#also voice two is mike if u care

[elekinetic]

another script! (two in two days, who am i.)

party antics and... well... you can read it for yourself.

as always, lmk what you think :)

[behidethetrees]

Mike schmidt as your boyfriend hcs ꩜

Pairing: mike schmidt x fem! Reader

Contents: slight angst if u squint, Fnaf mention, Reader and mike are sooo cute hehe

.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。 .❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。

-You and Mike met in 1983 when you were 15. Mike was smart in the things you werent, So you two made a deal that you could copy off of him . One day when you were walking down the halls you saw the meanest boy in school Trying to bully mike and it pissed you off.

-You pulled the boy off of mike and punched him with no hesitation, Mike was so sure there were hearts in his vision. You were brave and fearless, But you were also gentle and caring when you offered help if he was hurt, He wasnt but He had never wished he was more than on that day.

-Thats when you two started becoming close. At first it was small talk or friendly banter but it slowly turned into never being seen anywhere without each other.

- One lucky day in december of senior year he decided to tell you how he felt in the garden you had showed him. Mike was never romantic, He didnt know what to do or say, So he did whatever guys did in the movies he’d seen. He handpicked you some beautiful pink flowers and wrote you a cute but short letter and handed it to you.

-You accepted his feelings and looked at those puppy dog eyes that crinkled as he smiled.

-Mike is very loyal. He has your initial around his neck and he talks about you almost all the time. (Abby tells you all about it) He has even gotten into a few fights for you, He always defends you even if you aren’t there.

-As mike got older, He starting learning the old way of love. He opens all doors for you, The occasional flowers and cute poems he writes for you, the sidewalk rule, He really knows how to treat his lady.

-Mikes Love Language is definitely quality time. Youre the love of his life and he wants to be with you always! There are alot of times where mike doesnt know what to say or show you how much he loves you. But you know he does by the way he follows and takes you everywhere. How he offers to spend time with you when he gets off of that strange nighshift where he works, Even if it means he gets no sleep.

-Mike is a family man. He loves his little sister and you love her too. You and Abby have a bond that was fun and ‘girly’, in mikes words. (Mike wears bracelets you and abby make for him) When Mike opened up to you about his brother and his parents one day, You just put your head on his shoulder, letting him talk and not mentioning how his voice would wobble and crack every once an awhile.

-Mike struggles with his emotions and mental health. When he feels like its getting bad, He tends to distance himself but you reassure him you are there for him no matter what. You hold mike whether hes crying or not and whisper sweet words into his short curly hair.

-Mike is very jealous and protective. He tries to not to show it but its obvious. His arm slinged over your shoulder everywhere, Making sure everyone knew you were his. Even when you talked to people, He subconsciously glared at the people taking your attention away from him. Mike eyes, that could be so welcoming, were cold.

-Mike loves the date nights you plan for the two of you. Whether it was going out or staying in, He loves being in your presence.

-Mikes favorite part of everyday is at night when you two would cuddle while talking about your future together. He wants to spend the rest of his life with you and hes thrilled someone like you wants that with him too.

A/N!!!: happy halloween!! What are u guys going as? Me and my bf are going as mavis and johnny :3

Hope you enjoyed!

Requests

Taglist: @nowitsmissing

[janitorhutcherson]

I love your writing, please please give the world Mike comforting his partner on their period 🙏🏻 that man would be so compassionate but also confused and asking tons of questions so he can explain it to Abby when she’s older

okay so, i'm about to start my period. i can sense it, i'm cramping, i'm going insane, so here is some mike fluff!! i need this, y'all need this, we all need this rn. this isn't great, last min as always :p i promise one day i'll give yall something more quality lol. also am sorry if this isn't exactly what u were lookin' for!! i hope u enjoy :P

word count: 1,298

warnings: mentions of blood (period), swearing

summary: mike takes care of you while you're on your period. completely unaware to how it all works, he does the best he can, trying to educate himself in the process.

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

You were in pain. That was one thing you knew for sure. For the past two days, your insides had felt like Satan himself was ripping them out, tearing each part of your uterus into tiny, itty bitty pieces, perhaps even doing a little happy dance on them. As your body was stretched out on the couch, your hand gripping your abdomen, you felt like your life was flashing before your eyes. You'd called off work, waking up feeling worse than you had during that time of the month in a while. You couldn't picture yourself doing much of anything but laying on the couch in the living room of your boyfriend, Mike, and his little sister, Abby, who was much like your own. You'd slept over the night before, opting to stay there as you felt much more comfortable.

Once a month, you became queen bitch, completely insufferable to be around. You were grumpy, sick, nauseous, and aching. You couldn't help it. Your cramps were always amplified more than the average person. Your pain tolerance seemed to get weaker when the time came. With that being said, everyone around you had to suffer the consequences. You and Mike had only been together a few months. Every month, he'd get a little bit better about handling it. The first month, he was slightly standoffish, not sure if his assistance would make things worse or if it would help you. He'd offer you pain medicine, get you water when you needed it, and fetch the heating pad when you cried out in pain. He was always sympathetic, helpless in his inability to make your pain disappear. Mike loved you, and the last thing he wanted was for you to ache the way that you did.

In the following two months, he'd gotten more adventurous, even offering to go out and buy your preferred pads and tampons. Even though he brought back the wrong thing the first time (he brought back the preteen pads, which would not be helpful to your heavy flow), he was sure to correct it the next. With his learning curve coming to an end, Mike was much better with his assistance. Right as your eyes began to flutter closed, the front door to Mike's door flung open, an exhausted Mike walking through, his hair messy and his skin somewhat pale due to his lack of sleep. Although he was working normal human hours now after getting a regular job, the adjustment period was difficult. He somehow felt even more sleep-deprived than before. You slowly sat up, a confused look on your face as you glanced over at the time. It was only noon, which didn't make sense. Mike typically wouldn't be home until around 5:30pm.

"Mike?" you questioned, your voice laced with pain as your head cocked to the side.

"Yeah, baby?" he questioned back, placing three plastic bags from the store onto the coffee table in front of you. He sat beside you on the couch, moving your legs to lay across his lap. He tenderly reached his hand across you, his warm palm slipping under your shirt to touch your aching stomach. He rubbed slow and gentle circles on the tender area, a sigh of relief leaving your lips as it somewhat relieved the pain. "You feelin' any better?" he spoke softly, his tone dripping with sympathy and worry.

"Why are you home? What's in the bags?" You were confused. You didn't mean to sound like a bitch, but the pain was making you somewhat delirious, and the thought of him simply coming home early just didn't occur to you. He chuckled, shaking his head as he playfully rolled his eyes.

"Can you not just let me take care of you for once?" he grumbled, grabbing the plastic bags from the table and placing them gently into your laps. In the first bag, he pulled out a brand new pain reliever bottle and miniature heating pads. They were wireless and single-use. You could stick them into your pants and wear them around wherever you needed. He also pulled out a new bubble bath, lavender scented, that claimed to have infused pain-relieving essential oils. The next bag contained your favorite kind of chocolate, some other kinds of candy, and a little stuffed bear. The bear wasn't any bear, but one that could be heated up and again used as a heating pad. Inside of the same bag, he also pulled out a brand new box of the right kind of tampons and a bouquet of flowers. The last bag contained burgers and fries from your favorite fast-food place, something yummy to get into your aching system.

You watched in awe as he pulled out each item, a sheepish but proud grin spread across his face as he did so. He was proud of himself, mostly because he felt useful, he felt like for once he was the one taking care of you. Mike typically felt like a burden, like he wasn't worth caring for, regardless of how much you attempted to convince him otherwise. Times like these were important to him, times when he could make you feel safe, secure, loved.

"I, uh, heard you this morning. I realized you were in a lot of pain, wanted to do something nice. I took the day off of work, thought I'd surprise you with some stuff to make you feel good. Got us some lunch too, thought maybe we could go lay down in the bed and watch movies, eat some junk together? I'll take real good care of you," he said, scratching at the back of his neck with a hopeful grin. You looked back at him with your own wide grin, the churning cramps in your stomach not subsiding but instead simply not your main focus at the moment. You nodded your head, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

You helped him carry the brand-new goods and the food to the bedroom. You plopped down onto the bed as Mike leaned over you, gently kissing your head. He tucked you into the blankets, ensuring you were nice and warm. He closed the curtains tightly, all too aware of the vision-blurring headaches you got on your period. He put up one finger to signal he'd be right back. Once he returned, he had a glass of water and heated up your brand-new heating pad bear. He placed your wired heating pad onto the small of your back, pressing two kisses to your forehead again. He then insisted you lift your head, helping you to swallow the pills. After, Mike cuddled up next to you in bed.

The two of you watched random movies and TV shows for the rest of the day, his hand seldom leaving your stomach. He constantly had you wrapped up near him. He kept you medicated and fed, refusing to leave your side. Mike was content. Even though you were a bitch during this time, you were appreciative. He loved you and it was clear, he'd do anything to take care of you.

While deep into the show you were watching, you felt a pair of eyes staring into the side of your head. You lifted your head, looking over to Mike with a cocked eyebrow. "Yes..?" you questioned, staring at his somewhat nervous expression.

"Um, do you think, you could maybe explain periods to me? Y'know, all of it, the bloody stuff, the moody stuff.. I just.. wanna be prepared for Abby," he asked sheepishly. A chuckle left your lips as you shook your head.

"Of course, Mikey. I can explain it to you," you hummed, pressing a kiss to his lips before you went into detail, explaining female anatomy to your 25-year-old boyfriend.

[cat3ch1sm]

Alright so I have a HUGE thing for Silva and Zeno to the point where I’d be delighted to have them step on me and call me worthless 😩💖

So would you have the time and energy to write some headcanons on how Killua would react if a friend of his (aka female reader) were to nonchalantly comment about how his dad and grandpa are hot?

I wanna ruin this gremlin’s mind so much please! <3

OMG if you want to, would you be willing to make Killua’s friend comment that to him but IN FRONT of Silva and Zeno too???

💚~ LMFAOAOAO u guys request the most chaotic shit and im totally here for it. here’s ur request!! merry Christmas guys ily <33 @cocogum

also i can definitely relate

fem!reader

u and killua have been friends for a while. literally probably the most chaotic pair anyone’s ever seen. just constantly doing stupid reckless borderline deadly shit. u are one of the very few who can always keep up with killua and can tolerate the same shit he does

he’s the friend who is always risking his life with the things he does and ur the friend who is always risking their life with the things you say. you have zero filter basically. and he really does not care at all, tbh he thinks you’re hilarious

anyway that’s why killua really has no problem bringing u over to his house. he’s never done it before, but you two aren’t the type to make a big deal of things like that, so whatever he just decides to drop by with u

you’ve never met his parents or siblings, but killua has never been lacking on his descriptions of them. whenever you ask he always makes it a point to tell you how nuts they are. but he sort of knows you can handle it even tho his family doesn’t like that he has friends in the first place, but tbh he doesn’t care much atp

anyway he brings you to his place and you go through the whole shebang of the super heavy doors and getting past mike but basically you two are good to go. the butlers welcome you both in and that’s that

you actually do meet his family who are about as off putting as you expected. his little brother kalluto is the tamest; he acknowledges you with a barely perceptible nod and that’s that. killua doesn’t bother introducing u to milluki and thankfully illumi and kikyo aren’t in the house right now. however, you both do run into silva and zeno.

the piercing glares they give you should be enough to freeze you in your tracks. there’s obviously an aura of dread that comes with their presence that killua had vaguely warned you about. but something honestly catches your eye about them, and you have to bring your hand to your mouth to hide the mischievous smile spreading across your lips. but to your surprise, the two men don’t even come over and bother to speak to you. they just give you disdainful looks and go on their way. looks like you aren’t really worth their time.

but as the two are walking away and you and killua start to head out, you turn and whisper to killua in a voice you very soon discover wasn’t actually a whisper, “wait, kil, your dad and grandpa are kinda hot.”

needless to say, this is the one time killua doesn’t find your lack of filter funny. his blue eyes instantly fly open and he yanks you aside, hissing, “why the fuck-“

that’s all he manages to get out. the zoldyck men have stopped in their tracks. your eyes widen as well and you clap a hand over your mouth.

“oh my fucking god-“ killua doesn’t even turn around to see his father and grandfather, he just yanks you along with him as he basically teleports out of the house. you don’t even have time to process his reaction before you both are suddenly far away from the zoldyck mansion.

you both pause once you’re out of earshot, exchanging wide-eyed looks before you collapse into giggles in the grass and killua slaps both hands against his face. “are you actually out of your fucking mind- never mind, you actually fucking are. what the hell is wrong with you??”

you’re way too busy laughing to answer, pointing at killua’s totally red face. he hides it behind his hands with a loud, exasperated groan.

“i��m going to puke. i’m going to throw the fuck up all over you, you asshole. take that shit back literally right now. oh my god. i’m going to kill you and then myself, you absolute dumbass.”

this goes on for at least ten minutes. you’re basically wheezing at this point, and you don’t stop until killua threatens to leave you behind.

“i am never taking you to my house again, you psychopath. like, i know you have shitty ass taste in guys, but are you serious?? you’re mental. actually insane. seriously?? no, take that shit back, my dad and grandpa are not hot.”

you start to walk away, still laughing, and killua is hot on your heels.

“where the hell are you going?! take that back right now, or i swear to god-“

[zombifiedheartg]

Yandere Mike and alters( team up if you want! ) with a darling that is the most sweet,caring and calm person of the world! That would never ever make something bad and protects everyone!

If you can't is ok! Take your time,rest well and have the best day of your life!!!! 💞

of course <3 and thank u so much, ur so nice! i didn't include chester for this, i'm sorry !! , i'm so sorry this took so long & it was pretty short :( i rlly hope u enjoyed it raaahhha

yandere mike & alters x caring darling..

cw : delusion, basic yandere behaviour, obsession, mentions of harming ppl, violence in general, mal in general, mike being clingy, manipulation & gaslighting , sexism, jealousy of course .

.

mike

˚﹟🪐 'ಇ.

he thinks you're the sweetest thing thats ever happened to him!! your caring nature is so alluring to him, you're like a dream. most of his life he's been made fun of, ridiculed and just overall bullied.

but with you, it's refreshing not to be mocked almost 25/8. and you always defend him, it's so nice! he's attached himself to you, he's so clingy.. he never goes anywhere without you. where you go, he goes.

it's so suffocating and annoying not to have any alone time, but you'd never tell him that, you don't wanna hurt your precious boyfriends feelings do you? the guilt would just eat you alive!

you're an angel to him.

the weird glances you get from people as he practically hangs on to your waist are worth it.

he's more possessive than he'd like to think, he gets jealous sort of easily. i mean, he trusts you! you're most loyal person he's ever met! another trait he loves about you, but it's not exactly you he's worried about.

he just doesn't think any guy or girl that flirts with you actually deserves the attention you bring them.

mike can't help but think your kindness is a bit too much, people never actually repay the favour. you practically give the world to others and get nothing in return! it's so unfair,

he'd never treat you like that. you aren't a stepping stool to him. you're so much more than that, why can't you just properly accept his love?

he also loves how calm you are, you can easily defuse any situation. your aura overall is just enchanting, it's usually so hectic on the island, surrounded by people who are polar opposites, followed with chris's sadistic life-threatening challenges, you always make him feel at peace somehow.

and that's something he always longs for.

''god, you're so cute!''

.

manitoba

⋆｡‧˚ʚ🪒ɞ˚‧｡⋆

none of the diamonds and other valuable things he's found in his adventures compare to how much you mean to him.

you're a real sweetie, and he loves it!

your compassion has quite the charm, he's found himself with a few scratches here and there after a wrong turn during exploring, and to see your beautiful face up close as you tend to his wounds, he's never been happier.

but lets be honest here, he's kind of a sexist at heart. he prefers to be the ''chivalrous'' one. sure it gets annoying when he doesn't let you do literally anything, but you'd never tell him that.

you're like a pushover in his eyes. so he'd rather cling on to you to ''protect'' you. you obviously don't need protection.. you're perfectly capable. he's seen the way you handle yourself, you could kick someone's ass for him if he asked! he babies you.

but this way, it boosts his ego to see you immediately going to him for help.

and you can really tell someone off if they tried anything, you're so trustworthy. he's honestly obsessed with your company.

he gets quite jealous. he knows you like talking to people and just overall being nice to others, but he can't help it. that person's lucky to even get a spare glance. let alone hear your voice.

''you're a treasure, aren't ya?''

.

svetlana

༘ 💋 ⋆｡𓍢ִ໋🌹 .

oh you're a darling!

she adores how graceful you are.

you two are for sure the cutest couple on this island. you're the perfect person for her! you're just lovely to be around, she treats you amazing aswell!

she's one of the more tame yanderes. she's alot more gentle around you

she likes to teach you dances and such, sure she has way more experience, but she just wants to be close to you.

her love for you is passionate! she's so obsessed with you, you're always on her mind. and she always finds a way to include you in every conversation..

it's a bit of a problem for mike on the other hand. most of his friends are just tired of hearing about you, but svetlana can't help it! if anything, they should be glad to be hearing about you.

when you defend her, she just swoons!

and don't get her started on your beauty, your kind nature just intensifies it!

''your form is just wonderful!''

.

vito

༘ ⋆｡˚🎗

damn, you're a doll.

he's always around you with an arm around your waist, or your shoulder. it's kind of a way to let people know you're ''his''. and he just likes touching you

he always takes your basic human decency towards him as a flirt. every time you even interact with him he's filled with butterflies,

he likes how calm you are, and how easy you take his flirtatious comments with just a small giggle. it's so appealing, sure he likes it when you're flustered, for some reason he's attracted to your peaceful-ness.

he was already cocky, but now that he's with you, it's just intensified. he feels so lucky to be with you. but who wouldn't?

he brags about you so often, it's tiring.. but also endearing, you're always the first person he goes to when he has a chance, that's a thing alot of the yandere's have in common, they can't stand to be away from you.

he tries to impress you as much as he can, whether that be with his looks, or his strength, he just wants to hear words of encouragement from you.

he gets jealous pretty easily, even if you're doing something as simple as helping someone, i mean c'mon, only the vito should hear his belˈlettsa's voice! he knows its just the way you are, but jesus.

