#and drawing him interacting with other bills is so fun he wants to be friends with all of them

[dammjamboy]

i've become incredibly attached to my human bill don't mind me 🚶‍➡️

(bill designs belong to @/floeflan on twt, @nostalgink @/annacpadilla on twt and @tesscourtes !!)

[samson-the-whale]

So ... I made a self insert fore WIR ....ya

:]

Name: Scrapper/scrap

Gender: male (this mf bisexual)

Age: in his game like 20s to 30s if we go with his game age like 30s or 40s 

Game: Scrapper's scrape up

(its like punch out game mechanics game play wies)

Character interactions:

 Hc he gets pumped up easily and likes to push people in the shoulder lightly but really fast when he needs to let out that excitement (t can be like a charging up a special move in his game) and might accidentally leave a bruise 

When he does it to Ralph it tickles 

When he punches Felix he says ow but then hammers his arm and it heals

When he did it to Calhoun for the first time she hit him across the room because she thought he was picking fights and fucking K.Od him with that bitch slap

Then was kind of apologetic after Felix explained and yelled "oh shoot sorry" then Scrap still laying in the floor gives a thumbs up and a strained "I'm ok...it's ok"

 Also if he did the punching thing with Vanelopie she would just pixilate a bit and his punches would almost go through her shoulder kinda I think much like Ralph it would also just tickle 

Ralph:

Before the whole plot of the movie I like to think Ralph liked him but was kind of bitter "he has huge fists and smashes stuff why am "I" the villain?" XD

Ok ok 

So he and Ralph actually get along surprisingly well for you know one being the main character of his game and supposed "heroes" of the game  and the other is well the bad guy. They both like punching stuff and hav a give each other a high five or fist bump while walking by each other so like buddys

Felix:

Him and Felix are more like 

Felix: look at this cool thin-

Scrap: HOLLY CARP CHECK THAT OUT

Like literally one of the doodle sketches was Scrapper leapfrogging over felix to look at a new plugged in game 

So he kinda is an annoying brat towards felix but always makes it in good fun like he's messing around with him with never an intent to hurt his feelings (even when he goes too far and accidentally does)

Vanelopie:

So now we got Vanelopie

There's actually this running joke sorta where scrapper really likes bright colors becus how I imagine his game has a very limited color palette except him for aesthetically pleasing reasons

So he'd actually stay away from brightly colored areas out of comfort before becoming more enthralled in other colors hens his fixation with casualty visiting sugar rush when he's bored 

You may think oh then he must have met Vanellope while visiting 

Well actually no he bye dumb luck he never met her until after the events of the first movie 

So there knowing each other isn't really that strong yet 

But because of him and ralph eventually becoming friends he grew a liking to the spunky little girl calling her shortstack all the time (despite him being a similar height) and or squirt

In response Vanellope calls him oled man

Calhoun:

 Calhoun thinks he's like 12

He is not he's like 30-40 Like lectures him on his fighting form Thinks he's like inexperienced Finds him endearing if a little overbearing Finds his high energy useful in certain situations but exhausting at other times Is unsure...which fighting game he originates from Then bonding through duty or honor or avenging a loved one.

Sour bill (because I want more interactions and im hiperfixsaiting):

Scraper:Yoooooo a fellow rubber ball

Sour bill:what?

 Ima say this shit now they would drink tea together because yes Scrapper doesn't like coffee he drinks tea

Sonic (because I can):

Mf cameos in scrappers game in later levels for no reason just because funny

It's like the meme

Scrapper: sonic? What are you doing here?

Sonic in scrapper's game: waiting for them to play Gangdemstyle 

Ok so I forgot to put this in I was ryly hoped to post this but thanks to my friend @im-not-important fore spell correcting and helping come up with ideas(also did some of the Blu doodles in the Wight board drawings)

[shewolfofvilnius]

There is a huge part of me that is curious about dragon age because I love BG3 so much. But idk anything about it? Also none of the characters strike me as interesting (or attractive....) Maybe you could tell me what you like so much about ? maybe talk about the characters so I can give it a chance? I want to like it! but I just don't know!

I DIDN'T FORGET

So for me the first draw of Dragon Age is the incredible lore and worldbuilding that goes on in the games and books. It's arguably just as fleshed out as a setting like the Forgotten Realms despite just being three (soon four) video games and about a dozen books/comics. There's centuries of history. Ancient ruins. Environmental storytelling for days. A little visual cue in the first game that's referenced in optional banter in the third that pays off in the fourth (FIFTEEN years apart). I really appreciate that the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, only exposes you to part of the story. The game's set in a pestilence known as the Fifth Blight, and you're the plucky young adventurer that the grizzled old veteran manages to recruit out of a bad situation just before the end. And you and your friends are all that stand between victory and oblivion. But right off the bat there's storytelling about love and loss and prejudice and honor. There's a noble character who dies, leading to a coward being killed as the stakes are built. (There's also a dog you can pet, and moments to show kindness during armageddon, like a prisoner who just wants a sandwich before he dies, he hasn't been fed.)

