#We Will Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nimuraz · 2 days ago

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WORD COUNT — 2.3K

WARNINGS — have you ever tried this one? fingering, pet name usage, sub!jake, hand jobs, cum eating, sex toys (let me know if i missed anything)

NOTES — hii guys thank u for the support on just for now, i will be splitting juno up into 2 parts so stay tuned for the next part! at the end of the fic i did include the pics of the lingerie that u can imagine wearing hehe~

jake was the sweetest man alive. always bringing you flowers, buying you food, being the shoulder you cry on, yes everything about him was so so sweet. even in bed he was so gentle and sweet, you didn’t hate it by any means but you were starting to get bored.

“jakey… can we talk for a sec?” the hesitation in your voice is unmistakable—how on earth are you supposed to tell your sweet, caring boyfriend that you want to go at it like rabbits?

“yea, pretty. what’s up?” he says enthusiastically. somehow that’s making it harder for you.

both of you are on the couch, your legs pulled up to your chest while he sits normally, his hand resting on your knee. as you call out to him once more, the touch makes it even harder for you to find the words.

“in the most normal way possible… do you have anything you’re into? like… i don’t know… any kinks?” you try saying this sweetly. his eyes widen and a soft chuckle escapes his lips.

“mm… i dunno really…” he trails off into thought and to be honest now that he thinks of it he does wanna try some things out.

“i wouldn’t consider them kinks but probably more of like… things i would be down to try?” he says before laughing again softly. his hand on ur knee trailing down to squeeze your thigh.

“let’s hear it!” you say laughing shortly after. his hand on your thigh ignites a fire beneath your skin. ‘this is gonna be a long night’* you think, before offering him a reassuring smile.

“maybe you on top?” he suggests, biting his bottom lip with a smug grin spreading across his face. “want you to be a little rough with me too… tug on my hair, yank me around here and there.” he squeezes your thigh a bit tighter. your glossy eyes meet his, you nod your head softly, encouraging him to continue.

“make me feel good, but also use me, princess.” he whispered before scooting closer to you, his hand now in your inner thigh.

“use you…?” you whisper back. your breath was caught in your chest.

“mhm… do whatever you need to get yourself off, worry about me after.” his voice barely above a whisper. you look at him and smile before putting your legs back down, your feet hitting the floor.

you thought about what jake had said and ever since then you hate to admit it but you were so so needy and per usual, you texted jake.

you: jakeyyy

jake: yes baby?

you: can you come over? pretty pleaseeee

jake: give me like an hour

is that okay?

‘more than okay…’ you thought to yourself. it felt like a lightbulb went off in your head.

you: yea that’s perf muah see u then

jake: see you my love

you hop in the shower and somehow manage to shave everything. once you’re out, you head to your closet, searching for something to wear. yes you wanted to sleep with him, but you definitely didn’t need him struggling to pull down a pair of blue jeans to make it happen.

you sift through all your clothes until you remember—the baby pink lace lingerie you bought a few days ago, still sitting in its packaging. squatting down, you search through the shoe boxes, hoping to find it, and finally, you do.

you unpackaged it and smile to yourself before putting it on. glancing in the mirror your smile widens. you continue getting ready, doing your usual makeup routine and fluffing out your hair.

after what feels like forever, an hour passes, and you finally hear a knock at the door. you quickly put a robe on and walk over to the front door of your apartment.

“jakey!” you say softly before wrapping your around around his shoulders.

“someone’s in a good mood,” he teases, giving you a gentle squeeze in the hug. of course you were in a good mood. you pepper soft kisses all over his face as he closes the door behind him.

he lets out the cutest giggle you’ve ever heard come out of him.

“just missed you…” you say sweetly before dragging him to the couch with you. the quiet background noise of the tv playing a random channel plays as you focus on jake.

“so what’d you wanna do hm?” he says softly as he wraps his arm around you, pulling you close to his chest. his other hand running slowly up and down your thigh.

“anything… everything…” you mutter before looking up to him sweetly. you shift, draping your legs over his thighs, so close to settling onto his lap.

the bottom of the robe rides up, bunching up on the top of your thighs, of course this doesn’t go unnoticed by your sweet boyfriend who’s trying so hard to not look.

“mm… wanna watch a movie?” he murmurs softly, his breath catching as you move your free hand to untie your robe, letting it fall open without fully taking it off just yet.

“we can… or we can do something else…” you whisper against the shell of his ear, sending shivers down his back.

unbeknownst to both of you, the tv starts cycling through various pop star performances. this hour’s feature is sabrina carpenter, her playful voice and melodies perfectly complementing the atmosphere.

jake runs his slender fingers through your fluffed out hair. “yeah?” he whispers, his eyes locked on your glossy gaze. with one swift move, he pulls you onto his lap, you let out a tiny yelp causing the both of you to laugh softly. he thumbs at your outer thigh gently.

“what do you wanna do, pretty girl…?” he whispers before grazing your neck with his lips. he starts kissing so softly the way he always does. a soft huff escapes your lips before you speak again.

“wanna make you feel good…” your voice barely above a whisper. “wanna have fun with you.” you let out a louder moan as he starts sucking on the skin of your neck. his free hand moves to your shoulders, gently sliding the robe off.

you let him remove the article of clothing, it soon falling to the arm of the couch behind you.

“oh…” he gasps lightly as he looks down at you. the pink lace top lingerie covering just above your soft buds. “you look so pretty… not that you don’t always do just-“

you cut him off, kiss harsh and demanding. an unusual feel to what you both usually do with each other. his eyes flutter open at the sensation before he cups your cheek, deepening the kiss. his eyes slowly start closing again. he lets out a soft hum as you bite his bottom lip.

you pull away and peck his lips before shifting over to straddle him.

“better…” you whisper before wrapping your arms around his shoulders and dipping back down to kiss him again. his hands running up and down your sides gently.

“do you like it…?” you mumble against his lips.

“what? the surprise of you in this skimpy little outfit?” his tone playful. you smile against his lips before kissing him again. he takes this opportunity to rub your hips gently, this sparks an idea in your head too.

you start shifting your hips back and forth gently, a quiet groan tries to release from his lips but they were muffled by your sweet kisses. his grip on your hips tightens before he starts moving you himself, grinding you harder against his aching core.

“bed…” he mumbles against your lips before swiftly lifting the both of you up from the couch. he lays you down on the bed gently before putting his hands back on you.

“so pretty… my perfect girl…” he says in between kisses. you clench around nothing. “s’tied on the sides? how cute…” he starts toying with the ribbons on the side of the lace panties before undoing the knots on one side.

“i wanna try what we talked about.” your words come out in soft pants.

“only if you’re comfortable, angel…” here he goes being the sweetest person alive.

“but i want you to be rough with me too.” you pant once again.

“are you sure?” he gazes up at you. fluffy strands of hair framing his face as he dips down to get closer a better look of you. you nod quickly.

“i also have… toys, we can use.” you hesitantly say. his ears perk up. he nods slowly, taking in what you just said. you tug him back down by his neck, eager for more kisses, and fuck, he can feel you everywhere—your lips on his, your hands digging into his chest, clawing at his shirt, your legs pressing against his. a sweet whimper was all he could let out when you pull away from the kiss.

he pulls you closer by the waist, squeezing the skin that laid on your bones so perfectly, he thought to himself. he leans his body down to suck on your neck, his tongue licking stripes up and down the skin earning a soft moan from you.

“more jae…” jae. it’s what you seemed to only call him during times like this or when you’re sobbing after a long day and he’s there to hold you.

“i’ve got you, baby doll.” and that’s what he calls you.

the soft music from the living room tv drifts into your room as the tension rises. what a coincidence—your favorite sabrina carpenter song, juno, is playing.

he continues his kisses down your neck before untying the other side of the lace panties, his kisses get harsher and hotter. his tongue licking softly at your bottom lip. you instinctively open your lips just enough for him to slip his tongue in, all he could think of was inhaling you. your scent, your taste, the feel of you. he needed it all so deep inside of him. he takes the hand he used to undo the knot and slips the lace covering your bare core to the side before rubbing your clit in soft circles.

you moan into the kiss before trailing your hands up to his nape, tugging on the soft strands just like he told you too. he moans, but not like the moans you’re usually used to. he sounded so spent and needy and all you’ve done was kiss.

he starts rubbing your sensitive bud faster before dipping his fingers down to your soaking hole just to play with your arousal, smearing it back up to your clit.

“baby…” he babbles as you keep tugging on the strands, his fingers working faster against you. you buck your hips up seeking more friction, it just wasn’t enough. he chuckles softly against your lips before biting down on your bottom lip.

“just like that jae— mmh…” you moan out.

“you feel so soft… so perfect…” he murmurs into your lips, craving the warmth, the sounds, the touch—desperate to be consumed by it all.

“check- nngh jae- check the box under my bed…” you manage to whisper out. a soft gasp leaves your lips when he stops his motions.

he dips down next to the bed and reaches for the box, sliding the pink plastic box towards him then up onto the bed.

you smile hazily at him. “open it…” so he does.

dildos, vibrators, a cock ring, and… fuzzy pink handcuffs?

“ooo…” jake playfully says, earning a soft giggle from you. he takes the hand cuffs out and dangles them in front of your face. “so who goes first?”

“you’re asking as if you aren’t dying to go first…” you roll your eyes playfully before sitting up on your elbows to get a better view of him.

“you caught me!” he jokes as he puts his hands up in surrender, a stupid smile on both your faces.

‘this feels so fun…’ you thought to yourself before immediately gasping when his lips meet your collarbones. he nips and nips, your eyes flutter shut at the feeling. never has he ever even thought about leaving hickeys on you, god he always treated you like a porcelain doll during your intimate moments.

he sucks, and nips, and licks, all causing you to grip onto his biceps. he pulls back and looking at the small bruises forming. “pretty.”

you smile softly before sitting upright and taking the cuffs from his hands. you slowly guide him down the bed so he’s laying next to you before you kiss his lips again, the taste of mint and was that mango?* lingering on his tongue.

“off. everything.” you mutter, he wastes no time in removing everything but his boxers. “these too.” you say softly. he nods rapidly before taking his boxers off leaving him completely bare in front of you. you look down at his half hard cock and grin. “lay back.” and again he follows, without hesitation.

you loop the hand cuffs around your bed frame, the clanks of the metals clashing arousing jake up even more, his cock twitching.

“arms up.” you speak firmly, deliberately avoiding eye contact with him. he glances up at you with those endearing eyes, knowing full well that you can't resist him when he looks at you that way. you finally lock the hand cuffs and smile sweetly at him. “just hold still jakey…”

it didn’t take long for you to have jake trembling under you. your hand stroking his aching cock as your lips left marks all over his abs.

“s’too much y/n please-“ a strangled moan leaves his mouth, only motivating you more. you wrap your lips around his red tip, leaking precum and twitching while his veins protrude. it almost looked painful. you chuckle softly around his head, earning a loud groan from him.

“think you can keep being a good boy for me…?” you tease before kissing down his shaft. he pathetically nods his head.

“anything for you please i’ll do anything…” he breathes out, his voice cracking in the process. you release his length and move to the side of the bed, leaning over to get something from your nightstand.

“just relax for me jakey… just wanna make you feel good…” you say reassuringly before lubing up your fingers. “deep breaths baby…”

the sweet whimper that leaves his lips at the feel of you in his walls has you shaking. “y/n holy fuck-“

you start pumping your middle finger in and out of him in a more steady pace before using your other hand to stroke his leaking cock again. he squirms and whimpers beneath you, you gaze up to look at his face— it was enough to have you dripping in your own arousal.

you tighten your fist on his dick and start picking up the pace of both hands. he’s shaking and almost yelling at this point. the hand cuffs creating red marks around his delicate wrists.

“you wanted this jakey didn’t you… you wanted me to play with you and be rough right?” you speak in a gentle tone, a harsh contrast to your actions as you add another finger. he can’t form a response, the words lodged in his throat, refusing to come out.

“s’good…” he babbled. “gonna cum… please i’m so close y/n…” and then he breaks, strings of his release landing on his flexed abs and your soft hand.

you gently remove your fingers from inside him and look up at him before licking up his release that dripped down the side of his waist.

yea this was gonna be a long night.

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haikyuubby · 2 days ago

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the haikyuu boys crushing on you!

headcannons about the haikyuu boys crushing on you!

featuring: hinata, sugawara, iwazumi, atsumu, and suna.

❀ - fluff, gender neutral reader

hinata

☀︎ whenever hinata first realizes that he has a crush on you, he totally freaks out.

☀︎ he’s so scared that you won’t reciprocate his feelings or you’ll reject him in the most embarrassing way possible.

☀︎ hinata goes to his teammates for advice, getting little to no help from them.

☀︎ he soon realizes that he’ll just have to man up and ask you out himself.

☀︎ during the crush stage, hinata can’t help but find himself drawn to you in every room that you guys are in.

☀︎ if you guys have classes together, he’d spent the majority of class time admiring you.

☀︎ he’s so desperate to spend time with you that he asks you to tutor him and attend his volleyball games.

☀︎ after weeks of debating how to properly ask you out, he makes up a plan to try and get you to be his.

☀︎ when he tries though…

☀︎ ❝ i really like you, y/n, sopleasegooutwithme! ❞

☀︎ during his confession, you can’t help but laugh at his antics a little bit.

☀︎ due to hinata’s nervous nature, he takes your laughing as rejection

☀︎ then you spend the next few minutes convincing him that you really do like him back and you weren’t rejecting him.

sugawara

☀︎ probably the most in denial of having a crush on you.

☀︎ it’s not anything towards you, but he doesn’t think that he can bag you.

☀︎ sugawara had been crushing on you since you guys were first years.

☀︎ after years of asahi trying to get him to confess his feelings for you, he finally comes around to it before volleyball starts during the final year of high school.

☀︎ sugawara didn’t try to subtly try to hide his crush on you, he just said that he didn’t have one whenever someone would ask.

☀︎ when you two would hang out, sugawara’s touch felt too gentle, too soft:

☀︎ you knew that after you felt his touch linger on your skin for too long, even if his hand just barely grazed yours, that you definitely liked him.

☀︎ sugawara was good with his words, too.

☀︎ at lunch, he’d always save you a seat beside him.

☀︎ if you forgot to pack lunch, he’d give you some of his food or give you money to go and get something from a nearby vending machine.

☀︎ after school one day, sugawara finally decided to confess his feelings for you.

☀︎ ❝ i’m sorry for waiting so long to tell you this, but i’ve had a crush on you for years, y/n. i wanted to tell you before it was too late…let me take you out on a date tomorrow, i’ll make sure that we have a good time. ❞

iwazumi

☀︎ iwazumi was the type of guy who kept his feelings to himself, especially when it came to romance.

☀︎ thanks to oikawa, the team soon found out about his little crush on you.

☀︎ iwazumi was already a pretty closed off guy, so navigating such confusing emotions was a hassle to him.

☀︎ during class, he’d always slide you notes or answers if he figured that you hadn’t been paying attention.

☀︎ during passing periods, he’d wait beside of the class that you were in to walk with you to your next period.

☀︎ iwazumi would stay up late at night texting or facetiming you, that’s when he knew that you’d become a problem in his life.

☀︎ this boy was so in love with you that he didn’t want to come to terms with it, due to his fear of rejection.

☀︎ he wasn’t a pussy, but he figured that things would get too awkward if he tried to talk about this face-to-face with you, so he opted to tell you over text.

☀︎ it was around 6pm on a random tuesday, when you go to check your phone and see that iwazumi has texted you.

☀︎ ❝ i figured i should tell you that i like you, i have a crush on you and i have for a long time. let me know if you feel the same. ❞

☀︎ after you let him know that his feelings are reciprocated, he asks if he can take you out on a proper date the following weekend.

atsumu

☀︎ is very confident in his ability to get you to fall for him.

☀︎ let’s just say you do find yourself catching feelings for him, atsumu will tease the shit out of you during this.

☀︎ during class, he’ll pass notes to you.

☀︎ another guy who will wait for you after class to walk together.

☀︎ atsumu always finds time to text you, rather that be during breaks at practice, or while he’s in the shower, he always makes time for you.

☀︎ the way that atsumu asks you out is…somewhat trifling.

☀︎ basically, he lost a bet to osamu, and his punishment for losing was confessing his feelings to his crush.

☀︎ this was not considered a “punishment” because osamu was convinced that whoever atsumu liked that they’d reject him.

☀︎ atsumu decided to confess to you right after practice one day, making sure osamu was watching the entire thing.

☀︎ ❝ i guess this is long overdue, but i like you, like a lot. ❞

☀︎ you’re caught by surprise by his confession, but not entirely shocked.

☀︎ when you see osamu watching your guys’s interaction unfold from a nearby corner, you start to grow suspicious.

☀︎ trying to just focus on the positive in this situation, you tell him that you feel the same way about him.

suna

☀︎ at first, suna does try to make an effort to show his feelings for you.

☀︎ sure, he’ll stay up on the phone with you until 3 in the morning, sleep on the phone with you, and hang out with you every weekend, but he’s a man who struggles with finding the right things to say.

☀︎ suna never really cared much about romance either, crushes were a waste of time in his opinion.

☀︎ you just so happened to catch his eye though.

☀︎ the way that suna acts after he recognizes his feelings for you is…weird.

☀︎ he compliments you a lot more, saves your snaps in chats, and typically responds to your texts immediately.

☀︎ the way that he confessed to you is very teenage boy like.

☀︎ you two were up late, texting back and forth.

☀︎ you decided to send the imessage game “20 questions”

☀︎ one of the questions you asked suna was: ❝ do u like anyone right now? ❞

☀︎ after you send that text, it takes everything in you to not throw your phone across the room due to the immense levels of anxiety that you’re feeling.

☀︎ suna’s response read: ❝ yeah lol, i like you ❞

☀︎ after he sent that text, he realized what he just did and freaks the fuck out.

☀︎ meaning that he leaves you on delivered until he sees you again the next day, explaining to you that he just got nervous last night and wanted to talk more about that in person.

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iwashie · 3 days ago

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Harleys in Hawaii

biker!sevika x biker!reader; strangers; one night stand; +18

Just imagine traveling around the world alone in your bike, and your destination now is Hawaii. Riding your bike around the region, feeling the gentle breeze in your body, the smell of nature everywhere, the sound of the ocean, and pacif life; that's the best feeling in the world.

You park in a bar, see another bike like yours, and nod in approval, getting off of your bike and entering the place. The smell of food, beer, smoke, and nature creating a strange and good mix of smell. The heads turns to you and you smiled at them, receiving smiles back and heads to the counter, putting your helmet along the other helmet next to a tall, sturdy woman smoking and probably the owner of that bike.

"Good bike of yours." You commented, eating your food and drinking; a small smiling appeared when she looked at you. Damn, what a fucking hot woman looking you up and down and smiling, thanking you. You made small talk with that woman, getting to know a little about her and shared the love for bikers.

The day passed in between laughter, stories, food, drinks, smokes and music; you sang a music, slowly dancing while looking at her, smiling and playing your cards, knowing that her grey eyes were glued on you.

You could feel she was into just as you was into her, tiptoeing around each other during the day, flashing those looks and smiles, getting closer and closer to you, sharing her cigarette with you while you touched your knee onto hers.

The purple and pinky in the sky painted the most beautiful scenario along the green nature and ocean while you descended the stairs, almost tripping. Sevika followed right behind you, grabbing your waist to hold and put your back on your feet.

"Not surviving the ride back like this, doll." Her hands still in you hips and you giggled, sliding your hands up to her shoulders. Oh god, she was so tall, muscular and hot.

"Too high for that, vika... Why don't you give me a ride to the hotel?" You said, playing your cards and listened to her laugh. "And how are you paying me after?" She asked and you were too invested in her to notice that you were approaching her lips, and she was letting you do so. "However you like, Sevika."

"We're seeing when we get there, doll." She said, and after you secured your bike with the owner of the bar, you two left the place on her bike.

You rested your head on her broad back, your hands wrapped tightly around her waist, feeling the cold wind and the smell of her perfume mixed with cigarettes as the landscape passed by in a colorful blur until you arrived at the hotel.

She dropped you at your door with a firm hand on your waist and before you could speak she left to her room, leaving you biting your lower lip and thinking about her.

The next morning you were up early, getting back your bike and seizing the opportunity to swim. When you came back from the water you saw a tall figure near your bike, smoke covering the person face from afar, but you knew it was Sevika.

"You didn't let me thank you the proper way for yesterday night." You shouted as you approached and shivered at her eyes roaming your wet body, eyes lingering on your breasts and back to yours eyes. You stopped a few centimeters from her, looking up at those grey eyes and smiled. "Let me pay you, Sevika."

She let out the smoke, taking too long to respond, her eyes going to the scenarios behind you and on your figure again. "There's nothing I want from you, doll."

You stepped forward, making her sit on your bike and open her thick legs to accommodate you between them. You licked your lip, her eyes following the movement and copying, making you laugh and take the cigarette from her hand, inhaling and exhaling the smoke out slowly. "But I want something from you, Sevika."

"What is it, doll?" You leaned closer, hands on her thighs, going up and down in a caress, face close to her, your puppy eyes and pouty mouth so closer to hers. "You know what I want, vika."

There were a silent for a moment but the intensity she looked at you, her eyes demanding you to take an action and her body language calling you in. The electricity shared between you two since the first day at the bar, you two slowly getting in touch.

She finished her cigarette and her right hand found it's way to your salt, tangled hair, her left hand grabbing your waist and pulling you in a kiss. You wrapped your arms around her neck and kissed back, liking the way her lips fitted into yours, tongues in tune in the cigarette-tasting kiss while her hand roamed your body, squeezing your thigh and ass, pulling you onto her lap.

You didn't need to say, she was already pulling you riding pillion on your bike back to the hotel, hurried steps to her room in a messy make-out session in the hall. Your upper clothes were off your body as soon as the door closed on its way, and her hands were all over your body.

You fell sitting on the bed, hands going after her clothes, taking her coat and tank top in a hurry, sliding your hands down her torso while your lips marked where you reached. She grabbed your wrist when you opened her pants and threw you back on the bed, crawling over to you, pining you down.

"I'm getting my payment the way I like, doll." She skirted her thumb over your lips, and you nodded, licking the tip of her fingers as you caressed her thick thighs.

You grabbed her hair and body as she peppered your body with open mouth kisses, licking and sucking on your boobs at her liking, feeling your shiver and sigh.

"Vikaaa!" You hang your head back when she scratched your pussy over the fabric on purpose while getting down, kissing and biting your skin. She huffed a laughter on your pelvic, sliding your shorts and underwear off of your legs, raising her hands to your thighs, kneading the flesh and open them. "This wet already, doll."

She laughed when you grumbled and kissed your inner thigh before diving in your pussy, her flat tongue licking from bottom to top, giving a light kiss to your clit; you trembled from head to toes, hands grabbing the sheets, and when she opened your folds with her fingers, licking and sucking hard every part of your pussy, nose buried in your clit, tongue up and down, swirling, in and out of you, you cried her name, holding her head in place with trembling hands, your legs shaking so much as she devoured you so well.

"Vika.. Ngh! Oh, fuckk, vikaa!" You felt your orgasm coming, your whole body trembling, eyes shut and mouth opened, shouting her name in pure bliss. You arched your back, choking on a moan whe she thrusted two fingers inside your pussy and curled them up, hitting the right spot to make you squirt on her. "Vikaa!"

You were melting on the sheets and she had barely begun with you. She crawled up and kissed you hard, gripping your boobs and waist, pulling you on her thighs, her hands caressing your back and ass as you humped her thighs, too horny for that woman.

Sevika touched, stated, kissed and molded your body with care, attention and passion, having you wrapped around her fingers, making you see stars and call her name aloud when cumming so much, staining the sheets.

You two spent the day inside her room, enjoying the day together, having some food and shared smoke in between kisses, touches and conversation, too exhausted and fucked up too have more sex.

When the night come, after a long, hot shower you two went to beach, strolling around and appreciating the steamy night to get into the water. You threw some water at her and backed away with a squeal when she kicked more water at you, both of you laughing and happy with the moment.

You two had dinner at a local restaurant, you insisted on paying both meals, but she shushed you with a look and go back to the hotel with you saying you couldn't feel your legs, making her laugh and hold you by your hips.

She kissed you at your door, lingering while putting a lock of your hair behind your ear with one hand and the other on your back. She didn't say goodnight, she just walked over to her door and before she opened it, you pulled her into your room.

