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lewmagoo · 3 months ago

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we own the sky | rhett abbott

part two: under pressure

read part one here

series info: read the synopsis here. find the series masterlist here. listen to the playlist here. see the posting schedule here.

description: in which you decide to face your fears

warnings: 18+ only, heavy themes, mentions of character death, grief, blood and injury, angst with a positive ending, panic attack, allusions to sex, eventual smut, inaccurate weather terms, please do not check my science lol this story requires some suspension of disbelief. i usually try not to say anything about reader's family in fics but i do mention them having an unnamed great-aunt, as it was necessary to the plot

pairing: rhett abbott x f!reader

word count: 11,838

notes: this story is inspired by twisters. you do not have to watch the movie in order to understand this story, because aside from the storm chasing aspect, it has nothing to do with the twister universe. i've been working on this story for 2 months straight, and it is my pride and joy. i am so excited for everyone to read it! without further adieu, here is we own the sky!

You curled up beneath the covers that night, eager to get some much-needed rest after a day spent cleaning and socializing. Your body was so weary, and as you snuggled into the softness of Rhett’s bed, your eyes grew heavy as soon as your head hit the pillow, and you drifted off into dreamland.

But a few hours later, you woke to the sound of your name being sharply whispered into the gray morning light. It took a moment for you to draw yourself to consciousness, climbing your way out of layers of dreams, before your eyes flew open and you found yourself staring into Rhett’s face.

“Hey, sorry t’ wake ya so early, but there’s storm activity over by Sapulpa. Wanna come with us?” He asked, voice low.

You squinted, glancing over at the small digital clock on the nightstand. It was barely five in the morning. It had only been a few hours since you’d pledged to go on a chase with Rhett. You had certainly not been prepared for it to be this soon.

“Fuck it,” you grumbled, tossing the covers off. “I’ll come.”

“You don’t have to if—”

“I’m comin’,” came your sharp reply. You hurried to your suitcase, where you dug out some clothes to change into.

“Alright, I’ll be in the truck.” He kept his voice at a whisper, but there was an excitement in his tone, electricity in the air.

When he left the room, you let out a breath, a shudder running through your body. The beginnings of adrenaline had begun to course through you, and your heart rate picked up as you realized what was happening. This was it. You’d made a bet and now you had to follow through with it.

So, running off of four hours of sleep, with a body that ached from exhaustion, you got dressed, shoved your feet into your shoes, grabbed your phone, and quietly scurried out into the hall and down the steps.

You were surprised to see Cecilia in the kitchen doorway, waiting for you. “Take this,” she said, placing a paper bag full of breakfast goods such as granola bars and homemade muffins in your hands. Then she patted your hand. “And be careful, you hear me? Both of you.”

“We will be,” you assured her.

She didn’t seem at all surprised that you were going. Either Rhett had already told her, or she’d simply assumed you would end up going at some point.

After you bid her goodbye, you burst through the front door and onto the porch, shoes scraping against wood as you bounded down the steps. You jogged to the truck, and in the distance, you could see an F150 and an RV coming down the road.

The team was coming together. It was time to chase down some twisters.

With your heart pounding in your chest and your hands trembling, you climbed into the passenger seat of Rhett’s truck, shoving the bag of food down onto the floorboards. Rhett was already in the driver’s seat, fiddling with the radio dial, trying to find a weather broadcast.

“Y’ready for this?” He asked you.

A shuddering breath escaped your lungs. “As I’ll ever be.” A lie. You were nowhere near ready for this. But you’d already made a promise, so you had to stick it out.

“Hey,” Rhett continued, bumping your arm gentle with his own. “If you need to stop at any point, just let me know, alright?”

You mustered a smile. “I will,” you promised. You folded your hands in your lap so they’d stop shaking.

Moments later, after the team pulled in, you glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Zara jump out of the Ford, headed for you and Rhett. With her thick curls piled into a bun atop her head, a pair of smart denim shorts and a tucked in button-down with the sleeves rolled up, she looked ready to get down to business.

When she saw you, her face broke into a grin. “You’re coming!” She exclaimed, speaking through the truck window Rhett had just opened.

“Yeah! Had to carry out my end of the bargain,” you told her, trying to sound humorous, but you were certain that your trepidation overshadowed any attempt at being funny.

She held up an iPad. “Here, I’ll let you monitor the radar, if you’re comfortable with that?”

You looked at weather radar screens for a living. You were more than capable of monitoring the storm path, but you still felt your chest tighten with uncertainty. Even so, you reached out and took the device from her. “Sure, I can do that.”

“Great! All of us communicate through walkies, so if you have any questions, just radio me.”

“I will. Thanks,” you replied with a nod. And then, “Oh! Here, have some breakfast for the road.” You reached into the bag from Cecilia and pulled out some muffins and breakfast bars, thrusting them into her hands. “Give some to Finn and Danny too!”

“Thank you! See ya on the road!” Then she was off, jogging back to the truck.

You settled back against the seat, breathing out a sigh. Beside you, Rhett leaned closer. “Hey,” he hummed, “you’re gon’ be just fine.”

You tried your best to believe him.

As he pulled onto the main road, headed toward Sapulpa, you unlocked the iPad, familiarizing yourself with its layout before you located the radar app. With trembling fingers, you put the location into the search bar and waited for it to pull the correct screen up.

Seconds later, there it was. A large, red colored cloud moving over the map, indicating severe weather activity. Sapulpa wasn’t too far away. A fifteen-minute drive and you’d be there.

As Rhett drove, accelerating ten miles over the speed limit, you found yourself secretly hoping that you would not encounter a twister on this run. Maybe it would only be a storm. But you knew this area. You were more than familiar with the weather patterns here.

You looked up at the sky, noticing the angry gray clouds in the distance, roiling with thunder and lightning, full of raindrops, just waiting to unleash their fury upon the earth below.

It felt as if you were driving straight into the belly of the beast, and essentially, you were.

Forcing your eyes back down to the screen in your lap, you studied the radar, taking notice of the severe weather banner that had just popped up across the screen. In your pocket, your phone buzzed, and you didn’t have to look at it to know that a tornado warning had been issued for the area.

Oh, god.

“Y’ still with me?” Rhett’s voice pulled your attention to him.

“Yeah, I…I’m fine,” you lied right through your teeth. You glanced out the back window of the truck, and eyed the trailer full of nitrogen tanks, metal rattling loudly.

It was up to you and Rhett to get these tanks into position. You had to face the danger head-on, get ahead of the potential twister, and make the drop, all while trying to avoid being blown off course by the wind.

This was a suicide mission.

But you refused to back out, swallowing your terror and keeping a close eye on the radar. You were getting closer to the brewing storm. Although it was early morning and the sun had just begun to rise, it was eerily dark, clouds casting a shadow over the rolling plains.

As your gaze flickered to the fields that framed the stretch of highway, you watched the grass ripple in the wind. Without thinking, you moved to open the window, and a blast of humid air hit you in the face.

A flash of lightning tore through the sky, and seconds later, a deafening clap of thunder made you jump.

Beside you, Rhett eyed you briefly, unbeknownst to you. He was watching your body language, looking for any signs of distress. Just a few days ago, you’d sworn to him you couldn’t stomach the thought of chasing again. And now here you were, sitting beside him.

He questioned if you were ready for this. But you seemed fine, so he left it alone.

“How’s the radar lookin’?” He asked you.

You tore your gaze away from the sky, quickly pressing the button to shut the window before you looked at the screen. “It’s moving fast. Rain will probably hit soon.”

Before you even finished your sentence, the first few drops began pelting against the truck. Thunder rumbled. Your heart skipped a beat.

You could hear Zara speaking over the radio, but you were too busy focusing on the sky, searching for any sign of funnel activity. Your limbs buzzed with adrenaline. Your chest felt tight. Your breathing was rushed.

The rain gave way to hailstones, clattering against the truck, and the sky above took on a sickening green hue.

Sirens began to wail, a haunting sound that made you want to cover your ears. You hadn’t heard those sirens in so long. Hearing them now transported you back to the day you’d lost your dearest friends.

You could hear Rhett speaking your name, but he sounded so distant. You were too busy staring at the sky. And then the hail stopped, and aside from the sirens, the outside world was deafeningly quiet.

You thought your terror was going to swallow you whole.

“Talk to me!” Rhett finally exclaimed, grabbing your arm, pulling your attention to him. His eyes were wide, searching your face.

But before you could speak, a loud roar drowned out any possible conversation. You turned back to the window, and you saw it. A funnel protruding from the sky.

A twister had touched down.

Rhett stomped on the gas, headed east, trying to get ahead of the twister so the trailer could be put in place. You were frozen, staring up at the phenomenon, body cold with fright.

“I need you t’ stay with me, you hear?! You gotta keep an eye on it, I need to know where to drop the trailer!” He called out to you.

“O-okay!” You managed to shout back.

The truck moved faster and faster as Rhett fought to stay on track. You wanted to guide him. To communicate with him and tell him exactly what to do, where to go. But you couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come. All you could see was that tornado, coming right at you. This was how your friends had died. Staring into the face of this vicious funnel.

Was this how you were going to die?

“Rhett.”

“Am I at a good distance?!”

Had he even heard you? “Stop.”

“Talk to me! Can I drop the trailer now?!”

“STOP!”

Rhett glanced at you and he saw the distress on your face. He knew what he had to do. “Shit,” he swore. He gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as he made a split second decision and violently yanked the wheel to the left, veering off the road and into the cornfield on the other side.

He nearly lost control as the truck careened forward several miles, jostled against the uneven earth. You thrust your hands against the dashboard, fighting to hold yourself steady. The iPad in your lap went tumbling to the floor.

“Rhett! What’s going on?!” Jeslyn shouted over the radio.

He was too busy trying not to overturn the entire truck. When he slammed on the brakes, the force sent the entire trailer of nitrogen tanks on its side, snapping the hitch right off.

Your fight or flight response kicked in, and in a desperate attempt to escape the situation, you threw your door open, unable to spend another minute in the claustrophobic truck cab. Rhett yelled your name, but you didn’t hear him over the roar of the wind.

As soon as your feet hit the ground, you were running, eyes searching for a ditch or any sort of shelter. The wind whipped around you, its force pushing you along. You couldn’t see the twister over the high stalks of corn, but you didn’t need to see it to feel it.

Raw power, so overwhelming it took your breath away.

And then, all of a sudden, something solid collided with your back, and a pair of arms cinched around your waist. “Are you insane, girl?! Gon’ get yourself killed!” Rhett yelled over the storm.

You let out a shriek of surprise as he wrangled you to the ground, his body on top of yours, shielding you from the danger.

And then, all at once, everything went silent. You heard the sound of crying. It took you a moment to realize the sound was coming from you.

“Hey, hey, I’m here, I’ve got ya,” Rhett’s voice was in your ear, breathless and gruff. He moved to sit on the ground, pulling you up with him, tugging your body against his chest. You buried your face against the side of his neck and sobbed.

He held you tight, listening to you cry. The residual breeze from the storm blew through his hair. He’d lost his hat when he jumped out of the truck and ran after you, he realized. But that didn’t matter now. The danger was gone, but you were falling apart.

He should have known this was a bad idea. But you’d insisted you could handle it. And now he was cradling you in his arms as your tears soaked into the collar of his shirt. He remembered so vividly holding you this way when Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia had been killed. He was hit with a deeply rooted pain, blossoming through his chest as he relived the memory.

It still hurt just as badly as the day it happened. And here he thought he’d buried that grief long ago. It had been there all along, just waiting to rear its ugly head.

“It’s gon’ be okay,” he whispered against the top of your head. “I’m right here, you’re safe, nothin’ is gonna hurt you. Not while I’m here.”

You lifted your head to wail out, “I-I ruined it! I should have ne– never come!”

“No, darlin’. Y’ didn’t ruin anythin’,” he tried to reason.

“A-all of Zara’s hard work! It’s messed up because of me!” You were spiraling, filled with regret. This had been such a colossal mistake.

At that moment, voices could be heard in the distance. Rhett lifted his head, listening. He could hear his name and yours being called. Thank god the rest of the team was alright.

“Found ‘em!” It was Danny’s voice, full of panic as he burst through the wall of cornstalks, eyes wide. “Holy shit, are you guys alright?!” He slid to a halt, lowering to his knees beside you both.

Behind him, Finn, Zara, and Jeslyn all appeared, looking just as disheveled and frightened.

“Oh my god, what happened?!” Zara exclaimed. She eyed your trembling form, crying into Rhett’s shoulder, and her face softened.

Rhett caught her gaze. The two shared unspoken communication. She knew what he was trying to convey with just his face. You hadn’t been ready for this.

You managed to bring yourself to look into Zara’s face, tears streaking down your cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have come with you guys.”

“Hey, no, don’t apologize,” she said, reaching out to touch your shoulder. “You’re safe, that’s what matters.”

You shook your head, wiping your cheeks with the back of your hand. “No, I…I ruined everything, I’m so sorry.”

Finn and Danny stepped away to check on the equipment, while Zara and Jeslyn remained with you and Rhett.

“No, honey. You didn’t ruin everything. Trust me, those tanks are fine,” Jeslyn assured you. Her eyes were kind, and her voice was gentle.

Thunder boomed overhead again, and you jumped, pressing yourself even closer to Rhett. He held you just a little tighter. You were safe with him. He would make sure of that.

“Everything looks alright!” The sound of Finn’s voice carried over the field as he and Danny jogged back over. “The hitch snapped, but we can fix it. I figure Rhett can weld it back on since it’s his truck and all.”

“Yeah, it ain’t a big deal to fix,” Rhett replied.

“Tanks are okay too, they even stayed in the trailer, nothing fell out.” Finn looked at you, making sure to catch your eye. “No harm, no foul.”

“It was a quick twister anyway, not even that big. We probably wouldn’t have been able to get the tanks open fast enough as it was, so it really isn’t a big deal that we didn’t get ‘em into position. Don’t beat yourself up,” came Zara’s words.

Sniffling, you managed a nod. You were deeply grateful for everyone’s kindness and understanding. You still felt terrible, however. Part of you felt like a scared little child, and you hated it. You were angry at yourself for being unable to handle it.

“So what’s the plan now? We gotta get those tanks back to Rhett’s place, plus it’s gonna downpour any minute, so we should probably work fast,” you heard Danny say. “There could end up being another twister in the area if the storm keeps at it.”

As the girls and guys put together a plan, you tried to calm yourself down. Rhett hadn’t let you go yet, choosing to remain on the ground with you curled safely against him.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Hey, look at me.”

You brought your eyes to his. The blue was so intense, it nearly took your breath away.

“Don’t go sayin’ you’re sorry. You got nothin’ to be sorry for.”

“I just kept thinking about that day, and I…I froze,” you whispered, throat tight with a knot of emotion. “I was so stupid to think I could do it.”

“At least you tried, alright? That’s what matters. Nobody expects you t’ just jump right back into it after all these years.”

“I know, I just–”

“No, don’t you start spiralin’ on me, y’hear? Stop beatin’ yourself up about it. Nobody got hurt, and that’s what we all care about at the end of the day. When it comes down to it, if I’ve gotta choose between makin’ sure you’re safe, or stoppin’ a twister, I’m gonna choose you every damn time.”

His words made your chest grow warm, and your bottom lip quivered. He hadn’t changed in all this time. He was just as caring as ever.

When you threw your arms around his neck to hug him, he hugged you right back, rocking you from side to side before he finally released you. Cool drops of rain began to fall from the sky, interrupting your moment.

Quickly, Rhett stood, reaching for your hand to pull you to your feet. “C’mon, let’s get to the truck.” With his hand still wrapped around yours, he pulled you along, and you ran back through the field to the place where he’d stopped the truck.

When you reached the old Sierra, the team was just finishing putting all the nitrogen tanks in the back of the truck. It appeared that Danny and Finn had managed to jury-rig the trailer so that Rhett could get it back home.

Hurriedly, Rhett guided you into the truck in an effort to shield you from the rain, slamming the door shut and stopping only for a moment to talk to the guys before they parted ways. He jumped into the driver’s seat and started the engine, maneuvering through the field and back out onto the main road.

The drive back home was silent, save for the sound of rain pounding against the roof of the truck. You stared out the window, still upset at the way you had reacted.

“You don’t have to hold up your end of the deal now, since I couldn’t hold up mine,” you finally told Rhett, referring to the promise he’d made to ride in the rodeo that weekend.

But he shook his head. “Nah, you still did, even if ya didn’t hold out for the whole thing. If you had to face somethin’ that scares you, it’s only fair that I do it too. I’m gonna get on a bull this weekend, because that’s what I said I’d do.”

You let out a breath. “Well, I’ll be in the stands cheering you on then.”

“Jus’ like old times, huh?”

“Yeah…like old times.”

You were choosing not to dwell on the fact that during ‘old times’1, you’d felt his blood seep through your fingers as you fought to keep him alive after that bull had driven a horn into his stomach. That was a freak occurrence. It wouldn’t happen this time around.

At least, that’s what you hoped.

Later that morning, you arrived back on the Abbott farm, feeling weary from the adrenaline crash, as well as the lack of sleep from the night before. Once Rhett stopped in the driveway, you stumbled out of the truck and onto the red dirt.

The sky was gray, indicating that the storm was following you, and would surely dump buckets of rain on the property. It seemed to have calmed down, so it didn’t appear as if it would turn into anything serious. You knew your poor nerves could not handle another twister that day.

The team converged as you headed toward the porch, but you paused when you heard Danny speaking to Rhett. He was trying to keep his voice low so you wouldn’t hear, but you caught it anyway. “There’s more damage than we thought. Specifically to the wiring on the trailer. It’s gonna take longer to fix,” he explained.

You felt an aching pang in your chest. This was all your fault.

You didn’t stick around to hear what Rhett had to say. You simply trudged up the porch steps and into the house. You just wanted to be alone, but to your dismay, Cecilia was in the home office, which had a full view of the entryway you were currently in.

She saw the bleak look on your face, and she immediately rose from her seat at the desk. “Honey, what happened?”

Her concern was what broke you. Instantly, more tears welled up in your eyes, and your shoulders shook as a sob left your throat. Without hesitation, she came to your aid, wrapping her arms around you. “Hey now, you’re gonna be just fine.”

You didn’t believe that.

When Rhett stepped into the house, he took in the sight of his mother comforting you, and he spared her a saddened glance. She nodded in understanding, though no words were shared between the two of them. He headed into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee, deciding it best to give you space.

A few minutes later, after you finally excused yourself to head upstairs and get some rest, Cecilia joined her son in the kitchen.

Rhett stood at the sink, idly stirring his coffee as he stared out into the water-washed scene unfolding outside the kitchen window. “She wasn’t ready, Mom,” he murmured.

“I can see that,” she replied. “What happened out there? Radio said a twister touched down.”

“It did. We were tryin’ to get in range so we could drop the tanks. But as soon as it touched down she started panicking. Like full-on hyperventilatin’. I had to swerve off the road and as soon as I stopped, she jumped out. Scared me to death. Thought the twister was gonna take her from me.”

Saying those words sent his heart quickening in his chest. He had to face the fact that he still cared so deeply for you, and couldn’t stomach the thought of losing you.

“Glad you both made it outta there safely,” Cecilia murmured, moving to pour herself her second cup of coffee for the day. “Just give her time, Rhett.”

“I will,” he agreed. He downed the rest of the bitter liquid in his mug before he set the ceramic in the sink. “Gon’ go out and fix some of the stuff that got damaged in the twister. We won’t be goin’ out again for a bit, not ‘til we get everythin’ up and runnin’ again.”

He said this to give his mother peace of mind. He knew how much she worried whenever he went out on a chase. The fear of losing her boy was a very real one.

Meanwhile, you were curled up in bed, curtains drawn, swathing the room in darkness. You hoped you would be able to get some sleep, but you were wide awake, mind racing a mile a minute. So, instead of wallowing in self-pity, you forced yourself to get up. Might as well busy yourself to get your mind off of things.

You decided to head to your great-aunt’s house to continue your cleaning project. As you ambled outside, you caught sight of Rhett, Danny, and Finn in the barn, working on getting the trailer repaired. Grimacing, you averted your eyes and instead climbed into your car.

For the next few days, you avoided Rhett, because you felt so terrible about the entire debacle. But there was never any judgment in his eyes when he looked upon you. He truly did not blame you for what had happened.

In the end, he was the one who came to you, unable to deal with your withdrawn demeanor. He approached you one morning as you were getting ready to leave.

