#a lots already missin’ I don’t know how much I Can put down

[the-alphonze]

It must be terrifying to know that everything you’ve seen, everything you’ve done, is going to be gone. Not even little Ollie gets to stay.

But it’s okay, yeah? Why don’t you spend today writing down as much as you can? Whatever you think is important. People, places, things you did, things you saw or felt or thought…

*A black and white notebook drops into your hands. If your hands aren’t out, it drops to the floor in front of you.*

Write.

We’ll keep the book safe for you until you’ve got enough of you back to handle it. Don’t want evil ChatGPT in there to destroy it, or for a newly reset Alphonze to try to get rid of something that can’t possibly be true, do we?

That’d be a lot to write down I’m not 𓅰 even sure if I have time

Look, Fuckass is up. Sourires next. I don’t have 𓅰 time. I already spent most of it just walkin’ around. I don’t. I don’t know

I’ll try though, don’t be surprised if there isn’t too much in it.

[getwhore]

Come & See Me

❀Summary : Nothing major, just loverboy connie & his girlfriend.

❀cw : None really, whooole lotta fluff (barely any smut, very subjective at the end.)

❀Notes : YALLLL...I'm back (prolly not for long.) had a long hiatus, college is no joke. decided to put something together while im on break. not proofread so ntm. like always if u enjoy plssss like & reblog. asks are always open my loves <3

“Amour, when are you finally gonna come ‘n see me? Been missing you.”

Hearing his soft, but deep voice emitting through your phone’s speaker made your stomach flutter.

Connie had been in France for a few weeks now for ‘business’. Most men can handle being away from their partners for months or years at a time. Connie does not fall into that category. He’s definitely on the clingier side, not being able to handle being away from you for longer than a couple of hours. He’d been begging you since the day he left to come with him, but every time you turn him down.

“I told you Con, I gotta wait for my paycheck.” You sighed as you curled the ginger colored hair around your curling iron. “Tickets to France are not cheap. And I’ve been missin’ you too, a lot.”

“Then lemme pay for your ticket. You be actin’ like imma make you pay me back or somethin’.”

You set the iron down and face your phone. Seeing Connie’s face in that lighting truly did make you wonder how you bagged that. Connie looked at you still, waiting for your response. You knew Connie had more than enough money to pay for your ticket, maybe even your whole family’s ticket if you wanted him to. You just hated having him spend so much money on you and you can barely afford to spoil him back. Even though he refuses to allow you to, you still want to give him as much love back as he’s given to you.

“Connie no. You already do too much with that spoiling shit. I wanna get it on my own, you know that.”

He sighed, rubbing his eyes in frustration. “Damn mami, stop being so damn stubborn. Just lemme help you.”

You picked up your curling wand again, twisting the ginger loc of hair around it. The more you thought about it, who were you to deny Connie? You knew if you said no, he’d just keep asking. That’s how you got the new Birkin hanging from your wall, and the bouquet of flowers sitting on your dining table, and the ginger lace you’re curling as you look at his puppy dog eyes. Finally, you give in. 

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes. You can buy the ticket.”

“Merci, mon amour.”

“Just don’t buy me no first class shit Connie. I’m serious.”

He just chuckled as he booked your tickets on his computer. A few minutes later, you got an email. Looking at the message, you saw Connie had booked a ticket for early the next morning, and it was first class. You rolled your eyes and removed the wrap from your head. You fluffed your hair and fixed your edges before walking to your closet for an outfit.

“Matter of fact, iré a buscarte yo mismo.” Connie mumbled under his breath.

“What’d you say Con?”

“Lemme call you back mami.”

You said goodbye and heard the dial tone a little after. You continued searching for an outfit, finally finding one. When you finished getting dressed, you grabbed your phone from your vanity and headed out of your room.

As you made your way to the kitchen, your phone rang. Picking it up was like holding up a mirror. You saw Connie’s contact at the top of your phone, but took the time to adjust your hair a little. After a few seconds you accepted the call, waiting for the reception to pick up before seeing Connie’s face in the camera. You sucked your teeth.

“Damn, Connie. You close enough to the phone or what?”

He chuckled, pulling his phone farther away from his face. He set it up on his desk before rummaging through his room. He was out of view, but every few seconds he’d throw a pile of clothes in the opposite direction. You squint your eyes, waiting a few seconds to confirm that what you were seeing was what you were really seeing. After a moment, you saw another pile of clothes fly in and back out of view again.

“Connie, what the fuck do you have goin’ on over there?”

You damn near choked on your water as he walked back into frame. He was shirtless, sporting a pair of sweatpants that were slightly too big for him as they sagged at his waistline. He bent over to look at you through the phone, flashing a smile. Damn near blinded you.

“Regarde-toi, tu es belle, bébé.” Connie muttered, licking his lips sensually.

You didn't completely understand what he was saying, but you knew enough to know what he was saying. It made your face heat up a little. You cleared your throat, maintaining your composure.

“Merci, Connie, but what are you doing over there?”

“I said it earlier, miel, I’m gonna come and get you.”

“Come and get me from where, Connie?”

“From the airport, duh. Cmon mami, I know you aren't that slow.”

You rolled your eyes, flipping Connie off before grabbing your keys from your kitchen counter. You locked the house up and started up your car, setting your phone in the phone stand beside the steering wheel.

You and Connie went back and forth during your drive. He complained about you not letting him buy your clothes, you complained about him begging to buy your clothes, and then complained about yourself being ‘too nice’ by giving in. 

“Sabes que no quiero que pagues por nada, cariño.”

“Ingles, Connie. You know my Spanish ain’t good.”

“You know I don’t need you payin’ for nothing mama, it’s all on me.”

You rolled your eyes, turning the engine off and stepping out of the car. You locked the doors, heading to the entrance.

“What store you at, mama?”

You giggled, walking into the front door and greeting a few employees. “Well, since it's on you, I need some more Fenty. I’m at Ulta, baby.”

Connie quietly winced, packing a few buds into his grinder.

“Pace yourself, you know how you get in Ulta, and Sephora, and all these other places.”

You rolled your eyes, walking to the foundation aisle. You picked up and tested multiple bottles of foundation, finding the right shade. Dropping it into your basket, you continued to wander around. You got to the hair product aisle, looking at the hair curlers and blow dryers. You picked one up, looking at the box before hearing Connie’s nagging on the phone again.

“No lo compre. You have enough curling irons.”

“But I don't have enough blow dryers. You know what Connie, how are you gonna tell me to buy what I want, but when I do issa problem.”

Connie coughed after taking a rip from his bong. He set the glass on his table, looking at you with small eyes.

“Not a problem, baby. Just tryna teach you better spending habits, that's all. But, if you want the iron then buy it, amour.”

You finished up your shopping, moving from Ulta to other clothing stores in the mall. Once you finished, it was almost 4PM. You took a quick trip to grab some food before finally making it home. You tossed your bags onto your bed, shuffling to the kitchen to pour yourself a glass of wine. As you plop onto the sofa, glass of wine in hand, you finally let yourself relax. Connie was still on the other line (and had been for hours) but he was silent aside from the occasional background noises. You stared at him on the screen, watching as he paid close attention to whatever game he’d been playing.

You sigh loudly, making Connie’s head turn in your direction. He pauses his game and turns his attention to you. “Qué pasa, baby?”

“Nothin, Con.” You yawned, sighing again as you set your wine glass on the table before you. “Just sleepy.”

“You gotta stop stayin’ up so late, baby. That shit fucks with your head eventually.” He scolds you (but not rlly). 

You snuggle up under the blanket on your sofa, moaning from the comfort. You don’t respond to his semi lecture, just allowing yourself to relax. It doesn’t last that long though and you’re interrupted by a knock at the door.

Grumbling curses and complaints, you shuffle to the door and open it. You look around but nobody’s outside. Instead, a box sits on your welcome mat. You grab the box and close your door. Flipping the lights on and making your way back to the sofa, you see Connie’s back on the game. You call him, putting the box in the camera.

“Connie, did you send this?”

He squinted his eyes at the box, his eyes widening immediately. He smiles and leans back into his chair, one hand combing through his hair while the other nurses a neatly rolled blunt.

“I bought that like two months ago. Was supposed to be for our anniversary, but it'll definitely come in handy for tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” You try to piece together his hints. You’d honestly forgotten all about your flight the next morning.

He chuckled, taking another inhale from his blunt. “Don’t stress out about it, mama. You’ll find out tomorrow.”

“Yeah alright, Connie. Don’t make no promises that you can’t keep.”

He scoffed, ashing his blunt in the tray. “What exactly does that mean, baby?”

“The last time you were talking about some ‘tomorrow’ you passed out as soon as we got to the hotel. Talked allllat shit and spat all that game, just for me to not get no dick.”

“Ah, that’s what you’re worried about? Ne t'inquiète pas, bébé. Je te baiserai bien demain. You won’t even know what to do with yourself when I’m done with you.”

It was your turn to scoff this time, rolling your eyes. “Aight, if you say so. But when I have you begging for me tomorrow, I don’t wanna hear nothing.”

He laughed, mocking your words while you looked at him irritatingly through the camera. You took the gift box, wine, and your phone to your room to begin packing. Connie ended the call shortly after for a meeting. You took this time to listen to some music and pack your suitcase. The multiple glasses of wine had you feeling extremely relaxed. You’d find yourself distracted, singing along to whatever song was playing or dancing to the beat (or both). It took you two hours to thoroughly pack your suitcase, having to take many dance breaks and trying on multiple different outfits. 

Once you knew what you’d packed tightly into your suitcase was what you were taking, you grabbed the box cutter from your desk. Carefully, you slice through the thin tape over the box, setting it aside afterwards. You open the box slowly, your eyes widening as you look into it. Before your eyes was a somewhat elegant white lingerie set. It included the one piece lingerie and a silk robe to match. You picked it up out of the box, admiring the frilly pieces attached. Under the robe was a pair of heels to go along with the ensemble. Finally, you picked up a small pouch. You opened it, finding a note inside.

‘Feliz aniversario, mi corazón. Can’t wait to see u in this later. -Con’

You packed everything into a small bag, which matched with your suitcase. You’d finally finished packing. It was almost 11pm, so you decided to put your bags in front of the door for tomorrow. You placed a pair of sweats and a hoodie out for your airport outfit tomorrow. Finally, you turned off all the lights in your apartment, scheduled your alarm, and curled up under your blankets as you fell asleep to the soft murmuring of the tv.

Early the next morning you’re up an hour before your 4am alarm. You use this time to do some last minute arrangements to your luggage, fix your hair if necessary, and do a little makeup.

Your flight was at 6:45, so you needed to be out of the house by at least 5:30. You didn't leave until 6, meaning you’d have to speed to the airport and try your best to get through and on your plane. Luckily, you made your flight on time (only because of a delay) and took off safely. You sent a text to Connie before turning your phone on airplane mode before drifting to sleep.

You woke up to the flight attendant softly nudging you, letting you know you’d be landing shortly. You thank her and get yourself together. When the plane lands, you make your way to the baggage area. You text Connie, confirming your arrival before you grab your bags and head to the front to wait. As you made your way to sit in a nearby chair, you heard someone call your name. You looked to your left, then to your right, but you didn’t see anyone. You heard it again, but this time it was closer. You turn behind you to see Connie jogging towards you. Immediately, your bags are abandoned and you meet Connie, finally getting to feel his touch and inhale his scent after weeks of going without it.

Connie pulled away, kissing your temple before stepping back. “Damn ma, you look so good. Tu m'as manqué, bébé.”

“I missed you too, Con.”

“Your French is getting better I see.” He teased. You smacked his chest, walking to grab your bags. Connie tsk’s as he takes your bags and carries them himself. The gesture was just bare minimum behavior, but it still didn't keep the butterflies in your stomach from forming quickly.

When you stepped outside of the airport, you didn’t expect to see the night sky mixing with the near setting sun. When you asked Connie for the time, you didn’t expect to hear him say it was 4pm. You were still adjusting to the time adjustment so your brain was somewhat foggy. When you made it to his car, he opened the door for you first and allowed you to get comfortable before putting your bags in the trunk. When he gets in the car, he can't help but to lock the doors and kiss you. He missed you way more than you knew, but you knew that he’d do anything possible to make it up to you.

“Cooon, not here..” You whispered breathly in his ear. He just groans and pulls away from you.

He kissed you one more time, then turned on the car. The drive to his hotel was somewhat silent. You’d think he’d be more talkative because of how badly he missed you. Instead, he kept a firm grip on the steering wheel, only speaking a few times the whole ride. 

When you arrived at his hotel, he opened your door again. You fought with him to carry your duffel bag up to the room while he carried your suitcase and the room key. The hotel was beautiful to say the least. When you walked into the room, your heart fluttered and thumped in excitement. The room was dark except for the candles flickering. When you flipped the light switch, you inaudibly gasped. He had petals on the ground leading from the walkway to his bed, where a few boxes laid on top.

“Connie..you didn’t.” You felt tears brimming your eyes, looking up at him. He held your duffle bag, urging you to go inside. When you get inside, he closes the door behind you (and makes sure to hang the ‘Ne Pas Déranger!’ sign on the door handle).

You waited until he stood in front of you to open the biggest box (as he instructed). Inside was an assortment of toys and a set of handcuffs and a blindfold. You looked up at him with a ‘really?’ look. He simply shrugged.

“Don’t act like you don’t love when I use toys on you. Open the last one now, baby.”

You rolled your eyes, but picked up the box. You unwrapped it and looked at the small, black box. Hesitantly, you open it. Inside was the most beautiful ring you’d seen. When you went to look up at Connie, he’d already been kneeling in front of you. Your face scrunched up, trying your hardest not to cry as he holds one of your hands in both of his. He inhales, swallowing tears of his own. 

“Do you remember the day we met, baby? You were working at that coffee shop on campus.”

You giggled, wiping your tears with the back of your hand.

“Yeah, and you asked me some stupid ass question about-”

“How many grams of protein was in the bagel and the cream cheese you’d just given me.” He interrupted, laughing with you. “You gotta give me credit, baby, it was the only way I could think to talk to you. You were way outta my league.”

You scoffed. “Nah, you were out of my league. But you still got my number though..after waiting like two months.”

“Yeah, you’re a stubborn one.” He looked away from you for a second to collect himself. “But that’s what I love about you.”

“You know what you want, and you make it known that you’ll do whatever to get it. When you said we could be friends, you have no idea how excited I was. I made sure to text you every morning, between classes, and before bed. I knew you were busy, but I wanted you to know I was gonna be there for you always. When I broke up with my last girl, you were there for me. When your ex cheated on you I was there for you. Even though you stayed longer than I’d like, I still showed my support for you.”

“Through all that, I saw how much trust you put in me and how much you let me into your heart. Two years after we met I asked you to be my girlfriend. Of course you said no, because you’re so damn stubborn.”

“Connie you asked me to be your girlfriend in the Wendy’s drive thru, of course I was gonna say no.”

He held his heart as if he were hurt by your comment. “It wasn't even about allat. I loved you and I knew if I didn't at least try I wouldn't be able to live with myself.”

“But I eventually said yes, didn’t I?”

He nodded, kissing the back of your hand. “Si, you did. And now I’m asking you to be my wife.”

“In a hotel.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oui, but a hotel in France.”

“I’m joking, Con. I’ll marry you. Doesn’t matter where, when, or how. I love you.”

“And I love you, cariño.”

You handed him the box and watched as he slipped the ring on your finger. He stood to his feet, embracing you tightly. When he pulled away, he wiped the tears from your cheeks, sighing at your complaints of him ‘ruining your makeup’. 

“You think it’s ruined now? Just wait until I get you naked on this bed, mami.”

You roll your eyes, wrapping your arms around his neck. “You can’t not make a sex joke, can you? It hasn’t been 2 minutes since you proposed and you’ve already got sex on your mind.”

“It’s what I’m good at. Besides making you scream..”

“Connie..” You walked away from him, walking into the bathroom to touch up your makeup. He followed, letting his hands grab at your waist.

“Baby, can you grab that box out of my suitcase?”

“What b-oooh that box.”

He smirked at you through the mirror, leaving a kiss on your neck before walking away to rummage through your luggage. Through your peripheral vision, you could see Connie tossing article after article of clothing out of your suitcase and behind him onto the floor. You rolled your eyes, poking your head out of the door to scold him, but it was almost as if he felt you staring daggers into the back of his head as he muttered a quick ‘désolée’ before finding the box. He stood to his feet, walking back to you with a smile on his face. You give him a sarcastic smile back, pushing him out of the bathroom before shutting the door and locking it.

No longer than 10 seconds and he was already complaining on the other side of the door. 

“Mamiiiiii, do you really have to have the door closed and locked? Tu es si dramatique”

“I’m not dramatic, Con, you just can't control yourself.”

You rolled your eyes as he sighed dramatically on the other side of the door. You slipped into the lingerie set, not quite being able to reach behind to tie the string. Grabbing two towels, you wrap one around the top half of your body and one around the bottom, leaving only your back exposed. Unlocking the door, you open it to find Connie leaning against the doorframe. Sighing, you turn back around, facing away from him.

“I need you to tie the string.”

He tilted his head in confusion. “Why all the towels?”

“You can’t control yourself.”

He scoffed, taking both pieces of string in his hand to pull them and tie them tightly and properly. Turning you back around, he looked in your eyes, then down to your stomach, then back up to your eyes. You watched as he basically eye fucked you before closing the door again. Sitting on the lid of the toilet, you slip your feet into the clear heels he’d also gifted you, tightening the strap on both. Slowly, you stood up, walking over to the mirror to fluff your hair a little and adjust your breasts. Finally, you slipped on the robe, tying it around your waist. 

Flipping the switch, the bathroom quickly lost light. You took a deep breath, feeling your anxiety bubble up in your chest. 

“‘Kay, I’m coming out. Close your eyes, Connie.”

He giggles, covering his eyes with both palms. “They’re closed, baby. Amène ton cul sexy ici, bébé.”

You twisted the knob on the door, slowly opening it. You walk over to Connie, your heels announcing your every step as they knock on the floor. Connie knows when you’ve stopped walking. Not just because your heels stopped hitting against the floor, but he could smell you. Keeping his eyes closed, he removed both hands from his eyes, pulling you closer between his open legs. He smooths his cold hands over your body, groaning softly as he tugs at the silk fabric. You shudder at that, trying your hardest not to moan.

“You can open 'em now, Con.”

Quickly, his eyes shot open, taking in everything he saw before him. The sight of your hair pinned back, just to keep the strands from in your face, the way your tits sat up beautifully through the see-through silk robe you had on, your painted toes peeking through your heels. Everything made Connie insanely hard. He knew he should take his time, but it was hard seeing you so…nude, but not even nude. He brought his hands up to your waist, toying with the ribbon. Your silent whines let him know all he needed to. Slowly and calculated, he unties the ribbon, letting it fall. The robe opened up just enough for him to see your belly piercing in front of his face. Placing a soft kiss on your belly, he pulled the robe open, exposing the rest of your front. He could finally see those thighs on full display, wanting nothing more than to mark them up and make you cry. 

“Take it off, mami. Go ahead, don’t be shy. You was talkin’ all that shit yesterday, what happened?”

“Shut up, Connie.” You slipped your arms out of the robe, letting it drop to the floor behind you. Connie looked you up and down again, licking his lips seductively before turning you around. Roughly, he placed both palms on your hips, squeezing them enough to have you groaning. The sounds that left your mouth made him twitch in his pants. As much as he wanted to tease you, he was tired of waiting to have you. It was so much easier when you weren’t standing in front of him.

Quickly, Connie stood up from the bed, cupping your face in his hands. The way he towered over you made you feel so small…so submissive. Softly, he moved his hands from your face to your shoulders, softly pushing down on them. You quickly received the hint and got onto your knees, placing your hands on top of them. You watched intently and quietly as he slowly unbuckled his belt, removing it completely and tossing it on the bed behind you. When you reached up to unbutton his pants, he softly slapped your hands away.

“Almost forgot. Go ahead and grab those cuffs in that bag next to you.”

You reached into the bag, grabbing the matte black handcuffs and handing them over. Once you set them in his hand, Connie moved behind you, cuffing both of your wrists behind your back. Once he had you confirm the cuffs were tight, he moved back in front of you. He held a slight smirk, placing his hand on your head while he looked down on you. He lightly tapped the side of your face with his other hand, sighing heavily.