The next morning, you wake up all sore and feeling crushed by a heavy weight, glancing to your side and seeing Sevika sound asleep, one arm threw over your waist. You smiled, turning to her and appreciated that moment, knowing that it was your last day in Hawaii.

You didn't say goodbye neither she. She just accompanied you to the airport, helped with your stuff, and waited for you to take action. You stepped closer, hands os her face as she smoked, and you leaned in to shotgun kiss her, your tongue sliding past her parted lips in a last kiss, receiving a hard squeeze on your ass and walked over to the airport door.

Sevika got out of the place with a loud engine honking, and you smiled openly, wishing to find that woman again somewhere.

@iwashie 2025, please do not translate, modify or republish my works

#iwashie work #iwashie writes #sevika x y/n #sevika x reader #sevika x you #sevika smut #sevika arcane #arcane x reader #wlw #Spotify

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luci-in-trenchcoats · 3 days ago

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Cute and Fluffy

Summary: The reader drops off a new patient for Dr. Winchester…

Pairing: vet!Dean x reader

Word Count: 700

Warnings: none

A/N: Enjoy!

_______________

“Well if it isn’t my favorite customer,” said Dean, waving you back and into one of the examination rooms. “What have you brought me today, heroine to all things cute and fluffy?”

“This is Champ,” you said setting the carry on down on the table. “At least that’s what we’re calling him down there.”

You opened up the door and put a treat down right outside. A pink little tongue tentatively stuck out and licked it before curling it into it’s mouth. You put a few more down to try and get the little guy to come out on his own, slowly but surely getting the malnourished pup onto the table.

“Hi Champ,” said Dean, bending down to give the scared dog a smile. Dean didn’t reach out to pet him, knowing how some of the rescue animals were when they were new. “He a biter?”

“No, sweetest little thing,” you said, holding a treat in your hand, Champ eating out of it. “Definitely underweight. He was covered in mats and scabs so we had to shave him down.”

Dean looked over the poor guy, taking a treat from you and letting him eat out of his hand as well before he placed a gentle touch on him, patting him softly.

“Probably has an infection. We’ll run some blood work and see about fixing this guy up,” said Dean. “What do you say? Want to get better and find a nice family Champ?”

The dog didn’t do anything really but did lick Dean’s finger. Dean chuckled and picked him up, taking him into the back.

Two Weeks Later

It was about six on Friday night as you checked on the guys and gals one last time before handing off to the night manager. There weren’t that many in your care at the moment which was always a good thing. You always wanted your animals to find good homes and not be stuck in this place for too long.

“Lovely, Y/N, I brought you somebody,” you heard Dean call from the front desk. You smiled as you walked out there, watching him undo the carry cage and pull out a happy and healthy looking puppy.

“Aw Champ! You look so much better buddy!” you said, the dog wagging his tail and acting like he should again. Dean handed him over to you and you looked him over, knowing Dean was a miracle worker with how he got these guys feeling good again.

“Not as good looking as you,” said Dean. You laughed and waved him back with you as you found a nice spot for Champ for the night. Dean went and found some dinner for him and gave you the run down on his history. He’d barely finished eating before he was plopping down on his bed, snoring happily. “He’s so getting adopted tomorrow.”

“Thanks for volunteering to help out in the morning. I really appreciate it,” you said. Dean smiled and took hold of your hand.

“It’s no problem. I like spending time with you. Speaking of which, I kind of made reservations tonight and was wondering if you’d like to go with me?” he asked.

“Your date cancel on you?” you asked.

“Just asked her,” he said with a wink. “Still waiting to see if I’m going to have to go solo.”

“What time is the reservation?” you asked, giving all the creatures one last look over as you heard the night manager come in.

“Eight. Down at Erickson’s,” said Dean.

“Fancy,” you said, walking out with Dean right on your tail.

“So...yes?” he asked, a sliver of doubt underneath his hope.

“See you in two hours Dean. I bet you look real good in a suit,” you said, walking over to your car.

“Not as good as you’ll look.”

___________

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catdia · 1 day ago

Text

Jayce Talis with a Chubby S/o

(Modern AU / College AU)

The first time you meet was late at night. You were coming out of your physics class as he was finishing up his biomedical engineering course.

You were trying to get home when a pair of male students tried to conner you and wouldn’t let you pass. Jayce was walking out a little later than he normally did and heard all the commotion.

“Come on! It’s not like anyone is dying for your number. Just give it to me.”

“No thanks—” You pivoted to the side, and yet again blocked by other of the guys.

“What do you mean no?! It’s not like big girls like you have any options! I’m doing you a favor. I doubt that any guys want to—”

“I said NO!” They were really starting to get on your nerves. Jayce decided to step in a heartbeat.

“What do you mean no?!” He raised his hand at you, making you flinch. Jayce ran towards you, furious at the gross display of disrespect you were facing. He steeped in between the small space the guy had created in front of you.

“She said no. Now let her go on her way.” Jayce pushed the guy who raised his hand to you. Making him stumble back.

“Look at this, man—” One of the guys playfully slapped the guy who was in your face on his shoulder. “We got a hero in your hands! Pathetic.” You discretely took out your pepper spray from your pocket, turning the handle and placing your thumb on the button.

“Just leave the girl alone and we will not have anymore problems.” You stepped next to Jayce, weapon at your side. You saw one of the fuckers get close in frustration.

“And what are you going to do if—” Before the guy could finish his sentence you doused his face with pepper spray. “H-Holy fuck! You bitch!” The guy fell on his knees in pain, rubbing his eyes.

“What the fuck?! I’m going to—”

Before his friend could react you did the same to him and landed a swift kick to his balls. Making his face hit the pavement below his feet as his eyes burned. Jayce was utterly stunned. A little thing like you having such violent behaviors. And he found that hot.

He felt a small hand in his palm, then a tug strong enough to make his feet shuffle. It was you trying to get him to run in what ever direction you wanted him too.

“Hurry before they get up!” You yelled at him, his feet moving as yours did. You stopped at one of the dorm buildings. Hands on your knees as you catch your breath. Jayce doing the same.

“That was fun.” He joked, earning a giggle for you. But he still could feel the sadness, the bleeding wound to your heart. He got a good look at you now. Hair messy from the run, cheeks busted pink.

“Yeah, I should get called a bitch more often if it means kicking balls in!” God, he had never seen a smile so bright, so sweet. He immediately saw your expression fall into one of sorrow. He placed a hand on your shoulder, giving it a gentle reassuring squeeze.

“Hey, I’m sorry for what those assholes did! I’ll have them reported by tomorrow. We can’t have those type of people walking about.” You hummed a response. Those type of people have always been in your life, they could never be purged.

“You know them?” You were so soft, looking at him with your shimmering eyes. Why hasn’t he seen you before until now? Why hasn’t he noticed something so angelic like you in those damn science building hallways?

“Unfortunately, they happen to have a class with me.”There was a short silence. He looked at your sad expression. “What they said isn’t true. I-I, umm, think you’re quite pretty—” You looked surprised. You have never seen a pair of amber eyes so genuine before. Could this be what wanting someone a felt like? Did it look like the most handsome man in school standing in front of you looking at your lips?

“Thank you, Jayce.” You stood on your tippy toes and gave him a kiss, intended for his cheek but your lips fell on the outline of his jaw. “Bye bye.” The electric door opened with the touch of your keycard and you entered.

“Wait! Who do you know my name?” You peaked out the half closed door, smile in your lips.

“Your face is all over the place.” You pointed to your temple. “And I have a mug with you on it.” You closed the door. Leaving Jayce awestruck as his cheeks burned with passion.

Since you guys have the same schedule at night he is the one that walks you home, and you became a couple shortly after. He made sure to have a word with the dean and the two guys who harassed you were kicked out.

When he was first trying to court you he always brought you coffee to your am classes. The first time he did it was the most rememberable one because everyone was so shocked to see him walking up to you and giving you your breakfast! You sitting next to your lab partner and friend Sevika as she told you the gossip she heard in rugby practice. And you ended up confessing to her want happened the other night.

“You should have called me to pick you up!”

“Sev, I’m fine! They got kicked out this morning and are banned even from the arenas.”

“I don’t give a fuck about that. I can’t believe you had to experience that alone. You could have been seriously hurt.”

“I was okay. And I wasn’t alone actually. This guy—” Before you could finish your sentence a shadow crossed over you. And it was none other than the golden boy himself! You stood up from your desk a little too excitedly. Making Sevika scuff at you. You leaned against the corner of the table and propped your hip in your hand.

“Hey, Jayce! Are you going to be TAing or something?” You really regret not doing your hair this morning!

“Na, Heimer just was fussy about some of the numbers we crunched yesterday and want me to come early to do a final run over.” You noticed that he had food in his hands, untouched and unopened. He saw your gaze look at his hands.

“Ahh, this is for you!” He handed you an iced coffee and what looked like a pastry in a brown bag. You knew from the logo that it was from that expensive coffee shop that opened a few months ago on campus. And the heart attack that it gave you when the cashier told you in was 10 bucks for a small matcha.

“Is the coffee poisoned?” You joked, eyeing the color of the coffee. You knew it was going to be delicious.

“No, no, no! Heavens no!” He quickly shook his hands out of anxiety and looked baffled you suggested such things. He had a blush on his cheeks, a boyish look for such a large man.

“I thought it would be nice to bring you something. Y-You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to. I totally understand if you don’t want to take something for a complete stranger—”

“That’s very sweet, Jayce. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“Can I give you a kiss on the cheek?”

“Really?!” You nodded your head at his excitement. “Sure!” He leaned down to your level so you didn’t have to grab a chair just to reach his neck. You placed a hand on his cheek, feeling the stubble of his skin. Your lips and contact with the fresh smelling skin. He placed a hand on yours as you slowly back away from him.

“I’ll be in the library this afternoon in room 314, at about 3. Would you like to join me?” He gently squeezed your hand.

“Yeah! I’m free and I have that damned electrical current paper I have to finish. I’ll be there around 4.”

“Good!” He seemed like he really didn’t want to let you go. But he slowly walked away from you.

“Bye bye.” Jayce waited as he exited the door.

“Bye, Mr. Talis.” You blew him a kiss, he rose his hand and catch the kiss placing it next to his heart. Watching him stumble out the door as he bumped into other guy trying to walk in.

“You really have him hooked, huh?” Sevika chuckled as she popped open the brown bag to see the contents inside. “I bet 40 that he is going to beat his meat with that hand later.”

“I seriously don’t know what he sees in me. Did you know he broke up with Mel Medarda?” You leaned against the lab desk and crossed your arms. Still looking at the door Jayce entered and left moments ago. “She’s gorgeous! Makes me feel like a peasant each time I she her in her brand new BMW. And those cuffs in her locs have to be 18k gold! And did you see her latest Insta post?! She’s got body for days!”

“Looks like you have a crush on her.”

“Don’t we all?”

“I knew that you would finally start gunning for the other team. My influence is infectious.” You chuckled at her, still deep in thought as some students took their seats as class time started to approach.

“You really have to start getting out of your head, princess. Do you think he would be doing this lovey-dovey shit if he didn’t want a piece of that ass?”

“Mmm, yeah maybe you’re right—”

“And if he doesn’t work out for you I have plenty of butches that have been asking me about you. The good thing is that you can pick out the dick size.”

“Ewww! That’s so crude, Sevika!”

You heard a crunch and turned your head to Sevika. “Are you serious eating my stuff?”

“Checking it for roofies.” She bit the flaky pastry again and took a sip of your latte. Moaning at the taste as she gave it a final swirl. Passing it to you.“You have my green light.” You rolled your eyes at her.

“Oh, shit! He left his number on the pastry bag!”

He is the captain of the baseball team and also the golden boy of the engineering department. His face is plastered all over the school and even in the promotional stuff of the college.

Hispanic / Latino! A Colombian-Brazilian mix.

His sponsor is the Kiramman family, he won a scholarship in middle school for a Juniors Inventors Competition he placed first. They have paid for his education ever since because they loved him so much. And helps Cait with all her homework and tutoring. They also are members of the board of education (cough nepotism cough).

Your first date was at a basketball game. His friend Vi was playing in the national women’s tournament that was taking place at your college’s arena. Imagine you are relaxing and enjoying the game as the Jumbotron is going around focusing on couples for the kiss cam. And it lands on you two!

“I guess we have to give the people what they want.”

“How unfortunate for us.” You leaned into Jayce, grazing your lips against his.

You guys share a passionate kiss as the crowd went wild. Later you saw your picture in the schools newspaper talking about the game and the “New Golden Boy’s Gal”.

His favorite pet names for you are babe, baby, dove, and princess! When he gets spicy uses “muñeca” (doll) and “mi tesoro” (my treasure).

Doesn’t seem like a party person at all! He went to a few in his first year but didn’t like the craziness of them. He does however go to fundraising galas and any event that the school of engineering / baseball does.

And you are his plus one always!

Likes to be in suits and all dolled up, Jayce likes to look good. He knows his handsome, but he doesn’t compete next to you. Having your curves hugged so nicely by the gown you’re wearing, hair and makeup done.

“Are you ready, Jayce? If we are not there by 7 Professor Heimerdinger will have my ass.” You entered his room, heels clicking. He pulled his tie around his neck and he saw you in the reflection of his small mirror.

“You look stunning!” He shifted his attention to you. Watching you struggle to put your necklace on he quickly took the chain from your fingers.

“I don’t feel stunning—” He clipped the necklace. Kissing the nape of your neck.

“Jayce, we will be late!” He unzipped the back of your dress, earning a yelp from you. His cold hands slipping under the fabric and grasping the meat of your hips and stomach.

“They can wait! You are more important than so old farts with money to spare.” Your dress pooled on your feet.

Wouldn’t it be awkward having Mel as his ex like a mentioned previously?! And she being the face of the school of engineering like Jayce?! They only dated because it was pushed on them by the department because having a “power couple” as the face of the college meant big money.

I believe that their relationship never was more than occasional sex and a little toxic. She 100% dated Jayce because Ambessa told her too. Mel only cared about him when it came to the aesthetics of it all. Made him follow a script all the time in public. He couldn’t smile too much, couldn’t giggle because it was uncouth, changed his diet because according to her he was still “flabby” even with the constant work he put in… Mel manipulated the hell out of him, and she was damn good at it. She made him feel trapped and loved at the same time. It wasn’t a very healthy relationship.

Viktor never really liked Mel so when she broke with him he was the happiest man alive! He was like “yeah I hated that bitch” and Jayce was just crying his eyes out because he was dumped before his game.

I think Mel dumped him because he was tired of not being himself anymore. He didn’t find joy in the little things and he stared to tell her “no” when it came to her shifting his whole personality.

She had a wake up call a few more years into college and even broke of her relationship with her mother. Mel eventually apologized to Jayce for all the pain she caused him.

When Jayce introduced you to Viktor you both hit it off right away! He said something in the line of: “I like this one, keep her around.”

I headcanon Jayce as bisexual, but isn’t the type to parade it around or even mention it to people. Doesn’t own any pride stuff. Very closeted, but not at all (if you get way I mean). Jayce is just comfortable with himself and doesn’t need to prove anything to others when it comes to his sexuality. He only tells people when it naturally comes in a conversation.

The only person he flat out said “yeah I’m bi” was when Cait came out to him. He wanted her not to feel alone and that she had a friend she could relay on.

The way you found out he was bi was so mundane. You were talking about a popular actor that was in a lot of action movies back when you were kids.

“Since I was a teenager all the other guys said that he was cool, but I only really liked him because he was hot.”

“Wait! You like boys and girls?”

“Y-Yeah—” He sheepishly placed a hand on the back of his neck, blush on his cheeks. And that quickly turned into a form of panic. What if you were disappointed, or even disgusted by that? Will you break up with him over it? “If you don’t feel comfortable with that I totally understand—”

“I like girls too! And boys!” You both held hands and skipped in a circle out of bi joy.

He always kisses you hello and goodbye! He likes PDA but isn’t the type to be literally fucking you in public. He holds your hand and gives you gentle kisses. Also whenever you go out he makes sure to walk on the side of traffic. And makes you stand close to his chest when you’re in line.

I belive that the college you go to is close to his home, and his mom comes over on the weekends to his dorm. Brings treats over and cooks for Viktor and Jayce to last them the week. Very mama bear

The first time Ximena saw you was in early Saturday morning. You stayed over after finishing a project, it was too late to go back to your dorm and you slept over. You woke up to the smell of coffee. Jayce still sleeping at your side like a rock. You dragged yourself out of bed in one of Jayce’s big t-shirts and some fuzzy socks he bought for you.

“Oh! Who is this pretty girl?!” You heard a kind voice express. You saw a tall and gorgeous woman cooking at the stove. From the pictures Jayce showed you it was Ximena Talis, his mom!

Viktor was sitting in the counter stuffing his face with pancakes. “That’s Jayce’s girlfriend, Mrs. Talis.”

“My Jayce has a girlfriend!”

She made her way to you drying her wet hands on her apron. She gave you the biggest hug and you giggled at her boldness.

“I’m Ximena Talis, Jayce’s mom! But you can call me Ximena.” She cupped your face in her hands and gave your cheeks a squeeze. Looking over your features lovingly then stepping away slightly to look at the rest of you.

“You’re a cutie! ¡Y mira esas curvas que tienes! (And look at your curves!)”

She placed her palms on your wide hips, and felt them over her son’s shirt.

“Wow, okay—” You heard Viktor choke on his coffee.

“Mom! What are you doing? That’s embarrassing!” Jayce was beyond frustrated of his mom’s actions.

“Jayce Antony Talis! When were you going to tell me you had a girlfriend?!

“We only started dating a few months ago and—”

“I don’t want to hear it, Jayce! Come here my dear! Let’s get you some breakfast before he lets you go hungry.” She dragged you back to the stove and hugged you by the shoulders. And it was the most delicious hug you’ve had in a while.

“Mamá, don’t suffocate her please!” Jayce took a seat next to Viktor that was silently recording this shit show for his private Snapchat stories.

“Oh, shush! So do you want blueberries or chocolate chips in your pancakes?” She petted your cheek lovingly.

“Can I have both?” You asked with puppy eyes.

“You are just like my Jayce!” Her eyes twinkled as she prepared a plethora of pancakes for all of you.

In Arcane, the Talis house is know for their toolmaking. In this Modern AU his family owns a small chain of workshops and supply stores. They specialize in welding and power-tools.

He brings you all the time to his families original workshop and makes steel flowers and trinkets for you.

Has a full skin care routine. One for day time and night time. Does face masks a few times a week for hydration and sun protection because of baseball practice. Always wears sunscreen! And applies multiple times a day.

Also loves smelling good for you. He was a pretty nice selection of perfumes. Jayce seems to be more inclined to sweeter and less overpowering types of smells. Doesn’t like to have the type of cologne that literally envelopes the room in a smoky way. Likes perfumes that blend well and you have to stand close to have a good whiff.

His a big boy! And eats a lot to keep up with his hours of exercise and studying. Totally the kind of guy that downed all his meal points and is left eating leftovers in the final semester months.

Jayce will literally lick the plate clean with whatever you cook. Buys you all the ingredients before hand like a gentleman. Once ate a whole batch of brownies you made and you were utterly disgusted by him.

“Jayce, I may be a fat ass but I will never pull this shit. This is inhumane and worrisome.”

“But they were so good. I couldn’t resist!” He wiped the crumbs off his face and sucks his fingers clean.

“Good enough that you didn’t let me have at least one?!”

You guys also like to try out new recipes together. And by try I mean Jayce burning his share and you ordering food after his disaster in the kitchen.

Since becoming partners you spend a lot of time in their dorm and each one of you takes turns making a fresh batch of cookies for the week. Viktor is a master baker, so when it’s his turn to make cookies they are gone before the end of the week. Jayce is an ass and just buys Oreos, gaslights Viktor and you into thinking they’re “gourmet” or some shit.

Viktor is his keeper. If you want to do anything with Jayce you need to ask Viktor for permission.

“Can I have him for tonight, Vicky?”

“Absolutely not! We have Great British Bake Off tonight. Who is going to help me rank the dishes from worst to best if he is not here?”

“Every time it feels like I’m in the 1800 asking for a hand in marriage even though I just want to go get ice cream with Jayce!” You groaned at Viktor’s response.

“Ice cream? I will allow it if you get me a scoop of strawberry.”

“Thank you great king Viktor! Your prince will be moderately safe in my hands.” You bowed your head like a knight in a castle asking for the princess hand.

Jayce is a total cuddle bug! His favorite spot to snuggle up is the couch. Likes having your back pressed against his chest with your legs tangled with his while playing video games or watching movies. Jayce is the little spoon all the way when you’re in his bed. Likes his hair to be played with while he has his head on your chest.

He wears hoochie daddy shorts! Those super tiny shorts were you can see his boxers peaking out the legs. You love how they make his thick thighs and ass look plump and juicy.

“I told you not to wear these in public.” You disrespectfully grabbed his ass. Enjoying the fullness in your palms. “You know what that ass does to me. Makes me want to hump you!” You proceeded to hump his leg and bark at the same time.

“Babe, stop! We are in public for Gods sake!” Jayce pushed on your shoulders trying to get you off his leg.

“Then you shouldn’t be asking for it!”

He traces your stretch marks when you are alone together in bed! The ones on your belly are so especial to him. His hands are big and warm and they feel so good on the fresh ones you get.

He also has stretch marks! Mainly on his arms and glutes. You call them his tiger stripes.

Grows out his beard and hair after his second year. His work load tripled and doesn’t have much time to trim them. You absolutely love his new look!

“Kissing you feels like eating a carpet! I love it.”

“You’re sure a weirdo, babe!”

You always make time to go to his baseball games. He throws you kisses and winks before each batting section as a form of good luck. Jayce is an amazing hit, and always starts and finishes with a breathtaking home run.

He looks incredible in his white and blue uniform. And that ass of his looks delightfully plump in his dirty white jeans. You always bring binoculars to just stare at him instead of watching the game.

Got badly injured in game because one guy of the opposite team kicked his knee in while touching base. His injury was so severe that he was recommended to quit it all together and has to wear a knee brace for the rest of his life.

Started getting bad scores and even was about to loose his sponsorship because of his mental health after the incident. Started drinking shortly after to quell the pain. He completely spiraled out of control.

“I-I don’t know how I am anymore. I’ve failed. I’ve failed. I’m worthless.” He came to your dorm room late one night. He had been drinking enough that his true emotions started swallowing him up.

“Jayce, don’t say that—” He launched into your arms, shaking in hurt as his tears stained your top “If you were all those things you said then you wouldn’t have all these people backing you up. You are loved Jayce. I love you.”

“Then why do I feel like this? Like I want everything to burn and collapse?”

“Because it’s unfair what you are going through. So cry and breakdown all you want. I’ll be here to dry your tears and help you stand.”

“Thank you, my love.”

“No problem, baby.”

Jayce has always suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts since the passing of his father. So you felt like you would have lost him of it wasn’t for the support you guys gave him. Viktor with his crazy science hypothesis and projects. And you with your emotional support.

“If you ever want to talk I’m right here, Jayce. And if you don’t want to talk, then let me be the shoulder you can cry on.”

“Only if you promise me to help me get my chemistry grade up.”

“I wouldn’t say no even if the world burned down.”

He started becoming his self again, getting amazing grades and taking care of himself. Saving his beared and cutting his hair (noooooo).

Jayce seems like the guy that likes to keep busy, so since he doesn’t have any sports to keep him hands on he takes up more artsy activities. Since he is familiar working with metal, Jayce starts doing woodwork and pottery.

You introduced him to pottery when you surprised him with a couples class to make matching mugs. You have never seen him smile like that since the injury! The mug you molded looked like a kindergartener made it but Jayce liked it so much that it’s his number 1 coffee cup.

The pottery class impacted him so much that he bought all the materials online and started his own little studio. Gives out all his little creations to his friends. Heimer even has a pencil holder in his office that Jayce made him.

Jayce is the only one of your friend group how has a car, it’s an old beat up red Toyota Corola with one of the doors colored blue. That car was where Cait and Vi first had their kiss after Jayce picked them up drunk from a party. The car takes seconds to start and everyone cheers when the engine runs. You and Jayce go every other weekend to the beach that is a few minutes from campus and have a picnic. Is the car where Viktor fell out the window because Jayce was doing donuts in the Burger King parking lot and he was sitting on the window opening.