''ay, can't get enough of me, huh?''

.

mal

੭﹕ ̊ ̟ 🩸

god it irritates him so much, you're so nice and benevolent its infuriating. he wants your attention fully focused on him most of the time, how can that happen when you're too busy caring for some fucking dork that probably wouldn't even spit on you if you were on fire.

he only likes it when you're gracious to him. with the others though? no way.

he's for sure way more violent than the others, he'd actually hurt you if it meant you'd just fall in his arms.

and you totally just foil his plans, he knows if he hurts anyone that even dared to get close with you, they'd still end up with you somehow, except with closer proximity. which is worse!

but that still doesn't stop him. he'll go as far as to kill that person. he knows who you'll go to for a shoulder to cry on..

he also can't help but think your harmless nature is adorable. you remind him of prey, just so innocent and full of life. he thinks the fact that you won't do anything bad is sorta annoying because he finds himself getting scolded by you for nearly murdering someone.

''what, you think they'll give you the same treatment i do? you can't be that stupid..''

¿࿔💉࿔?

.

.

[ghostxrose]

Hey!!

I was wondering if maybe you could do a part two of Earth Shattering because that was a 10/10 angst and I NEED a part two. Maybe reader (after the divorce) get with someone else, maybe like Shoto or Kiri. Just a thought tho🤷‍♀️ (you can do whatever u want 🫶🏻)

𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 | 𝑩𝒂𝒌𝒖𝒈𝒐 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒌𝒊 & 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓, 𝑲𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒂 𝑬𝒊𝒋𝒊𝒓𝒐 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

Note ~ Heyy, Lovely!! I wasn't planning on making a part two for Earth Shattering, but I loved your idea!! Now, please know that I didn't really make this one.. angst forward, lol. I just saw the opportunity to write for Kiri and I took it! I hope you enjoy the read all the same, and thank you so so much for the request!!

The divorce had been as civil as a divorce could be. By that point, Katsuki had finally stopped trying to get you back and had resigned himself to quiet defeat. Despite the situation there was a pang in your heart every time you had to face him. Gone was the cocky, smirking, sometimes brash man you had fallen in love with. At least in your presence, the man you once knew, thought you knew, was replaced with a reserved and saddened version of himself. At times you wanted to comfort him but then you reminded yourself that he was the one who put you both in this situation.

You hadn’t wanted anything Katsuki tried to give you in the divorce, except for the car. Custody over the kids had been decided to be split 50/50. You could tell that this whole process killed Katsuki as much as it did you as far as the kids were concerned. As much as you still loved him, still cared for him, still wanted to be with him.. you knew that you’d never be able to move past the fact that he slept with other people for over a year. “Once a cheater, always a cheater,” your mother had told you when you voiced your thoughts about going back to him.

It’s been a year since the divorce and you’d like to think you’re doing well for yourself and your kids. You used some of the money Katsuki had forced on you as part of the divorce settlement to get an apartment. It’s in a nice part of the city and close to stores and a school. You also got a part time job and the days you have the kids your parents watch them for you. The only part you’re still struggling with is the social aspect of your life. Except for Izuku and Ochako, it felt like all of your other friends went away along with your marriage because they were Katsuki’s friends. It doesn’t help that you’re not really the social type, the years of being a stay at home wife and mom making you a bit more of an introvert. Not to mention the fact that you feel like no one really wants to be friends with the single mom with two young kids.

It’s a little after 9:30 at night when you finally get back home. You had taken a bit of a later shift today since Katsuki has the kids. You let out a heavy sigh as you close and lock the door behind you. You tiredly kick off your shoes, then head to the kitchen to make a small dinner. You let out another more slightly defeated sigh when you open the fridge and see nothing to make an actual meal with. Opening the freezer, you take out a pathetic looking microwave meal and your lip wobbles a bit. You had a rough day at work and it would have been everything to you if you could have come home to the smiling faces of your kids. Instead, silence and a sad excuse for dinner welcomed you home.

While you wait for Chef Mike to prepare your food you throw yourself into a chair at the dining table. Slumping forward, you rest your cheek against your hand as you scroll through notifications on your phone. You hardly look at it while you’re at work except on breaks or if your parents or Katsuki contact you about the kids. You absentmindedly clear away miscellaneous notifications as you scroll until a message notification makes you pause. You just stare at your phone a bit dumbfounded as your eyes re-read the message and your brain tries to process the words. The beeping of the microwave brings you back to reality and you flinch slightly before setting your phone down and getting up to get your food. Once you grab utensils and your food, uttering curses at the hot container, you sit back down at the table. As you let the food cool you tap on the notification and watch as your phone opens the conversation allowing you to see the full message.

“Hey Y/N, I’m not sure if you still have my number saved, but it’s Kirishima.. I just wanted to see how you were doing.. The whole group misses seeing you around, I hope they’ve reached out as well. I figured that maybe you haven’t reached out to any of us because of.. everything that happened. But just know that you can, we’re your friends too! Obviously, you don’t have to.. just let us know that you’re okay.”

You stare at your phone in stunned and guilt-ridden silence, your eyes stinging a bit with the threat of tears. You hadn’t had the nerve to delete any of their numbers, it wasn’t their fault Katsuki had decided to be a shitty husband. But you had just assumed that since they were more his friends that they wouldn’t miss your presence all that much. You were only Katsuki’s wife you hadn’t felt like you held much, if any, significance within their friend group.

With slightly shaky hands you type out a response, “Hey Kiri, I’m sorry for the late response, I had a later shift tonight.. I’m also sorry for not reaching out to all of you after the divorce, I guess I just felt.. I don’t know, you all were Katsuki’s friends first.. I miss you all too, I hope you’re all well! As for me, I’m doing better these days. It’s still hard sometimes, but that’s just the way life goes. I’ll try to reach out to the others tomorrow since it’s already late. Have a good night, Kiri, and thanks for reaching out.”

You wipe away a stray tear rolling down your face as you read through the message, then hit send. You set your phone down and begin eating your dinner only to be surprised by the vibrating of your phone as a text notification lights up the screen. Kirishima’s reassuring response, unbeknownst to you, just the beginning of a new chapter in your life.

𖤛 𖤛 𖤛

A few months later, you’re hanging out with Mina, Jiro, and Kaminari at Kirishima’s house. Even though it was Mina’s idea to have a small get together, Kirishima was the only one with a barbecue and the space for the five of you. Your parent were happy to take the kids for the night and had been glad to see you coming out of your shell. So here you are chatting, laughing, and feeling more alive than you have in a long while.

You’re all sitting in Kirishima’s living room, sprawled about the couple of couches that he has. Your legs are thrown across Kirishima’s as you lean back against Mina’s shoulder while Kaminari lounges obnoxiously across Jiro on the adjacent couch. You all have a good buzz going thanks to the pack of beer Kaminari brought over and it’s very much to blame for the electric blonde’s loose tongue.

“Bro, I think you and Y/N would make a good couple,” Kaminari says after a slight lull in conversation and the room automatically fills with shocked and awkward silence.

“Denki, what the fuck?!” Mina exclaims as you feel your face simultaneously somehow drain of blood and heat up.

“What?! You were thinking it too!” Kaminari defends after being whacked on the arm by Jiro.

“Bro, c’mon, that’s just.. Y/N has already said she isn’t ready to date,” Kirishima says, but his lack of denial to Kaminari’s original statement doesn’t escape you and has your mind spinning a bit.

Moments from the last few months flash across your brain without permission; the nearly daily text conversations and phone calls, the borderline flirty comments, the times like now when even the most casual and friendliest of touches brings a slight blush to your cheeks. You hadn’t even realized that maybe you were getting a bit.. too comfortable with Kirishima. As realization hits you beer and barbecue churn uncomfortably in your stomach and you shoot off of the couch. Darting for the bathroom, you shut and lock the door behind you leaning against it as you force yourself to take deep breaths.

‘He’s one of Katsuki’s best friends, you cannot have feelings for him! What the fuck, oh god, what the fuck..’ You think to yourself as you rub your hands over your face. You jump slightly when someone knocks on the door, but relief fills you when you hear Mina’s voice.

“Y/N, hun, are you okay..?” Mina gently asks and with one more deep breath you turn around to unlock and open the door. You quietly motion for Mina to come into the bathroom with you and she quickly shuffles in, and you lock the door behind her. Leaning back against the door, you meet Mina’s concerned gaze with a panicked one of your own. Without another word Mina pulls you into a comforting hug, one of her hands soothingly rubbing your back.

You break down in her embrace as your arms wrap tightly around her, “I-I can’t fall for him.. It’s wrong, right? Fucked up? H-he’s Katsuki’s b-best fr-”

Mina suddenly pulls back with a kind of determination in her eyes as she looks at you, “Listen to me, Y/N, because I mean this in the most supportive way possible.. Bakugo and Bakugo’s feelings are none of your concern anymore. You are single now and whoever your heart wants is something you have no control over, something he doesn’t have control over. If you have true feelings for Kirishima, then you have every right to do what you want with those feelings. I think it’s safe to say that this isn’t some revenge or rebound situation, so just do whatever is comfortable for you.”

You’re a bit shocked by the amount of support Mina is giving you and you stare at her with widened eyes as you let her words sink into your brain. Feeling overwhelmed by the onslaught of emotions from just the past 10 minutes, tears well up in your eyes and Mina pulls you back into a tight hug. After a few minutes, you both pull away from each other and you wipe your eyes, checking your appearance in the mirror to make sure you don’t look like the mess that you feel like.

“You wanna hang out a bit longer or are you going to head out?” Mina asks as she unlocks the door.

“I think I’ll stay for a little longer, probably head out in an hour or so.” You reply after a second of hesitation, Mina’s advice to do what makes you comfortable ringing in your brain.

It’s true that you have told the group, a few times over the last few months, that you didn’t think you were quite ready to get back out into the dating pool. Your entire sense of trust had been shattered by the man that used to be your husband. Even with the therapy you’ve been attending since the divorce you still feel too weary about being in a relationship again. But something about Kirishima, about the smallest thought of giving Kirishima a chance, makes a warm sense of safety bubble up in your chest.

With a slight blush on your face, you and Mina head back to the living room. Jiro sends you an apologetic look while Kaminari looks sheepish but he verbally apologizes. Kirishima smiles at you, but you can see the concern in his eyes. You tell the three that you’re fine and not to worry about it, then sit back down on the couch. Mina’s words still echoing in your brain, you decide to be a bit bold and seat yourself in the position you were originally in; legs thrown across Kirishima’s and back against Mina’s shoulder. There’s a slight awkwardness in the air until Mina starts laughing and at the questioning looks you all send her, she shows you all a picture of Sero with Todoroki taped to the ceiling of a building captioned, “He said he wanted to test something..”

𖤛 𖤛 𖤛

It’s been a good few weeks since the night Kaminari made the comment about you and Kirishima, and you’ve spent a lot of time thinking. You’ve tried to get a good read on yourself, tried to determine if you wanted to give dating a shot. You’ve had a few conversations with your therapist and they’ve reassured you that even if you go on one date that it doesn’t have to be anything more if you don’t want it to be. As nervous as you are about it all, you can acknowledge that you may be overthinking it. Your therapist is right; you have the control to say that if you don’t want to pursue a relationship, then one date can just one date.

“No pressure and no strings. It’s just lunch, Y/N. C’mon, you can do this! Just ask him!” You quietly try to encourage yourself as you continue to stare down at your phone as the text cursor blinks back at you, waiting for you to fill the message bubble.

“What’re you doing, Mommy?” Mai, your four-year-old asks, now suddenly standing in front of you’re seated on the couch.

Your eyes shoot up to your daughter and in all of your anxiety, you nearly drop your phone from the disruption, “N-nothing, Baby. Mommy is just trying to figure out what to say to someone.” You briefly explain as you shut your phone off and put it down next to you.

“Jus’ say ‘hi’, duh, silly Mommy.” Mai suggests with a giggle before turning around to go back to playing. You let out a small laugh of your own, amused by your child’s simple solution and wishing it were that easy. With both of your kids back to entertaining themselves, you pick your phone back up and open it.

“Hey Kiri, I was wondering if you were free on Saturday?”

You stare at the message for a minute or so before hitting send, admittedly chickening out of saying anything more in the message. You quickly shut your phone off and put it off to the side, forcing yourself to act cool and not stare at the conversation waiting for his reply. You stare at the TV not truly watching the cartoon on the screen as your stomach begins doing flips. About twenty long minutes later, your phone buzzes and you nearly jump out of your skin. You force yourself to wait a couple of minutes before picking up your phone and opening it.

“Hey, Y/N! I’m on patrol until around 6, but after that I’m free! What’s up?”

You start to feel a bit more intimidated now because dinner feels more intimate than lunch, but you remember what you and your therapist have discussed. You take a deep breath and decide to carry on.

“Would you maybe want to go out for dinner? Just the two of us.. Or we could order-in if that would be better?”

You hit send before you can overthink any more about what you’re saying, what you’re doing. Your heart is racing in your chest and your palms start to clam up as you stare down at your phone with anxious anticipation. Three dots suddenly pop up and bounce across the message bubble indicating that Kirishima is typing and you start to feel a bit nauseous.

“Y/N..”

You bite at the skin of your bottom lip and keep watching the typing bubble.

“Are you..”

You feel the slight urge to scream and ask yourself why this man isn’t typing a full message before hitting send.

“Are you asking me out??”

You let out a nervous laugh that makes your kids look at you slightly confused for moment before they go back to playing.

“If I say that I am, is that something you would say yes to or have I just made a fool of myself?”

You send back as your anxiety eats you up inside. You start fearing that you’ve just messed up, that you’ve made things awkward and your friendship with Kirishima will never be the same. What if everything from the last few months have all been in your head? What if your dumb heart just misconstrued all of the little things? What if-

“What time should I pick you up?”

You don’t believe that what you’re reading is real. You’re sure that your brain is glitching or your phone is malfunctioning because you really feel like that message should say something along the lines of “I don’t think Bakugo would react well to this” or maybe something about your kids.

“Does 8:00 work for you?”

You hit send and it really feels like an out of body experience. You’re relieved that you didn’t just turn a great friendship super awkward, but your anxiety shoots through the roof. Above all else, though, you’re proud of yourself for taking this step in moving forward with your life. There was a time in your life when you thought that Katsuki would be the only one for you for the rest of your life. A time for a while there after the divorce that you didn’t think you’d ever be willing to even give anyone else a chance with your heart. Now, you’re not only going to be going on a date, but you initiated said date.

“Mommy happy,” the voice of your two-year-old, Keitaro, makes you look up from your phone, and you realize that you’re grinning like a schoolgirl.

“Yeah, Baby, Mommy is pretty happy right now, good job!” You praise your son for his observation and kiss the top of his head. Your phone buzzes in your hand and you look down at the screen still smiling.

“Sounds good, can’t wait!”

Warm excitement bubbles up inside you and your smile grows. It’s been years since you’ve been on a first date and about two since you’ve been on a date-date. You can’t even remember the last time you took the time to doll yourself up even if just for yourself. Saturday is a few days out, but your mind already starts putting together potential outfits. You can’t wait for Saturday, either.

𖤛 𖤛 𖤛

Saturday rolls around and you’re a bit of a mess of nerves and excitement. You have the day off from work, so you have lots of time to kill before you have to start getting ready for your date. Your parents come over around noon and you all decide to go out to a nearby park. You get your kids dressed, pack some snacks, and buckle Keitaro into his stroller, then head out the door.

It’s a beautiful day out and the park is pretty busy when you all arrive. Finding an open bench, you and your parents quickly claim it. Your mother takes both kids over to the playground while you and your father sit at the bench and spark up conversation. Soon enough, you’re summoned by Mai to come over and play too.

At one point, your daughter tells you to watch her go down a slide and you obediently position yourself so that you have a good view. Unfortunately, another child up on the platform with yours sneezes. That normally wouldn’t be a big deal, but the child has a mutation-type Quirk that gives them wings and they fan out as the child sneezes. One of the child’s wings hits against your daughter’s back and knocks her head into the bar above the entrance to the slide.

The moment you hear the thunk of of the metal you kick start into mom-mode. You’re at the top of the platform in seconds, cradling your wailing daughter and trying to console the very apologetic winged child. The three of you get back to the ground and the winged child’s parent rushes over spilling apologies. You try your best to convey that it’s okay, you know it was accident, above the loud cries of your daughter. You make your way back to your parents, both of them wearing concerned faces, and tell them to pack everything up.

Back at your apartment, you assess the injury to Mai’s forehead. A good sized bump has formed and your poor daughter hasn’t stopped crying or telling you how much it hurts. You decide to take Mai to an urgent care, if only to just make sure that she doesn’t have a concussion. Your parents agree to watch Keitaro and you thank them before carrying your daughter out to your car.

You buckle her in, feeling that pit of mom-guilt form when she cries out for you as you climb into the driver’s seat. You dial Katsuki’s number and when he picks up you inform him of what happened and he tells you that he’ll meet you at the urgent care. As you pull out onto the street, you briefly think about canceling your date tonight if only to just stay home and comfort your daughter for the rest of the night.

You get to the urgent care a few minutes after Katsuki does and you do your best to get checked in at the front desk while holding your crying daughter and being in the presence of your ex-husband. The three of you sit down at an open corner of the waiting room once the paperwork is done. Mai sits in your lap as you gingerly hold a fresh ice pack a nurse had given you to her forehead. She quietly whimpers and cries as the three of you wait and you watch one of Katsuki’s hands come up to hold one of Mai’s hands.