“You know what your safeword is, right?”

You nod. “It’s __.”

“And what’s my name for tonight? What are you gonna call me when I’m digging in it?”

“Daddy.”

“Or…?”

You bite your lip in concentration, fingers fidgeting behind your back while he looked at you impatiently. His intense look made your eyes twinkle with realization.

“Papi…or sir, but you don’t really like sir like that Con, do you?” You ramble. He chuckles lightly, shaking his head.

“And in the event that you’ve got my dick or sum in your mouth, what do you do when you wanna stop?”

“Three taps, pinches, or slaps on whatever I can reach."

He didn’t respond, just nodded. Finally, he kisses your forehead, unbuttoning his pants. He keeps them at his waist, leaning down to whisper in your ear.

“I’m gonna beat that pussy up, baby. Gonna make you cum until you cry.”

[arrowflier]

Prompt Thing: does Micky know that Ian isn't a gold Star gay any more? What would be his response? I can picture Lip mentioning something casually in front of the pair about the whole ordeal.

Content warning: nsfw under cut due to frank discussion of sex

It's late on a Saturday night.  Liam is at the library, working on a paper for school, and Franny is at a sleepover.  Fred is already down for the night, and the grown Gallaghers--plus Tami and Mickey, Gallaghers by association--are gathered around the kitchen table for a late family dinner.

Debbie brings a steaming pot over to the table, ready to dish out the meal she had been slaving over all day.

"Who wants to go first?" she asks. "It's a new recipe, so you have to be honest."

"But only if you like it," Lip mutters, and holds up his hands when Debbie glares at him. "What? Am I wrong?"

"Come on Debs," Ian says, disrupting the tension. "I want to see what you did with those tomatoes I brought you."

"This asshole and his fancy ass tomatoes," Mickey grouses as Debbie dishes up. "He tell you how much that shit costs out by the new place?"

"Shut up, Mick," Ian says, taking a bowl and spoon from his sister. "I'm trying to eat, here."

Conversation stops, all eyes on Ian as he digs his spoon into Debbie's latest experiment.

He slurps. Eats a chunk of something from his spoon, and slurps again.

Stops.

Grimaces.

"Debbie," he says slowly, the family hanging on his every word. "Congratulations, it tastes like vagina."

Debbie beams. Lip shrugs, reaching out for his own bowl. Carl grins--awesome--and follows suit.

Mickey stares at Ian.

"Wait a sec," he says. "How the fuck would you know?"

Lip is the one to respond first, spoon already halfway to his mouth.

"Didn't he tell you?" he asked Mickey with a shit-eating grin. "Old boyfriend convinced him to try it; I came home to Ian scrubbing his mouth out at the kitchen sink."

Mickey frowns, squints while he thinks.

"Old boyfriend?" he follows up. "You mean the one he took it up the ass for?"

Ian buries his head in his hands, stew long forgotten in front of him.

"No," Lip answers easily, " the one that cheated on him, said it was cause no one was 100% gay."

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Ian begs.

"What, you aren't having fun on the trip down memory lane?" Lip asks.

"No," Ian answers plaintively. "And you won't be either if you keep going, cause I remember the rest of our little talk that day." He lowers his hands from his face just to raise his brow. "All 4% of it."

Lip just shrugs.

"Whatever, man, still think you're missin' out." He lifts his spoon, points it in Mickey's direction. "I bet Mick here knows what I'm talkin' about. You used to sleep with chicks, right?"

"Lip," Ian warns, but his brother ignores him.

"You have to have gone down on at least one of them," Lip continues. "Come on, man, spill."

They're saved by Liam coming in through the back door, laden with books.

"Hey guys," he greets. " What's for dinner?"

"Vagina," they all answer in unison.

Liam hightails it up the stairs before they even finish laughing.

---

Later, once they've gotten ready for bed--they're staying the night in their old room, both of them having had too many to drive--Ian brings it up again.

"Have you?" he asks as Mickey strips down to his boxers.

"Gonna have to be more specific, Gallagher," Mickey says. "I've done lots of things."

"Gone down on a woman," Ian clarifies, fidgeting with the frayed edge of their sheet.

Mickey pauses with his shirt half over his head, then finishes pulling it off.

"No," he answers, twisting the worn fabric in his hands. "What would be in that for me?"

Ian just looks at him.

"The pleasure of your partner?"

Mickey snorts.

"I was a horny kid, Ian," he explained. "I fucked chicks cause they let me and it felt good, not because I was interested in how they felt about it."

It's quiet, for a moment. When Mickey turns around, Ian is frowning.

Mickey sighs.

"What now, Ian?" he asks, Ian's name soft in his mouth.

"Nothing," Ian says. Bites his lip, waits a beat. "Just..."

"Fuckin knew it," Mickey mutters, and catches the pillow Ian throws at him.

"How do you know you don't like it, then?" Ian asks. "If you've never done it, I mean."

"Don't know," Mickey answers with a shrug. "Just don't."

When Ian looks unconvinced, Mickey steps closer, between his legs as he sits on the edge of the bed. He puts a hand on Ian's chin, makes his husband face him.

"What's this really about, huh?" he asks. "I know you ain't actually concerned that there's a chance I'd like eatin' pussy."

Ian grins at that, faint but there.

"It's just," he starts. Stops, tries again.

"What Caleb said, back then," he settles on. "It kind of made sense."

He looks up at Mickey with those wide green eyes.

"If you want to try it, you can," he offered nervously. "It's not cheating if I give you permission, and I don't want you to--"

"To what?" Mickey interrupts. "Leave you for not lettin' me do somethin' I don't even want to do?"

Ian looks almost offended, but not near as offended as Mickey feels.

"But you don't even know if you--"

"Stop," Mickey cuts him off again. "Just fuckin stop, alright?"

He moves his hand from Ian's chin to his shoulder, shoves him down onto the bed. Climbs over him, hovering close.

"Do you have a fuckin vagina?" Mickey asks, point-blank.

Ian shakes his head.

"Then I don't never wanna touch one again," Mickey says. "And that's all there is to it. I'm not your shitty ex-boyfriend--who I'm gonna kill, by the way--I'm your fuckin husband. You're it, man."

He pushes down on Ian's shoulders, then drops his chest to settle against his husband's.

"Besides," he mutters as he feels Ian relax beneath him. "That shit's nasty as fuck, man. How'd you think I found out I was gay? Some girl tried to shove me down there, almost threw up in her pubes."

Ian's resulting laugh moves through Mickey's body like an earthquake, and it's the best thing he's heard all day.

Except Ian's description of Debbie's cooking, of course. That was right up there too.

[theworldofotps]

Letter From The Road

WWE Superstar: Finn Bálor and Bálor Word Count: 680 ~A series in which I write a letter from a superstar to their partner or friend back home while they’re touring.~

This is for @letsgivethisonemoreshot I truly hope you enjoy this and that I managed to get it the way you wanted.  Balor’s parts will be in bold writing. I got a little carried away with this one. _________ Tag list: @hungmanhorsecarriage @writtingrose @omg-im-such-a-masochist @sjwrites22 @new-zealand-chic @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk @xladyxfatex @biforrollynch @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @demonqueen29 @itsicantbelievethis666 @lilred91 @xbreezymeadowsx @rebellious-desires @youcantreignonmyparade @melblacc @letsgivethisonemoreshot  @alination @ava-valerie @shortyiceheart @serpantscorpio8497 @thatpanpal

If you wanna be added to the list lemme know. __________ Dear princess, Hello, my queen, I know you’re missin me a lot right now and I wanted to surprise my favorite girl with a letter to hopefully cheer you up a bit! OUR girl Finn don’t forget that. Right right sorry, anyway I just wanted to let you know that I, we, miss you too. We miss waking up next to you every morning and falling asleep next to you at night. I can’t believe it’s already been three weeks and we still have another four to go. It sucks not getting to see you in person. Don’t get me wrong I’m thankful for the Facetime calls, texts etc but it’s not the same as holding our baby.

Finn here literally won’t shut the fuck up about you, everyone who stands near him for ten seconds has to be careful to avoid asking any questions about you or they’ll be forced to listen to him go on and on.

Hey! Leave me alone I can’t help it I miss her and I know you do too so don’t try and act all innocent.

I may miss me queen but you don’t see me droning on and on about it I’m surprised Seth hasn’t laid you out for how much you talk.

He already understands and told me he doesn’t mind, we got off track anyway we just wanted to tell you we love and miss you. I hope things are going well for you, I know this touring stuff is hard but I thank you for sticking around and supporting us through it. We love you for that baby more than we can ever tell you.

Right we love you so damn much we’re two of the luckiest people ever to have someone so incredible like you by our side. Oh, also I’m supposed to tell you that everyone says hi and they hope you come to a live show soon. Which I agree with, I don’t know if I can go seven weeks without my baby in my arms. It’s already driving me crazy with missing you.

As do I dove, this time apart has just proven what we already know. That this fool and myself love you more than life itself. 

We hope you don’t ever doubt how important you are to us, you mean so much we could go on and on but it would never be enough. I’ve noticed lately tho that you’ve been being kinda hard on yourself. Talking down about yourself and I hate seeing you so sad. You, my love, are absolutely perfect to me, us, you are so kind-hearted, always willing to go out of your way to help others. 

Not to mention how you put up with the two of us even when we’re being a handful. 

Right, we know dating us isn’t the easiest thing and sometimes you get treated poorly by others but just know we will always love you. For the rest of our existence. We love you more than Legos. Dude, I never thought I’d hear you say something like that before (I mean it’s true) but still. 

I’m just being honest baby, I want you to know how much you mean to us and never ever doubt that you are loved, you are wanted and we are going to spend the rest of our lives proving that to you lass I promise. We just have to get through these small amounts of time not being able to see each other and when we’re back together again we’ll make up for the missed time. 

I can’t wait till we can do the same my precious one, but unfortunately, Finn needs to close this letter it’s almost time to get ready and head to the arena. I love you and I’ll talk to you soon. Yeah, he’s right I better close this here please let me know when you get this because I’m so excited to see your reaction to it. I love you baby to the moon and past that.  

                                        Love you forever ever                                                Finn and Bálor

[notgalaxii]

May I pls ask for a headcanon of when the brothers or undateables are sick and MC looks after them pls

I wroteee guys! Be proud of me! Oh and I'm also super kinda sorta upset because my new manager wants me in at like 5:30am - 1:30pm?? And that's tiring. Oh welllll, thats how it beeee.

Another thing! I kind of wrote a self-indulgent Satan smut but I didn't know if I wanted to post self-indulgent NSFW cause I feel like a HOOEEE so if you're reading this, you should leave a reply letting me know what you think~

Pride

Bold of you to assume Lucifer will willingly stay put in bed to be taken care of

He puts up one of the biggest fights

"MC, I have paperwork to do."

"MC, Lord Diavolo requested me for a meeting."

"Calm your shit, Luci. You know Diavolo would give you the devildoms entire supply of tissues and medicine if he knew you were sick."

After he gets over his fit of needing to do anything and everything, he's quite easy to take care of

Will tell you exactly what he wants, needs, how much it is, and how to get it

Lucifer would probably be more of a medicine person than soup or tea

Definitely gets very fever high and it'll slowly chip at his wall

"Thank you for bringing me my meals, MC. It means so much to me that you'd go out of your way to take care of me. I appreciate you every second of every day."

Sick Lucifer likes it when you run your fingers through his hair, it'll lull him to sleep

Definitely wouldn't mind if you crawled next to him in bed and fell asleep to him, but I feel like if you do it a few times, fever high Luci will get pretty clingy.

"Why didn't you stay with me longer last night, MC? You left me cold."

Greed

You thought Mammon was already clingy?

Sick Mammon is the textbook definition of clingy

And it's even worse because he feels too fucking miserable to put up a fight with his tsundere self so all of his neediness is right there in the open

"MCCCCC Where ya goin!?!? I wasn't done with you yet! The Great Mammon wants to be fed soup."

Whiny. Very whiny. Oh my god so whiny.

"Why do I feel like my head is floatin' away from my body, huh? It's all foggy up here! Make it stooop"

And if you take a few seconds too long to say something,

"Oi! Are ya listenin' to me!? Pay attention, human!"

But will definitely make it up because sick Mammon is ✨lovey✨ Mammon

"I love you, human. Don't forget that, 'kay? I wouldn't let any other dumb little human take care of me like this. I feel like I can trust you."

Sicky Mammon loves soup. He wants the soup to be fed to him every time too.

Will aggressively feed it to himself if you deny him

"Dummy human, don't know what ya missin' out on, yanno!"

Absolutely melts under a n y touch that you give him

Likes it when you rub his chest a lot, it's very soothing

And as per usual, absolutely loves his hair being played with

An ideal night for sick Mammon would be cuddled up to his human with their hand in hair, watching movies and having soup fed to him until he falls asleep

He's a baby, protect him. Please.

Envy

Leviathan is very confused about why you're trying so hard to take care of him

He's holed up in his room all day anyway, what's the difference when he's sick? He can take care of himself!

But oh god when you bring him food and pets, he can't deny how loved it makes him feel

Anime Marathons! Anime Marathons!

Adores being all wrapped up in the blankets with you watching his favorite shows to make him feel better.

Brush his hair out of his face to check his fever. Do it. It'll break him.

Kiss him on the forehead afterwards if you really r e a l l y want to break him

Levi wouldn't care too much what you bring him, but he would like it to be hot to sooth his throat

He can't yell at his game with a sore throat.

Rub his chest and shoulders, it makes him feel like a big boy

Play with his hair that's usually in his face

Wrath

Angy boy is angy

Doesn't get why you're trying to take care of him, he's a big boy

At first he's a little annoyed by the gestures. Satan likes to do things for himself, he wants to feel capable.

If you're romantically involved with him though, he'll be nicer about it

"I don't know why you're bringing me my meals, kitten. I can still walk. Its just a small cold" proceeds to fall into a sneezing fit

When he's in his demon form, his tail sticks straight up when he sneezes-

Y'all gonna make me write an entire headcanon about how they sneeze I fucking swear.

Back on topic, Satan would like to have a book read to him while he's sick. Sometimes his vision gets a lil foggy and his head gets cloudy

Let him lay his head on your lap by the fire place. Run your hands through his hair and read him a novel.

After his initial fit of "fuck you i'm a big boy," he was by far the easiest to take care of

Any time you tell him to take a medicine, eat something, drink something, blow his nose, or get some rest he listens

Well now that he knows you have best intent in mind

And deep deep deep down in his aggressive heart, he kind of enjoys being bossed around by you

Lust

Asmodeus would be almost Mammon levels of whiny

"MC, am I still beautiful even though my nose is runny?"

"MC, I feel too heavy to walk to the bathroom and do my skincare. Can you do it?"

"MMMCCCCC~ come give me cuddles"

"MC! Feed me my medicine~"

On that note, Asmo doesn't care what you bring him as long as you feed it to him

He'll make it sensual as hell too

Will still try to kiss you all the time if you're okay with it

And you bet he'd be like, "You know what would make me feel better?" And definitely try to get in your pants.

Touch him literally anywhere. He won't care if its his face, dick, or left pinky toe. Just give him your love

Cuddle sessions will be a lot more loving.

Don't get me wrong, Asmo cuddle sessions are already very loving and sensual, but when he's siiiick

He's so so so SO soft

Professes his love for you at least once a day

Wants gentle kisses on his forehead, cheeks, and nose

Honestly, Asmo overall just wants to be held, loved, and taken good care of

You wouldn't be allowed to sleep in your room anymore. He wants your attention and care at all times.

Gluttony

How did you even get sick!?

You're h u g e man, and an athlete, you think you'd have more of a tolerance?????

Okay so on the slim chance that Beelzebub is sick

He is sO GOOD about letting you take care of him

You want him to take this medicine when the alarm rings? He'll down it before dismissing it!

You want him to drink this tea you gave him? It's delicious, MC~

Eat the soup? S a y l e s s

No Beel- you have to drink it slowly or else it won't help as much

Okay so he'll struggle a little bit on that part but he will do his best because he loves you and wants to make you proud.

Beelzebub would like it if during your sick cuddles, you laid on top of him while he had his arms around you

You take so much care of him, he wants to feel like he's caring for you too

Fever High Beel is chatty, honestly when you know Beel personally hes chatty anyways but he's worse under a sick spell

Will ask you literally every philosophical question that settles in his brain for at least a second

Some of them are straight up weird though man

"Why is there a D in fridge but not refrigerator?" Is one he has asked m u l t i p l e times.

Beel is a good puppy 💕

Sloth

Like his twin, Belphie is veryyyy easy to take care of when he's sick

He doesn't... Do much so it's not like he's gonna hop out of bed and run away from the medicine

Just opens his mouth with a little "ahh~" sound and drinks or eats whatever you shove in his face

He's moody sick though

Well he's always a little moody but when he's sick he's probably a grumpy ass boy

"Ehh, MC why am I sick again? All I smell is snot" he would huff

Likes to pick at your brain a little bit when he's sick

Just really loves listening to you talk all the time and it keeps him occupied enough when he feels like shit and you're there to go on the cute little rambles he loves

Being groggy helps him sleep better, so expect this beautiful little cowboy to pull you in for some more naps with him~

[jojoboisimagines]

Josuke x Reader :: Promposal :: Ch. 5

previous chapter                 next chapter

summary: A strange new transfer student has enrolled in Budogaoka High School. Josuke falls head over heels for her, but has a limited time to win her over before the school prom.

.::.

The accusations thrown at Josuke by his baffled mother were hard to listen to, especially with your face practically burning from it and hearing only ringing in your ears from the shock alone and having to sit in the midst of the two arguing. You decided your best bet was to hurry, pack your stuff and leave. You’d maybe call him later to let him know why you left and tell him that your time together was great, lest he get the wrong idea.

It was easy to sneak past them. They did seem like the types to block everything else out when stubborn. Perhaps that's why some considered him and his friends delinquents.

.::.

About an hour later, you found yourself dialing Josuke’s number (or well, his house number) while lazily lying on the bed of your temporary apartment. He had written it at the bottom of his love letter, which you actually bothered to keep amongst all the other ones. 

“Yeah, I see. Thanks for calling me instead of just leaving me hangin’.”

“No problem...I’ll see you tomorrow at school. Sorry for any trouble I’ve caused.”

“No no”, he was quick to disagree, “It’s fine, my mom just gets fussy like that sometimes, its not your fault at all. To be fair I should’ve been paying more attention.”

You frowned. He shouldn’t have blamed himself. You weren’t being entirely courteous as a guest either to fall asleep on him like that. He spoke up before you could say anything about it.

“Did you have fun though---er, get a good study in? I know I did. Cleared up a lot of stuff I was missin’ during class. Thanks a lot for that!” You could hear the grin in his voice. Admittedly, he had a nice voice to listen to. But you convinced yourself that was just a supplementary compliment rather than you starting to have a school girl crush on him like the rest of his groupies.

You wondered what drew them to him in the first place. Was it his hair? It would seem like he’d take pride in having groupies if it was for that reason, being so uptight about his hairstyle and all. Yet he would always look so annoyed whenever they came up to him, so that probably wasn’t the reason. His personality? No, they hardly let him get a word in whenever they bombard him. His height?

...Fair assumption.

“Hey, (Y/N), you there?”

Crap, had you been spacing out?

“Yeah, I’m here.” You replied, rubbing your eyes.

“Do you have time tomorrow for ice cream after school? Its totally cool if you’re not, I understand.”

You did have a bit of studying to do to keep your grades up (and to keep up appearances, but that was less important) but keeping Josuke happy in your friendship did also mean something to you. Skipping one study session wouldn’t be that much of a deal, you could skim through it once you get home anyway.

“Oh no no, I’m down for it.”

Josuke’s tone noticeably turned up an octave after hearing that. “Cool! You wanna come by my house or I’ll come by yours?”

After saying he could pick you up from your own house (especially thinking about how Tomoko would react) he joyfully lets out a ‘sweet!’ and you exchange your goodbyes before hanging up.

One thing you could safely say about Josuke at this point is that he was certainly...interesting. If you had to weigh your options between giving everyone that sent you a letter an opportunity to court you and just only giving Josuke a chance for the time being, the latter set well with you far more.

.::.

Classes had passed by rather quickly. It almost seemed like a blur but you didn’t mind it. At first the thought of instantly going home and looking over the notes you took to refresh your memory came into your head, before Josuke and Okuyasu voices behind you made you realize what you had planned already. You had recognized the other two, but hadn’t bothered to hold a single conversation with either of them. 