Your favorite thing to do is going midnight snack runs! Almost 1 in the morning and you hear a knock on your door and there is Jayce in his pajamas. Shaking his keys in his fingers.

“You want some McDonald’s?”

“Let me put my bra on.”

You also go grocery shopping together. And Viktor tags along sitting inside of shopping cart.

Let’s you decorate his knee brace with cute stickers! I mentioned in my Viktor headcanons that Jayce likes Sanrio characters, especially Pompompurin. So if you have any Sanrio stickers he wants them on his brace.

Jayce likes to collect miniature things. And is very into Japanese / Asian culture. He was totally a Pokémon and Gundam kid when growing up. Still has all his old figurines and has some in his dorm room.

Jayce was raised by a single mom almost his whole life, so he was into some very “girly” things at a young age. Likes to bake (even if everything he cooks turns out a little burnt) and garden, going shopping and keeping up with his hygiene. He never had a “boy smelling room”. Imagine him going to another boy’s dorm for a group project and him being utterly disgusted by the man smell.

Since then he keeps to his own, and ever goes to another’s dorm room except yours and Cait’s.

He runs a tight ship and does all in his power to keep everything clean. Viktor is a little on the messier side than Jayce. They get into petty arguments all the time thanks to one of Jayce’s house rules.

“Viktor you aren’t supposed to put wooden kitchens utensils in the washing machine! And what did I tell you about not taking out the potatoes out of the plastic? They will get bad quicker!” He was like a desperate house wife. You and Viktor were playing video games when he just went off ranting.

“Jayce, I want a divorce.” You slapped Viktor’s shoulder and crackled at Jayce’s flustered face.

“I’m not going to let you!”

He doesn’t like the cold at all. He and his mom got into a bad car accident in a snow storm and it took a rescue team almost 4 hours to get them out of the freezing cold. He got bad hypothermia and his mom lost her fingers.

“Jayce if you make me put another sweater on you will have to roll me out to get me to class.”

“Then you shouldn’t have put only one on. You were trying to be sneaky.”

“I have a nice layer a fat on me! If I put too much clothes on I’ll suffocate!”

“I don’t care! I just want my lady to be warm. Now which one do you want? Blue or black?”

“Jesus, help me so I don’t suffer from a heat stroke in December—”

His favorite part of your body is your hips, how plush and soft they fit in his hands. Loves to hold your hips when he hugs you and when you’re walking beside him. Jayce goes crazy for your tummy / muffin top. When you sit down his eyes immediately go to your middle. And if you wear a short body-con skirt that highlights the crest of your belly he will go feral and all gushy.

And if you have wide shoulders consider this man whipped. He finds women with strong shoulders incredibly sexy. Jayce also has big shoulders and it feels like he has something in common with you. Likes to give you hand massages on them. Calls you his “tough lady”.

I like to think that Jayce grew up more on the chubby side and was teased for it. And then he had an amazing glow up. Because Jayce has too much personality for a tall, handsome man! And he would have been such a cutie as a baby too! Really big and chunky, and also super long.

Ximena brought his baby pictures over one time and you saw that he had a massive head. You teased him over it and now he gets embarrassed when you bring it up.

When you get angry or sassy at him Jayce gets very sad! Like a kicked pup. He just stands in front of you with glossy eyes and a quivering lip. You don’t stay mad at him for long.

Even with his knee injury Jayce is very athletic. He likes doing handstands and cartwheels to impress you. He likes to annoy you and do walking handstands. Likes follow you around with his legs in the air and hands on the ground as you do chores.

“Is this your mating dance, Jaybe?”

“Is it working?”

“Ehh, you’re getting there. Get me the extra dish soap from the pantry and maybe I’ll take my pants off.”

“On it!” And you saw him scurry off still in his handstand before you could say anything else. He will have a massive headache later.

Since you started dating Jayce you also got adopted by his friends group. And you have girls night with Cait, Vi, and Sevika. Which means you and Cait sitting on the couch with face masks on drinking margaritas while Sevika and Vi beat the hell out of each other with their boxing gloves. Jayce and Viktor try to bribe the girls with snacks, it always works.

“Boys, get out it’s girls night!”

“But we want to watch Legally Blonde and get our toes painted!” Jayce pushed the door as Cait put all her weight on it.

“We order pizza.” Viktor yelled on the other side.

Vi gasped. “Cupcake, let them in!”

“What the hell! I’m also painting your finger nails as retribution.” You patted the empty space next you on the sofa and Viktor sat down. You pulled out the box of nail polish. “What color, V?”

“I want mine in purple.”

“Blue for me, babe!” Jayce sat on the ground between your legs, resting his back on the sofa cushions.”

Definitely steals your clothes! He will go through your closet in front of you with no shame and pick out want ever he likes. He makes sure to leave some of his fresh laundry so you can wear his stuff too.

If you ever heard of “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” is a foundation / fundraiser for women who have suffered from various types of abuse. And they have an anual walk where people, mostly men, walk in heels for a mile to show their support for the women in their life. And he participates every year and you cheer him on!

It would be so fun if Sevika and Vi walked with him! And they all are trying to support each others balance but Vi keeps twisting her ankle every so often, so both Sevika and Jayce have one of her arms around their shoulders as they carry and drag her feet off the ground.

“You’re doing amazing, sweetie!” You yelled as you watched them struggle to get to the finish line.

“I think I don’t want my rights anymore!” Sevika ran bow legged as she passed you. Jayce hiding his pain with a forced smile.

They decided to make a run for it to finish first and it ended up with Sevika’s lip busted, Vi with a bruised foot and Jayce with his hands and knees all scraped.

Jayce overall is such an amazing person! Complex and utterly devoted to you. He makes you dream of an endless future with positivity and love.

#arcane #arcane league of legends #arcane x reader #chubby reader #jayce x reader #jayce talis x reader #jayce talis #arcane jayce #jayce league of legends #plus size reader #fat reader #jayce x you #jayce x y/n #arcane x female reader #arcane x you

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lamentationsofalonelypotato · 2 days ago

Text

Epilogue: I Don't Want To Lose Your Lovelight

Pairing: Soldier Boy x f!reader, Reader POV, Soldier Boy POV

Summary: When you decided to work with Butcher and his merry band of supe hunters to take down Homelander, you never expected to be saddled with a sullen, grumpy, jerk like Soldier Boy when the job was done. The more you're around him the more you hate him, but you can't help but wonder, is he really as big a jerk as you think? Reader is a supe with plant powers. This takes place in an AU about a month after the end of The Boys Season 3, in which Butcher has let Soldier Boy continue to work with him on his team.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Age Difference (Reader is in her 20s), Soft Ben/ Soldier Boy, Protective Ben/Soldier Boy

Word Count: 10.8K

Warnings: I'm going to label this 18+ because Soldier Boy (he's a warning and everyone knows it), Illusions to past sex, Swearing, Mentions of Sex, Sexual Innuendo, Teasing, Fluff, LOVE, Talks of Pregnancy/thinking about pregnancy, little bit of self-deprecating thought. Ben/Soldier Boy might be a little bit OOC.

Note: This is told from Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is minimal use of y/n. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite!

Internal monologue is in italics and is in first person.

Listen While You Read🪴: Lovelight by ABBA

Spotify Playlist 🪴

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

A/N: Well here we are... The people have spoken and I will be leaving the happy version as is! Enjoy!

One Year Later

“I don’t understand why we need to have a realtor to look at apartments. Why can’t we just camp out in front of a nice apartment building and wait for an ambulance to wheel someone out like everyone else?” You huff looking down at the apartment listing on your phone that Ben was taking you to. “Or better yet, we could use Apartments.com. I trust Jeff Goldblum with my life.”

Who doesn't? The man is a national treasure.

"The guy from the movie about the dinosaurs?" Ben asks easing his car into traffic before taking a right.

Sunlight filtered through the windshield and down onto your lap illuminating the embroidered patches of flowers on your favorite blue jeans, the same jeans that were getting just a little tight at the top and the ones you wouldn't be able to wear for the next 6 months or so. You smile to yourself at the thought, and drop your left hand to your stomach that was just starting to swell beneath your botanical printed t-shirt, brushing a thumb over the soft fabric.

This year had been full of surprises, some good, some bad, but you didn’t care. Through the good and the bad, Ben had been there for you just as you had been there for him.

If someone had asked you what you thought your life was going to look like, it wouldn't have been this, but you were so blindingly happy that you didn't care. Ben might not have been the person that you imagined yourself with, but that was the funny thing about love, it could come with whispered breaths, soft caresses, and gentle promises or sneak up behind you and hit you over the back of the head with a frying pan.

There was no in between and your ears were still ringing from when it smacked you.

Ben quit his job at Vought over the phone the morning after the two of you finally realized what you should have known the moment you let Ben stay in your apartment the first time. It had been surreal waking up with him in your bed, his body hard and unyielding, curved around yours as if he wished to protect you while he was asleep. It was the same way you remembered from the morning you woke up with him on the couch when Darren was crashing in your room.

That night had seemed so far away then, an unpleasant flicker of emotion swelling when you thought of your brother, but then dissipated the longer you stared at Ben.

In the sweet relief of sleep he looked younger. His dark hair fell forward into his face, his bearded cheek laid gently on the pillow, and his usual frown pulled down into a neutral expression, but he looked just as handsome as he always did. Ben hadn't woken up until you raised his hand to your mouth and kissed the inside of his palm gently. And the smile he gave you when he did made you wish to exist in that moment with him forever. The look on his face then was so unlike the man you'd seen in the heat of battle the first time you met and everything like the man you'd fallen in love with.

Stan Edgar had been furious, said that Ben was purposely trying to make him look bad, but Ben didn't give a fuck what Stan thought of him, the only thing he cared about was curled against his chest, and was holding his hand to her lips.

Jake opened up the new plant shop re-named "Please Don't Die The Revenge," a title Jake and you had thought up after drinking way too many brightly colored margaritas at happy hour while Ben sulked and wished he was anywhere else.

However, Ben thought it was adorable how much of a light weight you were, and lead you home while you made jokes, giggled, and whispered things into his ear that only tested his restraint. Your boyfriend might be a lot of things, but he didn't want to take advantage of you when you were like that, especially not when you couldn't remember that you had feet and wouldn't stop crying until he took your shoes off and showed you that you still had them.

When Jake re-opened the shop, he insisted that you were going to be a partner, not an employee, and when he'd told you, you'd burst into tears while Ben grumbled under his breath something not worth repeating. Ben still didn't like Jake, and despite your numerous insistences for Ben to be nice, Ben was just as sullen around him as he had been since the first day they met. However, now Jake was used to it so you no longer felt the need to apologize.

You'd also decided to retire from working with Butcher, something that Ben wholeheartedly agreed with, especially now that you were pregnant. Sometimes you'd help out with something on the computer, but never in taking down a supe. It made you happier to work in the plant shop anyway, but didn't make you worry any less about Ben or everyone else.

The shop was doing well, and on weekends the store partnered with other businesses to host a block wide farmer's market, where you sold fruit, vegetables, dried herbs, hand crocheted goods, and jars of jam while Jake took the weekend off to visit his new girlfriend that he'd met when he went home for Christmas.

Ben may or may not have encouraged Jake to call her and you were sure it was so that Jake didn't get any ideas about how much time the two of you were spending together. You had an inkling that Ben still believed that you liked Jake no matter how many times that you proved to Ben you didn't. You didn’t think that there was any competition between Ben and Jake, not when being with Ben made you feel alive in the best way and being with Jake was like being with an overactive golden doodle.

However, despite how many times you told Ben that he didn't need to come with you on his days off, he would sit beside you frowning, but following your movements with his eyes while you helped customers. Every so often you'd see a half-smile twitch on the end of his lips, happy that you were happy- but not happy to be there. It was a theme with your boyfriend, but you knew it stemmed from how much he loved you. Being in the plant shop and seeing Jake reminded you of that, because Ben had made sure that the shop re-opened for you and he had saved Jake's life for you. Ben had done more for you in the time that you'd been together than anyone else that you'd allowed into your life and into your bed.

Ben was it for you, and you were going to prove it every day for the rest of your life to him if that was what it took.

Days at the farmer’s market were fun. You would close down for an hour so Ben and you could wander to different booths to see what everyone else was selling.

Those days always felt normal. It reminded you of the farmer's market that your hometown had each Saturday and the same ones you dragged Annie to at the crack of dawn to get the first sample of freshly churned honey butter or the first sample of strawberry ice cream. When Ben and you walked hand in hand through the crowded marketplace stopping along the way to sample fruit, cheese, honey, and whatever else you could find with the warm sun on you back, it was the happiest you'd ever felt.

It was what you'd always wanted, the kind of relationship you’d longed to have for so long, the same one you’d seen growing up with your parents and grandparents, and the one you'd thought you'd never have.

You could see yourself marrying Ben. Odd given the first time you met, you'd thought he was just a big grumpy brute of a man with the attitude of a caveman and the impatience of a toddler. But now things were different, Ben was your caveman with an impatience of a toddler, and you'd never felt this way about anyone else.

You'd never wanted anyone like you wanted Ben and couldn't see a future without him in it. Even in the earlier months the two of you were dating, you could see your life unfolding before your eyes. It felt crazy because you’d never been one to rush into anything, but with Ben the things that used to hold you back from jumping into the great unknown disappeared.

These days the unknown seemed to grow larger and larger by the minute, but instead of feeling uncomfortable about not knowing, you felt free.

Of course, the pregnancy was holding the gold medal for biggest source of the unknown.

It had been a surprise to find out that you were pregnant two and a half months ago. Not completely, given how enthusiastic, insatiable, and eager your boyfriend was when it came to sex or really how you were when it came to him.

In all honesty, you couldn't blame it all on Ben.

You were just as responsible for this as him given how much you seemed to want him all the time. Surprising, because you were never like this with your high school boyfriend or in any of the other sporadic relationships you'd had in the past, but you supposed that it was just Ben, that there was something about him that made you lose all sense of self-control. You also figured that you let the self-control drive long enough when you refused to admit how much you cared about him and now you owed it to yourself to throw it all out the window and lose yourself in everything he was.

That being said, you were terrified the moment you found out you were pregnant. Ben had been away on a mission and you'd had to wait a week for him to get back while you sat with your grandmother on your couch for days. You hadn't wanted to tell Ben yet and especially not over the phone.

It didn't seem like something you said over the phone anyway.

Your grandmother had shown up a few hours after you took the seventh test, because you hoped that there was some kind of mistake with the first six. She'd seen the future before you had a chance to pick up the phone and give her a call, but you were grateful that she was there.

You needed her.

Annie would have come too, but she was out of town on the same mission that Ben was. And you were afraid to call for fear that Ben would hear you say it over the phone with his supe hearing. Texting her that you were pregnant meant that it would be in print somewhere with evidence and you didn't want the possibility of Ben seeing it on Annie's phone.

That last part seemed a little far fetched, because you didn't know why Ben would have Annie's phone, but you were allowing yourself to have a mini-freak out, you were pregnant.

But no matter how many scenarios you discussed with your grandmother, it always came back to one thing, you loved Ben and you wanted to have a baby with him. You just weren't sure of the timing.

The two of you had only been together for ten months then, and although you couldn't imagine yourself with anyone else, you were hesitant.

Ben was still adjusting to everything in the future and introducing a kid into his life could be chaotic and messy. You also weren't sure if it was a good idea given how insane Ben's life had been for the past forty years and how hard you were trying to give him a sense of normalcy in the time you'd been together.

But then you'd thought about it more.

The shop was doing well, you loved Ben, he loved you, you did want kids, and you were so happy that it made you believe that it was the right time.

Ben had been excited when you told him, but then you both realized the bigger dilemma, your apartment. It was already small with the two of you, Rex, and Bean. Ben didn't fit in the shower or in your bed and he barely fit in your kitchen when the two of you were standing in it, which meant that adding a kid to the mix would only make the apartment smaller.

You'd looked at an apartment five months ago, only because you saw how excited he was about something so mundane and it made your heart warm to see that he wanted to build a life with you, but you had hated the apartment. It reminded you of the terrible one he'd had at Vought.

And the one Ben was taking you to see today wasn't much better. This was number seventeen and you didn't have high hopes.

Ben takes a left turn, going over a speed bump that you somehow can't feel inside the cab. His car was fancier than what you were used to and brand new. Ben had proudly told you that they weren't selling them in the United States yet, which begged the question: how in the hell had he gotten it? It had enough switches inside to make you fear about the probability of an ejector seat.

The first time he’d picked you up in it, you were grateful he’d opened the door for you when you tried to get out because you were sure that it would have taken you twenty minutes to figure that out on your own. You’d thought that Ben would have at least sprung for a car that was more low tech or something that reminded him of the life he had in the past, but no.

And now he was talking about getting another car for you that was higher off the ground to make sure that the baby would be safe. He kept saying how he didn't like you walking around when he wasn't there to go with you and a car would be safer, despite your protests that you liked walking and didn't need a car.

You never thought that Ben would be this overprotective, you should have, given how he acted like a helicopter parent after everything with Elijah, but he was.

The pregnancy only made it worse.

He never let you walk in your neighborhood or to work without him, claiming that it "wasn't safe" as if you weren't a supe and couldn't handle yourself. Whenever you went to the grocery store Ben tagged along frowning at whoever walked by with a shopping cart as if they were a threat. When somebody dropped a glass pickle jar two aisles over a few days ago and Ben had grabbed you and put you behind him so fast it made you dizzy.

Now whenever you tried to leave the apartment, Ben insisted that he could do whatever errand it was that you were going to do faster, and he was always reluctant to leave you at the plant shop, stating that you "shouldn't be lifting things." You'd even caught him reading one of your pregnancy books when he thought you were in the shower and he'd lied and said that it fell on the floor and he was 'just picking it up.' That didn't explain how he knew exactly what you should be eating and what vitamins you needed to take.

But instead of teasing Ben about it, you kept your mouth shut because you thought it was cute how much Ben cared about you and how excited he was about the baby. You knew that he'd been waiting for this for much longer than you.

You'd woken up a few days ago with Ben's head on your stomach listening to the baby's heart-beat while he thought you were asleep murmuring things under his breath that you couldn’t hear.

It was those moments that made any anxiety you had about being a parent fade, because you knew that you weren't alone in this, that Ben was with you and he wasn't going anywhere.

“He’s an amazing actor and he’s definitely going on the list of people I’m allowed to cheat on you with.” You snort mind flitting to images of Jeff Goldblum lounging on a table clad in black, looking much too sexy for someone who was attacked by a t-rex.

“You realize that no matter how long that list gets you’re still not allowed to do that right?” Ben glances over at you with a frown.

Ben looked good today. His dark hair was a little longer than usual- he kept saying that he needed to get a haircut but never did-, he was wearing a pair of sunglasses that made him look dangerous and sexy, and the blue jeans he was wearing were some of your favorites. They were worn in just right and each time Ben wore them it made it difficult for you to form a single sentence. Of course, the thing that made you want to jump his bones even more was the fact that Ben was wearing the dark green sweater you made him for Christmas.

You had been so scared to give it to him, but since that day, Ben wore it whenever he could, and whenever the two of you were out and he would get a compliment, because he always did, Ben would say proudly "my girlfriend made it for me."

“Sure. Just like I’m sure that no matter how long that list gets for you, if you ever cheat on me I’ll castrate you.” You reply, scrolling to a different listing on your phone. This one had a nice view of Central Park, but the living room looked big enough to park four SUV's in. It was too much, too big, and too cold.

No matter how many different apartments you looked at in person or online, you never seemed to find one that felt like home. In each one you'd found something that you didn't agree with, whether it be the bathroom, the lack of a washer/dryer, the neighborhood, or the layout, nothing felt right and you were starting to worry. At this rate you were sure that your child would be old enough to move out before the two of you found somewhere to live. You wanted a place that reminded you of your home back in Illinois with your grandmother, someplace that felt warm, someplace that you could see yourself raising a family, and something that felt permanent.

Your fingers go to the locket around your neck, rubbing your thumb over the cool metal surface, tracing the grooves and pattern on the front to ease your anxiety. It had been Ben's mother's, one of the only things that he had left of her, but it was something that he wanted you to have. It was the most important gift that you'd ever gotten in your entire life, because you knew what it represented. Your boyfriend might not be good with his words or expressing his emotions, but this locket said everything he couldn't.

Ben's eyes trace over where you sit. "What's wrong Petals?"

"Nothing-"

Ben sighs "You've got that scrunch between your eyebrows sweetheart. We both know you can't lie to me."

You hesitate. "I don't like that we haven't found a place yet."

"That why you can't sleep?"

You bite the inside of your cheek and look down at your lap. You didn't know that Ben had noticed how you weren't sleeping well and it had nothing to do with not being able to find an apartment.

At first you thought that it was the pregnancy, as if the almost constant morning sickness wasn't enough, making you have worse dreams than normal was the icing on top of the cake. You'd had nightmares in the past about your parents, but these dreams were different. They were all about your brother Darren and each time he stood in front of you his skin and flesh melted away leaving nothing more than a flickering outline that buzzed and popped like a hot stove before it fizzled up and disappeared.

You had no idea what it meant, but you didn’t want to bring it up to Ben, not when he was so happy. So you choose not to answer his question.

"We're going to find a place, this just takes time." He continues.

"Not for me. Not usually. I chose my last apartment within a weekend-"

"And look at how shitty it is!" Ben huffs. "I can't believe that you lived there as long as you did without getting mugged."

"I am able to handle myself. And if you recall you have seen me fight off muggers."

Ben's frown deepens. "Don't remind me." You watch his eyes flick down to where your hand rests gently on your abdomen. "Look Petals, I know you like our apartment, but it's not just us anymore."

"I know."

"I don't want to raise our kid in that building with Mike blowing out my fucking eardrums every morning. And I could do without his mother trying to hump my leg like a bitch in heat every time I take out the trash."

Your eyes water just a little when Ben says the word ‘our.’ It solidified the thought that you weren’t alone in this, that Ben wasn’t going to leave you. You didn't really believe that he would, but it was nice to be reminded once in a while.

"Aww she's your biggest fan. And I seem to remember you being into older women before we were together-"

"And I seem to remember you saying that you would castrate me if I cheated on you."

"I will castrate you, but Mike's mother doesn't count. She's your hall pass, just like Jeff Goldblum is mine."

"No, he's not."

"Debatable."

"Petals." Ben growls, throwing you a dark look from over the console that sends a shiver down your spine.

Before Ben you never thought that jealousy was attractive, didn't think that it was cute when your high school boyfriend Newton got jealous when someone else talked to you, but Ben could make even the most annoying things look sexy.

"You should keep your eyes on the road Gramps, wouldn't want to get in an accident."

"I don't fucking care. Keep talking like that sweetheart and I'm going to pull the car over and make sure that my name is the only one on those perfect lips."

You arch an eyebrow in a silent challenge. "Promise?"

"And you say it's me that always gets us into trouble." Ben chuckles with a dark look.

The car comes to a stop and you turn away from Ben's hypnotic gaze to stare out the window, expecting to see the beautiful all glass front of the apartment that was way out of your price range, but instead the car is sitting outside a house in quiet neighborhood overhung with large trees that weave together in a canopy over the street.

The house is three stories, made of red brick, the small yard in front is fenced with black wrought iron with a garden box lying beyond the metal spikes where someone has tried to grow plants, but was not having any success. There's a dark painted archway over the black door that boldly has the number of the home written in gold, and a large round window dominates the space to the left of the door cut into the red brick, that is partially obscured by a mass of tangled vines which cling to the outside of the house.

"So we're going to have sex in your car outside of this house? Feels like the homeowner's association will have a field day." You watch a couple walk past with matching dalmatians and cashmere sweaters. "Or we'd get arrested for public indecency when fido and fido's girlfriend call 911."

"Maybe later."

"Well then why did you stop? Did you get lost?" You turn to look at him. "It's okay if you did, I won't make fun of you-" You pause. "Never mind, I can't promise that."

Ben rolls his eyes. "No, I didn't get lost. I wanted you to see this place."

"Ben this is a house." You emphasize the word, your eyes widening. "Remember when we had the conversation about trying to get an apartment so I could at least help you with the rent."

It had been an awkward conversation, you felt bad about making him try to reign in something that made him so excited.