The whole time you wait you can feel your phone buzz occasionally in your pocket, but you choose to ignore it. It buzzes consistently a couple of times, most likely someone calling you, and Katsuki sends you a slightly questioning look. You shake your head and shrug, silently telling him you don’t know who it is, then whisper that it’s probably your parents. He nods his head a single time before looking back down at Mai, the little girl gripping his hand tightly.

After what feels like forever, your daughter’s name is called out and the three of you get escorted back to a room. Mai chooses to have Katsuki sit on the bed with her as a nurse takes her vitals. Once the nurse finishes up with vitals, they tell you and Katsuki that a doctor will be by shortly.

Stuck waiting again, an awkward silence fills the room and you decide that now would be a good time as any to update your parents. You pull your phone out of your pocket and are surprised to see that most of the notifications filling your screen are from Kirishima. You bypass them for the moment to text your mother an update, then you read through all the texts Kirishima sent.

“Hey, Bakugo just called out from patrol because of a family emergency, is everything okay?”

“Y/N??”

“Did something happen to you or the kids??”

“Please answer your phone, I just want to make sure everything is okay.”

“Please call or text me when you have a chance, please.”

A bit of guilt churns at your stomach over ignoring your phone until now, but the reality is that your kids come first, no matter the situation. You understand and appreciate Kirishima’s worrying, but your daughter needed you to be present with her.

“Mai hit her head while we were at the park earlier and I brought her to urgent care just to make sure she doesn’t have a concussion. I’m sorry for not answering sooner, but she needed me.”

You hit send and let out a quiet and tired sigh, the adrenaline from earlier leaving you feeling drained. Shutting your phone off, you lean back in the chair and rest your head against the wall, closing your eyes for a moment. The moment is cut short when your phone buzzes and you lift your head to look at it.

“Don’t apologize, of course you were focused on her. I’m sorry for spamming you like that, I guess I just panicked. Hope my Lil Buddy gets the A-okay from the doc!”

A smile tugs at your lips from Kirishima’s reply, his playful personality coming through even by text. You tell him that you’ll keep him updated, then shut your phone off right as the doctor walks through the curtain.

By the end of the visit, Mai is determined to be just fine though she will have a bit of a bump and bruise for a while. A dose of children’s pain reliever and a few lollipops quells her crying, and you feel the tension ease from your body. The three of you thank the doctor, then make your way out to the parking lot.

“Mommy, can Daddy come over?” Mai asks around the lollipop in her mouth and you tense up a bit.

“I don’t know, Baby.. D-daddy might have to go back to work..?” You cringe a bit over the sound of your own voice, but glance over at Katsuki.

His face is neutral but his eyes are soft, sad, and a bit pleading, “They got somebody to cover my shift.. ‘s up to you..” He says quietly and you can’t help the slight sagging of your shoulders. While the relationship between the two of you is amicable, you don’t really want to spend your day with your ex-husband.

You put on the best smile you can as you look down at your daughter, “Then I guess that means he can come over for a bit.” Mai cheers and begins talking about what she wants to do when the three of you get to your apartment. Katsuki nods along with her words, but looks over at you to mouth out a “thank you” to which you just nod.

Walking through the door of your apartment with Mai and Katsuki in tow garners a mix of reactions. Keitaro happily runs up to hug you then Katsuki as Mai runs up to her grandparents babbling about the lollipops she got from the doctor. Meanwhile, your parents try their best to keep polite smiles on their faces, but you can see the strain underneath and you’re sure Katsuki can as well. You thank them for watching Keitaro and tell them that you’ve got things handled for the rest of the night. They leave shortly after you tell them what the doctor said, hugging you and the kids then bidding Katsuki a mostly pleasant yet short goodbye.

A few hours later, the atmosphere between you and Katsuki becomes semi-comfortable as you both just mainly focus on the kids. After an early dinner, Mai has dragged you into playing restaurant with her while Katsuki colors with Keitaro. Occasionally, you overhear Katsuki quietly teaching Keitaro how to say colors or draw letters and numbers. You’d never admit it out loud, especially to Katsuki, but it warms your heart watching or hearing him interact with the kids. A softness that he only reserves for them comes out and reminds you that even though he hurt you so badly, he really is a good dad.

Around 7:30 there’s a knock on your door and your stomach sinks as your heart rate picks up. You had felt like you were forgetting something since you got back from urgent care and that something was forgetting to postpone your date.

“You expecting anyone?” Katsuki asks as another bout of knocking ensues.

“N-no, but it’s probably my neighbor. She brings cookies over for the kids sometimes, I’ll go see if it’s her-” You try to explain, making to stand, but Katsuki is already standing and heading for the door.

“Nah, you stay with the kids, I’ll get it. I’ve heard about this ‘cookie-lady’ before from Mai, I’d like to meet her.” Katsuki says as he steps closer to the door.

You quickly follow behind him, cursing yourself for not checking your phone since you’ve been home. You assume that Kirishima has been messaging you and has probably stopped by to check up on everything. You’re not fast enough to cut Katsuki off from opening the door and you mentally prepare yourself for the impending storm.

“Hey! I figured that you’d wanna stay with Mai for the night, so I brought the date to-” Kirishima cheerfully greets when the door opens expecting you to be standing there, but unable to see Katsuki because of the many items in his arms obscuring his vision.

“The fuck do you mean ‘date’? What are you doing here, Red?” Katsuki’s tone is immediately angry as he cuts Kirishima off and he looks between you and the redhead.

Kirishima turns so that he can actually see what’s in front of him and his face is a mix of shock, dread, and apology. You flounder for a moment under Katsuki’s angry and questioning gaze until Mina’s words of Katsuki having no control over who you date echo through your mind. You move past Katsuki and take some of the stuff from Kirishima’s arms.

“Kiri, please come in. And Katsuki, don’t even think about starting anything in front of the kids, let alone in my home, thank you.” You say, your voice firm when you speak to your ex-husband, then turn to take the items you grabbed to the kitchen. You hear the shuffling of feet and the door close as a practically palpable tenseness fills the air. Two pairs of footsteps follow you into the kitchen and not long after another two pairs follow.

“Uncle Kiri!!” Mai exclaims as she runs up to the redhead, Keitaro right on her heels with his own shout of excitement.

Kirishima sets down the rest of the stuff he brought and scoops up both kids without hesitation. He smiles widely and warmly at the two as they both begin babbling about their day. Mai tells him about what happened at the park and the lollipops she got from the doctor, and Keitaro mashes gibberish with random words.

“Okay guys, I know you’re excited but it’s already past bedtime, so give hugs and say goodnight,” You say gently already prepared for the fight that Mai will inevitably put up.

Surprisingly enough, she only pouts at you but doesn’t argue, probably tired from the day’s events and staying up a bit later than usual. Mai says goodnight and gives Kirishima one last hug before he puts her down. As Kirishima hands Keitaro over to you, Mai reluctantly pats her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth. You look between Katsuki and Kirishima, eyeing them both for a moment, weary about what’s to come.

“I’m going to go put them to bed and then we’re going to have a civil conversation.” You quietly yet firmly state before forcing your mood into a complete 180, “Alright Keitaro, say night-night to Daddy and Kiri.”

The sleepy two-year-old in your arms murmurs out a barely-intelligible goodnight. You can tell that Katsuki is barely maintaining his composure, but he whispers goodnight to Keitaro and kisses his head. Kirishima gives your son a smile and whispers goodnight before rubbing his back. You let out a tired sigh, then move forward to take your son to his room. By the time you’ve gotten Keitaro in pajamas and settled down in his crib, Mai has said her final goodnights and is waiting for you in her bed. You tuck her in and read her a bedtime story, and luckily it doesn’t take very long for her to fall asleep.

You quietly leave her room, shutting the door as softly as you can behind you. When you get to the end of the hallway you see Katsuki sitting on the couch on his phone while Kirishima is putting takeout containers into your fridge. A sense of dread fills you and you try your best to remain as neutral as possible.

“Okay, let’s all go take a seat at the dining table and talk this out,” You say quietly as you make your way toward the dining table.

You sit down and rub your hands over your face, exhaustion settling into your bones. You hear the sound of two other chairs being quietly pulled away from the table. You run your hands through your hair as you look up and you take a deep breath.

“Kirishima, I’d like to apologize for my lack of contact pretty much all day. Mai hit her head at the park, then we went to urgent care, and after I got back home I set my phone down and forgot about it. I was so focused on monitoring Mai that everything else slipped my mind. I truly am sorry for putting you in a situation like this.” You say, guilt riddling your tone and face. Kirishima smiles weakly at you and shakes his head, telling you not to worry about it. You turn to Katsuki and almost give in to the anger that flickers in you at his agitated posture.

“Kats-” You start, but don’t get to continue any further.

“So you two are dating? Were either of you going to tell me?” Katsuki grits out, obviously making an effort to keep his voice down. While you appreciate him not shouting, you don’t appreciate his words.

“Don’t start with that shit, Katsuki. I don’t have to tell you if I start dating someone, it’s none of your business-” Your patience diminishes quickly, but you manage to keep your voice low even when you’re interrupted again.

“It sure as fuck becomes my business when my best friend is dating my ex-wife,” Katsuki’s voice raises slightly and you glare at him.

“No, it really doesn’t. Kirishima and I are single adults, Katsuki. Go back to when you said ‘ex-wife’ and remember why exactly we’re exes now. You don’t have the right to share your opinion about who I decide to see. And before your mind even goes there, this isn’t me seeking revenge or getting back at you. I have genuine feelings for Kirishima and whether you approve or disapprove is none of my concern.” You fire back at him, voice still low but angry. Katsuki glares at you but he keeps quiet, his jaw clenched tightly possibly to keep himself from shouting expletives.

“..Bakugo, I’m sorry about all of this. It’s not like I intended to fall for Y/N, it just sort of happened over the last few months. Tonight was supposed to be our first date and I’m sure neither of us were sure if things would go any further than one simple date. I’m sorry if you’re hurt, man, but Y/N is right; we’re both adults and we can see whoever we wish to..” Kirishima says, his tone a mixture of apology and seriousness.

Katsuki shifts his eyes from you to Kirishima and he just glares at the redhead for a few moments until eventually he just sighs. You watch as Katsuki’s anger gets dimmed by defeat and hurt, and he slowly stands.

“You’re both right,” he utters quietly, shocking you to your core. “I.. I need to go.”

Coming down from your anger, you feel as though you might have gone too far, “Katsuki-”

“It’s okay, Y/N. You.. you deserve a chance with a good guy and Red is a good man.. a better man than I’ve ever been.” Katsuki says tiredly, defeated. Both you and Kirishima stare wide-eyed as Katsuki walks to the door, slips his shoes on, and silently leaves.

Elbows braced against the table, you bury your face in your hands unsure of what to feel at this exact moment. You hear the soft scooting of a chair, then feel a warm arm lay across your shoulders and a hand soothingly rub one of your arms.

“Are you okay, Y/N?” Kirishima asks softly and you look up at him, your hands coming to rest on your cheeks.

“Are you okay? That was.. I-I’m so sorry, Kiri-”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m okay.” Kirishima says, then chuckles slightly, “Gosh, how many times do we have to keep saying that we’re adults who can make their own decisions, huh? We may not have planned on developing feelings for each other, but after I realized how I felt about you I started preparing for how Bakugo would react.”

You smile a bit and nod your head, “I definitely anticipated a lot more yelling and explosions, but I’m glad none of that ended up happening.” You say quietly and close your eyes, silently enjoying the warm of another person.

“So, since we’re both looking to make this work.. what do you have planned to help make the kids stop calling you ‘uncle Kiri’? Hmm, Mr. Prepared?” You ask with a bit of giggle after you open your eyes and look at Kirishima.

“Maybe we can put our heads together and think of something,” he says softly, his eyes slowly roaming over your face until they stop on your lips.

“Hmm, I see..” You borderline whisper before closing the distance between the two of you.

The kiss, more of a drawn out peck, is soft and gentle and makes you feel warm. It’s a sweet moment that makes you smile when you pull away, a slight blush tinting your cheeks and his.

“So, did you come up with anything?” You teasingly ask with a bit of a giggle.

Kirishima blinks then smirks, “Nope, guess we’ll just have to try again.”

As your lips meet his again, you can almost feel the remaining shattered parts of your world pulling back together and fixing themselves.

Note ~ Once again, thank you so much for the request, Lovely!! This was a fun lil write to help me get back into my writing mindset! I truly hope you join my angst-loving band of Lovelies and stick around for future angsty works! Much love and appreciation, amazing Lovely!! <3

Divider Credit ~ @rookthornesartistry

[tatiam-x]

Gym Crush

Mikes Ackerman x Female reader

this one's also from my ao3 so I just wanted to post it on here for u horny mikasa lovers

mature content: 18+ minors dni

You go to the gym as frequently out of the week as possible, which proves to be difficult since your classes have been kicking your ass. Aside from the enjoyment you get from just going to the gym, you have another motivation to keep going: to see Mikasa Ackerman working out.

You don’t know her very well, but the two of you happen to go to the gym at the same time every day of the week. She happens to take a few classes with you, but you always sit away from each other. That’s how you learned her name, and how you get to admire her from afar. And it gives you such a thrill, maybe more than what’s normal, but it keeps you sane. That and you’re extremely bored and have a high sex drive, so you get off at any little interaction.

Any look she casts your way, any brush past you when she walks to another gym machine, or any time you swear she’s checking you out when you’re lifting weights. You aren’t even certain she’s into girls. But you don’t care. You just want to play into your delusions for the sake of your enjoyment. Sure, it sounds selfish, but you know better than to take action on your daydreams and delusions.

You’re at the gym now, and Mikasa happens to be doing leg day today. You take small glances at her, not wanting to linger your eyes on her for too long. You don’t intend to be creepy about it. But you can’t resist your eyes dropping to her ass as she squats on the smith machine, a smirk falling on your lips as you watch that plush, muscular ass of hers when she locks. Your eyes happen to linger when she straightens up, her ass clenching and she makes an audible grunt that makes your hips involuntary buck to the sound, and you sigh.

She flashes a look your way and you snap your attention back to your bicep curls, your face flushing in embarrassment if she caught you staring. Again, you don’t want her to feel uncomfortable. 

Luckily, this is your last set, so as soon as you’re done, you rush out and grab your backpack and jacket  to walk briskly to the women’s locker room. You shake your head, your heart racing at the exhilaration from the eye contact, but a rush of guilt settles in your chest.  

You step into the locker room, going a few rows down to avoid changing right in front of the door. Luckily, there seems to be no one in the locker rooms yet since it’s still fairly early in the morning. You place your stuff down distractingly, your thoughts running over how hot she looks with so little effort. You set your change of clothes from your backpack onto the bench, and begin to remove your clothes. 

Once you’re fully undressed, you put on your panties, then your bra, applying some deodorant before you put other clothes on. But just as you reach for your shirt, you hear someone approaching your row of the locker room. Your row, that’s purposefully isolated from the front so others could fill in the space before reaching you.

You roll your eyes in annoyance, wondering why this person just had to think the same thing. You look up expectantly at the opening of the confined locker space, parting your mouth to sigh but your breath catches in your throat when you see the person who stops at the opening as soon as she sees you: Mikasa Ackerman.

You stand there, shocked and embarrassed since you’re half naked. You stand there, still shocked because she doesn’t walk away from that opening. She keeps her eyes on you and steps forward to lean on the locker closest to her, and you can’t utter a single word. 

“Hey,” she says casually, snapping you out of your state of shock. You watch as her eyes shamelessly take in the sight of your body, completely avoiding your eyes.

You feel your cheeks heat up, and you cross your arms to display your discomfort from your exposed body. “H - hey.” Your voice is small, and your hands tighten on your worn biceps. 

“You’re in my classes, aren’t you?” she inquires, and she pushes off the locker to approach you. Your eyes fall to look at her body, her toned, lean body, your eyes fluttering nervously. She’s pretty like this, only wearing a sports bra and biker shorts so you can perfectly see her defined abdomen and muscular figure.

“Yeah… you’re Mikasa, right?” you manage to reply, meeting her eyes and your chest tightens when you realize she caught you checking her out.

She simply nods, and you see the corner of her lips curl upwards in hints of a smile; she seems proud that you know her name. She steps even closer to you, and now she’s just on the other side of the bench–she’s only about a foot away from you. You can smell the faint odor of sweat off of her, and you realize you’re probably the same.

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding, your whole body tensing in uncontrollable arousal at her. And then your attention focuses back onto your change of clothes and how you’re still half naked. 

You reach for your pants, but before you can even grab them, she gently grabs your wrist to stop you. You look up at her, your eyebrow raising and your heart jumps at her touch. She seems to be surprised by her own actions, her eyes on your hand and she looks just as confused as you are.

And then she looks at you. She looks at you and your heart skips a beat, your cheeks flushing and your eyes widening. This is just how your delusions would play out, you think, and it almost makes you chuckle in disbelief. She’s so beautiful. Her dark, almost black eyes shine at you like the night sky, her jet black hair complimenting them. Her hair is in a ponytail, so her bangs fall against the sides of her cheeks with some resting near her nose. You have a clear view of the scar lining under her right eye. You feel the urge to run your thumb over it.

You look down at her pink, plush lips, and you unconsciously part your lips at the thought of leaning in and kissing her with how close she is. And she does exactly what you’re thinking. With her hand still gripping your wrist, she reaches for your cheek with her other hand, gently making you face her. She leans in but hesitates, uncertain if you’d be okay with it. You answer her doubts by meeting her lips, your eyes closing at the soft feeling of her lips. The kiss is slow and calculated – you savor the feeling, swallowing when you feel her hand on your chin trail to your throat. 

