going in fully, earning soft moans from me and whimpers.

"Az just fuck me already." I said from the overstimulation.

"What a desperate little bunny I have." He said and fully pushed himself into my pussy, i felt him stretching my walls more with each thrust, he was going in and out with feral rhythm.

"Fuck Az yes right there." He was hitting a spot that made me seeing stars.

You grabbed his hair and pulled it with one of your hands while the other was scratching his back definitely leaving marks there.

"Fuck, you're so tight love, you're wrapping so good around my cock." He was biting your neck neck while he was thrusting fast and hard.

You were a moaning mess, no thoughts in your head only his name.

Your back was hurting by the hard wall but you couldn't care less about it now.

Azriel got out of you and let you down but before you started to complain he turned you around pressing you against the cold wall and started thrusting hard into you from behind.

On of his hands grabbed your ass hard, its definitely gonna leave a bruise there and his other hand was in your hair pulling your head back so he can kiss you.

The only sound in the house was your moans and the flesh on flesh slapping you making.

"Az, baby I'm gonna come...I'm gonna come." I managed to say.

"Be a good girl and make a mess on my cock love." His words bringing you closer to your climax, you were feeling his was close to by his sloppy thrusts and the louder moans he was making.

You grabbed his hand and arched your back as you reached your climax and he thrusted one more time filling you with his cum.

His thrusts became more slow not wanting to waste any of his cum and grabbed your neck and pulled your head back kissing your forehead.

"Good girl." He whispered in your ear while he was pulling out of you and put his head on the crook of your neck.

You felt his seed dripping from pussy to your trembling thighs, while you turned your head and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

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Next morning you woke up in your bed, feeling sore from yesterdays activities.

You had no idea how you ended up on your shared bedroom, flashbacks from last night came to your mind, after the hall Azriel took you to the bath to both clean up only to end up on top of him riding.

After that you both went to the kitchen to eat something and you ended up bending over the counter while Azriel was fucking you ruthless from behind, and he ended up eating you on the dinner table.

You bite your lips because you were turned on again and you turn your head to see your handsome mate sleeping next to you, laying on his chest with both hands under the pillow, some light was coming through the window and fall over his sleeping face and black hair, he was so peaceful while he was sleeping.

Some light shadows was flying around him and his wings were opened slightly.

You started caressing the sensitive skin of his wings and you hear a low grunt coming from your mate.

"Keep doing that love and you will be screaming my name." He said with his eyes closed and a smirk on his face.

You knew his wings were sensitive and a very erogenus area for the illyrians, so you kept teasing him.

"Is that a promise Azriel?" You asked him teasingly.

With a quick motion he was hovering over you, his already hard cock was pushing your entrance as he lean in to kiss you.

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The whole week you stayed lock up the two of you in the house of wind with lots of sex, the inner circle started to worried and the sent Feyre and Rhys to look for you only to find you inside the studying room, you kneeling before Azriel while he was sitting on the couch his wings spread and his hands on your head guiding his cock on your mouth.

You and Feyre was so red and after that, that both of you couldn't speak to each other.

Azriel and Rhysand was ok, and when Rhysand told Cassian what happened he burst out laughing.

They were the perfect family you thought.

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