And the banter is funny (if some of it's aged a bit unwell), and the gameplay really encourages you to get in the head of whatever character you want to build. Yes you can be the cliche prince charming. You can also be the sibling of a prostitute to pay the bills until your sister lands a high profile john who catches feels for her. From the start it's equal measures hopeful and bleak at the same time. (And as you invest in YOUR character emotionally, you inevitably emotionally invest in your companions too.) And gradually the world gets bigger. A character whose town you watch get destroyed becomes the protagonist of the second game, and they hook you in to. They're a refugee, a very timely story, and if they're a magic user, then they're an especially persecuted refugee. But you still make friends amidst the hopelessness. More of the world gets revealed. You have FUN, somehow. Characters from past games recur, either as cameos or in one very specific case as a high profile recurring character in 3 out of the 4. And you become so glad to see them as they represent continuity of story.

It's a game about family and faith and the lack thereof and prejudice and love and how one counters the other, about how persecuted people often pay the price of things that happened before their ancestors' ancestors were born, and that tomorrow should always be better than today.

That's thematic, though. Maybe you take a shine to Isabela the Pirate and Aveline the Guard Captain (maybe Merrill the blood mage elf, too). The three women basically form one of the best depictions of big/middle/little sister trios I've ever seen in a game. What starts out as cold hostility becomes banterful compassion and love. A lot of folks fell for Solas, an elven apostate whose every word is couched in three mysteries and two half-truths but seems to know way more than he's letting on. When you find out a horrible secret about the honourable Grey Warden Blackwall, do you leave him to his fate, try to redeem him, deliver a sufficient consequence, or outright torture him.

And you won't like everyone. The odds of you liking both the spirit-possessed mage Anders and the anti-magic elf Fenris in the same play of the same game are low unless you metagame it. And sometimes the games even rewards you for someone hating your ass or vice versa, and THAT'S organic. But being mean or having a negative interaction isn't some edgelord thing either, it's just "sometimes people don't get along" or "something you just need to punch someone"

You get to laugh at the tough stern warrior Cassandra getting absolutely beside herself wanting to know what happens in a book that it's writer, another of your companions, hated writing - and that even Cass herself calls smutty literature. Another character, The Iron Bull, is faced with a choice: His found family and the freedom to be who he's become, or the belief system he's known his entire life and that expects him to conform.

Does your character sacrifice? Does your character make the streets run red with blood? Is all you want to make people feel inspired and in something bigger than themselves? Even playing three (soon four) wholly new characters, you get to truly role-play and emotionally invest in these little blorbos, maybe even more strongly in Baldur's Gate. When a character returns you weren't expecting, is it joyful or melancholy? Can your character handle a confrontation of everything they've ever known.

And in the newest game, there's a baby griffon.

I love Dragon Age. The lore is expansive beyond sanity for a franchise with it's commercial output. The characters feel alive, and the game tasks you to emotionally invest in order to reap the maximum reward and suffer the strongest heartache. Plus, in many cases, when the game doesn't tell you, say about your character? You get to roleplay and use your imagination so, so strongly.

[ckret2]

What would be Bill's hobbies in the nightmare realm? Like ok he's been there for a million years, what would he do? Aside from partying, ruling and planning world domination?

Hate to nitpick—but one trillion years. To me the difference isn't a trivial "okay they're both impossibly big numbers" if we're considering what Bill's life must have been like; because one million years ago, humans had already evolved. One TRILLION years is 72 times longer than our entire universe has existed. We're talking about a life where for most of his existence, the universe he would ultimately try to conquer—much less the species that would help him do it—didn't even exist yet.

But to the actual question:

Genuinely I think partying took up most of his free time lmao. Maybe not at the start; but over time, getting absolutely smashed and "having fun" would have become an essential strategy to hold on to what was left of his fraying mental health, so it probably became more and more of his schedule while he waited for an in to a universe. And it combines several of his top hobbies: socializing, meeting people, dancing, substance abuse... But even something that takes "most of his free time" could leave billions of years unaccounted for, SO:

I mentioned yesterday that meditation is one of his unexpected hobbies. It's useful for refining his dream demon skills & various other psychic tricks; but mostly it's just, if you can drop into a trance for a thousand, a million, a billion years, then that's a lot of waiting & boredom you can just skip.

He's got a lot of eyes in other dimensions. It's like television to him.

He's unable to visit other dimensions before his portal is built, but he is able to visit other dimensions' mindscapes. He can't interact with things, but he can look around like an invisible tourist, and he can invade people's dreams.