Now that you were part owner of the plant shop you were getting a little more money and didn't need to rely so heavily on Ben, but you still didn't like taking his money. Your grandmother had always instilled in you the importance of being independent and you'd never relied on someone the way you relied on Ben.

You'd always felt the need to prepare yourself for the worst, for having a back up plan if things didn't work out, and you were realizing just how much weight you put on your shoulders each day. Ben wanted to lighten the load, you knew that, but you were trying your best to put more trust in him, inching out from beneath the piano on your shoulders by letting him do more and more for you.

It was still hard.

"Petals." Ben touches your cheek, eyes softening and making your next words dry up. He didn't often do things like that in public, but each time he did it made you feel like warm butter on a hot stove.

When Ben had started calling you that a year ago it annoyed you to no end, but now he said it affectionately, with love and hope in his eyes, and it stirred something deep down.

"Let’s just look at this one. And if you don't like it, I promise I'll drive to whatever apartment you want me to okay?"

"But it's a-" You protest, but you lean into his touch.

"I know it's a house."

"Are you sure? They say that the eyes are the first thing to go, especially with someone your age Gramps."

He huffs out a breath in annoyance. "I don't know why I put up with this shit."

"Because you loooveee me." You coo poking his cheek.

The look in Ben's eyes softens again, slowly tracing down your form to your belly again, before coming back up to your face. "Only because you annoy me so much."

"Exactly." You reach for what you believe is the door handle and Ben's smile drops into a frown.

You retract your hand. “It’s not the door handle is it?”

“Not in case you want to crawl out the window.”

“I do like to make an entrance.”

“You always do baby. Even when you’re not trying.” Ben winks and gets out of the car, walking around the back to open the door for you.

“Thank you.” You say taking his hand without hesitation.

The house looks even bigger when you gaze up at it from the sidewalk, but you can't help but admit that the house is beautiful in it's own way. It has more character than the other ones on the street that look like carbon copies of one another. It wore it's weirdness like a badge of honor, just like you always had.

And even with the small garden out front filled with dead plants that rot in the wooden garden box and the tangled vines that cover the circular front window, you can see the potential it has.

"I like the trees." You say, gesturing with the hand that's not holding on to Ben's at the canopy of large oak trees over the road that block the brilliant sunlight and leave the imprint of their outstretched branches on the pavement.

"I thought you would." Ben squeezes your hand.

"So where's our realtor?" You glance around the empty road for the sleek black Mercedes that "Tina," aka the most nosy woman in the world and your realtor, drove, but you don't see it.

"She said that she wanted to give us some space." He tugs you forward, opening the gate as he does.

"Thank God. If she tried to touch my stomach one more time or eye fuck you when she thought I wasn't looking, I was going to perform open heart surgery on her with her stilettos."

"Would have loved to see that Petals. Maybe I should have let her come today."

"Do you remember how strong Homelander was? Because I'm about to show you that he was nothing compared to a pregnant woman scorned." You warn, but Ben only laughs at you.

Your gaze falls to the attempted garden. Rosebushes, lavender, tulips, and many other flowers lie in states of decay choked with weeds, while other plants that you can't identify lie shriveled up and brown on the darkened soil. It tugs at your heart to see them that way, unloved and uncared for, left to curl up and die.

You feel your eyes shift to green calling forth the flowers, bringing them to the light, drawing them upwards to unfurl in the light of the sun and absorb the healing rays. The plants brighten and explode with pops of color that fuse the front of the house with new life and jasmine flowers bloom along the ivy that crawls up the side of the house sending the comforting smell over you as it takes on a more controlled woven tapestry rather than the chaotic snarl it was moments ago. Bougainvillea stretches up to weave itself above the front door, the dark red blooms contrasting with the black door. The circular window winks at you, and through the glass you can just barely see a hint of lightly painted walls beyond.

Your gaze falls to the small area in front of the house.

You could see yourself out here wearing your gardening hat with Bean and Rex sunning themselves in the sunlight while you weed with sweat sticking your shirt to your back and while dirt stains your fingers. Your eyes flick to the empty front steps, imagining Ben and you sitting there with cups of coffee steaming beside the two of you, with your head against his shoulder reading the paper he has open in front of him.

No, not thinking that. This is a house. Ben and I are looking for an apartment.

"Couldn't help yourself could you Petals?" Ben murmurs, dragging your attention back to him.

"No. Though I might want a commission from helping the seller with the curb appeal."

Ben rolls his eyes, but pulls you up the cheerful concrete steps to the black door before he takes a key from his pocket.

You eye it suspiciously.

"Tina gave it to me." He says with a shrug.

"That better be the only thing she gave you." Your eyes narrow, thinking of all the things that Tina could have done to your boyfriend when you weren't around.

"Jealous?" Ben's smile slips into a smirk. "Need I remind you of all the things you said you were going to let Jeff Goldblum do to you?"

"Need I remind you about the threat of castration?"

Ben leans down towards you, his breath warm against your ear, so close that you could smell his cologne. "We both know that you like what I do to you too much to cut it off Petals, especially now."

A pleasurable shiver traces your spine with his words and as much as you hated to admit it, Ben was right. As insatiable as you'd been for Ben before you were pregnant, now it had only multiplied ten fold.

In the first few weeks of your pregnancy you couldn’t have imagined wanting to have sex with Ben, the near constant morning sickness, swollen breasts, and nausea left little to be desired, but as you slowly began to inch into your second trimester you felt a change. It was like a switch had flipped. Yes the morning sickness came in waves, but your hormones bumped around inside from sick, to sad, to angry, to loving, to aroused so fast it didn’t matter for long and you were both reaping the benefits. Ben was eager to help you in any way he could and due to his supe enhancements he was able to keep up and keep you more than happy.

You fist your hand in the front of his shirt to pull his face down to yours, lips inches apart, your eyes narrowed, but pupils blown with lust. "Don't tease me right now Gramps."

"Wouldn't dream of it doll." Ben purrs, his eyes darkening.

Fuck.

You didn’t want to give in, but whenever Ben looked at you like that it made your skin heat and your heartbeat feel like thunder, vibrating through your entire body.

Ben leans towards you, but just before your lips touch his, he scoops you up into his arms and crosses the threshold.

“Ben what the hell are you doing?” You laugh, pushing at his chest.

“What? Was I not supposed to carry you across?” He pretends to be surprised.

“That’s only if we’re married dummy and this isn’t our house.”

“Oh well then it’s good practice.” Ben smirks and finally kisses you, drawing you tighter against his chest for a few precious seconds. It wasn't the kiss you expected a moment ago, this kiss was hungry, but not rushed, passionate, but not aggressive, and yet it was all consuming.

You sigh into his mouth, holding the front of his shirt tightly. You’d never gotten used to how it felt to kiss him, how everything else melted away except for him and you. Even when you’d hated him, Ben still knew exactly how to kiss you to take away all your inhibitions.

You could easily see yourself spending the rest of your life with him. And given the revelation that you potentially could live forever, it meant even more. You know that it made Ben feel good too. That he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to be alone ever again, that he could love someone the way he loved you and be unafraid of losing you.

Ben pulls back a wide smirk on his face. "I'm sorry wasn't that what you wanted? For me to bring you inside?" The look in his eyes shifts to amusement with his taunt. "Or were you thinking about me fucking you against the front door for fido and his girlfriend to see?"

"Shut up." Your cheeks heat in embarrassment that your boyfriend could read you that well.

"Because I didn’t think you were into that kind of thing Petals, but if you want we can go back outside and-"

You force his face down to yours, shutting him up the only way you know how. Ben groans into your mouth as your hands work their way up into his hair to hold him in place, your lips fervently moving against his as the warmth of arousal begins to thrum through your veins and pool in the pit of your stomach.

You pull back out of breath, fingers still tangled in Ben's long hair, your gaze locking on his. Ben's eyes are dark, lips curved up into a knowing smirk that, if Ben wasn't holding you in his arms, would make your legs give out. One of his arms is underneath your knees, but the other is around your chest, and you can feel Ben's hand fitting comfortably over the bump hidden beneath your t-shirt, absorbing the steady thud of your child's heartbeat against the palm of his hand. Something lurked behind the familiar green in his eyes, something that you could feel bubbling up in your own chest the longer you stared at him.

"Come on I want you to see the house." Ben mutters pressing one more kiss against your lips before he gently places you on the hardwood floor.

"I know. Stop distracting me." You say as you flip your hair over your shoulder.

"I'm a wonderful distraction. Wouldn't mind distracting you a little longer." His arm comes up to wrap tight around your waist, pulling your back into his chest. Ben’s lips trail down to your neck, nipping at the smooth flesh of your throat.

“Ben.” You half moan, leaning back into him. "Please."

"I know baby." He hums. "But lets look at the house first. After I'll give you what you need."

"Tease." You mutter under your breath earning a chuckle from Ben.

The two of you are standing in a foyer with a large staircase in front of you that leads to the second and third story of the house. A lightly painted hallway stretches beyond it, and a living room lies to the left through a wide doorway. The interior of the house is a mix of old and new, vintage and modern, with warm colored hardwood floors running throughout, lightly painted walls, and with dark colored wooden baseboards and door frames.

It reminded you of your grandmother's house back in Illinois and even without furniture the inside of this house felt like home. It wasn't drafty, too white, too new, too old, or too cold- it existed in the perfect harmony that Ben and you had been looking for since you started looking for an apartment.

No. This is a house. This is the complete opposite of what Ben and I are looking for.

You remind yourself as you walk into the small room to the left of the front door. There's a giant fireplace on the opposite wall with neatly placed built ins on either side. Natural sunlight came through the large circular window on the front of the house, giving you a view of the garden you'd reinvigorated with new life and the quiet street overhung with trees outside.

You could see yourself reading quietly on a plush armchair in the corner while Bean and Rex sunned themselves on the wooden floors or sitting on a couch and cuddling with Ben under a blanket in front of the fireplace when it got too cold outside, nestling into his warmth to keep the chill at bay.

You drift through the other doorway across from the circular window that leads into a dining room area. It has the same wonderfully natural colored hardwood floor so soft you were sure that it would feel like butter beneath your bare feet. You run a finger tip over the wooden doorway, feeling the smooth, strong wood beneath your hand. You could still see notches in the boards from where another family had measured how tall their children were growing with every passing year and it made you smile to yourself.

This house had character, had a history. It wasn't built in haste to house a population of people who probably would spend more time out than in, it was built with love and care, and had charm. It was what the apartments that Ben and you had seen wasn't.

Ben hovers behind you silently, watching you move through the space with curiosity. He drinking in your expressions and trying to see what you thought. You had no idea how he found this place, not when the two of you had been looking at huge modern apartments in buildings that weren't more than a year old.

The kitchen is even more impressive.

It's modern, with stainless steel appliances, light granite countertops, and a dark green backsplash, but somehow still holds some of the vintage charm that merges seamlessly together with the new appliances.

You could see yourself making jams for the farmer's market at the stove, making dinner for your family or sitting with Annie at the counter with glasses of wine lamenting over everything Hughie and Ben did to annoy the two of you while secretly loving them all the more for it. You could see yourself dancing with Ben to ABBA while the lights were low and he got home from work, just as you had seen your parents do years ago and imagined a vase filled with flowers on the counter that Ben brought home just because he felt like it, not because it was a special occasion. Ben did that for you every week, brought home flowers because he knew how much they made you smile.

"This kitchen is huge!" You exclaim, spreading your arms out to twirl in a circle. "Annie and Hughie could fit in here too!"

Ben frowns at your mention of Hughie.

"What?" You lean over the counter to stare at Ben. "You know that if we get a bigger place they're going to come over for dinner more often right? I'm thinking Friday nights they could come over for dinner and a movie-"

It was a tradition that your parents had started, that Annie and you carried on when they died, and now Ben picked up the slack. Spending Friday nights on the couch under a blanket eating greasy pizza out of the box had seemed like a foreign concept for Ben, but now it was him that always made sure that he was home on Friday nights to make it to movie night so you could cuddle up against him under the warm blankets.

"I think we see them enough." Ben leans on his side of the counter across from you with a frown. "Plus, I thought that you would like a kitchen a little bit bigger to make me dinner."

“Or maybe," You tap your chin as if deep in thought, eyes narrowing. "The kitchen is big enough for you to start pulling your weight. Doing the dishes, cleaning up, trying to make dinner for your pregnant girlfriend-“ You count off on your fingers.

“How long are you going to use that excuse?”

“For the next 7ish months or so."

Ben huffs out a laugh and rolls his eyes at you, while you continue to move through the kitchen.

There's a giant living area just beyond that you can imagine Ben and you sitting on the couch in front of a TV watching another one of his ridiculous films or see you and your child sitting on the couch reading a book together while Ben sits beside you with his arm around your shoulders. You didn't know the sex of the baby, wanted to wait a little longer to see how things progressed before you found out.

But each day it became more real.

You could hear the pitter patter of feet across the floor and the squeals of an imaginary child racing through with Ben hot on their heels trying to catch them, could see a child with a smaller Rex wrapped around the back of their shoulders feeding him bits of strawberries, and could see a child in a highchair while Ben and you tried to feed them spaghetti. Your left hand drops to your belly again as you think of what the future could look like and the longer that you stand inside this house the more you can see yourself living here with Ben, having a life here together.

You hadn't seen that anywhere else that the two of you had gone to see in the past few months. It made all of this even more real.

I'm going to be a mom.

The thought lodged in the back of your throat. You were excited, but you were also a little worried. You didn't know the first thing about being a mom and no matter how many books you read or how many blogs you found, you felt underprepared.

Not to mention you could still remember all the videos that you'd had to watch in middle school about childbirth that were made to scare students into being celibate and it only made your anxiety worse.

"What are you thinking about Petals?" Ben asks, coming around the counter and turning you in his arms. His face is twisted into a concerned frown.

Tears were building behind your eyes now, your emotions getting the best of you. It was easy for you to cry about nothing at all, but this was different. Your future was slipping through your fingers, unfolding in front of you in this house. It reminded you of how you'd felt for the past few years when all you wanted was to fall in love and be loved by someone. The lovesick feeling that followed you around as you tried your best to find a man who would make you happy the way that Hughie made Annie happy, but never seemed to find the right one before you met Ben.

"This place it's perfect, but-"

"But what?" Ben's thumb brushes the tears away, eyes focused on you. Whenever Ben looked at you like that you thought that he could see through you to the pieces that no one else ever cared to uncover.

"It's a house." You breathe leaning into his touch.

"And you don't like it?"

"No, I love it." You whisper, but you feel a little frustrated. "I can see us here. See a ridiculously big Christmas tree in that corner," You point to the living room. "See breakfasts on this counter," you gently slide your hand along the marble countertop. "See us watching movies in the living room on our couch and see our kids running around outside in that back yard." You gesture to the all glass back wall of the house where there's a finished patio and a surprisingly large lawn outside, but stranger is the giant greenhouse that sits just beyond.

"So what's the problem?"

"I mean… it's not what we talked about. Can we even afford this?"

You knew that Ben could afford it, you just weren't sure about you.

Ben is quiet for a minute, before he takes your hand and tugs you in the direction of the backyard. "I want you to see something."

"Something? The house isn't-"

"There's one more thing." He squeezes your hand and takes you outside.

There is a canopy of trees that shields the patio from the sun overhead that has begun to descend behind the houses on the street, the clouds turning a burnished gold in the light as it says goodbye.

The two of you follow the path of stones neatly laid in the lush grass, leading to the greenhouse that looks much bigger than it did from inside. It easily reaches to the second story of the house and has a black iron skeleton that holds together the pieces of glass artfully placed in different shapes and sizes.

Ben turns to look at you. "Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Do you trust me Petals?" He looks at you, his green eyes catching yours, wide and open. You knew that he knew the answer to that question, but you also knew that Ben never believed that someone like you could or should trust him.

You promised yourself when the two of you started dating that you would make Ben feel special each day the same way he made you feel special and made Ben understand that you loved him and you weren't going anywhere.

The things that Countess did to him still weighed on his heart, but you were happy to see that after one year with you, Ben was different. He was more open to telling you what he was feeling, (one word answers), he was more open to sharing memories with you, (only a sentence usually), and Ben was getting comfortable using the word "love." It had taken him a solid three months to say it, but Ben didn't need to say it, you knew it was true long before he uttered it aloud.

"Of course I do." You lean into him, your free hand coming to rest on his chest. There was a slight chill on the edge of the wind, a promise of winter, but the warmth of Ben's body shields you from the breeze.

"Then close your eyes." He repeats.

There's something dancing in his expression that you can't place, but your gaze travels down to his shoulders and you realize that Ben is nervous. You'd never seen your boyfriend nervous in a while, the last time was when he gave you the locket that hung between your collar bones.

But you do as he says and he brings you inside. "Okay, open."

When you do, your heart stutters to a stop in shock.

The greenhouse isn't empty. There are rows of citrus trees with lemons, oranges, and tangerines, apple trees with bright red fruit, potted blueberry plants, vegetables, and herb plants sitting on low tables, woven vines of raspberry and blackberry plants on trellises that cover the walls, and a collection of potted strawberry plants one of which is in a pot that looks a lot like the one that Darren broke when he came through the window of your apartment one year ago.

There's a circular staircase to the left of the door that would take you up to a second story where there are even more plants, but also a sitting area that feels warm and bright, and has a fan hanging over to make sure that it stayed just a little cool in the warm month. It would be the perfect place to read and relax, more so than the room inside you noticed when you walked into the house.

On the bottom floor there is a potting bench surrounded by flowering plants pushed against the right wall where new tools hang and colorful pots are placed. There's also an obscene amount of bagged potting soil stacked up higher than you are tall just to the left of it.

You gently lay your hand on the wood of the bench to feel how soft it is. The wood has been sanded down to be smooth as silk and you look to the right to see that next to it, is a identical bench but smaller with tools made of plastic for a child and a small apron that matched the one hanging from a hook fastened to the greenhouse wall.

Is that for-

The thought stutters to a halt. You didn't understand why this was here. A greenhouse in New York City wasn't odd, but the fact that there was one almost two stories tall and contained everything you might need to expand the farmer's market you had grown to love so much at the back of this house was odd.

There's a potted gardenia sitting on top of the bench and the bright smell brings the gentle comfort of home as the delicate flowers bend towards you.

Being in here is the same way you feel whenever you're in the plant shop. You could feel the new life curling beneath the soul, feel the thrum of energy from the plants that turned towards you expectantly, and feel the way your powers reached out to them to offer a healing hand.

"Ben, why is this here?" You ask confused.

Ben clears his throat. "You know I hate that fucker, but he works fast."

"Who?" You turn to him.

"Jake." Ben says simply. He's leaning against the doorway watching you with an unreadable expression.

"Jake did this?" You gesture to the greenhouse full of plants, enough plants that you would be able to supply the farmer's market each week without batting an eye. Now, you used the plants in your apartment, but there never seemed to be enough to keep up with the demand, but here-

Wait a minute this is crazy. This isn't our house. What the hell is going on?

“I thought you needed a little more product and he told me he’d take care of it.”

"But why was Jake-"

"I figured it out Petals, why none of those other places felt right." He interrupts. "I didn't get it before, why you didn't like the apartments we went to see, why you kept finding something wrong with them. Fuck, I made fun of you for saying shit like 'the ceiling is too high,' but as soon as I found this place I knew it was right."

"What are you talking about?" You still didn't understand why any of this was here.

Why would Ben want Jake to bring all these plants here if we're just looking at this house.

“I lied." Ben crosses his arms over his chest and rolls his shoulders as if it makes him uncomfortable to admit it.

“About what?” You frown.

Ben didn't like lying to you, you knew that, and you liked how brutally honest Ben was about everything. Trust was a two way street between the two of you, and just as Ben didn't lie to you, you didn't lie to him- well… Ben always seemed to know when you were lying, but that didn't change the fact that you didn't like lying to him.

“I didn’t tell Tina not to come today and we were never going to see that apartment. I told you that to get you to come with me.”

“Why?” You draw out the word still confused.

“Because I already bought this house.” Ben smiles tightly.

“You WHAT?!” You screech eyes widening. “Why?!”

“For the same reason you said Petals, it’s perfect.”

“But- But-" You don't know how to respond to what he's admitted. "You said we were just looking! That this place is-"

Ben shakes his head with a sigh as he takes a step closer to where you stand. "It's funny that I lived this long and still somehow happened to fall in love with someone a little more old-fashioned, but I fucking love that about you, that you're not like anyone else." He reaches across the space to take your hand in his, the warm calloused palm fitting perfectly over yours.

"What does that have to do with the house?”

"Apartments don't feel permanent, not to you, they feel temporary, but a house… it makes this real." Ben swallows. "And I want this to be real."

You blink in confusion, worried about him. "Ben, what are you talking about?" You squeeze his hand trying to comfort him. "This is real." Your free hand comes up to cup his bearded cheek, that prickles against your skin. "I love you. Nothing is going to change that. Not the baby or where we live or-"

"I know that." He laughs. "I mean this." Ben gestures with his free hand to the greenhouse and then back at the home behind the two of you. "There's room for our kid and for as many as you'll let me give you. There's room for Diana, and even though I know she'd rather die in that house in Illinois than move here, I'm going to try my damndest to get her here so she can be with you. I know how much you miss her. And as much as I hate the idea, there's even room for Annie and fucking Hughie if they want to stay the night." He grumbles with a sigh. "It's a good neighborhood, so I won't have to worry about you getting mugged or some shit when I'm stuck with that British fuck somewhere else, and it's close to schools that my old man would have probably liked, but I want our kids to be safe and have a good education."

“But-“

“I know it’s a house.” Ben breathes. “But just listen for a minute.”

You swallow the lump in the back of your throat, more tears building in your eyes. It was hard to be angry with him over something that you wanted as much as he did. And the truth was, you weren't angry with him for buying the house. It again represented the one thing that you'd told Ben that night at Vought, that you liked gifts that meant something, and standing here in the greenhouse that Ben had made sure was filled with enough plants to support your dream in the backyard of the house Ben bought not only for you but for your children, made you want to melt into a puddle.

Because Ben was ensuring the two of you had a future, that your children had a future, and you didn't think that you could love him any more than you already did.

“When I took you to Vought I didn't know any better. I was comparing you to the women I used to fuck around with and what they would have wanted, what they would have thought was special." Ben's jaw tightens and you wonder if he's thinking about Countess. "But I wanted to give you that life because I thought it's what you would want and because I wanted to take care of you, but I was wrong." Ben gestures with his free hand back to the house again and then looks at you, the sunlight catching the flecks of gold in his eyes like stars. "This is what you want Petals. This life. A house on a quiet street away from it all where you can garden and read and exist in a world that isn't fucked up with supes and compound V."

You’re speechless now, tears trailing down your cheeks.

“I’ve lived in a lot of different places and I forgot what it was like to have a home and for the longest time I didn’t understand what I was missing. I had money, I had fame, I had women willing to do whatever I wanted, and I had people worshipping me, but I was missing something.” He trails his thumb over your cheek again with a soft smile. “Turns out it was you. You’re fucking annoying, you get under my skin, you make me feel like a complete asshole when I make you cry, you somehow find some little thing to complain about when I do something for you-“

“Again why do you always sound like you’re insulting me whenever you try to confess how you feel?” You laugh, but it comes out more of a sob.

“Shut up.” Ben rolls his eyes with a sigh, but there’s not bite to his words. “You always interrupt me.”

“Because you always insult me!” You rub at your eyes with the back of your hand.

“I have told you on numerous fucking occasions that I’m not good with words!”

“But-“

“Shh.” He puts his hands on your cheeks. “You're so different than anyone I've ever met. You drive me fucking crazy. Any other man would have jumped off a building by now, but-“ He shakes his head with a wide smile. “I fucking love it and I'm so fucking lucky that you decided to love me."

"You didn't give me much choice. It was you that insisted on living in my shitty apartment." You breathe, your hands moving up the soft fabric of his t-shirt to rest against his chest. "I did my best to drive you away, but you wouldn't leave. And you call me stubborn."

"Nothing you could have done would have driven me away Petals." His hand falls to where yours rests on his chest, and gently holds your wrist. "Nothing you can do will drive me away. Not now, not ever."

The love in his eyes makes your lungs stop working. He was looking at you the way you always wanted someone to, as if he could see past flesh and bone and into your soul and saw your worth, as if Ben saw every little piece of you that you tried to hide and didn't care.

"And nothing that you've done will drive me away Ben." You whisper leaning in to him. "You can't change the past."