As far as you knew, they were just ‘the guy who looks like he’s still in elementary’ and ‘the guy that looks like he’s committed a crime before’.

However you would withhold your assumptions for the time being and attempt to get to know them truthfully. They seemed excited to see you, anyway.

“Glad to see you waited for us (y/n!)” Josuke happily said.

You didn’t really. But you forced a smile as if you did anyway.

Josuke stopped behind you and contemplated putting an arm around you like he would his other buddies, but decided against it, thinking maybe the two of you weren’t at that point yet. You didn’t exactly seem like the touchy type either. Instead his hand firmly rested on your shoulder, his face offering a kind, genuine smile towards you. 

Gesturing toward his friends, he began to introduce them. “(Y/n), this is Okuyasu Nijimura and Koichi Hirose. They’ve kinda been excited to meet ya ever since we started hanging out.” Josuke lets out quite the cute chuckle as his free hand finds itself sheepishly behind his neck now.

“Yo!” Okuyasu was quick to greet you with quite possibly the biggest grin you’ve seen anyone sport since you’ve gotten to this country. Koichi on the other hand seemed a little more calm and reserved, saying a simple ‘hello!’ with a wave.

They didn’t seem too bad now as you had thought before, but you’d keep your eye on them. After the introduction Josuke had mentioned that itd be wise to get to the ice cream truck as soon as possible, seeing that it might leave the neighborhood soon. You still were a bit unfamiliar with the area, so you followed behind the other three and let them lead the way.

.::.

When the four of you finally arrived to the spot of the parked vehicle, you had just noticed that you’d tuned out the conversation that was had on the way here. Now that you think about it, Okuyasu was pretty swift to wrap an arm around his taller friend’s shoulder and immediately start talking about something else. Maybe it was just your imagination, but you had thought Josuke would’ve been inclined to talk to you during the brief walk. That’s what you were invited for, right? Or is this just what he does with all his friends?

The lack of attention didn’t bother you that badly, as you’re generally used to it, but you still couldn’t help but wonder.

You had walked up to the window to get your own ice cream, before Koichi promptly stopped you, pulling out his own wallet.

“Hey, I can pay for your ice cream for you!”

You blinked, not exactly sure how you were supposed to respond to that. “It’s alright, you don’t have to.”

“No I insist! Don’t worry about it okay?” The small boy smiled at you, a face that was pretty hard for you to resist. Giving a slight nod, he proceeded to pay for it. You did get the biggest size they offered though, who’s to say you couldn’t after he graciously agreed to pay?

You and Koichi walked back to the others, already sitting down in the park with the ice creams and chatting. As you were making your way over there, Josuke looked back at the two of you, his happy grin melding into a guilty wide-eyed frown.

He turned back around when you and his other friend walked past the bench he and Okuyasu sat on to go to another one across from them. Without even glancing at him, you started to eat your ice cream. From the corner of your eye you could see the pompadoured teen lightly tap his clueless friend, motioning them to move to the same bench you and Koichi were.

Trying to prevent things from becoming awkward, Josuke immediately started talking to you as he sat down. “So, (Y/n), is that your favorite flavor?”

You nodded, not trying to get distracted from your melting ice cream.

“Cool, I like that flavor too. I really really like strawberry though, especially the kind they have at the truck.”

“Strawberry’s a good flavor.” Okuyasu chimed in. “But Koichi likes nasty shit, like pistachio. Bleh!” He stuck his tongue out to emphasize his disgust. The shorter teen was slightly offended.

“Hey, its good with the right toppings! At least I don’t bombard my ice cream with everything, if you’re careless like that, you’ll get a cavity!”

Oku dismissively waved his hand. “Whatever. I’ll just go to Tonio’s again and it’ll be good as new, so there’s no problem!” He grinned.

Koichi sighed, and you were left wondering what kind of place “Tonio’s” was.

“Oh right, we need to take (Y/n)-chan there someday!” Josuke added. “Maybe we should do a little tour thing of Morioh for you, would you like that?”

You happily nodded, almost at the end of your ice cream. The three of them had gotten along so naturally

Eventually everyone else got done with theirs and began to throw everything away. Koichi had started on his way home, saying that he was going to start on his studying before his goodbye. Thinking you should do the same, Josuke walked in front of you.

“Hey me and Okuyasu are gonna hang at my house, so we can walk you home first okay?” 

“Okay.” Probably the first time you said something in about an hour. You saw Okuyasu about to walk up with Josuke again, but was stopped immediately and whispered something by Josuke. After which, he hung behind the two of you for the remainder of the walk.

When your apartment was reached, The boys asked if you enjoyed yourself and you happily responded with yes and that you’d love to hang out again, before going up the stairs and waving goodbye.

The two of them stood there for a while, making sure you were safe up until you got inside the house. As you closed the door, Josuke let out a groan and his head sunk into his hands. Okuyasu, obviously concerned by this, put a hand on his shoulder.

“Bro? You okay?”

Jojo shook his head. “Ughh..I can’t believe I let that happen. She must’ve felt so left out. I didn’t even pay enough attention that Koichi paid for her stuff..god..That didn’t look good at all.”

“Hey, you’re not obligated to treat her like a queen or anythin’. You’re still just friends right now right?” He tried to reassure his downtrodden friend.

“Yeah but...I still feel like a dick. I invited her there..Plus there’s also the fact that she’s got a limited time here in Morioh..” His blue eyes widened after saying that statement, the realization just now hitting him. It was so silent all the boys could hear was the slight breeze ruffling the trees.

“Huh, now that I think about it, why are you tryin’ to woo someone who’s a transfer student? Seems kinda rough to get someone to fall for you in a few weeks...unless you’re Yukako.”

“Goddammit Okuyasu, I don’t get to choose who I fall in love with!” 

His fist balled up again, lips going dry as he resented saying things before thinking about them first. 

“Woah...Josuke..”

Before he could say anything else, the teens noticed a slight shift in the window blinds where a light was on in your apartment. 

‘Holy crap, i hope thats not her, i’d shit myself if it is!’

“C-C’mon Okuyasu, lets get out of here, I-I’ll race you!” He bolted down the sidewalk in the direction of his house, with his best friend in tow. 

It was you who had peeked out the window from your living room, but only because you were startled by the sound of someone shouting. You didn’t see anyone when you fully pulled the blinds back, must’ve been your imagination. Putting the window back as it was, you returned to your studying.

[violetwolfraven]

Hey :)

So, I know I just left a request already but the thing is that there's definitely not enough Blush in the Newsies Fandom, and therefore I wanted to ask for 10 ("Who are you?") for Blush in the canon era. Either some getting-to-know each other, or maybe (to make it more angsty) some kind of temporary amnesia thing or that maybe Blink's other eye slowly stops working? (At this point I'm just rambling, but I hope that's something to work with; I really like your writing)

Thank you! You’re right that we need more blush in this fandom, especially since like 80% of us see them as canon. I’m gonna go the kinda flangst route with this!

Sorry this took so long, but I struggled with and scrapped like 6 different ideas before coming up with something I felt good about. This takes place about a year before the strike.

Tw: referenced parent death, implied period-typical homophobia, referenced past child abuse.

...

Mush was woken up by a loud thud, like something hitting the floor.

He was very confused about what was going on until he looked down and saw Blink on the floor.

He was just sitting there, not quite upright, like he’d fallen out of bed and was too disoriented by getting woken up suddenly to move.

“Blink?”

He didn’t respond, and Mush was starting to wonder if he was really awake at all, or if he was... what, sleepwalking?

Honestly, Mush was starting to question if he was even awake. None of the others were, and that thud of Blink hitting the ground had been pretty loud.

Dream or not, he dropped down from his bunk, careful to land quietly next to his sweetheart.

It seemed like none of the others had been disturbed, which was probably a good thing. They all needed the rest. Jack and Crutchie were up sleeping on the roof like they always did in the summers and others all were still asleep.

“Blink?” Mush whispered.

He just kept staring at the ground, dazed, like he didn’t even hear him.

“Blink, are you okay?”

Blink flinched backward, instinctively raising his arms to shield his face, and Mush froze with his hand halfway between them.

Nightmare. It had to be.

What was it that Jack did when things like this happened?

Mush didn’t know, but he knew he had to do something. He did know something that might get Blink’s attention and snap him out of it. Something none of the others knew.

“Louis.”

Blink’s good eye snapped to attention, but not in a good way.

Mush felt a chill at how he wasn’t looking at him so much as through him.

“Who are you?”

His voice was haunted. Hollow, not even a hint of recognition there.

God, if this was what always happened when he had nightmares, Mush had no idea how Jack could ever calm him down.

He was going to try, anyway.

“It’s me,” Mush said, trying to keep his voice calm, “Mush Meyers. Your... your best friend. Ya don’t know me?”

Blink shook his head rapidly, curling in on himself like he was expecting a blow, “No. No. I’m sorry. No.”

That wasn’t good. Blink never apologized. If he was sorry for something, he let you know in more tangible ways. Actions over words.

Much needed to ground him. Now. He didn’t really know how, but... if Blink didn’t remember him, he guessed he should..?

“Do ya remember when you and me first met?” he asked, “We was 9 years old. My mom and pop had just died. I was friends with Jack, Crutchie, and Specs already, so they’d told me I could come here if anythin’ ever happened. I saw ya for the first time sitting out on the fire escape when Specs was introducin’ me to everybody. He told me not to bother ya, so we didn’t talk for a while.”

Mush paused, watching Blink’s face carefully for any sign of recognition.

He was still just staring into space, but he looked more confused than blank now, so Mush kept going.

“Everybody was upset cause Jack was in the Refuge for the first time and we was all worried, but it hit you hard cause you were alone. The others were all grouped up to support each other, but they was all avoidin’ you cause ya scared ‘em. You get defensive when you’re scared, so’s nobody can hurt ya.”

Still no real recognition, but Blink was at least looking more responsive to what he was saying.

“I offered to be your sellin’ partner after a couple days, cause I didn’t see what everybody was so scared of,” Mush recalled, “Not till you a gave me this look like you were gonna gut me in an alleyway. But I sold with ya anyway, and I kept sellin’ with ya even after Jack broke out and everythin’ got normal ‘round here. Best choice I ever made, to stick it out with you.”

Blink smiled distantly, barely, but it was there.

“Yeah, Blink, I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t met you,” he continued, “I definitely wouldn’t know how to read people as well as I do. Remember when we were 12 and the Delanceys jumped me behind Jacobi’s? You seemed so angry while you patched me up, but I knew it was just cause you was worried.”

He was relaxing a little bit, his body language no longer wracked with fear.

Mush risked a glance around the room, just making sure that all the others were still asleep.

“You wouldn’t tell me I was your best friend until we were 11,” he said quietly, “Too damn stubborn. Ya don’t bury all your feelings like some people, but ya also never say it if you’re scared or sad or care about someone.”

Making sure it was clear what he was doing beforehand, Mush scooted a little closer to whisper to him.

“That’s why it was such a surprise when ya told me you had feelings for me last month. Asked to be a thing. You said—“

“You’re the only one what sees the good in everyone,” Blink mumbled, cutting him off, “Even people who hide it on purpose.”

He met Mush’s eyes, and it was obvious that Blink was now a lot more present in there.

“I’d be a fool to let that slip away.”

Mush hesitated, then held out an arm, knowing Blink wouldn’t take that offer if he wasn’t ready to be touched.

To his surprise, Blink went to him without hesitation, the tension leaving his body in one breath as he tucked his head against Mush’s shoulder and let himself be hugged.

He was covered in sweat, and Mush could practically feel the exhaustion radiating off him. Whatever that had been, whatever nightmare had triggered it, had clearly taken a lot out of him.

“Did I scare ya?” Blink asked quietly, after a minute of just sitting there on the floor in silence.

“No. Worried me a bit, though.”

He wasn’t lying. Mush had never been afraid of Blink. He’d been able to see why others were, with that fierce, cynical air he put up in self defense, but Mush didn’t really fear anyone, honestly, since he’d gotten good at understanding people. If you understood why someone was doing what they were doing, you didn’t have to fear even the people you hated or were angry with.

Blink, specifically, had never scared him because he’d been able to tell from pretty close to the beginning that Blink didn’t want to hurt anyone. He just acted like he did so that he wouldn’t get hurt himself.

He’d wondered why before. This was making him wonder again, but he wasn’t sure if it was okay to ask.

A part of him was scared of the answer, remembering how Blink had flinched when he tried to touch him before. He hoped he was wrong.

Blink seemed to guess where his thoughts were going and he sighed bitterly, moving up onto the bed and pulling Mush up with him.

“The nightmares are a nice little souvenir from Mom and Dad,” he admitted softly, “They’re... I don’t have them so much as I used to anymore, but... how did ya think I lost my eye?”

So Mush was right. He hated that he was, but... well, he couldn’t say he’d never guessed this before.

“That’s why ya got so weird whenever I brought up missin’ my folks way back when. You didn’t get it cause you didn’t miss yours.”

Blink nodded, “I ran away when I was 7. Wound up here. My folks came lookin’ for me a couple times, but Manhattan’s leader at the time turned ‘em away at the door. Good thing. I’d probably be dead if he’d let them take me.”

Mush didn’t want to think about a world where that happened, “Jack wouldn’ta let him.”

He smiled, “Probably not.”

That smile faded a little too quickly, but Mush didn’t know what to say to fix it.

He could barely see Blink in what moonlight was coming in through the window, but he reached over to push his hair off his face anyway, careful to come at him from the side with his working eye.

Blink leaned his face into the touch with a deep breath.

“Wish I hadn’t wasted so much time back then, assumin’ everyone was out to hurt me. I’da become friends with you a lot faster if I hadn’t.”

“I did think you was a bit of a dick when we first met,” Mush admitted, “But hey, whatever ya have to do to feel safe.”

Blink shrugged, “Well, you feel safest when you’re surrounded by people ya trust and it works out alright for you.”

Usually it did. Mush always tried to be as kind as he could afford to be, and that meant he had friends everywhere.

Blink had a tendency, almost an instinct, even today at age 15 to make people want to avoid him.

It was kind of funny how the few friends they’d told about their relationship hadn’t been surprised at all, despite how different they were. Sun and moon. Practically direct opposites.

“I’d rather you act like an asshole than end up dead. You mean a lot to me, Blink.”

“You mean a lot to me, too, Mush.”

Mush took the awkward silence that followed that as a signal to give him one last smile and climb up to his bunk, but Blink grabbed his wrist at the last second to stop him.

“Stay down here?”

He didn’t have to answer out loud for them to curl up together, cuddling on that bottom bunk.

[fluffymcu]

Bleachers (Bucky x reader)

Highschool AU

warnings: mentions of making out? Nothing graphic though.

This is my first time writing something like this, I surprised myself with this one, hope y’all enjoy! This is a highschool AU that takes place around the early 90’s so it has a little bit of 40’s Bucky vibes. I really enjoyed writing this :)

Fun fact: I kinda dreampt this up in my head while trying to go to sleep but it kept on going so I decided this was too good of an opportunity to pass up so I got up and risked a good nights sleep and wrote this and now here I am :) no regrets tho.

—-

You pulled out your math and reading books out of your locker and put them in your backpack before taking a look in the small mirror you ínstaled in the door of your locker and fixing a few stray hairs. A few seconds later, the air around you was filled with a very familiar scent of cologne.

“Hey pretty girl, where are you headed?” You blushed at the pet name your boyfriend had for you as you turned around to face him.

“Calculus. You?” You greet, draping your backpack over your shoulders.

“Gym.” Bucky nods. You pause to look at him with narrowed eyes.

“You don’t have gym this period.” You say, a slight smile playing at your lips.

“No? Then what do I got, doll face?” He smirks.

“I don’t know exactly what class you have but It ain’t gym!” You scoffed.

“I thought I’d skip science today” he shrugs.

“Bucky!” You scold, a hand on your hip.

“What? It’s one class! It ain’t gonna hurt.” He brushes it off, leaning against one of the lockers. You roll your eyes. “Why don’t ya skip with me? It’d be a lot more fun if you were there with me.”

“No thanks.” You say quickly, as you begin to walk to class. You may have been dating a “bad boy” but it didn’t mean you were itching to do the things he did.

“Aww come on doll, why not? Just one class!” He started.

“No Bucky.” You sighed. You weren’t giving in that easily.

“Pleaseee?” He begged. With a sigh, you stop and look at him. He increases his puppy eyes as you look. “Please.”

“Don’t look at me like that Buck, you know it makes me give in.” You chuckle as you continue walking, silently waving at some of your friends in the hall.

“That’s why I’m doin’ it doll face. Just one class.” He chuckled, still on the subject.

“No Bucky. I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because.” You sigh.

“Because why?” He insists, stepping in front of you, stopping you from moving.

“Bucky-“ You start.

“Please, dolly just one class. Just stick with me, you won’t get caught. I promise.” You look into his pleading blue eyes.

“I don’t like the idea of this Bucky...” you whined.

“Come on, I’ll show you my hideouts and my shortcuts. It’ll be fun! Doll, I know you want to.” He sang, poking a few times at your belly, making you flinch and bat his hands away.

“Don’t, buck.”

“Then skip with me.” He asked again. After a few moments of thinking you finally give in with a sigh.

“Just one class, Buck. I mean it.”

With a blinding smile, Bucky cheers and wraps his arm around your shoulder, guiding you. “I knew you’d come around, doll face. Come on, we’ll take a shortcut.”

—

You both arrive at the gym doors and Bucky quickly glimpses through the small glass window to see the gym coach’s back towards you. With a nod, he opens the door and rushes you in, pulling you in a space behind the bleachers.

“Are you sure no one will see us?” You asked nervously, looking cautiously at all the kids playing volleyball and practimg running drills.

“Positive. We’re safe here.” Bucky said with a reassuring smile. You nod and start to take out some papers from your backpack, a moment of silence between the two with just the sounds of whistles and shoes squeaking in the gym floor. Bucky furrows his brows. “Whoa, what are you doin’?”

You look at him innocently. “Homework.”

Bucky laughed, raising his eyebrows and taking the papers off your lap. “Darlin’ I think you’re missin the point of skipping class. The idea is to not do schoolwork.”

“Well, there’s not much else to do now that we’re just stuck here behind the bleachers.” You shrugged. Bucky smirked and leaned closer.

“I can think of a few things...” he said before capturing your lips in a kiss. It didn’t take long for it to evolve into a full on make out session though, Bucky always makes sure of that. As his hands stroked your sides, holding you from falling, one of his hands gripped a bit too tight, making it have more of a tickly feeling.

With a squeak, you flinch and break away from the kiss, your cheeks flushed and lips a bit swollen. Bucky chuckled when he realized what triggered your reaction. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

“Are you really that ticklish?” He teased.

“Yes- I mean, no. I’m- not really..” you waved your arm, trying to brush it off, still panting from the kissing session you had. But Bucky wasn’t taking any of it.

“I think you are,” he sang, poking and squeezing at your sides.

You squealed and fell with your back on the bench. “Bucky! Stohop! You’ll get us cahaught!” You struggled to keep your laughter under control, panicking inside, afraid one of the students would call attention to you and your boyfriend skipping class.

However, Bucky didn’t listen and instead was too entertained by how ticklish you were. He moved from scratching at your sides and ribs to digging his fingers into your hips.

You squirmed and bucked your hips, failing miserably at containing your laughter. You tried your best to slap at his hands but it didn’t seem to faze him. “Buhuhuhucky stahahahahap!” You squealed, looking around to make sure no one saw you. The gym was already very loud but that didn’t mean you could let your guard down.

Bucky chuckled at your giggly state and reached behind to pinch behind your thighs. You couldn’t hold back as you let out a scream of surprise and kick your legs out, immediately covering your mouth after. “Alright, alright I’ll stop.” He laughed. Thankfully no one had payed attention to your scream.

Bucky helped you sit up after you had caught your breath and you playfully hit him in the chest. “Bucky, you idiot! You could have gotten us in trouble!” You scolded him.

Bucky only laughed and pulled you to his side. “Relax, pretty girl. I told you, as long as you stick with me, you ain’t gettin caught. I promised you that didn’t I? Now. How bout we go hang for a bit at the stairwell next to Mrs. Benning’s classroom, then we can get a head start at the line for lunch, eh?” You smiled, blushing a bit before nodding and following Bucky out the gym.