Her fingers dance on your throat and you kiss her fervently, a moan slipping from the back of your throat when she gently clasps her hand around your throat. You feel her smile into your lips, and she pulls away to look at your desperate gaze. 

“You’re so pretty,” she whispers softly against your lips, and you instinctively reach up to cup her jaw, and your thumb grazes the scar right under her eye. She flinches, but you feel her lean into your hand as she relaxes.

“How did you… know I wanted this?” you ask, resisting the temptation to just kiss her again. 

She blinks, and she gives into a laugh. Your eyes widen, entranced by how pretty she sounds. Her cheeks lift up to her eyes, her eyes closing and her mouth opening as she smiles widely to laugh. It’s so perfect. 

You tilt your head, waiting for her response. 

She levels with you, her hand on your throat returning to your chin to keep your head in place. Her stare is suddenly serious. “You think I haven’t noticed how you look at me?”

Her tone isn’t malicious – it’s challenging, almost teasing and she smirks at you when your face grows hot with embarrassment. “Sorry…” you respond instinctively, humiliated that you made it that obvious. 

“Couldn’t resist me, could you? Did you imagine me just like this, doing such inappropriate things to you?” she teases, clearly trying to get you worked up; and it’s working. You shiver at her words, feeling heat pool into your core. The room feels hot, even when you’re half naked, even when you should be cold from anxiety. But instead you’re turned on, your breath becoming heavy which blows the strands on her hair off her face. 

She grins when she knows she’s right, a satisfied hum releasing from her. You rub your thighs together, and your hand moves to grab at her soft hair at the back of her head to pull her in a kiss. This time, the kiss is hungry, sloppy with your rush to take her.

She moans softly at how fast your kisses come, enjoying how she manages to drive you crazy. She pushes you back, and you gasp as you stumble to catch your balance. In a flash, she jumps over the bench and pushes you against the locker behind you, and you huff from the impact; your chest heaves and your eyelids flicker at her swiftness, but your breathing immediately falls into a moan when she returns her lips to yours with her hands gripping your waist.

She slips her knee between your legs, causing you to sigh and the back of your head thumps against the locker, your hips rocking into her. 

“Mikasa…” you moan, your clit rubbing against her thigh. She breaks your kiss with a pop, a string of saliva trails as your lips part. She watches you intently, the way your eyes close and your mouth opens to breathe heavily, soft moans coming out of you when you focus on how good the friction feels. 

“Did you think of me doing this to you?” she asks breathlessly, her voice low and strained by the sight of you. You grow hot, letting out a groan at her prodding. 

“Yes…” you whisper, failing to meet her gaze in embarrassment, but keeping your focus on the pleasure spreading across your body as you grind on her. Your hands grip her shoulders for balance, and you moan when you feel her kiss your pulse. 

“Good girl… thinking of me like that… like a whore,” she murmurs against your ear.

“Fuck,” you whine at her words, feeling a jolt of arousal in your pussy when you hear her. Her breath is hot on the side of your neck, sighing at the sound of your whines next to her ear.

You manage to clear your mind from your lust for a moment, responding with a snarky, “So that means you’ve imagined this, too?”

And she freezes, her breath hitching in surprise. She leans back to look at you, and you feel uneasy with how unreadable she is. She chuckles, leaning into your ear once more and murmuring, “don’t act so bold with me, slut.” One hand leaves your hip to squeeze your throat tightly and you choke from the sudden lack of air. And somehow this turns you on even more, your thighs squeezing against hers. You need her in you.

“Understand?” she says, bringing you out of your thoughts. You part your mouth to speak, but you’re only able to nod in response due to the pressure on your trachea.

She releases her grip on your throat and you pant to catch your breath. You continue riding her thigh, cupping her jaw to push her into a desperate kiss. Her hands roam to your back, unclipping your bra with ease.

You exhale as she gropes your breasts, squeezing your flesh lightly and her thumbs circle over your nipples.

“Oh,” you moan at the contact, thrusting harder into her leg and your breath getting heavier with pleasure. Your hands reach for the elastic band that holds up her hair, and you pull it off, tossing it somewhere near the bench. 

You back away and the sight of her leaves your mouth agape in awe of her; her hair falls and you’re left even more breathless than before – she’s so fucking perfect and it leaves you speechless. You run your fingers through her hair, brushing a strand off of her face so you can bask in her beauty.

You see her cheeks turn pink when she notices you’re staring, and she mutters, “what?” with a hint of nervousness. You can’t help but smile, your heart racing when you realize just how much you like this girl that you just officially met. “You look beautiful.”

She looks away for a moment, her face getting red after your compliment. You cup her jaw and pull her in for a kiss, and this time it’s more passionate. It’s the kind of kiss that makes your stomach flutter and your hands feel clammy – it feels so exhilarating.

You’re reminded of the hunger of the moment when you feel her hands slip down to your waist, to your ass, giving it a harsh squeeze that elicits a moan out of you. She’s moving faster than before, her hands moving to the waistband of your panties which makes you whine in response, stopping your hips on your thigh as your own start to tremble.

She smiles against your lips, taking note of your sensitivity. Her teasing has you right where she wants you, rutting against her thigh and panting uncontrollably, making your mind hazy with lust just to feel her touch you, to taste you. And the waiting is starting to become too much. Too much because it aches between your thighs and you can feel that your panties are soaked on her thigh, trying to get more pressure on your clit.

“Mikasa… please,” you whimper, your body shakes and you rock your hips faster on her thigh, moaning shamelessly as you search for your release. Her hands tug on your panties but don’t move them down. She’s such a tease.

“So needy… just by fucking my thigh, huh? I can feel how wet you are on me,” she murmurs, leaning back to get a full picture of you and she groans as she watches you. 

“Feels g - good,” you moan, your brain clearly struggling to form a coherent sentence. And just when you feel heat build up in your core which signals your orgasm, she removes her leg from between your thighs. You groan, and it hurts when she pulls away. Your thighs clench around nothing. She makes you this wet without even taking your panties off… fuck she’s just as good as you imagined.

Before she can even reach for your panties, you go for her sports bra, trying to take it off but it falls awkwardly on her breasts as you try to take it off. She takes it off for you, and you groan at the sight of her naked chest. She has nice breasts for someone so muscular. You smirk, reaching out to fondle her tits and she sighs, enjoying the feeling for a moment before her fingers meet your panties.

You gasp quietly, sighing as she slowly pulls them down your legs. She has to crouch to take them fully off of you, and fuck you feel so hot when she looks up at you with hungry eyes. She has you right where you want her to be, right between your thighs. She looks at your wetness, and she licks her lips in anticipation.

“So wet,” she hums, looking back up at you to watch you squirm at her comment. You rub your thighs together, your pussy needing any touch of friction, and your heart races when she’s this close to you. She grabs your thighs to part your legs, leaving your clit fully on display for her. 

Then you hear a door open and you’re reminded that you’re in a locker room. The two of you are having sex in the locker room. Mikasa notices it too, her heading swinging towards the direction of the door. You guess she forgot you’re not in a very private area, too. 

You move to step away from her, but she anchors your thighs in place with her hands, keeping you in place. You shoot her a look, puzzled and then panic at what she’s doing. She smirks when you realize, a chuckle escaping her lips.

“Mikasa,” you hiss, trying to move away from her but she tightens her grip on you, not letting you move. You hold back a groan, trying to fight her but your pussy aches greedily, telling you the opposite.

“Mikasa, we can’t… we’re gonna get caught,” you whisper, your voice trembling with how badly you want her.

She gets closer to your cunt, and you feel her breath tease your clit. “Stay quiet, then.”

Before you can try to protest, her mouth meets with your sensitive nub, sucking and her tongue moves in you. You immediately cover your mouth to hold back a moan, your hips bucking into her face with how good it feels. You throw your head back in ecstasy, her tongue moving torturously slow inside of you. 

You let out a quiet whine, trying to control how loud your breathing by holding your breath before heavily exhaling. And fuck her tongue is so good in you, easily moving and curling up into you with how wet you are. 

You moan out a quiet sigh, closing your mouth to suppress your moans. Your whole body trembles, your knees weak with her fucking your cunt mercilessly. Your hands grasp at her hair, scratching and pulling at her scalp in pure pleasure, keeping her in place and pushing her deeper into your clit. The sound of her tongue licking your wet pussy splits the silence, making heat fill your core with how lewd it sounds.

You accidentally let out a loud moan, and you slap your hand over your mouth in panic. You can’t take it, you can’t keep quiet with how good she’s fucking you, and she squeezes your ass in response to your sound. You look down and lock your gaze with her, and you let out a soft whimper and she moans softly into you. She looks so pretty fucking you.

Her tongue moves faster, deeper into you, and your hips thrust into her to get more friction. You’re panting loudly now, soft moans and whines leaving your mouth, ignoring the presence of the person in the locker room. You feel heat build below your belly button as your orgasm builds, fighting the urge to scream out your pleasure. Your thighs clench and your grip tightens in your hair, your breath quickening as you feel yourself getting close.

And just when you stop moving your hips to let your orgasm hit, she pulls away, leaving you wet and dripping. You whine in agony, your walls clenching around nothing as your pussy is abandoned again. 

You look down at her, trying to catch your breath but you groan when she grins up at you, her chin wet with your enjoyment and you watch as she swipes her tongue around her mouth. God, she’s so good.

She stands up, catching your lips in a sloppy kiss; you can taste yourself on her and you both moan at the contact. You place your hands on her waist, trailing them innocently to her shorts. She bites your lower lip in response, her hands going up to grip your scalp. You pull them down as far as you can, pulling them below her ass and eventually they fall to the ground on their own.

Your fingers find her clothed clit with ease as you feel that she’s wet, and you force down a smile, yet let out a chuckle. She pulls your hair, subtly reminding you that she’s the one in control here. “Don’t tease,” she mutters. You find her flustered state cute.

You press your thumb on her clit, causing a soft whine to fall from her lips. “I thought you wanted to stay quiet,” you murmur between kisses, pressing harder into her panties and making small circles with your thumb.

“It’s not like you were a moaning mess while I was fucking you,” she shoots back, and you dive your hand into her panties and rub against her bare clit in response. She lets out a quiet moan in surprise, almost falling but stabilizing herself by pressing her hands against the locker on either side of you. She has you trapped still, but you have her bucking into your two fingers that slide easily into her wet clit.

She leans in beside your ear, sighing at the feeling of your fingers starting to pump into her. “Fuck,” she grits, and you hear her hands press harder against the locker. She kisses your neck, her teeth grazing your skin and it tickles enough to make it feel good.

She manages to stay relatively quiet, only letting out soft whines as she pants against your neck. And then you curl your fingers up into her, moving your fingers in small, tight circles; she bites down hard at the base of your neck and you wince, grunting at the strength of her bite. 

She thrusts harder into your fingers, moaning your name softly and your fingers move faster, allowing her to feel as much pleasure that she wants. You know she’d punish you for not letting her finish, which sounds tempting, but not when someone’s in the locker room with you.

You feel yourself getting wet as you hear her muffled moans, especially when your name comes out, and you feel her clench around your fingers. Her pussy contracts around you and her breath quickens, her thrusts getting irregular as her orgasm approaches.

She comes with a moan, not a quiet one but not a loud one, yet it’s just enough to make a moan slip out of you from how pretty she sounds. Her hips thrust roughly into you with every wave that hits her, letting out soft grunts as her whole body shakes from her high. She stops moving and that signals you to remove your fingers from her, and she rests her chin on your shoulder for a moment to catch her breath. So cute.

She pushes herself with her arms to stand up straight, and you see her cheeks are flushed and her hairs a mess from her orgasm, her panties soaked and her eyes dazed. She kisses you, and you happily sigh into her lips. Her tongue swipes against your bottom lip, and you open your mouth to allow her to explore your mouth. 

Then she backs away, looking at how ravenous you look; you’re desperate, impatient to get your orgasm. She grabs the hand that was in her, bringing your wet fingers towards your mouth. “Open.”

And you do, willingly so with how eager you are to taste her. You suck on your fingers, tongue lolling over her come on your fingers and you moan at the taste. You keep your eyes on her and she watches you with lust, loving the way you easily take in every inch of your fingers in your mouth. 

“Good… you’re so obedient for me,” she smiles, and you remove your fingers from your mouth, a string of saliva falling from your finger to your bottom lip. You exhale shakily, and her thumb wipes off the drop of saliva off your lip. She kisses you once more, tasting herself in your mouth and she squeezes your waist with her other hand. 

You’re reminded once again of the person in the locker room when you hear the shower turn on, and your face heats up with embarrassment when you realize how loud you might’ve been. She pulls away and chuckles, taking your hand and leading you towards the bench.

“Sit down,” she orders. You obey mindlessly, placing yourself on the cold bench. Your thighs rub together in excitement, wanting her to relieve the ache between your thighs. But the logical part of you doesn’t want someone to hear how loud you’d get.

“Mikasa… there’s someone in here,” you remind her, almost asking her to stop to avoid getting caught; but something tells you – the heat between your thighs tells you – to bite your tongue and say nothing more.

She tilts your chin up for you to meet her dark gaze, her hungry, lustful gaze and you shiver. You feel heat pour between your thighs in arousal – yet again, she has you right where you want her. She leans down to kiss you, saying nothing to your statement until she kisses down to your neck. “If you’re quiet, then we won’t get caught.”

She bites near your pulse, and you feel your heart race in your throat with how desperate you feel. So desperate that your hips roll into the bench, wanting to feel her fingers stretch you out. 

“I want to fuck you until you come… don’t you want that?” she lifts her head to look at you, and you can’t help but nod, completely engulfed in desire. 

“Say it,” she commands quietly, lifting your chin yet again towards her. 

“Yes… I need you to fuck me,” you whimper softly, your breath becoming labored at the thought of her touching you. Your hands tighten at the edge of the bench on either side of you, actively resisting the urge to bring your own fingers into your needy cunt.

“Good girl,” she praises, leaning down to crash her lips to yours. You push back to her, making your kisses more desperate, more sloppy with desperation. Her tongue meets your teeth and you open to feel her tongue slide into your mouth, making you whine into her. She brushes her tongue against yours, and you feel her other hand slide to your waist, and to your inner thighs.

You gasp at the feeling, arching your back as you feel her hand trail closer and closer to your pussy, growing impatient with all her teasing and tormenting. You lean your head back slightly to break away from her, catching your breath but panting in anticipation as her fingers tease around your folds.

“Mikasa,” you whine against her lips, needing her to just fuck you ruthlessly. And she knows, she knows how bad you want her; she can feel it, how wet you are from before and how she’s teasing you now. 

Please, please, please.

It’s a silent prayer that you won’t be so loud, but also a plea for her to touch you already. 

She kisses you, and then you feel two of her slender fingers enter you. You immediately sink at the feeling, your pussy contracting around her in pleasure as she curls her fingers up. “Oh!”

And you become careless.

She starts slowly, making you feel every drag of her finger pump in and out of your slick cunt, and you moan in ecstacy at the feeling. You tilt your head back, away from her lips as whines come out of your mouth. Your hands grip tightly on the bench, enough to make your hands cramp but you don’t care. You don’t care because the way her fingers fuck you so perfectly makes you go insane, your eyes rolling back at the stimulation. 

“Mikasa… oh - fuck,” you moan, your words breaking as the pleasure overrides your brain, feeling beyond euphoric and she fucks you faster, hearing her moan at you as she listens to your pretty noises.

“You like this, don’t you?” she rasps against your ear as her fingers move in circles in your clit, fucking up into you deliciously and you moan at her words. “You want to get caught… such a naughty girl.”

You whimper, your hips bucking into her hand as you feel heat build below your belly button. She pulls you into a kiss, but she stops to say, “tell me,” in between kisses.

“Yes,” you cry out, your moans getting louder, higher in pitch as you feel your orgasm approaching.

“Mikasa… I’m c - close,” your voice trembles, your walls clenching around her and your thighs shake, feeling heat rise in you.

“That’s good… come for me, baby,” she orders, and you do with a loud, “Fuck!”

You moan as you ride out your orgasm, waves of pleasure washing over you and you buck your hips with each one, her fingers fucking you through your orgasm. You relax your body when your climax dies down, and she pulls her fingers out of you.

You hear an audible cough from somewhere in the locker room, meaning that someone heard the two of you. Your face flushes in embarrassment, still dazed from the strength of your orgasm.

“Guess you couldn’t be quiet enough. You got us caught,” she smirks, pulling you in for a gentle kiss. 

You sigh, shaking your head slightly. “I could get used to this.”

[andiwriteordie]

HIIII i have a prompt for u,

have mike get a vecna vision where will dies in his arms. 🤭🤭🤭

this is not a want its a NEED.

im in the mood for angst rn and i love ur art style so...... 😊😊

oh this was a cruel cruel prompt 😈

here's a ficlet that turned into a fic because i combined it with another prompt lol 🫡

—

holding hands, while the walls come tumbling down 

It starts like this.

The steady yet nervous thump, thump, thump of a heartbeat that Mike can hear as loud as his own. A body nestled right beside him; an artist’s hands, smooth and soft and ever gentle, intertwined with Mike’s; a boy he has known for nearly his entire life and loved in some way for just as long who is here, here, here lying next to him—all Mike’s for the taking, just like Mike is all his. 

It’s quiet in the room, save for the soft sound of their breathing. That, too, moves in time with each other—the gentle rise and fall of their chests as they breathe in and out, in and out, in and out.

Mike would stay here forever if he could. And he thinks—no, no, no; he knows, without a shadow of a doubt in his mind and in his heart—that Will feels the same.

Mike has always prided himself on being the type of person to give everything to what he does. Sometimes (oftentimes), everything isn’t enough, but that doesn’t stop him from giving it his all anyways. He’s never been the type of person to do something halfway; no, for Mike, it’s always been a deep dive into whatever it is he’s set his mind out to. An all or nothing kind of deal.

