#WHEN I KNOWINGLY PREPARED MYSELF FOR IT

[evqnescene]

so so sooooooo sick of thisssssssssssssss

[oxymorayuri]

❞𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐬?❝

Headcanons/Scenarios with my favorite boys [ Ace | Kid | Law | Doffy ] Content » Imagine you are pregnant with their child! How will they react? How will they prepare? just cute things ;3 Warnings: In Law's story, we experience an unpleasant birth with a few feelings that could be triggering. NO PROOFREADING

A/N: Not really headcanons… Kind of a mix of HC and scenarios. They're sometimes shorter or longer lol. ^////^

𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓: all images are by vasan5555

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐃. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐰

Telling him you're pregnant: You don't really tell him. lol.

You don't even know how to tell him. On the one hand, you know he'll be really happy, but on the other hand, you're afraid that it won't fit into his plans.

You sought advice from Ikkaku, but her words weren't really helpful. She suggested throwing a little surprise party because she's really happy for both of you, but you know that wouldn't be a good idea. Announcing to the whole crew that you're pregnant without Law knowing beforehand? Better not, that would overwhelm him.

You had already thought about just leaving the positive pregnancy test in the bathroom, but before you could, Law pulled you aside.

“Hey y/n-ya, are you okay? You've been acting weird lately.” You look around a little panicked, trying to think of an excuse.

“Weird? Ah no, it's probably just because… we haven't been on the surface for a long time… The air in the Polar Tang is getting a bit thin?” you mutter.

His gaze rests knowingly on you. He inhales deeply and rolls his eyes… he knows that something is wrong with you.

He gently grabs you by the shoulders and speaks in a calm voice that makes your heart flutter.

“Don't lie to me… There are clear signs, you know?” You look up a little anxiously without saying anything.

He groans a little. You're not usually so secretive… Now he has to do all the talking. He doesn't really like that, but it's about you after all. He tries to argue with facts he's noticed on you.

“You throw up quite often in the morning. At first I thought it was because you might have been drinking with the others, but then I saw for myself how you didn't take a sip of alcohol. You even refused when Shachi wanted to pour you a drink!” You get smaller and smaller under him as he states the obvious but Law is far from finished…

“According to my calculations, you should already be 6 weeks overdue with your period… Besides, I've seen you raiding the fridge at night, eating the strangest combinations. Cheese and chocolate, are you okay?” - “You stalker!” You're blushing… When you saw those two things, you just had to try them together…

The tears started to fill your eyes when he asked you if you were pregnant. With a small nod, you agreed to his assumption and Law wiped the tears from your cheeks with his thumb.

“I didn't know how to say it and I didn't know what you were going to say… I was scared, Law. You have your plans and…” Your words spilled out a little hysterically and without hesitation he took you in his arms. With his hand on the back of your head, he tried to calm you down with a few gentle strokes while you sniffed in his tight embrace.

“pshhh. It's okay y/n…” His soft voice against your ear calmed you down and as your breathing relaxed he looked firmly into your watery eyes.

“Plans change sometimes and I'm ready for any adventure.” He smirks at you with a sly expression.

His behavior / During pregnancy: Well, let's say he has 'studied' all the books about pregnancy.

You will spend most of your time with the Polar Tang underwater, as Law finds this safest while you are pregnant. However, he is aware of the importance of fresh air and sunshine, so you are regularly on the surface to breathe in the fresh ocean breeze and feel the sun on your skin. You're more than happy to be pregnant because normally you don't surface that often…

-

As your partner and doctor, he personally ensures that you have a balanced diet. He has even asked Sanji for advice. It was only a small call with the Den Den Mushi, but Law doesn't like Sanji very much, as he always fawns over you without any shame. Law knows which ingredients are nutritious but are they tasty? That's where Sanji is a big help.

Law passed on Sanji's greetings to you while you were reading a book on the sofa. You looked after him in surprise as he sat at his desk.

“Um, thanks… Sanji? How come you're on the phone with him?” You know what Law thinks of him. In his eyes, he's a perverted womanizer.

he froze a little when he realized that he had unintentionally told you that he was in contact with Sanji. But now it's too late to talk his way out of it.

“You know, I tried a few dishes that are supposed to give you strength, but they were awful… so I called Black Leg-ya…” He scratches the back of his head as he tries to avoid your gaze.

Belly round, you get up to walk over to Law and rest a hand on his shoulder. Law leans back a little as he looks you in the face. His cheeks turn a soft shade of pink and he makes room for you to sit on his lap.

Without saying much, you thank him and give him a loving kiss on the lips.

“Thank you for always being so thoughtful, Law.”

-

You are freed from your daily chores on the Polar Tang, but sometimes you get so bored that you find yourself doing little chores like washing and hanging up the laundry. No big deal, you think to yourself, but Law sees it quite differently.

“But babe, I'm so bored! It's just laundry…” you pout.

“If you're bored, then do something else, but not housework.” - “How about spending a bit more time with me?” You put your hands on your hips. You're the only one on the ship who has nothing to do while the others are busy and you can't keep them from working all the time…

Law wanted to say something but decided to close his mouth to think.

“Yeah, you know what? You're right. Meet me in the library at noon, I've got an idea.” Determined, Law set off, leaving you dumbfounded. You were expecting a little excuse, but not this. Law just has a few things to do and then he'll make time for you.

You wait for him in the library, a little excited, wondering what Law has prepared.

With a pile of books, he came into the shared library right on time at 12 o'clock and took a seat next to you on the huge sofa.

His idea was to read books with you that you had both bought for the child and so it became routine for you to read the books to each other every day. It was a lot of fun and you had a great time practicing your silly voices and matching it to the story. You are sure that your child will love it when you read to him or her.

Birth/when the baby is around: The birth is turbulent but Law is the perfect man by your side.

He wants to help bring the baby into the world but you are STRICTLY against it! You never want that in your life. He may be a doctor himself, but that's just not for you.

It took a while, but you managed to agree that a doctor from the city would come to you on the ship. A week before your due date, you docked in front of a small island with a peaceful town.

The mood on the entire ship became more and more restless from day to day, because your child wasn't making a move. You're long past the due date and even Law is starting to worry, but you're not making it any easier for him either, because you're refusing any help from Law.

The day you went into labor, the whole ship was on full alert. Bepo, Shachi and Penguin rushed into town to get the doctor on the ship while Law held your hand and did breathing exercises with you.

The birth was slow and you felt like days had passed, the pain was so numbing. Slightly distressed, the doctor began to change the preparations as it turns out your baby hasn't fully rotated yet.

“We have to prepare the operating room for a C-section!” - “C-section???!” Although you can barely hear because of the pain, you have clearly understood 'that'.

“I have to perform a scan while we move to the operating room…”

Things are moving way too fast for you as everyone around you rushes to get your bed and the ultrasound machines ready to head to the operating room.

Law doesn't even leave your side as you scurry down the corridor.

“The umbilical cord has wrapped around your son's neck!” Said the doctor. Desperation spreads through you, you can't relax and are afraid that you will push your son further out of you and strangle him. Wait a minute, a boy? You didn't even know the gender yet…

“Did you hear y/n? It's a boy! Let me make sure our boy gets out of you safely.” the tears run down your cheek uncontrollably. Your emotions are dancing the tango, you are so happy to be bringing a little boy into the world, but you are still afraid of the umbilical cord.

“Please Law, get our Rosinante out of me!” You squint your eyes because you can't see anything through all your tears. Law freezes for a millisecond when he hears the name but quickly pulls himself together.

“Doctor, please move aside.” Somewhat taken aback, the slightly older doctor moved aside and made room for Law.

With the help of Law's devil fruit, he gently extracted your child from your womb and held the crying baby in his arms.

His eyes widened at the sight of the helpless baby and the feeling inside him was as overwhelming as it was beautiful.

You look at him with a weary expression and watch this precious moment until exhaustion overcomes you to the point where you have to close your eyes.

The atmosphere is still very tense and even though you are no longer aware of it, everyone is doing their best to take care of you and Rosinante.

When you open your eyes for the first time, you find yourself in a hospital bed. Your gaze wanders around the room and lands on your side, where Law is asleep holding your hand. The movement wakes him up and he quickly gets up to ask you about your well being. After some time, when Law was sure you were okay, he brought your little boy into the room.

The dark circles under his eyes are nothing compared to the bright smile on his face as he holds your boy in his arms.

“Look Rosinante, mommy is awake. You can finally meet your mother.” The way he looks down at Rosinante… This is how Law always looks at you, full of love. He gently places him in your arms and the little one immediately snuggles up to your chest.

He is so beautiful that it brings tears to your eyes. He has his hair, his wonderful raven black hair. His little eyelids are closed and he sleeps contentedly in your arms. In his mother's arms. In Law's eyes, there is no sight more beautiful than looking at the two of you. He's happier than ever.

“He has your eyes, y/n…” he whispers as he strokes your cheek with gentle fingers.

𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐃. 𝐀𝐜𝐞

Telling him you're pregnant: You could scream! No wait a minute, that's exactly what you're doing! XD

Every now and then you take a pregnancy test to be on the safe side. Since you both do it like animals in heat and neither use condoms nor can you be trusted to take your pill regularly, it's better to pee on the strip every now and then.

You look impatiently at the screen of the pregnancy test… A child wouldn't actually be such a bad thing. You and Ace have been a couple for a long time and have an unshakeable bond. Even though you're pirates, you're sure that you can lead a carefree life.

You have good cards with the Whitebeard pirates on the Moby Dick and if things get too rough, you're sure that Whitebeard will find an island within his territory where you'll be safe.

It feels like an eternity as you sit on the lid of the toilet with the test still in your hand. You wonder how Ace will react...

Will he be happy? You bet he will! As you daydream, you notice out of the corner of your eye how a second strip appears on the display.

Your eyes widen. I'M PREGNANT!

You scream like crazy, and when I say crazy I mean so loud that everyone on the ship should hear it.

Tears of joy gather as you do a happy dance in the small bathroom.

All of a sudden the door opens with a bang and Ace looks down at you in panic. He must have thought something else had happened because of your loud scream. It almost sounded as if you had been stabbed. At least that's what he must have thought from the look on his face.

“Babe, WHAT happened?!" He scans your body to see if you've suffered any damage, but you're fine.

With a shrill voice, you throw your arms around his neck and hug him tightly. Ace is visibly confused about the situation. He saw that you were crying but you're acting overly happy.

“What's going on?” His voice is a soft laugh as he hugs you tightly and buries his face in your hair. You lean back a little to look him in the face.

“Ace you're going to be a father!!!” At first he doesn't seem to fully grasp what your words mean but as the realization kicks in his eyes widen.

“ARE YOU PREGNANT?!” he grabs you by the shoulders and shouts in your face.

“YEEEESSS!” you shout back as the tears well up in your eyes.

“Please don't mess with me, are we really going to be parents?” His voice cracks a little and you nod silently to him and show him the test you took.

“That's awesome! We have to celebrate!” Just as he was about to leave the bathroom, he stops abruptly and looks at you with a serious face.

“But you're not allowed to drink alcohol!” Even though you roll your eyes, you have to giggle.

“I'm aware of that, my darling.” You go up on your toes to kiss him on the cheek and gently squeeze his hand.

Before you share the happy news, you share a loving moment together and kiss before walking out.

His behavior / During pregnancy: You know he's going to be the dad of the year after how he treats you.

He has taken time off for the duration of your entire pregnancy, with the clear permission of Whitebeard, to be at your side whenever you need him.

You never ask for anything in particular, but he is actually quite attentive and if he sees you putting your feet up with a heavy moan and relaxing on the deck, he comes straight over to pamper you with a foot massage.

-

He once made the extra effort to go to a special island for over 2 days because there was fruit there that you had an extreme craving for.

The funny thing is that he got you so many that at some point you couldn't see them anymore. He had tried to get more creative to avoid wasting the fruits and so he woke you up every morning with a glass of freshly squeezed juice.

He had even tried his luck at baking, but that went terribly wrong… But you found the idea incredibly cute and that's how you found your shared hobby - baking!

Together you created the most delicious things from the leftover fruits and jokes quickly started going around that if you two should settle somewhere, you should definitely open a small bakery.

You don't think that's such a bad idea. A perfect plan B.

-

He is literally glued to your belly and loves to feel your child through your skin. He didn't just cry once, but actually every time he felt your little one kick.

“Oh wow y/n did you feel that?” with his cheek resting on your stomach, he looks excitedly up at your face. You run a hand through his black hair and giggle in response.

“Of course I can feel it, after all, the baby is in my belly.” A little red in the face, he cuddles you and wraps his arms around you.

“Hehe that's true, you're right. I'm just so excited.” - “Me too, Ace…”

Birth/when the baby is around: If one of you is panicking then it's definitely Ace.

You approached him with weak feet to tell him that your water had broken and he immediately jumped up in panic to dash to you.

He definitely didn't know what to do with himself and ran back and forth in a panic to pack some of your things.

You look at him in confusion, not understanding what he is packing all your things for…

“Ace… Ace, stop!” you reach for him as he rushes past you.

“Why are you packing these things, I'm going to give birth on the Moby Dick, remember?” Ace suddenly seemed to remember and dropped the suitcase, which was barely closed.

There were various things scattered on the floor that had fallen out of the suitcase. A short glance at the floor and you burst out laughing.

What on earth has he packed? A few things are halfway understandable, but why would you need a bikini now? Not to mention that you're only going to Marco's infirmary to give birth. If you need anything, then someone else will get it… After all, your room is only a few meters away.

He carefully carried you in his arms to the infirmary and luckily for you, the birth took place without any complications.

When Marco wanted to hand the baby over to Ace, Ace didn't want to hold your little one in his arms at first.

“Oh no, give it first y/n, she had all the hard work so she should be first.” Even though he wanted you to have it first, he gazed longingly after the baby as Marco placed it in your arms.

He sat down on a chair next to you and clasped his hands together, watching you with pure pride.

You can hardly believe it yourself, but you are overjoyed…

“Ace, we're parents now…”

-

Ace loves to play with the child, even changing diapers is no problem. He is already looking forward to running around the deck of the Moby Dick with your child.

-

He always has a few bottles filled with milk on his belt and with the help of his devil fruit he can heat them up. It's like he's wearing a belt with grenades, you know? :D He skillfully spins the bottle in his hand and warms it to the perfect temperature to feed your hungry baby. You don't have to say anything or rush to the child because Ace is a responsible dad and loves to look after the little one.

-

Your child is just as much a ray of sunshine as you are and has the wild features of Ace. A combination that is impossible to resist.

Ace is definitely the fun parent of the two of you. You can already see how difficult it will be for him to stand his ground later on.

𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐱𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐨

Telling him you're pregnant: He wants you to bear his child.

You don't need to 'confess' it to him because it's a planned child. You are actively trying to get pregnant and as active as you are in bed, it didn't take long for the pregnancy test to come back positive.

“Wonderful news my little dove… You should be rewarded. What do you say? What does my little dove want, huh?” He leans down to you and lifts your chin with his finger.

There's a slight blush on your cheeks because Doflamingo's voice always sounds so seductive, no matter what he says. For a moment, you think about what he said. You're still a little excited that you're carrying his child.

“fufufufu… Is there anybody home in that pretty little head of yours?” a crooked grin graces his lips as he flicks your forehead.

You quickly regain your composure but your face turns red.

“Ah, I'm sorry my love, I'm just really happy that I've lost my voice.”

His laughter rings deep through the room as he pulls you onto his lap.

When you came into his office, he knew exactly what kind of message you had for him because when he's working, even you can't disturb him unless he calls for you.

He lavishes your hand with soft kisses and travels along your arm with more kisses until he gets past your neck and to your mouth.

You enjoy his tender touch as if it were already the reward, but you know that Doflamingo wouldn't accept this, so you think about it while you kiss sensually.

His big hands run over your figure and find a hold on your ass. He interrupts your kiss and if you pay close attention you can guess where his eyes are behind those red sunglasses.

“Tell me my love, what would make you even happier, huh?”

His whisper tickles your lips a little and in the back of your mind you already have an idea of what you want the most.

“Doffy, I really want to go shopping with you and buy things for the baby…” - “Your wish is my command.”

His behavior / During pregnancy: Hardly any different than before, but you'll be even more pampered.

Doflamingo will provide you with all the necessary servants to look after your wellbeing, and when you go into the city, more bodyguards than usual will follow you wherever you go.