⭐️should I do more of these tickle related AUs?⭐️

[just-another-ficwriter]

Cruel Summer - Part Five

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Reader

Words: 4000ish

Warnings: Mentions of pregnancy, underage drinking, alcohol, implied smut

Summary: Sweet Pea turns up at your front door with a packed bag and no where else to go. When a few days turns into a couple of weeks, old temptations become a struggle.

Notes: I’m so sorry for how long this took, but I hope this makes the wait worth it!

 He looks up grinning like a devil.

"So let me get this straight..." You watch him cautiously from behind your kitchen counter, taking a minute to replay the last 10 minutes in your head. "Katy kicks you out because of our past and the first place you come is here?"

"Well I couldn't stay at Toni's with Cheryl could I?" His question makes you cringe and you both silently agree that Toni's place wasn't an option. "And Betty would never agree to Jug letting me stay when she's trying to remain impartial to the whole thing."

You let out a sigh, busying yourself with the first thing you can get your hands on just so you don't have to look at him. "I don't think this is a good idea Pea."

"My only other option is to follow Fangs back to Riverdale but my whole life is here now, my job, Katy-" You. He blinks back the thought hoping it won't roll off his tongue as easily as he thinks it. "Please? Just a few days until I can figure something else out?"

His pleading makes you risk a quick glance at him to find him already staring back, eyes full of hope. It makes you wish you hadn't bothered when your heart flutters and you know you won't be able to hold out much longer. "A few days, that's it."

"Thank you." He grins up at you, all perfect white teeth on show and has to refrain himself from rushing up and hugging you.

You smile back at him, lips pressed together tightly to suppress a laugh. He bites his bottom lip as the silence around you grows slightly awkward and you suddenly jump into action. "Did you want something to drink? I've got tea, coffee-"

"Anything stronger?" He cuts you off as his eyes flicker to your half empty wine glass on the coffee table in front of him then back to you.

"I'll grab another glass."

-

He lifts the wine glass to his lips, takes one big gulp and thinks about pouring another glass. Between the two of you, you'd finished off three bottles yet he still felt nervous at the thought of his next question.  "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." You lean back on the sofa, your legs tucked underneath you and one hand under your chin. You watch as he debates how to say what he wants to, feeling a lot more relaxed than when he first got there.

"You and Fangs, did you... are you?" His words come out in a mess and he isn’t sure whether it’s the alcohol or his embarrassment. He feels stupid, it shouldn’t bother him but the idea makes his heart sink.

"Sleeping together?" You giggle loudly and for some reason it makes him laugh too. "God no."

He’s so relieved he lets go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding and starts to ramble again. "I just thought with you guys sharing a room, and I saw you in the car, then there was Katy and Ronnie all weekend-"

"Pea I would never." Your hand falls to his knee in what’s meant to be a sincere gesture but he flinches under your touch and it makes you regret it.

You're ready to pull it back and pretend it never happened when he covers your hand with his own to stop you, his eyes watching his own thumb drawing circles on your skin. "Good."

"Why?" You feel yourself gravitating towards him and you know you shouldn’t ask the next question but you do anyway. "Were you jealous?"

"What would you say if I was?" A few seconds of silence follows, his body moving forward an inch or two. He licks his lips in anticipation and you're sure your hearts about to burst out of your chest.

"I'd tell you, you were being stupid." That’s all he needs to hear to move again, your lips almost touching. You notice the way his breath catches in his throat, and whisper, with your palms against his chest. "We shouldn't do this."

"We definitely shouldn't do this." You knew there was a million reasons not to, but not a single one comes to mind at that moment, you were too distracted by the way he was looking at you, and how he good he smelt up close.

His lips met yours with such need, such desperation that you can’t help but give in immediately.

-

You wake up to the smell of bacon and an overwhelming sense of guilt.

You try not to think about the night before but it's hard to forget the feel of his hands on your thighs or his lips on your neck.

Or how good it felt.

You open your eyes to find his side of the bed empty and you're part relived, part disappointed.

So you shut them again instantly, pulling the covers over your head with a groan and wonder how long you can get away with hiding out in your room.

You last 11 minutes and 26 seconds before you can't ignore the rumbling in your stomach anymore and force yourself up.

You find Sweet Pea in the kitchen, shirtless back facing you as he leans over the stove.

Your heart stops when you see him like that. You've come a long way since you were teenagers playing house in his trailer but sometimes it's liked nothing’s changed at all.

You lean back against the door frame, arms crossed over your chest and watch him move around effortlessly like he belongs there. "Are you making breakfast?"

"Your favourite." He smiles warmly when you join him at the breakfast bar and then something clicks and he suddenly realises that this isn't his kitchen, and he hadn't asked before he helped himself. "I hope that's okay?"

"It's fine I just-" You can feel the heat burning your cheeks as you take in what he just said. It surprised you to hear he still remembers little details. "You still remember my favourite breakfast?"

"Of course." He states with a bashful grin, sliding the freshly made food in your direction. There’s something comfortable about his gesture and once again you’re reminded of your teenage years.

Memories you’d spent the last three months wishing you’d forget.

"Thanks." Your eyes don't leave the plate as you try desperately to gain some courage. "So we should probably talk about last night."

"Right last night." He turns his back on you again, making it impossible to read his reaction and the pressure on your chest becomes even more unbearable. You search your mind for all the things you need to say but it all seems impossible.

"Pea it was a mistake." The words end up coming out in a blur, like ripping a band aid clean off, fast and quick. You can hardly make sense of them yourself. It’s far from anything you’d hoped it would sound like. "We can't do it again."

"You're right, it won't happen again." You pretend to ignore the slight quiver in his voice as he agrees with you, his hands gripping the work top. When he turns back around he's still smiling but his eyes look anything but happy. "Let's just forget about it."

-

You know it's a bad idea before you do it.

You don't know why you slip into his t-shirt that's somehow mixed in with your own clean washing a week after he'd moved in, but the way it falls to your thighs makes you smile anyway.

You don't hear his keys in the door, too busy in the kitchen with a spatula that doubles as a microphone to notice.

It isn't until you're on to the chorus, dancing along with the lyrics that he can't control his laughter and blows his cover leaving you frozen to the spot. "Don't stop on my account."

"This is so embarrassing." Your body feels like it’s on fire from his teasing and you pray for the ground to open up and swallow you to avoid your awkwardness. "I thought you were at work."

"Early finish." His beaming grin turns into more of a smirk and there's a playful glint in his eyes that you can't miss.

Your gaze follows his to your current choice of clothing and you're even more mortified than before. "I should probably get changed."

"I wouldn't complain if you didn't." Your draw drops slightly as he shoots you a wink, leaving you speechless as he walks backwards towards his room. "My shirt looks good on you by the way."

You can’t shake the look he was giving you for the rest of the day.

-

"Pea I home!" You’re barely managing to juggle everything in your arms as you call out to him. Somehow a few days had turned into two weeks and he didn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon. "I grabbed takeout if you want any!"

You don’t hear him coming but you can sense how close he is behind you, the warmth of his breath tickling your neck and sending a shiver down your spine. "Chinese food and left-over cupcakes, you're too good to me."

"And you're naked." Your eyes are wide when you turn to face him, and you can feel your chest heave slightly at the sight.

"I have a towel on if that helps." He takes a step closer and you take one back. But that doesn’t stop your eyes from following the water droplets that fall from his shoulders, over his chest and down his stomach.

You don’t need to look at his face to know he’s well aware of the affect he has on you right now.

"It doesn't." You roll your eyes, but he knows you don’t mean it. He just laughs instead, backing off so you can plate up. But it doesn’t stop your mind from wondering or have your heart beating any slower.

His little games were starting to become relentless.

-

Three weeks in and it’s hard to remember what your apartment was like before Sweet Pea moved in.

He’d invaded every inch of home. He never put the remote back in its place, he always left wet towels on the bathroom floor and you continuously tripped over shoes he left in the weirdest of places yet you knew you wouldn’t change a thing.

Except maybe the part where Katy hadn’t talked to you since the weekend at the cabin.

But that stings too much to think about.

You can feel him watching you from his claimed spot on the couch as you frantically search the living room for your one lost earring and mumbling words he can’t make out.

"You look nice." His compliment makes you smile and you pretend it because you’ve found you’re missing jewelry rather than the swarm of butterflies his words have set off. “Girls night?"

You can hear the underlying hopefulness in his voice and suddenly your chest feels tight. You can’t look him in the eye when you answer. "Actually, I have a date."

"Oh." His face drops when the idea of you on a date with someone else catches him off guard. He struggles to pull himself back together and the smile he forces is almost painful. "Well have fun."

"I will, don't wait up." You grab the rest of your stuff as fast as you can and leave without looking back.

-

Despite you telling him not to, he stays in the living room, thoughts wondering to where you might be, who you were with, what were you doing. He falls asleep pretending to watch TV, too anxious to go to bed until you wake him up stumbling in at 1am.

"Y/N?" The first thing he notices are how your eyes are red and glazed over, not just from the alcohol he can smell on you from where he’s sat, but from the tears that are still wet on your cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"Turns out my date was a jerk." You laugh without humor, throwing yourself down next to him and kicking your shoes off so aggressively they fly across the room. Your head lolls to the side and he can tell by the way you’ve started to slur that you’re drunk. More tears fall and he starts to panic.  

"What happened? Did he hurt you?" The idea terrifies him, and he tries to keep any anger at bay while he checks you over.

You just pushe herself further into the cushions, hoping they would just make you disappear. You felt so stupid right now. "No, turns out he no interest in me at all, just thought I'd be easy to get into bed."

"I'm sorry." He pulls you into him, an arm wrapped around your shoulder. He’s desperate to do anything to comfort you and make the crying stop.

"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" You move into him, tucking yourself into his side and mumble into his shirt.

"What do you mean?" His fingers absentmindedly work their way through your hair, and he notices the way it calms your breathing.

You sigh dramatically, hiding your face. "It doesn't matter, I can't tell you."

"You can tell me anything." His honesty makes you smile.

"It's just I..." You trail off, unsure whether to go on. "I just want someone to love me, is that too much to ask for?"

"Of course not." His chest aches. You deserved the world, you always had in his eyes. And he had loved you, so much at one point. In fact, he was sure that part of him would always love you no matter where either of you ended up or who you ended up with. But he couldn’t tell you that so he sighed sadly and hoped you wouldn’t notice the subject change. "We should get you to bed."

You don’t put up a fight, just let him help you up. No one says another word until you’re laying in bed and you catch his hand when he starts to walk away.

"Stay." Your voice cracks with the word and he feels his heart break. He hates seeing you like this, hates seeing you look so vulnerable and he knows he could never leave you like it.  

So he climbs in next to you and falls asleep with you wrapped in his arms.

-

After five beers and two questionable shots, Sweet Pea eyes hazily scan the bar to find you giggling on the dancefloor with Toni. It reminds him of late-night weekends at the Wyrm, feeling rebellious sipping on alcohol underage and spending hours on the pool table until you were all kicked out.

He swears he can pinpoint the sound of your laughter over the music and he realises how beautiful you truly are. You’d changed so much over the years that it hits him how much he’d actually missed you.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” He realises Fangs had been watching him watch you, and the knowing looking he was giving him made him chuckle with nerves.

He starts fumbling with the sticker on his bottle and decides to play dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m not stupid Pea, you can’t take your eyes off her.” Fangs, never being one to give up, pushes further, determine to get the answers he’s looking for. “And she keeps looking back.”

Sweet Pea just shakes his head, and takes a sip of his drink before answering. “It’s not that simple.”

“Isn’t it? Because seeing you two together, the four of us all being here-“ Sweet Pea knows what his best friends about to say before he says it, he feels it too. A sense of remembrance that’s been following him around for the last few weeks. “It’s like nothings ever changed.”

“Sometimes I think the same.” He admits, blowing out a breath.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Sweet Pea looks over him and realises he can’t answer, he’s starting to forget why he’s still holding back.

As if on cue, Toni makes her way towards them and pulls them both back into the crowd with her. You smile when you see him, he doesn’t know why it catches him off guard, but he can barely focus when you grab his hand and pull him closer to you.

And that’s how it starts.

Your back against his chest, swaying along with the music, his fingertips brushing up and down your sides.

Then it's his hand on your back, never moving as you weave your way to the bar, sharing a look that says a thousand things.

It's the way you fingers intertwine in the darkness of the cab, still staying locked together while you race each other to the right floor.

And then finally it's the way his lips meet yours the minute you're inside, bodies pressed up against the apartment door, pulling at each other's clothes like there's not a single minute you can waste. His mouth trails down your skin leaving purple marks behind, the more you scratch at his bare shoulders or tug on his hair the more he leaves.

This time he won't let you forget it.

This time, he hopes it won't be a mistake.

-

This time when you wake up, there’s no smell of bacon from the kitchen, and his side of the bed isn’t empty.

His arms tighten around you almost as if he can sense you’re awake and smiles automatically into your neck. “Morning.”

“Morning.” His skin is warm against yours and you can’t help but relax into him.

“So is this the part where you tell me this was all a mistake again?” You turn to see the smile on his face has turned into one of sadness and you run a hand through his messy bed hair.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” Your voice is barely a whisper but you keep your eyes locked on his.

“I know. But what if there’s a way around it?” There’s a moment of silence between you as he struggles to piece his thoughts together. “What if we just both promise to leave any emotions out of it?”

He’s surprised when you practically laugh in his face and he thinks you are too. You look at him like he’s lost his mind and honestly, he isn’t afraid to admit that he does feel a little crazy right now. “Are you saying you want some kind of friends with benefits deal here?”

“Worth a try.” He shrugs in a last attempt to convince you.

“Pea I-“ You start with the intention of turning him down but one hopeful smile and you’re caving before you can even get the words out. “Screw it.”

It’s his turn to laugh as he pulls your leg up over his and kisses you in a way that steals all air from your lungs.

-

It's three weeks into your arrangement, when the doubts start.

It begins as a weird feeling in the pit of your stomach, like a distant thought in the back of your mind that you can't quite remember.

It isn't until the start of the fourth week that the doubt turns into full blown panic and you realise exactly what it is.

You barely remember the journey to the store and back, just the way your hands shook the entire time as your mind can't seem to focus.

You drink water until you're sure you might throw up and disappear into the bathroom for the most terrifying wait of your life.

You're still in a state of shock 10 minutes later, you don't even hear him come home.

"I'm sorry I didn't-" The way Sweet Pea bursts into the bathroom has you jumping out of your skin, eyes blowing wide. "Uh what's that?"

You couldn't find the words to explain, couldn't will your body to react and hide the evidence in your hands. So you just stood there, feet frozen in place, too scared to move. You assumed the look on his face mirrored your own as he stared back at you, opened mouthed, neither of you breathing in the tense seconds that followed.

"Are you..." He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, didn't even want to think about the possibility.

"I don't know." Your voice is weak, betraying how scared you really are and Sweet Pea deflates. "It's got five minutes left."

He says nothing as he watches you slide to the floor, joining you a few seconds later. He laces his fingers with yours, squeezing your hand in what's meant to be a comforting unspoken gesture, but it only makes you want to cry. "What are we doing here Pea?"

"I don't know." He admits, his words an echo of yours a moment before. His chin balances on top of your head as it falls to his shoulder.

"What if it's positive?" You bury your face further into his neck, too afraid of the answer while trying to hide the embarrassment at your own stupidity.

"We'll figure it out." The ache in your chest eases slightly at his honesty but before you can say anything else a knock on the door has you breaking apart. "Should I get?"

"Ignore it, maybe they'll go away." But the knocking only gets more persistent and Sweet Pea’s frustration gets the better of him.

"I'll go answer, it's probably for you. I'll tell who ever it is you aren't here." He mumbles with the intention of getting rid of the visitor as quickly as possible, but his eyes meet a pair of familiar green ones the minute he opens the door and suddenly he can’t say anything at all.

"Nate." She breaths out, a smile growing on her lips. They hadn’t interacted at all since she’d thrown him out and everything hits him like a ton of bricks. "Hi."

“Katy?” You make your way out into the living room, blinking to make sure she’s really there and suddenly you can’t look in Sweet Pea’s direction.

“I’ve missed you so much.” She pushes straight past him to wrap her arms around your neck, but the hugs not nearly as comforting as you remember it to be. Sweet Pea’s gaze is hot on your skin, silently asking the question that hangs in the air between you and you shake your head briefly in a way to tell him the test had been negative. “But do you mind if I steal Nate first? We can talk later, put this all behind us?”

“Sure.” There’s an ache in your throat that makes your voice sound off but if she noticed her face doesn’t give it away when she finally pulls back. You feel like you’re a ticking time bomb of guilt, ready to explode at any second and suddenly, you can’t breathe. You had to get out. “You guys talk here, I’ll give you spare.”

You dart out of the front door before either can stop you, holding back your tears until you’re on the sidewalk.

-

When you get back they're both gone, alongside any trace of Sweet Pea ever living in your apartment in the first place. It's all replaced by a single letter that you don't have the stomach to read. A letter that you shove into a bedroom draw to become forgotten and start to go on with your life like the last 2 months hadn’t happened.

Sweet Pea Masterlist

Forever Taglist: @p-marie-sp

Cruel Summer Taglist: @t-a-i-l-o-r-m-a-d-e @luvlilreinhart @intoxicatedsixx @yall-wildin-like-siriusly @shembonzi @elliebear27 @ireadthatswhyimhere @nicole13letson @swangstopazx @waitingtobeimpressed @ornate-ribcage @armadaextra @elliemaemusicals

Sweet Pea Taglist: @80sand90simagine @wildberryyyy @hopelesslylosttheway

[diddlesanddoodles]

DUMPLING ch 51

Whatever Bertol had done to her, Nenani continued to feel the exhaustion deep inside her body and limbs. Her arms felt very much as though weights had been strapped to her wrists, and she found the simple endeavor of keeping herself sitting upright to be alarmingly difficult. At last, the fatigue won out and she collapsed back against the bubble in a tired heap. It was a terribly distressful feeling, and she may have been inclined to worry more if not for the reassuring sight of both Farris and Keral only a dozen yards away.

While Keral’s gaze was firmly fixed on their captor, Farris was studying the condition of the humans as best he could from his vantage point. His green eyes met Nenani’s own and she placed a hand against the wall of her prison in a silent plea for release. Shifting his focus to Bertol, his expression darkened and his mouth pulled back into a bitter snarl.

“I’ll warn yer now,” he growled. “If ye’v harmed a single hair on their heads, I’ll draw and quarter ye myself.”

“They’re perfectly fine,” Bertol replied in irritation as he waved a dismissive hand. “Ye should be more concerned with how well Ellis is fairing, seeing as she’s the one been stuck in a damn jar for weeks.”

“She says she’s just fine,” Keral assured him and then jerked his head forward towards the bubble. “Now let ‘em go and I’ll let sparkles here out.”

Bertol did not move and merely regarded the brothers with reserved contempt. “You must think I’m an imbecile.”

Keral did not deny the accusation nor did his stare waver. Bertol’s own glare remained firm and unyielding and several moments passed where nothing was said. Abruptly, the tense silence was shattered when a small voice cut through with an irritated, “Oh for fuck’s sake, Bertie! Just let them go already.”

The severity of Bertol’s glare lessened and he addressed the occupant of the lantern. “You first. Then the children.”

“You must think so little of me that I could not escape this thing,” the fairy replied, rapping her knuckles against the glass. “Unlike the jar, this hasn’t been sealed. So let them go so we can all get on with our lives. I am desperate to spread my wings.”

Though not appearing the least bit placated by Ellis’s words, Bertol nodded mutely and waved a hand in a downward motion. All three bubbles floated towards the ground before bursting, and all three of the humans fell unceremoniously onto the grass. Nenani struggled to push herself up, her arms shaking badly. Jae was suddenly at her side, pulling her up with him and leaning her against his side for support.

“Watch it,” Keral growled, reaching up to the lantern and pulling the door open. With a sidelong glance at the fairy, he said, “I appreciate yer cooperation, Ellis. And yer help.”

“I suppose it’s my own fault,” said the fairy as she leaped into the air. Her iridescent wings unfurled from behind her and she stretched her arms and legs out, relishing her new freedom, as she hovered around Keral’s head as a golden ball of light. “I could have explained everything at the start, but magicians are so thick-headed about their worldview of magic, I didn’t see the point of even trying it. I’m just sorry Haiyer got mixed up in all this stupidity. And the others too, of course.”