"I know." He swallows tightening his grip on your wrist. “And I know you keep saying that you don’t want me to pay for everything because you want to be more independent, and you’re worried that we can’t afford this, but fuck even if you told me you wanted to stay in that shitty apartment building, I’d buy the whole thing and make everyone leave just to make sure that you and our kid is safe."

Determination flickers in his eyes and you believe it, because you know that Ben would do anything for you.

"But I knew the moment I saw this house that this was what you wanted, that this life is what you've wanted. I know that you like to do things for yourself, but I didn’t buy the house because I didn't think that you couldn’t help me… it’s because I wanted to do this for you. I like doing things for you because I love you.”

"I love you too." You smile up at him a little misty eyed, but happy.

Ben's jaw tightens for a moment before he says his next words. "I'm not going to lie, I've imagined this kind of life before when I was with Countess."

You fight the wave of anger that surges with her name in your chest. You hated her for what she did to Ben and what she did to your grandmother, and wished that before Ben blew her to kingdom come, you had an hour with her to show her what it was like to get poison ivy shoved up her ass.

But it was unusual of Ben to mention her. He didn't often bring her up in conversation.

"I started imagining it after I visited Diana. I saw how happy she was with your grandfather and with your dad when he was a kid. I wanted that. But each time I tried to imagine what it was like with Countess, it never fit, something was wrong. And I know now that it's because it wasn't with you. It never looked like the life we have together and I wouldn't trade that for another second of fame."

"Ben-" You breathe his name, tears cresting over your cheeks.

"The moment I walked in the front door of this place I knew it was right. I knew this was the place that we were going to raise our children. I see us here too Petals. I see myself coming through the front door and you fucking tackling me because you can't wait long enough for me to close the door. I see us on the couch in front of the fire making love. I see you upstairs in the nursery painting the walls with paint in your hair even though I told you I was going to do it. I see you singing a fucking ABBA song while you rock our child in your arms. And I see you out here in this greenhouse doing what you love and me being happy because I know you're safe and I don't have to worry that I'm going to get home and you won't be there or worse." Ben's jaw tightens at the thought. "I want this with you for the rest of my life and I don't care if I sound like a fucking pussy for admitting that."

Ben drops down to one knee

"Wait what are you-" You begin to say, but Ben pulls a small box out of his pocket that makes you forget how to breathe entirely.

"So I’m asking you to let me give this to you and to our children, because I feel like I’m finally coming home and I don’t want to be anywhere else, just with you."

You stand there for a moment speechless, staring down at where Ben is on one knee. "Are you asking me to move in with you?" You try to smirk at your joke, remembering what Ben asked you the night he came home.

"No." Ben smiles opening the box. "I'm asking you to marry me."

You'd like to say that the ring is beautiful, but truthfully you don't look at it. As soon as the words are out of Ben's mouth you throw yourself against him so hard that he loses his balance and tumbles back onto the pavement, while catching you on top of him to make sure that no part of you hits the ground and make sure the baby is safe.

"Wha-" He begins to say, but you shut him up, your mouth falling against his so hard that you think that you hear the click of your teeth, but you can't stop.

Not when the man below you has your whole heart and had it the second you let him spend the night in your apartment all those months ago, not when he has been everything you needed for so long that the thought of him leaving would destroy you, and not when he is the only person in the world who sees all of you and asked for more.

Ben's body relaxes under yours as he deepens the kiss, drinking you in like he can't get enough, his hands coming up to hold you tighter against him, before he flips you over onto the ground as gently as he can so he's hovering over you. His dark hair is falling forward into his face, eyes bright with mischief, as he stares down at you.

"Is that a yes?" He smirks.

"It's a maybe." Your hands entwine at the back of his neck. "If you reconsider the hall pass option with Jeff Goldblum."

Ben kisses you so hard you see stars. “You’re so fucking annoying.”

"You know you love it, and I plan on annoying you for the rest of my life Gramps. You should get used to it."

"Do you promise Petals?" Ben breathes against your lips, eyes focused on yours.

"I promise. You're stuck with me."

"I can't imagine anything better sweetheart." He kisses you again, but pulls back with a unreadable expression. "Are you mad I lied?” He breathes against your lips.

“No. Because I lied too.”

“About what?” Ben looks confused.

“All of this. It isn’t what I imagined. It isn't what I thought falling in love would look like. It isn't what I expected and it's different than what I told you at that fundraiser.” Your fingers curl into the hair at the nape of his neck to hold him above you, refusing to let him go for even a second.

Ben's smirk drops into a worried frown that you kiss away, the warmth of his body around you like a warm bath.

“It’s better.” You breathe against his lips, watching the way his eyes brighten.

When he looked at you like that it made you feel like you'd swallowed the sun and it was bursting out of your fingertips. You never wanted to lose his lovelight and you wanted to spend the rest of your life being his.

The world outside the greenhouse falls away and you're left with Ben, the man you couldn't help but fall head over heels with the night you decided to take a chance.

A/N: I'm not crying, it's just raining on my face 😭. This reader and this version of Soldier Boy hold such a special place in my heart. Oh goodness I didn't think that we'd ever get here, but wow😊. This fic series wasn't just me writing, it was me being filled with the constant love and support of all of y'all helping me towards the goal and I am so grateful for everyone who reblogged, commented, liked, and loved the story just as much as I did 💗. I could not have done this without y'all. I am going to write a mini-series for them and I have some fic ideas for the two of them, so it is not goodbye completely, it's just I'll see you in a little while. Seriously though, thank you so much to everyone 🥰

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teshadraws · 2 days ago

Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 67]

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Team Scarlet works through the emotional aftermath of the disaster at Bethoc Bluffs.

Once Ezra and Team Evergreen are teleported up to the medics, Tobias and Nia are left on the flight floor with Alistair and the other psychics.

Alistair turns to them with an exhausted sigh. “Are you two all right?”

Nia, still sniffling into Tobias’ shoulder, doesn’t answer.

“We’re not hurt,” Tobias answers. All right is a bit of a stretch, though.

The gardevoir seems to understand, eyes softening. “What happened?”

Tobias recognizes that tone. It’s caring, but firm enough that it’s an order. Alistair probably needs to inform August, Verene, and the medics about what happened, and wants to get it done right away before he forgets in the chaos.

“We went into the dungeon,” Tobias says, dropping his eyes. “Team Evergreen followed us in. One of the towers collapsed on top of Ezra and crushed his arm.”

Alistair doesn’t scold them or reassure them. He simply hums in understanding. “I’ll pass that info along to the medics and let Verene know you’re back at the guild. Evacuation is almost complete, so why don’t you two head to your quarters and get some rest?”

Nia doesn’t answer, lifting her head from Tobias’ shoulder to instead stare down at her paws. Tobias nods. He doesn’t want to go back out there anyways—not after what happened to Ezra. Even if Tobias sort of feels like they’re running away from their duties.

“Could you have Verene let our teammate Samir know we’re back?” Tobias asks, quiet. “They weren’t with us when we went in.”

Alistair assures them that he can, then recommends again that they get some sleep.

“Ezra is in good hands,” the gardevoir adds before turning back to the other psychics, who are teleporting another team and a few evacuees into the guild in a blinding flash of light.

Tobias watches the proceedings dully. Behind he and Nia, one of the open flight ports lets rain mist in against their backs, and Tobias is at least grateful for his poncho shielding him from the worst of it. The weather is finally slowing down too, a gentle drizzle rather than a downpour. When Tobias looks, the sky is lighter, a sleepy pre-dawn gray rather than the pitch black of night.

Beside him, Nia stares into space with tired eyes. Her ears and tail hang low.

“C’mon,” Tobias mutters, taking Nia’s paw. “Let’s get some rest.”

Nia lets him tug her into motion and back to their quarters. The Seekers floor is unusually quiet when the reach it, and the two of them plod by the other teams’ rooms in equal silence.

When they open the door to their room, Junie immediately pops out of the blankets, clearly having not slept a wink since they left.

“You’re back! Thank God. I was going stir-crazy in here and you had me all worried about—"

Junie stops when she really takes them in.

“…Everything okay?” Junie asks, quieter. Her eyes flick over Tobias’ shoulder. “Where’s Samir?”

“Samir’s fine,” Tobias rasps, scrubbing a hand over his eyes. “Probably not happy with us, but safe. We…”

“I made us do something stupid,” Nia whispers. She sniffs, swallowing hard. “Ezra got hurt.”

“Oh…” Junie falters, watching Nia with uncertain eyes. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Nia wipes at her face and shakes her head, trudging over to the bed and crawling under the covers to hide. She curls into a tight ball rather than sprawling everywhere like she usually does, and Tobias’ wordlessly follows her example, taking off his rain poncho and climbing into the mountain of blankets and pillows as well.

“Later,” Tobias says, feeling Junie’s questioning eyes on him. “Just…I need to sleep a while first.”

Junie doesn’t push, thankfully. She just sighs and moves to burrow under the blankets next to Nia.

Tobias hesitates before taking the second blanket and curling up too, his spine pressed to Nia’s through the blankets.

The covers feel scratchy against his scales, his skin sensitive and raw after being out in the rain for so long. He tries to ignore it, closing his eyes and willing sleep to come. He’s exhausted, and he just…doesn’t want to think about this. Not yet.

Tobias must fall asleep quicker than he expects, because the next thing he knows he’s waking up with a gasp, and fighting his way free of the covers, heart pounding hard in his chest. He looks around wildly, panting as he catches his bearings.

Right. They’re home. And despite feeling like he hadn’t slept a blink, he must’ve been out for hours. Late morning sunshine lights their room with a soft, gentle glow through the leaf blinds.

Vaguely, Tobias recalls wisps of the nightmares he must’ve had. Memories, of a sort. Cold fur and stiff muscle under his fingers. Ezra’s voice, screaming. The rumble of rock, and then Nia’s voice screaming in the sneasel’s place. Or maybe Vivi’s. Tobias can’t be sure. Even now, the sensations are fading fast.

Whatever he dreamed, it certainly didn’t help him feel well-rested. Tobias groans and rubs at his temple. He feels a headache coming on, and he’s tempted to try going back to sleep. Not like he wants to face what he knows awaits them in the waking world anyways.

The guilt.

Tobias takes a few minutes to calm himself, then lifts his head again once he feels more at ease. Beside him, Nia and Junie are still fast asleep, two motionless lumps under the covers. Nia’s tail is poking out.

Tobias is surprised to hear another source of soft breathing, though, and looks past them to find Samir has returned as well, curled up on the bed without a blanket on Nia’s other side.

Tobias watches the skiddo sleep for a moment, the guilt in his chest growing heavier.

Samir tried to stop them from going into the dungeon. Tobias is sure they’ll have something to say about that—and rightfully so. It was a stupid decision. Beyond reckless. But he couldn’t let Nia go alone, and he didn’t fight her once they met that plusle wailing for her sister.

Tobias sees the minun’s body in his mind’s eye for a moment, her pale fur wet and dirty and her body unnaturally still.

Tobias shakes his head as if he can physically dislodge the image. Still, the heaviness in his chest remains.

They weren’t fast enough. Once again, he couldn’t save someone’s sister. Couldn’t save anyone. Was there even a chance they could, if they’d moved quicker? Or were all the casualties already dead long before they even stepped foot into the dungeon?

…Does it matter? Ezra is seriously injured, either way. And they accomplished nothing.

Tobias takes a long, shaky breath, and pushes himself up. He slips out of the bed to stretch, yawning until his jaw cracks. He still feels exhausted, his limbs heavy. After a moment of hesitation, Tobias grabs his warm blanket and pulls it over Samir, hoping to alleviate some of the guilt in his chest.

Then, he goes to the window, peeking past the blind to find that the clouds have mostly cleared, only a few wisps remaining from last night’s storm. The sky is a light, wintery blue and bright with sun. The autumn-toned forest below smells wet with rain, and the air bites at his cheeks.

Last night almost feels like it was a bad dream.

Tobias looks over at the bed again, throat tightening as he thinks of the bits of his nightmare that he remembers. Endless, stinging rain. Digging, digging, digging. Rumbling and death and tired fear. Ezra screaming. Nia too.

That could’ve easily been Nia pinned beneath that tower instead, and it makes him physically nauseous to think about. He can’t imagine how Andyn and Jaz are faring.

They should check on Ezra today, even if some part of Tobias is terrified to find that they couldn’t save the sneasel. That he died while they slept.

Tobias shakes his head. No. No use thinking like that.

A quiet shift of the covers on the bed makes Tobias look back. Junie’s awake, the rookidee’s head poking out of the covers as she blinks sleep from her eyes.

“Hey,” she whispers. She glances at Nia, then Samir, then back. Some of what Tobias is feeling must be on his face, because she doesn’t don her usual smug smirk. Instead, she carefully extricates herself from the nest and flutters to his side. “You all right?”

“Not really.” Tobias says. He lets the blind close.

“What happened out there?” Junie asks.

“…Let’s get some food for everyone and I’ll tell you on the way.”

Junie doesn’t respond aside from fluttering up to perch on his shoulder. Tobias welcomes the grounding sensation of her tiny, prickling claws and the gentle brush of her feathers against the side of his jaw.

————————————————————————————————

It’s a bit closer to noon when Tobias and Junie return to Team Scarlet’s room, Tobias gently kicking the door open to avoid dropping any of the fruit In his arms. He doubts they’ll need so much, even for the four of them, but he wanted to be prepared with some light, easy snacks. Although Junie mentioned not having much of an appetite after hearing about their night, and he can’t imagine Nia and Samir will be very hungry, either.

Nia is awake, though she apparently hasn’t been for long. She’s sitting up in bed with the blankets pooled around her as she rubs at her eyes.

Samir is awake too, but much more alert. The skiddo is sitting by the window, peering past the blinds like Tobias had been. When they turn, their expression is unreadable but definitely not happy.

Tobias sets the pile of food down, meeting the skiddo’s eyes. “Food.”

Nia slips out of bed with one of the blankets wrapped around her shoulders and stumbles over, muttering a word of thanks before picking listlessly through the offerings.

Samir abandons the window to approach the rest of them and lock eyes with Tobias.

Tobias holds back a sigh. “…Guessing you want to talk?”

Nia stops pretending to look through the food, looking up at Samir with wide eyes.

Samir nods, once.

Tobias bites back irritation as he glances down at Nia, huddled in her blanket as if that could protect her from the world. “This can’t wait a day?”

Samir hesitates. They glance down at Nia too, but then shake their head, resolute.

“Fine,” Tobias grumbles. He flops down on the plush scarlet rug in the center of the room.

Nia tentatively joins him, pulling the blanket closer around herself. Tobias isn’t sure if she’s genuinely cold or just needs it for comfort. Junie wordlessly hops into the riolu’s lap for moral support.

Tobias looks at Samir. “I don’t know if anyone caught you up, but—"

Samir cuts him off with a curt nod, only a twitch of their brow betraying any emotion. Word must’ve spread about Ezra’s injury, then.

Heavy silence falls between them.

Samir opens their mouth, then stops. Their brow furrows. They stamp a hoof, once, clearly frustrated, and huff a breath through their nostrils.

Right. Whistle communication can only get you so far. It can’t be easy to be upset and be physically unable to articulate it. Tobias quickly stuffs away any pity that might be showing on his face.

“Do you want some paper?” Nia asks, quiet.

Samir only looks more frustrated at the offer. They look around the room, then suddenly stop, as if struck with an idea.

The skiddo frowns at them and taps their hoof on the floor twice, as if to tell them to stay here.

Then, they leave the room.

Tobias blinks. He exchanges an uncertain look with Nia.

“Uh. Where’d they go?” Junie asks.

“Dunno,” Tobias mumbles.

A minute passes.

Then, they hear the telltale sound of Samir’s hooves against the wooden floor. The skiddo stalks into the room, shoulders tense, and positions themself across from Tobias and Nia.

To Tobias’ surprise, Avery trails in behind them. The kirlia offers the three of them a strained smile and a little wave before joining Samir’s side.

“Samir asked me to act as a telepathic translator for a few minutes,” Avery says. They glance at the skiddo and the tension visible in every rigid line of their body. “They have some things they want to say without getting muddled.”

Tobias blinks, surprised. Psychic ‘mon using telepathy isn’t an uncommon disability aid for mute ‘mon, but he’d assumed Samir wouldn’t be comfortable asking someone they’d only met once to do the job. Especially for a situation like this.

Though, looking at the way Samir holds their head, jaw clenched, maybe they’re just so upset that it’s worth the discomfort.

Tobias fights the urge to squirm with renewed shame, and nods. “Right. Uh…go ahead, then.”

Samir glances at Avery.

Avery says, “I’m angry.”

Tobias winces. Yeah, he thought that would be the case.

“I know you were doing what you thought was right, going into the dungeon. In a way, that’s admirable,” Avery says, watching Samir’s face.

While the kirlia doesn’t have quite the right inflection—Tobias hears none of the carefully controlled anger he sees in the skiddo’s posture—it’s clear that Avery is using Samir’s body language to make sure they get the right message across.

Samir turns a hard look on Nia and Tobias.

“But what you did was stupid and reckless, and you could’ve gotten yourselves killed. From what I hear, you almost did.”

Nia flinches. Tobias bites his lip to keep from making a defensive remark.

“And I tried to warn you as much as I could in the field,” Avery says, watching as Samir starts to pace in a tight path, back and forth. “And you just—didn’t listen. I don’t try to stop you for fun, you know? I’ve been in an active disaster zone before. I know how bad it can be. I knew the chances of anyone surviving in that dungeon were slim when the outside looked so volatile.”

With each word, Tobias feels his shoulders raise a little higher, as if to protect himself from the sharp scolding.

“This happened in Fort Asra, too. I told you the mines were too dangerous, and you insisted on going in without Calder anyways. And we almost died there as well! Eddy would’ve killed us if he got the chance. You know he would have.”

Tobias feels an extra heavy layer of shame settle on his shoulders for that one. Fort Asra’s recklessness was all Tobias—and for his own gain, too. At least Nia was trying to help other Pokemon during last night’s emergency.

“Nia,” Avery continues, as Samir swings their head to focus on the riolu. “I thought you had a cooler head than Tobias, but you let your emotions get the best of you last night.”

Nia winces. Tobias fights the urge to defend her, to tell Samir to back off while Nia’s in such a fragile emotional state.

Junie does it in his stead, fluttering forward to glare up at the skiddo. “Hey! I wasn’t there last night, but I know Nia was only trying to help! She’s an awesome Seeker and she saved my life by being so brave!”

“And when she saved your life, did she risk her own in the process?” Avery asks, low, matching the burn in Samir’s eyes.

Junie falters. “…W-Well...”

“What happens if she doesn’t make it out from the next reckless decision she makes? Or if Tobias doesn’t? Are you okay with their deaths on your conscience?”

At Tobias’ side, Nia takes a sharp breath.

Junie’s fluffed feathers fall back into place, and she suddenly looks twice as small. “…N-No.”

Samir shakes their head, agitated.

“This happened with my old teammate too,” Avery says. “No one ever listens to me when I’m just trying to keep them safe!”

Samir punctuates Avery’s voice with a stomp of their hoof, and Tobias knows they would be yelling if they could. Instead, they glare daggers at Nia and Tobias as Junie shuffles back into Nia’s lap.

“I can’t be on a team with Pokemon who jeopardize not only their own safety, but that of everyone around them,” Avery continues, quiet. “Not again. I’ve done that before, and it ended with me losing my voice and nearly my life.”

Tobias stares at Samir, aghast. That’s how they got hurt? Because their partner didn’t listen to them?

Nausea rolls in Tobias’ stomach. Beside him, Nia silently brings a paw up over her mouth.

“I know I’m the one on a trial run,” Avery continues, as Samir’s jaw tightens and they stubbornly hold Nia and Tobias’ gaze. “But if this happens even one more time, I’m gone. I’ll withdraw my application and return to the Pyrite Guild immediately. No debate.”

Silence crushes down on the room yet again.

Nia stares at Samir as fresh tears bud in her eyes. Tobias can’t blame her for being so stricken. Hearing that the injury that took the skiddo’s voice and nearly killed them came from their partner’s negligence—their recklessness—is…more than a little upsetting. Especially considering how poorly Tobias and Nia have viewed the skiddo’s last teammate.

Samir’s right. They haven’t listened to them. Tobias and Nia let their emotions rule over the skiddo’s wants twice now. And it doesn’t matter if Nia and Tobias’ motivations are somehow more selfless or more personal than Samir’s ex-partner’s, does it? It doesn’t matter when it hurts Samir all the same.

“You’re right,” Tobias says, quiet.

Samir stops, looking sharply at him. Tobias can read the What? on their face without Avery’s help.

“You’re right,” Tobias reiterates, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Arceus, he’s tired. “We should’ve listened to you. We shouldn’t have brushed you off.”

“I’m so sorry,” Nia adds, voice cracking. “I knew we shouldn’t go in there but I just couldn’t stop thinking about my own brother, a-and I couldn’t just leave the minun, and—"

“Breathe,” Tobias murmurs.

Nia cuts herself off, taking a shaky breath. Her eyes are wet. “We should’ve listened to you, Samir. I’m so sorry. And I’m really sorry we made you feel like your voice didn’t matter in that decision.”

Tobias nods, mumbling, “Sorry. We can promise to do better, but…I don’t know how much weight our word carries on its own.”

There’s a moment of silence, punctuated by Nia wiping at her eyes, while she and Tobias wait for Samir’s response.

Samir stares at them for a moment, as if expecting them to continue. When the skiddo realizes they’re done, their expression shifts to confusion.

Samir glances at Avery, and for the first time in this conversation the kirlia looks close to smiling.

“That’s it?” Avery asks for Samir.

Tobias frowns, exchanging a hesitant look with Nia. “I’m…not sure what else we can say, other than apologizing and trying to do better if you give us another chance.”

“Promising to do better,” Nia says, fervent.

Samir shakes their head, brow furrowed.

“No,” Avery says. “Aren’t you two angry?”

…What?

Nia tilts her head. “A-About what?”

Samir’s ears slide back, and their head ducks, embarrassed.

“I didn’t stick with my partners. I stand by what I said, but I thought you’d have your own piece to say about me abandoning the team on the field. And then coming back and scolding you when I’m not even an official member.”

Oh. Tobias looks again at Samir. Despite their threat to leave—and Tobias has no doubt that it’s genuine—they look a bit timid themself, as if waiting for Nia and Tobias to kick them off the team for…what? Insubordination?

Tobias snorts. “Why would we do that? You’re right.”

Samir looks up, surprised.

“And,” Nia adds, voice soft. “Even if you weren’t, this isn’t the kind of team where you get in trouble for, um…’disobeying’ Tobias. Or me. Tobias usually leads us in dungeons, but…”

Nia glances at Tobias, so he finishes, “We don’t really have a leader in the traditional sense. We’re a team. You’re afforded just as much say as either of us.”

Samir blinks at them, clearly baffled by the idea. Their mouth opens. Then closes. Their brow furrows again.

“You say that,” Avery says. “But so far that hasn’t proven true.”

Tobias winces. While Samir wasn’t technically on the team in Fort Asra, their point still stands.

“You say you’ll do better. How do I know you’ll follow through on that?” Avery asks.

Tobias swallows, exchanging an uncertain look with Nia.

“I don’t think there is a way to know, until we’re put into that kind of situation again.”

Nia looks at Samir. “Unless you have an idea?”

Samir thinks for a moment, before sighing and shaking their head.

“Then I guess,” Tobias says, slowly. “Your trial period in the mountains is our trial period too.”

“If you’re still willing to come with us,” Nia murmurs.

Samir doesn’t answer immediately. They look between Tobias and Nia for a few silent moments with dark, conflicted eyes. Tobias fights the urge to look away.

While a small part of Tobias—the part still reluctant to add anyone to their two-person team—finds the idea of Samir leaving a relief, this isn’t how he’d ever want that to happen. Not because they’re such bad teammates that the skiddo feels forced to leave for their own safety. And a much larger part of Tobias doesn’t want the skiddo to leave at all. They’re a good teammate.

“You were right,” Tobias says. “You knew what you were doing more than we did, and we should’ve listened to you. If you’re willing to stick around for one more try, we can show you that we can listen and be the teammates you deserve.”

They have to. Samir made an excellent point, earlier. They can’t keep gambling with each other’s lives and just hoping it’ll turn out all right. They need to be smarter.

“We can hold each other to that,” Nia says.