Will’s different from him. That’s something Mike’s known since their very first conversation, when his excitable, overeager “Hi! Do you want to be my friend?” was met with a quieter, shyer, but no less enthusiastic, “Yes; I – I do!” from Will. He’s not the type of first to run headfirst into something, which is probably good for Mike. It probably keeps them both out of trouble. But when Will does commit to something, when he chooses what he wants, when he decides that Yes, yes, yes, this is something I’m willing to fight for, then he’s every bit as passionate as Mike is.

All or nothing. 

There’s no turning back for the two of them, and Mike couldn’t care less. This path they’ve stumbled down on is one they’ve been walking down for quite some time now—together, even though they were both a little too blind and far too stubborn to see it. Now that they can finally see each other, now that everything is out in the light, now that Will knows Mike loves him and Mike knows that Will loves him too, there’s no going back from here. They’ve passed the point of no return, and Mike will be damned if they ever go back to what they used to be.

It’s been a longtime coming for the two of them, and as Will nestles closer to Mike’s side, resting his head on Mike’s chest and letting out another soft, content sigh, Mike can’t help but smile. 

The world around them might literally be on the brink of ending—constantly shrouded in darkness, plagued by monsters from the Upside Down, cold and always on the brink of another terrifying, disastrous storm that will threaten to rip Hawkins apart—but Mike has never been happier than he is in this moment, here with Will.

“What’re you thinking about?” comes Will’s quiet, sleepy voice, and Mike glances down at his boyfriend (Boyfriend? Right? Is that what we are now?) and meets Will’s gaze. There’s a softness in his eyes, mixed in with the sleepiness that’s not surprising for how late it must be now, as well as a familiar curiosity. 

What’s wrong? Will’s expression also seems to say. Are you okay? Was… was this okay?

Mike just smiles, leaning forward and kissing Will, soft and slow. Immediately, the butterflies in his stomach come back to life, more excited and awake than they’ve ever been before today. “Just about how happy I am,” Mike admits, once he’s pulled away. “I… I never really thought this would happen to me… To us.”

The curiosity melts away from Will’s face, morphing into something softer and something a bit hesitant and shy. He pulls away, ever so slightly, and lies on his side, and Mike does the same, so the two of them are looking directly at one another now. The dim glow of the old lamp that’d made it with Mike all these years—somehow surviving the move from his childhood home to Hawkins Lab and making it through the literal apocalypse—shines down on them, illuminating Will’s face just enough for Mike to see him clearly.

Beautiful is the only word that comes to Mike’s mind.

“I never thought this would happen either,” Will whispers back. There’s a smile tugging at his lips, small and a bit shy, and he reaches forward, tucking some of Mike’s hair back behind his ears. “Part of me thinks I’m just… gonna wake up, and this is all going to have been a dream. Or worse. A trance.”

“Pretty sure it’s not a dream,” Mike says with a laugh, and just for good measure, he kisses Will again, relishing in the way Will’s face immediately brightens. “Or a trance. Unless we’re… both dreaming. Or stuck in a trance.”

“Stranger things have happened to us,” Will points out, just to be difficult. 

Mike rolls his eyes, before pulling Will close to him and kissing him again, slower this time and with more intention. Will moves easily in his embrace, following where Mike leads the two of them until their bodies are flush against each other again, filling Mike with that familiar sense of warmth and giddiness. And because it’s Will and because he wants this as much as Mike does, and because they’re both the type of people to go all in—all or nothing—Will kisses him back without any hesitation, his tongue exploring Mike’s mouth like this is the first and last time they’ll ever get to do this and his hands carding through Mike’s hair to pull him close, close, close but not close enough. 

“I love you,” Mike breathes. The words come naturally, and though they’ve gone unspoken all night, Mike knows they haven’t gone unsaid. Every single kiss and every single glance and every single touch shared between the two of them has been a whisper of those three words over and over and over again: I love you, I love you, I love you.

And there’s not a single doubt in Mike’s mind that he means it. 

A smile forms on Will’s face as he leans away, resting his forehead against Mike’s own. He looks absolutely radiant like this, face illuminated by the soft glow of that old lamp, smile stretching from ear to ear, eyes sparkling with a warmth that screams back to Mike, I love you, I love you, I love you, with just as much enthusiasm and excitement that Mike feels in his own heart.

“I love you too,” Will whispers back, and he reaches forward, cupping Mike’s face gently. “I love you so much.”

Then, without another word, Will closes the space between the two of them once more.

**

Mike wakes the next morning to the sound of screaming.

The sound startles him right out of whatever dream he’d been having, and Mike flinches sharply, sitting up and looking around the room. His heart pounds inside his chest, and an unsettled, terrified feeling grows inside his stomach as everything inside him switches from a sleepy, even idyllic state to DANGER, DANGER, DANGER mode in a matter of seconds. 

Save for the dim light of his desk lamp, the room is relatively dark, and there’s no one else in the room except for Mike and—

And Will.

There’s a terrified look on Will’s face, and much like Mike, he’s looking around the room, eyes darting back and forth nervously like he has no idea where he is or what’s real or whether or not they’re safe. He’s trembling too, hands clenched tightly around Mike’s old blanket, and he seems like he’s just another few moments away from a complete breakdown.

And instantly, Mike’s mind switches from the DANGER, DANGER, DANGER mode to his Will needs me mode.

“Hey,” Mike whispers, scooting close to Will and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Will immediately flinches, startled by the touch, and Mike winces, running his hand up and down Will’s army gently. “Hey, it’s just me, Will. You’re okay. You’re okay. It was just a dream. Whatever you saw… it’s not real.”

That promise – it’s not a new one. After all, the last two-and-a-half years have been full of sleepless nights brought on by otherworldly nightmares. Nobody has been spared from them, but of everyone in the Party, Will has probably suffered the most, thanks to his deeper connection to One. These nightmares are nothing new, and yet, every single time Will suffers from one of them, it feels like a knife in Mike’s heart.

He can’t make the nightmares go away, but he can be there for Will. He can sit with Will until the darkness fades away, back into a vague memory, and he can hold Will and make promises that It’ll be okay; you’ll be okay; I’m not going anywhere; we’ll get through this. That’s really all Mike can do, and so God damn it, that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

Usually, it helps. It takes time, but usually, Will is receptive to the comfort, always leaning in close and allowing Mike to hold him until the terror subsides. 

But for some reason, this time, Will isn’t so receptive. 

It takes a moment, but out of nowhere, Will pushes Mike away, that terrified look still remaining on his face. He’s even paler than he was just a second ago, causing confusion to grow in Mike’s heart and mind. Before Mike can say anything though, Will whispers, “Mike… we have to go. Now.”

There’s an urgency in his voice unlike anything Mike has ever heard before, and that, coupled with the look of pure fear in Will’s eyes, is enough for Mike to understand exactly what’s going on, even before Will says anything about it. After all, there’s only one thing that would scare Will this much, and really, it’s just their shared, awful luck that this would happen today of all days. 

They just got together—finally, after years and years of dancing around each other and hiding from themselves and one another and never fully knowing if their feelings would be reciprocated. They just crossed that line from just friends into something more, and now…

Now, the world is actually, quite literally about to end. Now, the two of them stand on the precipice of something that could change everything and could ultimately decide the fate of the rest of the world. Now, the past five years of having their lives uprooted by the Upside Down will come to an end, one way or another.

Mike swallows the lump in the back of his throat, and he turns, meeting Will’s eyes. “It’s him, isn’t it?” he asks quietly, though he already knows the answer. 

A grim expression forms on Will’s face, and he takes another slow, shuddered breath, before nodding. “Yeah,” Will whispers back. “It’s him. One’s back, and we… we have to go. Now.”

The words before it’s too late hang on the end of Will’s sentence—unspoken, but not unsaid. He doesn’t have to say anything else or give any other details. Not yet at least. Those will come in time, as soon as they wake up the others and fill them in on what’s happening. But for right now, just between the two of them, all that Will has said is enough. 

And Mike gets the awful feeling that… that one way or another, today is going to be the end.

“Okay,” Mike whispers. He takes a deep breath. In and out. In and out. In and out. Then, a bit more confident, “We’ll go wake the others up, and we’ll put an end to this. It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

Those words aren’t ones that he has any business promising, and both of them know it. Still, Will’s shoulders do relax just a little bit, and he scoots close to Mike once more, taking Mike’s hand in his own. “It’s going to be okay,” Will echoes faintly. “We’ll make it through this.”

There’s a slight tremble in his voice, like he doesn’t know if he believes those words, and truthfully, Mike doesn’t know if he does either. But he forces himself to smile anyways and leans forward, kissing Will’s forehead. “Whatever happens today,” Mike says, his voice quiet, “I want you to know I love you.”

For a moment, it’s quiet in the room—the only sound the faint inhale and exhale from Will and from Mike himself. Then, in a voice that’s impossibly soft but still full of so much certainty, Will replies, “I know… and I love you too. Always.”

He glances back up at Mike with a bittersweet look in his eyes. The words are true, and Mike has no doubt about that in his mind… But both of them know that the words are a bit of a goodbye too—the last chance they might get to say things like this to one another, in case today doesn’t go the way any of them plan for it to.

Best case scenario? 

El manages to defeat One. None of their friends or family die. Hawkins and the rest of the world are saved. Somehow, some way, they figure out how to go back to being normal, stupid teenagers, and they put all of this behind them.

Worst case scenario? 

Well… Mike doesn’t really want to think about that. Best not to deal in what ifs and best not to let himself become too terrified of the outcome. What matters most is right now and finding the others, so they can actually stand a fighting chance. 

What comes later will come later.

“Always,” Mike echoes, just as soft as Will, and because he can—he can now—he leans forward and steals a quick kiss. “Come on. We should go wake the others.”

**

Downtown Hawkins is a complete wreck.

There’s no other way to describe it. This place has been a ghost town for over two years now, run down and battered and destroyed by the monsters that come up out of the rifts from the Upside Down. That’s no surprise at all, but what is a surprise is just how quickly a ghost town can become a battlefield. 

There are monsters everywhere, and large, black vines sprout up from the middle of the town—what used to be the library but has been a massive gate leading to the Upside Down since March 1986. The monsters just keep on coming, hundreds of them crawling, flying, stumbling out of the gate with roars and snarls so loud it’s a miracle Mike’s eardrums don’t burst.

The Party—which now unfortunately includes more than just the close friends Mike’s known since his childhood—has been training for this the entire time. Over three years of preparation have led them to this moment, but even all that time spent training and learning how to fight and how not to immediately die in battle can only get them so far. There’s only a small handful of them, and there are hundreds of monsters. 

If El can’t beat One, then there’s no way this doesn’t end with every single last one of them dead at the hands of some twisted, demo-creature. 

Still, Mike keeps fighting, operating on nothing but pure adrenaline now. There’s definitely a nasty cut and a bump on his head from a tussle with some mutated demodog of sorts, but Mike barely pays any attention to that. All he can do is keep fighting, shooting down demo-creature after creature and praying to whatever fucking deity may or may not be listening that he doesn’t run out of bullets before this is all said and done.

He’s long since lost track of nearly all the other Party members. El’s off somewhere fighting One. Lucas and Dustin are nowhere to be found but hopefully still alive and hopefully with someone else in their little group. The only person Mike’s managed to keep an eye on this whole time has been Will—and only because he and Will refuse to leave one another’s side. They’ve spent the better part of this battle fighting back-to-back with one another, barrages of well-aimed bullets flying out from their rifles and into the bodies of the monsters threatening to rip them into shreds. 

If this is how it ends, then all Mike knows is that he wants to be close to Will. 

The battle feels like it goes on forever—or at least long enough that the adrenaline begins to wear off, and the rifle in Mike’s hands begins to feel too heavy, and his limbs start to feel like they’re made out of jello. The exhaustion settles in, but there’s no time for that. Not when monster after monster keeps coming through the massive gate by the old library. So, despite the fact that everything begins to become a blur around him and it feels a bit like Mike is swimming underwater, trying his damnedest just to stay afloat, Mike keeps going and going and going in this hazy state until—

Until a scream pulls him right out of the haze. 

That scream is the gravity that takes Mike’s hand and pulls, pulls, pulls until Mike is crashing back down to earth in a crumpled heap. Suddenly, Mike feels more awake and more attuned to his surroundings and filled with a newfound strength that wasn’t there before.

It comes too little, too late though.

Because as Mike turns around, looking in the direction that the scream had just come from, he feels his heart drop all the way to the bottom of his stomach. Pure panic and terror settle into his heart and mind, replacing the exhaustion from before, and in an instant, it’s like everything within Mike has been reoriented, only able to focus on one thing.

On one person.

“Will!”

The scream tears itself from Mike’s throat, and before he can even process it, Mike is sprinting to where his boyfriend now lies on the ground, bright red blood pooling around him. The two of them must’ve gotten separated only moments ago, because Will’s a few feet away from him, and there’s a whimpering, half-dead demo-creature lying halfway between the two of them. The blood from the creature flows down the street, joining the pool of Will’s blood, and Mike fights the urge to gag as he throws himself down onto the pavement beside him.

The battle rages on all around the two of them, monstrous roars still echoing in the streets of their hometown—the horrific soundtrack to what is easily the worst moment of Mike’s life.

Because up close, it becomes even more clear just how bad Will’s injuries are. What’s left of his shirt is soaked in blood, and the tattered remains of the shirt barely cover the open wounds in Will’s chest and stomach. Every single breath he takes is labored and trembling, and already, his eyes have become glassy and distant.

He’s dying. 

Will is dying, and if Mike doesn’t do anything about it, he’s going to lose him, he’s going to lose Will, oh God, he’s going to lose Will, oh God, oh God, oh God—

“M-Mike?”

It’s Will’s wheezy, strained voice that snaps Mike out of the panic, and Mike flinches sharply, looking down at his boyfriend. Will’s eyes flutter open and closed, open and closed, and he struggles to keep them open as he looks up at Mike. He’s even paler than he was just mere moments again.

He’s fading. Quickly. Faster than Mike can even keep up with, let alone do something about.

Will is dying.

And Mike is going to lose him.

“J-just hold on, Will,” Mike manages to say, except that it comes out as more of a hoarse croak. His own chest feels tight, like someone is squeezing all the air right out from his lungs, and Mike chokes back a sob, weakly reaching for Will and pulling him into his arms. “Just hold on, okay? Okay, just hold on; you’re going to be okay; just hold on—HELP! Someone please! HELP! HELP US!”

Somehow, there’s no one around. Nobody can hear the strangled, desperate screams that are coming out of Mike’s mouth; nobody is around to see him sobbing and hugging Will tighter, as if somehow holding on to him will keep him here and keep him alive. Not even the demo-creatures, who were just surrounding them and threatening their lives, are around. 

It’s just Mike and Will here.

Nobody is coming to help them.

Will is dying.

And Mike is going to lose him.

“I’m sorry,” Mike gasps, looking back down at Will through the blurry tears in his eyes. “Will, I… I don’t think… I don’t know if—”

“Shh,” Will whispers, and he reaches up weakly, placing a trembling hand on Mike’s cheek. Somehow, he manages a smile, though his lips and teeth are stained red with blood. “Shh… Mike… ‘s okay… ‘s okay.”

Every single word out of his mouth sounds strained, as if it hurts to say anything, and Mike bites back a sob, holding Will closer. “It’s not okay,” he whispers back, shaking his head. “I – I don’t… I don’t want to lose you, Will. You can’t go; please, you can’t—”

Again, Will offers him a smile, and he runs his thumb carefully, gently across Mike’s cheek. “You… you’ll be okay,” he murmurs and takes another quiet, labored breath. Then: “I… I’m glad you’re… here with me.”

The words feel like a knife in Mike’s already wounded heart, twisting deeper and deeper and delivering the final blow. That familiar feeling of desperation crawls back up to the surface as Mike tries to think of something—anything—he can do to save Will. There has to be something that can be done, some way to save Will, some solution that will keep them from the ending they’re quickly approaching.

But without anyone nearby, there’s nothing that can be done. There’s no solution, no way to save Will at this point, nothing that Mike can do.

Nothing except for sit here and stay with Will until the very end.

So, that’s exactly what Mike does.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Mike promises softly, and he tilts his head, pressing a kiss against Will’s palm. The tears won’t stop now; they just keep coming and coming, dripping down Mike’s cheeks and onto the bloody ground. “I’ll stay here with you, Will… until… until…”

His voice trails off, dissolving into another sob, but Will gets exactly what Mike is trying to say. He always does, and though he looks exhausted and barely able to hold on any longer, Will smiles up at Mike and takes his other hand, interlacing their fingers. 

Time, the strange thing that it is, seems to slow down around them. It’s as if Mike is having an out-of-body experience, watching all this happen in slow motion around them—a mere observer to the worst moment of his life and the end of Will’s.

“I love you,” Will murmurs, breathless and barely audible now. 

“I love you too,” Mike whispers back, and he squeezes Will’s hand tightly, afraid to let go. The world shrinks and shrinks and shrinks until it’s just the two of them, frozen in this slow motion reality, and he watches as Will’s eyes flutter open and closed, open and closed, open… and closed.

He doesn’t open his eyes again.

And Mike’s world comes crashing down.

All at once, it’s as if the dam has burst, and another desperate, broken sob rips itself from Mike’s throat: “Will!” 

Whatever sense of peace or at least acceptance that he might have found lulled into during Will’s last moments has all but disappeared now—replaced by a gut-wrenching, all-consuming, grief that washes over him like a flood. The rest of the world still feels far away, as if nothing else in the world matters but Will, Will, Will.

Will is gone.

Will is gone. 