We see what looks like weirdness bubbles scattered all around the Nightmare Realm in Don't Dimension It. I headcanon that Bill didn't just invent them on the spot in Weirdmageddon, he made them ahead of time in the Nightmare Realm; and thus that they probably take some time and skill to create. He doesn't control the end result but he can influence it based on what materials he puts in and how he creates it, kind of like an acrylic dirty pour painting. It's like art to him. He's proud of it.

He's never had higher education but he's book-read and self-taught on a wide variety of subjects. At bare minimum, every time he sees a new universe and goes "maybe I can conquer this," he has to teach himself that universe's rules of physics (often before a species in that universe has evolved enough to study it themselves), and one of the intelligent species's available engineering capabilities and native languages, all so that he can translate his portal blueprints into a form someone in that universe can build. That adds up to learning a LOT of languages, engineering, and physics. Ours is far from the first dimension he tried to conquer. Plus throw in all the other stuff he's probably learning on the side while trying to get something going with a new species: local politics, religion, chemistry, biology, pop culture...

He DID pick up piano at some point. Probably not the only instrument he's learned. I headcanon piano is conceptually similar to an instrument in his home dimension.

He likes playing games. Sometimes games of skill, because dice rolls and card draws would be easy to manipulate & cheat in a dreamscape; but sometimes games of chance, because he wants to cheat lol. He's not athletically inclined, so his preference is board games, card games, word games, pen-and-paper games, video games, etc.

Any time something falls into the Nightmare Realm, he can sense it; sometimes he goes and checks out the new arrival. It can be anything from objects (new stuff to scavenge through) to people (new friends and/or torture toys and/or networking opportunities) to whole worlds (there's a LOT of fun you can have with a planet—especially a populated one).

He spends a lot of time cultivating mini-cults and pockets of worship toward him amongst alien species. He claims this is all in service to his ultimate conquest plans, but honestly, he just really likes being worshiped.

There were a few survivors of Bill's home dimension. Not many, with a starting population of billions (and that's not even counting alien life); but a few thousand. Most of them ultimately moved to other dimensions and tried to start new societies. Early on, Bill tried to keep in contact with them, and that took up a fair amount of his time; but as they rejected him or he rejected them, he cut them off. Now the only people from or descended from his universe that he still talks to are the shapes in the Henchmaniacs.

Imagine if all the oceans on Earth were ruled over by a single pirate king, and also he knows any time something—from a cargo ship to a surfer—enters his domain, and he COULD just teleport to where they are and wreck their day if he wants to; so any nation that wants to safely ship goods or maintain a navy has to bargain with the pirate king; but also the pirate king is an immature clown who's easily flattered and distracted by shiny toys. That's the relationship Bill has to other dimensions. For cultures that have discovered interdimensional travel, transit through the Nightmare Realm COULD be very useful... if it weren't for this one guy who's somehow borderline omnipotent within the NR but can't leave it. So Bill spends a lot of time politicking and bartering with neighboring dimensions that don't trust him, know he'll violate treaties on a whim, but nevertheless need access to his realm.

There's also some uneasy politicking and socializing with the few powerful entities that Bill thinks might be able to wreck his day but isn't quite foolhardy enough to test, like the Axolotl.

Sometimes he just makes stuff that sounds cool. He made the Quadrangle of Qonfusion. (Amorphous Shape helped, they're better at the architecture side of things.) He also sometimes just goes and gets stuff that strikes his fancy, like his throne made of optical illusions. The Nightmare Realm is riddled with unfinished projects and impulse purchases.

[6lostgirl6]

yandere best friend ted logan with fem!s/o and he gets jealous :))

The Jealous Kind

Pairing: Yandere!Ted Theodore Logan x Fem!Reader

TW: General Yandere Themes, Obsessive behavior, Jealous Ted, Mentions of Stalking, Kidnapping, Murder, Details of Drowning, Recorded Murder.

Word Count: 1.6k

Gif Credits: @weirdlandtv @mrbeniciodeltoro @r-hipatiasblog

Since you two were young children, when you moved into the neighborhood at the tender age of seven, he has been your closest friend. He was the loveliest boy, making sure you were always happy and including you in his activities with Bill. He was the kind of best friend that anyone would want—he never teased you or made fun of you because you were the only girl in the trio.

You were never aware of his other side, which lay dormant for the duration of your friendship. He might be a touch dense, but he was cautious, at least to the extent that was necessary.

The numerous drawings that seven-year-old Ted used to produce were never revealed to you. Your hands holding one another's with a large heart over your heads, in childlike scribbles. Not even the names he would scribble down in a fit of rage for the other local kids in the neighborhood. When they interacted with you, he wished for the demise of those boys.

The childlike doodles changed into photographs as he grew older. Ted has always loved cameras and you; why not combine his two loves into one? He would pose as an innocent by snapping pictures of you and hiding them among the other images in his closet. Some images were only of you, while others showed both of you and him. Bill was the only one he would allow around you since he was confident that Bill didn't harbor any feelings for you. Plus, he already made it perfectly clear to him years ago that you were off-limits with a dopey smile on his face.