“Hey, I, uh, was wonderin’...I know you’ve got a lot of stuff to haul outta your aunt’s house. Want some help? I can bring my truck.”

You began to protest. “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” he insisted. “Y’ shouldn’t have to do it all by yourself.”

He looked so earnest, his eyes pleading, his mouth curved into a hopeful smile. How could you say no to him? “Okay, sure. Why not?”

He tried not to appear too eager, but it was written all over his face. “Alrighty, I’ll bring the truck ‘round!”

That was how you found yourself in the passenger seat of the Sierra again, happy that you were headed somewhere that didn’t involve a raging storm that could potentially kill you both.

When you arrived at the house, you led Rhett up to the porch, where you stopped to retrieve the spare key from beneath the welcome mat.

“Some things never change,” he murmured upon seeing you locate the key. “She always kept that key there, didn’t she?”

You smiled as you unlocked the door. “She did.”

As you stepped into the house, Rhett paused in the entryway to glance around. A lot had changed since you’d arrived. Many things were packed away in boxes. But it still held a nostalgic feel.

“Remember when she’d let us crash here in between chases?” He asked.

How could you forget? “Do I ever. Those were the days.”

You remembered so vividly, curling up in sleeping bags around the living room floor, too excited to sleep, knowing a storm cell could be developing at any moment. Oh, to be young and naive again, endowed with a feeling of invincibility.

“So…weather analyzin’. How’s that treatin’ ya?” Rhett continued in an effort to kill any awkward silence.

You shrugged as you set about organizing the kitchen, motioning for him to get involved. “Pretty well. I actually really like it.”

“Yeah? Must be a lot cushier than facin’ the storms head-on. At least you got a screen separatin’ you from all the destruction.”

“Yep. It’s a lot safer, that’s for sure.”

“How’s livin’ in Silver Spring?”

“I can say we don’t get many twisters. Which I’m happy about.”

“Guess that’s a plus,” came his response.

You opened up the pantry, preparing to sort through all the food that remained there. “Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” Rhett said as he grabbed the box of garbage bags you silently pointed to.

You continued speaking as he placed the box in your hand. “How’d you meet Zara and all them? They all went to OU together. You’re the odd man out.”

He smirked. “What, think a dumb hick like me can’t hang around educated folk?”

You rolled your eyes as you opened one of the garbage bags. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I know, I know,” he assured you. “Actually, Zara heard about us. She read the news stories about what happened. She got a hold of me a couple years ago and started askin’ questions. Wanted to see if I’d like to get involved with her project. So I said, why the hell not? She introduced me to her team and had me come to OU to see how their setup worked.”

“You got to see it in action?” You were intrigued.

“Yeah. Jeslyn’s pretty fuckin’ brilliant when it comes to building things. She and Danny and Finn are the ones that put together a machine that can simulate a twister. Zara used a tank of nitrogen to stop the twister. Obviously it ain’t the same as the real thing, but I thought it was pretty damn cool. Figured I didn’t have much to lose, so I teamed up with ‘em, and we’ve been workin’ together ever since.”

“Have you guys been testing out the nitrogen stuff for very long?”

“It ain’t been field tested, if that’s what you mean. We’re tryin’ to see if it works on an actual twister first. After that, Zara wants to get a grant so she can start testin’ on a larger scale. Plus, Danny and Finn are workin’ on this new radar equipment, once it’s ready we’re gonna take it out on a chase with us. The idea is that it’ll help us track storm cells better, and hopefully let us know what we’re up against faster.”

“Huh, I didn’t know they were working on that,” you mused, intrigued.

“Yeah, they’ve been puttin’ it together for months now. I think they don’t wanna jinx it, so they haven’t said anything. But Finn just told me the other day that it’ll probably be ready for the next chase we go on.”

“Wow. They’re all weather geniuses.” Knowing they were doing so much sent a pang of deep longing through your chest.

Part of you wished you were doing more than sitting behind a screen at work, watching the weather ravage the country, unable to do anything more but issue warnings and hope for the best. If only you had the guts to actually get out there and take action against the phenomenon that had taken your friends from you.

“They sure are,” Rhett agreed. “Sometimes I feel pretty damn inadequate because I’m just a farm boy from Oklahoma. But they still wanna hang with the likes of me, for whatever reason.”

“Because you’re pretty great,” you heard yourself say. You hadn’t meant to speak it aloud.

His gaze lingered on you for a moment before he smiled a crooked smile, the apples of his cheeks rounding.

In an effort to change the subject, you cleared your throat and asked, “Did anyone talk to Beau about you riding this weekend? After what happened on Monday I, uh, was so frazzled that I forgot to track him down.”

“Zara talked to him. Said she wasn’t gonna let me get out of it so easy. So, I’m on track to ride after the rest of the contestants. Beau said it was gon’ be an honorary thing, ‘cause apparently it’s been ten years on the dot since I rode last.”

Ten years. Had it really been that long? So much had happened since then, it felt like both a lifetime and no time at all had passed.

“Are you nervous?” You questioned.

He shrugged, suddenly finding an old box of crackers very interesting, avoiding your gaze. “Kinda.”

He was scared to death, you realized. You could see it in his eyes. But he was pushing himself to do this. At this point, it wasn’t just because he’d made a deal with you. It was because he wanted to prove to himself that he could do it. That he could face his fears and come out on the other side. Perhaps not unscathed, but a better person because of it.

“You’re gonna do great,” you assured him, offering a vote of confidence.

“Sure hope so.”

The rest of the morning carried on with quiet conversation as you worked to clear out the kitchen. A few hours later, you were feeling accomplished, and hungry. So Rhett offered to take you to the diner in town for lunch.

That was how you found yourself sitting in a booth across from him, a spread of food between you both. You reminisced about the past, talking about times before everything had fallen apart. Good memories that you could both share laughter over.

You found yourself gazing at Rhett, at his easy smile and his sparkling eyes, illuminated by the early afternoon light shining through the windows, and you were transported back to a time when you were so in love with him. A time when you promised him you would be his forever.

“You listenin’?” His voice, low and velvety, pulled you back to reality.

“I…I’m sorry, I was distracted,” you sheepishly replied.

He looked at you, brow pulling together, as if he knew you’d been admiring him. But he didn’t acknowledge it. “I was askin’ if you wanted to get outta here and head back to the farm.”

“Oh, um, sure. Yeah, let’s get back.”

With that, he opened his wallet and pulled out some cash for a tip before he stood to his feet. You followed suit, and once he’d paid for the meal, you made your way back out to the truck. Things were comfortable between the two of you again. The events that had happened earlier that week during the chase faded into the background, nothing more than a memory.

You were glad you had agreed to let him come and help you. It had cleared the air and made way for your friendship to continue blossoming, slowly repairing after so much time apart.

The rest of the week went by in a breeze. You kept busy with working in your aunt’s house, allowing Rhett to tag along when he had the chance to. When he wasn’t with you, he was working alongside his father on the farm, or he was repairing the trailer so it could be reattached to the hitch on his truck.

Strangely enough, the weather had calmed down, despite it being storm season. There had been some rain showers here and there, but no storms, and no twisters, either. You were glad, because you weren’t sure if your poor nerves could handle another storm that week.

You were glad for the lighthearted distraction of going to the rodeo. You hadn’t been to one in such a long time. You were looking forward to all the sights and sounds. Aside from Rhett’s near fatal injury, you had nothing but good memories of attending rodeos.

You couldn’t help but catch on to the joy emanating from Amy at the prospect of watching her uncle ride a bull. She was over the moon about it. She had never seen him ride before, as she hadn’t even been born yet when he was still competing. All she knew about that time of his life was through the stories that he and her grandparents had told her.

“Hey! You wanna help me make a sign for uncle Rhett?” The girl asked you as you came downstairs that Saturday morning.

You could see that she had all of her supplies ready, spread out across her grandmother’s office floor. An assortment of colored markers, glitter glue, paint, and poster board. You couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness.

“Sure! Let me get a cup of coffee and I’ll come help,” you told her.

Her eyes went wide with excitement and she bounced on the balls of her feet. “Yay! Okay, I’ll be in here waiting for you!” She said, scurrying into the office.

Her childlike wonder warmed your heart. You were happy you’d agreed to stay at the Abbotts, if only for the whimsy Amy brought to the experience. Her personality was almost too big for her small body. It was clear that she was the greatest joy in both her grandparent's and Rhett’s lives.

You were more than happy to help her make a sign for the rodeo. After you poured yourself a cup of coffee, you settled on the hardwood floor of the office, right beside Amy. She handed you different supplies and even allowed you to write the words she wanted to say on the poster board.

“You write better than me, so I want you to do it. I want the words to be really big, so Uncle Rhett can see ‘em!” She explained.

“Okay, what do you want me to write?”

“I was thinking ‘you got this Uncle Rhett!’”

“I like it!”

You settled into the carefree fun of making a glittery rodeo sign, enjoying Amy’s creative little touches here and there as she added stickers and designs.

Halfway through, the screen door squealed open, and Amy jumped up in a panic when she realized it was Rhett.

“What’re you gals up to?” He asked as he strolled into the house.

“Don’t come in here!” Amy cried, rushing to push him away. “We’re workin’ on a top secret surprise!”

His brows shot up, and he stole a glance at you, currently holding the poster board at an angle so he couldn’t see what it said. “Oh yeah? You in cahoots with my niece now?” He asked you, smile playing on his lips.

“Maybe,” came your playful response. “Don’t go spoiling your surprise now. We’ll let you see it later.”

His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Alright, alright. I’m goin’,” he said as he held his hands up in surrender.

You kept the sign hidden until you knew for certain he’d gone upstairs. Amy bounded back over to you, pretending to wipe sweat from her brow as she exclaimed, “Whew! That was close.”

“Let’s hurry and finish it so we can hide it until later,” you suggested, voice hushed and playfully urgent.

The girl agreed, and you both set to work, hurriedly finishing up the sign. Once you were done, you put it in an inconspicuous place, hidden away from Rhett’s prying eyes. As you helped Amy put all her art supplies away, you were struck with a warm feeling, blossoming through your chest. Here you were, making signs to cheer Rhett on, anticipating his ride later that night, just like you used to not too long ago.

You were always his biggest fan at the rodeo, that was for certain. You’d made many a sign in your day, with his name scrawled across the poster board, decorated with curlicues and glitter. You never thought it was something you’d be doing again. Oh, how things had changed. In the short time that you’d been here, your fondness for Rhett had returned. You supposed it had never left, to begin with. It had just been lying dormant for six years.

You should have known the blue-eyed cowboy would win you over again. You never could resist him.

Later on that day, as evening time approached, the excitement was palpable. Amy was bubbling with it, and it was rubbing off on everyone else. Zara, Jeslyn, Finn, and Danny arrived at the house to wish Rhett good luck before his ride.

Cecilia was fretting, making sure Royal and Amy were ready, never one to be late to anything. Royal was amused at her behavior, and you caught him smiling fondly at her, a glimmer in his eyes. He, too, was eager to see his son ride, he just had a much different way of showing it.

He never could fully accept that Rhett had walked away from riding. In fact, there had been a time when he was even disappointed in the boy for doing so.

Royal himself had once been on top of his game as a bull rider, when he was but a young man. He had suffered many injuries during his time in the riding circuit, but he’d always gotten back on the bull. He had chastised Rhett for quitting, and although he never said it, part of him felt that his son was too soft. He needed to toughen up and get back in the ring.

It had been a point of contention between father and son, but they had since moved past it. However, now that Rhett was getting on the back of a bull again, Royal was very pleased. He might even go as far as to admit that he was proud.

Rhett, on the other hand, was riddled with anxiety. He remembered so clearly the way he used to feel before a ride. It was as if electricity was thrumming through his veins, driving his every movement. It was deliciously exhilarating. But now, all he felt was fear.

He kept replaying the night of his injury. It was just a freak incident. It wouldn’t happen again. But there was still the question of “what if?” in the back of his mind. He didn’t remember the pain he felt when it happened. He’d been too hyped up on adrenaline. It was almost an out-of-body experience. As if he wasn’t the one being gored by a bull. That was someone else. Another unlucky rider.

Even as he stumbled backward, his body colliding with the sand beneath him, it wasn’t real. It was a dream. A figment of his imagination. Until he was being dragged to safety and you were above him, voice filled with terror as you begged him to stay with you. That was when reality hit him like a ton of bricks, and the pain began to radiate throughout his entire body.

But that was then. This was now. Things were different. He’d long since healed from his injury, though its scar remained, a constant reminder of what he had endured. But after losing his brother and sister-in-law, along with one of his dearest friends, he had learned that oftentimes, the pain of grief was far worse than any sort of physical pain.

If he had been able to survive the agony of loss, then he could survive a brief ride on an angry bull.

Having the people he loved most there to cheer him on made it a little easier to stomach the thought of riding. But most of all, having you there was the most wonderful part.

“You’re gonna do great. We’ll all be cheering you on the whole time,” you assured him, voice soft, as you shared a moment alone.

He mustered a smile, humming lowly. “Y’really think I can do it?”

“I know you can.”

Your vote of confidence meant the world to him. It was his driving force as he climbed into his truck and headed to the rodeo grounds. He was going to be just fine.

Later that night, you were all arriving at the rodeo, spirits high as you all climbed out of your respective vehicles. You’d ridden with Royal, Cecilia, and Amy in the beat up old Ranger that had been in the family for years.

As soon as you climbed out of the truck, Amy was pulling you along, talking a mile a minute. “C’mon! We have to get some kettle corn before it starts!” She urged. She waved the rest of the group along.

You all found yourselves in line for the aforementioned kettle corn. The different food smells transported you to rodeos past, and the pressing weight of nostalgia took your breath away.

“How you doing?” Came the voice of Zara, who stood behind you in line.

You turned, offering her a smile. “I’m okay! Kinda nervous for Rhett, but I know he’ll do great.”

She nodded in agreement. “Oh yeah, he’ll be just fine. I’ve never seen him ride before, so I can’t wait! He tells us all stories sometimes about his riding days. It’ll be cool to finally see him in action.”

“He was awesome,” you told her, “really, he had such a knack for it. I’m glad he’s getting back out there, even if it’s only for one night.”

“Yeah. It’s brave of him, I think. Facing his fears and all that.”

“It is.” Or maybe it was foolish. Either way, it was happening, and you were going to support him if it was the last thing you did.

Once everyone had their own respective snacks, you all followed Royal and Cecilia up to the stands. The voices of those around you overlapped. Fragments of conversations. Old friends catching up. Church ladies gossiping. Young girls giggling over the cute cowboys who would be riding that night.

You took your seat, eyes flickering across the ring, searching for any sign of Rhett behind the gates. Your belly was fluttering with butterflies. Your heart was racing. Your palms were sweaty. When it came time to stand for the National Anthem, you could hardly sing along, voice coming out shaky and breathless.

The late spring air was cool against your heated skin, but you hardly noticed it, hand swiping at your forehead where perspiration had begun to form. As you sat back down after the anthem, you felt Cecilia’s hand on your arm.

She shot you a reassuring smile, but you could see the wariness in her eyes. She was worried, too. “He’ll be fine,” she said, more so to convince herself.

You nodded. “Yeah, he will be.”

Then the announcer’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Good evenin’, Amelia County! We’ve got a fantastic lineup for y’all tonight!” He began listing the names of the boys who would be riding in the circuit. “We’re changin’ things up a little with an honorary ride. Want you to give a warm welcome to Rhett Abbott, Wabang native, who used to ride regularly in our rodeos! He’ll be closin’ out the circuit for us tonight with a final ride. So sit back, relax, and get ready to cheer on our riders! Let the fun begin!”

His choice of words was amusing. Watching bull riding was the least relaxing thing out there.

“We have to wait for everyone to go before we can even see him ride?” Amy complained.

You were inclined to agree with her dismay. Your anxiety was only going to increase as time passed. You knew you wouldn’t be able to focus on any other riders because you would be too busy thinking about him.

With each contestant that was called up, your anticipation mounted. You tuned out the rest of the crowd. All the voices, all the sounds, the reverberation of the loudspeakers. None of it mattered.

You used to be behind those gates, when you were working in the first aid tent. You’d witnessed Rhett’s pre-ride jitters more times than you could count. He would often seek you out for comfort. He loved when you’d come up to him and wrap your arms around his middle, resting your head against his back. It would always ground him.

He didn’t have that now. He was behind those gates by himself. Part of you wished you were back there with him, but you quickly pushed that thought aside. He was a grown man, he could handle it alone.

You instead tried your best to focus on each rider, attempting to enjoy the rodeo.

Subconsciously, you were counting down the minutes until Rhett’s ride.

Much to your relief, it all went by quickly, and before you even realized it, it was time for him to come out. Beside you, Amy jumped to her feet and held up her sign, hoping to get his attention as he climbed into the chute. You leaned forward in your seat, and at that very moment, he lifted his head, and locked eyes with you.

You gave him a reassuring smile, placing your hand over your heart. He nodded, and then bowed his head. Sitting atop a creature teeming with virile energy sent his pulse pounding in his ears.

He was surrounded by handlers, all making sure he was securely in place. Some of these guys he’d known his entire life. A few had even worked alongside him when he was still riding regularly.

“Y’ready, son?” One of them asked. Jason McGowan.

Rhett let out a breath, shifting his gaze straight ahead. His gloved hand was wrapped securely in the rope beneath him, keeping him in place. The animal he was seated upon shifted, snorting loudly, growing antsy and impatient.

“As I’ll ever be,” Rhett murmured. His chest felt tight. His thighs were trembling. Was he even strong enough to hold on for this? Could he really do it?

He counted down in his head. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Then he nodded, and in a split second, the chute burst open, and he was lurching forward as the bull jumped out into the ring. The beast writhed and roared beneath him, bucking furiously, tossing him about like a rag doll.

In the stands, you shot to your feet, holding your breath as you stared at Rhett. Come on, come on, come on. He held on for dear life, free arm in the air. The clock was ticking, but you never dared to glance at it. You would not take your eyes off of him.

Cecilia grabbed your arm again. You held tightly to her, both of you watching your boy, silently praying for him to succeed.

Just a little longer. You can do it.

And then he let go. His body sailed through the air, and he hit the dirt, but he kept running, stumbling away from the raging animal as a pair of rodeo clowns directed the bull’s attention elsewhere.

Rhett straightened, shoulders squared as his eyes flickered up to the large screen to see his time. His name soared to the top of the scoreboard.

He had the best time of the night.

Around him, the crowd went wild. But he didn’t care about any of them. Frantically, he searched for you, electric blue filled with pride and shock all at once. He finally saw you, cheering for him at the top of your lungs, screaming his name from the stands. He swore he could hear you. Over everyone, there was your voice, praising him, calling for him.

His cheeks were wet, and he realized there were tears pouring down his face.

But he was grinning, teeth flashing white, beaming in the golden light cast upon him.

I did it. I fuckin’ did it.

He wasn’t sure when his legs started moving, but before he knew it, he was running, boots kicking up sand as he threw himself over the barricade separating the stands from the ring. He took the steps two at a time, making a beeline for you.

Your beautiful face was full of adoration, and the moment you saw him coming at you, you pushed your way through the crowd, nearly tripping over your own feet as you rushed to meet him. You heard whistles and cheers around you, friends and strangers alike urging you both on.

As soon as you reached each other, he was throwing his arms around your waist, crushing you to him. You laughed musically, despite the tears that were running from your eyes. You held him tightly, one hand coming up to cradle the back of his head.

“I did it,” he whispered in your ear. Then he laughed. “I did it, honeybee!”

You pulled back to gaze into his beautiful face. Honeybee. Oh, how you’d missed that nickname. “You did, Rhett,” you echoed. “I’m so proud of you.”

He lingered, shining eyes locked with your own. The surrounding activity faded into the background, and it felt as if you were the only two people in the entire world. You were suddenly very aware of the warmth of his body against yours. The feeling of his chest heaving in time with his breaths. The beating of his heart. If only for a moment, you were transported back to a time when you were so in love.

It hit you like a punch to the gut, stealing all the oxygen from your lungs in one fell swoop.

Oh my god, I’m still in love with him.

You let go of him as if you’d been stung, and before he could react, he was flooded with congratulatory hugs and pats on the back. You faded into the background and watched him receive showers of attention. But you were reeling, trying to process the emotions swirling through you, much like the tornadoes you used to chase.

What were you going to do with this knowledge? You supposed it had always been there. From the moment you saw him when you returned to Wabang, the feelings that had been dormant for six years were brought back to the surface.