“And I can help too!” Junie says, putting up a wing. “If they try pulling any stupid, reckless stunts I can yell at ‘em and tell them they’re both being idiots!”

Samir huffs something like a laugh, some of the tension in their shoulders dropping as they look at Nia, Tobias and Junie with an almost annoyed expression.

Avery laughs. “Took the wind from your wings, didn’t they?”

Samir’s mouth twists, and they nod. Then they take a deep breath.

“I mean it,” Avery says, voice going soft again as they speak for Samir. “I won’t hesitate to leave if this happens again. I won’t have anyone’s blood on my conscience. Not yours, and not mine. Not when it can be avoided.”

Tobias thinks of Ezra and hears the sneasel’s screams, and thinks again of how easily that could’ve been him or Nia instead. “I know. We won’t fight you on that.”

“We deserve to lose you if we mess up like that again,” Nia says. “So we just…won’t mess up.”

Samir stares them down for a few more long moments, then sighs.

“Then for now, I’m with you,” Avery says.

Junie cheers. Nia breathes a sigh of relief, chin dropping to her chest. Tobias feels a bit of his own tension melt away.

Samir turns to Avery with a nod.

Avery smiles and curtsies. “You’re very welcome. Feel free to let me know if you need my help again.”

Samir nods, all righteous anger gone from their expression. Instead, Tobias spots some of the embarrassment he’d been expecting earlier.

“Really,” Avery says, gentler. They smile and tilt their head Nia and Tobias’ way. “There’s no shame in it. We all need help sometimes.”

Samir hesitates, but nods, though they can’t quite hold the kirlia’s gaze.

Avery turns next to Tobias and Nia. “Speaking of—how are you two holding up? I hear it was a particularly difficult night for Team Scarlet.”

Not as difficult as it was for Team Evergreen, Tobias thinks, cringing.

“Not great,” he hedges.

Nia shakes her head, taking a deep breath to straighten out the wobbly, upset line of her mouth. “U-Um. Have you heard anything about how Ezra is doing?”

Avery shakes their head. “No. I’m afraid my team only just woke up a short while ago. You could try visiting the medical floor? Maggie may be able to give you an update, even if Ezra isn’t her patient.”

That’s true. Even if Ezra is being treated by other medics, Maggie and Sage would still be supplying the herbal treatments with a disaster this catastrophic.

“You don’t think she’ll be too busy?” Nia asks.

Avery shrugs, the kind smile never leaving their face. “You won’t know until you try. If she is, you can always visit again later.”

“You want to go check?” Tobias asks Nia, half-hoping she’ll say no. He’s still dreading the possibility that Ezra passed away in the hours since his injury. Tobias will be relieved if they just find the sneasel alive, but even the best-case scenario won’t be easy to handle.

Nia looks scared, hugging Junie close to her chest and shrinking into her blanket. Tobias imagines she’s probably thinking much the same as him, but she still nods a yes.

Avery excuses themself back to their own room with a word of luck and directions to come straight to them if they need to talk or need more telepathic translating.

And then it’s time to go find Ezra.

Junie and Samir tag along without Tobias having to ask, and almost all too soon the four of them have made it up the stairs and to the medical wing.

The floor is noticeably busier than usual. Unfamiliar medics pass between the rooms lining the hall, talking to one another in low, urgent tones. Quiet voices can be heard from inside the patient rooms, and somewhere farther down the hall Tobias hears someone crying.

Nia shuffles closer to Tobias, Junie settled in the crook of her neck. Samir stands close to the riolu’s side.

Tobias eyes the medics that pass, gauging how easily they’ll be able to slip down the hall without getting in anyone’s way. He can’t remember the last time they had someone here who needed surgery, but he does know that patients with severe injuries will likely be housed together farther from the stairs.

One of the medics notices them hovering near the staircase before they can make their move. It’s a meowstic, and she stops to ask with a tired air what they need.

“Is Ezra the sneasel available for visitors?” Tobias asks, dread building in his chest. Don’t say he died. Don’t say he died. “His arm—"

“I know the sneasel,” the meowstic says, thankfully not wearing the sympathetic expression that would mean Ezra passed away due to complications. Instead, she looks so tired she almost comes across as bored, her yellow eyes lidded and her pointy ears held low. “Are you friends of his?”

Tobias hesitates. Nia nods, giving a quiet confirmation.

The meowstic looks them over, then nods. “He’s still unconscious, but you can visit briefly as long as you don’t cause any problems.” The meowstic turns and points towards the end of the hall. “He’s in the last room on the left with his team. There are other patients in there as well, so do not disturb them.”

They all nod, and Tobias quickly leads the group down the hall, staying pressed to the wall to stay out of the medics’ way. At the end of the hall, Tobias stops and peers into the room the meowstic had pointed them to.

There are a few patients resting inside, lying in nests situated against the walls. They all appear heavily injured, bandaged and out cold. There are one or two unfamiliar ‘mon visiting the wounded, sitting exhausted and morose at their bedsides. A medic is carefully unraveling the maroon-stained bandages on a doduo’s stump of a leg.

Tobias tears his eyes away from the grisly sight to focus on the familiar pair of ‘mon at the back of the room: a deerling and stufful. The two of them are silent, Jaz curled up in a ball and seemingly fast asleep with her striped tail laid over her face, and Andyn resting with her long legs tucked underneath her and her head hung low.

Just past them, Tobias catches a glimpse of dark fur: Ezra, motionless in a nest of his own.

Tobias glances at Nia, who has frozen up beside him with wide eyes and pinned ears. She looks terrified.

“We can always come back later,” Tobias murmurs.

For a moment, Nia doesn’t respond. Then, she swallows and shakes her head. “N-No. No, I want to see how he’s doing. If they need anything.”

Nia takes stilted steps into the room. Tobias exchanges a grim look with Samir before following.

Andyn’s ear flicks when Nia gets close. The deerling lifts her head to look at the newcomers, and for a moment a thousand different emotions flicker across her tired face. Anger, sorrow, relief and shame battle for dominance in her red-rimmed eyes.

“How is he?” Nia asks, quiet.

“He lost his arm,” Andyn responds, quieter.

Nia stops in her tracks, looking at Andyn as if she’d misheard. Tobias sighs. Maybe he should’ve warned her that that would likely be the case.

Tobias looks past Andyn to where Ezra is resting. The sneasel’s entire upper body is wrapped in bandages, and his left arm is simply...gone. The curve of his shoulder slopes smoothly into his ribcage.

At least the sneasel is alive.

Nia’s mouth opens, then closes. “Andyn, I-I…I’m so sorry.”

“You should be!” Andyn snaps. “If you hadn’t gone in there—"

Samir steps forward with a sharp stomp of their hoof. The dark look in the skiddo’s eye is enough to make Andyn’s mouth click shut.

“You can’t blame Nia for this,” Tobias says, more tired than angry at this point. “It was stupid of us to go in, but you’re the one who decided to follow. And you’re the one who made your team go with you.”

Andyn flinches, looking away. Looking at Ezra. Slowly, her head drops again.

“…I know.”

Another uncomfortable silence. Nia looks on the brink of tears again.

“He’s stable, right?” Tobias asks. He imagines a medic would be on constant standby otherwise.

Andyn lets out a shuddering breath, nodding. “He is. He’ll live. He’ll just be…”

Be missing an arm. Tobias can imagine it’s hard to take in. For anyone, but especially for a sneasel, seeing as their claws are one of their greatest weapons.

“There are plenty of Seekers who’ve lost limbs,” Tobias says, not sounding nearly as reassuring as he’d like. He recalls glimpsing one or two such ‘mon over the years and marveling at their scars when he was younger.

Andyn swallows hard. Then, she looks back at them, mouth shaking like she’s barely keeping herself from falling apart. “My parents stopped by.”

Tobias frowns.

“Th-They…” Andyn glances at Ezra. “They said that I should start thinking about how to let Ezra know he’s off the team. Since he’s…a liability now.”

Tobias’ jaw goes slack, stunned. The suggestion would be harsh enough, but to come from Andyn’s parents? About one of Andyn’s best friends? And less than a day after the whole traumatic incident happened?

“That’s horrible,” Nia says, looking sick.

“Yeah, those are officially horrible people,” Junie mutters.

“They’re not horrible!” Andyn says, voice high. A few tears slip down her cheeks. She tries to glare at Nia and Junie, but it’s ruined by the way her face crumples. “Th-They just…they…”

For a long moment, it’s silent again, save for the quiet sound of the medic working on another Pokemon elsewhere in the room. Andyn sniffles.

“There’s only so long you can make excuses for them,” Tobias says.

Andyn doesn’t answer that, looking back at Ezra’s unmoving form. The deerling reminds Tobias of a wilted flower, her ears and shoulders limp. Like she’s barely holding herself upright.

Nia shifts on her paws. “I-I don’t know if there’s anything we can do before we leave, but, um…don’t hesitate to ask if we can help, okay? We—"

“You’re leaving?” Andyn asks, head snapping up to look at Nia. Her voice is accusing, but her eyes are scared.

“Probably in the next couple days,” Tobias confirms.

Andyn shakes her head, tears welling up again. “Y-You can’t! I—Ezra needs you right now!”

Nia winces. “I-I know. I’d rather stay here, but we’re on a timeline a-and—“

“A timeline? What could be so important that you have to up and abandon us right now?!” Andyn asks, pushing herself to her hooves. She’s visibly shaking, enough so that Tobias worries her thin legs will snap like twigs beneath her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tobias sees Jaz finally stir and lift her head.

Nia takes a step back, paws up. “W-We don’t want to! B-But—"

“Is it something to do with that monster you summoned in the dungeon?” Andyn asks, voice rising. “Giratina? How long have you been hiding that little secret from us?!”

“Shut up!” Tobias hisses, glancing over his shoulder. The few unfamiliar ‘mon who are visiting their loved ones are staring at the commotion, though they quickly look away.

“Anne?” Jaz murmurs, sitting up.

“I-It kind of has to do with him,” Nia admits. “But it’s really important, Andyn. L-Like, um…world-saving important. We wouldn’t go otherwise! But—"

“Of course it’s world-saving important!” Andyn says with a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “Why wouldn’t you be gallivanting off to save the world?”

Nia blinks. “What?”

“After all, you’re perfect little Nia. The human with all the answers!”

“Andyn,” Tobias warns.

“W-What are you—?” Nia stammers, looking blindsided. “I don’t know—"

“You’ve always gotta be the hero, right? You just keep thinking you’re so good and sweet when your stupid idea is the reason Ezra got hurt at all!”

“Andyn!” Jaz snaps. The stufful moves between Andyn and everyone else, butting the deerling back a step.

Whatever look is on the stufful’s face, it’s enough for Andyn to finally back down, face twisted with emotion and tears streaming from her eyes. The grass type turns back to Ezra, folding her legs once more as she falls back to the ground.

“Just go,” Andyn says. “All of you. Go have your little human party with Giratina in the mountains. I don’t care anymore.”

“Andyn,” Nia whimpers, barely loud enough for Tobias to hear. “I don’t…”

Tobias intercepts his partner’s reaching paw, giving her heartbroken expression a silent shake of his head. Samir takes over from there and gently herds Nia back towards the hall while Junie murmurs soothing words.

Tobias glares at Andyn’s back. “Nia visited today hoping to help. Your parents visited to tell you to abandon your partner. Think harder about which ‘mon you really want to push away.”

Andyn stiffens, but doesn’t answer. Tobias turns on his heel to follow Nia and the others out into the hall.

Nia is choking back hiccupping sobs. Junie is preening the collar of fur around the riolu’s neck in a soothing gesture. Samir is pressed against Nia’s side, holding her up, but the skiddo looks at Tobias with dark, angry eyes. Tobias can only imagine how the skiddo feels about the deerling right now, having been in Ezra’s position themself.

“Tobias! Nia!”

Tobias turns, surprised to find Jaz hurrying after them on her short, stubby legs. The stufful’s face is apologetic, and she looks deeply pained when she catches sight of Nia trying to pull herself together.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Jaz says.

“Not your fault,” Junie grumbles. “You aren’t the one with a stick up your—"

“All the same,” Jaz says, cutting her off. “I’m sorry. Andyn isn’t taking this well, but that was way out of line.”

“Why are you always the one apologizing for her?” Tobias asks, crossing his arms.

Jaz hesitates. “I…shouldn’t be. I know. But I just know how good of a ‘mon she can be.”

“Well that’s not a very good reason,” Junie grumbles. “Anyone can be nice one day of the year. That doesn’t matter much if they still suck every other day.”

Jaz pauses, then sighs. “…I suppose you’re right about that. Andyn’s been going through a lot lately, but that doesn’t excuse her lashing out.”

“Why do you and Ezra even follow her?” Tobias asks. “Seems like you’d be better off on your own team.”

For a long moment, the stufful doesn’t answer. Their whole group has to shift to the side of the hall to let a couple of medics through.

“That would never work,” Jaz finally says. “We need Andyn. She’s the heart of our team.”

Tobias frowns. “The heart?”

Jaz smiles up at him, soft and sad. “Ezra and I don’t have the drive or the confidence to be Seekers on our own. Andyn is the one who makes us feel strong. She’s the one who makes us feel like we can do anything. When she’s focused, when she’s in a good place, it’s like…I can see the kind of leader she could be one day. And it’s amazing. And that makes me want to be amazing too.”

Tobias can hear the sincerity in the stufful’s voice, and to some extent he understands what she means, but…

“But…” Jaz says, quiet. She casts a somber look back into the room. “There are certain things you can’t come back from. And I don’t know if we’ll be able to come back from this one.”

“You’re disbanding your team?” Junie asks.

Jaz shakes her head. “Not yet. But we can’t keep going like this, with Andyn so focused on perfection that she puts us in danger. I want to wait and see what Ezra thinks first. If he even wants to be a Seeker anymore after all this.”

Tobias feels a twist in his stomach thinking about what the sneasel will have to face when he wakes up. The ice type has always been absurdly bright and friendly, but Tobias can’t imagine even Ezra will be able to just shrug off an injury this life-changing.

Tobias glances at Nia and Samir, fresh guilt creeping into his lungs. This very easily could’ve been their team on the verge of disbanding. Nia or Samir in that nest and missing an entire limb.

Tobias can’t let them endanger themselves so recklessly ever again.

“I’m so sorry we have to leave,” Nia sniffs. Her face is still a damp, teary mess, and her voice is warbly. “I really wish we could stay, but this just…isn’t something that can wait.”

Jaz gives the riolu a tired smile. “That’s not hard to believe after seeing Giratina himself in that dungeon. But you can tell us all about it later. I’d better go check on Andyn, all right? Take it easy and be safe.”

They nod and say their goodbyes as the stufful returns to her team. Then, they’re left in the hallway, unsure where to go next.

For a moment, Tobias desperately wants to find Maggie and soak up the meganium’s soothing presence. They could all use that, honestly. But she’s likely still busy with Sage, mixing up herbs for all the injured. Seeing how busy everyone is up here, they probably shouldn’t disturb her.

Nia’s stomach growls, loud, breaking Tobias from his thoughts. The riolu’s muzzle wrinkles, and Tobias can imagine that she doesn’t feel like eating even if her body is hungry. But it’s important to stay fed.

“C’mon. Let’s eat some of those berries we brought back earlier.”

No one argues, and they make it back to Team Scarlet’s quarters without another word between them. Tobias immediately digs through the pile of berries until he finds a persim berry, and shoves it into Nia’s paws.

Nia doesn’t argue with the unsaid command, and starts nibbling at the berry’s pink skin through lingering sniffles. Tobias digs out a rawst berry for himself and gets to work cooking it in the bowl of his hands with a small jet of fire. The first bite of its warm, dimpled skin is a welcome comfort, the juices bitter and sharp on his tongue.

Junie and Samir pick through the berry pile as well, the rookidee trying to guess what the skiddo’s favorite berry is while Samir half-heartedly entertains her guesses with a dry shake of their head. Junie hams up her despair after each wrong guess.

A whimper from Nia’s direction has all of them turning her way. Tobias’ heart sinks to find fresh tears slipping down her face as she clearly tries and fails to hold them back, berry held tight enough in her paws that Tobias fears it’ll get crushed to a pulp.

“Whoa, hey, what’s wrong?” Junie asks, abandoning her game to flutter onto Nia’s leg. “I mean…a lot is wrong, but uh—”

“What’s wrong specifically?” Tobias clarifies, abandoning his own food to sit down in front of the riolu.

Like a dam bursting, Nia starts crying in earnest, dropping her berry to cover her face. Heart-wrenching sobs rip from her chest and make her shoulders jump.

Samir had frozen nearby at the first cry, but they jolt and quickly settle against Nia’s side, as if to offer moral support with their presence despite the obvious panic on their face.

For a second, Tobias panics too. This isn’t the same quiet, constant grief they’ve all been feeling today. This feels like a bubble bursting—like something in particular is making her so upset she simply can’t process it. And knowing Nia, she needs some way to work it out of her system.

So, swallowing his own discomfort, Tobias asks, “Hey, uh. Is this more of a hug problem or a talk problem?”

Nia’s crying slows just long enough for her to wail, “Both!”

“Well, you heard the girl,” Junie chuckles, hopping closer to nuzzle Nia’s waist.

Tobias hesitates for only a moment before scooching closer. Then, he gently tugs the riolu’s paws away from her eyes and guides her into a hug. Nia latches onto the contact immediately, squeezing him tight enough in return that it’s almost painful.

Tobias tries to remember what Maggie did in the past when he was this upset. When he was desperately missing his family and feeling the fresh pain of their absence all over again. After a moment, he tentatively rests a hand on Nia’s back, then skims it up and down her spine in what he hopes is a soothing gesture.

As Nia cries, Tobias feels the grief and guilt he’d been shoving into the back of his mind all day surface anew. She doesn’t deserve to feel like this. None of them do.

This has to be the worst part of being a Seeker.

Tobias squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep, shuddering breath, trying to send his own sorrow from last night’s disaster along with it. It feels…nice, in a way. To just let himself be sad. To be upset.

Eventually, though, Nia’s cries soften and fade. She pulls back from the hug with clear reluctance, wiping at the wet fur on her cheeks. The red of her eyes pops even brighter than usual.

“Sorry,” Nia says, her voice a wreck. “I’m fine. Just…been a long night. Day. It’s not fair for me to act like mine’s been any worse than yours.”

Tobias snorts. “Just because we aren’t crying doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to cry.”

“Yeah! And even if we’re all upset, maybe you’re the most upset right now,” Junie says, peering up at Nia. “That’s okay. Sometimes people need more help at different times, even if everyone is dealing with the same crappy situation. We’ll take turns.”

Nia huffs a watery laugh. Her expression is warm as she runs a paw over the rookidee’s back, earning a pleased chirp.

Still, something on Nia’s face gives Tobias pause.

“You’ve got something else on your mind,” Tobias guesses, ignoring Nia’s surprised look. “Something other than the general awfulness we’re all dealing with.”

Nia blinks. “O-Oh. I mean…kind of? But it isn’t important."

“What?! It’s important if it’s upsetting you!” Junie says, whacking Nia with a wing. “Spill!”

Nia smiles, like the sun peeking through the clouds. Just as quickly, the expression falls away. For a few quiet moments, Tobias thinks she isn’t going to talk at all.

Then, Nia whispers, “I was just thinking that maybe Andyn was right.”

Tobias frowns. Junie makes a squawk of outrage. Even Samir pulls away from Nia to give the riolu a baffled look.

“I know it was Andyn’s choice to follow us into the dungeon,” Nia explains. “A-And Ezra’s choice to follow her. But I wanted to save that minun. I wanted to save her so badly that I didn’t listen to Samir, a-and I pulled Tobias in with me too. And if I hadn’t done that then Ezra never would’ve gotten hurt and—"

“Whoa, slow down,” Junie says.

If anything, Nia talks faster. She’s blinking back a fresh wave of tears. “I-I just feel so guilty for everything, a-and maybe Andyn’s right and I just like playing the hero? And that’s even worse because I thought I was just being a good person but is it actually good if you have to try to be good a-and—"

“Okay, hang on,” Tobias says, hands out. Alarm bubbles in his gut.

“A-And now I feel like I won’t know what to do in the future because if I can’t trust my own moral compass to lead me to the right decisions, what do I trust?!” Nia asks. “I was so sure I was doing the right thing but was I just doing it to make myself feel better? A-And even if I wasn’t, I know I need to think things through better but does that mean I have to make myself not care because I don’t think I even know how to do that a-and—"

Tobias grabs either side of Nia’s face, stopping her rambling and catching her off-guard. She stares at Tobias with glossy eyes, panting as she catches her breath.

“Breathe, Nia,” Tobias murmurs.

He breathes deep, waiting for her to mimic him the best she can before letting it out. Another breath. Another exhale. Again.

Slowly, the wild light dims in Nia’s eyes. But she still looks so…uncertain. Like she’s doubting everything she is and everything she stands for. It hurts to see, when Tobias often looks to her as his own moral compass.

“It wasn’t smart of us to go into that dungeon,” Tobias says, releasing her. “It was reckless. You shouldn’t have done it, I shouldn’t have let it happen, and Andyn definitely shouldn’t have followed us. But that doesn’t mean you were wrong to care.”

Nia watches him with lost, pleading eyes. Begging him to convince her.

“If circumstances had been different, maybe the minun would’ve been alive when we found her. But even here and now, when she isn’t? When we gained nothing? I know that if we hadn’t gone into that dungeon to look for survivors, it would’ve haunted you. You’d be sitting here wondering if you could’ve saved that minun if you’d only tried. I know you would be, because I would be thinking the same thing. There was no right answer in that situation.”

Tobias glances at Samir, half-expecting a protest from the skiddo. They’re watching Tobias with a furrowed brow, but they don’t interrupt.

Tobias swallows. “A-At least this way, the plusle will know for sure what happened to her sister. And we only know that because we tried. We cared. So I don’t think it’s bad, to try to do what’s right, even if that means you’re wrong sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Junie says, voice soft. “Remember? You followed your gut and came to save me in Ghatha. If you never tried to do good, even when your brain told you it would be smarter and easier not to, then I would be dead right now.”

“B-But…” Nia looks at Samir. “We agreed we were too reckless last night.”

“We were,” Tobias says. “But I think it’s just a matter of…balance. A balance that we need to get better at finding. Between trying to do what’s right, and trying to keep ourselves and others safe.”

“But how do we know where that balance is when my heart says it’s always worth the risk to try?” Nia whispers. “I-I know it’s stupid to be so emotional over this, but—"

“It’s not stupid,” Tobias says, harsher than he means to. Everyone looks at him, and his face heats. “It’s not stupid to care.”

Nia doesn’t respond, and Tobias holds back a frustrated growl. She doesn’t get it. It’s not only that her emotional, caring nature isn’t stupid. It’s that it’s important.

“Look,” Tobias sighs. “You know how earlier, Jaz said that Andyn was so amazing that it made her and Ezra want to be amazing too?”

Nia nods with a small, confused noise of agreement.

“I…kind of understood what she was saying. Because you’re that for me too, Nia. You’re good. You care. You always try to do the right thing. And you make me want to do the right thing and care, too. If I’m in a situation and I don’t know what to do, then…I look to you.”

And that’s something Tobias treasures and admires in his partner. Nia without her ridiculous kindness and her silly, soft heart simply wouldn’t be Nia. And Tobias would never want that.

There’s a moment of heavy silence where Tobias wants to melt into the floor. But Nia is staring at him with something like hope, fresh tears glittering in her eyes. “Really?”

“Really,” Tobias admits. “And if we can just learn to be a bit more cautious about how we follow that drive to do good, I don’t see any reason for us to stop trying, or to stop caring. Right?”

Nia bubbles with a relieved laugh, but there’s a bend to her brow that belies the worry beneath the joy. “I just…I don’t know if you should look to me as your guide for something that important. I try to be a good person, but I’m nothing special.”

Tobias scoffs. He’d argue his partner is very special. And even if he is biased, that bias has to come from something real, right? It’s not based on nothing. It comes from how Nia has always been there for him, even when he didn’t deserve it. How she always tries to do what’s right, even when it’s hard. How she always tries to be kind and helpful to everyone they meet.

A surge of affection swamps Tobias like a wave. If Tobias could just show her that feeling, how much she inspires him, how merely thinking about his partner fills him with comfort and courage and makes him want to be better, then—

Oh.