He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone, he’s lying here and is dead in Mike’s arms, he isn’t breathing anymore, and his blood is all over the ground and all over Mike, and he’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone—

“I’m sorry,” Mike whispers brokenly, and he holds onto Will’s lifeless body, rocking back and forth in some desperate attempt to wake him up or to do something, anything, to fix this. “P-please come back, Will; please, please, please don’t go, please come back, don’t leave me, please don’t go, please, Will, please come back, please, Will—”

Time passes in its ever strange, inconsistent movement. It’s hard something that Mike can’t keep track of—not when his focus is solely on Will. 

But then, out of nowhere, something pulls Mike’s focus away from Will.

The air grows colder around the two of them; a pervasive, terrifying feeling of evil and darkness settles over downtown Hawkins. It’s familiar but jarring all at once, and Mike can’t help but shudder, holding Will’s body closer to his own. Slowly but surely, reality begins to settle back in, trickling in little by little through the cracks of Mike’s broken heart and mind.

The world around him is eerily quiet and terrifyingly still. Unlike the battlefield from before, downtown Hawkins has once again been reduced to nothing but a near silent ghost town. Gone are the vicious snarls and growls of monsters. Gone is the sound of bullets ricocheting through the air. Gone are the screams and furious cries of his friends and family.

In place of all of that is the simple sound of footsteps approaching him.

The footsteps are quickly approaching. Each step taken is one made with intention, and the movement brings that pervasive feeling of darkness closer and closer to Mike until the air around him feels near suffocating. All the while, Mike’s heart pounds in a nervous thumpthumpthump as the realization settles back in.

The battle is over.

There is no one left—no one but Mike.

All of his family, his friends, Will… they’re all gone.

And One has done it. He’s finally succeeded.

This is it.

This is the end.

As the footsteps approach, Mike takes a deep breath, and he leans down, pressing one last kiss to Will’s forehead. If this is it, if this is the end, if somehow Mike is the last person left of the Party, then he won’t go down without a fight. It doesn’t matter how futile it is. Mike has to at least try.

So, he gathers up all the courage left inside of him, and Mike lifts his head, daring to look One in the eye. 

Icy blue eyes meet Mike’s own for the first time as something akin to a smile forms on One’s face. He looks pleased—amused even—and stops, just a few feet away from Mike and Will. “Michael Wheeler,” One says, voice low and gravelly, “we meet at last.”

Mike swallows the lump in his throat, doing the best to ignore the way his stomach is twisted into knots. It feels impossible—that he would be the last person standing here after all this fighting and bloodshed. Mike’s never been much of a hero, and God knows that he barely stands a fighting chance against One. 

Still, his friends died trying to fight One and the monsters of the Upside Down. Will died trying to fight One and the monsters of the Upside Down. And if Mike is going to die too, then… so be it. 

“Rot in hell,” Mike spits, his own voice full of venom. His rifle’s long since gone, tossed aside somewhere in the desperation to save Will, so all he’s got left to fight with now are his words. Those will just have to do. 

One just chuckles and takes another step towards Mike, gesturing to the ruins of downtown Hawkins. “Look around you, Michael,” he says coldly, and against his own better judgment, Mike does so, his breath hitching as he takes in the carnage from the battle. “Do you see what I have done? Do you see what I am capable of? Do you see how futile fighting back is?” 

Suddenly, it feels as though some invisible force is wrapped around Mike, and it pulls him all the way to his feet with a terrified yelp. The force squeezes him so tightly Mike feels like he can barely breathe, and it brings him forward until Mike finds himself barely inches away from One. 

Another twisted smile forms on One’s face. He reaches forward, running his large, clawed hand down Mike’s cheek, and whispers, “You’re going to send a message for me, Michael Wheeler.” 

Barely a moment after the words have left his mouth, the visions begin.

The visions are familiar—some moments that Mike has lived through and seen with his own two eyes and others that he’s only heard about from his friends and family. They flash across his eyes at dizzying, overwhelming speeds, one right after another after another. 

At first, the visions are moments from today. Glimpses of the battle they all have just fought and lost, the screams of his friends and family, the snarls and growls of hundreds of demo-creatures coming out from the gates. But then, the visions work their way backwards, moving through moments in time from patrols over these past two years, Upside Down storms that began to cover Hawkins, and sporadic monster attacks that they almost didn’t survive.

The day at the meadow flashes through Mike’s line of sight too, before it quickly melts away into memories not belonging to himself. A jarring CRACK resonates through his mind as he watches Max’s bones snap and sees the gates ripping across all of Hawkins during that spring. Then, even before that, he sees Eddie’s death, sees his friends fighting for their lives against demobats and against vines, sees El and Max struggling against One’s power over them.

Suddenly, it’s the summer before, with the Mind Flayer and the Flayed and Billy. Starcourt Mall, going up in flames as the Mind Flayer’s fleshy form towered over and chased all of them. Black tendrils tracing up and down Billy’s face as an otherworldly horror controlled his actions. Will’s haunted whisper that the Mind Flayer was back, that this wasn’t over, that they still hadn’t escaped this.

Then, it’s the fall before that. The tunnels and the massive gate to the Upside Down. The night at the lab, with demodogs tearing through flesh and bone and with people screaming and crying for help. The Mind Flayer’s shadowy form, descending on Will, choking him, filling him up, and taking over his mind and body.

Finally, the visions end with that very first fall. The demogorgon, feasting on Brenner’s men at Hawkins Middle School. Hopper and Joyce finding Will in Upside Down. Will hiding and running for his life in the Upside Down, all alone with no one to help him. Barb screaming for help as the demogorgon rips her to shreds, and then—

Will.

Riding his bike through Hawkins, that very first night when this all began.

“Tell Will,” One’s voice whispers into the silence of Will’s bike ride through Hawkins, “that I am coming. The end is near, Michael. And there is nothing any of you can do to stop what I have been planning all along.”

One last vision flickers across Mike’s line of sight.

A memory that he still remembers, clear as day.

“It was a seven,” Will’s twelve year-old self says to Mike’s own younger self.

“Huh?” 

“The roll,” Will explains. “It was a seven. The demogorgon – it got me. Well, see you tomorrow!”

And just like that, Will’s younger self rides away, leaving Mike’s younger self standing just outside his garage.

Mike watches as the garage light flickers above his younger self.

Then, in the next instant, he finds himself falling into the darkness.

**

The darkness seems to last for an eternity. 

There’s an inky black void surrounding him as Mike falls, and he can’t help but scream, reaching out for something, anything to pull himself back up. But there’s absolutely nothing there to hold onto, so Mike just continues to fall and fall and fall, further and further into the darkness.

Then, suddenly, the darkness dissipates. The fog clears just a little bit, enough for Mike to hear someone call out his name: “MIKE!” 

Will? 

“MIKE!” the person—that’s Will, it has to be Will—calls again, more desperate this time, and Mike reaches back up, trying to grasp onto anything that will pull him out of the darkness. The way out seems just a little bit closer now, getting easier to reach out to as Will calls his name again, “MIKE! MIKE! MI—”

And with a gasp, Mike opens his eyes.

Light floods his line of sight, replacing the never-ending darkness at an overwhelmingly fast pace. Mike’s mind feels like it’s racing at a million miles an hour, and his heart is pounding inside his chest, so hard that it almost hurts to breathe. All the while, the room spins around and around and around and around and—

Suddenly, Mike’s knees buckle, nearly sending him crashing to the ground. Fortunately, someone—Will—is there to catch him, and though the two of them both stumble, Will manages to break his fall. “Mike?” he asks, voice full of concern. “Mike, hey, are you okay?” 

There are tears in Will’s eyes, and his face looks blotchy, like he’s been crying. Still, even with the worry written all over his expression, there’s relief there too, and Mike takes a shuddered breath, choosing to focus on Will. 

Will’s here. Will’s here, and he – he’s alive. He’s alive. Mike didn’t lose him. He’s not dead. Will isn’t dead.

Which means…

That entire battle must have been a vision from One. An opportunity for One to pass along a message that he’d been waiting to send. And… a warning for what’s still to come.

“Shit,” Mike whispers. “Shit. Will, we have to – he… One… I—”

“Hey, just take a deep breath,” Will says worriedly, and he hesitates, before reaching for Mike’s hand. “Just breathe, okay? Mike, you – you were in that trance for a while. We couldn’t snap you out of it, and I… I thought I was going to lose you.”

Will’s voice breaks on those last few words, breaking Mike’s heart with it. “I’m still here,” Mike reassures, reaching up and cupping Will’s cheek as gently as he can. “I’m still here, Will.”

A bright rosy blush spreads across Will’s face as his eyes widen and glance at Mike’s hand. “I know you are,” he replies quietly, “but I… I still could’ve lost you. I – I mean… we all could have.” 

The memories of seeing Will’s mangled body on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood, come back to the forefront of Mike’s mind, and he can’t help but shudder. Without giving it another thought, he wraps his arms around Will, hugging him as tight as he possibly can. 

Mike… he still has no idea how much of the past two days have actually been part of his vision from One versus how much was real. There’s no doubt in his mind that the battle itself and his encounter with One were all a result of being held in a trance, but as for… as for everything that came before that—confessing his love for Will and learning about Will’s feelings in return—Mike isn’t honestly sure. 

There’s a part of him that thinks… maybe that stuff was just too good to be true. Maybe Mike did make that all up in his mind, or maybe it was just a trick from One, designed to taunt him before delivering the final blow. Maybe what happened with Will the night before that battle was nothing more than just a dream. 

Mike swallows the lump in his throat, and he tries not to think about that as Will hugs him tighter and buries his head in Mike’s shoulder. “I’m still here,” Mike repeats, softer now than before. “We’re both still here… We’re not going to lose each other, Will.” 

“The end is near, Michael,” One’s voice echoes through his mind—the cruel threat solidified in his mind now as a promise. This isn’t over. What Mike saw in his vision… it may very well come to pass. 

And just like Will once said to him, One isn’t going to stop until he takes everything and everyone. 

“And there is nothing any of you can do to stop what I have been planning all along,” One had told him, as the visions of Will leaving Mike’s house on that fateful night had played out for him like a twisted home video. 

More importantly, One isn’t going to stop until takes Will.

Mike can’t let that happen. He can’t lose Will.

Will takes a shaky breath of his own, and he pulls away, just enough for the two of them to look at each other, and offers Mike a tiny smile. “We won’t,” he agrees softly. He hesitates, then carefully lifts his hand, resting it against Mike’s cheek. “Are you… are you okay?” 

Will’s hand is warm against Mike’s face, and his touch feels like electricity. There’s something so genuine and so tender about the way that he’s looking at Mike and the way he gently runs his thumb across Mike’s cheek, over and over again. He’s here—warm and firm and solid, close enough that Mike is able to take his hand and hold on and never let go. 

Will’s here. He’s okay. He’s safe. 

And for now, that’s all that matters. 

So, even in spite of One’s haunting message and the visions from their past and the warnings of the future, Mike finds the ability to smile. He reaches up, putting his hand over Will’s, and he nods. “I’m okay. You’re here, so… I’m okay.”

Those words cause Will’s face to turn an even brighter shade of red, but he smiles regardless, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against Mike’s own. He takes Mike’s other free hand in his own and doesn’t say anything else—not that Mike needs him to. They’ve always been able to communicate without words, and this time is no different. 

Sure, the future might be bleak, and there’s no telling whether One’s visions will come to pass, even in spite of their best efforts to fight back. But right here, right now, he and Will are together. They’re both safe, and they’re both here.

All they can do is take this moment for what it's worth and hold onto each other while they still can. 

And for now, it ends in very much the same way that Mike thinks it began.

The steady yet nervous thump, thump, thump of a heartbeat that Mike can hear as loud as his own. A body nestled close beside him; an artist’s hands, smooth and soft and ever gentle, intertwined with Mike’s; a boy he has known for nearly his entire life and loved in some way for just as long who is here, here, here right in front—all Mike’s for the taking, just like Mike is all his. 

[tallemy]

can i ask what your thoughts behind the jokermike dynamic is? i'm new to idv and all i've seen is the hullabaloo storyline and it doesnt really strike me as like... lovey material? no hate ofc! i'm just genuinely curious and i wanna see what you see in them, yk? you're carrying this ship on your back, i commend you for that. thanks for humoring me, if u decide to answer :D love ur artstyle <3

Thank you!! ;; Thankfully, the little community kinda started growing once people saw them jumping at each other's throat in Persona 5 style, so soon my back can rest a bit haha /hj

I think their dynamic can be summed up as a childhood friends to enemies to lovers kind of thing. The two are set up as natural foils for wach other, a prince and a pauper, both living in the same circus, but experiencing a different side of it while failing to understand each other until the very end. There is a lot to work with both in a childhood setting, but both as "what ifs". But I could actually ramble on a lot... Canon-wise Joker is pretty submissive, always pulling his head between his shoulders, but is knowingly the only person in the circus he is not afraid to let his voice heard. Murro even mentions how they always bickered and argued over everything, which, for me, is really interesting considering Joker is the type of person who apologizes for breathing. And of course, Joker has Mike's juggling balls. (seasonal rank essence B tier) I think in the event, and in letters we kind of see more sides of their relationship. Mike geniunely looks up at Joker and even feels a hint of anger and jealousy when he seems to only care about Margie. And he would rather accuse a woman of the fire and with the massacre than to ever consider Joker as the culprit. Even in the end, even after Vio's and Margie's end, when Murro asks him if they would hand Joker over to the police, Mike hesitates. On Joker's side, even in his madness, there were glimpses that he had memorized Mike's likes. He is not listening to the poem when he finishes the cipher, but goes "oh he likes stars and fireworks ever since he was a child". Part of me cannot keep wondering how different the ending would have been if Joker doesn't jump to his death and how would Mike make all the wrong's good. orz Skin-wise..... Now that's a fun one because when it comes to their personality they are the typical opposites attract case, but also with plenty of connecting points when it comes to their interests. I see Mike as someone who would call Joker out on his bs, while Joker as someone who wouldn't hesitate to bite back if the one doing this is Mike. Not lookin at bunlan Cunning and Naga kind of stand for this as Cunning embodies the vigilantism and slyness in Mike, while Naga is a snake luring people to a trap while him also being a victim. Matching these two would challenge both of their world view and Naga is not solely a villain, while Cunning is a worthy opponent Naga would not necessarily want to see as an undead.

[andydrysdalerogers]

Sliding Into Home ~ Trial By Fire

Pairing: MLB!Frank Adler x Abigail Hernandez (OFC)

Synopsis:

After a trade from Boston to Los Angeles, first baseman Frank Adler would seem to have it all. Money, women, an amazing niece, yes Frank should have it all. Except for one thing. One thing that left after a mistake five years ago. Los Angeles should be the chance to start over. Except she is supposed to be in Boston. Not his new medical director.

* A Frank Adler AU x Major League Baseball Story**

Warning: ANGST (i can't stress this enough), second chances, cheating, S~M~U~T!!, slow burn, drug use, abandonment issues, betrayal, domestic violence (i may have missed some), flashbacks

Dividers by me

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Evidence, Emotions, Whatever

Sliding Into Home Master List Main Masterlist

Michael David Weiss knew that he was going to be a lawyer. His parents had always commented that the amount Mike had complained and argued, the only thing he could be was a lawyer.  He was in Debate Club in high school and college, part of student court, played baseball with Frank and was infatuated with Abby.  

What he was expecting was falling for Frank’s little sister. Diane Adler was something that came out of left field. He came home from school during winter break and met up with his best friend.  Abby wasn’t going to be here for break as she was visiting family, so it was just he and Frank. Frank was making popcorn for the movie and grabbing a couple of beers. Mike was on his phone when a voice called out.  

“Hi Mike.”  

When he looked up, he saw a curvaceous blonde looking back at him. “Diane?” 

“Hey.” She walked, no, glided into the room and sat on the couch, checking her phone. Mike swallowed.  Diane was a scrawny kid, five years younger than himself, but she looked like a dream now.  Her long blonde hair had hung to her waist, her curves peeking under her knit sweater and leggings.  

Diane had made sure she looked good when she found out Mike was coming home. She had a crush on him since she was eight. She was eighteen now and grew into her long limbs and cornsilk hair. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, how Mike reacted to her. She smiled to herself. He might be five years older, but she was mature for her age.  

Or so she thought.  

Mike and Diane hid their affair from her brother and best friend. They would meet at shady motels whenever Mike came back into town, had sex, smokes weed, drink, whatever they wanted. Mike also introduced Diane to harder drugs, things he used to stay awake and study or bring him down to sleep. It was a vicious cycle that eventually destroyed their relationship.  

When Diane found out she was pregnant, she sent a letter to Mike to tell him. He hadn’t reacted well, calling her a slut, a whore. That she slept around and the baby couldn’t possibly be his. He ordered her to get rid of it.  But Diane couldn’t. It wasn’t her baby’s fault that its father didn’t want them. She kept clean and gave birth to a healthy baby girl.  She didn’t list Mike as the father because her shame took over.  She gave in to the darkness of her addiction and gave up hope of raising her little girl.  So, she left her with the two people she knew would love and care for her the most.  

Mike didn’t want to be associated with the baby. But he still went back and had fun with Diane. They got high together still, fooled around, although Mike was more careful now. And when Diane wanted Mary back, Mike made sure he provided the evidence so she never could.  

This turned out to bite him in the ass.  

He had a drunk night with Bobby Fuller and he told him everything. And he used drugs in front of Bobby, who had refused to get high with him for the sake of his career.  He thought, with the collaboration in destroying Frank’s image and relationship, that the comradery would continue. 

Until he saw Bobby, sitting in the gallery, waiting to be called as a witness for Frank and Abby.  

“Your Honor, I am not sure why Mr. Fuller was called as a witness as he has never interacted with the child,” Mike argued.  