You were supposed to have moved on. But the truth was, you never had.

You couldn’t do anything about it. It felt like the worst possible time to realize you loved him. You had a job and a life back in Maryland. You couldn’t make a relationship work with him, even if you wanted to.

It was no surprise that you found yourself in the parking lot, wanting to be away from the crowd. Wanting space. If you’d driven yourself to the rodeo, you would already be leaving. But you were dependent on other people to get you back to the Abbott's. And you certainly weren’t about to walk back by yourself.

Instead, you found yourself leaning against Royal’s truck, your mind moving a million miles a minute. Why couldn’t you just move on? You’d had plenty of time to do so. What was it about Rhett that rendered you unable to let him go?

He was your first love. Your only love. You had tried dating other people, but nothing had worked out. You always chalked it up to you having high standards, but you realized that perhaps all this time, it had never worked with other people because you were still in love with Rhett.

What a predicament to be in.

You were still reeling slightly by the time the rodeo was over. It wasn’t long until you heard the sound of familiar voices. Amy’s voice rang out over the parking lot as she praised her uncle.

“You were so awesome! I knew you would be! You looked so cool on top of that bull!” She rambled on.

Rhett was grinning, face flushed, as he tugged Amy into his side for a hug. “Thank y’, Ames,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

“The kid’s right, you knocked it outta the park, man,” you heard Danny say as he clapped Rhett on the back. Everyone else chimed in with their own two cents.

You pushed yourself off of the truck and came into the light, integrating yourself back into the group. You wondered if any of them had noticed your absence.

“I think we should go out for ice cream to celebrate,” Finn suggested, at which Amy turned to her grandmother with wide, pleading eyes.

“Please, Gramma, can we?!” She begged, folding her hands beneath her chin.

Cecilia relented, a smile on her face as she leaned over and patted Rhett’s back. “Since it’s not a school night, why not?”

As Amy clapped in excitement, Rhett lifted his head, and he caught you looking at him. You held his gaze. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he opened his mouth, as if to say something, but his attention was pulled away again by the sudden weight of Royal’s hand on his back.

A wordless “I’m proud of you, son.”

Rhett didn’t get to speak to you until after you’d all settled in at Marigold’s Ice Cream Parlor. After everyone had ordered their respective ice creams and milkshakes, and you stood nearby with two scoops of chocolate in a small cup, he approached you.

He had a cone of rocky road, his all-time favorite ice cream flavor. “Hey there,” he murmured, speaking lowly. He’d taken his hat off and left it in the truck, and he now sported a head of hat hair.

“Hi,” you answered. You suddenly felt like a pair of shy teenagers.

“Are y’alright?”

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” You didn’t mean to sound defensive, but that was how it came out.

Rhett shrugged, licking at his ice cream. “I dunno, you ran off after my ride. You looked kinda panicked. Just thought I’d check on ya and make sure you were alright.”

Should you tell him? Would it be foolish to do so? “Well, I…”

“Hey Rhett, c’mere!” Jeslyn’s voice suddenly sounded across the parlor, cutting you off, and he glanced over. She was waving at him, encouraging him to hurry.

“One sec!” He responded before he turned back to you, expectant.

“Sorry…sorry, yeah, I’m totally fine. The crowd was just a lot.”

You could tell he didn’t quite believe you. “Okay. Just, uh, just wanted to make sure.” He offered an endearing smile, and your heart clenched in your chest. “Anyway, you wan’ come join us?”

You nodded and followed him to the table where everyone was seated. You found yourself sitting between him and Danny, and if only for a little while, you pushed aside all the stressors and uncertainties and allowed yourself to melt into the lighthearted atmosphere created around that table in the little family-owned ice cream parlor.

You found yourself laughing along with Rhett’s family and friends, listening to stories and anecdotes, sitting through Amy’s dramatic retelling of an anime she’d watched. You realized that you felt like you belonged here. As if this was where you were always meant to be. Your story was supposed to intersect with the stories of those around you.

Your life was always supposed to intersect with Rhett’s.

No matter where you went, or how far you ran, he would always be part of you. He was ingrained in your bones. In the very cell makeup of your being. The red string of fate tied you together for all eternity.

It was time you accepted that, and stopped trying to escape it.

So you chose not to fight it anymore. You let yourself care about him. Let yourself love him. And perhaps somewhere along the way, you would find it in yourself to tell him how you felt.

For now, you relished in the peace you felt with these people. And as you followed Royal, Cecilia, and Amy back out to the truck after your ice cream was long finished, you felt at ease for the first time in…well, as long as you could remember.

Maybe everything was going to be okay after all.

That night, you found yourself in the kitchen, making yourself a cup of herbal tea to help relax your body, which was tense and sore from the events of the last several days. As you idly dipped the chamomile sachet in the mug full of hot water, you were alerted to the sound of the front door opening.

You turned to find Rhett stepping into the house. He’d come home around the same time you had, but he’d remained outside for a while, tinkering in the barn with the nitrogen trailer. It was completely repaired, and he was eager to get it back on the road for another chase soon.

As he toed his boots off quietly, he was made aware of your presence, and he offered you a sleepy smile. “Hey. Didn’t know anyone was still awake,” he murmured, socked feet padding against the floor as he walked into the kitchen.

“I couldn’t really sleep,” you replied, “figured I’d make some tea. Want some?”

He shook his head as he opened the fridge, leaning down to glance at its contents. “Naw. Ain’t a tea guy, remember?”

You couldn’t help but smile. Of course you remembered. The only tea he liked was sweet iced tea. Instead, he pulled a jug of milk from the fridge and poured himself a glass. You longed to occupy the silence, so you spoke.

“You were great tonight.”

He took a swig of milk and then gazed into his glass, swirling it in his hand. Then he looked at you, bashful smile on his face. “Thanks.”

“Think you’ll do it again?”

At that, he scoffed. “Hell no. I loved it, I gotta admit. But my arms and legs are so fuckin’ sore right now. I’m too old for it. My days of bull wranglin’ are over, that’s for damn sure.” He downed the rest of his milk before he set the glass in the sink. While he gazed out the window into the night, he continued. “Storm chasin’ is my calling now.”

You hummed softly, eyes falling to a random spot on the floor. You toed it with your slipper-clad foot. “For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

He turned to face you. “It wasn’t. But I’m glad I did it. Showed me I can face m’ fears and still come out stronger on the other side.”

“Yeah,” you quietly agreed. His words struck something in you. A strange ache in your chest. A yearning for something.

He pushed away from the sink, how forehead crinkling as he raised his brows. “Welp, I’m gon’ jump in the shower and head to bed. See ya in the mornin’, girl.”

Before he could leave, you called out to him. “Rhett?”

He paused in the doorway of the kitchen, the orange glow of the counter lamp casting shadows over his handsome face. “Yeah?”

Your heart fluttered in your chest as you considered what you were about to say. “At the rodeo, after your ride, you, um, you called me honeybee.”

He hesitated, his body language stiffening slightly. “Oh, I did?” He brought a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “Didn’t realize it.”

If the light had been brighter, you might’ve seen the tips of his ears turn pink.

“What I’m trying to say is, I…I liked it.”

His sheepishness gave way into a small, crooked smile. “In that case, I meant t’say it then.”

You couldn’t hide your own smile. “Reminds me of…” You trailed off.

“Before. I know,” he agreed.

You took a step forward. The words were on the tip of your tongue. The realization you’d come to when he held you in his arms after his ride. You could confess it to him. Tell him everything.

“Uncle Rhett?” Suddenly, the small, tired voice of Amy cut through the tension in the air.

The spell was broken. Rhett turned, seeking out the source of the voice. “What’s wrong, Ames?” He asked, moving to her aid.

“I just need a glass of water.”

He stepped toward the staircase and held his hand out to her. “C’mon. Let’s get ya some water.”

He guided the girl into the kitchen, and you took that as your opportunity to sneak out while he tended to her. When he turned to look for you, you were gone.

With your tea in hand, you crept up the stairs, careful not to spill any of the hot liquid as you went. When you made it to Rhett’s room, you set the cup down on the dresser and hurried to shut the door behind you.

Letting out a breath, you closed your eyes. You had almost admitted everything to him right there in the middle of his kitchen. Part of you was glad for Amy’s interruption, while the other part was upset.

You knew your feelings would come out into the open sooner or later.

But you also had some other things to consider now. More than just rekindling feelings for your first love.

What Rhett said had struck you. Face your fears and come out stronger on the other side.

You still had a deal to carry out, after all. If he could face years of trauma and fear and live to tell the tale, so could you.

You made your decision. You knew exactly what you needed to do. It was time to stop running from the danger, and instead, run toward it.

The next morning, you woke to the sun streaming in through the window. It was Sunday morning, which meant Cecilia would be rushing about, getting ready for church. You allowed yourself a few moments in bed, staring up at the ceiling, before you finally swung your legs over the edge and stretched.

You quickly readied yourself for the day, throwing on some clean clothes before you padded across the hall to brush your teeth. You could hear activity happening downstairs, and the smell of breakfast cooking reached your nose.

Eager to join everyone, you finished your routine and then scurried down the squeaky old steps. In the kitchen, you found Rhett, Royal, and Amy all around the table as Cecilia flitted about the kitchen, finishing breakfast preparations.

Rhett saw you first, and his face broke into a smile, eyes glimmering in the golden sunlight that streamed in through the window over the sink. “G’mornin’,” he greeted.

Amy’s head popped up, and she grinned at the sight of you. “Oh, good! You’re up!” She exclaimed, rushing over to take your hand and usher you to the table. You giggled at her eagerness, and you didn’t miss the fact that she guided you to sit in the open chair next to Rhett.

“Mornin’, hon,” Cecilia called out as she stepped over to the table with a skillet full of bacon. “Get yourself a plate and have some breakfast! Was rushin’ this mornin’ so I forgot to set one out for you, I’m sorry.”

“I got it,” Rhett volunteered before you could even stand. He rose from his seat and retrieved a plate from the dishware cabinet.

“Thank you,” you told him, taking the plate from his outstretched hand and nodding to show your gratitude. His eyes lingered on your own before he took his seat beside you again.

“Are you guys in love?” Amy blurted from across the table.

Rhett nearly choked on the sip of coffee he’d just taken. You hesitated, unsure of how to answer. Cecilia made a chastising sound, tapping her granddaughter’s shoulder in disapproval at the question. But you could see that even she was barely hiding a smile. Luckily for Royal, who was beside you, he could hide his own smile behind his coffee mug.

“What makes you ask that?” Was what you finally settled on as your reply, trying to sound nonchalant. You grabbed a biscuit from the bowl in the middle of the table, busying yourself with pulling the bread apart to be buttered.

“Gramma says you are.”

“Amy.”

“What?! You did say that.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you should repeat it,” Cecilia scolded.

The girl huffed, shaking her head as she poked her fork at her scrambled eggs. “I just wanted to know.”

“Leave ‘em be, Amy,” Royal said, despite the amusement still on his features. He glanced at you. Even he knew the answer to the question Amy had asked. Thankfully, he’d saved you or Rhett the embarrassment of answering. You knew what you would have said, but were you ready to admit it out loud? Was Rhett?

Aside from the slightly awkward question from Amy, breakfast carried on without a hitch, but you were distracted, so many things heavy on your mind. Everything was about to change, you could feel it. Building in the distance, like an impending storm.

You volunteered to do the dishes to allow the rest of the family, sans Rhett, to get to church on time. Cecilia expressed her gratitude as she rushed Amy out the door, and soon, you were all alone in the house with Rhett.

“Y’alright? Got kinda quiet at breakfast,” he murmured as he helped you clear the table.

Your heart skipped a beat. You turned, your eyes meeting his. “Yeah, I’m fine,” you assured him.

You stood there together at the kitchen sink, staring into each other’s faces.

“You sure?”

“Uh-huh.”

He leaned in closer. “Because if Amy’s question bothered you…”

He was so close you could smell his cologne. The proximity took your breath away. “Oh, um, it…it didn’t.”

“Good.” Did his gaze just flicker to your lips?

“Yeah. Good.”

He’d definitely looked at your lips. You caught him that time. A look of longing swirled in the deep blue, and you suddenly felt as if you were drowning, swallowed up in an ocean. Your chest went tight. You could barely breathe, and yet, you’d never felt more alive.

“What would you ‘ve told her, if you answered her question?” He inquired.

I would tell her that I love you. I never stopped loving you. And I never will.

“I…”

You lost your train of thought, dizzy at his proximity, at his smell, at the sound of his hitched breaths. It was as if an invisible force was between you, pulling you toward each other. Your mouth parted, but no words came out.

He was going to kiss you, and you were going to let him.

And then, as if the universe was playing a terribly cruel joke on you both, the sound of pounding on the door made you both jump apart as if you’d been struck by lightning. Your hand flew to your chest, pressed over your racing heart as a shock of fright sizzled through you.

“Jesus,” Rhett grumbled under his breath as he whirled around, crossing the floor in a few big strides before he threw open the front door, only to reveal Danny on the other side of the door.

“Didn’t you get my text?!” Danny asked, chest heaving.

“What? No! I ain’t even looked at my phone since this mornin’!” Rhett answered, breathless.

“Nasty storm’s rolling in! Up in Coal County!”

“Shit, gimme one sec, I’ll meet you guys outside!” He turned on his heel and rushed to grab his phone from the living room, where it was charging. Then he retrieved his hat from the peg near the door.

You watched him scramble, preparing to meet another storm head-on, and you knew, it was now or never. Before you even registered what you were doing, your feet were carrying you forward, out of the kitchen, right to the door.

“Rhett,” you heard yourself call out his name.

He stopped in the doorway, turning to look at you, one foot on the floor, the other on the porch. “Yeah?”

You squared your shoulders and spoke more confidently than you ever had in your life. “I’m coming with you.”

A silent understanding passed between you both. He nodded his head, and simply replied, “Let’s go.”

read the next part

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mandiemegatron · 3 months ago

Text

𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚

𝙇𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙧 𝙥𝙩. 2

𝙒𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙎 ; 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝, 𝙇𝙖𝙬 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙯𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙁𝙐𝘾𝙆, 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙨𝙩, 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠, 𝙆𝙞𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨, 𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙚.

ᴸᵒˢⁱⁿᵍ ᵀʰᵉ ᵂᵃʳ ᵖᵃʳᵗ ᵒⁿᵉ ʰᵉʳᵉ ♡

A/N: ... yeah. This one hurt. It's rare that my own works make me sob the way this one did, I had to stop at one point and message my beta because it was 😭😭 good god. Just so yall are prepared.

Water anon, this ones for you. You asked for nothing but utter heartbreak and I hope I've delivered.

Thank you all for your patience with this, I'm truly so sorry this took so long but once you read it, you'll understand why. My heart is heavy and now I need to go smoke a fat blunt!

I love yall so much, a huge huge thank you to my beta Moss for their continued support and help.

“... Eustass…”

Kid shuffles in his sleep as a breathy voice rings out his name. He groans softly to himself before turning in his bed, his arm flopping over his face to shield his closed eyes from the beginning rays of sunshine.

“... Eustass…”

Eustass Kid rises from his deep slumber with a start, his eyes shooting open as a voice that once echoed over the entirety of the Victoria Punk sighs in his ears.

He sits up with a grunt, eyes almost frantically glancing over his empty room, only to take in exactly what he already knew - you were not there.

He glances down to his fleshy fist, frowning deeply as he takes in your now torn and tattered shirt - one he had hand picked out for you a few weeks after you'd joined - and he tosses it aside his pillow before holding his exhausted face in that same hand.

There's a rough knock on his door and he grunted again, though this time louder so the knocker knew he was awake.

Heat peeks through the door as he opens it, head tilted mutely as he takes in his Captain.

“... rough night, man?”

Kid huffs and glares at Heat before throwing his legs over the bed and stretching, his stump shaking slightly at the ferocity of the stretch.

“Could have been better.” Kid murmurs honestly, his voice still rough and low from sleep. He slowly rises from his bed and slips into his patterned pants and throws his billowy shirt over his limb, grimacing to himself as the fabric scrapes against his stump.

If Heat notices, he smartly says nothing to it, only giving a slight nod as Kid finally makes his way out of his room.

They're only a few steps out from Kids room when Heat suddenly speaks up, his tone even though clearly careful in his approach.

“We've… had reports about you know who that-”

Kid stops in his tracks, knowing exactly what Heat was about to say and shuts him up with a ferocious glare, lips pressed into a thin line to show his displeasure. Heat simply sighs and walks past him, shaking his head slightly as he mumbles to himself.

Kid huffs again and immediately turns around, deciding to go right to his workshop instead.

He didn't have an appetite anymore anyways.

As Kid enters his workshop, he immediately begins brainstorming ideas, wanting to bury himself in random work just to occupy the rampant thoughts that plagued his mind. He activates his devil fruit and scrap metal whips past him as he sits down, pulling a few boxes out from under his main wooden table and nearly tossing them up top.

Eustass grumbles and mutters to himself, ignoring the aching in his chest as he stumbles upon a few welded pieces of scrap you had been fiddling with, tossing them into a “destroy” box off to the side without a second thought.

Every few days he comes across something else you'd left behind - one day was a small notebook and pen, filled with scribbles of the crew (but mostly him), a handful of necklaces and bracelets over the next few, and now lately, it had been this.

Six months had already passed and to Eustass, it had been an eternity. Nights flew by where he didn't sleep, taken over by a bitter motivation to finish whatever project he threw himself into, desperate to not fall asleep to see you sleeping beside him in his dreams.

An angry and hurt sigh left Kid as he tossed the first box behind him, ignoring the loud clashing of the metal inside hitting the floor like sharp thunder. More of your little inventions fell out, clearly the cause of his distress.

“Fuckin’ ridiculous,” he furiously mutters to himself as he sifts through the second box. “You're lettin’ some fuckin’ broad take over your damn thoughts like some-”

“Kid, you alright?”

Kids head whips to the door, glaring darkly at Killer who had popped his head in, a deep set frown hiding behind the mask as he takes in the wrecked room. Killer lets out a low whistle before looking back at Kid with a slightly tilted head.

“... you got a pretty big mess there, man.”

Kid is eerily silent as he turns back to going through the box, deciding not to give Killer a response.

Killer blinks a few times behind the mask before sighing heavily and pushing his way into the workshop. He slides into the chair you used to take up and bluntly bites out,

“Kid, enough is enough.”

Eustass still stays silent.

Killer continues, “You have got to snap out of it. You made a mistake, you paid for it, and now you have to live with the consequences. This childish attitude isn't very Captain like.”

Kid freezes, a silent fury burning up in his stomach, threatening to spill out of his throat.

Killer sits back, crossing his arms over his broad chest as he continues his verbal assault.

“Kid, we looked for her everywhere. Either something happened to her, which is out of our control, or she made her choice not to come out, and if that was the case, then it is what it is. But taking your bullshit out on the crew is un-fucking-acceptable, and it's not going to continue to happen.”

Killer doesn't even have a chance to prepare himself as Kid throws himself at the blonde, shouting threats as he aims a wicked fist at the mask. Killers hand grips Kid's fist right before it smashes the mask, the blonde huffing as he struggles against Kid.

“K-kid! Stop man, what the fuck!”

The two struggle, fists flying and finally Kid's fleshy knuckles meet the mask, cracking it right down the eye. Kid suddenly freezes, blood dripping down his clenched fist and staining the wooden workshop floor beside Killer's head. The two breathe heavily, the adrenaline finally running low as Kid furiously croaks out,

“It's fuckin’ bullshit.”

Killer's heart breaks for Kid as he watches the depression eventually seeps through the anger, finally snuffing out the spark of fury in the Captain.

“I gave her everything’, man,” Kid spills out, sitting back on his calves as he stares past Killers face into the bloodied floor, eyes empty and haunted. “I gave her every fuckin’ piece of me and then tossed her away.”

Killer sits up with a grunt, his hand slightly shaky as he gingerly touches the crack on his mask. While the two fought sometimes, it was rare if not never that Kid had ever snapped at his mask like this. Deciding to put his own ache aside, Killer speaks up,

“This is called ‘your actions have fucking consequences’, Kid. Put yourself in her shoes - how would you have felt if you'd come across her fucking some random dude?”

Kid's nostrils flare with a huff, clearly unimpressed.

Killer gestures broadly at his action with a comment of, “Exactly. You expected her to come home with open arms, ready to sleep in the same bed you just fucked some random woman in?”

Eustass flinches as Killer says “home”, having already forgotten the way that word used to fall from your lips, how you'd loved the ship more than most of the crew. Kid squeezes his eyes shut, trying to focus on the pain in his fist as he finally hisses out,

“I get it.”