Although others would describe it as obsession or infatuation, he knew in his heart that he was merely in love.

Ted was now a senior and was standing in front of his unlocked locker. The school's hallways were bustling with students making their way to their own lockers and friend groups. Ted wasn't concerned about the rowdy students passing him, though. Standing in front of your own locker at the other end of the hallway, you caught his attention.

Along with your new friend.

As you spoke with Eric, a new student who had just moved to San Dimas a few days earlier, Ted's eyes were fixated attentively on you and the blonde-haired boy. He couldn't stand the way that jerk decided to stand so close to you and try to get your attention. It almost made Ted sick to his stomach.

Your apparent enjoyment of his attention only made matters worse. His fingers grasping the locker door tightened as he attempted to control the mounting fear in his body, as the mere notion of it caused tears to fill up in his eyes.

He has always loved you. Why didn't you just acknowledge his feelings already?

Ted was too preoccupied with watching you to hear the bell that indicated it was time to leave for class. His eyes followed you as you and Eric moved in the opposite direction.

"Hey, dude!"

Bill, his other best friend, was standing there grinning as Ted flinched, drawing his attention to him. The raven haired boy felt some relief from the anxiety that had been roiling inside him.

"Hey, dude." Ted responded, sounding a little dejected as he closed his locker.

Bill pinched his brows; he wasn't used to seeing Ted seem so discouraged that the taller boy couldn't look at him. He was worried, and he would go to any length to make his best friend feel better.

"What's wrong, Ted?" He inquired gently, his earlier amusement fading. "Did something happen?"

Ted rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, his gaze fixed on the tile floor. He didn't know what to say, or even how to express what he was feeling. All he knew was that he was enraged and that he needed to take action. 

What should he do about Eric?

Ted came to a standstill, his nervous scratching coming to a halt, his focus on the tile floor shifting slightly. Ted wasn't the brightest tool in the shed, but he understood what to do when it came to his emotions and an act of love. The love that was being threatened by Eric Straumer.

"Bill, my most excellent friend…" Ted began to speak, his brown eyes finally shifting to face his closest friend. "Can you help me with something after school?"

It was late at night when Bill and Ted arrived at their destination, an open field near a lake, located a distance away outside of San Dimas. The cool air conditioning in the car caused goosebumps on their skin. Ted, on the other hand, was shivering for a completely different reason.

The two boys stepped out of the car after turning off the engine, and Bill gave the car a troubled look, his brows furrowed.

"Do you think Missy-Mom will notice...?" Bill asked nervously, pointing towards a noticeable scratch in the door's paint.

It was an obvious reason why the boys didn't have their licenses and needed Missy to drive them around.

Ted walked around to look at the car door before delivering his trademark dopey smile as he slung his backpack straps over his shoulders. "Nope!" He replied, before walking towards the trunk.

He didn't seem too concerned that they had essentially stolen Missy's car and driven it into an open field with just the night sky to keep them company.

You, um... totally tightened the ropes, right?" Bill questioned as he followed him to the trunk and stood beside him. Before Ted could respond, Bill unlocked the trunk using Missy's keys.

"Yeah! I double-knotted too!" Ted exclaimed, smiling, before lifting the trunk lid and inspecting the contents.

Inside the trunk was an unconscious Eric, his wrists and ankles poorly tied with cheap rope, and his mouth clumsily taped shut. The blood from his head wound ran down his temple and cheek.

Ted's smile evaporated instantly as he remembered what had happened earlier that day. His brown eyes hardened as he grabbed Eric's shirt collar, attempting to remove his body from the trunk. Bill sprang into action, grabbing Eric's ankles and pulling him from the trunk.

His body was thrown into the soil carelessly, a tortured cry from the unconscious His body, however, remained motionless as Bill and Ted grabbed his bound ankles and dragged him deeper into the field, closer and closer to the shore of the lake.

The two lazily dropped Eric's ankles and looked down at his pitiful form as they panted. Ted, on the other hand, could only feel a tinge of pride, his pulse racing in his chest from the thrill.

While panting, Bill placed his hand on the taller boy's shoulder and smiled sympathetically. "I'll...wait in the car." He muttered softly before beginning to make his way back.

"Thanks, dude..." Ted returned softly, watching him walk away before pulling off his backpack. He paused when his best friend called his attention once more.

"How did you even think of this idea, dude?" Bill asked, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Ted chuckled and looked down at the ground before responding, his gaze meeting Bill's once more. "I saw it in a movie once."

"Excellent." Bill said, his smile widening as he walked away, not looking back.

The camera was rolling, perfectly positioned on a giant rock to record the picture. There was nothing but the peaceful surface of the lake and, in the distance, Eric Straumer's motionless legs, the rest of his body out of frame. 