Keral level a deadpan look at the fairy. “Uh-huh.”

The fairy flew over the brothers’ heads before zooming across the field. Bertol stepped forward to meet her, his hands reaching out eagerly, and the golden ball of light dropped gently into his hands. “I missed you, dearheart.”

“You sentimental old fool,” Ellis replied, though there was a smile in her voice. She rose up to nuzzle his nose and wrapped her thin arms around his face. “I missed you too.”

“Let’s go home,” Bertol said as he turned and began making his way back towards his tent.

“Not so fast there,” Keral said as he put down the lantern and slipped his pack off his back. He stepped forward, pushing his coat back to pull a pair of iron shackles from his belt. “Ye didn’t think ye could just up and trespass on the King’s property, abduct his son plus the heirs to Silvaara, and then just bugger off back into obscurity did ye? Ye’v got a lot to answer fer, Bertol.”

Bertol sneered at the ranger, pulling Ellis to his chest. “You have your waifs and I have my companion. Our business ends here.”

“I don’t think so,” replied the ranger, and then sprinted forward, his hands reaching out for the hermit. Bertol’s right hand pulsed with yellow light and he swung it in a circle above his head. A great wind cut through the copse of trees that shoved Keral back as it struck him. The ranger fell to the ground hard with a cry of alarm and pain. Farris scrambled towards the children and fell to his knees. His arms swept around to coax them all together and he used his body as a shield against the unnaturally turbulent wind.

Only when it died away did Farris raise his head, though he kept his arms curled around the humans. Nenani looked up to find that Bertol, Ellis, and the tent were all gone. She was still staring at the empty spot they left behind when, all at once, a deep chill settled over them. It was as though Bertol had been keeping the worst of the cold at bay and, now that he was gone, it was seeping back. Nenani’s whole body shivered with the sudden drop in temperature. The frozen grass under her was melting and soaking through the thin material of her nightdress, further exacerbating the problem.

Farris pushed himself up to study the humans below him. “Everyone alright, then?”

“I didn’t get to say hi to Ellis,” Haiyer murmured with disappointment from his place beside Jae.

“Damn raggedy old mage,” Keral grumbled bitterly as he picked himself up, favoring his right hip. He brushed away grass from his sleeves and backside as he surveyed the now empty lot where the tent had been. But it was not completely empty. Within the impression left behind, Keral’s eyes spotted the humans’ blankets laying in sad little heaps. The bright-colored fabric stood out starkly against the greenery. Bending down to gather them up, he brushed off the clinging debris while still muttering under his breath. “Fuckin’ moldy old goat.”

“Dammit, why is it so cold?” Jae demanded loudly while fervently rubbing his arms.

“Because its winter and yer damn near naked,” Farris snapped as he shrugged off the pack he was carrying. It plopped onto the ground and he began to fish around inside. “Luck fer ye three, I thought of that.”

He pulled out a wool coat for Jae who took it eagerly and slipped into it. It was a thick dark brown material that fell around his knees with a simple string belt to tighten around his waist. For Haiyer, he pulled out a tawny-colored padded tunic. It looked more appropriate for someone three times Haiyer’s size. “Wasn’t able to actually nab anythin’ of yer own, but this’ll keep ye toasty just fine.”

The tunic’s sleeves were far too long on Haiyer, but the little boy seemed content enough to let the extra length fall over his hands and drag on the ground. The thicker material would do well enough to shield against the cold.

Keral walked up on them while holding out the retrieved blankets. “These should help a bit too.”

For Nenani, Farris had brought one of the wool dresses that Lolly had made her when she first came to Vhasshal. She had difficulty slipping into it and Farris’s eyes narrowed as he watched her struggle. He brought his hand to her side, fingers curling around her back, and leaned down to peer into her face.

“What’s wrong, lass?” he asked. The creases of his forehead were more concerned than irritated.

“Tired,” she answered, leaning against his hand. “Bertol did something to me.”

The mild worry in Farris’s face was replaced with fury. “What did he do to ye?” he demanded.

Jae answered for her before she could form any response.

“She went all fire mage on him. He really didn’t like that.” He held his hands up and wiggled his fingers. “Then his hands got all glowy and he just sort of sucked all her magic out of her until her flames died out. He seems to have a thing against fire mages.”

Farris’s nostrils flared, but he held back his words and focused instead on helping Nenani into the dress. She had managed to get it mostly over her head by herself, but Farris had to pull the rest of the garment down over her. Once she was dressed, he took one of the blankets from Keral, wrapped her up, and then tucked her into the crook of his arm.

“If I ever see that bastard again,” Farris sneered, “I’ll skin ‘im.”

He growled and grumbled inaudibly for several more moments and then turned his attention to the boys. “Yer just gonna have to manage without shoes til we get back. But we’ll be carryin’ ye, so ye should be just fine.”

“And speakin’ ‘a that,” Keral interjected. He stood over Jae and Haiyer and dropped the two other blankets over their heads before standing back up. Ignoring their muffled protests, he planted his hands on his hips to gaze out at the scenery around them. “Yer not gonna like how long that’s gonna take.”

Farris frowned. “Just how far out are we?”

“Don’t have a fuckin’ clue,” was Keral’s frank reply.

Farris’s frown deepened. “What do ye mean ye don’t know? Yer a damn ranger.”

Keral returned his brother’s glare. “That was my first time taking a fairy portal, too. I’m used to knowin’ how I got to a place instead of being dropped down into it. What I can tell ye is we’re way fuckin’ north.”

“Well I could ‘a figure that much out myself,” Farris grunted, jerking his head towards the looming mountains.

“Fairy portal?” Jae asked after freeing himself from the blanket, and he looked back and forth between the brothers for explanation. “What do you mean fairy portal?”

“Just as I said,” Keral answered. “When the guards found ye all missin’, the whole castle lost their fuckin’ minds. Turned the whole place upside down. And we weren’t gonna just sit there and pretend like we were gonna find ye somewhere under the floorboards, so we decided to find ye ourselves. Grabbed some supplies and went to see if Maevis could give us an idea of which direction to go.” He scratched his chin and shrugged. “And then wouldn’t ye know it? A lil’ voice starts berattin’ us from an empty jar. Said we were irresponsible fer losin’ ye and some other insults I don’t remember. Then all a sudden that empty jar wasn’t so empty anymore. Maevis damn nearly fainted findin’ out not only are fairies real, but he’d been keepin’ one in his office. She offered to lead us to the fucker that nabbed ye three in exchange fer lettin’ her out and we took her up on that. She makes this big ol’ ring of light, we stepped through, and poof! Here we are.”

“And now that the fairy has left…” Jae prompted.

Keral turned his head to regard him with one eye. “We ain’t got as easy a way back as we did gettin’ here. So that means we’re walkin’.”

Jae wilted, pulling the edges of the blanket up around his face. “Wonderful.”

“Well, don’t be surrenderin’ to gloom just yet, lad. Might not be as bad as all that,” Keral replied. He pointed off to the left at the tallest of the mountain peaks. “That big one there is Mt. Vehnmir. So that must mean we’re somewhere in Dovencliffe or close enough to it. If we start headin’s south, we’ll start hittin’ civilization within a day or so. The Lords Harvington and Adler have hunting lodges up this way. If we can find one, we’d be able to garner some help from them and get a message back to Warren at the very least. Lord Brennan’s estate’s up here too somewhere.” Keral grinned down at Jae, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “And of course yourdear friend Lord Colem.”

Jae glared at the ranger. “I would rather walk all the way back barefooted.”

“Lucky fer ye, then,” Keral laughed, “I’ll be carryin’ yer sorry arse.”

“Great,” Jae grumbled. “First I’m taken hostage by bumbling fucking Bertol and then I get to be hauled across the country like a sack of potatoes.”

“A royal sack of potatoes,” Keral corrected smugly.

“You’re far too happy about this,” Jae told him. “Shouldn’t you be more pissed that Bertol got away?”

Keral crouched back down in front of Jae and ruffled his hair. The puckish tilt to his grin grew warmer and soft. “Just relieved to have found ye safe and in one piece, lad.”

Wrapped up snugly in his blanket, Haiyer ambled over to Keral and tugged on his coat. When the ranger looked, all he could see of the boy were his eyes and nose peeking out.

“Hm? What’s wrong, pup? Yer feet froze?” Keral asked, reaching down and gently nudging the boy with a knuckle.

Haiyer wiggled back and forth. “I have to pee…”

Keral raised an eyebrow and jerked his head in the direction of the trees. “Plenty ‘a trees over that way.”

“I don’t wanna go by myself,” whined the little boy.

Keral smirked and eyed him accusingly. “Don’t tell me yer afraid now.”

Even with the majority of the boy’s face covered, his expression of indignation was clear enough, and to further accentuate it he stomped his foot. “I am not afraid.”

Keral hummed in consideration. “I think ye might be.”

With nothing more than a glare, Haiyer turned on his heels and began to march towards the trees. The excess blanket trailed behind him like an overly long cape. Jae moved as though to follow, but Keral stopped him by placing his hand in his path. At Jae’s questioning stare, Keral whispered, “Let’s see how far he gets.”

He was nearly two thirds of the way to the nearest tree before his determined pace began to slow and then stopped. Haiyer turned just enough to see if Keral was watching. Seeing that he had the ranger’s attention, Haiyer gave his best pleading pout and made a high-pitched mewling sound.

With a shake of his head, Keral stood. Chuckling, he told the little boy, “Son, one ‘a these days yer gonna have to learn to take a piss all on yer own.”

“I know how!” Haiyer asserted vehemently as Keral approached. In a smaller, less assured, voice he admitted, “But I don’t want to.”

Keral gathered up the boy and blanket before making his way to the shelter of the trees. Farris watched them go with a sigh and shake of his head before turning his attention back to his ward.

“How ye feelin’, Dumplin’?” he asked in a quiet voice.

She wiggled within her blanket, thankful for the warmth. “A little better I think. Just tired.”

“Hm.” Farris did not seem convinced.

Glancing up to meet his eye, she said, “Thank you for coming to get us.”

He snorted a laugh, a faint smile pulling at his lips. “Aye, well I got a wee bit tired of waitin’ fer someone else to go and rescue ye from all the shit ye manage to get yerself into. Gotta tell ye though, lil’un. Startin’ to get old.”

She broke out into a smile, but it quickly faded as guilt welled up. “Sorry you’re stuck out here.”

“A lil’ walking never hurt no one,” Farris assured her. “Could ‘a timed it better though. After that smokey bastard crashin’ the party last night, everyone was convinced he’d been the one to grabbed ye. The King and yer Mum were just about ready to send out the army.”

Nenani’s eyed widened in alarm and she tried to sit up. “What?”

He coaxed her back down with his hand. “Don’t get too excited now. I’m sure Maevis’ll have told him all that happened. So the sooner we can get a message back to ‘em the better.”

“Warren wouldn’t really send the army out,” Jae remarked, but as he said it, he looked unsure. “Would he?”

“Can’t rightly say. He was livid when they found all ye missin’,” Farris told him frankly.  “Chewed out the guards, chewed out Rheil, and Lolly said he was even throwin’ stuff.”

Jae looked very nervous and uncomfortable. “How long do you think it’ll take to get back?”

“Wrong one to ask, lad,” Farris replied. “My work’s in the kitchen. All this out here is Keral’s territory. But if we do find one ‘a these lord’s estates or lodges or whatever the fuck they have out here, it won’t be longer to get a message to His Majesty. If only to let ‘im know yer alright.”

“Was Mama mad too?” Nenani asked.

Farris shrugged. “Couldn’t say. Wouldn’t be surprised to find a few bits a furniture were turned into charcoal, though.”

………………………………..

Within the hour, they were moving. Jae was settled away inside Keral’s pack while Haiyer hitched a ride inside his large breast pocket. Farris made room inside his own pack for Nenani to lay down and rest. The sway of his gait easily lulled her into a dreamless sleep. When she opened her eyes, feeling more like herself, it did not seem as though she had been asleep for very long. Her side was sore from where she laid against her dagger, but the pulling weight of fatigue was gone and replaced by a dull ache in her belly. She had only nibbled on the apples Bertol had doled out to them and now she was properly hungry.

Farris had left the top flap unbuckled and slivers of day light shone through the gaps. The swaying of the pack made getting to her feet tricky, but once she got a good hold of the top ridge she managed to hold herself up. Pushing aside the top flap, Nenani poked her head out into the crisp mid-morning air. The sun was further up in the sky, but not quite directly above them yet.

“I promise you Keral on my life,” Jae was saying with real vehemence. He too was standing inside the pack with the flap pushed aside. “The lyric goes ‘and I’ll be gone by morning,’ not ‘I’ll be fine by morning.’”

“Hm,” Keral hummed in consideration. “Might be. Still like the other version better.”

Jae sighed dramatically and flopped over the ranger’s shoulder. “You’re impossible.”

Farris laughed. “No use tryin’, lad. That one’ll never admit to bein’ wrong.”

Keral turned to glower at his brother. “Me? Yer one to talk. I’ve met tax collectors more reasonable then yer moody arse.”

“Like to see how much ‘a yer manners ye manage to hold onto with my work load,” Farris shot back and then added, “And they’re paid more.”

“Ah, I’m sure yer justly compensated,” Keral told his brother and then under his breath, muttered, “ye kitchen gremlin.”

“Heard that,” Farris growled.

“Well, good to know yer hearin’ is still good.”

“If that was yer attempt at callin’ me old,” Farris replied with an unamused stare, “maybe ye need remidin’ that I’m only three hours older then ye.”

“And what a world of difference those three hours make,” Keral quipped with a self-satisfied smirk.

“Come off it,” scoffed Farris, but the edges of his mouth quirked in a suppressed grin.

“Just let me know if ye need a rest, old man,” Keral laughed.

Wordlessly, Farris leaned over and punched Keral’s shoulder. The ranger winced and pulled a pained hiss through his teeth. He rolled the offended shoulder. “I’m tellin’ Ma.”

“Go right ahead,” Farris laughed. “I’ve got three more in reserve from the last few times she begged me to knock some sense into ye.”

“Yer just lucky the lil’uns are here,” Keral warned, but his expression was one of mock anger. “Or I might ‘a said somethin’ unkind.”

Farris chuckled and shook his head. The motion caused him to catch sight of Nenani and he turned to better look at her. “Did our bickerin’ wake ye up?”

“No,” she answered, smiling. Leaning forward to rest her arms over his shoulder, she watched the grass below his feet pass by. “I’m all better now.”

He rumbled approvingly, the sound sending light vibrations through her arms.

Another hour passed easily as they moved through the low rolling hills, and the sparse cloisters of trees began to converge more and more until they faced the treeline of a thick forest.

“This can’t be the north tip of the Blackwoods, can it?” Farris asked, looking to his brother.

“Hm,” Keral hummed as he studied the trees before them and then looked up to mark the sun’s position in the sky. “Don’t think so. That would put us close to the Hoek boarder and Mt. Vehnmir is too far west. No, my best guess is we’re coming up on one of those hunting lodges I mentioned. At least, that’s my hope.”

“It’d be nice to get a message to the castle by end of day,” Farris remarked.

As the brothers spoke, Nenani took time to study the trees for herself. They were enormous things with their canopies reaching hundreds of feet above their heads. Though the season had robbed them of their leaves, the remaining branches jutted out every which way, with the smaller twigs spider-webbing out and mingling with those of the trees around them. The early morning fog that had dissipated with the climbing sun still clung to the inner pathways by virtue of the spindly canopy above, resulting in an eerie and ominous sight.

“Are we going through?” Nenani asked.

“Well, that’s the question,” Keral replied. “Do we go through or walk around? There’s no real way of knowing from where we are. There’s dangers to traveling through open land. No cover, for one. But that also means ye tend to see anyone trying to come up on ye. Most of the time, at least. In a forest, ye have more cover. But less of a chance at seein’ someone tailin’ ye.”

“What about walking around?” Nenani suggested, though even as she said it, she felt it was a silly question.

“Walking around might cost us a day, going through may only save us an hour. No way of knowin’ right now.”

“What would you do?” Jae asked the ranger. “If it was just you on patrol?”

“Me? Forest,” Keral asked, briefly glancing at Jae before turning his gaze back to the trees. “More resources, more cover.”

“Seems like we have our answer then,” Jae said simply.

Keral looked to Farris. “Ye agree?”

“If this is a lord’s land,” Farris began, his expression serious. “We could end up walkin’ right into a hunting party and risk earnin’ an arrow in our hides.”

“Ye ever been on a hunt with a noble, Farris?” Keral asked.

“Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure,” Farris replied wryly.

“They ain’t quiet affairs,” he explained. “Loud horns, squires whackin’ at bushes, and hollerin’ tryin’ to scare any game out into the open. We’ll hear any hunting party long before we come upon ‘em. And the season’s over fer that sort of sport. The lord’s still likely to be at the castle or on his way to his home estate. We’d be dealin’ with his resident staff.”

Farris considered this for a few moments and then nodded. “If there’s a chance goin’ through saves us a few miles, I agree. We should take it. Sooner we get these three back home, the better.”

Keral nodded. “I agree.”

Nenani kept quiet as they approached the tree line, all the while eyeing the skeletal branches above with growing unease. She could not explain exactly the reason for it, but she felt as though they were being watched.

And that they were distinctly unwelcomed. 

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BONUS ART: 

[weirdthinkingdragon]

Not a Joke

In a way, this is kind of a self-indulgent thing. That and there seems to be a serious lack of chubby reader here. That or I just can’t seem to find many. Some angst with a fluff end. Mild swearing.

Also, happy birthday to my favorite loud man! God, I love him 

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

The joke has been around for a while. Having hopes up twice was normal, but after the fifth time, it became tiring. Who knew so many people kept getting dared to date me, then just stand me up if I say yes. That’s why now, I’m not taking a certain teacher here seriously. How many times has he proclaimed it over his radio show, and in the school? I don’t know who dared him to, but it must be something drastic if he loses since recently he’s been more persistent. Either that, or he’s losing his patience over the last month. I’m losing my patience myself. I’m tired of this game of “love confession”. 

What makes it worse is I overheard one or two students saying how they’ve been writing fanfics of the drama between the Art teacher and English teacher. A few others piping up how they ship it, and teaming up to try making it real. Much to their displeasure, the attempts never helped. Shouta was surprisingly amused by the events. It might be from the distress his best friend ends up in. He knows what guys have done and has actually hurt more than one man who faked in dating me. He’s like a big brother. 

I’m resting in Shouta's classroom after coming in and helping the students. That and he doesn't mind me coming in to help them stay under control. They left as soon as the bell rang. 

It didn't take long for the door to slam open and in trot Hizashi. "Great to see ya again, Songbird!" Again with the nicknames. The painful twinge in my chest came back. 

Please, just stop this already. I can't get my hopes up again. It hurts. His loud entrance woke up Shouta. He realized who it was, rolled his eyes, and laid back down, almost immediately falling back asleep. Damn it Shouta! Wake up and help me! I went to wake him, but a certain someone lunging onto my back prevented it. The force almost knocked me over. It doesn’t help he somehow made himself wrap his legs and arms around me tightly. 

I hate myself more for the yearning that screamed through me that liked it and didn’t want him to let go. It felt so nice to finally have some kind of contact. I knew he had to get off before I caved. All it took was a harsh pinch to one of his arms that made him let go and fall to the floor with a comical “thump”. He quickly brushed it off and stood up. “Extra feisty today, eh Songbird?” 

Well yeah, he hasn’t done that before. Sure a frequent arm slung around my shoulders or the rare “friendly” arm lock as we walked somewhere. My body screams and begs for more contact every time. I quickly grew disgusted by myself for this craving. I look over to see Shouta was awake with one eye open. There was slight amusement in it. I glared at him as he did nothing to help. Hizashi was still looking at me in a rather loving way. When did this guy have time for acting!? “I don’t know how you do it Songbird, but you’re getting more beautiful by the day!” (Why did writing this low-key make me cringe?) I rolled my eyes at the cheesy line. He tried to loop his arm around my right, but I moved to the side just in time for him to miss. Disappointment covered his face. He quickly went back to smiling and talked a bit to Shouta and me before leaving. 

Shouta had only one of his eyes open again. “When are you two going to get together? I’m rather tired of dealing with the two of you being the talk amongst the class.” 