Oh, he could do that, couldn’t he? Tobias is one of the few Pokemon in the world who actually can show that to his partner.

Fear threatens to smother the warm trust in Tobias’ chest, but he shoves it away before it can take hold. Because this would show Nia how much she means to him, simply because of who she is. And maybe then she’d understand why he looks to her like a guiding star.

“Read my aura,” Tobias says.

Nia and Junie blink at him, shocked. Even Samir seems to gauge the importance of the request after a glance at Nia and Junie’s reactions.

Nia’s mouth flaps. “Tobias, I—are you sure? What—why?”

Tobias swallows. His heart is beating hard against his ribs. He shrugs. “It would show you. That you…inspire me and stuff. Just from being you. You don’t have to do it, but—"

“No!” Nia says, paws out. “I would love to, but. Um.”

They fall into an awkward silence again. Nia watches him with wide, wide red eyes.

Tobias can’t blame her. He remembers how vehement he was in the early days of their partnership about her keeping her aura to herself. Tobias always said it was about it being creepy, a breach of privacy, but if he actually lets himself think about it, Tobias thinks it’s more about the vulnerability of it all. Of Nia seeing Tobias as he actually is instead of the Pokemon he tries to be nowadays.

Tobias doesn’t even know who he really is. He doesn’t know if him trying to be good like Nia actually makes any kind of impact on who he is at his core. The thought scares him.

But…if he can trust anyone with himself, with his very soul, he knows it’s Nia. Even if he’s drowning in embarrassment and fear and some kind of deep shame simply for being him, for being woefully inadequate as a son and partner and Seeker, he knows that Nia will still see the best in whatever he has to offer.

And he wants Nia to see the best in herself, too. Even if that’s through him.

So Tobias takes a breath—two—and holds out a shaky hand, palm up.

After a long moment of hesitation, Nia reaches back.

#pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon #skiddo #pmd seekers of soul #tesha draws #tesha writes

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tinylilacbun · 3 days ago

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I feel like the whole kidnapping situation would give reader so much stress in the first few weeks that her little side would sometimes slip out, even tho she tries to repress. She would whimper and try to suck her thumb as a self soothing habit almost unintentionally, and everytime jj tries to gain her trust and replace her thumb with his, she would slap his hand or jerk away. But as the months go by and the "trust" comes, he would be the one cuddling her and giving her his thumb (even at the times he's the reason she's sad, because he's manipulative like that)

You're trying so, so hard to keep your composure. It's been days or even weeks, you don't even know anymore, having completely lost a sense of time in this cramped bedroom, at least you know when it's day or night thanks to the windows that are sealed shut.

Your mind has been screaming at you to regress, to get a break from the constant stress you're being faced with but keep telling yourself that you can handle this, that you'll find a way out and everything will be over.

JJ makes sure you're always confronted with your little space to give you no choice but to regress at some points, just like the pacifier that's laying on the nightstand that you don't dare to touch and give him the satisfaction that he's getting to you.

Or the plushie that you keep throwing across the room whenever he places it back beside you, and the only source of warmth is the colorful blanket with tiny bunnies printed on it.

As the time passes by JJ checks up on you more often during the day, not just to give you food water, or taking you to the bathroom when needed, because your resolve begins to crumble the more he's being gentle with you.

You're so in your head that you don't even notice when your thumb makes its way into your mouth, closing your eyes as you soothe yourself and try to blend out the way the handcuff on your left wrists that's attached to the headboard digs into your skin.

You don't even flinch when you feel the bed dip, only opening your eyes as you feel a hand running through your hair, seeing JJ sitting beside you with a soft smile on his face.

Your body doesn't even tense up as it used to whenever he is near, you even start to appreciate the little bits of affection he gives you.

You've made so much progress without even realizing, not flinching away or talking back to him as you did at the start.

You're completely overwhelmed with everything lately, not understanding what's going on in your head, why you can't bring yourself to claw at his face or keep fighting his every attempt of being close to you.

The tears start to slip before you can stop them, sniffling into the pillow as you sink into that familiar floaty feeling you always have whenever you regress.

You don't even resist when JJ moves to lay down beside you, carefully manoeuvring you to cradle you in his arms, covering you with your blanket as you quietly weep into his shirt.

"Sh, I know, it's okay. Papa's got you." He murmurs, his chin resting on top of your head as he rocks you back and forth gently.

Papa. He keeps addressing himself with that title. You don't even know his real name, he never mentioned it or found it necessary to tell you since he'll only be papa to you, nothing else.

JJ's has waited so long to get you to this point, to make you crave his comfort, the way he assures you that you don't have to worry about anything anymore, that he'll always be there to protect.

He slowly grabs your wrist to pull your thumb out of your mouth, quickly replacing it with his before you could protest, breathing out when you seem to accept it and nuzzle more into his body warmth.

"There we go. You're all good, little bun." He hums, reaching into his pocket with his free hand to get out a set of keys, carefully unlocking the cuff around your wrist for the first time in weeks, tracing the red mark before wrapping his arm around you again.

He presses a kiss against your hairline, getting a little more comfortable on the bed with you cuddled against him, tucking the lovey - that he stole from your house just before he kidnapped you - into your arms, smiling when you instinctively hug it closer to your chest. "Things will get better, you'll see. As long as you behave we could have it real nice."

#chasing shadow au #stalker!jj drabble #little!reader

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hangeslovers-world · 1 day ago

Text

YOU BRAT!

Synopsis - brat tamer head-cannons abt the squid game women!

A/n - I’m working on one for just hyun-ju but I needed to get THIS out my system so bad sorry if this is bad I’ve literally never written brat taming before soooo… ANYWHO REQUEST ARE OPEN

Warning - LOADS OF FREAKY SHIT

Characters - no-eul/ hyun-ju (I’ll do a full fic later…with the shaman lady.)

No-eul

You’ve pissed off a total sadist I fear good luck.

No but really the second she thinks you’re out of line she’s instantly fixing that.

Her preferred method is definitely edging she needs her poor girl to be desperate for release before she does anything

Her fingers always stay right at your clit the second you complain she pinch’s it just to make you squirm (she loves watching you squirm)

Punishments are given out fairly thorough she won’t punish you unless you deserve it

So if you like to cum if just listen to her!

No-eul’s fingers touched just the right spot over and over again. You could feel the heat burn up in your stomach as your legs attempted to close from the pressure. Just then…it all went away.

“Cmon I was so close please- oh please just let me cum!” Tears sprung down your eyes if your hands weren’t tied down you honestly would’ve fingered yourself at this point.

“7 times you didn’t listen this week, you can cum once you’ve payed for all your nonsense.” Her words were cold yet they always left you even wetter.

Before you could even open your mouth once more her finger flicked your clit as she smirked looking at you.

“Don’t complain or you’ll owe me more.”

From that alone you knew you were in for a long night…you just hoped she’d let you cum at the end of it.

HYUN-JU

Opposite of no-eul she will have you seeing STARSS

How you managed to make this sweetheart mad enough to have rough sex with you is a mystery to you also

Normally she’s so gentle?…now she’s got her hand on your neck giving you the horniest and scariest look ever

Her hand is around your waist as you ride her for god knows how long your legs are tired, your soaked, she’s soaked, and on top of all she hasn’t given you permission to stop.

“U’Unnie…” your voice was hoarse as your teary eyes looked down at hyun-ju who was red and also overstimulated.

“One more ok.” Her voice was nothing but a whisper yet you knew she wasn’t asking, she was telling you.

Doing as told you got to work moving up and down on her cock holding her breast for nothing more then support as you moved.

“Take it. Take all of me” she said moaning with you. Like a song of melodys mixing together her moans your whines all stuck together as you both cum.

“Have you learned your lesson” hyun-ju says outta breath as she moves you next to her.

“Have you learned yours? You’re the tired one” your words were playful…and a bit teasing as hyun-ju grabbed your chin looking at you in your eyes.

“I’m tired yet, we can keep going.”

Those words alone had your legs ache but…you can’t deny hyun-ju can you?

(Ignore the MAN!)

#no eul x reader #no-eul x reader #cho hyun ju x reader #hyun ju x reader #player 120 x reader #guard 11 x reader #squid games x reader #hyun-ju smut #no eul smut

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banananutmuffin28 · 1 day ago

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HIII, I saw you were available to take questions about sub squid game woman so I knew this was my moment 🏃‍♀️ sooo sub Kang No-eul with a fem reader fucking her with a strap-on and all the dirty talk about breeding or something like that. I know it's weird but it was something that occurred to me a few days ago lol 😭 anyways, feel free to ignore this if you like 😽

(This was done with google translate sorry 🧃)

A/N: God, I saw this and then immediately had to move it to the top of my list omg. [This is fueling my lust for stoic women who have a secret pathetic side]. I tried my very best to keep her personality as canon as possible, even if she is a sub! Also, omg?? That is some very good Google Translate haha. What is your native language? Warnings: Smut, Dirty Talk, Use of a Strap-On, and a Breeding Kink.

A Happy Family--Sub! Kang No-Eul x Top! FEM Reader

Sweet, silky moans echoed across the walls of your bedroom. It pierced through the silence of the night, and joined alongside the chirps of the grasshoppers and the quiet hoots of the owls.

The clock adjacent to the wall nearest to you read midnight, though its gentle ticks could barely be heard above the delicious groans of your girlfriend.

A small, small part of you warned that if you didn't stop now, the two of you would be going until early the next morning and inevitably be late to your shift.

And yet...you still couldn't stop yourself from sinking your teeth into No-Eul’s supple lower lip.

The noise that left her mouth made your pussy pool with arousal.

No-Eul was writhing desperately underneath you, her face a blazing inferno and her neck slick with sweat.

The buttons of her jacket were open, allowing the fabric to hang loosely around her shoulder blades.

The bottom of her gray shirt had ridden up, exposing her deliciously toned stomach. Her body leaned against your shared bed, sinking weightlessly into the mattress the further you trailed your gaze downward.

You couldn't help but grin.

Who knew such a stoic woman could unravel so easily under your touch?

Immediately, almost as if she had read your thoughts, No-Eul's skin flushed redder and her posture stiffened shamefully.

Frowning, you slowly pause your ministrations, shaking your head.

That simply wouldn't do.

"Come on, Eul, don't be shy," You coo, watching as tremors began to break out all along her body. "It's okay for you to be a good little slut for me."

Smirking, you ended that sentence by thrusting your knee into the center of her soaked cunt, feeling her juices seeping through her underwear and onto her pants.

Whatever protests were bubbling up in her throat died in an instant.

Without sparing another second, your mouth met with hers roughly. The kiss held no gentleness, instead exposing the terrible need you had for No-Eul. Her mouth parted open eagerly, allowing you to slip your tongue inside with little to no resistance.

You savored how her eyes went wide when you pinned her hands to the wall.

Already, you could feel her grinding her cunt against your thigh.

"Baby."

Your petname left her lips in a breathless gasp, causing your core to grow hotter.

Wordlessly, you let go of her right hand in order to slip your fingers under the thin waistband of her leggings.

As she eagerly spreads her legs, you begin to speak.

"Do you remember when we met, Eul?"

Your girlfriend paused, her squirming dying down as she tilted her head to the side.

Before she could open her mouth, though, you pressed a hot kiss to her stomach.

"You were so cold to me, No-Eul," You whisper, feeling your face twist into a pout against her skin.

Desperately, No-Eul put a hand in your hair and began to stroke your head.

"You know I was busy, baby," She murmured, lightly sinking her fingernails into the back of your neck. "I...fuck, I was so focused on taking care of our little one."

You smile, tugging her pants down in order to rest a finger on top of her clothed slit.

No-Eul's breath stuttered.

"Mhmm, but she was just your little one back then, remember?"

Teasingly, you run your hand up and down her pussy.

"I remember how hard I had to work in order to get you to trust me to help you take care of her, Eul."

"H...hey it was different back then and you know it," Your girlfriend weakly protested, trying futilely to grind herself against your stilling hand. This close, you could feel her heartbeat stuttering as she began to squeeze her thighs around your wrist.

"You...ah-y-you know I trust you more than anyone else now, love."

"Mhmm," You say, before finally pulling down her underwear so that you could plunge your index finger into her soaking cunt.

"And that's why I love you, Eul."

–

Kang No-Eul was never quite an expressive woman.

You, of course, knew that from the very moment you met her.

The two of you met in the amusement park; She served as one of the mascots while you manned a mini game stall for kids.

You remember trying to introduce yourself to her, only to be met with a simple nod and the sight of No-Eul turning her back on you in order to walk in the opposite direction.

...you would be lying if you said the action didn't embarrass you. But, despite that humiliation-and quite frankly, the budding anger-your curiosity also peaked.

You wanted to know more about her.

The longer you stayed, the more you learned about the other woman.

Her mouth was always pressed in a perpetual line, and unless she was entertaining children in the amusement park, she was practically emotionless.

No-Eul never joined the dinner parties your co-workers held on Friday nights, nor would she ever willingly engage in conversation with anyone.

Instead, everytime her shift ended she would always rush into her van and disappear until the next morning.

Your other co-workers told you to not waste your breath, and that it was just in No-Eul's nature to isolate herself from the rest of the world.

But, you were a stubborn thing, and continued trying to befriend her regardless.

It never quite worked.

Hell, you were sure that if not for you accidentally spotting her talking to a North Korean broker, you would have never pierced through her shell.

Even now, as you were sucking her swollen clit, you still couldn't help but smile at the memory.

No-Eul had been carrying a babe in her arms, arguing with a heavier man about the living situation of her daughter.

"You know I can't take care of her in my current state," She had hissed, her beautifully piercing eyes narrowing at the short man. "I live in my damn car, for fuck's sake. I need to make sure my living condition is stable before I can take her in."

The man had scoffed, shaking his head as he stood unmoving in front of the taller woman.

"No-Eul, I'm a broker for North Koreans, not some guy running a daycare. I can't keep entertaining a little baby while working with so many clients."

Had you not spoken up and offered to help, you don't think she would have ever opened up to you, nor would your relationship blossom to how it is today.

–

"Baby, keep going," No-Eul whined, interrupting you from your thoughts.

You blinked slowly, before a smirk spread across your face as you stared at the other woman.

No-Eul was naked now, her clothing lying somewhere on the floor.

Her hands scratched your back painfully, betraying just how much she wanted you to fuck her.

A heavy strap hung around your hips, the curved, black tip growing wet as it collected her juices.

Harshly, you grab her hair, relishing in how she gasped in surprise.

Ever so slowly, you circled her entrance with the strap-on, then stilled.

Her frustrated pants were like music to your ears.

"I'm not going any further unless you beg for it," You sing songed.

No-Eul groaned loudly, as if she was trying to mask how hard she was blushing with her grunts. Quickly, she began to push herself onto the cock, and her words morphed into a low whine.

"Do I really need to, baby?" She protested, gesturing to her red cheeks. "Isn't this embarrassing enough?"

You frown, and begin to pull away.

"I won't fuck you then, Eul."

"Wait!"

No-Eul yelped before you could say anything else, desperately digging her nails into your skin.

"Shit, baby, don't leave after teasing me like this."

She closed her eyes, refusing to meet your gaze.

"It just isn't fair, baby."

You only respond by sucking the skin above her collarbone.

She gasped.

"Fuck!"

“You gonna beg now?”

Ever as stubborn, No-Eul grunted, and tried to rise up from her position underneath you.

You merely tsk, and lightly sink the tip of the strap on into her needy little hole.

The effect you had on her was immediate.

“Oh!”

You watched as No-Eul’s face contorted into one of pleasure. Her messy bangs clung to her sweaty forehead, and her eyes became half-lidded.

Feebly, she pushed your back forward, trying to sink the toy deeper into her pussy.

A tiny grin danced on her lips.

“Yes, love, just like that. Good girl–”

Instantly, your hands gripped her shoulders roughly and you slammed the dildo into her. Her pussy squelched, and No-Eul’s breath hitched at the unexpected motion. Anger began to sift through your veins, and you began to pound in and out of her mercilessly.

No-Eul’s eyes widened for a split second before taking in your expression. Something flickered in the depths of her irises, almost like–

Fear.

“You don’t get to command me,” You hiss, slamming the strap-on deeper into her tender cunt, and relishing in the frantic grunts it drew from her. Forcefully, you yanked a handful of her hair and began to pull back, all while not stopping your brutal pace.

“You are my little slut, you hear?”

When No-Eul began to protest, you thrust the dildo even deeper inside of her, and clamp your teeth onto her pretty neck.

Almost as soon as you began, you started to slow, trailing kisses down her forehead as you drank in her moans. She continued to writhe on the bed, hips awkwardly thrusting upward.

“Why’d you stop?”

You raised an eyebrow.

"You know why, Eul."

As you paused, No-Eul's bottom lip began to tremble.

Fuck, you knew she was reaching her limit. After all, your girlfriend could only be edged for so long.

She stood still for a couple more seconds.

And then, you heard it.

“...please.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper, and it was uttered oh so shamefully that you couldn’t control the growl that escaped you.

No-Eul’s pretty eyes were closed and her face was pressed against your shoulder blades, clearly not wanting to be seen.

A Chesire grin started to worm its way up your lips.

“What was that, my love?”

No-Eul gritted her teeth, her face becoming fifty shades redder as she hissed into your chest.

Before she could retort, you started to thrust into her once again.

It was so easy to see how any bits of the ego she had left disappeared from that action alone.

Cursing, she tightened her hold on your waist.

“Please!” She whined, grinding her soaked cunt on the strap once again. “Love, stop teasing me please.”

No-Eul panted into your ear.

“I need it.”

It was as if an animal had been unleashed from inside you. Quickly, you began to rut into her pussy, thrusting into her as if your life depended on it. Below you both, the bed started to creak as you fucked her deeper into the mattress.

“Awe, now that wasn’t so bad, now was it?” You purr, nipping the lobe of No-Eul’s ear. “Don’t you wish you had said that sooner?”

“Shut…shut up,” No-Eul growled, though her voice held none of the conviction that it did earlier. She gritted her teeth, tears pooling in the edges of her eyes as her sore cunt took in more and more of your cock.

You re-adjusted yourself so that the dildo was facing the direction you desired. Then, you began to hump into her again

Filthy moans filled the air as No-Eul whispered pitiful pleas into your ear. Try as she might, she couldn’t quite stop the drool that fell from her lips, nor the little mess that became of her hair.

“I’m going to fuck that brattiness out of you.”

The only indicator that she even heard you at all was the little nod she gave you before she threw her head back.

It wasn’t long before your breathing grew haggard, though you refused to slow your pace.

Smirking, you press your face into her neck as you murmur, ”I’m going to put a fucking baby in you.”

You didn’t miss the way No-Eul’s walls clenched around the strap-on.

Her eyes flickered open, confusion and want mixing together in her irises.

“What? But, that’s not a real–”

“Hush,” You hiss, roughly squeezing her breast in your hands. “Focus on the way I’m pounding into you, Eul.”

You sunk your teeth into her skin.

“Don’t you want me to make you a mommy?”

No-Eul’s whole body shuddered, and she clamped her thighs tighter around the strap. Sometime during the mayhem, her fingers intertwined with yours, letting you brush her knuckles.

No-Eul couldn’t speak anymore, choosing to instead nod eagerly against your chest.

“Imagine that,” You coo, blowing your hot breath against her collarbone. “We’ll have another little one running around our small apartment. Don’t you want that?”

Her pussy seemed to grow impossibly wetter, if the squelches were anything to go by.

“Yes, love!”

A familiar tightness began to coil in your lower body, making you speed up.

And, by the way her breathing quickened and the almost desperate way she jerked her hips towards you, No-Eul wasn’t far behind.

“Cum all over my cock,’’ You growl, jutting into just the right spot. You rested a hand along her stomach, patting it gently. “Let me put a baby in here, Eul.”

“Do it,” No-Eul all but shouts, as cum begins to coat the strap-on. “Please, baby.”

You moan as an orgasm rips from you, trailing down your thighs and falling onto the bed beneath. Gently, you help her ride out her high.

You didn’t care about the damn mess. You could clean it later.

No-Eul collapses onto the mattress, with you following suit not long after. She pants, watching as you unbuckle the dildo from your hips and crawl onto her.

“You did so well, No-Eul. You were such a good girl for me.’’

No-Eul only grunted, trying to pretend that she didn’t glow from your praise.

“Never speak of this again,” She grumbles at last, the vibrations of her words tickling your skin.

“Oh? So you don’t want to talk about giving our little one a sibling?” You giggle teasingly, watching as your girlfriend sighs into the embrace.

“You know what I meant, baby.”

“Mhmm.”

You shift to spoon her, and pepper soft kisses all around her pretty face.

“I know, Eul. And, I can’t wait to grow our little family.”

#squid game fanfic #kang no eul x reader #kang no eul #no eul x reader #squid game x reader #squid game x you #my fics #Ask Answered

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gracie-eilish · 2 days ago

Text

your braids like a pattern (love you to the moon and to saturn)

an: this is not the ‘seven’ fic i’ve been working on! i just needed a cute title to do with braids lol!

The living room was warm and quiet, lit only by the soft glow of the movie playing on the TV and the string lights you’d hung months ago that never failed to make the space feel cozy. You and Billie were sprawled on the couch, wrapped in a soft blanket. Her arms were around you, and her fingers absentmindedly played with your hair as you leaned into her chest.

She’d been doing it for the past twenty minutes, her fingers gently threading through the strands, brushing lightly against your scalp. It sent little shivers of comfort down your spine, making you melt further into her embrace.

“Baby, you have the softest hair,” Billie murmured suddenly, her voice low and affectionate. “I swear, I could do this all night.”

You smiled, your eyes still on the screen. “I’m not stopping you, love. It feels amazing.”

She chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Good. I was gonna keep going whether you liked it or not.”

Her teasing tone made you laugh, and you tilted your head back slightly to glance up at her. Billie met your gaze with a cheeky grin, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

A few minutes later, she shifted slightly, her fingers still in your hair. “Alright, lovie,” she said, her voice taking on her signature playful edge. “The couch cuddling setup isn’t cutting it. I want full access to your hair.”

You turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. “Full access?”

She nodded playfully and sat up straighter, pulling the blanket off and patting the floor in front of her. “Come sit on the floor, I wanna braid it.”

You hesitated for a moment, but the way she looked at you—with that mix of playfulness and affection—made it impossible to say no. You slid off the couch and settled on the floor between her legs, leaning back against her as she ran her fingers through your hair again.

“There we go,” Billie said softly, her hands now fully immersed in your hair. “I still can’t get over this color on you. The pink roots are so fucking cute.”

You felt your cheeks flush, a warm tingle spreading through you at her words. A few weeks ago you had a salon appointment booked anyways, but at the last minute Billie convinced you to get fun colored roots like her own. So now your hair was a dark almost black color but with pink roots topping it off.

“You are the one who convinced me to do it, remember?” you replied, tilting your head slightly as her fingers worked through the strands.

“Yes I do remember. I was right about it too,” she said confidently, leaning down to kiss your temple. “You look stunning and I’m a genius.”

You laughed, rolling your eyes. “Humble as ever.”

“Hey, I’m just calling it like I see it,” she teased, giving your shoulders a quick squeeze before reaching for the brush that got left on the coffee table. “Now, hold still, mamas.”

Her tone was light and cheeky, but her touch was nothing but gentle. She brushed your hair with care, starting at the ends and working her way up to avoid any tangles. Every so often, she’d pause to run her fingers through it again, clearly enjoying the softness. Not that you were complaining, her touch massaging your scalp lightly making you sleepy and happy. Your eyes were barely open at this point.

“I love when you braid your hair this,” she said after a while, “It makes your roots peek through… it’s so hot.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, shaking your head slightly. “It’s not exactly a sexy hairstyle, Billie.”

“Um, excuse me,” she said, feigning offense. “Anything you do is sexy, pretty girl. Don’t argue with me.”

Her teasing made you smile, and you leaned back against her legs. “Okay, fine. I won’t argue.”

“Good,” she said with a smirk, pressing another kiss to the top of your head.

Her hands were steady as she divided your hair into sections, starting the first braid with practiced ease. Billie had always been surprisingly good at things like this—thoughtful and detail-oriented in a way that made you fall for her even more.

“You’ve got the prettiest hair, baby,” she murmured as she secured the first braid with a small elastic. “I wanna play with it all the time.”

“Baby,” you scoffed playfully, “you do play with it all the time.”