The sound of approaching steps could be heard until Ted emerged in front of the camera lens, stooping down to smile brightly.

"Sup, dudes!" He greeted enthusiastically, his eyes twinkling with boyish delight as he continued conversing with a nonexistent audience. "My name's Ted, and tonight I'm going to do something I should have done a long time ago!"

He cast a glance behind him, taking in the sight of the unconscious boy, before turning to face the camera. "See, someone tried stealing someone I love deeply...and I can't allow that." The smile on his face was slowly sinking.

The distant sound of groaning was heard as Eric began to stir, his poor restraints keeping him immobile. Eric's mind began to absorb the situation quickly, and his muffled screaming could be heard.

"Let's get started, dudes!"

Ted's smile reappeared before he stood up and walked up to the screaming youngster. The camera documented Ted grabbing the distressed Eric and pulling him to the water's edge while Eric effortlessly resisted. Ted was panting as he fought to restrain his struggling victim.

Ted threw Eric face first into the freezing water, his clothes getting soaked as Eric furiously struggled to adjust himself to get some air. The bindings around his wrists and ankles kept him submerged.

Ted gave the camera a malicious smirk before leaping onto Eric's back, his hands grasping the boy's hair and keeping his head under water. Eric was writhing like a fish, attempting to knock Ted off balance, but Ted was much stronger despite his stature. He ignored the cold water soaking him as he continued keeping him submerged.

Eric's struggling ceased after only a few minutes, and his form was utterly limp, his body sinking slightly due to the lack of air within him. Ted paused before cautiously releasing Eric's hair and stumbling to his feet.

Ted walked towards the camera, the frigid air making his soaked form shiver. He crouched down in front of the camera once more and proceeded to address it.

"Babe..." He panted and looked down at the ground, trying to catch his breath. He smiled sweetly at the camera once more. "If you ever see this...just know how much I love you."

"I'll see you at school, babe." He whispered softly before flinging his hands up, his fingers bending to create a heart as he continued to smile. He hurriedly rose up and approached the camera.

Everything went black.

Taglist: Comment to be added!!

@prettywhenibleed @britany1997 @leiasolo77 @rottent33th @slaasherslut @rynsfandomsfun

[videogamelover99]

[Gravity Falls] Waking Days Ch. 3: The Master of the Mind

Summary: Bill Cipher is reborn, but not in the way he would have wanted. Stuck as a mortal and relying on those who brought his downfall, he realizes that maybe he didn't lie as hard as he should have. [AO3 Link] Characters: Bill Cipher, Mabel Pines, Dipper Pines, Stanford Pines, Stanley Pines, Jheselbraum the Unswerving, The Axolotl Pairings: past BillFord Rating: T

A/N: Hope you like this new chapter! Thank you to @megxolotl and @nexstage for beta-reading. Enjoy!

---

The mindscape opened up around Bill, casting the Mystery Shack’s living room in fuzzy greyscale. Bill’s human prison lay beneath him, fast asleep on the couch. Human astral projection wasn’t exactly rocket science, but the cute little speck of power he’d retrieved from the rift gave him access to something far better: the squealing minds of others. His projected consciousness could take any form he wished, and it was a blast to have his snazzy three-sided form back, if temporarily.

Ha! Couldn’t have predicted this, Frills?

He had some housekeeping to do. The mindscape let him interact with his mind, and Bill spent the first night eagerly sorting through the scraps of information his memory was trying desperately to hold on to. A human mind was not meant for trillions of years’ worth of memories, and it had a pesky habit of prioritizing things that it deemed “important”, and throwing the rest out with the garbage. Bill had to dig stuff up from a pile of discarded and disintegrating memories and cram it into corners it couldn’t escape from. It was like lying about cleaning your room, only to shove everything under the bed and hope Mom wouldn’t notice.

Once he was sure he wouldn’t lose whatever remains of his infinite knowledge left to him, Bill finally got to the real fun. He poked around the town, invading sleeping heads and only causing minor chaos in his wake. He didn’t want to give himself away that easily. 

Well. Lazy Susan sure liked cats.

Dipper’s nightmare of fighting parents and disintegrating nuclear families took a backseat to one about twelve-headed pigs. 

One peek into Sheriff Blub’s brain: it was a play-by-play of Mabel’s trashy romance novels. 

One peek in Deputy Durland’s brain, and he had to pour caustic soda in his eye. Humans were such freaks.

There were two minds Bill had to keep from, if only for now. Sixer was too likely to recognize his presence. As for Stanley…

He didn’t want to see Stanley’s mind ever again. 

Bill kept searching. One of these small-town hicks was bound to find another rift, another crumb of his power. All he had to do was play nice.

It was only a matter of time. 

—

Learning to play nice, however, was harder than it looked.