His remark is still stuck in your mind: “…After all, there are 2 people to protect now…” he said to you as you were baffled by the amount of guards.

-

Even if he has to work a lot as king, he will always find time for you. He likes to take you out, and with luxurious appointments at the spa or a private visit to a hot spring, he'll make sure you're always relaxed.

Princess treatment is nothing new to you but since you are pregnant you have at least one professional massage a day besides the other appointments you have for your own comfort.

Manicure, pedicure, hairdresser, face masks, aqua aerobics to relax your tired bones, you name it.

-

The chefs are warned that whenever you are hungry for whatever, they have to prepare your every wish. No matter how late.

You fancy a special dish from the South Blue? Doflamingo had brought someone specially for you who can prepare any specialty with brilliance. He shows you his love through acts of service.

Birth/when the baby is around: He is smitten with the little miracle you have created and is already filled with pride.

He won't be there at birth but he will be the first one you see when you open your eyes. Just when you are at your most vulnerable, he will leave it to no one but himself to protect you.

-

You never thought Doflamingo could be so loving to a baby, but when you thought about it, he was always good to the kids in the gang. From the outside it may look like he's only interested in the skills, but you know for a fact that he respects and loves each of them as a member of the family.

At first you were a bit worried because you gave birth to a girl. After all, you were supposed to give him an heir to the throne.

“My dearest, that you have given me a daughter who is just as beautiful as her mother is like a gift from the gods.” While a few servants took care of your sweet girl to give you a break, he made certain insinuations.

“And who says one child is enough for me?”

His fingers gently stroked your skin while you had brunch on a picnic blanket in the castle garden. You blush immediately because you know exactly what he's getting at.

Another child with Doffy? You look after your daughter as she plays happily wearing a little pink feather dress that resembles Doflamingo's cape.

You shyly confess to him that you would love to have more children from him and before you could really finish talking he took you in his arms, ordered the servant to continue looking after your daughter and whisked you away to your bedchamber.

-

Doflamingo actually loves to dress your child :3

You know… You, him and your daughter in matching clothes… You're always well dressed.

𝐄𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐝

Telling him you're pregnant: He thinks you're joking and laughs as he turns his back to you and continues fixing his metal arm.

“I'm sorry Kid but I'm serious. I'm pregnant!”

He turns around because of your serious yet trembling voice.

You're not entirely happy either. You'd like to be happy, but you and Kid? Is that such a good idea? You stroke your arm feeling a little insecure as you stand in his workshop like a lost mess.

“Pregnant women have no place on the Victoria Punk…” - “What's that supposed to mean? Are you kicking me off the crew?!” You interrupt him with a raised voice. Your face is already turning red, but not from anger. You try to suppress your tears.

He grits his teeth in annoyance and approaches you with a pulsating vein on his forehead.

“What the fuck y/n! NO. Of course not!” You should just let him finish before you imagine something stupid.

He grabs you by the shoulders and pulls you close so that your noses are touching.

His eyes are filled with rage. You are always too hasty with your assumptions…

You look a little startled, but you know he's no threat to you when he gets this close because his grip is still gentle... You immediately regret accusing him of something like that. You know he would never kick you out of the gang. You were just too emotional…

His behavior / During pregnancy: He is constantly thinking of ways to do something useful for you and the baby but you hardly notice any of that.

His behavior doesn't really change in front of you. He's still a short tempered dickhead and that often leads to problems between you, especially now that you're having such hormonal swings.

-

It can always be dangerous on the Victoria Punk and sometimes you'll have to fight in the middle of the open sea. If Kid isn't around then Killer definitely is, because you are not 'allowed' to lift a finger.

You found this quite annoying in the first few weeks, after all you are still able to move quite well and you love to jump into the fight with the others.

After your first argument regarding this, you went your separate ways in a rage. A very typical picture after an argument between you; Kid disappears into his workshop and you flee to the crow's nest. What follows is days of ignoring each other until one of you can't take it anymore. But this time Killer followed you.

Killer broke the silence between you by simply telling you that Kid had a valid reason why you shouldn't fight and that you should please let him finish his explanation without butting in. A little offended, you wanted to say something at first, but you drop your shoulder and close your mouth. Even if you're angry, Killer doesn't deserve to suffer your rage. Kid is the one your anger is directed at. Your silence is Killer's signal that he is free to speak.

Your angry face quickly changed to a tearful one. The reason is as simple as it is understandable and you curse at Kid in a sobbing voice.

“Why doesn't he fucking tell me like you just did!” Your masked friend shrugs. That's a question that even Kid himself might not be able to answer.

“I think he's pissed off why you don't just let him do it, like you don't trust his decisions and then he gets…” “…Furious.” you finish his sentence. That's what Kid is like, a hothead but your hothead.

“Yep. Furious.” - “Argh! My fucking goodness no! I just don't want to be a burden and join the fight!” You feel bad.

Kid knows that you don't have a round belly at the beginning of your pregnancy, but Killer told you in secret that he's been reading books about pregnancy. Kid can read? That's the first thing that surprises you and then the fact that he reads pregnancy books of all things!

Not even you thought about it and suddenly you feel like a bad mom. Kid is really worried about you because he has read that stress and physical activity are a risk no matter what stage you are in.

The same evening you two reconciled. You apologized to him and didn't question anything, because otherwise Killer would be in serious trouble. Since then, you've simply accepted your fate.

-

You made an unexpected discovery in his workshop... There was a rather large object 'hidden' in the room, covered up so that you could only make out a rectangular shape.

Kid never covers anything in his workshop, so you got curious and looked what was hidden under the big cloth. You could hardly believe your eyes as you rubbed them in disbelief.

There was a crib in front of you and you're pretty sure he built it. The frame is up for debate, as the crib is made entirely of metal and almost looks like a cage that is open at the top… The metal bars give you prison vibes but your heart melts at his efforts.

On closer inspection, it actually looks quite cute too. He's even made a mobile with small figurines that look like fish and sea kings.

You don't even notice how the door opens behind you as you spin the mobile.

“So you found it, huh?” Startled, you turn around with one hand on your chest. You were so immersed that you didn't hear Kid coming up behind you.

With tears streaming down your face, you throw your arms around Kid's neck.

“I LOVE IT!”

Kid is generally proud of his work but your words are like music to his ears and with a grin he returns your embrace.

-

“What are you doing y/n?” You jolt as you push the furniture around in your shared room. Still standing on the doorstep with his hand on the handle, Kid looks at you with a raised eyebrow. You were just about to push an armchair across the room and in the middle of your movement you stop and grin at him, somewhat caught off guard.

“Uh, I… I'm just making some space…” - “Space?” A little annoyed, you raise an eyebrow; he could help you rather than ask you weird questions, after all, you're heavily pregnant. You put your hands on your hips a little bitchily.

“Yes, space! Don't just stand there and start helping. I'll make room for the baby?” Kid grumbles and sits down on the armchair. Confused, you gesture to him what this is supposed to mean, that clearly isn't any help. Kid's behavior confuses you a little, because his attitude is so different than usual.

Somehow he looks 'thoughtful'… Normally, he would have grabbed the armchair with his metal arm and taken it to where you want it. Why is he sitting down and looking at you with that confusing expression?

You raise your eyebrows questioningly and wait for a reasonable explanation. Struggling to find the right words, he scratches his chin, with his eyes focused elsewhere.

What's wrong with him? He seems to be lost in his thoughts? You don't recognize that from him. He seems to be preoccupied with something, but instead of ranting out loud or speaking rashly, he sits in front of you almost calmly.

His gaze tends to avoid you as he stares absently into space and you lean down towards him, visibly confused. His eyes look directly into yours and he groans a little irritated.

“Listen, you don't have to make room here because the baby's not moving in.” With your eyebrows drawn together, you lean back again and look down at the redhead. Well, not really down because Kid is pretty tall, let's say you're looking at him at eye level.

“Excuse me? The baby's not moving in here? The baby is not a roommate who we don't want to move in with… The…-” You stop your sentence abruptly and look down at your lips, where Kid's hand is resting. Kid doesn't have the nerve to listen to your rambling. You're taking it the wrong way again. But that's more his fault, because he always says things so stupidly, he's aware of that, but he's trying his best.

“Shut up for once, will you?” - “Excuse me?” You let out a muffled voice through his hand.

He growls at you a little as he lets go of you and stands up. Your gaze goes up to him while his goes down to you. There you both stand in front of each other, each with an annoyed look on your face.

“Do you remember that the Victoria Punk is no place for babies?” You think for a moment. You remember that and the fact that you thought he was going to kick you from the crew. You didn't really discuss what he meant by that, but now you're all ears.

“You and the baby will live in our hideaway.” - “WHAT?!” You're so perplexed that you spit a bit at him. Without taking his eyes off you, he wipes the spit off his chin. A little blushed, you mumble an apology.

Kid has no intention of leaving you there alone. He'll stop by often and try to stay as long as he can, but as captain, he has a duty to run his ship. He has made it clear to you in a surprisingly calm voice that it would not be a good environment for your child to grow up on the Victoria... If at all. It's too dangerous and what if something happens to your child? He's made the decision, that's how it's going to be done and there's no changing that.

You can more than understand his thoughts, but it would be nice if he had discussed this with you.

“You know Kid, you may be the captain but I'm still the mother of our child and before you make decisions like this you should talk to me!” You have to tiptoe a little as you point your finger at him. Rolling his eyes, he takes your hand away and gently pulls you towards him.

“You can make all the decisions in the hideout… For example, you can decorate the house however you like. No matter what it costs.” Your eyes light up at his words, “Apology accepted!”

Birth/when the baby is around: You will never see this man cry again. Only in your memories…

When he saw the sleeping face of your picture perfect child for the first time, a switch flipped in him. Who would have thought that Kid would ever have such feelings? The feeling of unfathomable love. The love he has for you is completely different, because he has learned to love you. But this baby? For your child, a love had been born in him that brought tears to his eyes. He will not learn to love this child. No. He will simply love your child more each day!

-

He is a bit reluctant to hold the baby, he even confessed to you that he is afraid of it because of his arm. He doesn't want to crush the baby. Watching him look at you with a crushed look on his face while you hold the baby is making you sad, so you think of something. You wrap a scarf around him and put your little one in the pouch so that he is lying on his chest. The sight is so wonderful. This tall, broad man with a baby carrier! How adorable.

Masterlist

'Hope you enjoyed it <3

[proteusolm]

Discussed the "would you rather a run into a bear or a man when alone in the woods" question with my friend who is a black bear technician, and I have a lot of experience working in remote areas with a high black bear population myself. She and I both were instantly in agreement that: 1. If I'm in the woods deep in bear country, the bear is simply much more expected and less startling to run into than the man. It would be something we are prepared for and fully unsurprised by. 2. Bear safety is pretty straightforward, we know and have training in their behaviour, how to avoid conflict, what a black bear that is trying to hunt you looks like, and how to maximize your chances of getting out of the situation safely in the incredibly rare case of an attack. There's no equivalent handy step by step guide to respond to a dude attack.

Most people approach the question as a feminist one, thinking more about risk of violence from a man, but neither of us really even expressed much concern about the dude beyond knowing from experience that it is startling and unsettling to run into someone when in a remote wooded area far from any trails or residences. As two animal autistics that studied wildlife management in college and have spent a lot of time in the woods of northern Ontario, we both missed the intended point of the debate, instead coming to a stance solidly rooted in "why would be I be upset to see a bear when I'm knowingly in the bear's home?"

[ssa-dado]

6 - Synthesis

Aaron Hotchner x bau!fem!reader

Genre: angst, fluff, slow burn

Summary: After an intense case, you and Hotch struggle with unresolved tensions from a previous argument. On the train back, Hotch overhears Peter comforting you about a recent tragedy, realizing he’s been blind to your pain. Later, Hotch unexpectedly shows up at your apartment, opening up and apologizing for his emotional distance, leading to a heartfelt moment of mutual vulnerability. That evening, you attend Peter’s welcome-back party, feeling lighter and reconnecting with the team. That's when Peter makes an unusual bet with you.

Warnings: death, grief, emotional abuse, domestic violence, family dysfunction.

Word Count: 7.6k

Dado's Corner: Phi posting two chapters in less than 12 hours? More likely than you think. I was supposed to wait until tomorrow, but I just couldn’t help myself. Thank you all so much for the love and support you’ve shown for the series so far! Each of you holds a special place in my cold little heart. Please don’t hate me after this - it hurts me, too - but hey, there’s some interrogation room Aaron to sweeten things up. I’m particularly proud of this cute, lovely chapter. It doesn’t make me want to jump out the window. Not even a little bit. Embrace the pain.

previous part ; masterlist

Gideon smiled knowingly, his eyes shifting between you and Hotch. “Thesis, antithesis, and synthesis,” he mused, almost as if he were speaking to himself but loud enough for you to hear. “Funny how life always seems to come back to that, doesn’t it?”

●

The observation room was dimly lit, casting long, uneven shadows over you and Peter as you stood behind the two-way mirror, your heartbeat seemed to echo in the quiet, barely audible over the hum of the fluorescent light. You watched Hotch on the other side, preparing to interrogate the suspect, he appeared calm as usual, wearing his mask of stoicism proudly on his face, but you could tell the tension was palpable.

The room beyond the glass was stark, the suspect sat at the metal table gleaming under the harsh light with a smug expression, arms casually draped over the back of his chair, utterly unbothered. Te view was borderline infuriating.

The hair on your arms stood up, not just from the cold, but from the overwhelming sense of helplessness that had settled over the case. You couldn’t shake the nagging thought that you were grasping at straws, the weight of the local police’s blunders pressing heavily on your chest. They had fumbled, and badly. Critical evidence had slipped through their fingers, lost or contaminated in the chaos. You didn’t even want to hear the whole story—you were too furious, your senses shutting down as the same detective who had once doubted your work stumbled through a pathetic apology. All you had now was Hotch. No physical proof, no solid evidence to tie this man to the crimes you knew he’d committed.

Your gaze flicked back to the suspect, his arrogance nauseating. He knew the game, knew the system, and worse, he knew how to manipulate it to his advantage. There was a clock ticking in your mind, every second precious, the sense of urgency suffocating. If Hotch couldn’t break him - if he couldn’t find a way past the layers of lies and smug indifference - you’d lose him. You couldn’t afford that, not now.

Peter’s jaw clenched as he observed the scene, his frustration evident. “This was a mistake,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “We warned them not to bring him in without something solid. Now we’re stuck trying to clean up their mess.”

You nodded, your mind still reeling from the argument with Hotch the night before, as if all of this mess wasn’t already enough for your nerves to handle. The tension between you two had lingered, unresolved and heavy, adding another layer to your frustration. You tried to shake it off, but it clung to you, making it even harder to focus. “Yeah, and now Hotch has to pull off a miracle,” you said, your voice tinged with both a tinge of annoyance and worry. “He’s got one shot to get this right.”

Peter turned his attention back to the interrogation room, his eyes narrowing as Hotch sat across from the suspect. “If anyone can do it, it’s him. I’ve seen Hotch work multiple times, and somehow he even looks sharper, more intense.”

Inside the room, Hotch began his interrogation with a measured calm, his eyes locked on the suspect, who lounged back in his chair, exuding a quiet confidence. Hotch started with the basics, the routine questions meant to establish rapport, but the suspect was playing his own game, answering with a smug smile and evasive nonchalance.

Hotch leaned back, crossing his arms as he observed the suspect’s every move, every twitch. “You’ve been careful,” Hotch said, his voice steady but probing. “I’ll give you that. You’ve covered your tracks well. But you slipped up, everyone makes mistakes, especially when they think they’re untouchable.”

The suspect smirked, feigning boredom. “You’re wasting your breath, Agent Hotchner. You and I both know you have nothing on me - no evidence, no witnesses. You’re grasping at straws.”

Hotch’s gaze remained unflinching, but you could see the subtle shift in his demeanor, the way he leaned in just slightly, narrowing the space between the two of them. “You’re right, we don’t have physical evidence, but we do have you, and that’s enough. Because here’s the thing - you’re not as smart as you think you are. You’ve made this personal, and personal is messy.”

The suspect chuckled, tapping his fingers lightly on the table as if this were a game to him. “Oh, please. I’ve seen every tactic in the book, and I’ve got an answer for all of them. You can’t intimidate me, Hotchner. I know my rights. You’ve got nothing.”