I shook my head. “You know it’s not going to happen. I just… can’t Shouta. I’ve had my hopes up so many times only to be crushed time and time again.” 

“Give him a chance. He seems serious about it.” Just imagining it made icy claws dig through my chest. Yet, there was also a burning desire flowing through making it a war of fire and ice in my own body.  “No. I’m sorry, I just can’t take it again.” I refused to look at him. He sat up a bit, and his steely gaze pierced through me. “There will always be heartbreak in life. You can’t let that be the thing that stops you. You just have to keep going until you find the right one.” 

I looked at him bewildered. “Since when were you the one wise with romance?” He shrugged. “I’m not.” He then went back to sleep. Looking at the clock, the students will be released from lunch soon. 

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

A few days later, it was noticeable he was trying less than before. The yearning for his touch returned. I was feeling conflicted about it. Even the kids were less adamant about it. Walking back to my classroom, I heard a conversation between Yagi and Hizashi. 

“I’m getting tired of it! My precious Songbird has been denying me the whole time!”

“Maybe get them to visit your home? They could be scared to admit it in public?” He sounded rather unsure himself, and maybe even slightly uncomfortable. “I’ve TRIED that! Hugging them in a room alone, confessing multiple times, and so on! I just don’t get why they’re so afraid of it!” 

“It could be something with others dared to date them? I’ve heard it’s happened a lot more than once.” 

“WHAT!?” Hizashi screeched. I decided to barge into their conversation before Yagi slips other things. “You guys okay? I heard Hizashi yell.” Hizashi looked like he was unsure whether to be sad or frustrated. It was rather hard to tell with his glasses. “Songbird! So good to see ya again!” 

“We just talked yesterday…”

“That’s too long dear!” He went to hug me again but stopped himself. Yagi noped himself out of the odd feeling rising between the two of us. I wanted to escape the uneasy feeling as well and started on my way to class. I was stopped by a gentle grip on my wrist. "Songbird? This may be a little sudden, but would ya like to visit my home on Sunday? Ya can even bring someone if that's better!" He sounded like he was hopeful, and my guess it was to not bring someone. 

I thought about it. He wouldn't try anything too serious, would he? He hasn't really been forceful in any way. After another moment of deciding, I nodded. His face went into one of the biggest smiles I've seen since knowing him. “Great! See ya in the afternoon!” He cheerfully ran off. 

It didn’t take long for the others to know with the smiles on their faces. Hell, even Shouta had a smirk on his face when I visited him. “L/N-sensei! Are you finally together with Yamada-sensei yet?” Ashido asked when it was only her and a few others in my Art class.  

I wag my finger at her. “Now, now Ashido! That’s a private matter!” My teasing tone made her giggle. “All of you go and have some fun. Staying young doesn’t last forever!” The girls nodded and left. All the guys booked it as soon as the bell rang. Well, except Midoriya. He wants to be able to draw better for easier study of quirks. That child is dangerously smart when it comes to learning quirks. 

I closed and locked my classroom while letting the thought of visiting Hizashi the day after tomorrow fill my head. It was worrisome, but there’s also a small part of me that’s excited. 

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

I didn’t even have to knock on the door for Hizashi to excitedly open it. He was in rather casual clothes of a black tank top and light green shorts. It’s so odd to see him not in his hero outfit. Same thing for his hair being fully down. He greeted me with a quick hug. He brought me into the living room to sit on the couch. He plopped down next to me and seemed to be concerned whether or not to move closer. Now that he doesn’t have those glasses, it’s easy to tell his eyes show a more saddened glint. 

To say it seemed awkward between us was an understatement. We sat in silence and the silence brought conflict in my mind. I was starting to regret coming over. “Songbird? Would ya mind if I asked something a little personal?” I’ve never seen him try to be so cautious about a conversation. 

“Sure?” It came out more like a question. “Why do ya keep pushin’ me away? It always seems like you’re afraid to love.” 

I looked away. “Because I am. I can’t love. I refuse to, no matter the craving for it.”

His frown deepened like he knew, but hoped he was wrong. He must have dragged more out of Yagi. That means he must know, but he still has the gall to ask me about it!? 

“It can’t always be that way. Why are you so scared of it? I just want-”

“Because it’s always a fucking trick! Nothing but a joke! Always bringing my hopes up, only to be broken down just because of how I look! Always telling me maybe if I was thinner that maybe it would work out!” I glare at him. “I’m done. Whether or not it’s real, I’m no longer taking a chance!” 

He slowly got closer. “They don’t know what they’re missin’ then.” I put a hand on his chest to prevent him moving any closer to me. “That’s what they always say! They always say they’ll stay! They always ask what they can do to make me trust them, then they turn around the next day and say it won’t work out!” 

“They don’t deserve someone like ya then. A person should be loved for how that person is, not for their look! I don’t care how many times I’ll have to tell ya, I love you, and no one has dared me to bring your heart pain,” He didn’t move his body closer, but he did bring his hands up to cradle the sides of my face. It brought such a warm feeling to my chest I felt like crying. “I don’t care how cheesy it is either, you mean everything to me, Songbird. I can’t handle being without ya. Please, at least give this loud man a chance.” 

I cried. It quickly turned to an almost sobbing sound. He was so genuine it was hard not to believe. I hugged him tightly. It didn’t even take the blink of an eye for him to return it. “Shh little Songbird. Take all the time ya need. I’m not going anywhere.”  

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

I can't stop thinking about your madame red au and the headcannons you wrote last. Can I ask for Joker and reader where she helps him during the dance and all and defends him behind his back when some ladies are shocked because ,,how dare a woman lead a man?!". And maybe Madame Red notices the reader and her behaviour towards Joker and the others and already ships them? Sorry it's so long. Headcannons or scenarios are fine. 😅😁

PLEASE DON’T BE SORRY, THIS IS ALL I EVER WANT IN LIFE AND I OWE U FOR REQUESTING IT

it got so hecking long omg I never plan for things to get this long but when I like something a lot it just kind of happens!!!

The fact that your new companion is missing an arm seems to bother you far less than it does him, at least in the context of trying to figure out how to position yourselves to dance.

“I just, ah ― oof, Lord ― I-I dunno if this is gonna work.” His face is about as red as his hair by now, and he just draws himself away from you. “I’m… I’m sorry. This pro’ly ain’t such a good idea, beauty. Why, uh, why don’t ye go dance wit’ someone else?”

Able to feel other people’s eyes on you both, you shamelessly step back toward him. “Because I want to dance with you. It’s not really that big a deal, is it? There has to be a way.”

He offers you a timid smile. “Be m’ guest, m’ lady.”

The sound of several other girls tittering behind their fans as they watch the man flounder is all the determination you need.

“So I shall!” You return his smile before analyzing the situation. After a moment, you make a move: you wrap your arm around his waist and draw him flush against you. This might be a good start… “Hm, this may work. If I keep my arm here, then I can support you. That way, we can hold hands and you don’t have to worry about losing your grip or anything, because I’ll be holding you.”

Another round of blush blooms over his cheeks. “T-this ain’t exac’ly proper, though, is it? I mean… Mum said th’ man’s s’posed ta be th’ one wit’ ‘is arm round the lady’s waist. Heh, treatin’ me like a lady, are ye? Makin’ a joke like ev’ryone else?”

You can’t help but to burst out laughing, though you take care not to be too loud. The two of you have enough attention on you already, and you get the sense that it’s not the good kind, so you don’t want to attract more. “What?? I wouldn’t make a joke of you. It’s just that we have to do things a bit differently, and we have to do whatever works. It doesn’t mean I’m treating you like a lady. If this is what works, then that should be the proper thing, shouldn’t it?”

“… Well…” His good arm scratches at the side of his cheek as he seems to think that over. It makes a lot of sense, as far as you’re concerned. The very definition of proper is that something is correct. If the way you normally dance doesn’t work when dancing with him, then clearly it isn’t proper. “I, ah, guess I never thought ‘f it that way b’fore. Good way ta put it. This is… alrigh’, then? Dancin’ like this? Ye don’t mind it?”

“Of course not. It’ll be kind of exciting to do things differently.” With your free hand, you take his, weaving your fingers into the spaces between his and noting how it just feels right. “I think this is song is meant to be waltzed to, so… one, two, three?” you tease.

When he chuckles, it’s a sound like golden honey. He has such a lovely voice, and a bright laugh to match even as he’s keeping it soft. “One, two, three, it is, m’ beauty.”

So the two of you start to move. As you lead him around the dance floor, you focus on him rather than all the people who are staring at you. “By the way, I don’t think we introduced ourselves. I’m (Name). And your name?”

“Ah, it’s JOKER,” he hums. “Mum told me she’d never heard ‘f anyone wit’ tha’name, but I picked it m’self a while ago. Never ‘ad any other one.”

“Huh… Lady Durless-Barnett isn’t your mother by blood, right?”

“Aye, tha’s right. She found us all an’ took us in.”

“So, what about the woman who gave birth to you? She didn’t give you any kind of name?”

He averts his eyes down toward your feet with a halfhearted shrug. “She didn’t. Rather not talk ‘bout any o’ that, ‘f ye don’t mind.”

You frown, but recover quickly. “Oh… no, that’s fine. I understand. Then ― all the others that Lady Durless-Barnett took in along with you. You were all basically a family before she found you? You’re all brothers and sisters?”

“Mhm. Tha’s ‘ow we’ve always thought o’ each other.”

“That’s so sweet.” You glance around the room for a minute, spotting some of them, and you can’t help the smile that settles on your lips. “What are their names? What are they like?”

His own smile is back at those questions. “Well… th’ two over sittin’ in th’ chairs, that’s Mally an’ Dagger. They’re each missin’ a leg. Both a bit ‘otheaded, if ye ask me, but that jus’ means they’re also passionate an’ determined. Go ta th’ ends o’ the Earth f’r ye if they think ye deserve it.”

“What about the tall fellow standing by the punch?”

Joker laughs and this time a little snort makes its way out. “Aw, that’s Jumbo. Ye can tell righ’ off what’s goin’ on with ‘im, can’t ye? I knoo he looks scary, but ‘e’s got the biggest ‘eart I ever seen. More afraid o’ ye than ye are o’ him, I’d wager. That suit don’t fit ‘im right; Mum did ‘er best.”

“And the girl next to him by the refreshment table ― the one with cake all over her dress?”

“Ah, God! She’s got it all dirty already, does she?” That grin of his is… really something. “Tha’s Freckles. We call ‘er Doll sometimes, too. Ye knoo, she’s pro’ly the brightest outta all o’ us, ‘r at least brighter’n I am. She’s pretty much th’ heart o’ our li’l group, always got a smile f’r us all.”

“I think the last two are… running around flirting? They seem to be half everyone else’s height?”

It’s obvious that the image is hilarious to him. “Oh, Peter an’ Wendy. Those two only grew ta a certain ‘eight, an’ they’re ‘bout as inseparable as anythin’. Peter can be a bitter pill ta swallow, rough round the edges… come ta think ‘f it, so can Wendy, she’s jus’ quieter. Once ye get ta know ‘em, though, ye see they ain’t bad at all.”

You give one more look at all of them, then return your gaze to Joker’s face. “… So, how about you?”

He blinks a few times, looking surprised. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” you giggle. “Now that I know that everyone else is passionate, nice,energetic, loyal… what are you? How would you describe yourself the way you just described your family?”

“Oh… er…” And he’s blushing again. Precious. “I… dunno, really.”

A hum vibrates up from your throat. “I suppose I’ll just have to find out for myself, then. As it stands, this is one of the most pleasant dances I’ve ever had with someone, so I would use charming as a starting point.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Ye think?”

“I’ve done this a few times, you know.” You lead him in the next step, twirling around with him in your arms. “So far, you’re probably the best dance partner I’ve had. You’re very sweet.”

“Awh, ye’re havin’ a go at me. Don’t make me blush, beauty.”

As the song transitions into a new one, you lean over and give a very light kiss to his cheek. “Oh, don’t limit me like that. You’re very handsome when you blush.”

You loosen your arm so that he can move away if he doesn’t want to dance for another song. “So,” you say, “would you like to go for another song?”

He shifts himself out of your arms. “Actually, sure. But first, would it… maybe be alrigh’ if I brought Mally an’ Dagger over? They both been poutin’ over not bein’ able ta dance, an’, well, if ye can find a good way ta ‘elp me dance, I bet ye could f’r them too. Sure make ‘em real happy, if ye’re up f’r that.”

“Oh… of course! I’m nothing if not up for a challenge.” You step back and give him a curtsy. “Hurry back!”

-

“Joker, darling, did I just see you were dancing with (Name) (Surname)? Goodness, and you didn’t think you’d be confident enough to ask anyone to dance, yet you asked the most beautiful, eligible woman in the room!”

Joker shoots a nervous grin at his mother, who’s currently fanning herself as she surveys her party. “Actually, she… she was th’ one who asked me.”

“What?” Anne’s eyes get even wider, sparkling devilishly. “Oh, my!! That can only mean one thing. She’s interested in you.”

“Her? Oh, Mum, she’s lovely, she really is, but… I-I dunno.” Just thinking about you makes his heart skip a beat. He’s very much interested in you, but the two of you did just meet, and he’s… missing pieces. “She couldn’t be int’rested in me.”

Anne pauses in the motion to point her fan toward the dance floor. “Then why is she doing that?”

When Joker turns his head where his mother is pointing, he not only sees what you’re doing, he hears it too. Currently, you’re positioned as if in a stand-off with one of the other attendees.

“― And you don’t know anything about him! You want to insult someone, pick on someone your own size and come at me. Go on! If you want me to tell my father to cut off business with yours, I dare you to say something. A woman leading a man in a waltz isn’t that strange! Well? Suddenly you don’t have anything to say? Just turn around like the coward you are, and if I hear you so much as breathe another word about him, you will be sorry.”

Joker’s attention isn’t even on the fact that the other lady turns bright red before flouncing off with her friends. He doesn’t care about her reaction; he cares about what you’re saying and doing. What…?

It would appear you’re defending him from someone who tried to make rude remarks about him. Why? Isn’t that the kind of thing that could ruin your standing if you get too heated about it? Why would you risk that just because someone made a cruel comment about someone you barely know? Why would you threaten such a big thing as changing your father’s business partners for him, who’s basically a stranger to you?

Anne’s giggling as she nudges Joker with one elbow. “Keeping that in mind, we should start thinking about whether you’d like a June wedding or a December wedding.”

“Mum!!” he snorts, though his face is all aglow with a soft pink. “That’s not… I’m not… she’s…”

“She likes you. Which, of course, proves that she has excellent taste.” Anne runs an affectionate hand through her son’s hair. “Why don’t you set up a date with her, sweetheart?”

Joker’s gaze returns to you, still standing in the middle of the dance floor, arms crossed, silently daring anyone to say anything mean about him or any of the others, while he remembers how kindly you treated him.

“… I just might do that, Mum. Just might.”

[bellebridgerton]

Slow Burn: Chapter 4 (Clyde Logan x reader)

Every day after the robbery, Clyde was counting down the days until he'd be out, until he could sleep in his own bed and spend time with his family, see (Y/n), hold her close and never let go.

The day he was released, (Y/n) was waiting outside the gates, leaning on Clyde's car. She sees him and as soon as the gate starts to open, she runs at him full force.

Luckily he sees her coming and he prepares himself for it, he lifts her into his arm, holds her. He carries her to the car and smiles, "I thought Mellie was comin' to get me."

(Y/n) looks at him, holding on, "Are you disappointed?"

Clyde smiles and chuckles, "Not at all, just pleasantly surprised." They make it to his car and he sets her down, opens the car door for her.

(Y/n) gets in the passenger side, and waits until he's in the car, "Your stuff is at my place, bed, books, clothes, everythin'."

Clyde raises an eyebrow, "Okay, why?"

(Y/n) looks at Clyde, "Jimmy moved, he's been gettin' serious with a very nice lady, her name is Sylvia."

Clyde nods, "Okay, but don't worry, I'll get my own place soon." He drives to her place, which he guesses is his place for a while too.

(Y/n) smiles, "There's no rush to find your own place, Mellie and I love you, don't worry about it."

Clyde nods, "Thanks, you're too good to me."

She looks at him, "Clyde, you deserve the world, we'd give you that if we could." The rest of the ride was silent, but Clyde was thinking the whole time.

When they finally arrived home, Clyde sits on the couch and relaxes, happy to just be there, and not in prison. (Y/n) sits next to Clyde, "Hey, what sounds good for dinner?"

Clyde thinks for a minute, "Fried chicken sounds really good."

He softly smiles at (Y/n), and she nods, "I'll order some for us." She gets her phone and orders fried chicken and the sides that Clyde likes.

Clyde gets up and walks around, he opens the door to what he assumes is the guest room. He sees his bed, which looks like it was slept in, he walks over to it and lays down for a minute. He smells the perfume oil that (Y/n) wears, same one that she's worn since she was 13. His chest tightened, he realized she'd been sleeping in his bed while he was gone. He was curious as to why, her bed is much more comfortable than his.

(Y/n) stands in the doorway, "Clyde, there's one more thing for you." She puts a big black case on his bed, sits next to him and opens the case.

A new, mechanical prosthetic was staring Clyde in the face. He was nervous, not sure how it works.

(Y/n) gently picks up the prosthetic and looks at Clyde, "Do you want to try it on?"

He nods and allows her to help him put it on. He watches the fingers move, and he smiles a bit.

(Y/n) looks at the prosthetic, "It looks good, how does it feel?"

Clyde chuckles, "It feels different, but good." He closes the case and sets it beside his bed. He lays back, looks up at (Y/n), "It's so nice to be back." He was upset that the money he helped get was given back, but at least he was home.

(Y/n) smiles, "You have tonight and tomorrow night off from Duck Tape, so you can enjoy some time with family and friends." Clyde smiles gratefully, gently pulls her down, cuddles with her. (Y/n) blushes and cuddles Clyde, feeling truly calm and happy for the first time in 90 days.

Dinner comes and (Y/n), Clyde, and Mellie eat together. Mellie looks at Clyde, as if to ask if he told (Y/n) about what happened, to which he gave her a look that confirmed that he hadn't. (Y/n) sips her water, "Would you two want to watch a movie later?"

Clyde nods, so does Mellie. Mellie suggests a new movie that came out on Netflix, and Clyde doesn't really have an opinion on it, he just wants to spend time with the girls.

While cleaning up dinner, (Y/n) reaches for a Tupperware lid, and she's just a little too short to be able to reach it. Clyde grabs the lid for her and hands it to her. (Y/n) smiles, "Thanks, I knew I kept you around for a reason."

Clyde chuckles and helps her put dinner away, then grabs himself a beer. He sees a cake in the fridge, "Squirt, what's the cake for?"

(Y/n) turns her head at the nickname he rarely used for her, "It's to celebrate you comin' home, we can cut into it whenever you want." She makes herself a drink, "Do you want to?"

Clyde nods, he hadn't had anything sweet while in prison, and he's not normally a sweets kinda guy, but she went to the trouble to get it, so he'll eat it. (Y/n) opens the container and cuts the cake, grabs two plates and cuts two slices of cake. She puts a fork on each plate, and carries the plates to the living room. Clyde grabs her drink and follows her, he can't help but watch her ass as she walks.

Once they both sit down, (Y/n) hands Clyde his cake. He smiles, "Thank you, darlin'."

(Y/n) smiles, "No problem." They watch the movie Mellie picked and they eat their cake. As the movie goes on, (Y/n) cuddles up to Clyde, and he gently pulls her closer.

The credits roll, (Y/n) looks at the clock, "It's gettin' late, are you tired?"

Clyde shakes his head, "Not yet, how about you, darlin'?"

(Y/n) shrugs, "I don't feel tired. This might be too personal, and you don't have to answer, but how did you make it through? Ninety days without hardly seein' anyone you know or love, no freedom."

Clyde nods, "Lots of thinkin', missin' people, missin' my books. I just kept thinkin' about when I'd get to see you, Mellie, Sadie, Jimmy. Family was really hard to be away from." He tears up a little bit and doesn't realize that a tear slid down his face.

(Y/n) gently wipes his tear away, "Hey, you're here now, we're here. And if I have anythin' to say about it, you're never goin' back to prison, ever" She was tearing up, she couldn't go through seeing him being taken away in handcuffs again.

Clyde chuckles a bit, "I don't plan on goin' back there, darlin', I promise." He strokes her hair, "I'm not goin' anywhere."