"So, anyway, this is why-" Mabel Pines' cheerful voice grated on him as she prattled about something one of her little friends did. They sat on the floor in the attic, surrounded by a pillow fort the twins had constructed, and Bill attempted to look like he was listening. He noticed the stained-glass window that used to hold his face had been replaced by some boring plexiglass. Boo. 

"Hey, Billy-"

"I told you not to call me that," he snapped. "What?"

“I’ve decided,” she said it like it was a monumental announcement. “I’m going to help you!”

Well, that was easier than expected. “Finally got a taste for world domination?”

“Nope, try again!”

“You’ve come to your senses and realized replacing all the eggs in the fridge with baby heads is the most hilarious thing ever?”

“Wrong again! I’m gonna help you…” Mabel stood up on her bed and struck a dramatic pose. “Be a better person!”

That sent him into sudden fits of hysterical laughter.

“You might not believe it now, but I do!” she jumped off the bed, her face deathly serious. “Being a good person is like sports, you get better at it if you practice. All you need is the right coach!”

“You lost me at ‘person’.”

“You’re a person, silly!”

“That’s the problem.”

“No, it isn’t!” She flung open one of the drawers and took out a sketchbook. “Here.” She flipped to the right page and pointed at a drawing of a triangle with an eye and a big angry eyebrow. Pretty good. The flames were a nice touch. “This is you, and this…” She drew a line through his face and colored everything below in red. “Is your badness level.”

“I’m not a fluffy marketable blue alien created by a gaslighting, monopolistic entertainment company.”

Mabel learned to ignore his asides. She looked him up and down and pursed her lips like she was conspiring something. It was kind of adorable, but Bill was pretty sure that whatever it was would occupy the rest of the day with pointless side quests, and he needed to get a move on if he wanted to find more rifts. 

“Oh wow, would you look at the time! Catch ya on the flip side, kid-” He made it to the door before Mabel appeared before him, blocking his only escape. 

“Not so fast, mister. Hey!” He picked her up and deposited her out of the way. Weight was still an annoying concept, and she was heavy for her size. 

He was halfway down the stairs when she said: “I’ll get Grunkle Stan to drop that grudge he’s been carrying!”

That made him pause. Walking around the shack without worrying about the old geezer’s retaliation for those pranks would be nice.

He climbed back up and plopped down on the pillow fort. Mabel looked way too smug for someone who was just picked up like a delivery package, so he flipped her hair over her face. “You’ve got one hour,” he said as she sputtered and coughed up hair.

—

Lesson 1: Apologies. Know how to admit you’re wrong!

“Hey, Fez.”

“What do you want?”

“My bad about the glue shoes.”

“Is this some kinda trick?”

“Me? No way, never. By the way, you might wanna check your bed for blood-sucking gnomes. Not for any particular reason.”

He got away before the rolling pin Stan tossed could hit him. Mabel facepalmed.

—

Lesson 2: Good Deeds. Do something without expecting anything in return.

“Why, thank you. Such a nice young man. My sight had been bad ever since my cataracts set in.”

“Sure. Woah, this weighs a ton!”

“Oh! I brought cookies, my secret recipe. I can only bake them once a year, and I wanted to give something to the grandkids.”

…

“My, this bag weighs a lot less than I remember.”

“Look at you, so strong from all that heavy lifting!”

“Oh, I suppose so!”

The old lady left, and Bill held out his armful of cookies. “Want one?”

Mabel angrily munched on the stolen treat.

—

Lesson 3: Compliments! Say something nice about someone else!

“Hey, what a haircut!”

“Oh, thank you!”

“Reminds me of this one guy I met from Dimension 323. Had tentacles for teeth and teeth for eyes. Great guy, he’d make this crazy cocktail out of pineapple juice, vodka, and fingernails…”

They watched as the man shuddered and scrambled away, his face turning green by the second.

“Can’t handle a compliment. This guy’s got issues.”

Mabel groaned into her notepad.

—

“So, how’s it going?” Dipper trailed off when his sister let out a moan of pure anguish. “I’m guessing not good.”

“This was awful, Dipper!” Mabel leaped to her feet from her sad curl on the pavement and paced back and forth. “I’ve tried everything! Compliments, apologies, acts of kindness, it’s like he can’t do anything unless he gets something out of it or makes someone miserable because he thinks it’s funny! Who lives like that?!”

“Bill.” 

“Aaaagh!” Mabel tugged on her hair in frustration.

“Hey, maybe it’s time for a change of plans,” Dipper offered. “I mean, I told you. The guy is the worst. Maybe you have to accept that he’s terrible, with or without your help, and move on.”

“I can’t."

“Why?”

“Because I brought him back!”