Hotch’s expression remained stoic, but there was a flash of determination in his eyes. “You think this is about intimidation? You’re missing the point. This isn’t about fear, it’s about you and the mistakes you’ve made. You’ve left a trail, little hints of who you really are. You think you’ve hidden them, but they’re there, buried in the details.”

The suspect’s confident facade faltered for just a second, but he quickly recovered, scoffing. “You’re reaching. This isn’t some TV show where the bad guy breaks down in a dramatic confession. I’m not saying a damn thing without my lawyer.”

Hotch’s demeanor shifted, a cold, calculating edge creeping into his voice. “Your lawyer? You think your lawyer’s going to save you? They’ll do their job, make sure you’re comfortable, make sure you feel safe. But at the end of the day, they’re not in here with you, they’re not the ones facing the consequences of your actions - you are. And you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.”

From the other side of the glass, you watched Hotch methodically chip away at the suspect’s arrogance. Each line of questioning was a carefully placed strike, designed to weaken his resolve, but the suspect wasn’t giving in easily. He deflected, twisted Hotch’s words, and tried to turn the conversation back on him.

“You think you’re so righteous, don’t you?” the suspect sneered, leaning forward with a glint of disdain in his eyes. “Sitting there, acting like you’ve got the moral high ground. You don’t know me, Agent Hotchner. You don’t know a damn thing about what I’ve been through, the people I’ve dealt with - you think you’re better than me?”

Hotch didn’t flinch even if the last words reminded him of the argument he had with you down at the lobby. “No, I don’t think I’m better than you, but I do know who you are. You’re the guy who blames everyone else when things go wrong, the guy who hides behind his intellect because he’s too scared to admit he’s just another coward trying to prove he’s not afraid. But guess what? That act doesn’t work on me.”

The suspect’s composure slipped, his anger flaring as Hotch hit a nerve. “You don’t get to judge me! You sit there like you’re some kind of saint, but you’re just as flawed as the rest of us. You have no right—”

Hotch cut him off sharply, his voice cold and unyielding. “You’re right. I’m not perfect. I’ve made my mistakes, and I own them. But I’m not the one hiding behind excuses, you are. You’re the one who thinks he can play God, decide who deserves to live or die based on your twisted sense of justice. But here’s the thing: you’re not in control, not anymore.”

From the observation room, you felt your chest tighten. Hotch was relentless, pushing the suspect further than you’d ever seen him push anyone before. It was as if he’d tapped into something raw and unforgiving, something that drove him to keep going, to tear down every last defense the suspect had.

Peter glanced at you, his brow furrowing. “I’ve never seen him go this hard. It’s like he’s on a mission.”

You nodded, the tension from last night’s argument still simmering inside you. You knew why Hotch was pushing himself like this: because of you, because of the unresolved words between you, and because he needed to prove something, maybe even to himself. “He’s not going to stop until he gets what he wants.”

Inside the room, the suspect’s attitude was crumbling. Hotch leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper, laced with a quiet menace. “You think you’re untouchable, that you’ve covered all your bases. But I’ve spent years in courtrooms taking down men just like you, men who thought they were too smart to get caught. I know every trick, every lie, every pathetic attempt to weasel your way out of the truth.”

The suspect’s face tightened, his hands clenching into fists as he tried to maintain control. But Hotch was unrelenting, his gaze piercing through every layer of the man’s defenses. “You don’t want to admit it, but you’re scared, I can see it in your eyes. You’re terrified that the truth is going to come out, that all your carefully crafted lies are going to fall apart right in front of you - so, here’s your last chance. Tell me the truth. Tell me why you did it.”

There was a beat of silence, a heavy pause as the suspect’s composure finally shattered. His shoulders slumped, his defiance giving way to resignation. He looked up at Hotch, defeated and angry, his voice breaking as he finally confessed, each word a bitter surrender. “Fine. Fine, you want the truth? I did it. I killed them. But you have no idea why. You don’t know what it’s like to be powerless.”

“No you’re right, I don’t.” Hotch sat back, a flicker of triumph in his eyes, though his expression remained guarded: he had what he needed. The confession was out, raw and unfiltered, pulled from the depths of the suspect’s desperation.

Peter let out a low whistle, still reeling from what he’d witnessed. “That was... intense. I’ve never seen Hotch like that, he’s kind of intimidating.”

You nodded in agreement, your gaze still fixed on Hotch as he calmly gathered his notes, preparing to leave the room. You could see the toll it had taken on him, the emotional weight he carried even as he walked out victorious, and as much as you wanted to celebrate the success, the confrontation from the night before still lingered, leaving you with the unsettling realization that this fight wasn’t just with the suspect - it was within Hotch himself.

When Hotch stepped out of the interrogation room, the tension in his posture seemed to ease, but only slightly. His face was set in its usual mask of calm control, yet there was a heaviness in his eyes, a flicker of something raw that he couldn’t quite hide. Peter clapped him on the back, a mix of admiration and relief in his expression. “Hell of a job, Hotch. You tore him apart. I’ve seen you work, but that was something else entirely.”

Hotch gave a tight nod, his jaw still clenched, but his gaze was already shifting past Peter, landing on you. His eyes were searching, almost like he was trying to gauge your reaction, seeking some unspoken acknowledgment from you. “Thanks,” he said, his voice measured but tinged with exhaustion. “It had to be done.”

You stood there with your arms crossed, leaning against the wall, trying to maintain a composed exterior, but inside, you were anything but calm. Watching Hotch in that room, ruthlessly tearing down the suspect’s defenses, stirred something deep within you. It was impressive, yes, but also unsettling. You had never seen him so relentless, so driven - and you knew exactly what was fueling his determination.

As Hotch’s gaze lingered on you, there was a silent understanding between you, a shared acknowledgment of the emotional battlefield you both were navigating. The words from your argument the night before still echoed in your mind, sharp and unresolved, like an open wound that hadn’t had the chance to heal. The case had forced you both to set your personal issues aside, but now, in the aftermath, they were still there, hovering between you like a shadow neither of you could ignore.

Peter glanced between the two of you, sensing the charged atmosphere but choosing not to comment. He knew better than to pry, but even he could tell that whatever was going on between you and Hotch went deeper than the usual tension of a difficult case. “We got what we needed,” Peter said, trying to break the silence. “That’s what matters. Now we can finally put this bastard away.”

Hotch nodded, but his eyes never left yours, and in that moment, it felt like the rest of the room had faded away. It was just the two of you, caught in a silent standoff where neither of you knew how to take the next step. You wanted to say something, anything that would bridge the gap that had formed between you, but the words caught in your throat, tangled with the emotions you’d been trying so hard to keep in check.

The triumph of the confession felt hollow against the weight of what was still left unsaid. You and Hotch had always been able to read each other, but now, standing on opposite sides of this unspoken rift, it was as if the connection you’d relied on had fractured. There was so much you wanted to ask him: why he’d pushed so hard, why he seemed so desperate to prove something today, and why he couldn’t let his guard down, even for a moment. But instead, you just nodded, swallowing back the questions that burned at the back of your throat. “You did what you had to do,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady, though it wavered slightly. “Good work, Hotch.”

Hotch’s gaze softened for a brief second, a flicker of regret or maybe gratitude crossing his features, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “Thanks,” he replied, his voice lower, more personal than before. “We all did.”Peter’s presence was a reminder that you weren’t alone, but it didn’t ease the tension that thrummed between you and Hotch. As Hotch turned to leave, the weight of your argument still hung heavy, unresolved, and painful. You watched him go, the distance between you feeling wider than ever, despite being just a few feet apart.

And as you stood there, with Peter by your side and the echo of Hotch’s footsteps fading down the corridor, you realized that the hardest part of this case wasn’t just about catching a killer, it was about facing the fractures in your own relationships, the ones that no amount of profiling or interrogation could ever fix.

The rhythmic clatter of the train wheels against the tracks was a dull, constant noise that filled the otherwise quiet cabin. You sat alone, your head down and your pen moving steadily across the paper as you filled out your case report. It was a task you’d thrown yourself into, your way of avoiding the one thing you weren’t ready to confront: Hotch.

Hotch sat a few rows behind you, his back to you, mirroring your actions as he worked on his own report with a similar intensity. It was almost poetic how the two of you were so much alike: both of you throwing yourselves into your work to avoid the harder truths, and neither willing to make the first move toward reconciliation.

As you focused on your writing, you heard footsteps approach. You didn’t need to look up to know it was Peter; you’d recognized the casual confidence in his stride from a mile away. He slid into the seat beside you without asking, his presence a familiar and oddly comforting interruption.

Peter glanced at your half-filled report, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You never could sit still, could you?” he said, his voice soft but laced with a hint of fondness. “Always working, always thinking.”

You tried to muster a smile, but it didn’t quite reach your eyes. “Just trying to get this done before we get back,” you said, your tone evasive. You knew why he’d come over, and you weren’t sure you were ready for the conversation you’d been avoiding since you’d seen him again.

Peter watched you for a moment, his expression shifting from casual to serious. He took a deep breath, glancing at the report before returning his gaze to you. “Y/N,” he began, his voice quieter now, “I’ve been wanting to tell you this since I got back, but I didn’t want to bring it up while we were in the middle of the case.”

You stiffened, knowing exactly what he was going to say but hoping he wouldn’t.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for your dad’s funeral,” Peter said, his voice heavy with regret. “I wanted to be, but I was stuck overseas. I hate that I wasn’t there.”

You clenched your jaw, staring down at the paper in front of you, your pen hovering uselessly above the page. The memories of that day flooded backstanding at the grave, the heavy weight of loss pressing down on your chest, and the overwhelming feeling of being completely and utterly alone. You’d been surrounded by people, but none of them had truly understood, none of them had been him.

“It’s fine, Pete,” you said, though your voice was shaky. “You were doing your job. Besides, it’s not like it would’ve changed anything.”

Peter shook his head, frustration flickering in his eyes. “No, it’s not okay. You were always there for me, even when we were just kids trying to figure out what the hell we were doing with our lives. And I couldn’t even show up when you needed me the most.”

Peter studied you, his eyes searching yours. He could see the cracks you were trying so desperately to hide, the way you were holding yourself together with sheer willpower. “I should have been there,” he insisted gently. “I know how much you went through with him… I remember everything you told me about him.”

A knot formed in your throat as you thought back to your childhood, your father’s relentless work ethic, his unyielding drive for perfection. He had been your hero in so many ways, but he’d also been your downfall. You’d inherited his toxic trait of overworking yourself, the constant need to be better, to be more. It was how you’d coped with the chaos at home, the screaming matches between your parents that had been your daily soundtrack. Your mother, exasperated and exhausted, would often switch languages mid-argument to keep you in the dark, to protect you - or maybe just to exclude you - from the mess they had created.

“I was just a kid, you know?” you said quietly, your voice tinged with bitterness. “All I wanted was to understand why they were always fighting. I started learning every language my mom switched to, Italian, Spanish, anything that would give me a clue, but instead of finding answers, I just… found more reasons to stay away.”

Peter’s eyes softened, a flicker of pain crossing his features as he listened. “You drowned yourself in books, in knowledge, just to escape,” he said, his voice low. “I remember you telling me that once, how you’d sit in those lecture halls at the university, absorbing everything because it was better than being home.”

Your childhood had been filled their voices rising in heated exchanges that always seemed to end in silence, your father retreating to his study to bury himself in more work, and your mother seeking solace in her books. To escape the turbulence at home, you’d thrown yourself into your studies with a fervor that bordered on obsession. You’d devoured literature, philosophy, psychology, anything that could distract you from the reality of your parents’ failing marriage, to gain a semblance of control in a world that often felt chaotic and out of reach.

You had become fluent in the languages they used to hide their pain from you, and in doing so, you became fluent in the art of distancing yourself from your own emotions. The habit of overworking, of pouring yourself into every task with unrelenting focus, was something you had learned from your father, a toxic legacy that you couldn’t quite shake, even now. It had been the source of countless arguments with your mother, who had begged you not to follow in his footsteps, to find balance, to live a life that wasn’t dictated by the demands of work. But it was easier said than done, and as the years went on, you found yourself mirroring his habits more than you cared to admit.

You nodded, swallowing hard against the emotion that threatened to choke you. “I kept pushing myself, kept chasing after something I couldn’t even name. My dad… he always told me that hard work was the only thing that mattered, he never slowed down, never stopped, and neither did I. Even when their marriage fell apart… even when he got sick. I just… I couldn’t stop.”

You hesitated, your eyes welling up with tears that you refused to let fall. “I didn’t even cry at his funeral, I just stood there, feeling nothing. And I haven’t been to visit his grave since.”

Peter gently reached out, guiding your head to rest on his shoulder, tightly hugging you. “It’s okay not to be okay, Y/N,” he murmured. “You don’t have to carry this all on your own. The least I can do is be the shoulder you can lean on.” Peter squeezed your shoulder gently, his eyes filled with compassion. “Your dad was tough, but he loved you, Y/N. And you don’t have to prove anything to him, not anymore. You’re allowed to grieve, to feel lost, to not have all the answers.”

You nodded, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. “I know. But sometimes it’s hard to remember that.”

Hotch sat just behind you, his back facing yours, he had intended to keep to himself, to give you the space you needed, but the quiet murmurs of your conversation had carried over. He couldn’t help but overhear Peter’s words, and as he listened, a wave of guilt and realization washed over him.

Hotch had always prided himself on his ability to read people, to see through the masks they wore, but he hadn’t seen through yours. He hadn’t seen the pain you’d been hiding, the grief that had been eating away at you just beneath a slim surface. And suddenly, your words from the night before came crashing back: how he didn’t know you, how he’d never bothered to look beyond the professional facade you’d built.

His own mind flickered back to his childhood, the memories of his father’s anger, the violence that lurked behind every door. Hotch had spent years burying and hiding those scars, never letting anyone see how deeply they ran. He had kept it all locked away, just as you had, believing that the only way to survive was to keep moving, to never let the pain catch up.

For the first time, Hotch truly understood why you had lashed out at him. You had seen in him the very thing you feared in yourself: the relentless drive to work, to control, to avoid facing the hurt that lingered beneath. He realized now that you were so much more alike than he had ever imagined, both of you haunted by the ghosts of your pasts, both trying to outrun the pain that always seemed to catch up.

As Hotch stared out the window at the passing scenery, he felt a deep sense of remorse. He wished he had known, wished he had been able to offer you the support you so clearly needed. But all he could do now was hope that you would one day trust him enough to let him in, to share the burdens you had been carrying alone for far too long.

Peter’s voice broke the silence, pulling Hotch from his thoughts. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, you know that? But it’s okay to let someone else be strong for you, too.”

You nodded, wiping away the tears that had finally escaped. “Thanks, Pete. It’s just… it’s hard.”

“I know,” Peter said softly. “But you don’t have to go through it alone.”

Hotch listened to the quiet exchange, the raw honesty between you and Peter striking a chord deep within him. He knew now that he couldn’t keep pretending that everything was fine, that the walls he had built were enough to protect him or you. As the train sped toward Quantico, Hotch made a silent promise to himself: he would do better, he would be better. For you, and for himself.

Because in the end, you both deserved more than just the comfort of solitude. You deserved to be understood, to be seen, and to finally let go of the burdens you had carried for far too long.

Peter on the other hand had always been the kind of friend who could read you like a book, even when you tried to keep the pages closed. And after this emotional confrontation he knew he didn’t have to push further. He could see the exhaustion in your eyes, the way you were holding yourself together by the thinnest thread. So, he did what he always did best, he tried to lift your spirits, if only for a moment.

He leaned back in his seat, studying your expression with a knowing smile. “You know, Y/N, you don’t have to unload everything on me right now. You’re allowed to keep some things to yourself. You don’t owe anyone your pain.” His tone was light, but there was a deep, unspoken understanding beneath it. He knew you were struggling, and he wanted you to know that it was okay to take your time.

You gave him a small, tired smile, grateful for his patience. “I know, Pete. It’s just... hard to talk about. I’ve been so focused on work, it’s easier that way. It’s all I know.”

Peter nodded, his eyes softening with empathy. “I get it. But maybe it’s time to leave work behind, just for a little while. You don’t have to think about everything right now. Start small. Maybe try coming out of your room every once in a while?” He said it with a teasing grin, nudging your shoulder playfully, hoping to coax even the smallest laugh out of you.

You couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking your head at his attempt to lighten the mood. “I know, I’ve been a bit of a hermit lately. I guess it’s easier to just shut myself away.”

Peter’s smile widened, and he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Well, lucky for you, your presence is strictly required at my welcome-back party tonight. The team’s putting it together, and you have no excuses not to come. I already told them you’d be there.”

You groaned, though there was no real annoyance behind it. “Seriously? Peter, I don’t know if I’m up for-”

He cut you off, holding up a hand. “Ah-ah, no excuses. We’ll be back by early afternoon, you’ll have plenty of time to rest, take a shower, and then you’re going to show up and have a good time, even if I have to drag you there myself.”

You rolled your eyes, but his enthusiasm was infectious. There was a warmth in his insistence, a reminder that you weren’t alone and that there was still joy to be found, even in the smallest of moments. “Fine, fine. I’ll be there. But only because you’re the most obnoxiously persistent person I know.”

Peter laughed, giving you a mock bow from his seat. “I’ll take that as a compliment. But seriously, Y/N, it’ll be good to see you outside of the office for once. We all miss you, and I promise, you’ll be glad you came.”

You nodded, feeling a small flicker of anticipation amidst the exhaustion. For the first time in a while, you allowed yourself to look forward to something that wasn’t work, something that didn’t involve endless reports or painful memories. It wasn’t a solution to all your problems, but it was a start—a chance to reconnect with the people who mattered, to take a breath and remember that there was more to life than the shadows that had been chasing you.

As you looked at Peter, his familiar smile reminding you of all the good things you’d shared over the years, you felt a small surge of hope. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The train ride back to Quantico had felt endless, but the weight of the unresolved emotions made the journey back to your apartment even more suffocating. Peter’s words lingered, tugging at wounds you hadn’t dared to touch, and Hotch’s distant presence weighed heavily on your mind. The familiar solitude of your apartment was supposed to be comforting, but tonight, it felt more like a reminder of all the things you’d been running from: your grief, your past, and the fragile, fraying connection with the person who had come to mean so much to you.

You dropped your bag onto the floor, letting it fall with a thud that echoed through the empty space. You leaned against the kitchen counter, feeling the cool surface against your palms as you tried to ground yourself. You wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come. It was as if you’d locked them away, buried them beneath layers of duty and distraction.

But then there was a knock at your door, soft and tentative, almost like the person on the other side wasn’t sure they should be there. You hesitated, wiping at your eyes quickly as if to compose yourself, and moved to answer. You half-expected to find Peter, still worried about you after the train ride, or maybe even no one at all, just a mistake. But when you opened the door, it was Hotch who stood before you.

He looked different, more vulnerable and uncertain than you had ever seen him. His usually composed demeanor was frayed, and there was a rawness in his eyes that spoke of sleepless nights and heavy burdens. He stood there awkwardly, clutching the doorframe as if it were the only thing keeping him upright, his face etched with a mixture of hesitation and determination.

For a moment, neither of you spoke, the weight of everything unsaid hanging between you like a fragile thread, one wrong move away from snapping. Hotch looked down, swallowing hard as if searching for the right words. He wasn’t in his usual pristine suit but rather dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, his attire as out of place as the uncertainty written across his face.

“Hotch?” you asked, your voice barely a whisper, tinged with both surprise and concern. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he just looked at you, as if he was struggling to find the right words, struggling to let down the walls he had spent a lifetime building. He stepped inside, and you quietly closed the door behind him, your heart pounding as you waited for him to speak. He took a few slow steps into the living room, glancing around as if trying to ground himself in the unfamiliar space.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said, his voice strained and brittle, every word heavy with unspoken pain. “I know this isn’t… I shouldn’t have just shown up like this, but I needed to talk to you. About… about what you said last night, and today on the train. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation with Peter.”

This wasn’t the composed, confident man you knew at work, this was Aaron, someone you never got to see, someone who was barely holding it together. “ You were right, Y/N. You were right about everything.”

You stood there, frozen, as his words hit you like a wave. You had never heard Hotch sound so vulnerable, so broken. He was always the strong one, the unshakable agent who never let his guard down, but tonight, he was just Aaron, and he was struggling.

“I’ve spent my whole life trying to keep things separate,” he began, his voice trembling. “I thought if I could just focus on the work, I could ignore everything else—everything that hurt, everything that felt out of my control. But I can’t keep doing that. It’s not who I am, and it’s not who I want to be anymore.”

Hotch’s hands shook as he tried to steady himself, his eyes brimming with emotions he had kept buried for so long. “My father... he was abusive. He was cruel in ways that I can’t even put into words. He’d tear me apart with his words, his fists, anything to remind me that I was never good enough. I grew up in a house that felt more like a battlefield than a home, where silence was never safe and every day was just another fight to survive.”

His voice cracked, and you could see the weight of those memories in his eyes: the fear, the shame, the endless need to be perfect because nothing less would ever be enough for a man who thrived on control. “I tried so hard to protect my mom, my brother, but I was just a kid. There were nights when I’d lie awake, praying he’d leave us alone, praying I’d be strong enough to make it stop. But it never did. And I swore that when I grew up, I’d never be like him. I’d never let anyone see that weakness.”

You listened, your own tears finally breaking free as his pain washed over you. You had never imagined Hotch’s past had been so brutal, so deeply scarred by violence and fear. He had always seemed so put together, so composed, but now, you could see just how much he had been hiding, how much he had been carrying all this time.

“I thought if I kept that part of myself locked away, I’d be able to move on. I thought… I thought if I became Hotch, the profiler, that it would erase all the things he said I’d never be. But it’s just made me more closed off, more afraid to let anyone in. And I’ve been doing it for so long, I don’t even know how to stop.”

He looked at you, his eyes glassy with unshed tears, and you could see the desperation there - the plea for understanding, for forgiveness, for something he couldn’t quite name. “I don’t know how to let people in, Y/N. I don’t know how to not be this… this guarded version of myself. But if I’m going to try, if I’m going to let anyone see me, I want it to be you. Because you were right when you said I don’t know you, but I want to. And you deserve to know me, too—the real me.”

The vulnerability in his voice shattered something inside you, and without thinking, you closed the distance between you and pulled him into a tight, desperate hug. Hotch tensed at first, unaccustomed to such unguarded intimacy, but then his arms wrapped around you, and you could feel him finally letting go. His head bowed against your shoulder, and his entire frame shook with the silent sobs he’d been holding back for too long.

You clung to him, your own tears mingling with his, and in that moment, it felt like the dam you’d both been holding back had finally broken. You were no longer the stoic agents who always had the answers, always kept it together. You were just two people, scarred and hurting, trying to find solace in the only way you knew how: by holding on to each other.

Hotch’s hand moved to the back of your head, his fingers tangling gently in your hair as he held you closer, as if you were the lifeline he had been searching for. He whispered apologies between his tears, his voice cracking with the weight of his regrets. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I didn’t see it. I didn’t see you.”

You shook your head, burying your face into his neck, your tears soaking through his t-shirt as you let out all the grief you’d kept buried: the loss of your father, the unresolved pain of your parents’ broken marriage, the way you had thrown yourself into work to keep from falling apart. You had been running for so long, hiding behind your accomplishments, just like him.

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry, Aaron,” you whispered through your tears, the use of his first name slipping out naturally in this moment of raw honesty. “I had no idea. I was so angry, and I—”

He shook his head, his voice soft but firm as he whispered back, “You don’t have to apologize. You were right… about all of it. I needed to hear it. I needed to face it.”

The two of you stood there for what felt like an eternity, wrapped up in each other’s pain and understanding, the weight of your shared burdens finally feeling just a little bit lighter. There were no perfect words, no easy fixes, but in that embrace, you found something neither of you had expected—comfort, solace, and the beginning of a new kind of trust.

“It’s okay,” you whispered through your tears, clutching him tighter. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

For the first time, it felt like you were truly seen, truly understood, and the relief of it was overwhelming. You didn’t have to pretend anymore, didn’t have to be strong or perfect or put together. You could just be, and he could just be, and that was enough.

Hotch pulled back slightly, your eyes finally met, both of you still teary but no longer hiding. There was a silent understanding there, a promise that from now on, things would be different. “No more walls. No more hiding.” He murmured, his voice shaky but filled with a quiet determination.

You nodded, and for the first time in a long time, you believed it. You didn’t know what the future would hold, but as you held each other in that quiet, tear-stained moment, you knew that you weren’t alone anymore. You had each other, and that was a start. It was messy, and it was painful, but it was real. And in that, you found hope - hope that maybe, together, you could begin to heal. You weren’t just partners in the professional sense anymore; you were something more—two people learning to let each other in, to lean on each other’s strength when your own wasn’t enough. And in that simple, fragile moment, you both knew that whatever came next, you wouldn’t have to face it alone, that your new friend would be right there at your side.

The evening had settled over the city, and the Irish pub next to your apartment block was buzzing with energy. For the first time in what felt like forever, you allowed yourself to feel a glimmer of lightness, excitement bubbling at the thought of spending time with Hotch, Peter, and the rest of your colleagues from the BAU. After everything that had happened, the weight of unresolved emotions had eased, if only slightly, and you found yourself looking forward to reconnecting with your team outside the pressures of the job.

Earlier that afternoon, you’d stopped by a bookstore, the small shop tucked between a row of cafes and boutique stores you often passed but rarely visited. As you browsed the shelves, your eyes fell on a book titled "Hegel for Dummies." It was a perfect, lighthearted gesture, a small symbol of your newfound friendship with Hotch, and a callback to the night you’d spent poring over Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs at the library. You thought that maybe, after his recent dive into architecture, he might take an interest in philosophy too, especially Hegel, one of your favorites. The book felt like a tiny olive branch, a way of letting him into your world a little more, just as he had let you into his the night before.

You imagined him reading it, piecing together Hegel’s ideas on thesis, antithesis, and synthesis, and maybe learning something about you in the process. And who knew? Maybe one day, if you were lucky, he’d hand you one of his favorite books, offering you another glimpse into the parts of himself he rarely showed.

When you walked into the pub, the warm light and chatter were an immediate comfort. You spotted your team at a long wooden table near the back, and to your surprise, you saw Gideon sitting there, crutches leaned against the wall, his leg injury having kept him out of the latest case. Rossi was beside him, the two of them looking as inseparable as ever, trading stories and laughs over pints of beer. It was a sight that immediately lifted your spirits.

“Look who finally made it!” Rossi called out, waving you over. “Come on, we saved you a seat.”

You grinned, making your way through the crowd. “Rossi, Gideon, you two didn’t tell me you’d be here.”

Gideon leaned back, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Well, you didn’t think we’d miss the party, did you? Besides, someone has to make sure Peter doesn’t get too full of himself.”

Peter shot you a wink, raising his glass in greeting. “They’re just here to bask in my glory, Y/N. But don’t let them fool you, they’ve been talking about you all night.”

You rolled your eyes, laughing as you took a seat between Gideon and Peter. “I’m sure they have. So, what did I miss?”

Before anyone could answer, Hotch walked in, his presence as commanding as ever, though there was a new softness in his eyes when he spotted you. You exchanged a smile, a silent acknowledgment of the night before, and of the steps you were both taking toward something new, something vulnerable.

“Hotch!” Rossi greeted, patting the empty seat beside him. “Come sit, we’re debating where Peter’s new desk should be. Since Y/N’s parked herself at his old one, we might need to reshuffle the whole bullpen.”

Hotch took his seat, glancing at you with a teasing smile. “I think she’s gotten too comfortable. I doubt she’s giving it up.”

Peter leaned in closer to you, his voice low and conspiratorial whispering into your ear “Wanna make a bet?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “See that woman behind Hotch’s shoulder? If she doesn’t come talk to him, you get to keep your desk.”

You eyed the woman briefly, noticing her casual yet elegant demeanor, but she seemed engrossed in her own conversation. Hotch was engaged in a discussion with Rossi, showing no sign of noticing her. You were confident this would be an easy win, especially given Hotch’s typically reserved nature. “Alright,” you said, turning back to Peter. “And what do you get if you win?”

Peter’s grin widened, the playful edge in his voice unmistakable. “A date. With you.”

The unexpected proposition caught you off guard, and for a moment, you felt your cheeks warm. You glanced at him, trying to gauge if he was serious, but his expression remained light, teasing. You brushed it off with a laugh, pretending he was just messing with you. “Okay, you’re on.”

But no sooner had you accepted the bet than the woman, as if she had somehow overheard your conversation, moved toward Hotch with an expression of surprise. You watched in stunned silence as she approached, her voice soft and familiar. “Aaron? What were the odds?”

Your heart sank as Hotch’s face lit up, a rare and genuine smile crossing his features, his cheeks flushed slightly, and there was a familiarity between them that made your chest tighten. You felt Peter nudge you, his voice breaking through the shock. “Looks like you owe me a date.”

You barely registered his words, too fixated on the interaction unfolding in front of you. Hotch returned to the table with the woman by his side, her presence seeming to fill the room in a way that made you feel suddenly small and out of place. Hotch’s voice cut through the noise, introducing her with a casualness that belied the weight of the moment. “Everyone, this is Haley.”

You barely managed to hold your composure, the pieces of this unexpected puzzle falling into place as you processed Hotch’s flushed expression and the warmth in his eyes when he looked at her. This wasn’t just anyone, this was someone from his past, someone who clearly was very close and definitely had shared some sort of romantic history with him. The bitter thoughts stung more than you wanted to admit.

Before you could say anything, Gideon, ever the observant one, leaned over, catching sight of the corner of a book sticking out of your open purse. “Hegel for Dummies?” he asked with a raised eyebrow, amusement flickering in his voice as he picked it up to inspect.

You nodded, still too stunned to fully engage, your mind elsewhere. “Yeah. It’s… it’s just a little joke,” you managed, though the words felt hollow in the moment.

Gideon smiled knowingly, his eyes shifting between you and Hotch. “Thesis, antithesis, and synthesis,” he mused, almost as if he were speaking to himself but loud enough for you to hear. “Funny how life always seems to come back to that, doesn’t it?”

The words hung heavy in the air, and as you sat there, watching Hotch interact with Haley, you couldn’t help but feel the truth in them. Life was messy, a constant push and pull of opposing forces, and you were caught in the middle of it, trying to make sense of what it all meant.

[ursemma]

"I'll always love you" pt 3

Pt 1, pt 2, pt 4

Mattheo Riddle × F!reader

Theodore nott × F!reader (ex)

Warning: none

Summary: After going on few dates with Mattheo, you couldn't help but wonder what you two are since you haven't made things offical, what happens when one of your friend invites you to her wedding, and apparantly you've to face your ex with his wife, and you desperately need a date.

Mattheo and I have gone to few dates, fucked and behaved like a couple for few months, but things between us have never been official, and I don't want to ruin what's between us by asking 'what are we?'.

I was laying on my bed wondering what i felt for him, this was far way different than what I had with Theodore.

Theodore and I were..... Something I can't describe in words, not in a good way, we used to fight alot.

We used to fight and never solve things hoping it would go away and we'd be back to normal, it wasn't healthy at all.

We never used to communicate which would lead us to misunderstandings. Something which caused our break-up.

I had butterflies but in a bad way, in a way which would tell you something bad is about to happen.

But Mattheo, him and I are mythic.

We sure fight but they aren't the heated ones, the ones which makes your heartbeat fast and tears flow, the ones which you hate and want to runaway from. Our fights are more like "hey I wanted that icecream!" Or "huh you bet?". We fight like kids, over small things but in a teasing way.

And my inner child feels safe with him. It's like he's healing a part of me.

I was deep in my thoughts, and suddenly my phone rang. I looked over to see the name 'torie!' i smiled at myself before picking up the call, and I heard her voice.

Torie!:

"heyyy babyy"

Me:

Hey Astoria!!

Torie!:

Soo Draco and I, we're getting married!!!

Me:

Congratulations!!

Torie!:

Thankyouu love! I want you to attend the wedding, not only that I want you here for the preparations as well, I'll send you the address and you have to come I won't take no for answer okayyy byeee!!!!

Before I could protest she hung up and sent me the address. I sighed knowingly that Theodore and Daphne would be there, I wasn't affected by their presence at all, not after meeting Mattheo, but the fact that it would be very awkward if I went without a date was eating me up.

I looked at my screen and my finger hovered above the name 'matty~', I sighed and texted him,

Me: Hey Mattheo!