Killer pulls himself off the floor before he barks back, “Do you? Because it's been months, and you're still sitting here, acting like she didn't have a right to put her foot down. She loved you, man.”

Kid remains kneeled on the floor, his eyes holding an echo of colour as he slowly looks up to his first mate and best friend.

“... I really fucked up, Kil.”

Killer purses his lips together under the mask, giving a soft sigh through his nose before he replies gently, “Yeah Kid, you did.”

Killer holds out a hand for Kid to take, which he does after staring at it blankly for a few moments. When he finally stands, Kid barely gets out,

“... sorry.”

Killer gives Kid a small nod, accepting the apology at face value with a heavy clap on Kid's shoulder. “We're good.”

The two share a moment of silence, their eyes communicating better than any words could say. Killer gives Kid a slight shake before he finally asks,

“You gonna come eat with your crew or you want me to bring you something here?”

Kid shakes his head and honestly replies,

“I gotta get outta here. I'm sitting with my crew, like I should have been doing.”

Pride washes over Killer at seeing his Captain and best friend slowly come back to his senses. “Atta boy, let's go eat some grub, while there's still food left.”

Killer motions for Kid to follow, but the Captain remains in his spot. Killer tilts his head slightly and before he can ask, Kid promises thickly,

“I'm gonna find her, Kil. I'm gonna find her and bring her home, and I'm gonna make it up to her. You'll see.”

Stuck between wanting to support him and wanting to smack the stupid out of him, Killer decides to remain silent, giving Kid only a slight nod before walking out of the workshop.

“Lift it just a bit higher, Y/N!”

You huff to yourself and nearly raise yourself up on your toes to hold the metal plate just a smidgen higher. There's a whoop of delight before the metal is finally welded to the wall. You take a few, slow breaths as your arms begin to ache, sweat dotting your forehead as you call out,

“Eh uh, Shachi, you almost done? This is getting really heavy…”

There's a loud whir from above your head and Shachi calls back, “You're good! Move back!”

You let your arms fall down with a groan and you step back, now able to crane your head up enough to see just how the repairs were going. Ikkaku and Shachi clearly knew what they were doing, the redhead following her orders with absolute ease.

“You alright, Y/N-ya?”

A warm hand meets your shoulder and you turn, grinning up at your now Captain as you reply,

“Hey boss! Yeah, I'm good, just wasn't expecting to be doing this much heavy lifting today.”

Trafalgar Law looks down at you with a slight smirk, head tilted slightly as he asks,

“Is this your way of telling me you didn't expect the random sea-king attack?”

You can't help but snicker at his words, playfully jabbing at his side before joking back, “Ha! My gift of foresight doesn't work underwater, apparently. Forgive me, Captain.”

Law gives a soft tsk as your jab, swatting your hand away gently before he half-jokes, “Unfortunately, there will be no forgiveness today. To the infirmary, YN-ya, there's more mess for you to clean.”

You sigh and roll your eyes playfully before flashing him another grin and waving off your fellow boiler suited friends.

It was a very thin line, the one that you and Law seemed to dance on in the last few weeks. For so long, you'd felt like an unwilling guest on the ship, even with how kind and welcoming the Heart Pirates had been; now you'd felt like perhaps becoming a Heart Pirate yourself was genuinely a blessing.

There was what felt like an unspoken rule between you two. Step close, but never so close enough for it to mean something. Say something sweet, but nothing so sweet as to make you ache. Touch gently, but not so often that it might look too gentle.

As precarious and almost confused as you felt about the situation, you did your best to remain as neutral though genuine as possible while dealing with Law, trying to keep your heart locked up lest another Captain decide to crush it in his hand. That was not an ache you wanted to deal with ever again.

You sighed in slight frustration at seeing the main medicine cabinet open and nearly empty, bottles of pills and vials of whatever Law kept in the cabinet strewn over the entire medical bay, along with papers and file folders from the multi drawer desk beside it. You immediately began to pick things up, having to take a few seconds as you tried to remember where everything went, knowing Law would come in at some point and fix any mistakes.

You were about half-way through when the med bay door opened then shut, the soft click of familiar boots echoing slightly until they stopped just behind you. You gave an exaggerated sigh and glanced up over your shoulder, ignoring the slight burn in your cheeks at how close Law actually was.

He was staring at the open cabinet, his eyes moving over each bottle and vial before you jokingly asked, “See any issues, Captain?”

Law blinks before looking down at you, mirth in his gaze as he jokingly snarks back, “Actually, yes.” He leans over your shoulder, his chest pressed against your shoulder blade as he reaches into the cabinet and moves four bottles around. “The dosage was in the wrong order. Always low to high, you know that.”

You turned back to the bottles and hummed to yourself in agreement, mentally noting to always read the fine print in the future. “You're right, good catch.”

He raises an eyebrow with a hum of his own before moving back and resting against the desk beside the cabinet, his arms crossing over his chest as he comments,

“You seem to be fitting in quite well, it seems.”

You placed a few more bottles inside silently, giving a slight shrug before throwing him a small smile. “I like to think so.”

Law nods minutely, tilting his head a little as he asks, “Did Eustass-ya's crew treat you similarly?” He waits a beat before adding almost gently, “If you're comfortable with sharing, of course.”

Your nose bitterly twitched into a scrunch for not half a second before you genuinely replied in a flat tone, “Yes. They treated me just fine.”

You already know what Law's about to ask so you cut him off with an exhausted, “You ask me about Kid every other fuckin’ week, I don't know why you're so nosey about him.”

Law smirked slightly, giving a laughing huff as he leaned back slightly, taking you in before he replied smoothly, “I'm not nosey, I'm just interested in information about my enemy.” He frowns at you mocking him with your hand, your fingers talking at the same speed as him and he snaps, “Don't be rude. Are you a toddler?”

You stick your tongue out at him before frowning, going back to trying to finish your duty with a little more aggression to your motions. “Don't you have anything better to do than bully me?”

Law can't help but chuckle at you, shaking his head with a playful sigh before he stands straight and walks towards the door. He calls over his shoulder, “Dinner is soon, don't be late, or I'll ground you.” He doesn't flinch when a pen whips past his head and embeds into the metal door, instead he frowns and turns back to you with a sharp, “Oi! Don't put holes in my fucking ship! Don't think I won't toss your ass overboard!”

You roll your eyes and place the last few bottles inside before finally locking up the cabinet and moving onto the papers and files splayed over the floor like a shitty confetti toss. You hear Law grumble and rip the pen out of the door before it gets tossed and rolls just off to the side from you. “Don't fuck anything up, Y/N. If you want to even think about taking a step off this ship to explore the island tomorrow, everything better be a hundred and ten percent perfect.”

Your heart sinks slightly at the bite in his tone, knowing you'd taken a step too far. “Yes, sir.” You muttered before kneeling down and beginning to shuffle through the sheets. Luckily, most file folders were nearly intact, only a few pages missing and close by that you could begin matching them properly. You couldn't stop from flinching when the door slammed shut, your head bowed low in near shame as you silently picked up more papers.

You sighed to yourself as you bit back tears, his last question playing over and over in your head as you began to think about your old crew. Cold nights like tonight, you'd be curled up in Kid's red jacket, your tired eyes lovingly watching him as he fiddles over another small trinket or invention, laughs bubbling up as Kid made butterflies flutter around you, a gentle and adoring look on his face as he looks back at you. You angrily wiped at your face as tears streamed down, trying not to let them fall and stain the white sheets around you.

“You made your choice, you made your choice, you're not allowed to cry about it, you made your choice…” your voice cracked in sorrow as you murmured to yourself, your hands pressing against your eyes to try and stop the onslaught of tears. “You did this to yourself, this is your fault, this is your fault…” Your broken heart shattered a little more as the grief took over.

Unbeknownst to you, Law stood outside the door, having cracked it open slightly after he slammed it, curious if you were going to curse him out but his mind fell silent as he listened to you fall apart and blame yourself. A curiosity filled him as you silently wept, your soft whimpers and sniffles clenching around his heart like a fiery grip.

He stalked off to his office after a few more moments, unable to listen any longer to your tears. His mind raced as he tried to think of reasons why you'd blamed yourself, wondering just how bad Eustass Kid broke you for you to get to this point.

He was determined to find out everything, the curiosity growing almost desperately. Every piece of information you could give him about Kid gave Law a step up in the race to becoming the Pirate King, and he decided then he would rip the information out of you if he had to.

A little smirk washed over Law's lips as he thought about it. He was the Surgeon Of Death, wasn't he? Adding you to the crew's roster was mostly a chance to gain any information on Kid and even though Law felt some form of affection for you, his priorities were in order and you were not one, romantically at least. Not that you had to know.

After all, if you'd lost your loyalty to Kid over a little heartbreak, what's to say you wouldn't do the same to him? Law rationalized with himself over and over, ignoring the slight gnawing in his stomach at the thought of manipulating you, instead hardening his heart over and over while trying to silence his mind.

Sometimes he hated the sheer amount of empathy he felt for you.

“Look.”

Kid glances off to the side of the ship where Killer points, his brow ridge furrowing as he takes in the bright yellow submarine that breaks through the waves. He gives a grunt, rolling his eyes before turning away from the sub to take in his crew.

“You all know what your duties are. Those staying on the ship, keep her safe. Those heading to shore, you've got til sundown to be back.”

He gives a nod toward shore just as the Polar Tang settles into a stop, dropping anchor far enough away that Kid questions if that shitty Trafalgar could see the Victoria Punk from their position.

“What do we do about-” Bubblegum is cut off by Killer, who raises a sharp hand and shakes his head. Bubblegum gives him an understanding nod before heading off the ship with Reck, Hip, and UK following behind.

There's a tense silence between Kid, Killer, and the few remaining Kid pirates on deck. Kid's amber eyes narrow as he watches the Heart pirates slowly come out of the sub, lingering on deck before a handful of them jumped ship and began walking towards the same town. Kid grunts again as he takes in the shape of the Heart’s mink, trailing behind a woman who spoke in an animated fashion, her hands moving as if she were telling a story.

It seemed… familiar.

“Is… is that…?”

Kids entire body tenses as Killer murmurs, shock slowly falling over the deck as Dive suddenly shouts, “That's-!”

Not a second later, Kid is jumping off his ship and is rushing towards the mink, ignoring the almost panicked shouts from his crew as his long legs thump against the gravel. His heart races anxiously, getting closer and closer until he's tackled off to the side, shouting angrily as he hits the ground.

“Kid, stop!”

He snarls and lashes out, only to stop as he takes in Killer's mask, mere inches from his face. “Calm down man, think about this.”

Kid goes to reply when he stops and an all too familiar voice calls out from the surrounding trees,

“K-Kid? Killer?”

Both men pull away from each other and look up, both of them surprised and in shock as you stand there, the bear mink just behind you, looking like a nervous wreck.

“Y/N…”

You turn to Bepo and give him a gentle push, telling him to keep going. “I'll catch up.” Bepo looks unconvinced, crossing his arms over his orange jumpsuit and giving you an anxious look as he somehow gets out, “C-captain wouldn't be happy if I-”

You give the mink a dark look, giving him a slight frown as you repeat yourself, “Go on ahead, I'll catch up.”

Kid and Killer stand slowly, watching between you two before Bepo finally gives in, hating to leave you but also not enjoying the look you were giving him. He glares at the two men before finally turning to walk away, though he walks back towards the sub instead, which makes you frown a little deeper.

You turn back to your ex love and Captain, an ache in your chest that felt like a fiery grip and it took you a good moment to finally speak up, your tone curt and to the point.

“... I'm glad you guys are okay.”

Kid bristles, a snarl on his lips though the pain in his eyes spoke louder.

“Bullshit.”

You flinch at the harshness of Kids words, your eyes downcast for a moment as you bite back,

“It's not.”

Killer decides to step in, mediating the situation by genuinely commenting,

“You're lookin’ good, Y/N.”

There's a small smile on your lips at that though it disappears as quickly as it came. You give a slight shrug before replying back,

“I'm…” You struggle to find the right words. “alive, I suppose.”

You look back to Kid and the look on his face makes you want to disappear into the dirt beneath your feet.

“... you fuckin’ left.”

Your heart lurches at Kid's words, one of your hands unconsciously gripping over your heart as you snapped back sadly, “You fuckin’ cheated.”

Kid at least has the mind to look guilty, his arms crossing over his chest as he huffs out a sigh. “... I fucked up, Y/N.” He stares you down as he bites out, “‘M sorry.”

Fury rose in your chest at his apology, the pain you'd felt for the last over half a year finally rising in your throat as you unleashed all your hurt onto him. “You're sorry? You took some whore into our bed, abandoned me on a random fucking island and you're SORRY?!”

Both men take a slight step back, not expecting the absolute rage bursting from your entire form. Kid sneers slightly, trying not to lose his temper as you continue, “You left me behind! You fucking promised me you'd never leave me behind, and then you did. How am I supposed to forgive you?”

Kid huffs and snarks back, “Like this, ‘I forgive you, let's go home’, that's not so goddamn difficult, is it?” His voice goes a few octaves higher when mimicking you which only infuriates you more.

“That easy, eh?! Just so easy for you to welcome me back and what, I just forget it even happened and that you didn't absolutely destroy my heart?!” You picked up a few rocks and began throwing them at Kid, the redhead having to pull his metal hand up to protect his face from your wicked aim. “You! Left! Me! Behind!”

“Y/N, just listen to him!”

You give a scream of outrage towards Killer and whip a rock at him as well, furious at the way he slices it into dust. “You said you weren't going to make excuses for him, so why are you doing it now?!”

Killer then holds his hands up, palms towards you as he asks sharply, “Just listen! No one is making any excuses!”

You throw one more and he catches it, throwing it back so hard it whizzes past your face, slicing a small cut into your cheek. Tears blind you as you scream back, “What did I do to deserve that?!”

“Nothing, goddamnit!”

You wipe at your eyes when Kid shouts, his body shaking in barely contained anger as he continues, “I fucked up! You didn't do anything wrong, I did. I took advantage of your love and I'm fucking sorry, okay?!”

You throw another rock at him and it hits his goggles, cracking the right eye. He doesn't move, continuing to stare you down as he pours his soul out to you.

“I fucked up, I fucked up by fucking some random bitch and ignoring how that shit would've made you feel, I left you behind because you made your choice to fucking run away instead of knockin’ some fuckin’ sense into me so I thought you just… didn't love me.”

Your tears came back full force, your brows furrowing as a weak sob leaves your lips. You go to retort when he cuts you off with an almost depressed,

“But I can't fuckin’ live without you.”

You crossed your arms, trying to keep your heart from further cracking and falling apart. “Kid…” You start, only to stop as he takes a few, slow steps closer as he continues,

“I can't breathe without you, I can't fuckin’ sleep, I can't wake up another goddamn day without you because you are my everything, you are my treasure.”

You stay put as he steps closer still, only a few feet from you that you could reach out and touch him. You're half tempted to punch him but remain unmoved, simply staring up at him with sad eyes.

“Y/N… babe, please…”

Your eyes widen slightly, unable to ignore the tug your soul gave towards his. He rarely, if ever, said please, especially like the way he did just now. Tears well up in your eyes again as he whispers,

“Please come home.”

In a flash, there's a blue swirl around him and he's teleported back to where he stood before, his ass hitting the ground beside Killer as a shout of confusion leaves him.

“Y/N-ya.”

You freeze, panic settling under your skin as you slowly turn to your now Captain, a cross-armed Bepo not far behind him. You sigh a disappointed “tsk…”, giving Bepo a betrayed look before you reply to your Captain with a blank look.

“Sir.”

Kid and Killer both sneer at Law, furious with how smug the scrawny Captain looked. You flinch slightly as Law lays a heavy hand on your shoulder, staring down at you with a thinly veiled warning in his eyes as he politely demanded,

“I'd rather you go back to the ship-”

Kid immediately cuts Law off with a shout of,

“She's comin’ back home, you stupid brick for brains! You-”

Law smirks and summons a room with one hand, the other still tightly gripping your shoulder and you wince, turning in his grasp as best you can to place your hands on Law's chest, giving a slight push as you beg,

“Let them go! Stop it, stop it!”

Law looks back down to you, something unreadable in his gray eyes as you plead for his mercy. “Y/N-ya…”

“Law, please...”

Killer frowns behind his mask, wondering if he was just seeing things or if maybe there was something between you and the Heart Pirate Captain. The way Law looked at you was eerily similar to the way both him and Kid would look at you, like you were an immeasurable treasure, and it infuriated him.

“Y/N.”

You turn back to Kid, eyes watering as you nearly sobbed out, “Please, just go…”

Kid shakes his head with a deep frown on his lips, getting into a fighting position and activating his magnesis, metal hand out towards you as he barks out,

“You're coming home, babe. This little twig ain't gonna stop me from bringin’ you back where you belong.”

“Room!”

At that, Law's hand moves to wrap around your waist and the room activates, surrounding you, him and Bepo in a shroud of blue. “Law, stop! No, please!” Law only tugs you closer, ignoring your half-hearted fists thumping against his tattooed chest.

You feel a familiar tug in the middle of your chest, the feeling causing you to glance down and it's then you remember putting your old harness on this morning under your boiler suit. A wicked grin comes across your face and with every inch of strength you can muster, you shove Law away and shout out,

“Kid, now!”

In a flash, you fly backwards just as Law's hand reaches out to snatch you back, his fingertips just grazing the front of your suit. There was a hint of fear in his eyes as you flew back, though it disintegrates into fury as your back slams into Kid's chest.

A thick, flesh arm wraps around you and there's an overwhelming sense of joy that rushes through you as Kid gruffly promises you, “I got you, babe. I got you.”

Metal hand still outstretched and Killers blades spinning furiously in defense in case Law tried something, the Kid Pirates slowly moved back, making sure to be aware of their surroundings as they stepped away.

“Y/N-ya. I'm disappointed.”

You cling to Kid's arm, glaring back at Law as he speaks.

“I saved your life, and this is how you repay me?” There's a crazed look in Law's eyes as he steps forward, ignoring the warning snarl that Kid gives him as he holds you close. “I took you in, gave you a home, held your hand when you cried and this… this is how you repay all my kindness…?”

You're quick to bite back, “I didn't ASK for you to save me, or help me, or hold my hand, you did that because YOU wanted to! Don’t act like you didn't use me as a fucking pawn!”

Law's head tilts down slightly, the brim of his spotted hat covering his eyes in darkness as he gives an almost exaggerated sigh. He then summons a small room, a soft “Shambles,” leaving his lips and fear grips you as you take in the sight of a heart in one of those strange, blue-ish cubes sitting in his palm.

Tears filled your eyes as you turn in Kid's grasp, looking up at him and throwing your arms around his neck as you sob out, “I love you, I'm so sorry, I love you, I love you-”

Pure agony ripples through your entire body as Law squeezes the heart in his hand, a sadistic smirk on his lips as he calls out, “Did you really think I'd let a Kid Pirate waltz around my ship without some sort of contingency plan?” He squeezes it again and you sob out in pain, clinging to a now anxious Kid.

“Oi, oi! What the hell is that?!” Kid shouts, holding you tightly to him, his flesh hand cradling the back of your head. Killer sneers out, “Is that… her heart?!”

Law chuckles, giving the cube a small bounce in his hand before giving it another hefty squeeze. Your legs give out and Kid is stuck holding your limp body, the pain causing you to black out. Killer moves quick, blades spinning like a tornado but stops just short of slicing Law's head off as the spotted covered man holds a small blade to the heart box, the tip just sinking into the jello like blob.

One of Killer's blades rests not a millimeter from Law's neck, the masked man's eyes wide behind it. Law raises an eyebrow at him, sinking the blade into the blob just a bit more and Kid shouts, “Stop! Stop, you'll kill her, you fuckin’ psycho!”

Kid looks down at you in his arms, blood slowly seeping through your boiler suit where your heart would rest had it not been in Law's hand. Kid rests his metal hand over your chest and closes his eyes, leaning down to rest his forehead against yours as he murmurs, “I love ya, treasure.” He presses his lips to yours for what he hopes isn't the last time, laying your body down and taking a step back.

“... you'd rather kill her than let her come back with us.” Kid's words came out bland, broken but on point. Law's smirk widens, his head tilting slightly as he replies, “Obviously. She's a liability, one that I can't afford for you to gain back.”

Killer finally lowers his blade, taking a few steps back before he nearly hisses at Law, “You're a goddamn freak, you know that?”