Dipper frowned. “Mabel…”

“I shook his hand, right? So I’m responsible for him.” Mabel stopped pacing and scowled at the ground. “I don’t want him to end up hurting anyone because of me.” She looked at the bench some twenty feet away, where Bill lay sprawled on the seat, fast asleep. “And now he’s napping.” She said, a little bitterly.

“He’s been doing that a lot lately.” Dipper sent the ex-demon a suspicious glance. 

“Yeah,” Mabel went quiet. 

“Let’s go wake him up and give him a piece of our mind.”

Mabel yanked him back by the arm. “Dipper, wait! Just…just let him sleep, okay? He probably needs it.”

Confusion, exasperation, and a fond sort of pride all fought inside Dipper. “He doesn’t deserve your sympathy, Mabel.”

“Well, I’m giving it anyway,” she huffed. “Because I’m a good person!”

—

He didn’t have a lot of time, out in the open like this, but hey, he worked with what he got. Bill peeked through a dozen minds or so, no sign of a rift or anything like it. The guy with the haircut was still crying in the bathroom. Nice.

“Come on, give me something.”

He knew there was more than one rift. He knew, because this town had a habit of attracting chaos and entropy and because a calamity of this size wouldn’t stop at one little crack.

A calamity of this size would destroy you, too.

Ugh, not him. 

You invoked me. I am always here.

Oh yeah? Ever heard of privacy? Boundaries? Not being a creep?

This is coming from someone whose main occupation was watching everyone and everything.

…Touché. 

Even you cannot escape what’s to come.

They’ll see about that, won’t they? Once he had his powers back, some multidimensional rip in the fabric of the universe wouldn’t be much of a problem.

You are a fool.

“And you’re an irritating, holier-than-thou waste of space!”

He didn’t realize that he’d yelled it out loud, into the mindscape. But he had, and the Axolotl was silent for a moment before he once again spoke: Pursue this for as long as you wish. It is fruitless. You cannot escape your vow to me. 

“Yeah yeah. Get lost.”

And he did. Not really, Bill could still feel the Axolotl’s presence hovering somewhere nearby, and it drove him crazy to know everything he did was being scrutinized by some huge, ugly, annoying- 

Huh, that was weird. 

The mind he found nearby, well, there was something off about it. It was hard to notice, like a hiccup in space-time, but Bill has done this song and dance for eons. The girl herself was fast asleep, her head on the storefront counter. Bill vaguely recognized her as that enthusiastic cashier girl who vowed to destroy all clothing without pockets. Heh, fun times.

He floated up next to her and poked the distortion with a finger. 

There it was again. Sparks, glitching for a split second before fading out. It was a lot like the static aura surrounding Mabel’s pet pig.  

Bill stared at it for a few moments. Then he laughed. Weeks of mind-numbing human boredom and now finally, something interesting.

He hesitated, for a moment, on whether or not to enter the cashier girl’s mind. It wasn’t like anything could happen to him in the mindscape, not really, but-

Scoffing at the idea, Bill let himself right in.

“Woah!”

Cashier Girl’s exterior sure matched her interior. A dark hallway of a nightclub filled with punk rock posters by groups from the 90s, complete with DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM graffiti was about what Bill had expected. And hey, he could respect consistency and vision, if anything. Anarchy was still his wheelhouse, even if it was packaged in outdated punk rock aesthetics. 

What he was pretty sure didn’t belong there were the tendrils of white static, crawling around corners like a glitched-out video game screen. 

A sharp, colorful tendril reached out toward him. Bill swatted it away. “Back off, pal. You’re picking a fight you can’t win.”

The tendril quickly retreated, cowering in the corner. Man, it felt good to be back.

“What are you supposed to be?”

Bill didn’t jump. He definitely didn’t screech, and summon a handful of flames he quickly snuffed out. Because he wasn’t startled, Bill couldn’t startle, he was the All-Seeing-Eye!

“Hey, man, you ok?”

That was when he realized the posters weren’t rock bands, but memories. On the poster behind him, Cashier Girl was looking at him as she sat under a large willow tree, on top of a black and white colored picnic blanket. 

So maybe spending so much time trapped in an awkward meat sack made him rusty. Bill straightened his tie and pretended none of that had happened. Because it didn’t. “Heya. Nice digs. Great decor. The fluorescent lighting really brings the whole eye-sore together.”

“You’re a triangle,” said the girl.

“Yup,” said Bill.

“How does that, like, work?”

It was awkward, having a conversation through the metaphysical representation of the border between someone’s memory and their mind, so Bill let himself in, settling on the other corner of the picnic blanket, one leg crossed over the other. “Hey, not my fault humanity’s dimensional awareness started and ended at the number three! You think your pencil drawings don’t watch you while you sleep?”

Cashier Girl reached out a finger toward his side, which Bill slapped away lightly. “Yeesh, what’s with all the unwarranted touching in here? You got a problem or something?”

“Sorry, it’s just-” She angled her neck around him as if checking if he was actually flat.