Matty~: Hey what's up??

Me: I need a favour

Matty~: go ahead, I'll be glad to help you out

Me: soo my friend is getting married and Theodore is going to be there so I need a boyfriend, to make sure it won't be awkward.

Matty~: soo...?

Me: would you be my boyfriend?? Like a fake one?? You know just for the preparations and wedding?? Like you're the only person I'm comfortable with soo?? Please please I'll do anything you want just say yes.

Matty~: okay fine. You owe me tho.

Me: yes yes thankyouu. We have to leave for the preparation day after tomorrow, at 5 pm, the wedding is in London, we've to catch a flight.

Matty~: I'll be there ;)

Me: thankyouu ily ;)

Matty~: anything for you, ily too ;)

I sighed while smiling like an idiots, I booked our flights and started to pack my bags and everything necessary.

Me and Mattheo arrived at Draco's Mansion where we all were staying in, only two days were left for the wedding, 1 and half to be exact.

"Y/n/n welcome!!!" Tori greeted me as she engulfed me into a hug.

She pulled away after 10 sec and looked over my shoulder "and whose he?" She asked me into confusion and before I could answer "I'm Mattheo Riddle, her boyfriend, nice to meet you Astoria" he said while sliding a hand on my waist and pulling me closer to him.

I looked at him with a smile on my face and Astoria smirked at me before saying "nice to meet you too Mattheo, your room is upstairs, please make yourself home" we thanked her before going in our room.

I freshened up and I was laying on my bed while Mattheo was taking a bath, so far we didn't saw Theodore at all for which I was thankful for.

A knock on the door disturbed me from reading my book. I went to check who it was and saw a familiar face, "Theodore?" "Y/n" before I could say anything Mattheo came out of bathroom, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and interrupted us "darling whose there?" Before standing beside me.

I know this is short and I'm leaving you hanging but I'll post next part before the week ends and trust me it'll be long!!!

The next part would be the last one and it'll be uploaded shortly.

Tags

@hoeforvinniehackerrr @shartnart1

(if you wanna be tagged in next part make sure to comment!!)

.

.

.

.

[encyclopediamorbidica]

this is the last i'm gonna say on this subject but i do find it deeply, deeply demoralizing to see transfems especially willfully misinterpreting my point to continue to defend a self admitted pedophile and pedophile enabler in the name of kink. literally all i said was that she has dogshit takes on issues she has no business speaking about and because she's a microceleb suddenly every big brained white woman on this site is prepared to come to me looking for that perfect gotcha moment where i out myself as the nasty transmisogynist who thinks being into "weird sex" (read: vehemently defending white peoples' right to get off to rape, incest, pedophilia, and bestiality) is tantamount to murdering kittens and that i secretly believe all trans women deserve to burn in hell. like i knew when i wrote that post that there would be plenty of people ready to back patricia to their dying breath, but i have never been so sick and tired of seeing someone's posts get spread around this website by people who are completely unaware of the things she constantly says and does.

she is bedfellows with some of the worst pedophiles on this site, knowingly and intentionally, and has surrounded herself with pedophiles for years to "cope" with being groomed and abused. while i deeply feel sorry for patricia for having to live with that kind of trauma, as someone who has survived sexual abuse and grooming myself, i really don't think anything that she's purporting to be "healthy" is backed up by anyone but herself and her inner circle of yes-men. i do not wish her harm, or isolation, or further abuse. i just want people to stop fucking taking her seriously and spreading her bullshit around this site.

she is no one's friend, especially not other trans women who would be rightfully hurt and disgusted by her and the people defending her calling anyone who looks at her sideways a raging transmisogynist when we are literally actively being pedohunted in real life by people who can actually do material harm. i genuinely don't understand how you can positively associate transfemininity with paraphilia and not see how you are handing ammunition to people who walk around waving loaded guns.

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Searching

Are you guys ready?! We are going continue where we left up last drabble :3 I hope you all are up to date on the story :D @spotaus

First Drabble Prev Drabble Next Drabble

We good? We good :3

*--------------------------*

Dream checks his inventory. He has medicine and a first aid kid. He has the reports from the last few meetings and the news he spread about his mess up.

Just in case that Nightmare doesn’t want to listen he can at least leave the proof he had been working on fixing the mess he made.

Dream rubs his arm as he checks his bag again. Is it enough? He messed up so many things and left his brother alone to deal with all of it for so long-

“Dream?” the voice and a hand on his shoulder shake him out of his thoughts.

Dream looks back and sees Blue looking at him worried “If you aren’t ready I can go by myself first and look around.”

Dream shakes his skull “no no! I want to go! I need to go!”

Blue frowns and speaks softly “Dream. I am not even sure if they are actually there. It is just a lead… I just… I don’t want you to be disappointed if he isn’t there or if you don’t see him.”

Dream blinks but smiles at Blue “I know that. I know there is only a small chance… but I just want to be prepared… What if we do see him and I don’t have any of it with me? And I never find him again? It is just in case.” Of course Dream really hopes he finally gets to meet Nightmare again. It has been a year and  a half and he is going crazy.

Dream hadn’t realised how much comfort he had gotten out of seeing Nightmare each time they fought.

Blue sighs but smiles “Okay. If you are sure.”

Dream feels like a terrible friend and he grabs Blue’s shoulders “Hey. When this is over. You are going to tell me something I can help you with okay?”

Blue blinks and laughs “No need Dream. We are friends.”

Dream nods “Exactly. So I am going to help you with something after all of this! I promise!”

Blue blinks and laughs as he looks to the side with a blush- wait a minute! Blue keeps chuckling nervously “No need! There is nothing that would require help or assistance or anything! Lets focus on your whole thing! Come I have the universe coordinates!” and he manages to duck under Dream’s arms as he messes with his phone. Trying to hide his blush.

Oh. Oh!! Oh Dream is so going to help Blue with his crush! Dream wonders who it could be… Well Dream doubts it will be hard. Blue is one of the best people in the whole multiverse. Anyone would be lucky with his attention.

Dream joins his side and grins knowingly at him. Blue just glares back at him, a blue blush still on his face. Dream giggles and wiggles his eyebrows. Blue gets bluer and looks away “Knock it off Dream.”

Dream giggles and nods “Okay… but just so you know. I don’t think you have to be nervous or worry. Whoever you like will be lucky that you like them.” Blue mutters as he looks away nervously.

Dream nudges their shoulders together before checking the coordinates Blue has pulled up. He grabs his staff and concentrates. The universe ripples and a portal opens.

Dream freezes as he stares at the portal. Feeling nervous all over again.

Blue nudges their shoulders together and grins “Ready? Let’s go.”

Dream smiles and nods “Let’s.”

They step through.

The thing with dimension hopping that most people don’t realise. Dimensions move around.

They rarely move around enough to need completely new coordinates. But unless you know the place well you will not cross-dimension teleport to the same place twice.

Dream and Blue step out on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. They look around but only see fields upon fields of growing crops.

Dream hums “Well… that was to be expected with a Farmtale.”

Blue nods “I am already happy we didn’t show up in the middle of a town or city. That is always a mess. Especially if it isn’t a universe in the know.”

Dream agrees full heartly. He looks around and pulls on his magic.

Blue keeps an eye out as Dream feels the universe out. One of the nice things about being a god. It is rather easy to get a feel for if a universe has been tampered with in anyway.

Normally Dream could also feel when his brother is near but ever since losing his domain Dream doubts he still can.

The edits to this universe are… very limited. It almost seems like the only thing that has been changed is some kind of shielding or camouflaging all around the universe. Dream frowns as he knows this type of work.

Dream puts his hands down as he glares ahead “Error.”

Blue looks up shocked “What?”

Dream glares at the ground as his hands form fists “Error. Error put up a shield.” Technically both Error and Ink call it firewalls but it is the same.

Blue frowns as he joins him “Why would he put one around a Farmtale?”

Dream knows Blue knows as well “Error doesn’t like me.” Which is putting it mildly “And he is close to Nightmare.” Maybe closer than Dream thought. Dream had thought they just worked together and after how Error defended Nightmare and backed up how their jobs worked Dream figured they were at least on friendly terms.

Blue glances around “Well.. that is good right?”

Dream frowns as he looks at his friend.

Blue grins “It means there is something here. Something important that Error is trying to hide. Maybe it is another lead? Or… well… maybe you finally have the right universe?”

Dream feels any irritation and annoyance melt away. Oh stars…

Blue grins and nudges their shoulders together “Best we keep being sneaky about it. Get a feel for the land and how things work. Maybe find the Sans of this place? See if he saw anything noteworthy?”

Dream feels himself relax at the familiar routine “Some good old scouting.”

Blue smiles “indeed. Come! I see a city in the distance! Lets get a feel for everything there and then get searching!” and he starts walking.

Dream smiles and follows his best friend.

They have done this song and dance quite a few times. They walk around. Make some small talk with people. Get a general feel for how things work in the universe to fit in better.

Only once they have established these things they start to search for a way to find this universe ‘main cast’ with the hope that at least one person is in the known about multiverse things.

It is always a gamble if the people in the universe know or don’t know about the bigger multiverse and Dream and Blue generally try not to let this information slip. If they don’t know it can cause trouble.

They had multiple people try and attack other universes when the more aggressive people found out about the option. They were… dealt with. As many others are much better prepared for these possibilities.

Blue returns to his side “I don’t think they know here.”

Dream nods “Which means even more careful information gathering…” At least that would explain why Nightmare picked this spot. Why hide in a place that hates you because of the multiverse? Best start over new and fresh somewhere.

Now with the knowledge of how to act the two quickly decided that they are looking for old friends. Sans and Papyrus. Them being the safest bet for multiple reasons. One, because they are both most likely to know about multiverse stuff. Two, because they are all skeletons people will ask less questions about them searching for each other.

Yes. Dream thinks it is a stupid reason but it is what it is.

The two of them split up and get to work with asking around if anyone knows their friends by any chance. When asked why they don’t know where they are Dream just says that he can’t quite remember the address but knew it was somewhere around here!

It takes a while until they speak to some humans. The humans look thoughtful and mention that they are not sure if the skeletons were named Papyrus and Sans precisely they are very sure they saw skeletons at the farmers market a bit further to the east. A few cities further by a very small farmers town.

Blue happily notes down the address and they waves goodbye before starting their journey.

Blue grins at him “Want to get an actually vehicle or shall we keep walking?”

Dream feels nervous and answers “Walking.” He needs to figure out what he is going to say. Blue nods and the two make their way into the right direction.

It takes about two days of steady walking in which Dream tries to think of what to say and how to say it.

What if he actually sees Nightmare? What does he say to him? How does he make Nightmare hear him out? What if Nightmare is actually willing to hear him out?! How can Dream tell him everything? Without making it sound like he is trying to excuse himself?

What if the gang are actually the ones who meet him first? How does he convince them to let him see his brother?

Or worse.

What if the gang only lives here? What if this is just the place that Cross and Dust settled with their child? What if they don’t know where Nightmare is?

What if there really is no way for Dream to find Nightmare?

Blue shakes him out of his thinking by saying they are there.

The town is small. Very small. Only like one main street with a few shops and a few side streets.

Blue and Dream share a look as they look around. Some people are walking around. Blue and Dream share another look before Blue nods towards the large tavern reading Grillby’s. Blue grins “Probably the best place to start.”

Dream smiles and nods.

They walk together but Dream can’t help but feel… watched. He sneaks a few glances around and can’t help but notice that everyone is watching them with clear suspicion on their faces. They have been met with nerves and curious looks before. But rarely with suspicion. That usually only happened in a fell verse.

Dream shoots Blue a look and mutters “Blue?”

Blue just keeps smiling as he walks straight towards the target “I noticed the same. But I am sure this isn’t a Fell verse… Lets focus on out plan for now.” then he opens the door.

A few people are moving around and talking but as soon as Dream and Blue step in they grow quiet.

An icy silence as Blue just smiles and walks towards Grillby. The fire elemental is preparing some things behind the bar. Another fire elemental looks nervous as they glance between them and Grillby just nudges them towards the back where they disappear into.

Blue gets to the bar and Dream just stays by his side. Blue smiles “Hello! I was hoping you could maybe help us!” and he smiles.

Grillby watches them and shrugs “Don’t know until I know what you want strangers.”

Blue laughs and rubs the back of his neck “I am sorry. I am Blue and this is my friend Dream! We are looking for friends of ours.”

Dream wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been already on edge. The soft mumbles around them stop as soon as Dream’s name is said. Grillby shoots him a considering look and seems to look both of them up and down.

Grillby hums and turns back to his glass “Never heard anyone looking for either of you.”

Blue blinks and smiles “We are old friends of them. Fellow skeletons like us.”

Dream frowns as he feels more and more tension in the air. Fuck he wishes he could still feel emotions. Get an idea for what everyone is feeling and leaning towards.

Grillby hums as he keeps cleaning “Seems rude to just assume any skeletons I may or may not have seen would be the ones you are looking for. Even if they are rare. At least that is what people say.” And he puts some glasses away.

It is like a wall.

Blue nods thoughtfully before smiling “Well,” Blue pauses for a moment as he shoots him a look. Dream isn’t sure if it is smart to mention the others. Mostly because their names are not the friendliest and they don’t want to make it seem like they did something wrong. Dream catches Blue’s eyes and shakes his skull a tiny bit. Blue catches it and smiles back at Grillby “If you happen to see either Sans or Papyrus can you tell them we wish to see them? It has been so long and we would love to catch up.”

Grillby just gives a short nod “If I see anyone named that I will mention it.” and he turns back to his work.

Dream and Blue both quickly leave the building.

They exit the building and share a look.

Blue speaks first “Okay that wasn’t just me right? They all don’t like us at all.”

Dream nods as he glances around “They are very on edge… I wonder why…”

Blue frowns as he glances around “We can check out the stalls and shops?”

Dream thinks before nodding “Let’s. We can then just take a break and try again tomorrow if we need to.”

They walk into the decided direction and check stores and make small talk. Or try to make small talk. People are not willing to reply to them at all. And questions even hinting at a different topic aside from their wares is met with annoyance and dismissal.

Dream smiles at the dog monster before him. She just looks uninterested at them while her friend is outright glaring at them.

Dream frowns “You sure you don’t know any skeletons?”

The dog monster shrugs “Seen a few. But not anyone specific coming to mind.” she looks outright bored.

The other woman, a bunny, huffs “Well are you going to buy anything or waste time we could be spending on other customers!?”

Blue looks around and behind him but no other customers are in line. Dream laughs softly as he rubs his neck “I mean… It seems to be a quiet day at least?”

The dog monster, neither of the ladies had given them their names, shrugs “Can change at any moment.”

Suddenly the bunny sits up straight and nudges her friend “Wait I just spotted my friend! I need to check if he has my dvd still. That okay?”

The dog monster frowns at her but nods “Sure. Just be back before the rush.”

The bunny smiles and rushes off to the side. Dream follows her with his sight but the other monster disappears around a corner.

Blue tilts his skull before grinning at the dog monster “Well… If you by any chance see anyone who fits the description we gave you. Please let us know?”

The dog monster shrugs “Maybe.”

… right. That is about as far as they had gotten with these people.

Dream sighs and nudges Blue “Come Blue. Let’s go. We can check some other people.”

They spend more hours just like that. Talking with people and getting nowhere except unhappy faces and dismissive hand waving.

Dream sighs as he sits on a bench “Are we in the right place?”

Blue nods “According to the people we spoke this is the right town.” He sighs and gives him a half grin “Maybe people are just nervous about strangers? I know back in Snowdin we were always a bit cautious when people suddenly showed up… unless someone we knew vouched for them of course.” Blue looks around the place “This place reminds me of Snowdin…”

Dream frowns as he looks around. Maybe that is it? They are just being cautious. That is it. Dream needs to stop being paranoid. Stop thinking people know or suspect what happened. This is a locked universe and seems to have no contact with others-

Blue suddenly jumps up and rushes off “Hey Sans! Papyrus! Wait up!”

Dream looks up and spots who Blue has spotted. Two skeletons. This was the place! Dream smiles and rushes to follow Blue. Oh things are finally looking up!