Law simply chuckled darkly, giving a wide-eyed grin to Killer as he snaps back, “I am the Surgeon Of Death, aren't I?”

“S-stop it…”

All eyes fall back to you. You're struggling to sit up, tears blinding your vision as you breathlessly beg, “Just… stop it…”

Kid steps closer to you, only to stop as you cough up a sizable amount of blood, your suit and the ground splattered with your life essence. You try to catch your breath, looking up to Kid with a doe eyed sadness as you barely get out,

“I love you.”

Law's heart clenches in his chest, furious that you had the audacity to still spill your heart out to your ex lover, the one that took advantage of all your love. Was he not enough for you? Was his obsession with you not enough for you to want to stay with him? He gave you everything you asked for, and yet here you were, half dead, and you were still singing praises to goddamn Eustass Kid.

Fury overtook the second-guessed pain in Law's chest as Kid earnestly replies to you,

“I love ya, Y/N. I never stopped looking for you.”

Law sneered, taking a deep breath before his hand moved, the dagger sliding into the blob like a hot knife through butter. Your eyes rolled back as Kid shouted, watching as your body fell limp, your back hitting the stained gravel.

Killer gave a shout of disbelief and immediately started slicing at Law again, sword meeting scythe as they hit back and forth for a bit. Bepo went to fight as well when he suddenly felt his mini den den in his pocket rumble.

“Captain! We're ready to ship off!”

Law grins darkly and slices at Killer with a surgeons precision, right down the chest though not deep enough to kill the guy. Law had enough blood on his hands for the day.

“Room!”

Law watches as Kid sinks to his knees, pulling your slowly dying frame to his chest, his flesh hand wiping away hair from your face as he leans down to press a shaky kiss to your lips. Your own weak hand cups his scarred cheek, wiping away the unwilling tears from his eyes as you both murmur your love for each other.

“Captain?”

Law looks over to an anxious Bepo before finally, bitterly, biting out a furious,

“Shambles.”

Random newspapers fluttered over the ground where the two once stood. There was a cold, empty silence as Killer slowly stands, large hand covering the wound on his chest as he slightly limps over to his Captain.

Kid's form shakes slightly as he whispers down to you. A loving smile rests on your lips as you blink slowly up at him, your hand tracing over his face as if preserving it to memory. “I love ya so much, I'm so sorry,” Kid murmurs over and over, bitter and angry tears rushing down his cheeks.

“I love you, Red.”

Kid hisses out a sob, his teeth clenched together so tight he swore they would shatter in his mouth.

“I love you, and I forgive you.”

Kid's head falls to your bloodied chest, his breathing panicked as he holds you tighter. ‘This isn't happening, this is all a bad dream, just a bad dream,’ he thinks to himself, trying to ignore the warmth of your blood tinting his skin.

“It's okay my love,” your voice is a whisper as you grin into his hair. “You brought me back home.”

Killer weeps silently behind his mask as he kneels down, running a gloved hand over your hair soothingly. You flash him a loving smile as you murmur lastly,

“You… are my home.”

Your hand stops carding through Kid's hair and it's then that they know you're gone. “ I love you, I love you, come back, come back,” Kid begs into your boiler suit, his words muffled by the fabric. His hands cling to you, willing for your soul to return to your body as he sobs out.

Killer rests over Kid, holding his best friend like a life line as they both quietly weep over your body, hating that the world would continue to turn while you would sleep for the rest of their lives.

It's late that night, after the town had gone to sleep that the Kid Pirates gathered on the shore, a deep hole dug in the grass just off the sand. Every member stood, holding a candle and a metal flower, watching with teary eyes with some clinging to each other as your body was laid into the ground.

Kid was the last to place a flower down, brushing hair from your face one last time as he breathlessly begged, “Wake up.” He knew you would not wake, but he repeated himself regardless. “Just wake up.”

He almost jumps when a heavy hand lands on his shoulder, pulling him from his broken vision as he glances up to a silent Killer. After a moment, they both nod and stand, finally filling the grave.

Once it was covered, Killer gives Kid a slight shake, trying to keep the red head grounded as he admits softly,

“I think she'd be happy to be buried here. You picked a beautiful spot.”

Kid sniffles, a blank expression on his face as he sadly drawls out, “Nothin’ but the best for my girl.”

Killer gives him another shake before patting his shoulder and walking back towards the ship with the rest of the crew. Kid stays a little longer, his flesh hand gripping tightly around the necklace he'd made for you when he finally made you his. You may have died with it on, but he was going to live with it around his neck until the day he dies.

As Kid turns from your grave, he takes a few steps before glancing at it one last time. “... I'm gonna make you proud, babe. Just you watch, I'm gonna make you proud to be mine.” He brings the necklace to his lips for a chaste kiss before slinging it over his neck, the small rose resting over his chest and warming his skin.

He finally walks away, determination lit anew in his heart. The second he hits the deck, he promises the crew,

“Trafalgar Law will pay for this. I won't rest until his body is 12 feet under, which means we need to catch up to him.” Kid slides into his Captains chair and snarls towards the seas. “The second we find them, I'm going to crush his stupid fucking submarine like a cola can, with him and all his fucking crew inside.”

The Kid Pirates shout in agreement, raising their weapons as they scream out,

“For Y/N!”

Kid leans back and grunts tiredly, keeping his expression furious as he bites out,

“For Y/N.”

Kid can't find it in him to look back towards the shore as they pull away. His flesh hand grips around the necklace for a second and he swears he can still smell your perfume as his eyes slide shut.

Eustass Kid was not in the business of losing, but he knew truly, he'd lost not only the fight against Trafalgar, but a piece of himself as he laid you into the ground.

As Killer slides a beer into his hand, Kid chugs half of it back before slamming the bottle down onto the chairs arm. “Never again, Kil,” he starts, promising his best friend with a clink of the bottle against his. “I'm never gonna make a mistake like that again.”

Killer simply stays silent, his head turned towards the shore to watch as your grave slowly disappears from sight.

“Never again.”

#mandies mumbles ; fanfics #one piece #trafalgar law #Eustass Kid #Killer #kid pirates #part two #ok to rb #kid x reader #law x reader if u squint #losing the war part 2 #god this was so emotionally taxing 😭😭😭😭#kid baby im so sorry

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neoarchipelago · 2 years ago

Text

And they were Roommates (part 6)

A/n: ok here's a little warning. First from now on i'll take a bit longer to publish because ... work. It's also slightly shorter than usual

second i've realised that i had completely forgotten that Keller is the last name of the character Alex. So i do want to underline that it is not in fact alex Keller.

third, thank you so much for the love you have given to this story, it warms my heart. I hadn't written in a long time and i was afraid to post anything. I'm really happy that you guys like it.

Fourth, thank you so much for the little ideas you send me, they're very helpful. I apologise if I fon't translate the full idea into the story but i try to add any little thing you send my way.

fifth, you are entirely allowed to fucking hate me.

Warnings: as usual, cursing, violence, mentions of death.

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"(Y/N)".

You smirked.

"Yes?" You questioned, glancing back as you sat at the counter in the kitchen.

"What time is it?" He asked from the couch.

"It's 7pm" you answered.

You smiled down at your computer. (Y/N). You had heard him say your name more than a couple dozen times today. Since you both told each other your real names, he had seemed to chant it non-stop. At any little question or situation.

"Y/N."

You rolled your eyes.

"Yes Simon?" You chanted sweetly.

A few seconds ticked before he answered.

"I have to tell you something." He answered, tone serious.

You paused your current activity to turn in your seat towards him. He was looking back at you.

"I have a Mission scheduled." He warned.

"Oh. Alright." You answered cautiously.

"I won't be here for a while." He announced.

"For… a while?" You frowned. "How long?"

"Around 2 months."

You swallowed, looking away. You didn't exactly know how to react. Obviously he had missions. You found yourself in a mix of sadness, worry and frustration.

"Y/N."

You looked up at him. By the look in his eyes, you felt like he was going to ask if you were ok. And you didn't want to answer that.

"Why do you keep calling my name?" You asked.

He remained silent. You stood up walking to the couch letting yourself fall next to him. He closed the file on his lap, red letters stamped on it.

"Simon ?" You pushed.

"I don't." He defended.

"Simon." You scolded kindly.

He groaned, looking away.

"How will you know if I'm addressing myself to you?" He debated.

"We literally are the only two people here." You chuckled. He ignored it.

You sighed, shrugging. You turned to the TV letting yourself enjoy the time you could spend with him. The tv played with whatever show was on as you started to think about something to order for dinner, too tired to cook.

"I like it."

You blinked.

"Hm?" You questioned, turning to him.

He raised his hand, turning your head so you looked at the tv instead.

"I said. I like your name."

"Oh. Really? It's nothing extraordinary though." You said blushing a bit.

"I was curious. After a few weeks. About your name."

You tried turning your head to him but he repeated his move, groaning annoyingly.

"It's… delicate…" he praised.

You felt your heart rate quicken. He.. liked your name.

"So… you like how it sounds?" You asked.

"Pretty much." He said matter of factly.

"Alright." You nodded.

"I like… that it's your name."

You turned your attention back to the TV, your mind unable to process anything after what he had just told you.

"I.." you started after a long minute.

"I like when you say it…" you said in a low voice.

The rest of the evening was spent very calmly. As per contrast to the rest of the week.

You sighed, grabbing your things to head out. Simon had been spending more and more time at the base. He had been preparing with the squad, preparing gear, tactics and training harder.

You could feel it. He had progressively grown colder. The ghost taking its rightful place, ready to hunt its target. You could feel him being careful around you, his mood had a drastic change and it seemed he tried to keep you away.

You tried to give him the space he needed. But you grew more and more worried and sad as the days passed.

You walked out of the door, walking down the apartment complex.

You stopped and cursed as soon as you walked outside.

"Hey Sparrow! Ready?"

"Soap. What are you doing here?" You asked, obviously already aware of the answer.

"Price asked me to come pick you up on the way to the base." The sergeant answered with a smile.

You rolled your eyes. Walking to him he opened the passenger seat for you. You thanked him, sitting and buckling your seatbelt. You watched the man skip to his side and get in. As you started driving to the base you asked.

"How is he this morning?" You asked.

"Well. Murderous." He smirked. "He's been training with some recruits coming along on the mission this morning and I think he's making them regret ever enlisting." He laughed.

You sighed. His mood had been becoming more and more sour. Not necessarily because he didn't want this mission, but mostly because he was entirely focusing on his target. The thought made a shiver down your spine.

"I don't think I'll be of help this time." You said.

Price had been asking you to come by the training sessions or after meetings to try and soothe his moods, but the closer the day of departure arrived the harder it became.

"Ah, don't worry. We're used to it. He's not entirely bad. As soon as he'll be in the field, he'll be the LT we're used to." He said. "We, the squad. I don't think you've seen him like that. But not sure… he wants you to." He said with a smile your way.

You bit your lip. Did you want to see him like that? A part of you did want. Another felt anxious at the thought.

The rest of the ride was spent in small talk. The closer you got to the base the more you could feel your body fall into a stressful state.

When soap parked in front of the training grounds, you walked out before entering the warehouse, the first thing you heard was the sound of people talking. The place had been rearranged as a training ground. Various dummies, people sparing at each other on mattresses.

Soap dragged you towards the rest of the squad a bit further from the rest.

"Here's our little bird." Price smiled.

You sighed but threw him a weak smile. You turned your head to the closest training mat. A breath caught in your throat. He saw fighting. With a man that surprisingly was a bit taller than him, also wearing a mask, though much looser. You watched the punches and kicks being thrown. They weren't holding back. Suddenly Ghost body slammed his opponent to the ground, the sound echoing. You flinched. That must have hurt.

"Don't worry, sparrow. They're used to it." Price tried to reassure you.

"Sure… if you say so. He seems to be fully into it." You commented.

"He is."

"I don't understand captain. Soap said it's usual for him to behave like this before a mission. Why do you want me to show up everyday?" You asked, turning to him.

He put a hand on your shoulder, walking you a few steps away from the rest of the squad.

"This time is a bit different. He seems. Frustrated."

"I don't think my presence helps."

"It does a bit. Though I know it's getting harder for you to deal with his mood. Today especially. The departures date was moved. We leave in 48h." He said with a sorry look.

You took a moment to process the information.

"It's not hard to deal with it. I'm just sensing it's being more and more useless. He's getting frustrated at me." You answered honestly.

"I don't want you two to fight. You don't have to go see him."

"I'll try. One last time." You replied with a soft smile.

He nodded. You turned back to Ghost. The fight was over, his opponent walked away, slightly limping and rubbing the back of his neck. You walked towards him.

"You ok?" You asked lowly.

"Ah, ja, I'm ok!" He answered the taint of accent on his words.

You smiled, continuing your path towards the man readjusting his gloves.

"Hey."

He stiffened, looking back at you.

"Why are you here?"

Ouch. You smirked at him.

"Price asked me to come check something for your mission." You lied.

He nodded. His chest heaved, his breath had quickened from the physical exercise though he didn't seem out of breath.

"Will you be home for dinner?" You asked.

"I don't know." He answered in a cold tone.

You could hear, Price started to walk up to you too very slowly.

"I can keep a plate for you if-"

"Sparrow. I'M BUSY." He barked, the sound echoing. A dreadful silence stood in the whole place. Everyone had stopped talking.

You flinched. Not enough for the others to see but he had noticed. The sound of small talk started again, probably under Price's glare.

"I'm sorry Ghost." You tried. Standing your ground hands behind your back.

"Lieutenant." He corrected coldly.

Price had finally reached the both of you.

"Fine." You spat back, the staring match now showing off both of your frustrations.

"Do you need anymore help captain?" You asked, not dropping your gaze from Ghost.

"No sparrow. Thank you and I apologize for-"

"It's fine. If lieutenant Riley wants to be a dickhead that's on him." You said, visibly angry and visibly taunting the man.

You turned around walking to the rest of the squad.

"You good?" Gaz asked.

"I'm perfect. I'll see you guys another time." You said with a smile towards them before exiting the perimeter. You took a deep breath outside. Fuck. What was wrong with him? The behavior had changed so drastically. A week ago, he was chanting your name in every sentence. Now he refused to even say it. He was cold. It was hard to hide the fact it was hurting. You were trying to see his point of view too, but you missed his old self.

You closed your eyes for a second. You had work to get to. So you did.

You had stalled. A lot. It was very late. You didn't need to be at the base. You could have spent the day working from home. Fuck you had finished all your work. Yet it was 9pm. And you were only turning the key in the lock to the apartment now.

You didn't want to fight again. You didn't want to fight before he left. You dropped your things on the ground and fell face first on the couch. The house was silent. Dark. It felt odd. You turned, grabbing a pillow and hugging it. You closed your eyes. Several minutes passed by before you heard his door open. You sat up as he walked into the living room.

You shared a look. He seemed annoyed. His new signature mood.

"What?" You spat.

"Don't." He warned.

"Don't what?" You replied in the same tone.

"Don't be a brat." He said.

You laughed coldly.

"I'm not the one being a brat Simon."

"Lieutenant." He corrected it once more.

You rolled your eyes.

"Why did you pass by the training grounds again?" He asked.

"Because Price asked me to." You answered honestly.

You stood up walking to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He stopped you halfway, grasping your arm. It wasn't soft but he was still careful not to hurt you.

"Sparrow. Don't come insult me in front of my men." He said in a serious tone.

"I didn't. I came to ask you something. You fucking yelled at me." You answered.

"I have other things to do other than giving you attention." He scolded.

"I didn't ask for attention." You replied, taking your arm back and crossing them over your chest. Fury growing in you.

"Y/N."

"Oh, we're back on a name to name basis?" You asked sarcastically.

He frowned. You were pushing his buttons. Unfortunately for both of you, he was too.

"Sparrow. You and I are not-"

"What? We're not friends?" You asked, interrupting him.

He stood there, silent.

"Is that what you're going to say?" You started now letting your anger finally out.

"Are you going to push me away again? And then leave without saying a word?" You continued your tone slowly rising.

"Are we going to fight until you leave and then you'll come back as if nothing happened? Fuck Simon! It looks like you're doing this on purpose!!" You ended.

And suddenly it hit you. Like a shit ton of bricks.

"You are…" you said in a whisper.

He turned away.

"You are! You're doing it on purpose. You're making us hate each other before you leave on missions." You said, incredulous.

"Y/N stop." He warned in a tone that promised repercussions.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" You asked, stepping closer.

He seemed to think for a minute.

"I'm a soldier. I go out there. I kill and I very possibly… get killed." He explained.

You frowned in confusion. He groaned in annoyance.

"I might not come back." He said abruptly.

"I know that. So what? You think making me hate you is what…? Going to make it… feel ok?" You asked.

He looked straight at you.

"My death isn't something that deserves mourning."

You blinked. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. Anger spoke volumes. Actually it moved fast too. You didn't exactly know how you grabbed the pillow from the couch and started hitting him with it.

"SIMON, FUCKING RILEY, DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN." You punctuated every word with a hit.

He groaned. You were really hitting his last nerves.

"I care! I fucking care! It's not up to you to decide if I should or not!" You said, this time tears prickling at your eyes.

He noticed. You hit him harder trying to hide it from him. He grabbed the pillow, snatching it from your grip and throwing it somewhere in the room. He grabbed your wrists making you back up against the wall.

"Calm down." He tried, his voice slightly calmer.

"No! Fuck Simon!" You scolded.

You stared at each other.

"Lieutenant Simon ghost Riley, you better come back to me." You whispered.

He didn't say anything. He leant forward, letting the top of his skull mask rest on your forehead and hissed a fuck. Your breaths mixing together.

"If we hate each other. We have nothing to lose in this situation. We shouldn't have…been friends in the first place." He explained in a whisper.

"Do you hate me?" You asked in a whisper too.

His grip on your wrists tightened. He didn't answer.

"If I don't come back. You're going to have to deal with it." He answered coldly.

He let go of your arms, stepping back as you looked at him, eyes wide in shock. He simply turned around. And walked out of the apartment.

You bit your lip closing your eyes. God. He was stubborn. You were hurt once more. Even if you knew he didn't mean it. In his stupid attempt to spare you from being hurt, he ironically hurt you.

You took a deep breath. You wanted to sleep, forget this whole discussion. You wanted to roll into your blankets. So you did, and you let sleep take you.

That morning, you had gotten up with very little motivation. You had realized quite quickly he had not slept home. You tried to go about your day but your mind kept running back to him. Was he really going to leave with saying goodbye?

The hours ticked and the more the realization settled in. He wasn't coming back. You decided to go to the base in the afternoon to drop a report. You had met with the squad, avoiding talking about their lieutenant. You told them goodbye, threatening to go find them if they don't come back. They had announced they were leaving late in the night, the departure being changed again.

You were going to miss them. You had started to get used to their presence. To enjoy their company. They had grown on you.

You walked home pretty late. Feeling devastated by your roommate's behavior. You wanted to see him. Talk to him. Hug him before he left. But it wouldn't happen. The thought making you want to cry.

You walked into your apartment. The silence felt horrible. You dropped your coat over the couch, slowly walking to his bedroom. A shy knock on his door was heard. It was the only thing heard. Nothing. Your hand reached for the doorknob slowly. Turning it, you opened his door. Empty. He wasn't there.

You turned around, feeling the need to go back to your bed. You froze. Your door was open. You frowned, slowly walking into your room. You noticed a bag on your bed. You approached, sitting next to it. You opened it, taking out the soft object inside.

You stared at it. Tears rushing down your cheeks. It was a squish-able round plush. Of the grim reaper. It was black, with a cute skull for a face. You hugged it.

Knock knock knock.

You looked up. Holding the plush, you stood, walking to the door. You opened it.

"Hi! I'm… Sergeant Hansen… I'm your new neighbor… are you ok?"

You stared at the man in front of you.

He wasn't going to say goodbye.