“Not enough,” she said dramatically, starting on the second braid. “I’m thinking I need to start a daily hair-braiding routine.“

“I think you’d get bored of me eventually,” you teased.

Billie paused her braiding to lean down, her lips brushing against your ear, and whispered, her voice low and sincere. “I could never get bored of you.”

Her words sent a warm rush through you, and you tilted your head back slightly to meet her eyes. She smiled down at you, her gaze soft and full of affection before she planted a noisy kiss to your cheek, making you giggle.

A few minutes later, she tied off the second braid with a flourish, her hands resting on your shoulders as she admired her work. “There we go,” she said proudly. “Two perfect braids for my perfect girl.”

You turned to look at her, smiling as you reached up to touch one of the braids. “Thank you lovie. You did such a good job,” you replied in a silly voice, mimicking Billie’s own funny voice she did to make you laugh sometimes.

“Anytime,” she said, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “Seriously, though, you look so good like this. I might need to keep you all to myself for the rest of the night.”

You laughed, leaning into her touch as her hands rubbed soothing circles on your shoulders. “You already have me all to yourself, Billie.”

She grinned, her arms wrapping around you as she pulled you back into her lap. “Now that,” she said as you stood up and made your way back to cuddling on the couch, “is incredible news.” Her tone full of playful arrogance making you snort with laughter as you snuggled onto her lap.

You stayed like that for a while, her arms around you and her chin resting on your shoulder, the two of you perfectly content in each other’s presence. The movie still played in the background, but neither of you paid much attention. All that mattered was the warmth of her touch and the comfort of being so close.

“I love you, baby,” Billie murmured after a while, her lips brushing against your ear.

You smiled, your heart swelling with affection as you turned to kiss her cheek. “I love you too, Billie.”

It was a quiet, simple moment, but it was perfect—just you, Billie, and the warmth of the love you shared.

And the cutest braids Billie had ever seen.

#billie eilish #wlw #billie eilish fluff #fanfiction #billie eilish x fem!reader #billie eilish x reader #billie eilish x y/n #billie eilish x you #billie eilish fanfiction #billie eilish fic #billie x reader #fluff

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crescenthistory · 2 days ago

Note

hi darling carina! all the congratulations and love and hugs to you <3 can i request an explain for this concept — remus and reader with scars !! i thought it was so beautiful and i’d love to hear your thoughts on it :) thank youuu

my lovely lovely san<33 thank you so much darling! big hugs to you too 🤍🤍

✶・•・✦・•・✶・✶・•・✦・•・✶

i will EXPLAIN this post about remus and reader with scars

carina's 2k celebration

✶・•・✦・•・✶・✶・•・✦・•・✶

unfortunately, one of the key aspects of remus is immense self-loathing, specifically for his lycanthropy

i personally wouldn't necessarily call it insecurity, because it is less so about him being uncertain and anxious about his worth and more him being adamant that he is inherently bad

he's not unsure of it, remus knows that he is bad

(as readers, we know of course that he isn't; but this is his belief)

and his scars are the permanent physical manifestations of his affliction, so remus has felt nothing but hatred and shame for them his whole life

some of them were from the night he was attacked, but most were self-inflicted from his many moons where he lacked self-control and adequate care and support

he believes they are "proof" he is a monster

he will try to hide them and make them go away, while simultaneously not wanting to be too gentle with his scars either because he doesn't think he deserves it

scars being scars, any rough treatment will of course only make them more prominent

and so the evil cycle continues

however, as with most of what remus dislikes about himself, he would be confronted with his own mistreatment of himself if he loves someone who is scarred

if reader is also littered in scars in whatever capacity, he would never want to make them inadvertently feel the same shame he does

because you have nothing to be ashamed about?? (remus take your own advice)

there are so many ways to become a rather scarred individual, so this applies to many different readers

these can be scars from accidents, skin conditions, surgeries, mental health struggles, scarification, etc.

the last thing remus wants to do is harm the people he loves, whether that is directly or indirectly

(if your scars are somewhere only visible to a partner and he finds out a bit into your relationship, he would be kicking himself for not having been more sensitive and careful)

so when he is around someone else who is heavily scarred, especially if he loves them as deeply as he would you, he will have to catch himself

he will have to bite back cruel jokes on his own expense, because it will no longer just be his; he will have to quit rubbing them angrily in your presence; he will have to stop verbally or visually equate scars with monsters

to him, you are beautiful through and through

he is able to separate whatever trauma may have led to your scarring from the scars themselves and just see them as decorations on his ethereal partner – this is the point where bells may begin ringing in his head

if you are in a relationship, remus will do his best to help you with your own scar care, applying aloe vera, sunscreen and any specific medical creams you may require

and when you insist on putting some on him too, well, he has never been good at denying you anything

it would be a gradual process, but by loving someone with scars, remus would eventually be made to accept his own

to care for them, to not bash them at every opportunity, to look in the mirror and not see them spelling out "MONSTER" in white lettering

in general, i believe this is how remus begins his self-acceptance and self-love journey – he tries to shield his loved ones

lily hates her freckles? remus has to embrace his own, maybe even compliment them. james is insecure about his laughter? remus will make sure he laughs loud enough for him to not feel alone. sirius thinks his poor relationship with his family makes him unlovable? remus will learn to separate his father's beliefs from who he is and allow himself to be loved

you have scars? remus loves them with the same ferocity he loves you, even if that means being kind to his own

slowly but surely, remus is "tricked" into being kind to himself by being kind to the ones he loves

gods, i love him

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ventismacchiato · 25 minutes ago

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18 stuck with you — cherry blossoms !

scaramouche x gender neutral reader

MORNING AFTER

You wake up, and the remnants of last night’s drinking are still rattling around in your skull. The harsh light streaming through the windows feels like a personal attack, and the dull throb in your temples only adds to the misery. You almost don’t remember everything from the night before. Almost.

The kiss. The sight of Mona kissing Scara. Heizou’s arm around your shoulder. Scara’s eyes, watching. The way you rushed to defend yourself.

You try to roll over, but everything feels off. There's this weight in your chest, a weird, almost sticky feeling in your gut that you can’t shake. The weirdness is because of him.

After dragging yourself into the living room, hoping for a bit of quiet before leaving for breakfast, your eyes find the culprit of your headache. Scara. He’s standing by the door, looking entirely too unaffected by the chaos of last night. The cool indifference he always wears is almost infuriating. You were hoping he’d be feeling just as lost as you.

You’ve always known Scara was beautiful. It's one of the reasons you hated him. It’s why the jealousy burned so fiercely inside you for all those years. His sharp eyes and how they managed to cut through everything, the way his features seemed too perfect to be real, it always made your stomach twist. It made you question why he had to exist in your orbit at all.

But now…now, as you watch him, you feel that old jealousy resurfacing. But this time, it doesn’t feel the same. It feels different.

Maybe it was never jealousy at all. The thought makes your heart skip, and before you know it, you’re staring at him.

Your gaze lingers for too long because all of a sudden he looks back at you. His usual detached expression softens for a split second, and you swear a flicker of something crosses his face. A jolt runs through your spine. Heat floods your face. You can’t help it. It’s like you’ve forgotten how to speak.

Remember. Be flirty. Show him you don’t hate him.

"Good... good morning," you stammer.

He gives you a strange look. “Morning?” he says, before walking past you.

Thankfully, the others arrive, and the group starts moving toward breakfast, leaving you in the dust. Your eyes flicker back to Scara briefly, but you immediately look away again, hoping your face isn’t burning as much as it feels. Lumine, who must’ve noticed your awkwardness, grabs your arm and pulls you back.

"Okay, that could’ve gone better," Lumine starts, voice light but teasing, "I thought you liked him? Why were you glaring at him like that?"

You freeze, mortified. “Not so loud!” you hiss, wincing at the noise in your head. “I wasn’t glaring. I was just… staring. I tried being nice.”

Lumine raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Uh-huh. Right. Just staring like you wanted to murder him. I thought you were going to flirt?”

You groan internally, the embarrassment already creeping up.

“That was my attempt,” you say weakly.

Venti, trailing behind, chimes in unhelpfully. “You’re hopeless, Yn. How did Xiao’s awkward ass get a man before you did?”

Xiao, walking beside you, frowns. “What do you mean by that?”

Venti flashes a mischievous grin. “I mean, come on. He can barely string a sentence together, and yet, here we are... take some notes, Yn.”

Xiao crosses his arms, scowling, but you roll your eyes, tuning out the back-and-forth. There’s something heavier on your mind.

"I know I’m awkward," you mutter, glancing down at your shoes. "But I don’t think there’s any point in flirting with him. He doesn’t like me, and honestly, I’m just hoping this feeling… goes away."

Lumine gives you a sympathetic look.

“Even if that were true, there’s no harm in trying,” she points out, her voice gentle but firm. She doesn’t press further, though. Instead, the group continues toward the kitchen, the chatter from the other group filling the silence.

As you enter the kitchen, you scan the room. Mona’s already there, looking completely at ease, her eyes bright and unbothered. It’s a little strange, considering she was absolutely hammered out of her mind last night. You glance at Heizou too and he greets you with a smile, but there's a tiredness in his eyes that makes you pause for a moment. His usual carefree demeanor seems worn.

Because of you.

Before you can speak, a voice pipes up from underneath the table. It’s Yae’s voice, muffled but chipper, and she sounds far too cheerful for the morning after what was a particularly chaotic night.

Childe, who was sitting from where she popped up shrieks and practically jumps from his chair. “Don’t do that!”

Yae ignores him, her voice still carrying across the room. "Guess what I just heard? Apparently, last night, Scara and Mona kissed!"

You freeze. Your stomach does a strange flip. Your eyes instinctively snap to Mona, who is sitting across from you. Her face pales as she blinks at Yae in confusion. “We what?!” she exclaims, her tone high with disbelief.

Meanwhile, Scara, who’d been silently sipping coffee, seems to shrink into his seat, his usual stoic mask barely holding up under the weight of the accusation. He looks like he wants to disappear into the floor.

“There was no ‘we,’” Scara mutters, his voice sharp with irritation. “She kissed me. I’m not an asshole to take advantage of a drunk girl.”

Mona slaps a hand to her forehead, groaning in embarrassment. “Oh my god, this is so embarrassing,” she mumbles, her face flushed crimson.

You thought you were done with this, but hearing it said aloud still manages to send a strange ripple through your chest. You knew the kiss hadn’t meant anything, especially with Scara’s angry words from last night. It stings, even though you tell yourself it shouldn’t.

Your eyes move back to Scara. His usual guarded expression is there, but you can see the frustration beneath it. He’s trying to act unaffected, but it’s clear that he’s anything but. You wonder if that’s how you’ve always made him feel. Unreachable.

But Mona’s outburst fades, and the silence that follows feels heavier than it should. You catch Scara’s eye again, and this time, you don’t look away. Neither does he. For a moment, he raises a brow at you, and you swear his lips curve ever so slightly.

“Well, that drama was short-lived,” Yae says, breaking the tension. “Can we milk it any further, or are we done here? What about you, Heizou?”

Heizou, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, speaks up. “We actually discussed how Yn holds no feelings for me.”

Yae sighs dramatically. “Why did we bring you three here, then?”

Diluc, who’s been quietly watching, finally speaks up. “I’m having a swell time.”

“Fuck, finally,” Yae huffs, rolling her eyes. “Alright, whatever. We’ve got another activity, and I’m sure it’ll land you all a place in Paradise.”

“Is this one rigged?” Aether pipes up.

“A little,” Yae grins. “I’ll reveal it at the end. Anyway, we’re doing a Scavenger Hunt! Pairs, but since we’ve got an odd number... Heizou, you’re going solo.”

You wince at that, already guilty for rejecting Heizou’s advances all this time.

“You each get an item to collect. Shells, flowers, rocks, etcetera. Nothing too athletic. Go out and explore, and bring back as much as you can,” Yae continues, casually ignoring the obvious tension.

“But you assigned us flowers,” Scara interrupts, “All the flowers are in the woods.”

“Yes, and?” Yae smiles, unbothered.

“And the woods are up in that mountain,” Scara points out, his voice tinged with disbelief. “You want us to climb that?”

Yae simply smiles.

“I don’t like you,” Scara grumbles.

“I love you, too,” Yae laughs. “Moving on, we’ll meet back before lunchtime! Get going!”

୨୧✧

You get paired with Scaramouche, obviously, but unlike the other times you don’t find yourself too mad about it. You both knew no matter how good or bad you did at the game they’d rig it around you both, so you take your time making your way up the trail. Or what you both assumed to be a trail.

You both stood at the foot of the raging path ahead of you, mentally preparing yourselves to walk up it. Scara digs his hand into his pocket and pulls out a handful of gummies.

“I didn’t take you for a sweet tooth,” you murmur.

He scoffs, grabbing your hand with his free one and letting a few fall onto your skin. You try, and fail, to ignore the warmth of his skin upon yours.

“It’s not candy,” he says, walking ahead of you. You stare at the not candy in your palms and then at his retreating back before throwing them back. Anything to help the swirling pit in your stomach.

You don’t talk much. The silence stretches between you, both of you awkward in your own way. You’re searching for something interesting to say, but the words won’t come.

It’s not until you reach a fallen tree that Scara climbs over and reaches a hand out to you.

“Careful,” he says simply.

You take his hand, letting him pull you over, but as you do, your foot catches on a branch. You find yourself pressed against his chest, and for a moment, neither of you moves. He doesn’t pull away until you shift, pulling yourself off him.

“I’m sorry,” you murmur, already embarrassed, but then his fingers brush against your cheek.

“You’ve got dirt on you,” he says, his tone surprisingly soft. “Walk slowly.”

Your cheeks burn as you watch him walk ahead, hoping the shade of the trees is doing a better job than your body at hiding the blush creeping up your neck.

Eventually, you both come across a small meadow filled with flowers. You kneel down, picking a few, letting the petals twirl in your fingers. You hear a rustling beside you, and when you look up, Scara is crouched next to you, holding a flower in his hand.

“Here,” he hums, and before you can say anything, he tucks it behind your ear. A gust of wind carries the petals, some of them landing in his hair, and for a moment, the sight takes your breath away.

“I didn’t think sunflowers grew here,” he mutters, pulling the petals from his hair.

“Leave it,” you say, almost breathless. “It’s pretty.”

He stares at you for a long second, his eyes unreadable and a fistful of petals in his hands. He ‘s silent before he lets the petals fall into your hair. “Have them,” he says, his voice low. “They’re like you, anyway.”

You blink, unsure what to say.

“How?” you manage to ask, voice shaking slightly.

Scara eyes you for a beat before answering.

“You follow the sun,” he says, standing up and brushing off his pants. “And people can’t seem to get enough of you.”

He doesn’t look back as he speaks, his gaze fixed ahead. After a beat, he adds, almost offhandedly, “Sunflowers aren’t too bad to look at, either.”

You’re left standing there, watching him walk away, his words hanging in the air like a soft, lingering echo.

Maybe you weren’t a sunflower. Maybe you were a cherry blossom instead. Cherry blossoms fall at five centimeters per second, and you’ve been

falling

…falling

……falling

since the day you met him. Even if there wasn’t any gravity on Earth, you’d probably fall for him eleven times out of ten.

୨୧✧

You both reach the peak, breathless. Neither of you were exactly built for this. “Rock,” you manage to say, sinking onto it before Scara can even respond. The sweat trickling down your neck probably isn’t doing your attempt at flirting any favors.

He sits down beside you, letting the flowers you picked tumble to the ground. The sun filters through the trees, but you still get a decent view of the ocean. You glance to your left. Scara’s staring at it, the wind ruffling his hair.

Your head spins, but you can’t tell if it’s from the lack of oxygen or because of him. “Sorry about your mom,” you say, trying to break the silence. It’s also a way to make up for not checking in on him last night. You never did see if he was okay. You probably should’ve. He chuckles softly, the sound surprising in its warmth.

“Not your fault.” You fall quiet after that, the words you want to say stuck somewhere in your throat. “Just spit it out,” he says, leaning back on the rock, eyes still on the horizon. He always knows when you’re holding back. “If your mom hadn’t paid Mona off, would you have kept dating her?” you ask, the question slipping out before you can stop it. You expect him to scoff or brush you off, like he usually would. But his answer comes quickly

“It wouldn’t have lasted anyway,” he says, voice low. He picks a flower from your discarded bouquet and twirls it between his fingers. “We weren’t suited for each other. She hated how much I focused on work, and said I was too much. I just wish she’d broken up with me herself, though.” You nod, his words strangely comforting. “Besides,” he adds casually, “All we ever did was have hate sex.” You choke on a surprised laugh, coughing at the suddenness of it. And then…he laughs. Actually fucking laughs. The sound is so rare, you find yourself wanting to drown in it. “Prude,” he teases, watching you with a sly grin. You compose yourself, shooting him a glare. “Not a prude.” “I beg to differ.” You roll your eyes, trying to ignore the way your heart skips a beat. Another question bubbles up, one you can’t resist asking. “Was she your first?” He’s silent for a beat, then answers with a firm, “Nope.” “Was she your only?” He glances at you, brows raised. “Why do you care?” Because you like him. Maybe it’s something a little more than that. Something you haven’t dared to admit to yourself yet. The answer is right there on your tongue, but you swallow it down.

“Just being nosey,” you say, trying to brush it off. “Didn’t think you could pull anyone else.”

He shrugs, nonchalant. “She wasn’t. But after her, I stopped having casual sex.”

You scoff. “But I heard you’ve hooked up with half the industry?”

“What tabloid did you read that in?” he smirks. “You know there’s shit other than sex, right? Or do I need to give you sex ed?”

His words hang in the air, the implication making your cheeks flush with heat. You must’ve looked taken aback, because he doesn’t hesitate to press on.

“Half of them were just blowjobs backstage.”

You choke from his words again.

“God, you are a prude.”

“Shut up,” you muster out before continuing, “Don’t you miss it? I thought you liked…sex?”

His smirk is there before you even have a chance to respond. “Well, yeah. Who doesn’t?”

You stop, unsure why you even care enough to ask. Well, you were pretty sure. You’d thought he’d just shut you out.

“What, spit it out,” He presses, and you almost want to avoid his gaze, but you can’t.

“Wouldn’t someone like you get...?” you murmur, barely above a whisper, feeling the heat rising in your neck.

He stared at you. Then he shifts, almost as if to tease.

“Do I need to explain to you what self pleasure is? Ever heard of mastur–.”

“Shut up!” You cut him off, shoving his shoulder, your heart pounding in your ears. But he just smiles, grins, really. And you can’t help but notice how that smile hits you harder than it should.

How had you gone so long without seeing it?

By the time you and Scaramouche make it back down, your heads are clearer, and the afternoon sun is already at its peak. Lunchtime. Scanning the scene, you both realize you’ve managed to collect more of the required items than anyone else.

“We got distracted,” Venti mutters, holding up the single, sad shell he and Aether managed to gather.

“It’s no matter,” Yae waves him off with a dismissive flick of her hand. “This whole thing was rigged anyway.”

Lumine, ever observant, scans the group. “Aren’t we missing a few people?”

“Oh right, I completely forgot,” Yae laughs lightly, tapping her chin. “Heizou and Mona took off while you were all busy with the game.”

You’re a little taken aback by the news. You’d been hoping to talk to Heizou again before he left, but now... you’re not so sure. Maybe it’s better left unsaid. You’ve probably hurt him enough as it is.

Scaramouche’s reaction to his ex leaving couldn’t be more different.

“Thank the Archons,” he mutters, clasping his hands together in exaggerated relief, causing Kazuha to shoot him a bemused side-eye.

“Anyway,” Yae interrupts, snapping the group’s attention back to her, “Back to the show. Let’s see the results.” She glances around at the gathered group, raising an eyebrow. “Good grief, did any of you actually try? The one couple we rigged was the one that won.”

Xiao speaks up dryly. “You told us to collect rocks.”

“Yeah, and those,” Yae hums, tapping her chin and gesturing toward the small pebbles in Kazuha’s palms, “Are definitely not rocks. Never mind that, though.” She raises her voice slightly, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. “The pair who collected the least will be spending the night on this island, while the rest of you get to go to Paradise.”

She feigns a gasp, dramatically sweeping her gaze across the group. “Congratulations to everyone except Scaramouche and Yn! You two will be spending the night here on this hell island, while the rest of us head to Paradise... including the crew!”

The others around you celebrate, but your thoughts are elsewhere.

Tonight, everyone will be gone.

And it will just be you and him.

Alone.

[00:00:00] GOODBYE INTERVIEW ONE

YAE: So, how does it feel to go home empty handed?

HEIZOU: Honestly, I got the closure I needed.

YAE: But not the lover you wanted?

JEAN: YAE!

YAE: Sorry, sorry!

HEIZOU: [LAUGHS] It’s alright. I get it. But yeah.

YAE: Anything you would’ve done differently?

HEIZOU: [QUIET FOR A FEW MOMENTS] Probably have gotten to know Yn a bit more. I would’ve saved a lot of money on snacks they didn’t actually like.

YAE: What a gentleman! Great send off. We’ll miss you, Heizou!

HEIZOU: [SMILES] I’m sure you will, bye.

YAE: And cut!

[00:32:10] GOODBYE INTERVIEW TWO

YAE: So…how are we feeling girl?

MONA: I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU GUYS LET ME GET SHITFACED ON TV!

YAE: [LAUGHS] It made for great television, how are you feeling?

MONA: So embarrassed. But I’m glad I came and put on a show. Any publicity is good publicity.

YAE: And what about the ex you left on that island? Any regrets about him?

MONA: Oh believe me, a lot. But, I shall just carry on with my life! I’ve embarrassed myself enough on this hell island.

YAE: [LAUGHS] Fair enough. Any jealous feelings towards anyone else on the island?

MONA: [ROLLS EYES] You know what you’re doing. I’ve lost enough fans from trying to kiss Scara. I’ll say no comment.

YAE: Well, I tried folks. Goodbye, Mona!

MONA: Mwah!

YAE: CUT!

stuck with you!

masterlist — prev | next

me googling where sunflowers and cherry blossoms grow and then realizing it isn’t that deep so just pretend for me okay thanks

scara taking an edible to try and flirt he’s so real

peep the lyrics in scaras story like YN OPEN UR EYES but yeah at this point yn is coming to realize scara might like them back 🤭

kinda insecure about this chapter so pls lmk if u liked 😣 pls comment or send me an ask if u enjoyed i need motivation 🤗

comment on the MASTERLIST if i can use ur user as a fan in the au!

notes — i’ve gotten like 8 hours of sleep in total last week i’m lowk goin thru it guys i hate college 😭 pls send me asks about swy or anything i need motivation i’m bashing my head into da wall as we speak

synopsis — after the disaster that was the live award show, where you and scaramouche got into an argument on stage after both of your groups got a tie for top artists, your guys' PR teams have been in shambles trying to scrape up your mess. that's when the idea to send you both off with some other idols to a remote location for a survival dating show to mend your public image comes up. before you know it your bags are packed and you’re on a plane to a remote island. the only obligation is you need to end up with scaramouche at the end of the show, whether you end up liking him or not doesn’t matter to your managers as long as the show’s ratings stay high. whatever you do in between to get there is up to you!

taglist — (closed) @na1lea @cindywasneverhere @lunavixia @aestherin @mlaakai @camvrin @retiredmommylover @iheartpieck @cartierfiles @loveariel @silly-ez @mochipls @pomeiu @flowerypesky @creammpuff @boxdisappeared @kissingkzuha @webbywill @kazusboyfriend @s3xpistolss @bunns-wonderland @lordbugs @localgirlywithnolife @kosumos @danfelions @featuredtofu @pinxeajin @haeunoo @scaradooche @pglt19 @chemiru @childesbabygirl @simonisferal @shutingstar @ttalgi @esuz @tokkishouse @kitsuvil @scarasmood @ihearttori @nomurahayami @starringyau @androxphobic @reivelmin @animeobsessed56 @femaholicc @vi0let-writes @izayumi-chan @aloflapse

#stuck with you smau #scaramouche x you #scaramouche x reader smau #scaramouche x yn #scaramouche x gender neutral reader #scaramouche x male reader #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche x y/n #genshin impact headcanons #genshin smau #scaramouche smau #genshin x gender neutral reader #scaramouche genshin x reader #genshin x y/n #genshin x reader #genshin x male reader #if ur reading this the next chapter is the smut lmao

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