*--------------------------*

First Drabble Prev Drabble Next Drabble

[mamawardentotherescue]

Okay, so I've slept and gathered my thoughts more and I'm going to explain why I don't like da:v (because some of you have assumed a lot about me and my relationship with the series)

First off, I have been in love with dragon age since I was 13/14 and have been obsessed with it for 12 years. It was my muse for writing and creating art; I read every book I could get my hands on and lived on the wiki and forums for everything else; when I got my first pay check I bought the lore books (which was hard to find in Australia). When I was depressed or so lonely my heart felt like it would burst, I would come back to the companions I would call friends. This game saved me from killing myself more times than I could count.

I have loved this game series for all it's writing and lore - the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, for me to be upset and disappointed in this game is not to be taken lightly.

Straight up, da:v felt wrong (I'm not going to mention why I don't like the inquisitor creator because I feel like at this point you should know why). They launch you straight into the middle of a plan your character has apparently known all along, but it left me feeling confused. I had so many questions! It's been 8 years since Trespasser, 10 years since the beginning of Inquisition and 20 for Origins; a lot has changed and I want to know what's happened in thedas since I've been away because I've invested a lot of time with that world, regardless of whether or not you respect my input on the world building...but the writing doesn't care about that.

I had a constant thought of "they're trying to recreate Mass Effect but have forgotten why people play Dragon Age, and they're not even respecting ME while they do it" and the more hours I put in to this game the more obvious this became.

"But MamaWarden, it looks so pretty and the combat is fun!" I hear you say, and yes, I do agree. The game was built really well in comparison to past games, but good hair isn't a good enough distraction from shit writing and a lack of respect for the series.

Before finishing the game I would often say that the best part about the game was the companions. They felt familiar and I enjoyed what I had with them but wished I had more. I was prepared to stick with that until they made me choose between Harding or Davrin (and Assan)...

Let me explain very simply why I fucking hated this:

1. It was another "look at us trying to be Mass Effect" moment but done shittily

2. Feels sus to say the least to pin Harding, the first female dwarf we've been allowed to romance and have a pre-existing relationship with (as the player), against Davrin, the first black elf we've encountered that wasn't just an OC of the player

3. Doesn't matter if you complete their companion quests, gain max approval and send what I would argue the "right" one to survive to a mission, only to have that person die because they were the other group's leader

As soon as it happened and the companion (I felt like I was forced to choose because I was romancing the other) was killed, I felt like nothing mattered. Again, it felt like someone tried to recreate the OG ME trilogy into one game but completely misunderstood what made those games ironically heart wrenching. I wasn't given a choice where I knowingly sacrificed a companion the way they did with Ashley and Kaiden, I was instead given a "who do you think will be best for the job?"

You might think it's a taste or preference thing, but it's not. It's a "dragon age has followed a particular pattern that's different to mass effect but now they've subverted expectations" type of thing. I might be autistic, but doesn't that bother you?

I hated that unless you were romancing Solas, your inquisitor really doesn't matter much to the story. I hated that your Lavellan felt like she was reduced to an additional underling to Solas instead of being his equal. I hated that characters like Mae, Dorian, Isabela and the Inquisitor had NOTHING to say about Varric, regardless of whether everyone knew the truth about him or not. I hated that bioware spewed "no unnecessary cameos" but barely used the old companions for anything useful outside of Varric and Solas pushing the story. I hated that shit is blowing up in the south of thedas but it feels like no one cares except for me, the player who has spent literal years invested into Ferelden and neighbouring countries.

Nothing felt like it mattered and that's the worst part of all of this. That might the intended meta commentary but fucking save it for a different game. This series has always been about hope in times of darkness, but this game feels like it cheapened that ideal and abused it so they can give this half-baked "morally grey" shit of a story and expect us to eat it

[elizabeth-holland24]

The Beast Within-Chapter 9 (Part 1)

Back in Jake's chambers, the air was electric with anticipation as the enchanted objects worked diligently to prepare him for the ball. The tension in Jake’s chest, however, was palpable—a whirlwind of emotions he could neither contain nor understand.

What was I thinking? A dance? Of all things, I choose something that requires grace… something I’ve lacked ever since this curse turned me into a beast. His claws flexed nervously. What if I step on her? What if I look ridiculous? I mean, I am a beast in a suit… He let out a frustrated growl, pacing the room.

“Jake, stop fidgeting,” Natasha chastised, flitting around him with a comb. “This is perfect. The rose has only four petals left. Tonight is your chance to tell her how you feel.”

Jake stopped pacing and scowled at her. “Tell her how I feel? She’ll never love me. I mean, I hurt her before the curse. What’s to say I won’t hurt her again when she finds out I’ve been lying to her?”

“Do not be discouraged,” Bradley chimed in. “She is the one.”

“I wish you would stop saying that,” Jake snapped. “There is no ‘one.’”

“You care for her, don’t you?” Natasha asked gently.

Jake hesitated, running a hand through his thick hair. “More than I should,” he admitted. “But what if I mess this up? What if it’s too late?”

Penny landed on his shoulder. “It’s never too late, Jake. Listen to your heart and be yourself. Besides, if you mess this up, you’ll be drinking cold tea for the rest of your days.”

Javy added with a chuckle, “Alone. In a very dark and dusty castle.”

Jake huffed but allowed them to continue preparing him. As they straightened his suit and smoothed his hair, he couldn’t shake the thought of Mausi.

This isn’t just about the curse anymore, he realized. It’s about her.

On the other side of the castle, Mausi stood before a mirror, her heart a confusing mix of anticipation and unease. Halo flitted around her, adding the finishing touches to her gown.

“For the first time in my life, I feel… giddy?” Mausi whispered to her reflection. She barely recognized herself in the elegant gown, now adorned with golden flecks that shimmered like stars. Tiny vines and flowers wove through the fabric and her hair, creating an ethereal glow. “Why am I nervous?”

Halo smiled knowingly. “Perhaps because you’re starting to care for him?”

Mausi frowned, her fingers tracing the edge of the mirror. “Jake reminds me of someone… but I can’t remember who. He’s… different than I thought. Behind all that bravado, there’s kindness. But how can I let myself feel this way, knowing my father is out there, worried and alone?”

“Guilt and joy can coexist, dear,” Halo said softly. “It’s okay to let yourself feel both.”

Mausi’s gaze softened, but the doubt lingered in her eyes. As Halo added a final golden hairpin, Mausi looked at her reflection once more. “Do you think… I could be happy here?”

“Happiness is complicated,” Halo replied. “But tonight, you can allow yourself a moment of it.”

Jake waited at the base of the grand staircase, his claws twitching against the fabric of his suit. When Mausi appeared at the top of the stairs, his breath caught. She was radiant, her gown glowing softly in the candlelight, her every step graceful and deliberate. For a moment, all his insecurities melted away.

Mausi’s eyes met his, and she froze, her heart skipping a beat. Jake’s beastly form seemed to blur as she saw the man within—a man who cared deeply, who longed for connection but feared rejection. Her steps faltered only briefly before she descended, drawn to him.

When they reached each other, Jake extended his arm. “Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.

Mausi hesitated, then placed her hand on his arm. “I do.”

Together, they entered the ballroom, where soft candlelight bathed the space in warmth. As the music began, Jake took Mausi’s hand, his movements tentative at first. But as they danced, something shifted. Their steps became fluid, as if they had danced together a hundred times before.

Mausi couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. For the first time, she saw beyond the beastly exterior—saw the man who had been hurt, who had loved and lost, who was trying so hard to make things right.

Jake, too, was captivated. Mausi’s laughter, her light, her courage—they filled the cracks in his heart. He knew he was in too deep, but he couldn’t help himself. If this is my only chance to show her how I feel, I’ll make it count.

As the music swelled, the enchanted objects joined in, their movements mirroring the joy and hope that filled the room. Mausi gasped as, for a brief moment, she saw them in their human forms. Tears pricked her eyes as she realized the depth of their sacrifice.

When the music ended, Jake led Mausi to the balcony. The night air was cool, the stars glimmering above them.

“I haven’t danced in ages,” Jake admitted.

Mausi smiled. “The last time I danced was with my dad. Well, Pete.” Her smile faltered. “Thank you. No one has ever done something like this for me.”

“You deserve this and more,” Jake said earnestly. “As for your dad… I’m sorry for what you found out. But from what I’ve seen, blood doesn’t define family. Pete loves you. He’d do anything for you.”

“I know,” Mausi whispered. “It’s just… why did he hide the truth? Did he think I’d love him less?”

“Sometimes, people do things to protect the ones they love,” Jake said. “Thinking it’s the only way. I wish that had been my case.”

Mausi frowned. “What do you mean?”

Jake sighed. “Long ago, my parents made a deal with a sorcerer. They wanted more—more riches, more success. The sorcerer warned them that something like that would come at a price, there is always a price with magic, they didn't care. They thought that price was me, they were blinded by riches, not long after they got what they wanted but at the price of their lives they got lost at sea, and I was left alone. I guess I can't really judge them, heck that what got me in this predicament the first time, the apple doest fall far from the tree.”

Mausi’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re wrong. You’re nothing like them. I see you, Jake. The real you. You’re no beast.”

Jake’s heart ached. “Do you think… Is it foolish to believe I might earn your affection?”

Mausi’s throat tightened. “I don’t know.”

Jake’s shoulders sagged. “Would you like to see your father?”

A/N: Merry Late Christmas. So I wanted to upload this before but got a little busy, you know how the holidays are. But yeah we are near the end, I hope you guys love this chapter. This one is dedicated to my bestfriend, my ride or die, my pookie. Remember to like, comment or weblog and tell me your thoughts. Thank you so much for the love and support on this story. Don't forget to comment, like and reblog, so I know if you are enjoying it.  Love you guys and thanks for reading  <3

[mapis-putellas]

Vulnerable

Parings: Natasha x You

Words: 1466

Warnings: extremely brief mentions of SA. Redroom.

Summary: Natasha is extremely sick, and trusts only you to take care of her.

Notes: this definitely could have gone on for much longer, but it’s been a while since I’ve had the inspiration to write and I wasn’t going to push myself. So enjoy this, because I’m not sure when I’ll be able to update again 🤍

Natasha lets out a congested sniffle as she brings her hand up to rub at the tip of her nose in a futile attempt at quelling the persistent itch. She didn't think she'd ever felt so awful before.

Her nose was simultaneously as stuffy as it was dripping with snot. That wasn't even mentioning how sore it was due to how often she was constantly having to blow it. She was feverish; her joints ached and it feels like she was swallowing gravel each time she tries to eat or drink something.

She was sweating through every single item of clothing she owns, and she could barely stand up without feeling as though she was about to pass out.

Natasha didn't even want think about how her hair hadn't been washed in days, sprawled down her back in what was once considered a braid but was now simply one large tangle.

She was frustrated, irritable. And she just wanted everything to stop.

"Huh'htsch!" She doesn't even bother trying to stifle. She'd sneezed so many times today that it was beyond her efforts.

"Bless you baby." You murmur as you make your way back into your shared bedroom, setting down the tray filled with soup, medicine and water onto the nightstand before sitting down and running a gentle hand up and down Natasha's back. "How are you feeling?" You tuck a sweat soaked strand of hair behind her ear.

Natasha just barely shrugs her shoulders as her eyes burn with the familiar sensation of tears.

She wasn't an emotional person. Not as a child, nor now as an adult. Early on she'd learned that being cold and emotionless was one of the only tools you had in this cruel world. Not a single tear had been shed during her time in the red room. Not when she was beaten. Tortured. Not even when they'd taken what was left of her innocence away at just thirteen years of age. She'd remained stoic and unfeeling. A robot. Just as they'd taught her.

It was a title she'd held most of her life. She was often described as rather cold and emotionless by those she chooses to have close to her, and she was okay with that. It made pushing people away easier when the time came for it, because the less people she had in her life, the less there were to betray her.

But with you? Never. In your company, she allows those walls to fall a little. She was safe with you. She trusted you. More than anyone and anything. So when the first of many tears begin to fall down her cheek leaving only a soft tickling sensation in its wake, she doesn't even try to stop it.

"I know," you whisper knowingly as you lean down slightly to press a gentle kiss to flaming hot skin, "I know baby. I'll go run you a cool bath, okay? See if we can get this fever down a little. You can have your soup later."

Natasha simply nods as she sniffles wetly into her pillow, and after making a mental note to change the sheets before you went to bed tonight, you press another kiss to her wet cheek before disappearing through to the en-suite bathroom. Several more coughs and sneezes fill your ears as you make quick work of preparing the bath, and you sigh in defeat as you dry off your hands with a towel.

You wished you could do more for her. Medicine and soup could only do so much before your efforts were in vain.

When the tub was filled about half way with warm water, you head back through to the bedroom to see Natasha just as you had left her. Except now, she appears to be asleep. Soft snores were escaping her slightly parted lips, and you couldn't help but smile softly at the sight as you head over to her and perch yourself at the end of the bed. You run a gentle hand across her back.

"Nat? Your baths ready baby." You attempt to rouse her, and Natasha sighs heavily as she pries her eyes open. She smiles softly at the sight of you, and you couldn't help but mimic it as you slide your arms beneath her back to sit her up.

"Want me to carry you?" You ask as your hand comes to rest on the bare skin of her back from where her shirt had ridden up, keeping your voice as judgment free as possible. Whilst you knew she trusted you, more than she trusted anybody else, she still had her limits and you weren't about to push them.

Natasha could only nod, and you press a gentle kiss to her shoulder as you guide her arms to settle around your shoulders. Once sure she was hanging on, you slip a hand beneath each of her thighs and easily lift her smaller frame up into your arms. Her legs seem to instinctively tighten around you, and you give her behind a few soft pats to reassure her that you had her before making your way through to the bathroom.

Natasha's body seems to protest on its own accord when you attempt to set her down straight away, and you find yourself pausing for only a second before standing back up right and tightening your grip around her. Her legs were in what could only be described as a death grip around your waist, fists tight around the material of your T-shirt.

You knew -for wherever reason, that she was in fight or flight mode right now, and treading carefully was your best option.

"It's okay," you reassure, keeping an arm beneath her to behind to help keep her supported, your free hand tracing gentle circles across the length of her back, "we'll stay right here for as long as you need. You want to know our plans for after your bath?" You ask in hopes it would help distract her, and though it takes a little while, you do eventually feel her nod, silently signalling for you to continue.

"First we're gonna get some soup into your stomach. I made chicken and noodle, your favourite," you give her a soft bounce, glad to feel her lips quirk up into a smile against the skin of your neck. "Then after that I'm afraid it's time for some more medicine." You continue knowingly, and the groan that falls from her lips did not go amiss.

Her legs, however, do loosen slightly around you signalling she was becoming more relaxed.

You smile slightly in amusement. "But..." you add with a playful tilt to your voice, "if you take it with no complaints, I have some ice cream in the freezer that's calling your name."

You weren't beyond bribing your girlfriend when necessary. She was more stubborn than anyone you've ever met before, so if a promise of ice cream was enough to get her to take her medication then so be it. You weren't ashamed, and neither was she.

Natasha remains in your arms for a few moments longer before legs go limp allowing you to set her down, and you do so both gently and reluctantly, bringing your hands up to cup her flushed cheeks and delicately grazing the pads of your thumbs across the soft skin.

"Kiss." She pleads hoarsely as she clutches at your wrists, and you pout softly as you lean down to press your lips against her own. The kiss was gentle, her lips slightly chapped. It lingers for no more than two seconds before you reluctantly pull away.

"Bath, baby." You remind as you lean forward to place a lingering kiss to her forehead, and Natasha nods with a wet sniffle as she holds up her arms.

Smiling slightly at the silent implication, you gently tug the oversized shirt from her body and toss it into the laundry basket. You then fall to your knees and wait for her nod of consent before easing your fingers into the waistband of her shorts and easing them down her legs along with her underwear.

With an affectionate kiss to her hipbone, you were back on your feet, taking your hands in her own and helping her unsteady frame into the tub.

She says nothing about the temperature of the water, but you could see by both the look on her face and the goosebumps that litter every inch of her skin that she was less than comfortable. With no hesitation, you find yourself stripping off too, slipping in to the small gap left behind her and circling your arms around her waist.

"I've got you baby.” You murmur, “I’ve got you.”