----

tags:

@lemontails @cabreezer0117 @tomhardy411 @brxghtixghtz @shuttlelauncher81 @pinkdazelight @sirenbunnylol @snortangeldust @novausstuff @gasstationfifacard @emotion-not-hot-yes-hotel-trivago @simpforavillain @minimisthios @catied32 @poohkie90 @watermaylon-writes @thereealink @meimhem @sorryi-mtrash @gaymistakeboii @bittersw33t-lotus @gh0stm3g @freckledmuffin @itsasecrets-things @xback1021 @connierk690 @feedthefandoms995 @friendlyneighboorhoodgothicpagan @dead-noodles @friendly-reject @critter-mylo @honeymariee @badame0224 @kitty-satan1 @all-good-things-have-an-ending @tianotfound @thriving-n-jiving @hailstrum18 @kiruoris @thats-s0-ravenn @orcasarebigbabies @makastaco @abajointrossyearl @kaylynninice24 @cated18 @swg141 @ghost-2513 @whore4dilfs @yggrid @jaehyacinths @juneitoo @popevickysmainbitch @topgirl17 @mildlyhopeless @feyredarling92 @thegirlintheshadows101-blog @badbittywitty @yourmom3-5 @tapioca-marzipan @xoprincesslea @here4thespice @goldyghoul @wolfyland07 @chingaderastillidie @d4z01 @stokcholm @khjssss @julesclues @hopefuloperaangelnerd

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kingofbodyrolls · 3 months ago

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For this rainbow, I finally picked up my professional camera again. The last images stored there tells me that the last time I used it was the 1st of December 2023. Wild. But I picked it up thanks to this pretty rainbow, which was actually a double rainbow. So pretty. This image is made up of three into a panorama shot, and Lightroom was a bit funky with putting them together, so please don't mind the badly processed house in the middle; no, we're not looking at that 😂

For people who want a wall of text status update, it's under the cut.

How are you all doing? I'm hanging in there. Not active much, but I still haven't gotten myself into deleting my tumblr app. So I still see and get all your notifs, even if I don't reply right away! I'm still taking time off, trying to figure out what I want to do with the blog for the future... I have not written a fanfic in some time now, but I have two finished stories that are ready to be published, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure about a lot of things these days... I've had dark days, written a lot of sad and dark poems (that will go on my sub blog some time in the future), and I've begun to write an original story. It's really fun; about magic, witches and mages; about good and evil and all the gray in between. It will probably bore you, but it's fun to write, even though I don't think anyone would read it except for a few friends (even though this thing might be the longest thing I'll write, turning into either two or three books lol).

Serotonin boost I get happy when I get notifs with comments and/or reblogs of my stories; it really touches my heart. To be honest, this is why I left/taking time off. I've always felt that interaction was low, and my stupid brain will not let me stop comparing myself to others, so it slowly killed my drive for writing and posting. If no one interacts, what's the point of posting? If no one interacts, what's the point of writing? But I love writing, and it's one of my creative outlets, so I couldn't let that go completely, hence I started writing original stories instead; no ones gonna read them anyway, but I can still play with characters, world building and storytelling. Those are the things I loved about fanfics---and I still do, don't get me wrong. But I feel so discouraged being on here. But I'm happy to know that a few people still care.

The Downfall This also made it quite hard for me to read; because I felt so unmotivated... I haven't read much this month at all. I tried to read a fanfic this Monday, didn't finish it and haven't picked it up since. Honestly, I've just been watching documentaries because I'm in a (tumblr) slump. I feel drained though; I feel like I've given so much, and I love it. I love making people happy, leaving lovely reviews, and it's as much for myself as it is for making another person happy---but to be honest, it has drained me. I know I shouldn't ask for anything in return, but I feel imbalanced. Like I'm not being filled with much love, if that makes sense? I don't really feel appreciated, but don't get me wrong, I don't feel hated (yeah, I'm so good at being black and white), sorry---I know I sound very pessimistic. But you guess have always been so kind to me, and I love you a lot, and I have a few super lovely mutuals and friends that are lovely internet friends that I adore, so I wanted to be real with all of you. You can hate me for it if you want to. Go ahead.

I don't think I'm going to make a recommend list this month. I haven't really read anything, so it'll be really small. And I don't like the pressure of it anymore... which is why for a long time I've thought about not doing them anymore. Maybe some day I will again in the future. But I'd still love to make rec list on the member's birthdays! And I think this will help me, take some pressure off myself (that I've created myself), so I'll still read and rec, it will just be slower---whenever I feel like it, and not because I have to read to make a monthly rec list. This isn't my job, I'm not getting paid doing all of this, and the amount of time I've been spending on both reading and writing is more than 37+ hours a week, sooo. I have to slow down.

A part of me thinks that I flew too fast, too high and too close to the sun, lol. I'm still gonna be here, you can still send in asks for rec list or whatever you want, all is welcome (except hate, because then I'll simply just delete my blog, my mental health can't take that).

To post, or not to post? Should I post the two stories that I have? Both of them are for the series Friendcation.

And for the unfinished mermaid stories I still have left, I hope I'll finish them in the future; when, I don't know. Maybe one day I'll feel love for them again, to finish them. I have them all planned out, but like I mentioned before, with low interaction, I'm really not motivated to finish them, even though part of me really want to for the like five people that are so sweet and invested, and always comments and reblogs (you guys know who you are, and I love you so fucking much 🥰).

To all the stories I'll probably never write...

I still have some other unfinished but planned stories, and I'm gonna list them here, just for the hell of it. Don't know if people would have found them interesting anyway, but here goes:

Words on a Page (a Namjoon x reader, idol!au where reader is a fanfiction writer and interviewer for a magazine and has to interview BTS). Author's comment: probably never gonna write it. It has been done before, and it was just a very very silly dream I had.

Songs of The Heart (a Jimin x reader, musician!au where Jimin is a single father and reader moves into the house next to his, hear his lonely songs etc, they meet, talk, very angsty, sad and nostalgic and 'Who' coded). Author's comment: this idea came to me after listening to 'who' and then thinking about Jimin being my next door neighbor, yeah, that's it. Don't know if this will ever get written.

IT Support (a Jimin x reader, office!au where Jimin is your nerdy coworker, but a freak in the sheets, lol). Author's comment: this has honestly been on my list for years, but I never written anything for it, and I probably never will, even though I've made the banner and all.

I do have a few more, but I've already scraped those, and then there's the four mermaid stories to add to the list. I'm probably mostly excited about the mermaid stories, and those would be my priority if I ever get back into writing fanfiction again.

I swear, I'm almost finished... Okay, this whole thing has gotten incredibly long. Sorry. Before I end this post, I just want to say how happy and grateful I am to each and everyone of you. I've met some incredible nice people on here, some really caring ones. I'll never forget that. And I'll never forget each wonderful and lovely comment, some people have really helped me, motivated me when I felt low, and when I wanted to stop writing a few months back. Thank you. I kept going, and I wish I could keep going for you, making something special, for the special people I met here. I actually really wanted to do requests for you guys in hopes that it would motivate me into writing, but I just don't know. I still want to give so much back to the people who have hyped me up, so I'm going to tag a few of you lovely people--- if you have a request for a story, you're welcome to message me or send me an ask. I don't know if or when I'll write it, but in case I get a bit of motivation, I have some things I could write from, so if you want to, you can send me a request (just keep in mind the story will probably be a one-shot from 10-20k max or maybe shorter, lol, you never know with me). You don't have to send me a request, I simply want to give back to some lovely people. I wish I could hug you.

@letjungcoook7 @honeybloomyyyy @babystarcandyjk97 @minpdrecs @bobathi @allie-is-a-panda @back2bluesidex @gimeow @antisocial-mochi267

These are but just a few of the people that have supported me on there, either by commenting, reblogging, ask, messaging--you name it. I could list many others, and one day I might make a post celebrating all mt lovely mutuals, that means a lot to me. Thank you for interacting; you've (as long with others) helped me when times were tough. Thank you.

I had actually planned to open a "recommend a fic" section/box, but I'm not sure about that. I still have so many fics on my to read list, and right now I don't want to pile more onto it. Might do it in the future, when I've finally made it through my own lists.

Okay, I have to end this post for real now.

I'm still on tumblr, I still have my app. I deleted my discord app on my phone, but I'm still part of the servers I was before, I'm just not active. It's better for me that way right now, because it all got to be too much. I was just reminded of how much of a failure I feel like (no, we're not getting into that not, store it away). But you can always contact me here. I'm lurking sometimes. I look forward to reading in a more leisurely pace and hopefully not feeling pressured to make the rec lists as I did before (even though just for the completionist in me I want to finish them for just this year, lol).

Okay. If you read this far---thank you, I adore you, I love you, you're nice, keep going 💜

#lissa updates #lissa talks #personal

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hawkinsschoolcounselor · 6 months ago

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Prediction for the start of season 5

I've been going crazy trying to figure out just how they'll transition into season 5. It certainly seems like "life goes on" in Hawkins despite everything that happened at the end of season 4. While it does seem like there's a military presence in town, there are clues that quite a bit of time has passed.

Aside from dates left on papers on set and whatnot, which could potentially be faked to throw people off, we see character differences that indicate time. El's hair has grown back. It's hard to tell just how long it is now, but it looks to be at least as long as it was in season 3, if not longer. We've seen little of Hopper, but we've been able to see set photos of David with a long beard. Then there's Holly, who seems older even taking into account the casting change.

This tells me we're looking at an approximate 8 months to one year time skip. While we might see some immediate aftermath from after the ending of season 4, the bulk of season 5 seems to be set in late Fall/early Winter of 1987. This isn't taking into account a possible rumored second time skip considering they're only halfway through filming.

So, how do we go from the end of the world to almost a year later? Well, there wasn't much that could be done in the position our heroes are in. Here's what I think happens after that final scene in the field.

Shortly after the "earthquake," an Army Corps of Engineers detachment arrives to help rebuild, overseen by Lt. Col. Sullivan. They proceed to block off affected areas for "safety concerns" under the pretense of having to seal up the fissures to allow for later rebuilding. In reality, they are setting up research stations and entry points while also preventing anyone else from getting in...or anything getting out.

Blocked off from being able to go after the weakened Vecna, and now faced with the concern of Sullivan possibly finding El, the heroes have to regroup. They both need to be able to hide El and have a safe base of operations. Agent Stinson arranges to set El and Hopper in the old WSQK radio station under the guise of the station being under new ownership.

While researching, I found out that many old radio stations had emergency shelters built by the government during the Cold War in case of a nuclear attack. Like the Dept of Energy Lab before it, the radio station would serve as a legitimate front for getting equipment and other resources they may need for what they're really up to. The shelter would also provide a place to hide their real activity and keep El safe. It may also even potentially provide access to the areas the military blocked off if the shelters contain escape tunnels.

We would essentially find out that the time since the end of season 4 were spent with the heroes trying to find a way into the Upside Down to get Henry while he's weak. However, it's just not possible with the military presence. The mission turns to trying to monitor both the military and the Upside Down threat until a window presents itself.

What might be the event that provides this window? I have some ideas.

The military breaches a Gate, which allows for Upside Down creatures to get out.

El has a breakthrough in her search for Max, providing them a critical clue.

Henry comes back to full strength, leading to Will getting Harry Potter-like visions of his plans.

Problems I have with this idea:

El is once again living in hiding, just as she did in season 2. I can't imagine she's able to get any kind of education unless Owens' people can set her up with tutoring.

The Byers being in town would certainly tip off Sullivan, and it doesn't look like they're lying low. I suppose they could feign moving back to Hawkins because they think she's dead.

What is up with Owens, and would his people even have the ability to do anything after the losses sustained from Sullivan's actions?

Why the hell would anyone even stay in Hawkins? This isn't the first disaster the town has dealt with in the past few years. I suppose it would cause property values to plummet to levels that could prompt a rich family to buy up land in preparation for owning everything after rebuilding. There was a Turnbow Land Development & Realty ad seen on set.

Does anyone else have thoughts on this?

#stranger things 5 #byler #stranger things 5 speculation

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eeveecraft · 5 months ago

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The Fracturing and Decline of the Tulpamancy Community

Why am I back? Well, I've been thinking about this for a while and a friend of mine just discovered the Tulpamancy stuff. If you're reading this, you know who you are. Still not happy that you found out, but it got me thinking about some stuff I want to write down.

So, some of you may know, #RedditTulpas, the official r/Tulpas Discord server shut down like, a few months ago. The Tulpa.info server got shut down back in 2023, and there's also the debacle that happened with Tulpa Chat several years ago. Basically, all of the largest Tulpamancy Discord servers get shut down for whatever reason once they hit a certain point. The main reason why tends to be drama driving the staff to their wits end, which eventually leads to the server being shut down for the well-being of the staff's mental health.

I mean, I guess there's Tulpa Central with its 1,300+ members, but even though Kopase (eugh) isn't the owner anymore, it's still a server that deliberately excludes other forms of Plurality, and I don't think communities like that should be encouraged to exist. Because let's be honest, that's just thinly-veiled ableism and ignores how Tulpamancy techniques can help disordered systems function better. Oh, that and the fact that other plurals can have tulpas, too.

I also want to bring up how r/Tulpas has drastically declined in quality; we are especially cognizant of it because we moderate that subreddit. There's a lot of low-effort, redundant, and sometimes low-key unhinged posts on the Subreddit, and there is very little actual productive discussion. Most posts there nowadays are just questions, many of which have to be removed because they're already questions that are answered in the FAQ or so basic that they should be asked in the pinned post.

With Reddit specifically, I think a factor in this decline is the direction Reddit has been going with trying to become a publicly traded company, especially with their API changes essentially killing third-party apps. That, and Reddit gleefully giving away all of its user posts to OpenAI with no ability to opt out. We ourselves only check Reddit to moderate the subreddit nowadays because of these changes, and we wouldn't be surprised if others followed suit.

However, this doesn't discredit the general trend we've seen with the larger Tulpamancy communities just declining or outright dying.

The Tulpamancy side of Tumblr has been pretty quiet for several years now with the only major Tulpamancy-specific blog besides ourselves really being Sophie's and maybe Caflec's, and we're hardly active in terms of making posts (we just don't have much to talk about anymore).

There was also the Tulpa.info Mastodon instance, Tulpas.social, but that died pretty damn fast. Plural Café closed invites the moment we tried recommending it to others and has been gradually falling apart, too.

My point is: there's hardly any actual large gatherings of Tulpamancy systems anymore. I remember in one of my Tulpamancy Help videos, I explained how the community became fractured, but I think it's gotten even worse. Like, don't get me wrong, I don't think the community should be a monolith; niches exist for a reason. However, there's something just... disheartening about seeing gatherings of 1,000+ Tulpamancy systems just getting dissolved; thousands of people conversing, exchanging ideas, and helping each other just... separated.

You're probably wondering, "Well, if you're complaining about it, you surely have some kind of solution, right?" Well, not really. it seems to be a cycle tied with the general makeup of the community; enough people in the community just seem to be drawn to petty arguments and drama that takes a toll on the people who manage these communities. So for larger gathering to exist, the people need to be palatable. Otherwise, as new communities form and people flock to them, the same people that caused the downfall of the others before will follow suit. And to be frank, I don't quite have a solution in regards to getting people to stop gravitating towards and starting mentally-taxing drama. That's up for the individuals inside the community to figure out, let alone want to change.

So, what's the conclusion? I guess it's just that I believe the community is heading towards some kind of recession, a dark age of some kind. And that makes me sad to extent because the more Tulpamancy spreads, the more its techniques can be used to help people. There's a reason anthropologists and psychologists are studying Tulpamancy, especially with the interest in its possible therapeutic applications. Despite that, I want to be optimistic and hope that eventually, the community finds its stride again instead of fading into further obscurity.

7-15-2024

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misc-obeyme · 8 months ago

Note

would u consider obey me a dead fandom?

Um. Nope. I sure wouldn't.

If there's anybody out there who thinks Obey Me is a dead fandom, I would say they're probably confused about what a dead fandom actually is.

I think an argument could be made saying that there is no such thing as a dead fandom. But I'm going to assume you mean that fan content is at an all time low.

Friend, I have been in fandoms where the content was like... you get a fic or two every year if you're lucky. This for a media that hadn't put out any new content in decades.

Obey Me? I get an average of five asks per day about Obey Me. I can queue 10 posts per day about Obey Me. I still average over 800 notes a day on this here Obey Me blog. In the past few months, we've had new artists and writers joining the community and posting their Obey Me fan works. The game is still active and updating. There are two apps even.

So no, I personally would not consider the Obey Me fandom to be dead by any means.

It's certainly been more active in the past. I'll never forget the surge of activity that happened when Nightbringer first came out. My Solomon fics seemed to double their notes over night lol.

But we're also in a bit of a lull right now because we aren't getting new chapters. Every time an event happens, there's another burst of activity. And then things die down just a little before they surge again. That's the nature of fandom.

Another common fandom thing is people coming and going. I've been here for almost two years, but there are others who have been here for four. And then there are some people who've only been in the fandom for a couple months. And then there are the people who were here at the beginning, but have since moved on. Maybe they only stayed for a few months before moving on. Maybe they're only casually in the fandom, dipping in now and again. This is also just the nature of fandom. There's no right way to do it. And it doesn't reflect on whether a fandom is alive or dead.

Hell, we even have plenty of discourse and toxic stuff in this here fandom, too. More of that when there's nothing else to do, I think, which is unfortunate, but also kinda... just part of fandom.

And all of this is just how it is on Tumblr. I know there are active Obey Me communities on Twitter/X and Instagram, too. I'm just too old and tired to maintain that many socials. I actually have accounts on both of those apps but I rarely use them.

And lastly, I'm a big proponent of being involved in fandom no matter how active the community is. By this I mean, if I still have an Obey Me hyperfixation in ten years when the apps are closed down and nearly everybody else has moved on, I will still be here posting fic. Because I won't leave a fandom until I am ready to move on from it, dead or not. (Sometimes this can mean you are one of the few people still creating for said fandom, but you might be surprised at how many people will still enjoy what you create.)

#tl;dr this fandom is far from dead lol #my tendency to ramble is why I included the short answer at the very top #obey me #obey me nightbringer #anon asks #misc answers

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mayhem-neverending · 6 months ago

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The Big Bad Wolf

Part XXVI

Word Count: 3,081

Warnings: tooth rotting fluff and mentions of death

Notes: Sorry this took so long. I've been pretty mentally drained recently. I hope you all enjoy, though :)

“Hikaru is not going to learn any more fire style jutsu until he’s older, period,” you argued to Obito the next morning.

He had been pushing the subject since he woke up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes while his mouth ran away from him. You had been consistent with your resounding, ‘no’, but he wasn’t listening very well.

“Oh c’mon, don’t be like that,”

Your hands found their way to your hips as your face screwed up in a mixture of irritation and disbelief. Obito crossed his arms over his chest. He was disappointed and frustrated because he wanted to teach Hikaru - pass on his wisdom and skill since he didn’t have his own children - and benefit the next generation of shinobi. He had tossed and turned all night thinking about it.

“Obito, he’s going to catch the house on fire. A two year old does not have enough control over their body or their emotions to be playing with fire,” you tried to reason.

“The Uchiha can perform a fireball jutsu at four! He’ll be three in only a couple months, I don’t see why he can’t start learning a little bit now,” he fired at you, a scowl creeping onto his face.

“Because I said, ‘no’, damnit!”

His eyes widened. That was the closest he had ever come to hearing you raise your voice. Immediately after, you sucked in a deep breath and dropped your hands from your hips. You sighed out heavily and then repeated the action.

“I will consider it after his birthday. But only chakra control at first. If you can teach him basic chakra control, I will allow a small amount of fire style. A SMALL amount, Obito,”

He could have done a victory dance right there in the kitchen.

“Okay,” he replied, uncrossing his arms. “Deal,”

He took the few remaining steps between you and cupped your face in his large hand. He studied you for a moment, his thumb slowly caressing your cheek. “Y’know, you’re kind of hot when you’re angry,”

You let out a surprised bark of laughter and slapped his hand away. “There’s something wrong with you,”

He shrugged, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Nothing so wrong a kiss couldn’t fix it,”

You shook your head in amusement and let him close the distance between the two of you to press his lips against yours. This man would be the death of you, you were certain of it.

Kakashi called from his office while you were cooking lunch. You greeted him cheerily and turned the call onto the speaker so Obito could hear, too.

His voice took on an eerie, toneless quality. “Another clan was massacred in Akujia late last night. No survivors. From what I’ve learned, their weapons are becoming as advanced as our more powerful jutsus,”

You sucked in a breath. “What clan? Why?”

“The Breserya. They took an active role in speaking out against the atrocity Akujia committed against the Zen’in and their stance on chakra control,”

He continued, some strain appearing in his voice. “Somehow, Hina Zen’in and her child have become public knowledge in Konoha, along with new attention on what is happening in Akujia,”

Your mind was reeling with all of the implications of this. Cautiously, you asked, “How does - how does the public feel?”

“Outraged,” he stated.

Your shoulders sagged a bit. At least they weren’t trying to get rid of Hina.