“Whether or not Mr. Fuller has interaction with the child is not a testament to Mr. Weiss’s competency as a parent,” Andy said.  “Mr. Fuller can provide an insight into the daily life of Mr. Weiss since he was living with Mr. Fuller for the last couple of months.”  

The judge looked back and forth. “I’m going to allow it as Mr. Weiss has yet to prove that he is a fit parent.”  

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Andy said.  “We would like to call our first witness, Mr. Scott Evans.” Scott stood up and went to the witness chair. “Hello Mr. Evans. Can you tell me how long you have worked for Mr. Adler?” 

“Almost six years.”  

“And have you witnessed any red flags in Mary’s care?” 

“No.”  

“In your opinion, has Frank Adler been a model parent to his niece?” 

“Yes, I believe so. I mean no parent is perfect, but he does his best when it comes to Mary. She was four when I met her.  She loved her uncle so much. They have traditions when they are together, he calls every day when he is on the road. He makes sure she knows that she and his wife are the center of his world.”  

“What do you think of Abby?” 

“She is wonderful. She puts Mary first, much to the annoyance of Frank.” The room chuckles. “She would do anything for Mary.”  

“Thank you, Scott. No further questions.”  Andy sat down as Mike stood up.  

“Mr. Evans, have you ever seen Mr. Alder or Dr. Adler consume alcohol in front of Mary?” 

Scott frowned. “Occasionally, at home. When we go out to dinner, one of them does but the other stays sober to drive.”  

“At home, have you ever seen them drink more than, let’s say, two drinks in a night or do any other substances?” 

“Maybe after Mary has gone to sleep, we might drink a little more. Never anything else. Frank was clear when I was hired that he wouldn’t tolerate any drugs in the house.”  

Mike frowned. This wasn’t going his way. “Thank you, Mr. Evans.”  

“Alright, I want to speak to Mary alone,” the judge said. “As this is between three people, Mr. Evans, I would like to ask you to be her guardian as a witness.” Scott nodded, took Mary’s hand and started to walk her back to the judge’s office. But before they go too far, Mary let go and ran back to Frank. She threw herself into his arms. 

Frank kissed the top of her head. “It’s ok Nugget. Just be honest, ok?” 

“I love you dad.”  

“I love you too.” He let her go and Mary hugged Abby.  

“Love you mama.”  

“I love you too baby girl.”  She pushed her towards Scott. She stepped back and Frank took her hand. “Frankie,” she whimpered.  

“Its ok Cricket. She’ll be with Scott and she’s gonna be right back.” He led her back to their seats, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. He spared a glance to Mike who grinned. “What a jackass,” he said under his breath.  

“Don’t Frankie,” Abby whispered. She looked at Mike, who wiggled his fingers. He wants a reaction in front of the judge.  

“I hate this, Cricket.”  

“I know.”  She leaned against him and closed her eyes.  The nausea came back, and she reached down for the ginger iced tea she had brought with her.  

“You ok, Cricket?” Frank frowned as Abby took a big sip.  

“Your child is misbehaving,” she said with a smile. “I’ll be ok.”  

Just then the door opened, and Mary and Scott came back.  Mary ran right into Frank and sat on his knee, hugging him around his neck. “Alight,” the judge said. “Mr. Barber, you had another witness?”  

“Yes, Your Honor. I would like to call Robert Fuller to the stand.” Bobby nervously patted his hair and walked to the front. “If it is ok with the court, I would like to invite Mr. Weiss to speak to Mr. Fuller first,” Andy asked. 

“That’s an unusual request but I’ll allow it,” the Judge said.  

Mike stood up and looked at Bobby. “Mr. Fuller, would you consider us friends, right?” 

“Yes.”  

“Have I ever said to you that Mary wasn’t my daughter?” 

“No.”  

Mike smirked. “Noting further.”  

Andy stood up. “Mr. Fuller, you know my client, Frank Adler.”  

“Yes.”  

“How did you meet?” 

“We met at training camp for the Boston Red Sox. We were rookies together.”  

“Friends?” 

“Yeah, we were friends. I was there when Frank had to take custody of Mary.” Bobby swallowed.  

“Is it true that you helped drug Mr. Adler in Las Vegas approximately six years ago?” 

Mike stood up. “Objection, relevance.”  

“Withdrawn. Mr. Fuller, when did Mr. Weiss come to stay with you?”  

“Three months ago or so.”  

“Any reason why?” 

“He said he needed a place to crash while he figured some stuff out.”  

“Is it true that you came forward on your own?” 

Bobby looked at Mike. “Yes.”  

“Why?” 

“I needed to be honest.”  

“Was there something weighing on you?” 

“Yes.”  

“Want to explain?” 

Bobby hesitated. “I – I heard Mike saying that he wanted to mess up Frank’s life. That he stole Abby from him, and he wanted to take away the only other person that he loved. He said he knew that he was Mary’s father but...” 

“But what, Mr. Fuller?” 

“I’d rather not say in front of Mary.”  

The judge understood. “Mr. Evans, can you sit with Mary outside of the court for a few minutes. We’ll call you back in a few minutes.  Bailiff, please have a deputy stand guard.”  

Everyone moved as needed before the court settled again. “Mr. Fuller, please continue,” Andy said.  

“Mike said he knew he was Mary’s father but that he wished Diane had listened to him and gotten rid of the baby.  That the baby almost fucked, sorry, messed up his life. That he didn’t want to change his life from booze, drugs and women.”  

“Drugs?” Andy spun back to Bobby. “Have you ever seen Mr. Weiss use drugs?”  

“Yes.”  

“Liar! You’re a fucking liar Fuller!” Mike rose from his seat and the bailiff moved to keep Mike in his area.  “You know shit!” 

“Mr. Weiss, control yourself or you will be removed from the courtroom. Bailiff, stand there and make sure Mr. Weiss does not leave his seat.” The judge glared at Mike. “Mr. Fuller, do you have any proof of these transgressions?” 

“Yes. My apartment has a doorbell camera and a camera that is in the kitchen watching the door. I’ve had a couple of break ins. The kitchen camera caught Mr. Weiss shooting up.”  

Abby gasped and covered her mouth. Frank growled softly and held Abby’s other hand to ground himself. The sick bastard was a drug user and wanted custody of his daughter. Over his dead body.  

“Mr. Fuller has forwarded that video to me today and I have submitted it to the court clerk for the record. Based on this evidence, we request that his objection to the adoption be rejected and allow the adoption to be expedited due to trauma Mary has experienced. We want her to be settled as soon as possible.”  

The judge looked over the video that had been loaded to his tablet. “Based on evidence presented, I am rejecting the objection to the adoption and rejecting Mr. Weiss’s claim for custody as a parent. Mr. Weiss is unfit to be a parent in any capacity.  I will be forwarding my recommendation to the judge in the adoption case.”  

“No! She is my kid! You can’t do this!” Mike yelled. The bailiff placed his hand on Mike’s shoulder to hold him in place.  

“Furthermore, I am rejecting bail for you, Mr. Weiss.  You will be taken back into custody as a flight risk and face the charges of kidnapping and child endangerment. Bailiff, please place Mr. Weiss under arrest.”  

“No! You son of a bitch!” Mike tried to lunge at Frank who placed himself in between Mike and Abby. “You fucked up my life!” 

“You did it the moment you took the drugs and got my sister pregnant. We’ll see you at trial.”  

Mike thrashed and yelled obscenities at Abby and Frank. It took four deputies to get him back into custody. Once his voice was no longer heard, the judge motioned to the deputy at the door.  Mary and Scott walked back in. “Young lady, you have been very brave the past few weeks. I wanted to personally let you know that no one is going to stop your parents from finishing the adoption.”  

“Really?!” 

The judge chuckled. Really. “We are adjourned.” 

Frank whipped his family into his arms. Abby and Mary sobbed into his chest as he fought his own tears. “Thank you,” he mouthed to Andy, who smiled at the family. He reached over and grabbed Scott to pull him in. As he let go, Bobby walked up to them. “Adler, can I talk to you?” 

Frank cocked his head to the side, and he stepped away from his family. “Yeah?” 

“I just wanted to apologize to you. For helping Weiss, treating you like crap,” he swallowed, “and for Vegas. I knew it was wrong, but Weiss twisted everything.”  

“Yeah, he does that.”  

“Yeah well, when he talked about taking Mary away, I just couldn’t stomach that. When I heard about the motion, I called Andy and said I needed to say my piece. I’m really sorry man, for everything.” He stuck out his hand.  

Frank grasped it and shook.  “Thank you for telling the truth.” Bobby nodded and walked out of the court.  Mary ran up to Frank and tugged on his hand. 

“Can we go to eat? I’m starving,” Mary proclaimed.  

“Sure, Nugget, let’s get outta here.”  

The group headed to dinner and sat around in a private room. A bottle of champagne is passed around. Abby stops the waiter from pouring in her glass. “None for me, thank you.”  

“You? skip champagne? Scott snorted. “What are you, pregnant or something?” he joked.  

Abby smiled. “Sure am.”  

Scott sputtered his champagne. “What?” 

“We’re gonna have a baby.” Frank and Abby shared a look before Frank leaned over and kissed Abby softly. “Love you mama.”  

“Love you too Daddy.” 

Just three more parts left!

NEXT

Taglist

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@before-we-get-started

@tinkerbelle67

@bunnyforhim

[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

Um I want planning on it but...

Mike Wheeler's Guide to Falling in Love with a Superhero - live reaction

Dvjhdazfhhygvb literally such Micheal behavior

Wait he knows Max irl in this? Is he in the same friend group? Is he seriously the only human in his friend group? Lmao.

Also Nancy working for Daily Bugle is a nice touch

Wait Dustin isn't super. Zoomer, Ranger, Eleven, Spiderman, yup Dustin's human too.

What even is Micheal's job?

Why does every Mike characterization include him thinking "objectively"? Ajsjbxhcjdnd canon.

Better be a paper straw, bud

"This is a robbery" um okay *continues doing homework and drinking coffee* my dude she is a r m e d

I can't- Will living his sassy dreams, calling villains friendless I bet

So Doc Ock is the same person who was talking about her son who loves heroes, right?

Wait is this even Doc Ock? Is there more than one villain with a lab coat?

Wait are Dusty and Micheal just. Sitting there? ansnchdbehfjfxbj icon behavior lmao

Why do all Mike characterizations involve fantasies of violence? Canon.

"Um sorry I want a less embarrassing death" shut up you pretentious fuck literally accurate

Wait it's a café on the seventh floor? Jesus Christy maybe care a little more about your um life than "He dropped me on the sidewalk no big" wgat

Wait the cage isn't where he works? Why did he call his boss a baker then?? Full me in I'm stupid :/

Literally stunning

No, keep talking. I want to know if Dusty was literally about to say "so gay".

Mike:

We love a pathetic Micheal. Stg he's such a damsel in distress. On the one hand of you constantly almost die maybe you should hit the gym on the other hand I love nothing more than just a useless main character.

"No more room for (dignity) in his noodly body" silly little phrases>>>

We spent two seconds in proximity and you haven't paid an attention to me. Hope i die.

HE LITERALLY IS ansbchebhfufbbfjc PERFECT

No that is literally the most Richie sorry ever I'm DYING

The melodrama of it all

I love how you can tell the writer's personality. Yes, describe the little outfits that civilians wear. I want to know <2

If Will calls him "Cool Guy" as Will I will DIE

"Cool" "cool" maybe stab me

"I love sci-fi" you are sci-fi.

How does his neck not break

Micheal's face rn:

How very cringefail of you, Micheal

You've seen Jonathan exploding Mike in his mind, get ready for:

Totally normla

TROY (also slay, El)

Heart eyes

His book is literally Stranger Things <2

He's not like the other girls I'M DEAD

And i like talking with you, stalker

I went most of a chapter thinking this draft got lost :/

Martin like Martin Brenner? (<- quotes to get urself publicly executed)

So Mike said he knows Max, but I don't think he knows the others besides Dustin. That makes sense bc Max prob wouldn't introduce her friends to her super friends, right?

This is kinda different from canon bc in canon they're friends for a decade and their friendship is super important, but in this version, we can focus on what I really care about- Mike being a fucking loser (affectionate)

I really like the little details like the book Mike writes being ST- and wonton b2 alongside b1 bc there was a ✨️plan✨️ all along. WAIT IS HIS SELF INSERT NAMED MIKHAIL-

It's okay I'm normla now.

My dude stop flirting you are on the clock holy shit as far as Micheal knows you're a stranger jesus christy

Did I mention how fucking funny the ladies' man comment was?

Micheal and me are both just dramatic little shits. Yes I will explode, actually.

Okay but what even

No comment

Najzbxbchhdhbdbxh hdbdjxdyxhdb💖💖💖💖💖

I FUCKING KNEW IT! C O O L G U Y !!!!!

Ookay

The fact I can hear all of this in their voices qjabxbxbhxhxhdhbc (did I mention they're dorks?)

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ISN'T A GARUNTEE MOM I'M SCARED

Students when Spiderman goes in and out of this one apartment window alot:

Them when he starts coming out of a *different* apartment:

HE DID THE THING HE DID THE THING

YES SLAY

This post by @smoosnoom, this fic

[montanababe7]

I wrote ✍🏼 this sometime ago. I pray 🙏🏼 this helps someone out there💖:

Inner healing ❤️‍🩹 isn’t always pretty. Honestly. Some. Times. It’s down right messy. Closing different doors and old seasons. It’s like Alice in wonderland through the looking glass. Yes. I read a lot. Any who. I’m not who I once was. The high school girl. Or the gal at go ministries international or even at the moments in between. I’m now a stay at home mother of three beautiful unique precious little girls.

My point is. There has been so much inner healing ❤️‍🩹 taking place. I’ve been asking Jesus to restore my heart. to heal even the moments that I truly have blocked out in my mind. I’m done putting those emotional masks and walls up.

I’ve been so torn in the middle of the memories of where I was 20 some

Years ago and the version of me today.

Honestly. Some days. I feel like I’m wondering who I am supposed to be. Other moments. I don’t have a care in the world.

My point is, I can’t help but feel and sense that this next season and chapter of my life-requires complete focus on holding Jesus hand. Not looking to the right or to the left. Wondering if I’m doing everything correctly. If I’ve truly measured

Up. If the 4-5 washes of laundry makes my worth or the dishes done. Or is it simply found in loving my family. Seeing mike and I’s, children growing up before our eyes. But, it’s also found in simply sitting at Jesus feet. Listening to his gentle and still

Small voice in the quiet. not ever having to wonder if I’m good enough or if I have done all I can do. If my looks are perfect for my man. If I’m beautiful enough. To stop the memories of

Yesteryear that at times play in my head. The things kids said many years back not choose my value. Some days. I look in the mirror and I remember what was spoken when I was 8-10

Years old and I cry hoping and 🙏🏼 praying my husband finds me

Beautiful. The quote sticks and stones. Some words it’s

Hard to forget. Especially when kids or even leaders told me: “Jessica. In a lot of ways-you’re alot like a f a t or uh ly person. You’re so socially awk ward that zero guy would ever want you.” Or the one that I’ve begged Jesus to help me forget- “Jessica, your face is u g li er than a mule’s b u t t.” Again. Yes. THese wr just words. Hello? I look in the mirror and I see a perfect hour glass figure and yet, I remember those words.

I pray Mike and I’s, girls never experience the crue lty of painful words.

I pray others always build them up and never tear them down. I pray they never have to built almost an armadillo outer shell 🐚. I pray 🙏🏼 they never experience the need to go zero contact with family. These things make my heart feel older than 37. I pray. They always feel loved 🥰, cherished, and safe.

I have a tendency to pu sh people I care about away. I block some people literally when I’m hurt.

Yes. I am being real. This evening has been like Holy Spirit Healinh. Even in writing ✍🏼 this. I feel honestly like I’ve been gut t ed. because this is me telling the true Jessica. The Jessica that cleans or tries to close her mind & hear t off to not feeling anything. It’s like. If the house is spotless, I helped the girls clean their room, give my oldest daughter makeover, paint 🎨 her nails 💅, make sure the younger two girls happy also, I can feel like I’m doing everything right and those closest to me will be proud of. It also happens in the form of writing ✍🏼 down recipes. Somehow. Even that will heal the broken parts of me. If I can prepare the most perfect Betty Crocker recipes-you know that absolutely best dinners, meals, and desserts; that I’d have finally achieved it all.

Later on, I’ve prayed for. Poured my heart into others. Deep down. I know that I’m still hurting. It’s like. God I’ve done all you have asked of me. Why do I feel like I’m not measuring up. It’s in those moments that Jesus holds me close. Jesus speaks to my heart. I write ✍🏼. I cry �� and I pray 🙏🏼. I feel

Better.

This writing even now is 100 cathartic. You see. I’m

Like a ball of 🧶. I keep my heart deeply woven. Writing helps. This is how Jesus ministers to me a lot. It helps me heal and grow. I know this message wasn’t just for me.

I pray this raw and heartfelt message aka truth. Helped someone. 🙂

Thanks for reading 📖 and listening 🎧.

Jessica

Jessica Wolf

[mari-beau]

When the Bough Breaks: Chapter Four

(A Brokenwood Mysteries fanfic)

FANDOM: The Brokenwood Mysteries PAIRING: Simmers (Kristin Sims/Daniel Chalmers) CHARACTERS: Mike Shepherd, Kristin Sims, Daniel Chalmers, Gina Kadinsky, Random OCs RATING: Teen+ (for now; later parts may become higher) WARNINGS: Dead bodies/death (and other such associated with Murder Mysteries) STORY SUMMARY: When a woman is found lying dead outside a treehouse motel, it hits close to home for one of the detectives. Meanwhile, Brokenwood is facing a spree of seemingly random petty crimes committed by random persons. And Kristin and Daniel's personal relationship faces challenges. CHAPTER SUMMARY: (Kristin POV) Kristin tries to get some more information about the deceased woman, but her personal connection may be a distraction she can't avoid.