**

@mywitchy-assassin @goldenempyrean @somber-sapphic

[gavirae]

so scarlet it was maroon • wirtziala wip

word count: 853

Synopsis late night talks, red wine and a sexuality crisis

The room is heavy with tense silence, broken only by the soft rustling of sheets as one of them shifts, uncomfortable in the intentional quiet. The dim light casts flickering shadows on the walls, and a faint night breeze stirs the curtains through a cracked window. Every small sound feels amplified—the dull clink of the wine bottle against the table, the creak of the bed frames beneath their bodies. The air feels thick, as if the room itself is holding its breath, waiting. It’s the kind of stillness that amplifies every movement, charged with the weight of unspoken words hanging between them

"Have you ever been with a guy?"

There it is. And for all the mental preparation Jamal had been giving himself almost knowingly, he can’t help but choke on his wine.

"What?" He must have heard it wrong. There's no way.

Him and Flo, they don't really talk about their dating lives. Not that there is much to be spoken about in the first place, they avoid entertaining locker room teasing where the older players would poke and prod at their personal lives and what new model they were seeing right now. Between busy schedules, time clashes and training they both wanted to use the very little free time they had together for more useful things.

But Jamal knows Flo sneaks out sometimes, he’s seen him stumble down dark hallways when everyone is fast asleep and the floor squeaks at every movement, almost provokingly, smelling like floral perfume and with lipstick stains littered across his neck more times than his hands can count. When Flo is questioned the day after about why he’s more groggy than usual and why his back is covered in scratches Jamal bites his tongue so hard the metallic tang of blood swirls on his tongue. They’re both somewhat aware yet they never speak about it, keeping their lives to themselves.

That or the idea of toeing into unknown territory is far too daunting then they’d like to admit.

"You heard me." Flo is red. So red it reaches his ears. He harshly grabs at the empty wine bottle, fiddling with the sticky label in a failed attempt to hide his face. What the fuck is going on? Why is he asking that? Has he seen something? Jamal starts to get sweaty, and the warmth of the wine isn't cozy anymore.

"Why do you want to know?"

His voice comes out defensive and sharp, honestly he has no idea of where this is going and Flo not looking him in the eyes makes it harder to understand what he means with this question. Has he seen something on Jamal’s phone? The lack of password now seems more stupid than it did before. What is he thinking? God, if he cuts off their friendship because of this Jamal doesn't know what the hell he'll do-

"Jamu can you please not make this harder for me?" Until then Flo's voice had been small and shy, the blush on his cheeks was one of clear embarrassment. But he's definitely angry now, pink lips tugging down in an unsure frown, eyebrows pursed together, and there's a serious plea in his eyes, like he's one second away from fleeing the room if Jamal gives him another wrong answer.

Shit. This is serious. Flo's hand is slightly shaking where it holds the bottle, just as his pupils do. He looks fragile, scared. Like a rabbit caught in a crossfire.

"Sorry Sorry I just wasn't sure exactly what you meant." Jamal makes an effort to look calm, he leans on the bedside table to be a little closer to Flo, giving him his full attention.

"I meant - Well, I like girls, I'm pretty sure of that. But," Flo takes a deep sigh, he finally lets go of the bottle to pull the sleeves of his hoodie up until they cover his hands, his voice gets smaller at each word, so low that Jamal is barely able to hear him,

"Sometimes I just get myself wondering how..." He manages to blush a deeper shade of red before finally admitting, "How does it feel like, you know? To be with a guy."

Jamal feels his heart beating hard on his chest, hammering his ribeage like it wants to spring free of its prison. This is a conversation he would've handled well with any other person, he would've found the perfect words to say to any of them, held their hand, spilling out his guts in the most vulnerable way to provide even the smallest inkling of comfort but this is not anyone.

This is Flo, and nothing is ever easy when it comes to him.

"It's different," Jamal doesn't look at him when he speaks, voice cracking on the edges, fragile and quiet like he's telling a secret, "But it feels very nice."

Jamal gathers all of his courage to glance at Flo, face burning in shame and mouth dry with fear. He finds Flo frozen, mouth agape and almond eyes stunned in shock, like he can't believe it.

"Wait, so you’ve already-"

to be continued

A/N quite an abrupt ending my bad 🥲

[stayandot8]

Touches

Genre: fluff

Relationship type: established boyfriend/girlfriend

Important Contents: mentions of anxiety

asked and answered. Hopefully you like it, anon. I hope you feel better. And remember, there's always a place for you here. ♥️

WC: 1.1k

masterlist

Anxiety is a bitch. 

Everytime my leg started shaking or my fingers were looking for something to pick at, I knew I was in trouble. It wasn’t even a conscious decision most times. I wouldn’t even notice it until my mother would put her hand on my knee and squeeze, giving me a look that said ‘please for the love of god, stop’ and those were never fun to be on the other side of. When I would catch myself doing it, I would try to stop, but it would take some unknown edge off of whatever emotion I was feeling a little too much of. Just letting it out was the only way it wouldn’t explode out in some destructive manner. Letting something else be stimulated was better than any other alternative. Or something like that. That was how it felt anyway. And those fidget toys didn’t really help either. They were fun for a bit, but when I needed them, I wouldn’t be able to find one.

When I started dating Chris, it didn’t stop per say, I would just catch myself doing it less. I would be distracted with something we were doing or he would have enough of my attention that it wouldn’t be deemed necessary by my subconscious. But when it was quiet, when it was just us two, I would find myself doing it again. Sometimes I would feel the pads of my thumb, looking for something to pick at or my foot would be moving of its own accord and I would force myself to stop before he noticed. It never worked though. 

He was always subtle with it too, never bringing it to my outright attention. When he saw my feet tapping, he would start tapping too. His fingers would start tapping on my thigh like a drum, like he was going along with me to some silent song or beat that only we could hear. Or his feet would start to tap all on their own. Both instances he would start bobbing his head along with whichever it was whether he was in a conversation or not. He would say it wasn’t because of me, but sometimes he would start right after I stopped. Like we were in sync. 

We were waiting for someone in this large boardroom, sitting on different chairs next to each other. Chris didn’t tell me what we were doing in here, but all eight of them were talking joyously around me, all smiles and jokes. I assumed it wasn't anything serious if the atmosphere of the room was any indicator. I just didn’t know what I was doing here.

Chris was immersed in a conversation with Felix about something else to do with their homeland, paying me no mind. Which was fine, I didn’t expect his attention all the time. He had other things to think about. He was turned away from me, talking avidly. The spark had returned to his eye for the first time in a whale now that promotions were done, and it was the most relaxed I’d seen him in days. The preparations for their upcoming dome tour were causing him to come home and immediately crash with only enough energy to strip and koala himself around me. He rarely got sleep without me there, and I just plain didn’t sleep without his radiator for a body next to me. 

I was looking around the room for anything remotely interesting to look at. These JYP rooms were so boring. All white walls and tan long tables that added no extra color to the room. Not even any decorations on the walls to distract a person should they deem the meeting uninteresting. Maybe of of Hyunjin’s paintings could go up there. That’d be nice. Maybe some curtains over that window too…

A hand had reached for mine, brushing his thumb across my lip as he pulled mine away from my mouth. It pulled me from my daze, the familiar veiny hand knowingly taking mine. Without even glancing my way, he pulled my hand into his lap and started to use my nails to trace across the pads of his own, a comforting touch.

It was mindless. Subtle enough to anyone looking at us to only see that we couldn't stand not touching each other. But for me, it was a way to stimulate my hands without being too much of a distraction, one of my biggest discomforts. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be seen, but to be noticed when the attention was on something else was not high on my to-do list. Ever. 

The grain against my nail was enough to pull me down to earth, Chris’s gentle press on them an invite to join in on their conversation. Silent communication was what we were good at. 

“These walls are so boring. They should put one of Hyunjin’s paintings up or have him draw something for them.” I interjected when there was a slight pause. 

“I was just saying that the last time we were here! Wasn’t I?” Felix looked to his elder, who smiled brightly at our conjoined hands. 

“You did, you did.” He chuckled at how excited Felix had become at the mention of his member’s hobbies. He was still running the pads of his fingers over my nails gently, just enough to tickle. 

“I think he could put one of the flowers over on that wall, really. It would liven up the place. Maybe someone would actually be excited to have a meeting. Hey hyung!” Felix turned away to tell his member, leaving Chris and I to stare at our hands together. 

“Why am I here? This doesn’t have to do with me, does it?” I whispered in his ear, a slight quiver giving me away as I nudged my shoulder into his. 

“No, baby, no. It has nothing to do with you. You just make these things so much easier. I can concentrate with you here, as weird as that sounds. You make my brain go quiet.” His eyes were shining at me and I couldn’t fight my grin if I wanted to. 

“You know what’s funny? You do the same for me.” He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. 

“Besides, there’s no confidential information in this one so I thought you could tag along to keep the boys in line while I talk.”

“I don’t remember adopting seven kids to keep in line?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“You did when you said yes to dating me.” He kissed my hand again as the door opened, people filing in and taking their seats. I watched them come in and whispered back to him. 

“I want another look at those papers.” He turned back to me and shrugged.

“Not my fault you didn’t read the fine print.”

Bastard.

[angelsanarchy]

Glass Houses: Jack Thurlow x Y/N One-Shot Series PRT 30

Tagging:@roryculkinluvr@thatsthewrongwallcraig@icarus-star @cc-luvr @madamemaximoff06@shady-the-simp @quicksilversg1rl @s-0lar @kristennero-wallacewellsver@ophelialaufey @mayathepsychic1999 @x-prettyboy-x @rorylover71 @auggiethecreator@tempt-ress@blacksoul-27

Jack was nervous. He hadn't gone all out for a date...ever. Even when he was courting Cleo, he never found himself in a pressed dress shirt with a black vest lighting candles in the dining room. The house smelled great, the food turned out perfect. He set an alarm to take his meds which he did on time. He looked at himself in the mirror and debating on what he could possibly do with his hair but he knew he was just lucky to have it clean. He found himself nervously fiddling with the bouquet that he put together when he heard the soft knock on the door.

"Come in." Jack yelled hearing the door open and close.

"Wow...you clean up nice Thurlow." Y/n smiled at him as she looked him over. She was wearing a dress that fell just above her knee and moved with her body as she walked.

"Look who's talking." He swallowed trying to form words from how dry his throat just became.

"You look beautiful." He walked towards her and kissed her cheek. She laughed and nodded.

"I think anything is a step up from scrubs or pajamas you usually see me in." She walked towards the table seeing the candles.

"You really went all out. The candles, the flowers, Jack these are gorgeous." She looked at the bouquet.

"I don't want to brag but I did like 2 hours of research on the symbolism of flowers just to make this bouquet special just for you." He smirked.

She laughed as she started picking through the flowers and looking at him.

"Calla lilies symbolize magnificent beauty. Much like the Dahlia's that symbolize your dignity and elegance." She shook her head before touching the Iris'.

"Blue Iris symbolizes hope which is what I have for the daffodil's which symbolize new beginnings." Jack licked his bottom lip and she put her arms around his neck.

"The roses are pretty self explanatory." He added letting his hands fall to her waist.

"You're really trying to get laid tonight huh?" She teased making him blush.

"Seriously, this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you." She kissed his lips and he sighed into the kiss. He was so worried he had gone too corny with the flowers but he was wrong.

"I would offer you a drink but I can't really drink with my meds." She shook her head at him.

"I don't drink a lot myself because of mine either. Water works just fine." She followed him into the kitchen.

"So this is what it's like for two mentally ill people to date." Jack teased.

"I honestly couldn't say. I don't even remember the last time I was on a date." She admitted.

"I don't believe that. I've been here a while now and you're the most attractive person I've seen." Jack poured water in a glass for her and one for himself.

"You're about to find out how insanely boring I truly am so I hope you're prepared to be let down. I've been considering getting a cat to complete the trifecta." She smiled taking the glass.

"Hey once I'm cleared to get a dog we can be shut ins together." He joked.

"We should probably work on the whole shut in thing. We're too young to give up on social progress." Jack pulled her chair out for her and she sat.

"I wouldn't mind being social as long as you're with me." Jack sits down opposite her and smiles. The conversation seemed almost knowingly, like they had known each other for years and we're just two old friends catching up. He learned the Y/n liked to swim, paint and listen to oldies rock music. She learned that Jack was a big reader as well as writer, enjoyed classic black and white horror movies and cooking shows, which explained how what he cooked was so good.

They moved from the dining room to the living room and sat on the couch talking.

"Just by looking at you, I wouldn't have expected you would enjoy cooking so that's a nice surprise." Y/n smiled.

"Why is that? What's my look got to do with it?" Jack laughed looking at himself.

"You're what the internet refers to as babygirl stature. It's cute though." She teases him making him shake his head.

"Well I guess I have to start working out or something." Jack mocked offense and she gave him a playful shove.

"Shut up, you know you're hot." Y/n rolled her eyes at him. He smiled at her and drew circles on the skin of her knee.

"Yeah? Pretentious mentally afflicted makes you weak in the knees?" Jack tilted his head and she put her hand on top of his.

"Something like that." She teased moving his hand up her thigh and under her dress. Jack could feel the wetness on the front of her panties.

"Fuck...all this for me?" Jack asked curiously. He could feel her hips move just at the mere graze of his fingertips.

"Put dress clothes and homemade dinner on a menu and the hot, pretentious mentally afflicted guy gets you wet." He continued to tease her and she put her hand on his neck.

"No...just you Jack. You make me wet." She confirmed before pulling him towards her. She kissed him hard, gripping at the hair from the bottom of his skull making him groan. He pushed her panties to the side and let his fingers tease her clit. He couldn't believe she was already this turned on as he pushed two fingers into her cunt making her jaw slack.

"Oh fuck." She yanked his hair again and Jack leaned back to watch her face as he finger fucked her on the couch, her moaning and pulling on the sides of his vest like she was trying to brace for the impact of an orgasm.

"Does that feel good? You like when I fuck you like this?" Jack could feel how hard he was but he didn't want her to touch him. He wanted all the focus to be on her and her pleasure.

"Jack...fuck yes. Don't stop, please don't stop." She pleaded.

"I'm not going to stop, I want you to cum for me. I want to be the reason you cum." Jack explained trying to speed up his thrusts and still maintain pressure on her clit. He could feel a slight tightening around his hand and her moans got louder.

"Come on baby, cum for daddy." Jack whispered into her neck, biting down on the skin near her beauty mark. She let out a scream, gripping his hand but when she started whimpering, he started to slow the pace. He felt her legs shaking and watched her breasts heave in her dress, trying to catch her breath. Jack removed his fingers and licked them clean as Y/n laid, half on his lap, half on the couch with a shiver.

"Daddy?" She laughed.

"You came didn't you?" He blushed and she pulled him on top of her to kiss him. She could taste herself on his tongue and she deseperately wanted to return the favor but he declined.

"I wanted this night to be about you. Besides, I think if I undid the button on my pants I'll cum." Jack explained. She laid there with him on the couch for almost an hour, talking and enjoying the feeling of just being held by one another.

She looked over at the clock and saw what time it was.

"My mom has testing in the morning so if you text me and I don't respond, don't take it personally. I will let you know when I get the plans for our second date put together." She tucked his hair behind his ear and he smiled.

"Second date...so I did pretty good tonight." He boasted and she kissed him.

"You did perfectly." She sprinkled little kisses over his face and he smiled. She went home that night and text him how much fun she had and Jack felt like he had won some sort of award. He had never planned a date in his life but something about Y/n made him want to do better, be better.

He was also correct in assuming that undoing his button on his pants would make him cum. He would need to take these dress pants to the dry cleaners.

[fanficshiddles]

Eternally Mine, Chapter 33

On Thursday evening, Loki went to answer the door and was surprised to find it was Chris. He was looking a little bit antsy.

‘Oh, hey. What’s up?’ Loki asked.

‘Hey, bro… Ah, not much. Was just passing by and thought I’d see if you were busy or not.’ Chris said casually and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Loki raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Just passing by?’

Chris nodded. ‘Yep. So, what you up to?’ He took his hands out of his pocket and folded his arms over his chest.

‘Claire!’ Loki called over his shoulder.

Claire made her way through. ‘What’s up? Hey Chris.’ She waved to him.

‘My brother is acting weird and I don’t know why.’ Loki hummed.

Claire looked at Chris and pondered for a moment, then she grinned. ‘Let me guess. The night before you get to spend the weekend with your soulmate, and a planned first time feeding… You’re restless, don’t know what to do with yourself?’ She asked knowingly.

Chris rubbed the back of his head and nodded sheepishly. ‘Yeah… I’m kind of worried I do something stupid.’