“Why are you giving us this information?” Obito asked in a low tone, leaning directly into the receiver.

“A decision has been made to have another Kage Summit. They are demanding the attendance of someone they believe could have crucial insight that could help decide what actions we take… The same Akujian native and Leaf ninja who aided the last surviving Zen’in and brought them to Konoha for safekeeping,”

You and Obito stared at each other in shock. Your mouth was agape as you tried to comprehend Kakashi’s words. Obito shook his head slowly, a sudden and overwhelming fear for your safety flowing through his body in a tidal wave.

You struggled to swallow with your dry mouth. “You’re joking,”

“I’m sorry,” he sighed out remorsefully.

You couldn’t see it, but his eyes had closed and brows scrunched together while delivering the last bit of news.

“What kind of ‘insight’ could I possibly have?”

“I’m not sure, but I know you’re aware that most of our shinobi countries have such little affiliation with Akujia that we’re essentially in the dark. And with Akujia closing down its borders, it will become incredibly difficult for us to infiltrate for information,”

“I thought you put her here to keep her safe? And now you want to send her who-knows-where?” Obito interjected angrily.

“She’ll be safe with me, Obito,”

“How can you be so sure?” he spat.

“Did we not fight in the same war?”

He inhaled sharply through his nose. You put a hand up to prevent him from speaking further. “It’s not your decision,”

You spoke to Kakashi. “I’m assuming that it would not be taken lightly should I refuse to attend,”

“You would be correct in that assessment,”

“Y/n,” Obito hissed.

“Obito,” you replied warningly, mirroring his narrowed eyes.

“We’ll head out early tomorrow morning for the Land of Iron,” Kakashi cut in.

“I’ll have a bag packed. It should only take a few days, correct?”

“Should everything go accordingly, yes. Please wear your uniform,”

“Of course. We’ll see you tomorrow,”

The call ended. Obito was somewhere between anxious and fuming, so he stomped away to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. You let him, your own anxiety taking priority over his little fit. He would come back out soon enough to either argue or cling to you or both. You had a bag to pack and food to prepare for your absence, and it would be much harder to get that done while he was being clingy.

You went to your room, dug out your uniform from the back of the closet and just stared at the dark material. Another mission in such a short amount of time. Once a person became a shinobi, could they ever truly separate from it? You rubbed the black fabric of your shirt between your fingers. You had wanted to give it up. You wanted a slow life with love and a family and without the worry of leaving your son motherless. How many more times would duty call?

This mission was steeped in uncertainty. You had little to offer the Kages, and less to do with the Akujian atrocities against chakra users. Whatever war you assumed they would begin had no timeframe, and when you add the temperament of a couple of the Kage’s into the mix, it spelled trouble. You mulled over your thoughts while you packed your backpack. You hoped to be of some use, but not enough to keep you away from home any longer than need be. With that in mind, you dropped the heavy bag next to the front door and started for the kitchen.

Obito was in his room another hour before begrudgingly opening his bedroom door. He wanted to be angry with you for deciding to leave, but he couldn’t stay that way for long. He understood that you weren’t really presented with an option, which was really what he was more upset about. That and your safety. He did trust Kakashi and knew how strong he was, but he couldn’t stop the worry. He had just been given a wonderful thing; an opportunity to live a loving life with you and Hikaru. He feared that you wouldn’t make it back to him; it was always a thought in his mind no matter how hard he tried to push it away.

You didn’t speak when he joined you in the kitchen. He stood next to you with his arms crossed, also in silence while you worked. He wanted you to break the ice, but you would not be starting any amends when he was the one who had thrown the fit. He was responsible for himself and he knew it.

Eventually, he did break the silence with a long sigh. His arms fell to his sides before he moved to snake them around your waist. He tucked his face into your neck and murmured, “I’m sorry,” into your hair.

“For what?”

He huffed and paused, trying to find his words. “For getting upset with you when you didn’t have a real choice,”

You let the words sink in before responding. “Thank you. I’ll accept your apology,”

“Good.” He turned you around so that you were facing him and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

You couldn’t help but smile and reach up on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He followed you back down and the two of you shared a slow kiss that left you feeling dizzy, butterflies erupting in your stomach. You let out a small giggle and he pulled you closer, intoxicated by you for what felt like the millionth time. He just couldn’t get enough.

“I’m gonna miss you,” you whispered against his lips.

“Shhhh, I don’t want to talk about it,”

You nodded and resumed the languid caress of your lips. He was so good at making you lose track of time when he had you in his arms like this. Everything slowed and your mind ceased its usual race. Your fingers carded through his hair and his thumb traced circles at your hip, slipping just beneath your shirt. You melted into his touch just as he did yours; harmonies found within each other’s embrace.

A knock on the door as the female Anbu - a fox - let Hikaru in, broke you and Obito apart. You waved to her and she nodded back before closing the door behind her. Hikaru ambled up to the two of you, and your situation was brought back to the forefront of your mind. Guilt began to gnaw at you as you smiled down at your son.

“Hey sweetheart, how was school?”

…

The air still smelled of fresh bread and rosemary, mixed with the sweetness of the garden flowers that wafted in through your opened window. It was balmy, but a gentle breeze flowed through the home, carrying on it the singing of cicadas and the twittering of birds that overpowered the low hum of the dishwasher. The sunset cast warm rays onto your clean countertops and over your body as you twirled in your long dress, the skirts swishing gracefully around your ankles.

Obito pulled you against his chest with a handsome, loving smile that glowed in the light. Your eyes fluttered shut; the feeling of warmth against your skin lulling you in your already serene state. You felt him press a kiss to the top of your head and you gave your intertwined fingers a gentle squeeze.

Your eyes blinked open to the bedroom, still cold from the waning winter. You groaned aloud and snapped your eyes shut, curling in on yourself under the heavy quilt. Of course it was a dream. The best ones always came before difficult times. You attempted to cling to the peace of the dream, but when it continued to slip from your mind you surrendered and let it go. There was another journey to be had, whether you wanted it or not.

You and Obito had spent the evening cuddling and discussing your departure and what to do with Hikaru while you were away. You were hoping to be back by Sunday, but you could never be sure, so you wrote down all sorts of information for him that he didn’t really need. Obito was incredibly observant and had already picked up on all of the habits, likes and dislikes of your little one, so you weren’t worried.

Stretching, you eyed the door and wondered if Obito was already up. It was likely that he was awake in bed, waiting for you like a hound waits at the door for its owner every morning. You crept out of bed and quietly opened the door to make your way to the kitchen. Surprisingly, you smelled something suspiciously like breakfast the moment it opened.

In the kitchen, Obito ladled mix into the waffle maker, chopped fruit and the whipped cream you made the night before spread out on the countertop next to him. You flashed him a giddy smile when he turned to see you approaching and without warning hopped up into his arms and pressed wet kisses on both of his cheeks and mouth.

He just barely caught you and set you down on the opposite counter, taking a place between your legs. He chuckled. “Well, good morning to you, too,”

“You are the absolute best, you know that?” you gushed, smooshing his cheeks in your hands.

His eyes glittered with joy. “Anything for you,”

You held in a squeal; warmth filling your chest and heart fluttering. You couldn’t help but kiss all over his face again and he let out a delighted laugh before directing you to his lips. One of the waffles burnt while you shared a heated kiss, but neither of you particularly cared at that moment.

He let you go to toss it and put one of the already made waffles onto a plate for you. He decorated it with fruit and whipped cream and handed it to you with a beaming smile that you swore was brighter than the sun lighting the room. Your eyes roved over him, taking in his bedhead, dark hair spiky in all the wrong places, the lines circling his face, faded hickies, the adorable crinkles in the corner of his eyes as he hovered just in front of you, like he couldn’t stand to stay away.

“I love you,” you blurted.

His pretty brown eyes widened, and just when you thought his smile would drop, it became impossibly larger. “You… love me?”

You nodded, almost bashfully. Everything happened in a blink of an eye. Your plate was wrenched from your grasp and tossed haphazardly on the counter before you were scooped up into his arms and he was covering you in kisses. Your joyful laughter echoed in the space and sounded like the sweet ringing of bells to his ears.

When you looked back into his eyes, they glowed with the Sharingan.

“Say it again,” he said softly.

You could feel the heat all over your face and neck. “I love you,”

He squeezed you so tightly you couldn’t breathe.

“Obito!” you gasped.

He loosened his grip just barely and you sucked in a breath. He didn’t sound apologetic at all when he whispered, “Sorry,” into your ear.

He set you back down on the counter and you gazed into each other’s eyes like lovesick fools. The little smack of bare feet against hardwood entered your sphere and you looked around to see Hikaru running out of the hallway. Obito pressed his lips to your cheek while you were turned.

“Oh shit,” he said, looking down beside you.

“Wha- Oh, Obito,”

The plate he had tossed was broken in two, a mess of sticky fruit on the counter next to you. You decided to ignore it and slipped off the counter to pick Hikaru up. He threw his little arms around your neck and pointed at Obito’s accident.

“Mommy made mess!”

“You’re right, buddy. Your mommy did make a big mess,” Obito said and you elbowed his side.

“Ouch,” he laughed.

You set Hikaru up for breakfast, messing up his hair before making yourself a plate. It was a slow process, seeing as Obito couldn’t stop touching you the whole time, but well worth it. You couldn’t help but think that if Hikaru were any older, he would be making fake puking sounds at the two of you.

You had just sat down and taken a bite when there was a knock on your front door, signaling Kakashi’s arrival. He came in wearing the full Hokage get-up. You realized at that moment you hadn’t had a chance to change.

“Good morning,” you called, getting up and rushing past him to go get dressed.

You hurriedly pulled on your uniform while Kakashi waited in the kitchen with Obito and Hikaru.

“I’ve never seen you look so happy,” Kakashi commented.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” Obito replied, still high on your words.

Hikaru shoved a bite of waffle into Obito’s mouth. He chewed it up without even blinking, much to Kakashi’s surprise. Obito frowned suddenly, as if a rancid thought had crossed his mind.

“And now you’ve come to take it away,”

“Only for a few days,” Kakashi replied immediately, trying to reassure his friend.

“A few days too long,” Obito muttered sullenly.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” you called out in a sing-song as you came down the hallway.

You were fully dressed, and Obito once again had to take a moment to appreciate you. He loved how sleek and powerful you looked in your uniform, like you could take on even the worst of the worst with that little attitude you took in it. He glanced at Kakashi who was already looking at him.

“Obito, did you hear a word I said?” You asked, a hand going to your hip.

��Uh, yeah,”

“What did I say?”

“Uhm…. I don’t know,”

You chuckled. “I asked if you thought you had everything under control,”

“Oh, yeah, for sure,” he replied a little more confidently than he felt.

“Good,” you approached him and gave him a quick peck. “I’ll be back soon,”

You then pulled Hikaru into a big hug and gave his cheeks a few playful smooches. Obito looked at Kakashi’s raised brow and the red tinting the tips of his ears and raised his own brow back. He felt his pride swell to a ridiculous height. He was all ego the second you put Hikaru down, standing up and pulling you in for a deeper kiss.

You pushed back on his chest. In a scandalized tone you gasped, “Obito!”

He shot you a devilish grin and a wink that would be occupying your mind for the next few nights you were away. You decided he would definitely be paying for that when you returned.

He didn’t apologize, just told you a quick goodbye and that he would miss you before you were carted off by Kakashi, who was very suddenly in a rush.

Taglist: @mostlyunsure, @humongousdreamlandbear, @ichaichahatake, @mandy-yeager, @detectivestucks, @faces-ofvenus

#naruto #x reader #obito uchiha #x y/n #obito x reader #obito uchiha x reader #au #kakashi hatake #obito lives au

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mysteria157 · 4 months ago

Note

hello hello mystie 🩷 bon has decided to visit you once again.

i am recently going through quite some turbulence with my writing. i have been working on a aot reiner piece for quite some time but it's been feeling rather... unfulfilling? i guess i just want to open up a bit.

as a black woman, i've seen a number of posts on here of other woc having takes about how we should 'embrace our blackness' and write our fics in a way that reflects that. i always understood that this is a valid opinion, as we are often pushed by society to 'calm' ourselves down and water down our personalities and our way of speaking (often not to fall subject to a number of disheartening stereotypes.)

but i've come to a more different, personal conclusion over the past few months. i am a black south african girl who grew up watching british cartoons in order to learn english. my mother took me to a catholic school where english was the language of instruction and we had a similar education system as most british schools (colonisation has a role in this system but that's a discussion for another day.)

i've always been called 'whitewashed' as i am fluent in the language. there's still heavy racial tension where i'm from, so ever since i was little i was compared to speaking as a white person. a 'coconut' if we want to go that far, lol.

besides this, we've become more westernised and my peers around me began to see the struggle of african americans as our own (since we're all experiencing the same biases and discrimination as poc.) now for some reason, seeing the takes of other woc made me feel as if the way i write and speak was incorrect. i felt like a phony, like someone who was dodging away from racism by writing like a 'white person' to stay unattacked.

to cut this short (as this has already been quite long), your writing put things into perspective for me. it might not be 'that deep' but seeing another black woman write and speak similar to myself has healed a small part of me. not only is your writing excellent, but it makes me feel as if that i don't have to pretend to be the stereotypical black writer all the time.

that my way of writing does not make me any less 'black'. i now know exactly how i want to create stories and write them down, as i always could've done.

thank you for being the talented individual that you are. love you lots.

-Bonnie 🩷

Hello my beautiful, Bonnie 💕

I apologize for the delay, I’ve been traveling for work so my activity on Tumblr has been low recently.

It’s a weird sensation of fate to read your post, because I resonate with your thoughts deeply. Growing up as a military child, I moved frequently, so I never really had a “home” like others. The friends that I had were all military children too and made up a melting pot of race, diversity, and background. I did not have a primarily black friend group and because of this, others often made fun of me for not being “black” enough. The way I spoke, wrote, dressed, and my mannerisms were all representative of a “whitewashed” version of a black woman. The concept of whitewashed is a topic for another day 😒

I’ve dealt with being called an “inside out Oreo”and constantly heard the annoying micro-aggression of “talking really well for someone like myself.” And for years it bothered me more that I wanted to feel and act like others, instead of embracing myself. Thankfully, I got over that.

Joining Tumblr and finding a community of black writers has been a great experience, and I definitely agree that we should ‘embrace our blackness’, but embrace it in a way that represents YOU. Not everyone else.

For myself, I embrace with what I write about, not necessarily how I write. Because I write how I think and talk, but I try to share plot and experiences that normally resonate with who I am as a black woman. Cookouts, extended family mannerisms and traditions, how I do my hair and take care of my skin, etc.

You are not a phony and you are not ‘whitewashed’. You’re Bonnie, and Bonnie writes how Bonnie speaks, acts, and feels. Period.

In my opinion, trying to write a certain way to appeal to someone else only takes away from your own authenticity. This isn’t to invalidate someone else’s experience, but you shouldn’t have to pretend to embrace your ‘blackness’. Being able to overcome this feeling is such a strength that you should continue to hold close 💕

Girl, look at me rambling LMFAO. THE POINT IS, I’m so happy that I was able to help you embrace more of who you are. I’m happy that you enjoy my words. I’m happy that you have the strength to create how you want. And I’m just…really happy for meeting you 🥹

Create your stories however you want. As long as Bonnie is happy and Bonnie is enjoying it and Bonnie is not intentionally hurting others, that’s all that should matter.

Love you lots as well. Thank you for being the beautiful mootie that you are 💕😘

#mysteria’s asks #mysteria's moots #my beautiful Bonnie #Mysteria

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infernaltenor · 7 months ago

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one more niki analysis.

for now.

ok this one technically i've had in mind for MONTHS but couldn't figure out how to word it until just now because i a) read hot limit about three months ago and it hasn't left my head since b) the idol exploration event.

anyway. the actual crux of this is: niki's character is specifically written to be content, not happy. these often get confused imo. the second part of this is his contentedness isn't natural, it's forced. the third part of this is no one fucking notices, except for one rinne amagi, because of course he does. by no one, i'm talking specifically character-wise here; niki in game tends to get written off as childish or otherwise doing well, and that comes directly from his other unit members.

side note: i'm fairly confident in my own reading of "niki will pretend to not be bothered by anything, ever" and this is bolstered by a few different things; a) the honeycomb summer lyrics in my last post where there's a part of the intro, "hidden the true feelings out of habit / and now you're regretting it" (rinne amagi you slick bastard) b) hot limit. like the entire story. mostly because he was being troubled by multiple different things throughout it (work, idol activities, and his family last name/father's scandal) and the only person who noticed was rinne, and that's probably because he knew the damn guy for five years c) also in hot limit, the exploration into niki seeing himself as a burden because of his illness. why did they add this into his character and then not elaborate further? i don't know. if it never gets elaboration, i'll implode. anyway, it's a part of his character that he usually doesn't show, but he references it as "not wanting to inconvenience the people around him" REGARDLESS of if the people in question don't mind him inconveniencing them (rinne). in general, the only thing he makes a fuss about is food, likely because of his metabolism and the fact that he does become more of a danger to people when extremely hungry (he has bitten hiiro before.); i.e. the inconvenience for everyone else is a 19-20yro trying to bite them, not complaining that he's hungry.

i digress.

niki has referenced himself as being content with certain things before. for instance, in hot limit, it's phrased distinctly as "just getting to eat every day is a bliss to me - i need to be satisfied with that", which comes up again in his letter from the idol exploration:

"it feels like happiness is there to fill my stomach, too!" oh, is it? is it niki? is it now?

basically, what i'm getting at is niki's expectations for life are so incredibly low, so he's satisfied with getting to eat every day. that's it. just satisfied. side note: this is why i went insane when survival was added to his profile; the way he lives/talks about living, he's been surviving more than living. this is also why i think rinne and niki work so well as a pair, rinne's into living and niki's busy surviving. though, to be fair, rinne and niki's relationship is built on this crux anyway. rinne intends (hopes, maybe? his goal?) is to help niki with what he has identified as a problem. thank you rinne amagi.

(for the record, right after i read this, my live reaction was "WHAT IF I KILLED MYSELF". that's quite dramatic, and i won't, but i figured someone might get a laugh out of that.)

this isn't the first time that rinne has referred to niki (well, more so implied) as "not happy", as it happens in hot limit, too.

"that's why i'll grant his wish and make him happy" oh ok i see.

anyway. niki's fascinating, because this forced contentedness vs happiness is so interesting to me, because beyond rinne's own read of niki, it's easily bought by everyone else he knows. most notably, kohaku and himeru, as their impressions come off of reading niki quite differently to rinne's:

(i grabbed these screenshots after i finished the event for the time being. rinne's i grabbed before LMAO)

both of them appreciate and even look up to niki in certain ways, and they both like his focus on food. but what's interesting is how both of them see him vastly different from rinne; where rinne focuses on his low self impression, himeru thinks niki's perspective of the world is interesting, as well as i think he gives credence to niki being selfless, which kohaku sees him as both childish and reckless. i'm pretty sure both himeru and kohaku see him as more naive than themselves, which is a fair read. this also does line up with what happens in hot limit; while rinne is aware of the troubles niki's going through, himeru and kohaku are both surprised at the end.

niki's own effort, i think, to convince himself of being satisfied and content pays off, because the only person who notices otherwise is rinne. which, imo, is a whole other source of depth to their relationship; rinne probably saw niki working that out. he was 14 when they met, and likely the shiina parents leaving was recent (side note: i'm a certified niki's parents hater. i know we don't have much info on them, but i don't trust them after that burden thing), which is something i've mostly extrapolated by the contact he seems to have at 14 vs at 19, where they're pretty much never mentioned. yes, i know, niki chose to stay in japan. i just don't think you get through your parents leaving you in your native country at 14 while they gallivant around the globe and your communication with them steadily dwindles results in anything good.

ok. i'm sorry for the parent hating.

but unless proven otherwise i'm expecting them to be the source of these problems.

#enstars #ensemble stars #niki shiina #tenor talks #GOD. i fucking love niki shiina. im so normal.#i realize this doesnt have a good conclusion either. you see your honor i dont care.#this isnt an actual essay and you cant make me write a conclusion.#anyway. feel free to ask for elaboration on certain things im always down to talk about niki and sound genuinely insane about him #because i am.#i think niki needs more elaboration in game but im content to do a million elaborations myself because. fuck you.#anyway #sorry for using the read more all the time like 95% of my mutuals are bsd fans LMAO im trying not to clog dashboards #<- dont take this negatively bsd mutuals. personal quirk of myself. youre all fine.