READ ON AO3

READ CHAPTER ONE

READ CHAPTER TWO

READ CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

Kristin Sims took a deep breath, let it out slowly, tried to employ the technique of going to her happy place, which failed entirely, since she’d learned it from the people she was about to inform their friend was dead, not to mention her happy place was cuddling up with Daniel on the sofa (or in bed) but thinking of him was also currently a source of stress.

So, this was probably going to be a spectacular failure.

Just like that morning. Throwing up on the job. Like some kind of rookie.

But Veronica’s death had taken her by surprise. It still felt surreal, that someone she’d just talked to, what two days ago, texted the previous day, was dead. Gone. She’d never see her again. Hear her voice again. Talk to her, small chat or important shit, nothing. No one would. Ever again. She was just… gone.

Life could certainly take a hard left turn sometimes. A U-turn. Crash entirely. Give a person whiplash.

Kristin felt like she was suffering from emotional whiplash.

But she was good at her job. A professional. She had this.

Kristin pulled the door to the tea shop open and walked into the parlor of the faithfully restored Victorian house, making her way straight to the settees and chairs in the corner where the women’s group usually met. There were only three of them, one whom Kristin had never met. Less attended the Tuesday Lunch meetings, and she was rarely free to show up. Apparently, had almost missed them today.

“Ah, Kristin.” Sally effused. She was the effusing type. Kristin was not. And generally was suspicious of those who were. But, weirdly, it had been what she’d needed at the time, when Veronica had introduced Kristin to the group. And so she let Sally pull her into a hug. Even returned it a little. And the effusive woman knew to keep it brief.

“We were just leaving,” she said, pulling away but keeping her hands on Kristin’s arms as she looked her over with her gentle blue-grey gaze. The retired nurse was a genuinely kind and caring person, even when challenging you to ask yourself the hard questions. “Will we see you at the Friday Evening Meet-Up?”

“Uh, I’m not sure…” Kristin cleared her throat. “Actually, I’m here in a semi-official capacity. Can I steal a few minutes to talk to you all?”

It was likely some, if not all, the other women had to get back to work.

Sally’s expression sobered as she read Kristin’s face, body language and tone. She resumed her seat, as did the other women, giving Kristin curious looks.

“Kristin, I don’t think you’ve met Elaine,” Sally gestured to the unfamiliar brunette. She nodded and smiled at Kristin.

“You’re a member of the group?” She phrased it politely, but her eyes asked the implicit, unspoken question. 

“Yes,” Kristin said. “But I don’t go around announcing it to the general public. My partner doesn’t even know.”

Elaine nodded. Message received. They all shared some pretty private and personal things at their meet-ups. Discretion was just an unspoken agreed upon rule. 

Kristin sat up straighter in the tufted chair.

“I’m not sure if any of you are aware, aside from Sally, that I’m a detective sergeant with Brokenwood CIB.” Elaine’s eyes went big, but Cynthia and Kay nodded. “I have some bad news.”

Sally frowned, something Kristin had only seen twice in the three months since they’d met. 

“Veronica Howell was found dead this morning.” She winced, not just in anticipation of the shocked responses of the women, but because it felt inherently wrong to be talking about the deceased before informing their family. 

But one couldn’t notify the family if they couldn’t identify the next of kin. And these women might know, might help Veronica be returned to her loved ones. 

Well, maybe not that much help. The shock was blatant on their faces. And it could be hours or days before they processed it properly. Kristin hoped it would only be seconds or minutes until they could function, listen to her questions, provide some answers.

“You must be mistaken, Kristin,” Cynthia said. “I saw her just yesterday. She seemed fine.”

“A sudden death can be confusing and difficult to understand,” Kristin said. One thing the women’s group had done was improve her ability to provide comfort and consolation, even if she often didn’t feel comforted by the meet-ups herself. Okay, she did. They helped. Had been helping. But now this happened. “I’ve seen her. I’m certain it’s her.”

“I don’t suppose you can tell us what happened?” Sally asked.

“No. It’s still under investigation.”

“Investigation?!” Elaine’s big eyes widened to cartoon-character levels. When she spoke again, she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Do you mean like… murder?”

“I mean like, ‘there’s no official cause of death yet.’ But we’re having trouble identifying her next of kin. So I was hoping maybe Veronica mentioned something about her family…?” Blank looks met Kristin’s gaze as she made eye contact with the women each in turn. “Parents? Siblings? A partner?”

They seemed to snap out of the shock somewhat, processing her question, brows furrowing, lips pursing, little shakes of their heads. 

“Did she mention the father of her baby to anyone?” 

Sally was studying Kristin as intently as she was studying the other women, and met her gaze straight on.

“It seemed like Veronica was closest to you, Kristin,” Sally said. “She didn’t talk about any of those things with you?”

Kristin cleared her throat. It was easy to detach herself from the death in ‘detective mode’ but she wouldn’t be able to entirely avoid her hastily smothered shock and grief, not when she had a personal connection to the case she was in the midst of investigating.

“No,” she said. Veronica hadn’t talked about those things with Kristin. And Kristin hadn’t asked. “I know she was doing remote work. That’s why she moved to Brokenwood, to be off the beaten path. Does anyone know anything about her employer?” 

Kristin held back the company name Daniel had come across, just to see if she could get independent verification.

“Yeah, I think you’re right. That she was doing remote work,” Cynthia said, looking to Kay, who nodded.

“She was staying at that treehouse place,” Kay said. “A little bit of a weird choice, if you ask me. But to each their own.”

Kristin nodded, scribbled down the information, even though it was nothing new. Veronica hadn’t seemed the mysterious type, but she was proving to be an enigma now that Kristin was actually trying to figure out who she was. Maybe she hadn’t been a very good friend at all. Veronica had always been there to listen to Kristin’s worries, fears, regrets over the past few months. But had she not provided the same level of confidant to the now-deceased woman?

If her death hadn’t been an accident, could Kristin have done something to prevent it? Would she have known Veronica was in some sort of trouble? If only she were a bit more of an accessible person, could she have saved her friend?

“Are you alright?” Sally asked, her hand settling lightly on Kristin’s arm.

“I’m fine.” She shook off the distracting thoughts she couldn’t afford to have, professionally, or personally. And gave the women her ‘everything is fine’ smile, which Sally could see right through, she could tell, but the retired nurse said nothing.

“Thank you for your help,” Kristin said. Although there hadn’t been anything helpful offered up. She passed out her card, although she knew Sally already had her phone number. And Cynthia and Kay, probably, too. “If any of you think of anything else. Anything at all. Please call me.”

The women got up and went back to their lives, perhaps a little less content than if Kristin hadn’t injected sad news into their day. Sally stopped her before she, too, could resume her work day.

“You should really try to make it to the Friday Evening,” she said. “Especially after what’s happened with Veronica. It would be good for you.”

Kristin just nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.

[darling-i-read-it]

Too Late

BIlly Hargrove x flayed!fem!!reader

Word Count: 900

Warnings: angst, the reader being flayed though it isn’t very detailed 

Author’s Note: i’m not sure how i feel about this one but writing for billy is such a treat i don’t even care <3

Requested: by anon, billy hargrove x flayed!reader 👀 ive been thinking about him having to work along side the party and i have been craving angst 👁👁 

Summary: the request ! 

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

It should’ve been him. That’s all he could think about when he was driving his car down the street back home from work. It should’ve been him driving on that street that night. It should’ve been him but no, it was you. You had said you would meet Karen Wheeler just to give her a piece of your mind. He let you go. He never had any actual intention of meeting Karen. He figured standing her up would get her off his back. 

But you never came back home. 

Something else had come back in your place. 

Billy had been waiting in your bedroom, the window open since he had crawled through it. You had come back and practically ignored his presence. Your tone was even. Your eyes were dead. He knew you better than anyone else in this world and he knew that whatever was there, it wasn’t you. 

Billy took a sharp turn. He had seen Max at work earlier. He couldn’t believe he was going to his step sister for help. It was stupid. He would just be admitting defeat. She likely wouldn’t even believe him. But he couldn’t go to his dad or step mom. 

He did a u turn on the road, turning back to work. Thankfully for him, Max was walking with her friends on the side of the road, their voices raised. Clearly whatever they were talking about was intense. 

He pulled over to the side of the road, swallowing his pride. 

He wouldn’t ask for help ever. Not unless he thought something was wrong with you. 

“What?” Max asked, voice still as filled with acid as it had always been when she was talking to her brother. She was flanked by the party, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will and Eleven. He didn’t know any of them by name. 

“You guys need a ride?” he asked. 

“Sick of trying to run us over?” Mike spat. Billy almost sped away right there but then he remembered how you had looked at him the night before. 

Like you had no idea who he was. 

“Just get in.”

Warily, Max got into the passenger seat of the car. Everyone else piled behind the two of them and then Billy was driving again. 

“Where are we going?” Max questioned. Billy cleared his throat. 

“You guys dealing with...anything out of the ordinary lately?” he asked brgrudegnly. 

“Maybe,” Mike said, leaning forward. “Why? Are you?” He glanced at Max who was watching him intently. His eyes flicked in the rearview mirror at the host of eyes on him now. 

“Y/N came home last night.” 

“As she usually does. Is this story going to include something gross?” Max questioned, arms crossed. He shook his head, clenching his teeth. He turned his wheel so that they were parked on the side of the street. He needed to not be driving when he tried to explain what he saw in you. 

“Her body came home but…she didn’t,” he said, staring straight ahead. He tried to imagine how you would tell them if it was him in your place. 

“What do you mean?” Dustin questioned. 

“She was dead in the eye. And then I went to check her car and it looked like she had gotten into a crash.”

“Maybe she just has a concussion.”

“Why wouldn’t she tell me she had crashed her car?” he asked, looking at Max.

They stared at each other for a moment. Max seemed to recognize what he was trying to get across. He wouldn’t be asking them for help if he wasn’t sure that whatever happened to you, wasn’t normal. 

He also looked more desperate than she had ever seen him. 

It was nice to know Billy had feelings beyond anger. He really did love you. 

“Okay. Where is she now?”

-

You were at the pool still. It’s where Billy had left you. You were in a couple layers which was odd for you anyway. You usually only liked a robe over your swimsuit when you were around. Max observed you quietly, arms crossed. She had met you plenty of times before. You and Billy had been going out for a couple of months now. 

You slid off the lifeguard seat. You saw Billy, you locked eyes with him, and you kept walking. He tried to hide his devastation as best as he could. “If she were normal her tongue would be down his throat,” Max explained. “That isn’t normal.” “You could say that again,” Billy muttered. “You got a plan on how to get her back to normal?” “We don't even know what’s wrong with her yet,” Dustin said. “Let’s just hope we aren’t already too late.”

-

Stranger Things Tag List: @dpaccione, @karasong, @elisaa-shelby, @purple-flamingo, @trinswhimsys, @valentina-luvs-u, @demigirl-with-problems, @chaotic-fangirl-blog, @mads-weasley, @alexxavicry, @secret-obsessions-21-blog, @mystic-writings, @plumes-de-nuit, @linkxneptune

[poisonouswritings]

OMG THAT SAGE REQUEST W/ A SWEET,CALM MC WHO IS CALMLY PISSED OFF AT RIME FKDNXKDN Bro what about the same kind of MC with other love interests (including Rime)??? They're not being calmly angry at anyone in particular but they'd do the same thing to anyone who's being rude to their partner? Maybe Escell if they were in Felix's route,maybe LoS (fucking MIKE) in Anisa's and Rime's? All separate,extra fluffy if possible cuz we all love a 'i love my partner and ill kill u if u upset them' trope

Anyone and Everyone Is A Potential Enemy

Felix Escellun

You 1000 get into fights with Escell over how he treats Felix.

Specifically, Escell and Felix are in a fight, Florian is trying to diffuse it, Escell calls Felix a disappointment or whatever and you just Pop Up behind Felix, wrap your arms around his waist, look up at Escell and just 'I will make pottery with your bones :)'

Florian is,, slightly concerned,, Escell is mostly unnerved because firstly that’s obviously a weird threat and secondly why with a smile on your face?? Unnerving.

You guys are in the marketplace and someone calls Felix a freak because he's buying skulls or whatever and you just get in their face 'I will boil your teeth :)' 

Felix finds it all really funny. Sometimes gets himself in situations just so you’ll go off on people. And if you threaten someone who like,, is a higher-up politician or something? He’s losing it giggling in the background. Makes sure you don’t get punished for it. Escell is obviously Not Happy about it but what can he really do? 

Anisa Anka

When you guys are talking to Orion,, and she says she's disappointed in Anisa,, and you step forward, hands held behind your back and smiling oh-so-sweetly and looking oh-so-respectful, and say in this cute and innocent voice 'I will lie your revolting sin before the eyes of the gods themselves like the world's longest and most professional call-out post for them to cast you out of any afterlife and entirely obliterate your consciousness :)'

...

Anisa is Sweating Bullets because you're about to fucking die and meanwhile Orion is just very stonefaced but is internally going 'wtfwtfwtfwtf' and then you grab Anisa's wrist, turn to leave, pause and look over your shoulder and go 'You even breathe that thought and I'll choke you until your eyes pop right out of your sockets, then plop into your open, gasping mouth where you'll swallow them whole. Then you'll choke to death on your own eyeballs.'

...........

Anisa drags you out of there before Orion can have you imprisoned.

Annie is slightly concerned because what the fuck is life on Earth like that you just have these on hand?? Also slightly concerned that you're gonna get arrested.

Is touched by how much you care about her though. Assures you that she's okay and you don't need to get so worked up over it.

Sage Lesath

I mean I already put most of it in the other post but

You're at a bar and someone is harrassing him so you pop up and light-heartedly sing 'Row row row your boat gently off a clif/I hope you break your neck and die, you will not be missed :)'

Sage gets a little flustered every time you defend him because big scary merc with a big scary sword is getting protected by his Sunshine And Rainbows Partner?? He melts

Rime Varela

Lord of Shadows/Gramme/Mike is basically telling Rime that He Will Always Be Evil And Flawed and you insert yourself into the middle of the conversation going 'Hey do you like your balls?' which is already like

what the actual fuck

and then you just continue 'How about I sew them into your mouth?'

Except Mike is from Earth so he isn't as easily rattled as the others so you'll have to do a little more.

'I'm gonna peel your foreskin like a banana peel :)'

...there it is

Once the immediate situation calms down and you two have a moment to breathe, Rime is very amused. Helps you come up with new threats. Touched that you care so much about him but won't admit to it.

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Ok so, idk if i asked this before or I'm just thinking i did but didn't send?

But like from your au, I'm genuinely curious, and idk if you alreday did answer it before, but like how would mike have reacted with finding out about not only ness being his kid (again u think that was answered before but again i don't really remember 😅) but also being controlled by his dad to do his dirty deeds?

I can imagine it either being in a hurt comfort way of angsty way with this

i definitely did get this ask before, i am just Really Bad at answering things sometimes 😅 sometimes i forget about the stuff in my inbox or don’t know how to answer

but! this!!!

i have headcanons that already explain his reaction to realizing that Vanessa is his kid, but he realizes due to this instinct inside of him. he has no initial proof, but when he sees her for the first time, he just knows she’s his kid. plus, a quick scan tells him that all her health information—blood type and whatnot—matches up with his daughter’s.

he keeps it a secret for awhile. he knows what happened the last time his family interacted with animatronics, and he doesn’t want her to end up like that. he’s so scared of accidentally hurting her. so, he avoids Vanessa. he gets the others to avoid her, too. he’s going to extreme measures to make sure she isn’t harmed by one of them.

meanwhile, Vanessa just thinks the animatronics fucking hate her, which doesn’t bode well for her already-fractured mental health. every time she tries to talk to them, they stop what they’re doing, stare at her for a moment, and then walk away. sometimes they walk away without even looking at her. it’s like she’s not even there.

this goes on for about two weeks, and then something changes. Vanessa is brooding about how not even robots like her and ends up in the Daycare. somehow, the lights get turned off and she meets Moon for the first time.

and Moon scared the ever-loving shit out of Vanessa.

her resulting scream is heard all throughout the Pizzaplex. without even really realizing it, Freddy is running in that direction. Monty and Roxy try to stop him, reminding him about what he said, and he just goes, “i don’t care, i need to HELP HER!”

needless to say, he nearly mauls Moon. who knew Freddy was capable of roaring like an actual bear? Vanessa. Vanessa knows now.

sometime after that, Freddy finally spills his knowledge to Vanessa, who initially laughs and doesn’t believe him At All. but with a bit of prompting, she finds her birth mother, asks her some questions, realizes her dad is a bear, and then throws up.

in response to the second question: Mike feels awful when he finds out. he doesn’t have a stomach when he’s in Freddy, and yet it feels like he’s been stabbed directly in the gut. and it’s his child that holds the knife.

but, like some depictions of Mike towards Vanessa, he doesn’t see her any less than he already did. he understands that she’s being controlled and isn’t doing anything willingly. he’s not mad at her, he’s mad at his father.

Glitchtrap is aware of this fact and he exploits it So Much. he loves to take control of Vanessa and taunt Mike in her voice. he loves that he can do whatever he wants and Mike can’t do anything about it because lashing out would mean hurting Vanessa and you wouldn’t want to hurt your precious baby, would you?

it’s all around a bad time. Mike is caught between a rock and a hard place, while Vanessa is trapped in her grandfather’s hands with no easy way out.

also…i love making Glitchtrap absolutely fucking weird with Vanessa. and by weird i mean that he has groomer tendencies. it’s a super dark headcanon that i’ve mostly kept to myself in fear of how the fandom will react, but i do wanna write stuff with it. just because it’s So Fucked and the angst possibilities are Endless.