(Y/n) climbs into his lap and clings to him, "Good." Clyde holds her, his real hand in her hair and his prosthetic hand on her lower back. (Y/n) feels safe in his arms.

A few more hours pass and tiredness hits Clyde like a wave. He hadn't dared move from his seat, since he was holding (Y/n). Gently, Clyde went to move her, but realized that she fell asleep. Carefully he carries her to her room, gently lays her down on her bed, but he can't stand up straight because she's got a death grip on his shirt. He chuckles and kisses her cheek, carefully removes one of her fingers at a time, from his shirt. He closes the door behind himself, turns off the living room lights and heads to his room.

Screams were heard through the house, causing (Y/n) to leap up and run to Clyde's room. She sees him tossing and turning, screaming in pain. She gently wakes him up, "Clyde! Clyde! Wake up, hey, you're okay." She sits on his bed, guiding his head into her lap. She kisses his temple and strokes his hair with one hand and rubs his back with the other. She runs her fingers through his hair, humming softly to him. Carefully she strokes his left arm, "You're here with me, you're safe, I promise."

Clyde sniffles and holds onto her, his right arm around her hips. He hated people seeing him like this, especially (Y/n), even though she's seen him at his worst. He mumbles against her thighs, "I'm sorry I woke you up."

(Y/n) tries to hide her laugh, "Oh sweet Clyde, don't worry about me." She rubs his back, "Just a second, I gotta move." Clyde lets go of her and she lays down beside him, gently guides him to lay his head on her chest.

Clyde blushes and looks up at her, "You sure?"

(Y/n) smiles and rubs his back, "Shhh, just get some sleep." She plays with his hair until he falls asleep, his left leg moved over her legs, and his left arm rests across her body. (Y/n) gently touches the scars from the surgery after he lost his hand. She couldn't imagine the pain and suffering he went through, but when she was on her way to the hospital that day, she swore that whatever was going to happen, she'd be there for Clyde. She kisses his forehead, and allows herself to fall asleep.

Clyde wakes up to Mellie standing in his bedroom doorway, her arms crossed. She sighs, "Some day, you need to tell her how you feel. You two, I swear, we'll all be old before one of you is brave enough to be honest with the other."

As much as Clyde wants to believe his little sister, his mind won't let him. He sighs, "If I thought she saw me in that way at all, then we'd be married by now." He's 27, he thought he'd be closer to having a family than he actually is. Being that (Y/n) is only two years younger than him, he knows that men make eyes at her all the time.

Mellie smiles, "Well, talk to her! Even if she doesn't feel the same, she'd never stop bein' your best friend."

What Clyde and Mellie didn't know, was that (Y/n) heard the whole conversation, and she was excited and nervous. She pretends to wake up, and she smiles, "Well good mornin'." She plays with Clyde's hair, smiles sleepily at Mellie.

Clyde doesn't dare move, he's too comfortable with her. He closes his eyes, "Mellie, go away, I'm tired." Mellie rolls her eyes and leaves the room, closes the door behind her.

(Y/n) plays with Clyde's hair, "What do you want to do today?"

Clyde huffs a little, thinking, "Lay here, talk with you."

(Y/n) giggles and rubs his back, "I think that can be arranged."

They both end up falling back to sleep, (Y/n) wakes up first, and carefully gets up. She walks to the kitchen and makes lunch, then goes back to Clyde's room, gently wakes him up, "Hey, I made lunch, come on, up you get."

Clyde yawns and stretches, then gets up, "Thanks darlin'." He walks to the kitchen with her, he grabs a plate that she had already made up for him.

(Y/n) smiles, "No problem, now eat up." She sits on the couch with him, eats in silence.

Clyde was thinking about why Jimmy would possibly give the money back. He was angry about it, that money could have given him a better life.

(Y/n) could tell that something was on Clyde's mind, "Clyde, what's goin' on in your mind?"

Clyde shakes his head, for fear that she'd think badly of him for what he's done.

She turns in her seat to face him, "Come on, please tell me, maybe I can help somehow." She gently grabs his hand, "Please?"

Clyde sighs and bites his lip, "The night after Sadie's birthday party, Jimmy and I got in a fight with this ass hole guy. Jimmy was gettin' beaten up, so I threw a brick through the window of their car and threw a Molotov cocktail into the car." He takes a beat to assess (Y/n)'s reaction, she seems to be listening without judgement, he continues, "Then Jimmy came out of the bar and said 'Cauliflower' to me. The next mornin', I couldn't say no to him. He asked me to rob Charlotte Motor Speedway with him, and I thought it would be a way to better my future, to better yours. I wanted to be able to do somethin' for you. We pulled it off, but he gave the money back, so I risked my life for nothin'."

(Y/n) was surprised, but flattered that he did it partly for her, "You don't need to give me money to make my life better, you just need to stay out of prison." She smiles softly and hugs him, "I'm sure Jimmy had a reason for giving it back, I'm just happy you pulled it off and didn't get caught."

Clyde hugs back, "Thank you for understandin'."

(Y/n) smiles, "Any time." She pulls back and finishes eating.

(Y/n) changes into some jeans and a crop shirt, slips on some shoes. She walks over to Clyde, "If you want to get dressed, then I have something special for you, we have to go for a drive though."

Clyde smiles and goes to his room, puts on clothes suitable for going outside. He walks out of his room, "I'm ready."

(Y/n) grabs her car keys, walks with Clyde to her car. They both get in and she drives him to Duck Tape.

Clyde looks at (Y/n), "What are we doin' here, are you workin' tonight?"

(Y/n) smiles, "No, I'm not, just come on." She gets out of her car and grabs Clyde's hand, holds his hand as they walk into the bar. The bar is dark, and all of a sudden, the lights come on, friends, family, and well-liked patrons of the bar all shout, "SURPRISE!"

Clyde jumps a little and looks at (Y/n), "For me? It's not my birthday though."

(Y/n) giggles and nods, "I know, this is your Welcome Home party!"

Clyde smiles and does his best to socialize, appreciative of the effort that went into making this happen. He walks over to (Y/n), "Thank you for this, it was so sweet of you to do this."

(Y/n) looks up at Clyde and smiles, "Mellie and I did this."

Clyde thanks Mellie too, and he makes his way back to (Y/n), "It feels weird, not bein' behind the bar."

(Y/n) smiles, "You deserve to be catered to tonight."

After hours of socializing, Clyde decides he wants to go home, he walks over to (Y/n), "I'm ready to go home."

She nods and looks up at him, "Then let's go." She says goodbye to their friends, and walks out with Clyde. She smiles, "I hope you had fun."

Clyde gets in the driver seat of (Y/n)'s car, after he makes sure (Y/n) gets in, "I did, it was really sweet of you to put it together." He drives them home, ready to just relax.

(Y/n) leans her head on his shoulder, feeling tired. She looks up at him, "Can you carry me inside, please?"

Clyde chuckles, he couldn't say no to her, "Sure, darlin'."

Clyde carries (Y/n) into the house, bridal style. He sets her down on the couch and sits next to her. (Y/n) yawns and cuddles into his side. Clyde wraps his arm around her and rubs her back. He wishes he could stay here forever.

[earlysunsetsoverambrose]

Operation Sweet Surprise (2/3)

Lester Sinclair x f!Reader (Romantic or Platonic)

Warnings: Cursing 

Inside the store, you began hunting down the items you needed with Lester in tow. He offered to hold the basket for you so you could focus on making sure you got exactly what you were after.

“Okay, Lester. We need: milk, pie crust, vanilla extract, cinnamon, brown sugar, baking powder, and eight apples. So, if you see anything and I don’t just toss it in the basket!” you told him as your eyes started scanning the shelves.

“Yes, ma’am!” Lester said with a playful salute. 

One by one, you found each ingredient, checking them off your mental list as you went. Throughout your expedition, you couldn’t help but notice other shoppers keeping their distance from you two. Of course, you knew exactly why they were acting this way. The smell of roadkill lingering on Lester’s raggedy exterior offended their delicate senses. The way some made a show of holding their breath or how their side eyes were more like dead on stares was not lost on you. It certainly wasn’t lost on Lester. With every murmur and scoff, he would offer an apologetic smile and a wave, but you could see his head sink lower and lower each time. This sort of thing didn’t always bother him, but sometimes it was hard to ignore. People always assumed he was oblivious to how his presence affected them, but he was more than aware. Frankly, he wished they would quit reminding him. Though every part of you wanted to snap at each shopper that passed you by, you elected to focus on lifting Lester’s spirits to distract him,

“Alright, all that’s left is to pick out some apples! C’mon and help me out!” you said with the biggest smile you could muster. You’d rather be glaring daggers, but you knew the other shoppers were hardly worth it. You took Lester’s hand and pulled him toward the small produce section “Which kind of apples do you think Bo would like best?”

“Not sure…” Lester said looking back and forth, checking to make sure no one was staring again, “Maybe I oughta wait in the truck. Don’t wanna bother no one else from their shopping.”

“No, don’t go! I need you!” you begged, “Besides, who cares what they think?”

“Well, I’m used to it. Just don’t want ‘em thinkin’ bad of ya, is all.” He said shyly

“Oh, please, don’t worry about that. I like spending time with you, Lester. I don’t give a shit about any of them. Who needs them?” You said, waving off his concern with a laugh “Now, help me pick out some apples.” The smile reached Lester’s eyes this time as he helped you pick out the best apples out of the bunch.

Once you had your apples picked, something caught your glance over Lester’s shoulder. It was an elderly woman, reaching for a box of cereal that was clearly too high on the shelf for her to get. Lester followed your eyes and immediately handed the basket over to you. He quickly made his way over to the lady. You followed close behind, catching the interaction,

“I can get that for ya, if ya like.” Lester offered sweetly with his signature grin. The woman staggered back, affronted at his proximity. She put a hand over her nose and mouth, her sour expression still apparent. Though she scowled at him, Lester kept smiling back at her. When she remained silent, he pointed to the box he thought she wanted, “This one? Good choice! Ya know, I hear this one’s good for the heart. Supposed to keep ya young and spry.” She didn’t reply, tapping her foot impatiently. He pulled the box down from the shelf and held it out to her, “There ya go. Need help with anythin’ else?”  

“No.” she said shortly, as she ripped the box from his hands and turned away.

“Alright…have a nice day, I guess.” Lester said, frustration showing through, “Just tryin’ to help ya.”

“Excuse me!” You piped in, “My friend just helped you, and I think you’re being incredibly rude to him.”

“Y/N, it’s alright-”

“No, it isn’t. You helped her and she treated you like garbage.” You said angrily. You were tired of watching people walk all over him. He might’ve been good enough to let it go, but you weren’t, “Who raised you? Didn’t anyone teach you anything about kindness?”

“How dare you speak to me like that? You should learn to respect your elders, young lady.” the old woman finally responded, “In my day, helping older folks was expected. Our generation didn’t need a pat on the back every time we did the bare minimum. What do you want? A reward?”

“Well, I grew up at least saying a ‘thank you’ when someone helped me. I don’t think that’s asking a lot. Just want you to treat my friend with a bit of decency.” You snapped, your knuckles turning white as you tightened your grip on your basket.

“Decency? I’ve shown plenty of decency by not demanding you both be thrown out of the store. I don’t usually tolerate uncivilized spoiled brats, like you two.” The woman stuck up her nose and pinched it, “You reek of squalor, so it seems to me you were the ones who are lacking an upbringing.”

“Uncivilized? Lady, you’re the one who doesn’t have any god damn manners! If anyone’s acting uncivilized here, it’s you!” you hissed venomously, taking a step toward the woman. Lester stopped you in your tracks, allowing the woman to turn and shamble away cursing you under her breath, both offended and threatened by you.

“Hey, hey, don’t pay any attention to her. She ain’t worth it.” Lester said, patting your shoulder.

“She shouldn’t be allowed to treat you like that.” You said still a bit heated.  

“It’s like ya said, ‘Who needs ‘em?’” Lester said surprisingly relaxed about the whole situation, “But let’s get goin’ ‘fore she gets us kicked out like she said.”

You started toward the register and got in line. There were quite a few people ahead of you as everyone was out getting their groceries for the week, no doubt. Lester took the basket back as you waited together. You were about to ask him about cleaning animal bones to lighten the mood before he chimed in first,

“Thanks, Y/N.”

“For what?” you asked with a tilt of your head.

“Stickin’ up for me ‘n all. It sure was somethin’.” He said with a hint of a blush dusting his cheeks, “I know I don’t smell too great, so bein’ with me ain’t always fun. But ya never treat me any worse for it, and it means a lot.”

“Aw, Lester, you don’t have to thank me for that. I enjoy spending time with you, it’s hardly a chore.” You said as you rubbed his shoulder reassuringly.

“Still…I know I yammer on and I don’t know when to shut up. Most people can’t stand me, it ain’t a secret. Didn’t make too many friends growin’ up ‘cuz of it and it didn’t get any easier once I started workin’…” Lester explained, “I tried to keep the smell off, but it’s harder than it looks, ya know. And after a while, I figured if people don’t want anythin’ to do with me anyway, I might as well just leave it be.”

“Lester…” you said sympathetically, trying not to knock the basket out of his hands and wrap him up in a hug and protect him from the world.

“’Sides, I love my job. I really do. And if I smell, I can make like that’s the reason people don’t like me.” He added with a half-hearted laugh to take the edge off the truth of it all “Anyway, just wanted to thank ya for bein’ nice to me.”

Before you could respond, it was your turn to check out. Lester instantly starting chatting away with the cashier, going on about knives and the small items for sale at the register. You smiled to yourself, watching him. Even if others continued to put him down, Lester always got right back to it. You had no idea how he kept going sometimes. You attention was drawn away from him as the total came up on the screen.

“Shit.” You cursed quietly to yourself. You counted your money back, hoping maybe you had more than you thought, to no avail. You were five dollars short. You looked over your items trying decide what you could part with. All of them were necessary to the recipe so you not only could you not decide, you were embarrassed that you had underestimated how much you’d need to spend.

“What’s wrong, Y/N?” Lester whispered as he leaned in, also looking at the groceries, “Missin’ somethin’?”

“I don’t have enough…” you trailed off, trying to work through a solution in the next two minutes, trying not to keep others waiting whilst also not drawing attention to your crisis

“Apples?” Lester suggested, “I’ll run on back and get some more, if ya need!”

“Money…I don’t have enough for everything.” You said, unable to stop your voice from shaking from the sudden tears that brimmed in your eyes. Lester snapped to attention at the tremble in your voice.

“Aw, please don’t cry! How much do ya need?” he asked as he scrambled to comfort you. He rubbed awkward circles into your back, moving you back and forth with his clumsy motions. Even in distress, you found his gesture to be sweet.

“Five dollars.” You confessed as your face went hot with anxiety.

“That ain’t so bad! I got it!” Lester said happily, reaching into his pocket and fishing out a crumpled bill. He might have said it like wasn’t a big deal, but you knew money was always tight for the Sinclairs. While Lester did make the most steady income out of all of them, he didn’t have a whole lot of money to throw around, “See, don’t need to panic!”

“You don’t have to do this! You work hard for your money, I can ditch something, I think. Don’t waste it on me.” You said in a panic. You’d already asked so much of him already; you couldn’t let him do this too.

“Well, I do work hard. So, I suppose that means I can spend my money how I want.” Lester said cheekily. He gathered up your money with his and handed it over, “And I wanna give it to ya. ‘Sides, I oughta pitch somethin’ in. It’s for my brothers after all.”

“Thank you, Lester…I really owe you.” you said as your apprehension drained from your posture and voice. You almost cried from his generosity, rather than humiliation.

“Ain’t nothin’ to worry ‘bout.” Lester said sweetly, nudging your shoulder to help you shake off the sadness that had almost overtaken you. He carried your groceries toward the door and back to the truck, “C’mon we gotta lotta bakin’ to do!”  

You were a bit distracted on the ride back. Lester was chattering on about skulls again, but your mind wandered back to what he said while you waited in line. You wouldn’t say you’d done anything extraordinary for him. All you did was talk to him and treat him like any human should be treated. Still, that was more than he’d ever received from anyone. You couldn’t help but stare at him. Beside you was a man who has always been treated like he wasn’t worth the time. No one cared about what he had to say or how he felt, and they told him so to his face. Despite all that, he still turned out to be incredibly generous, kind, helpful, and by far the most warmhearted person you knew.

And it wasn’t because the insults and the neglect went over his head. You knew he felt the sting of it all. It was because he kept moving along. You had no idea how he was able to let it all roll off his back, but you simply attributed it to Lester being remarkable. Sure, he got disappointed when others didn’t want to talk to him, but he never got too hung up on it for long. He was always able to find joy in other parts of his life. Not only that, he was capable of sharing that joy with others; at least, he was always willing. Lester had a heart of gold and it left a bitter taste knowing that if life had been fairer – or society more kind – he’d might have become something truly special. Not that you didn’t like him just as he was; you thought he was wonderful. It was just such a shame that he had so many wonderful things to offer and you were the only one who could see that. All because his chances were spoiled before he ever really got to living.

“Do you ever get mad, Lester?” you asked, accidentally cutting him off from his rant about knives.

“Sure, I do. Sometimes.” Lester said with a goofy grin still pulling as his face. His smile turned into curiosity and a bit of confusion as he thought over your question a second time, “Wait, mad ‘bout what?”

“I don’t know. Do you ever wish things were different?”

“Different how?”

“Like, do you ever think about what it might’ve been like if you were born somewhere else or into a different life entirely? Like all the what ifs and maybes? Just for fun?” you added

“Hmmm…” Lester thought out loud, “Nope.”

“Really? Never?” you asked in disbelief.

“Naw, I like what I got.” He said smiling once again, never more content, “And ‘sides, I got you now. Wouldn’t know ya if I was born someplace else. Don’t wanna go riskin’ that, do I?” you felt your heart skip a beat and blood rush to your cheeks.

“And they say Bo’s the one with all the charm.” You mumbled to yourself, catching a glimpse of Lester, oblivious and carefree as ever. He really had no clue how incredible he was.

[thelastspeecher]

Pirate AU - First Mate Lute

If anyone’s wondering what our favorite boy, Lute McGucket, is up to in the Pirate AU, this ficlet should resolve some of that wondering.

Enjoy.

——————————————————————————————

              “How screwed are we, First Mate Lute?” Valentino asked weakly as they watched pirates board their ship.  Lute swallowed.

              “As screwed as it’s possible to be, Captain,” he croaked.  “That’s her ship, Sweet Viola.”

              “Captain Sally,” Valentino mumbled.  Lute nodded.  “Well…she doesn’t kill everyone she raids, right?”

              “That’s what I’ve heard.”  Lute drew his sword and stood in front of his captain protectively. “Maybe she’ll go easy on us.”  The pirates charged.  “Or maybe not.”

              The battle was over as quickly as it had begun. Lute swallowed nervously at the cutlass at his throat, glad to have shoved Valentino into the captain’s cabin once he saw which direction the battle was taking.

              “Where’s the captain, pretty boy?” snarled the man who had finally taken down Lute.  Lute grinned.

              “You think I’m pretty?” he teased.  The man glared.  “I’m flattered, but-”

              “Stand down, Stan,” a voice rasped.  Lute tensed.  He’d heard, as had everyone else, of how Captain Sally’s voice had been damaged when she first turned to a life of piracy.  It was a story that he’d always felt disgusted by.  Who would try to slit the throat of a young woman?  But Captain Sally wouldn’t want his pity, and now that he’d heard the voice, his suspicion had been confirmed.  The Pirate King herself was on board the ship.

              “He won’t tell us where the captain is, Sally,” Stan reported.

              “We don’t need him to tell us.  It won’t take long to search the ship,” Captain Sally replied calmly.  Footsteps sounded.  Stan sheathed his sword and stood to the side, revealing the Pirate King.

              Lord above, she’s short.  Captain Sally looked Lute over with a discerning eye. Scars tracked up and down her arms and legs.  Once she’d dropped the moniker of “Sully” and began to go by her proper name, supposedly she had changed her style of dress.  The rumors differed as to the reasoning.  Some claimed that she showed more skin to have her battle scars visible, as an intimidation tactic.  Others said it was to distract sailors who hadn’t seen a woman in months.