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tamayula-hl · 10 months ago

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It's been a long time since I've posted as my daughter and I have both been in bed with the flu and Covid! And once again I apologise for posting an article that is disturbing the atmosphere of HL fandom.

I have discussed the false accusation of trace plagiarism levelled against me with @freewld and have received an apology from her saying that it was a misunderstanding.

Here is a verified image of this case (Twitter/X)

I am now deeply relieved that we were able to end the discussion with a result that convinced her of my innocence. If it was a misunderstanding, I am willing to end it all this time. I would like to end this false accusation racket with a discussion with her. I will refrain from mentioning the matter once and for all (unless another disturbing incident occurs), and I hope that you will refrain from further mention of it too. I also do not want any slanderous behaviour, excessive criticism, speculation or falsehoods towards her, so I strongly urge you all to refrain from doing so. (Just in case , I have compiled screenshots and other evidence regarding the defamation of me that I have received in this row, and submitted and consulted with lawyers and others)

She also requested that I make a correction announcement on four points, which I would like to make here.

She said she conducted the survey with the intention of "using it as one reference for the opinions of her followers".

Tamayula's wish was the reason she decided to make the suspicion of plagiarism public.

She did not vote on the survey from multiple accounts to give herself an advantage.

She only made her Twitter account private after the survey was invalidated.

My verified public article was written in Japanese, which I wrote in a very confused and upset state, and translated into English and published at DeepL. Therefore, it was very difficult to understand and there were many phrases that may have led to your misunderstanding. I would like to apologise deeply for the confusion caused to everyone by my misunderstanding and incomprehensible article, and at the same time, I would like to correct it here. Although it has taken me a long time to respond, I have corrected the English text of the article on Tumblr and made it private, and on Twitter, I have deleted the tweet that referred to the survey.

I was very upset by the false accusations that suddenly fell upon me, and I sincerely regret that I repeatedly exposed myself in an emotional and unsightly manner, and that I failed to respond correctly to the incident. I cannot thank enough those who were kind to me and gave me warm words and those who believed in my innocence. I am sorry, but I will refrain from replying to you now, because if I do so, it is likely to cause an uproar again, but your words of encouragement and support, which I received at a time when I was feeling quite emotionally drained, gave me tremendous emotional support, more than you can imagine. Thank you very much. I am deeply grateful.

As for my future creative activities, I plan to continue with both Tumblr and Twitter as they are now. (However, I intend to move at the end of March in my real life and will be very busy for a few months with preparations and my new life, so my activities will be quite low-key for the time being). My interest in HL, Seb and Omi has not changed, and I am still motivated to paint, but in reflecting on the current turmoil, I now realise that I was very easily influenced by other people's creative styles, and that I had a vague idea of what the boundaries of inspiration were. In the future, I will continue to be self-conscious about my own dangerous values and make every effort to correct them, and if I have used a work as a reference, I will clearly state it and do my utmost not to cause trouble for others as an artist.

Finally, I am very sorry for the trouble I have caused to so many people. And to those of you who have been so warm and thoughtful, once again, thank you very much indeed 🙏 I will continue to do my best in drawing from now on!

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have-you-read-this-short-fiction · 4 months ago

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The future of this blog

Hey everyone! You might have noticed that I haven't posted in a while. No, this wasn't really a hiatus because I was busy like usual. You might have also noticed I removed the link to submissions, too. I've gotten a few asks, either asking about it or submitting something in place of the submissions link, too. I'm not trying to ignore you, I love you guys, but the reason why I've been avoiding continuing daily poll posting is because, well...

Im sort of contemplating the future of this blog.

Sorry, I know that sounds very dramatic, but it's true. In the past few months of the blog being active, the amount of voters on polls have gotten very low, sometimes less than 50, which is strange on a blog with over 500 followers. And like, that's fine. I am not owed votes on polls. But I would be lying if I said that that isn't disheartening weighed with the amount of work I put into this blog. It makes it hard for me to want to take more submissions and spend time making more polls knowing how few people seem to look at them.

A lot of other blogs like this I've noticed have started to wind down or stopped posting, too, so I'm wondering if it's the expiration date for many of us gimmick blogs.

I don't want to abandon this blog, though. I really love the community that we have garnered on here. There are still some people who love to see every post and like finding new things to read through it. I myself have read a lot of short stories and novellas and collections that I've only found because of this place! I've also found a lot of writers that I like here.

So, I'm going to make the decision to convert this blog to a "Have you read this piece of short fiction" style blog to a daily blog of shorts. In a few weeks, I'm going to reopen submissions and start posting a daily piece of short fiction instead. (i.e. "The story of the day is (short story title) by (short story author). Here is a link to it if you wish to read!") There won't be polls incorporated to each one, but I might incorporate polls in another way. I'll have more details up later on when I'm ready to start, but I will be changing the pinned post and url when the time comes.

For now though, expect more silence for a few weeks until I'm ready to start this new style of blog. I hope you guys like it and feel free to send me questions and feedback in the meantime.

#not a poll

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cher-rei · 10 months ago

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afterglow- pt 7 [ T.A.A ]

pairings: trent alexander arnold x fem!reader

summary: young and aspiring marketing and business major jamie carter is privileged with working alongside the liverpool fc marketing and public relations team, while also getting entangled with their star player and right back, trent alexander arnold.

genre(s): friends to lovers, workplace romance, fluff

[wc: 4.6k] [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [part 12]

notes: it's the way that I've hinted at another fic in this chapter and then another one in chapter 8... I love interconnecting my series' ughhh

spamjam._. added to their story!

"here's one for you," jude spoke from his position on the hotel suite couch to gain your attention as you unpacked your things. "bro went from liking her posts to flying her over just for some moral support."

you rolled your eyes as he read out the tweets which he had been enjoying for the past ten minutes now. the way that twitter was rioting over the situation was utterly amusing— from your post on Instagram to jude stating that you were sharing a hotel room. they were having a blast by coming up with theories as to how this even came about.

yes, jude only happened to follow you on instragram at the beginning of the year but that was not the reason you knew each other at all. if it were then this situation would be very awkward. as he would say, "luckily for you, you had the privilege of knowing me before I became the equivalent to ryan gosling."

you wouldn't exactly call it a privilege but whatever made him sleep at night. funny enough, you two met at a football match when you were still in high school. it was strange to see a 17-year-old actively engage in conversation with some random 14-year-old just because he said she was screaming too much.

that wasn't the last of your accidental meetings, however, the next was a few weeks later when your parents invited some friends over from birmingham— and lo and behold who just happened to be the son of those friends.

so here you were at 20 and 23, closer than ever but keeping it as low-key as possible.

you proceeded to listen to jude comment on each tweet, each one funnier than the last. "I swear some of these people have got to be fbi trained." he shook his head and you hummed in response, nearly jumping up when jude yelled out in shock.

"listen to this one," he turned from his position on the couch to look at you in front of the bed. "in early 2023, jude followed jamie back on Instagram and 6 months later she got her job as liverpool's p.r manager. hours later after the announcement the entire squad followed her back, the first of them being trent. jamie and trent have been seen together a lot from then on and she's even tagged him in multiple of her Instagram stories. now what do we know about trent? he plays for england. who else plays for england? jude. where is jamie right now? in barcelona with jude."

you were left dumbfounded, jude staring at you with his eyes wide and obviously impressed. "well that's one way to connect the dots I guess." you shrugged your shoulders, "they're not wrong but they're not quite right either."

a scoff left jude's mouth and he got up from the couch to look out the ceiling-to-floor window looking out at the city. "trent's not the middleman here though. like dude you and I aren't dating so there's no need."

he was right, there was no need for a middleman. it was just pure coincidence but obviously people wouldn't think of it like that. "and I thank the lord for that every single day."

he pulled a face, "stop being dramatic. I'm not that bad and you know it."

you hummed out in debate, getting your things so you could go and shower. "I mean judging by your lack of female interaction--"

before you could finish a pillow was hurled straight at you causing you to yelp out, getting ready to days for the bathroom before he could throw another.

"I talk to woman!" he yelled out after you and you laughed a little louder than intended which prompted him to get another pillow.

"female reporters don't count jude!"

you slammed the bathroom door shut just as he threw the pillow again, a loud thud echoing through the room before it dropped to the floor along with jude's hands. he huffed out in frustration, complaining for a good few minutes before he came to a conclusion that made you double over in laughter.

"just for that, I'll be keeping my eye out for interns from now on! if I marry a reporter one day I'll make sure not to invite you just out spite!"

your first morning in barcelona consisted of nothing but peace. the view you woke up to was breathtaking, definitely the most beautiful sunrise you had ever seen. you took your time getting ready before breakfast and made sure to put together the best outfit you could manage seeing as it was rare that you got to wear summer attire.

jude shot you the most confused look to date when he saw your top. he hit you with the "woman stopped wearing corsets decades ago so I'm a bit confused as to why you're torturing yourself right now."

it took a bit to explain to him that you weren't suffering at all, but he still didn't understand and left it at that so the two of you could head to a restaurant for breakfast. every step you took your eye was caught by something more beautiful than the last, your heart strings tugging in the summer heat.

"I've made up my mind. I'm coming to visit you every three months."

jude didn't oppose the idea and instead encouraged it, saying that he needed a bit more company. everything was recorded, you had your phone out and your camera for double the footage, talking to the camera as you carried on with your day.

"do you really have to film everything?" jude asked from across your table at the outdoor seating area of the restaurant as you waited for your breakfast.

you made a sound at the back of your throat and continued to go through the footage you had so far. "unlike you, I have a social media presence and people enjoy the content that I put out okay?"

"uh huh." his eyes wandered over you silently until he was told to check your instagram story, and of course he reposted it being the absolutely amazing friend he was and not because he was in any way forced to do it...

spamjam._. added to their story!

"I don't think anyone understands how crazy it is to hear jude speak in spanish so casually." you turned your camera to look at jude opposite you, adorning an expression of offence.

you suppressed a smile. "this is the same boy who asked me if 'lethargic' was an actual word or if I made it up by the way."

that hit a nerve for him and he put down his fork, and pointed a finger at you while explaining the pointlessness of the word and just how stupid it was. "who uses the word lethargic jamie?" he raised his hands waiting for an answer.

your laugh could be heard behind the camera, obvious judgement in your tone as you teased him. "people who have a vocabulary level that exceeds year 6."

jude shot you an 'oh really look' clearly not buying your reasoning. "just say that you're tired," he grew a bit more defensive and you tried to speak over him but he continued on. "it's never that deep."

you laughed again, telling him that he literally just proved your point. you could feel the stares that you were getting from people passing by— just trying to enjoy their peaceful thursday morning without two idiots arguing about words.

the banter went on for a bit, the camera now set on the edge of the table so that both you and jude were in the frame, tension heightened as you debated. he shrugged his shoulders eventually, "lethargic is not that big of a word either. it's just unnecessary--"

your eyebrows raised, "--oh really?"

he nodded in confirmation, as to say that it was obvious and that he wasn't an idiot. so you did the only correct thing at the moment which brought a wave of nostalgia to wash over jude who couldn't help but laugh.

"spell lethargic then."

he hesitated for a moment, wondering if you were being serious. "go on then, prove me wrong." you urged him, and obviously, he took up the challenge because jude bellingham was not a quitter.

"L I--"

you cut him off with a proud smile, "wrong!"

"L A--"

"wrong!"

by now jude was dumbfounded, immediately reaching out for his cellphone to google the absurd word only to find out that it was spelt with an E. you hummed happily as he complained once again, saying that spelling it with an E didn't make any sense.

"jude victor william bellingham," you began with a smile and he shook his head. "one of real madrid and england's star players at the age of 20 yet he can't spell 'lethargic'."

the rest of the day played out smoothly— sightseeing, shopping till jude's entire backseat was covered in bags, a trip to the beach and using jude as your personal photographer and videographer. now that was what you called a vacation.

the last stop the two of you were going to make would be a small picnic to wrap up the evening seeing as jude would be at practice all-day tomorrow before the match later that evening. either way you wouldn't be alone because jobe would be flying down the morning, so you were more than excited to pick him up at the airport.

your picnic blanket was set down on the grass at a park, and once again the scenery had you gawking. the sunset was to die for, the atmosphere was chirpy yet peaceful and in all honesty if this was your last moment alive you wouldn't have any regrets.

you let out a content sigh, "if this is what being a wag is like then I might have to hit up victoria beckham for some pointers."

jude let out a laugh from beside you, watching silently as you pointed your vlog camera to the sky— moving it from side to side as you took in the scenery.

"I mean you have some good candidates, and you're already in the industry so it's just up to you." he nudged you on the shoulder. "make the move jamie."

a sigh escaped your lips at the fact that he was right. everything was played out in your favour and you needed to use it to your advantage. "I'll dm colwill when we get back to the hotel."

jude doubled over in laughter at your comment but you kept your attention on your camera, settling it down in front of the both of you. "he's younger than you."

you shrugged your shoulders to dismiss his note. "age is just a number or something."

that made you both smile but for two completely different reasons. jude found it funny whereas you were washed with an unfamiliar feeling, your mind flashing back to yours and trent's midnight mcdonald's run when he said the exact same thing.

that remembrance made you keep a mental note to call him later, just to see how things were holding up on that side.

the conversation picked up again when you shut off your camera. and of course, it took the emotional route at the hour of vulnerability. it hopped from family to work to comfortability in your respective situations in a matter of seconds.

it was nice for jude to have this time to talk about stuff like this, you knew he appreciated moments like this where he could express himself more freely without a language barrier or slight anxiety.

when he first left for madrid you remembered the five-hour conversation you had over the phone because he couldn't fall asleep, too unsure and unfamiliar with his surroundings to be able to settle in. with that, you made sure to check up on him daily before bed.

time zones didn't stop you and never would, especially with someone you considered family. jude and jobe were easily younger brothers to you— jude being the irritating younger brother who acted as if he were older than you and jobe being the sweet younger brother that needed constant affection.

you cared for them both dearly, making time to see each other whenever you could when you schedules were free.

"so you found the apartment?" jude asked and popped a grape into his mouth while he listened to you talk about your move out of your sister's house.

maya and noah were moving to london at the beginning of next year, which just so happened to be two months from now. which honestly was a great idea and you were super excited for them, but it was the househunting the was an issue for you because you were so picky.

you weren't too worried about the rent, the main issue was the interior so you took it upon yourself to do some drastic redecorating when you found one. and in four months it was ready, the only thing it was missing was you.

you nodded happily, "I can move in whenever I'm ready."

your answer made jude smile. be knew just how excited you were to finally move into a place of your own because all you'd been doing was saving up. "which is..."

"which is before christmas. and I have a little surprise on the way as well," you retorted in excitement but jude's thoughts immediately went to pregnancy and you could see it on his face, judging by how quickly his eyes dropped to your stomache.

the sun had fully set now, the air beginning to chill but not in a way that had you shivering, but in a way that made you feel relieved. basking in the atmosphere took your mind elsewhere, a glimmer of something in the back of your mind flashing.

your stomach dropped at the memory. one of the many that you've recently.

"we have to go to spain." the glee in your voice bounced off the walls of the bedroom, back to the bed where you and your boyfriend were lying.

he chuckled at your antics and the way that your grip tightened on his torso, his fingers lightly tracing your shoulder. "we'll go anywhere you like baby." he kissed the top of your head.

you looked up at him with doe eyes. "really?"

michael flashed an adoring smile, the same one that showed just how smitten he was for you. you felt a chill run down your spine at the touch of his fingers on your cheeks. "I'd do anything for you."

your throat stung at the memory, something that weighed so heavily on your chest. moments where you two promised to build a family together resurfaced, where you promised to always be there for each other, but this time accompanied by a bitter taste.

you'd accomplished so much these past few months and he wasn't there to witness it like he said he would. there weren't any flowers or handwritten cards with a hug that made you melt. you could still hear his voice sometimes and the way he would speak to you so gently.

at your graduation you could barely enjoy the moment because while being onstage you saw his face in the crowd, an unreadable expression and the words "I'm so proud of you, love" floating aimlessly through the air.

everything he ever said to you was now floating aimlessly through the air.

judebellingham

jobebellingham and 4 245 223 others liked this post

judebellingham had to go back to the hotel like thrice for her to get changed [tagged: spamjam._.]

see all comments below

jobebellingham please never take selfies again

→ spamjam._. agreed

→ judebellingham you're both walking to the stadium I don't care

vinijr ❤️🔥 [liked by judebellingham]

spamjam._.

liked by liverpoolfc and 2 345 234 others

spamjam._. 🌼

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jobebellingham it's like you couldn't have waited for me before doing all this 😃

→ spamjam._. we're going to be together all week bro chill 🙄

liverpoolfc jamie come back, the kids miss you 🥲

→ spamjam._. they're lying

trentarnold66 you owe me a mcdonalds run when you get back [liked by spamjam._.]

→ spamjam._. yes sir 🫡

Ibrahimakonate 🙊❤️ [liked by spamjam._.]

curtisjr my gf says you're beautiful 🙄

→ spamjam._. gf?? curtis call me right now istg!!

levicolwill okay supermodel🙄❤️ [liked by spamjam._.]

→ spamjam._. check your dm's

"there's my favourite boy!"

you had your arms spread for a hug as you watched jobe walk up to you with a sheepish smile. you could tell that he was a slight bit embarrassed, but gave in anyway and dropped his bags to embrace you.

he had grown a freakishly large amount since the last time you saw him— towering over you would be an understatement and it took every bit of you not to feel overwhelmed, but how could you when he was so freaken cute??

a shy chuckle came from jobe as you continued to hug him, your arms tightly wrapped around in torso. "you can carry on when we get back to the hotel, people have places to be."

that wasn't good enough of an excuse for you. "they can let me have my moment."

when you got back to the hotel, jude wasn't there as suspected but all your bags were already packed for tomorrow morning's early flight back to madrid. the rest of the day was spent just relaxing in the hotel room and catching up as usual because you didn't want to waste your energy and fall asleep half way into the first half of the match.

"I can't believe I'm about to watch barça and madrid play," jobe commented as he scrolled through his twitter feed.

you two were settled comfortably on the couch set with snacks and the t.v playing as background noise. when you didn't reply he looked up from his phone, only to see you glued to your own with a lopsided smile.

it was unlike you to ignore him, even if it were by accident so it raised some suspicion. he kicked your thigh in an attempt to gain your attention but it didn't work, your fingers typing away at the keyboard for whatever reason. he didn't want to be one of those brothers and take your phone right out of hand and see what had you so interested— that was jude's job.

so instead he resorted to kicking you over and over until you eventually got irritated and yelped out in pain. "jobe my leg," you groaned and began to rub your thigh that he'd been taking hits at.

when you looked at him again his expression had changed, his lips slightly parted in shock. you asked him what the issue was and all he could manage was a scoff of disbelief. there'd only been one other instance where he'd seen you act like this before, and he tried to forget it at most.

"who are you talking to?"

jobe wasn't one to pry and you knew that, and when he did it was out of genuine concern. you cleared your throat awkwardly. "just a friend."

his eyes narrowed at your answer, knowing he caught you. "you don't have friends." in no way did he mean to offend you by saying that, because it was true and as clear as day. he knew you too well, maybe you could hide things from jude for a bit but with jobe it was different because everything came out unintentionally.

a sigh of defeat escaped your mouth and you set your phone down on your lap. "this is a situation my friend is in right now. you're not going to ask any questions okay?"

jobe nodded his head eagerly and sat upright so he could pay more attention. and just like that, you found yourself lost in the explanation and you were sure you nearly namedropped at least thrice but jobe remained attentive and gave his word when needed.

"I mean if they aren't dating then there should be nothing wrong with you--"

you gave jobe a look and he immediately retracted his last word.

"your friend. your friend, not you," he corrected sheepishly and you nodded.

he thought the idea was dumb. you could've just said that you were talking about yourself and he wouldn't have bugged you... that much. "your friend isn't overstepping any boundaries by the sound of it. so she should just go with the flow--"

you couldn't believe that you were taking relationship advice from an 18-year-old right now. this was your lowest. "--whatever happens, happens."

whatever happens, happens.

his advice genuinely seemed to shift some gears in your mind, and you wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in a bear hug. so that's exactly what you did. "have I ever told you how much I love you?"

the question made him stifle a laugh, the boy tightening his grip around your shoulders as you lay on top of him. "I want to say yes but no."

you slapped his arm jokingly. "you're my favourite brother too. but don't tell jude."

"how can I not??"

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