‘Why don’t you two go out for some drinks? You could probably do with some brotherly bonding time.’ Claire suggested.

Loki looked down at Claire and raised an eyebrow. ‘You think?’

‘It’s not like we had plans anyway.’ She shrugged.

Loki looked at Chris, who had a hopeful look on his face.

‘Yeah, alright then. You’re buying though.’ Loki said as he grabbed his jacket.

‘Deal.’ Chris chuckled.

‘Are you sure you don’t mind, love?’ Loki asked Claire after stealing a kiss from her.

‘Of course not. Bat and I will enjoy a girls night in. Get some peace for a change.’ She teased and stuck her tongue out at him. ‘Right Bat?’ She glanced to the side.

Bat flicked her tail a few times and meowed in response, then purred loudly before sauntering off into the living room.

‘See?’ Claire giggled.

Loki pouted and kissed Claire again, cheekily squeezing her ass, too. Then he headed out with Chris to the local pub.

Claire went to chill with Bat, who was waiting for her on the sofa. She put on a film and Bat made herself comfortable on her lap, purring happily. She took her phone out of her pocket to message Louise.

C: Hey, sis. Our vampys are away out for a few beers. Chris is a bit antsy, waiting for tomorrow. ;)

L: He was on the phone with me not too long ago. I’m just as antsy I think!

C: I guess it has been a few days since he’s even seen you. Never mind what you two have planned for this ‘date’.

L: Yeah he said he misses me, and that if I change my mind even at the last minute it’s fine. That he still can’t wait to just see me again. Gah, I can’t wait. I’m a little bit nervous about the biting, but more so because I don’t want to mess it up for him.

C: Aww you won’t. Just be yourself and have fun with him. He’s not going to just pounce on you as soon as you walk in the door. It’ll happen naturally, when the time is right.

L: I wouldn’t mind if he did just pounce on me.

C: LOU!

L: Just saying.

C: You’re going to feel a whole lot more ‘frustrated’ when he does bite you… so prepare for that.

L: Shit. I didn’t even think of that!

C: And he will be able to smell you if you do get excited, you know.

Claire got a little worried as there was no response after a few minutes.

C: Lou???

L: Sorry. Just picking myself up off the floor… So, if I’d been a little bit… over excited before… he will have known?

C: Yeah. Sorry to break it to you.

L: I think I need to go dig myself a hole now.

C: Hahaha, don’t worry. He will be flattered that he’s already gotten you flustered.

L: Yeah, I think he does kinda like that sort of thing, huh? He seems to enjoy making me blush constantly as it is!

C: Are you nervous at all about going round to his place? What made you decide his place instead of yours?

L: He has a games room! Need I say more? I NEED to see it.

C: Of course he does. Are you sure it’s a games room and not a ‘play’ room? Wouldn’t surprise me if he had some sort of kinky dungeon of sorts.

L: I’m sure. Though I wouldn’t mind if it was a kinky dungeon either…

C: God Lou, you really are getting horny for him!

L: Can’t help it. It’s his fault for being so hot.

C: So… you’re not nervous then?

L: Not at all over going to his place. I’m kinda surprised at myself, actually. I didn’t know if he wanted me for the whole weekend or not though, had to ask him and felt really awkward. He said he’d love for me to stay through to Monday, but if I didn’t want to, I didn’t have to. Though as long as he’s able to make sure I’m happy and safe for a while after the feeding, at least. I love the thought of spending the whole weekend with him, though. I really can’t wait. Just the biting part I’m nervous about messing up!

C: You will be fine with the biting part. It’s so hot, honestly. Plus, it feels good, too. I mean, there is a bit of pain, but it’s an exciting kind of pain. Hard to explain, but I know you’ll enjoy it. The only thing, is once he starts, he will NOT be able to stop. Even if the house was on fire around you, it’s very unlikely he’d stop until he’s had his fill. So as soon as he sinks his teeth into you, the whole consent thing goes out of the window… Even now with Loki, if I cut my finger or something he goes feral and HAS to taste my blood. No matter what we are doing or where we are.

L: I figured that would be the case. It makes sense, they are vampires at the end of the day with strong instincts. Especially over blood. I’ll be prepared for it.

C: Good! Otherwise, I know Chris will look after you before, during and after. You’re his soulmate after all, his human.

L: I love being his human.

C: I know, you tell me that enough!

-

‘I’m surprised you came to me, I thought you’d have gone to Toshi and Severus or something first.’ Loki said casually as he took a drink of his beer.

‘They’re not home.’ Chris said without thinking.

Loki paused and slowly turned his head towards his brother. ‘Oh gee thanks, bro. So I was last choice?’ He scoffed.

‘No, no. I went to see if they were in first, on my way to you. I thought we could’ve all went out. But they weren’t in.’ Chris said quickly, glad that Loki relaxed and seemed happy with his quick excuse. ‘Anyway, this has worked out better. Claire was right, we need some brother time.’

‘True… It’s not often Claire is wrong.’ Loki laughed. ‘Just don’t tell her I admitted that out loud.’

‘It will be our little secret.’ Chris promised.

‘So, desperate for tomorrow night, huh?’ Loki smirked.

‘Like nothing before.’ Chris groaned and ran a hand through his hair. ‘I just hope I don’t mess up and hurt her. Or scare her.’

‘If you were going to scare her, you would’ve done it by now. And how many times do we need to tell you, your instincts won’t let you hurt her.’

‘I know… I know.’

‘Although, best to tell her that it will be near on impossible for you to stop once you start. If she changed her mind at the last minute, when her blood is already on your lips she will need to just hold on for the ride until you’ve had your fill.’ Loki warned him.

‘Yeah, I will go through all of that with her. I’ve been thinking about getting her to give me a safe-word, so if she really, really, needs me to stop I can try my hardest to.’ Chris said, hopeful.

‘Even with a safe word… I’d be surprised if it would be possible to stop.’ Loki said as he waved the bar man down to get them both another round.

‘That’s what is worrying me. What if she wants me to stop but I can’t, then it breaks her trust in me completely?’ Chris looked at the bar man. ‘And a couple of shots of your strongest vodka.’ He said to the bar man.

Loki raised an eyebrow at his brother, but accepted the shot nonetheless. At least he wouldn’t be as affected with the alcohol like Claire was, he should still make it into work tomorrow.

‘You need to relax more. She knows the risks, just remind her before hand that once you start, that’s it. If you give her the endorphins though, she won’t want it to stop.’ Loki assured him.

‘I hope so. I want it to be special for her, too.’ Chris sighed.

‘Stop fretting on it. Just enjoy being with her and when the time is right, it’ll happen.’ Loki patted him on the back. He ordered more shots. Cause he figured Chris really needed it.

‘She’s putting a lot of trust into me coming to my home, for the whole weekend. It’d really kill me if I broke that trust.’

‘I know… but that won’t happen. I’m certain of it. She adores you and Claire is always telling me how happy Louise is now, how much she feels safe with you.’

‘Really?’

‘Really. Claire says that you’re all Louise talks about, that it’s getting annoying.’ Loki smirked.

Chris grinned widely. ‘Well, I am a pretty impressive guy, so who can blame her.’ He said smugly, making Loki roll his eyes.

There was the Chris that Loki knew. Though Loki did enjoy seeing the more vulnerable side of his brother. The softer side, that he really did care and have a heart, especially for his soulmate.

-

It was after midnight when Loki and Chris decided to call it a night, since they did have work the next morning after all.

They went their own way outside the pub, and Loki was just a few houses down when he heard a low cry for help down one of the alleys. He could smell fear in the air.

Slowly making his way down, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, as typically the streetlight down that alley was out, he spotted a large figure looming over a smaller one next to a skip. He could see clearly in the dark now his eyes had adjusted, and what he saw made his stomach drop.

It was a young woman, getting sexually assaulted by a man. She was crying for help but the man kept covering her mouth as he tugged and tore at her clothing.

Loki stormed towards them, he planned to haul the man off the poor girl, send him on his way with a punch to the face and then escort her to safety.

Although, as he took large strides towards them, he found his fangs emerging of their own accord and his eyes began glowing red. His adrenaline spiked as he zoned in on the man’s heartbeat, hearing it pumping the blood through his veins….

The girl’s eyes widened even more as she saw red eyes approaching fast from over the man’s shoulder. She let out a blood curdling scream as Loki pounced on the man, tearing him away from the girl.

The man looked horrified when he was turned to face Loki. Loki slammed him against the wall next to the girl, who took that opportunity to run for her life while sobbing.

Loki didn’t take a second glance at the girl, just eyed up the man who began begging and pleading for his life, which all fell on deaf ears as Loki snarled and dove in for his neck.

[reallygroovyninja]

Here's a fluffy prompt for you. Alpha Clarke and omega Lexa have the sex talk with their kid after they presented

Lexa paced nervously in the living room while Clarke sat on the couch, reviewing her notes for the upcoming "talk" with their daughter, Everly. Lexa stopped and turned to Clarke, concern evident in her eyes. 

"Clarke, I think we need to change our approach," Lexa began, her voice steady but laced with apprehension. 

Clarke looked up, confused. "Change our approach? What do you mean?" 

Lexa took a deep breath. "Everly is showing signs that she will present as an alpha. You need to have the rut talk with her." 

Clarke's eyes widened. "Oh... right. I guess that makes sense." She set her notes aside and leaned back, rubbing her temples. "I remember when Abby gave me the sex talk. She just handed me a paper bag with a box of condoms inside and warned me not to get an omega pregnant. She knew I had been reading her medical textbooks, so I guess she figured I would ask if I had any questions." 

Lexa chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Why didn't we think of that with Everly?" 

Clarke grinned. "Well, I'm an optometrist, Lexa. Having a textbook on eyes wouldn't do much good in this situation." 

Lexa nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "True. But it's still funny to imagine." 

Clarke leaned forward, curious. "What kind of sex talk did you get?" 

Lexa's smile faded slightly. "You've met Titus Woods, so you know there was no sex talk. I dealt with it by myself." 

Clarke reached out and took Lexa's hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry, Lexa. That must have been tough." 

Lexa shrugged, a trace of sadness in her eyes. "It was, but I managed. And now we need to make sure Everly doesn't have to go through that alone." 

Clarke nodded, her resolve firm. "You're right. We'll make sure she's prepared for whatever comes." 

Lexa smiled, love and gratitude shining in her eyes. "Thank you, Clarke. I know you'll do great." 

Clarke returned the smile, her heart swelling with affection. "We'll do great, Lexa. Together." 

Lexa paused, looking at Clarke. "I thought you would do the sex talk. You're the doctor." 

Clarke shook her head and stood up to join Lexa. "Lexa, I'm not doing this alone. Besides, Everly might have questions about omegas too. We need to do this together." 

Lexa sighed and nodded slowly. "You're right. Let's go talk to her." 

They made their way to Everly's room, where their daughter lay on her bed, listening to music. Everly removed her headphones as they entered, a curious smile on her face. 

"Hey, Moms. What's up?" she asked, her hazel eyes sparkling mischievously. 

Clarke sat on the edge of the bed, Lexa joining her. "Everly, we need to talk about something important," Clarke began, her tone gentle but firm. "We've noticed that you're starting to show signs of presenting as an alpha, and we want to make sure you understand what that means, especially about ruts." 

Everly grinned knowingly. "Oh, you mean when alphas get all hot and bothered and need to, you know, get it on?" 

Lexa blinked, taken aback by her daughter's bluntness. "Well, yes, but there's more to it than that," she replied, regaining her composure. 

Clarke nodded, continuing, "It's also crucial to understand the dynamics with omegas. If you find yourself in a relationship with an omega, there are important things to keep in mind, especially during their heats." 

Everly tilted her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You mean when omegas get all needy and desperate for an alpha's touch?" 

Lexa felt a blush creeping up her neck as she exchanged a glance with Clarke. "It's about respecting boundaries and ensuring clear communication," Lexa explained, her voice even. 

Everly leaned forward, her eyes twinkling. "So, when an alpha knots their partner during a rut or heat, does it really get stuck? Like, you're just tied together until it goes down?" 

Lexa nearly choked, her eyes widening as she blushed. Clarke coughed, trying to maintain her composure. "Um, well, yes, that can happen. The knot is meant to keep the mating pair together to, ah, increase chances of conception." 

"I bet it feels incredible, doesn't it? No wonder you two are always sneaking off for 'alone time' when mom's rut hits!" Everly waggled her eyebrows suggestively. 

"Okay!" Clarke interjected, her own face flushed. "I think that's enough detail for now. The point is to be safe, respectful, and communicative with your partner. Knotting is an intimate act." 

Everly leaned back, smirking. "Relax, Moms. Grandma Abby already gave me the lowdown on all this stuff. She even let me peek at her old medical textbooks. It was pretty eye-opening." 

Clarke shook her head and sighed, "Of course she did," a smile tugging at her lips. 

Everly's playful demeanor softened, a genuine smile gracing her features. "But seriously, thanks for wanting to talk to me about this. It means a lot, knowing you've got my back." 

Lexa smiled, pride and love swelling in her heart. "We just want to make sure you're prepared and supported, Everly." 

Clarke nodded, wrapping an arm around both Lexa and Everly. "Exactly. We're here to answer any questions." 

Everly grinned, "Thanks, Moms. I love you." 

[justcallmefox89]

Gale and the Gith: Chapter One - Firelight

Fluff, inexperienced gith Tav tries to make sense of his feelings towards a certain wizard.

“What on earth are you staring at, my dear?”

Gale starts guiltily at Astarion’s question, nearly dropping his book into the fire.  Astarion follows his line of sight, smirking knowingly when it lands on X’aa’nath.  Gale’s face heats under the elf’s scrutiny.

“I am merely curious about him!  Them!  The pair of them!  The both of them!” Gale stammers defensively.  “It’s a purely academic interest, I assure you.  I read extensively about the githyanki during my time at Blackstaff Academy and to now be traveling with not one, but two, and two so very different githyanki at that.  My mind is fairly brimming with questions I wish to ask.”

Astarion’s face falls.  “How very… scholarly of you.  I’m going to leave now; I fear that if I stay I’ll die of boredom before the tadpole has a proper chance to kill me.”

Gale huffs and rolls his eyes, reading a few more lines of his tome before once again looking up from the yellowed, worn pages and gazing at the young githyanki sorcerer as he prepares for bed.  Unlike the militaristic simplicity of his kin’s sleeping arrangement, X’aa’nath carefully crafts what Gale can only call a ‘nest’, constructed of blankets and spare scraps of soft fabric he’s collected on their journey thus far. 

X’aa’nath’s silver eyes flash in the firelight as he sits back on his heels, surveying his bedding and nodding in satisfaction.  The fire gives his skin -a pale gold-green- a ruddy glow, and sets his snow-colored hair alight.  Gale watches, fascinated, as he undoes the long plait of his hair, and carefully brushes twigs and bits of dirt free of his thick hair, frowning when he encounters a troublesome snarl. 

Something warm curls low in Gale’s stomach when X’aa’nath catches his lower lip between his sharp teeth, gnawing on it in concentration as he meticulously brushes each bit of debris from his hair.  The urge to lean over and run his thumb over that plush lower lip, to feel sharp teeth and the moist warmth of X’aa’nath’s mouth against the calloused skin of his thumb nearly overtakes the wizard.  Gale tips his head back and breathes deeply, pushing the dangerous thought aside.  

*****************************************************************

“The human stares at you, kin.”  Lae’zel drops bonelessly to the ground beside me, tucking her legs beneath her.

I glance quickly over to Gale, then return my attention to my plait, shrugging one shoulder, uncertain what to say to my kin’s observation.��

“Shall I kill him for you?” she asks.  “He’s only a wizard after all, and a human at that.  Even the half-elf has more use.”

“No,” I say slowly.  “If he proves troublesome I shall kill him myself, kin.”

“As you say.”

I watch Lae’zel return to her own tent, still feeling Gale’s eyes on me.  It’s not that the wizard’s stares bother me exactly, but after so many years in solitude with my varsh as my only companion, adjusting to the company of others has been… difficult.  Doubly so when I’ve been forced together with these strangers because we each carry a ghaik parasite. 

And surely it is because of the parasite that my heart races when Gale’s eyes meet mine.  Just as the campfire is the cause of the sudden heat in my cheeks when he offers me a small smile and a murmured goodnight.