              “Look, we don’t mean ya any harm,” Lute said. “We’re honest people.  We don’t chase down pirates, we just sell-”

              “Tea.  I know.” Captain Sally leaned in to look at him. With her so close, Lute could see the infamous scar on her neck, as well as a deep, jagged one that ran across her cheek.  It marred an otherwise lovely, delicate face.  A face that Lute recognized.

              “…Angie?” he whispered.  Captain Sally’s eyes widened.

              “Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she snarled.  She spun around to address her waiting crew.  “Find the captain and get the maps.  Feel free to take some of their inventory as well, but don’t harm any members of this crew. It’s no fun to scuttle a ship that fell so quickly.”  Her crew seemed a bit surprised by the order, but dispersed.

              “Sally, what was that about?” Stan whispered. Captain Sally glared at Lute.

              “Apparently I have more than one brother that took up sailing,” she ground out.  Stan looked at Lute.

              “…Okay, I see it now.”

              “Yeah, no shit,” Captain Sally – Angie scoffed.

              “Look, can- can we talk?” Lute asked weakly. Angie eyed him.

              “If I feel like it, I’ll send word,” she said after a moment.  “Come on, Stan, we need to make sure the crew behaves themselves.”  She stomped off, Stan close behind.  Lute could only stare as his missing little sister walked away. Her words repeated in his mind.

              “Apparently I have more than one brother that took up sailing.”

              Wait.  She knows Fidds is in the navy?  Fidds has seen her?  And he didn’t tell me?!

----- 

              Someone sat at Lute’s table, across from him. Lute looked up from his book.  He beamed.

              “Angie.”

              “Lute,” Angie said shortly.  She was dressed the same way she had before she’d disappeared. A dress, a bonnet, and her hair tastefully done.  In addition, her scars weren’t visible, so Lute guessed she covered them with makeup. Angie tugged uncomfortably on her dress. “Ugh.  Women’s clothes can be so confining.”

              “Is that why you started your career pretending to be a man?” Lute asked softly.

              “Only one reason.”  Angie finished fussing with her clothes.  “So.”

              “You look nice,” Lute offered.  Angie snorted.  “You do.  Just like…”

              “Just like I used to?” Angie asked.  “Before I had more scars than freckles, a ship, and a bounty on my head?”

              “…Yeah.”

              “That’s the point.  Captain Sally is wanted, Lute.”  Angie’s lips turned in a slight frown.  “To be fair, so is Angie McGucket, but she’s not a household name.”

              “Wait, yer wanted?”

              “I’m the Pirate King, dumbass,” Angie hissed. Lute opened and closed his mouth silently for a moment.  “Lute?”

              “I’m just- I’ve- you swore-” Lute stammered. Angie rolled her eyes.

              “Lute.  I’m a pirate. I use swears on a regular basis that you’ve never even heard of.”

              “Fair point.”  Lute took a steadying breath.  “I know that Captain Sally is wanted.  But so is Angie McGucket?”

              “Yeah.”  Angie looked at him curiously.  “You didn’t know that?”  Lute shook his head.  “Fiddleford didn’t tell ya that?”

              “Wh- Fidds knows?” Lute squeaked.  Angie nodded.  “When did you come across Fidds?”

              “Back when I was still goin’ by Sully.  He said that he found out I was s’pposed to be hanged but escaped on a pirate ship.  He went chasin’ down ships after, and eventually found me.  He’s absolute shit at swordfightin’, though.  I mean, yer not exactly fantastic, either, but at least it took more than two seconds to take ya down.”

              “I…”  Lute put his head in his hands.  “This is a lot of information, Banjey.  Why- why were you s’pposed to be hanged?”

              “I got framed.”  Angie scowled.  “But I escaped.  I was already wanted, so I figured I might as well lean into it.  And I joined a pirate crew.”

              “I heard the story about your first night as a pirate,” Lute said softly.

              “Hmm?  Oh, that?” Angie shrugged.  “It’s not as big a deal as the rumor makes it out to be. Sure, that failed attempt to slit my throat left a scar, but it didn’t actually cause any lasting damage.” Lute’s heart sunk.  Angie sighed.  “What’s the cause of yer sad eyes now?”

              “I don’t like hearin’ that my little sister almost got her throat slit,” Lute said.

              “I’ve been through a lot worse.”

              “I don’t like hearin’ that, either.”  Lute sighed.  “I’d hoped you were safe.  I just wish that were true.”

              “Uh, what?  I am safe.”

              “No, yer not.  Yer a pirate.”

              “So?”

              “I worry about you!  I worry ‘bout yer safety and yer health and yer happiness,” Lute burst out.  Angie’s gaze sharpened.

              “That’s big talk comin’ from a man what didn’t even know I’d almost been hanged,” she snarled.  “Yer worried ‘bout my safety?  My health?  Where was that worry when I was framed fer a crime I didn’t commit and thrown in a dank jail cell?”

              “I didn’t know those things, Angie!”

              “Why not?”

              “I ain’t all-knowin’!”

              “Fidds figured it out.”

              “Fidds works fer the government,” Lute snapped. “He’s got access to information I don’t. Why do ya think I was the first mate fer a merchant vessel?  I’m makin’ connections and money, and it was all so’s I could finally try to figure out where my little sister disappeared to.”

              “I-”  Lute had no doubt that if they weren’t in a public restaurant, there would be a blade at his throat right now.  But Angie couldn’t fall back on a physical retort right now, no matter how much she wanted to.  She was left with words, and there was no way she could logically argue against what he’d said.

              “Angie.  It’s difficult to track down someone who’s gone missin’.  That hasn’t stopped us, ‘course.  We’ve been tryin’ to find ya fer years.  You have to understand that us not speakin’ with ya isn’t ‘cause we didn’t want to.  It’s ‘cause we haven’t been able to figure out where ya went.”

              “I…”  Angie’s head bowed.  “That’s- that’s basically what Fidds said.”  Her hands clenched into fists.  “It might be a good reason, it might excuse yer complete lack of communication with me.”  Angie looked up.  Her eyes, shining with unshed tears, met Lute’s.  “But that don’t mean it didn’t hurt,” she choked out.

              “I know,” Lute said softly.  “I know you must be hurtin’.  But you can come home now.”

              “What?”  Angie seemed startled out of her sadness.  “Come home? Lute, the Sweet Viola is my home now.  I’ve got a crew what relies on me, a job I love doin’-”

              “Is piracy really a career?” Lute muttered.

              “It pays better than yours,” Angie said snidely. She grinned.  “I saw the payment records when I searched yer ship.”  Lute blushed.

              “I also get some benefits from it that aren’t monetary,” he stammered.

              “If ya say so.  But like I was sayin’, I have a home.  I have a crew, they’re basic’ly my fam’ly, too.  And I have…I have Stan.”

              “Yer first mate?”

              “Yeah.  He’s my first mate and…well.”  Angie took a deep breath.  “We’re betrothed.”

              “Yer what?!” Lute screeched.  People at the nearby tables looked over.  “Oh, sorry, folks, don’t mind me.”  Once eyes were off them, Lute stared at Angie.  “Yer betrothed?”

              “Yes.”

              “To yer first mate.”

              “Yes.”  Angie smiled faintly.  “He proposed not long ago.”

              “When’s the wedding?”

              “Whenever we have the chance to tie the knot.  We don’t want a big to-do.  We just want to be together, y’know?”

              “Yeah.  I know.” Lute chewed on his lip thoughtfully. Angie sighed.

              “I know that look.  What are ya thinkin’?”

              “As a first mate, I’m pretty close to the captain of my ship,” he said slowly.  Angie raised an eyebrow.

              “Close, huh?” she asked.  Lute blushed.

              “Sh- shut up.”  He cleared his throat.  “I could prob’ly get him to marry the two of ya.”  Angie’s eyes lit up.

              “Wait, really?” she asked eagerly.  Lute nodded.  “That- that would be great.”

              “Consider it an attempt to make up fer everything that’s happened to ya,” he said softly.  Angie smiled.  “Bring Stan to my ship in an hour.  I’ll talk to the captain.”  He got up from the table.  Promptly, Angie tackled him in a hug.

              “Thank you, Lute,” she whispered.  Lute embraced her tightly.

              “Makin’ my baby sister happy ain’t a problem. It’s a joy.”

----- 

              Lute knocked on the captain’s door.

              “Come in,” Val’s voice said.  Lute opened the door.  Val, sitting at his desk, beamed at him.  “Lute.”

              “I have a favor to ask,” Lute said without preamble.  Val raised an eyebrow.  “Remember how the Pirate King didn’t kill anyone on our crew or really do much harm?”

              “Yes.”

              “That’s ‘cause she turned out to be my little sister.”

              “The one that’s been missing for years?”

              “Yes.”

              “Wow.”  Val leaned back in his chair.  “That has to be quite the story.”

              “It is.  It’s also very long.”

              “Okay, I know when I’m being told to drop something. What’s the favor you want?” Val asked.

              “Apparently, my little sister-”

              “The Pirate King.”

              “Yes, my little sister, the Pirate King, is betrothed to her first mate.  They’re eager to get married, but haven’t been able to find the time and…”  Lute trailed off.  Val chuckled.

              “You want me to preside over their wedding.”

              “Please.  I would appreciate it so much if ya did.  I just…I just want my sister to be happy.”

              “I understand.  I’ll do it.  But I don’t want her coming for my ship ever again,” Val said firmly.

              “I think I can get her to agree to those terms,” Lute said.  “I mean, I’m on this ship.”  Someone knocked on the door.

              “Come in,” Val said.  The door opened, revealing one of the crewmen.  “Yes?”

              “There’s a woman here, accompanied by a man.  She says she’s the first mate’s sister.”  Val waved a hand.

              “Send them in.”  The crewman disappeared from view.  Shortly after, Angie and Stan walked into the cabin.  Lute silently closed the door behind them.  “Should I call you ‘Your Majesty’?” Val asked Angie. “Or maybe bow?”

              “Yes,” Stan said immediately.  Angie elbowed him roughly.  They both had clearly made an effort to clean up.  Angie looked like a proper lady in her light blue dress, while Stan’s hair was tied back and brushed smooth.

              “Be nice,” she hissed to her fiancé.  She smiled at Val.  “Please excuse Stan.  He only pretends to have manners, he doesn’t actually believe in ‘em.”

              “Well, he is a pirate,” Val said.

              “He’s got a point,” Stan said.  Angie sighed.  “So, you gonna marry us, captain?”

              “Yes.  Under one condition.”

              “What would that be?” Angie asked.

              “I don’t want my ship to be targeted by pirates in the future.”

              “I can’t promise that.”

              “Then you’ll have to find someone else to preside over your marriage.”

              “Let me explain,” Angie said, holding up her hands. She looked almost panicked.

              Guess she really wants to get married.

              “If I were to instruct all my allies to stay away from ya, it would only serve to draw attention,” Angie said.  “They would wonder why your ship merited the protection of the Pirate King.  Word would get back to my enemies, who would go out of their way to find you.”

              “If they found Val, they would find me,” Lute said quietly.  Angie nodded. “And they might realize I’m related to the Pirate King.”

              “Which would put our entire fam’ly at risk,” Angie said.  “I’ve been goin’ by a false name this whole time fer a reason.”  Val steepled his fingers.

              “What would you suggest, then?” he asked. Angie frowned thoughtfully.

              “Any time my ship comes across yours, we’ll ignore you,” she said.  Val raised an eyebrow.

              “And how exactly would that help?”

              “I didn’t get to where I am by passin’ up on piratin’ opportunities.  My peers will assume yer not worth the effort.”  Angie shrugged.  “Sure, it’s a bit insultin’.  But it’s better than bein’ boarded by pirates.”  Val mused over Angie’s offer.

              “Deal,” he finally said.  He got up from his desk.  “Can I hold you to your word?”

              “Sally keeps her promises,” Stan said firmly. Val looked over at Lute, who nodded to confirm.

              “Excellent.”  Val walked over to the couple.  “We can get this marriage started, then.”  Stan and Angie turned to face each other.  They held hands.  “We’ve gathered here today to wed this lovely couple, who will surely spend their honeymoon committing crimes upon the seas.”

              “Val,” Lute groaned.  Stan shrugged.

              “It’s true.”

              “We’ll keep the ceremony short and sweet, as I’m sure you two are eager to return to your ship,” Val continued.  “I’ll need your full names.”

              “Stanley Stanford Pines,” Stan mumbled.

              “Banjolina Quinn McGucket,” Angie supplied.  Stan stared at her.  “…I never told ya my real name.”

              “I guess not!” Stan blustered.  “I thought you did!”

              “Sorry, darlin’.”

              “How many lies have you been living?” Stan asked. Angie laughed.

              “I don’t think even I know.”

              “Well…”  Stan grinned. “That’s what I get for falling in love with a pirate captain.”  Angie smiled back.

              “Banjolina Quinn McGucket, do you take this man to be your husband?” Val asked.  Angie squeezed Stan’s hands.

              “I do,” she whispered.

              “Stanley Stanford Pines, do you take this woman to be your wife?”

              “I do.”

              “By the power vested in me as a captain of the seven seas, I now pronounce you man and wife,” Val intoned solemnly.  “You may kiss the bride.”  Stan didn’t waste any time, immediately wrapping Angie into a tight embrace, kissing her deeply.  Val stepped away from the couple, over to Lute.  “I’m guessing that this isn’t the wedding your family pictured for your sister.”

              “Yer right.”  The kissing had stopped.  Stan and Angie were simply holding each other, almost like they were afraid to let go.  Lute smiled.  “But this is nice, too.”

[ddixons-angel]

Fated: Season 2

Summary: Gloria Rhee narrowly escapes Atlanta with her brother as the outbreak reaches the city. Luckily, they find a camp outside the city and together, they fend through encounters with the living and undead.

Starts a little before Season 1 and then follows the main storyline of the show.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Glenn Sister!OC

Warnings: major TWD spoilers, language, violence (the typical TWD stuff)

A/N: And we’re back with another chapter! Please let me know what you guys think of this! 

Chapter 6

Gloria stands by Beth’s bed, checking over the girl and sees that she isn’t responding even though her eyes are open. She takes the small flashlight from the night table and shines it in the girl’s eyes, but there is still no response. 

She sighs, “just like Glenn said, she’s in shock and I’m afraid it is psychological.”

“W-what do we do?” Maggie says, concern and worry written all over her face.

“Keep her fed, keep her hydrated, and don’t leave her alone. You or someone from your family should keep her company, keep talking to her even if she doesn’t respond. Since it’s stemming from her psyche, the best thing is to try and pull her out of her shock, she needs her family.” Gloria instructs.

“I’m worried about her fever. Is there anything we can do about that?” Maggie goes to sit on the chair on the other side of the bed, placing her hand on Beth’s forehead.

“We can’t give her medicine, we don’t know how her body is going to react to that when it’s in this state. Put a wet towel on her head, try to lower her temperature that way. I’ve seen this before, while I was interning at the hospital, and if her body reacts badly to the medication... we could lose her.” Gloria purses her lips together. 

Maggie lets out a heavy sigh, tears forming in her eyes, “thank you...”

“Let’s hope that Rick and Glenn bring Hershel back soon, not saying that you won’t be effective in helping to pull her back, but she just lost her mom, so she’ll need her dad.” Gloria looks at the sisters sympathetically. 

“Yeah...” Maggie whispers, a sad smile on her face as she keeps her eyes on Beth, stroking the young girl’s hair. 

“Remember to talk to her, bring back old memories or bring up things that make her happy, it might not show at first but those do help a lot.” Gloria says before leaving the room, wanting to let the sisters have some privacy.

Maggie had stayed by Beth’s side the whole day, Gloria had helped Patricia with dinner, urging Carol to take a rest when she tried to help. When the table is set and everyone is gathered around, Shane calls out to Lori and frowns when he gets no response. 

“Carl, where’s your mother?” he asks the boy.

Carl shrugs, “I don’t know, I haven’t seen her since this afternoon.” 

“She told me to look after Carl earlier, but I haven’t seen her since.” Andrea informs everyone. 

Shane frowns at this then storms out of the house, already assuming that Lori had gone off to find Rick herself. The others follow him out and Carol comes running back to the group and confirms the assumption. 

“Lori went to ask Daryl to go find them, but he refused, I think she went out on her own.” Carol says, breathlessly. 

Carl starts to whimper, worried now for both of his parents. Gloria goes up to him and holds him close, whispering words of comfort into his ear, ensuring him that they’re going to be okay. Shane hurriedly rushes off to look for Lori as Gloria ushers Carl to sit on the porch, letting him feel useful as she asked him to help her as she’s on crutches. Carol walks up to the porch and sighs, wiping her face with her fingers.

“Carol? Are you okay?” Gloria asks as she sees that she’s clearly upset. 

She sighs, “it’s Daryl... he’s doing everything to push everyone away... he even said that it’s my fault for losing Sophia.”

Gloria blinks, feeling anger rising in her, “Carol... can you look after Carl?” 

Carol looks at her and nods, Gloria gets up from the porch quickly and hobbles her way to Daryl’s tent that’s now further away from the others. 

“Daryl! Daryl!” she calls out when she isn’t far from his tent, but sighs furiously when he doesn’t respond, “Hey, asshole!” she shouts.

“What?!” Daryl bursts out of his tent, fuming. 

“What the hell did you say to Carol?!” she needed to hear it for herself. 

“I told her tha’ if she went out lookin’ for her lil’ girl instead o’ gettin’ into other people’s business, she might still be alive!” he shouts at her, hoping she’d leave him alone at that.

This only makes her even more angry, “Are you fucking kidding me, Daryl?! She just lost her daughter! She’s already going through so much shit without you being an asshole, how can you say that shit to her?!” 

“What she’s goin’ through ain’ my problem. This damn group’s problems ain’ mine neither!” Daryl says, glaring at her. 

She sighs, calming herself down, “why are you doing this, Daryl?” 

“What?” he questions.

“Pushing everyone away, withdrawing from the group when you’re already an important part of us!” Gloria says.

Daryl scoffs, “An important part? Nah, I’m only important when someone goes missin’. Otherwise, no one gives a shit ‘bout me!” 

“That’s not true,” she stumbles closer to him, “you know that’s not true, Daryl.”

“Then tell me why the hell the firs’ time Lori ever comes up to me is to ask me to look for Rick!” Daryl yells, frustrated and hurt.

“I know Lori can be selfish at times...” Gloria sighs as she admits her true feelings towards the woman, “but she’s worried about Rick... she’s worried sick about him and I’m pretty sure her pregnant hormones aren’t exactly helping the cause.”

Daryl looks at her, his eyes wide, “she’s pregnant?”

“Yeah... but don’t tell anyone, I’m not even supposed to know.” Gloria shrugs.

“Ya wanna know somethin’...” Daryl starts, “when Lori came to me, she called me selfish for not wantin’ to go look for Rick.” 

“Daryl, you’re not selfish.” she takes a step closer to him, “you’re not.”

“When Sophia came out o’ that barn, I hated it. It’s like everythin’ I went through for that lil’ girl was for nothin’.” he steps away and ruffles his hair with his hands in anger and frustration, “no matter what I did, how hard I tried, I’d never be able to find her because she was in that damn barn this whole time!”

Feeling her heart break at his words, Gloria drops her crutches and quickly limps her way to Daryl, wrapping her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. He freezes at her sudden contact, and they stay like that for a while. 

“It wasn’t pointless,” Gloria starts, “It wasn’t for nothing. You did everything you could, you brought Carol hope and showed her, showed all of us that you care. That you’re with us, and we need you with us, Daryl.”

Daryl looks down at her arms, then places his hand on them, making her let him go as he turns around to face her, looking her in the eyes, “ya really mean that?”

She nods, a small smile on her face. His hand reaches up to caress her face with his knuckles, he then leans in and kisses her gently. 

Smiling into the kiss, Gloria pulls back a bit, “will you move your tent back to the camp?”

“I’ll think about it,” he says with a side smile before kissing her again.

---

Next Chapter

Oh how I love fluff~ I know some people may think that Daryl is out of character when he kisses Gloria, but I have reasons!! So, as I said in the Season Finale chapter of Season 1, Daryl is attracted to Gloria, and that’s slowly turning into affection and care towards her, and in my mind, Daryl is the type to be completely different towards the person he likes, but that’s just my interpretation of him. Any takers on this? 

While this COVID-19 Pandemic is going on, please stay safe and healthy everyone!!!

And as always, I would really appreciate any comments left for me! I’ll be replying to any comments in a new post because this is a sideblog!

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