“Hey, kid, my eye’s up here.”

“Uh-huh.” She looked at him up and down again, “Are you like, the Hat Man or something?”

“Did you seriously compare me to that miserable gangly hack?” Bill rolled his eye. “He can’t even manifest without allergy pills! Nah, kid, I’m the dream demon real deal,  your good old pal Bill-”

Wait. 

“Demon, huh? Cool,” the girl frowned. “You kinda look like all that graffiti in the town I work in. Gravity Falls?”

“Wow, what a crazy coincidence. DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT!”

He took in his surroundings a bit more. It was pitch black, with a small, cool breeze blowing through the grass underneath the blanket and shifting the strands of willow above them. Behind the tree was a small clearing filled with gravestones, green and mossy with age. A plaque on the rusted-up wire fence read FAIRVIEW CEMETERY.

Fairview wasn’t far from Gravity Falls. So this kid was an out-of-towner. Luckily, she didn’t recognize him.

Cashier Girl shrugged. “I come here all the time.” 

Ding! Another point for manic pixie dream girl! Three more and we might even find a sad, mediocre boy to attach!

He didn’t say that out loud, obviously. “Gotta respect your gusto, kid! Say, how’s about you tell your old pal Bill about whatever’s going on there.” He pointed at the window to the rest of the mindscape. From this side of things, it looked like there was a poster floating in the air.

“Oh, that,” Cashier Girl frowned. “That started a while ago. Ever since I got that job at the mall.”

“And did you see anything… weird?”

“Yeah, I mean…” She shook her head, looking frustrated. “There was this like, multicolored light?”

Now they were getting somewhere. Lemme guess, a tear in space-time did some damage to your psyche. Bill extended his arm until it was three times as long, looping it around the girl’s shoulders. “Lay it on me! Consider it a free consultation: you’re talking to the Master of the Mind, you know,” he winked and manifested two cups of tea in front of them. 

The girl tentatively reached for hers. “Well, there was this like, tear. I think? In a wall. Inside it were these oil-spill lights?”

She was gonna lead him straight to the jackpot. After days of frustration and nothing, Bill felt like cackling. “And lemme guess, you touched it, and it backfired?”

She shrugged. She looked down at the tea and made a face.

Bill floated toward her until his eye was inches away from hers. “Where did you see it?”

“Oh, um,” she put her finger to her chin, frowning. “I don’t remember.”

“Ha! Obviously, I should’ve-” Bill’s excited speech stopped short. “What do you mean, you don’t remember?”

She shrugged again. “Sorry. It’s like there’s this static.” She pointed to her head.

Bill rubbed his eye in frustration. “Do you remember anything? At all?”

“Well, it was dark.”

“ And?”

“And…I think my boss was there.” Cashier Girl frowned in thought. “Wait, why would she be there?”

“...Great!” He threw his hands up. The teacup fell onto the blanket, tea spilling and staining the cloth. “Okay! Sure! I can work with this! Who’s your boss, kid?”

“So how do I get rid of it?”

“What?”

“You said it’s a ‘free consultation’,” said Cashier Girl. “So how do I get rid of the gross staticky stuff?”

Bill looked back through the poster at the rest of the mindscape. The Cashier Girls in the other memories were watching them curiously. The spiderweb, static-like tendrils wiggled around like maggots. “How’s about this: I’ll know how to get rid of it if you tell me where I can find your boss.”

“Really?”

“Yeah!” He floated up to her eye level. “See, this kinda stuff is hard to get rid of. It’s like a curse, it eats away at you, body and mind and all until you’re nothing but a big sad pile of madness in a white-padded cell!”

“Oh.”

“So, the only way to clear the gunk: find the origin point. Capiche?” He waved his hand in the air. “We’ll do a little cleansing ritual, you know, nothing fancy, get all the tough stains out, and voila! Brand new mindscape! Madness-free! How’s that sound?”

“Yes?”

“Great! It’s a deal!” He reached out a hand, expecting the familiar crackle of blue flame to appear. But it was just his hand, and for a moment Bill simply stared at it, momentarily forgetting the last few weeks. Right. Can’t make binding deals anymore. That frilly bastard took that, too.

The girl hesitantly shook his hand. “Deal.” She paused. “I’m not, like, gonna find out I owe my firstborn to you, right?”

“Psh, why would I want your firstborn? Babies are smelly tyrants with too much time on their hands. Just help me find that rift, kid. The rest’s on the house.”

“Okay,” she said hesitantly. “By the way, is there an eyeball in this tea?”

—

“Look at you,” said Jheselbraum as she knelt by the translucent barrier that held Waddles. The monstrous, corrupted pig oinked in several different voices.

“Mabel is convinced that’s him demanding treats,” Ford said.

“Of course, it is. I speak pig.”

“You do?”

Jheselbraum held his gaze for a good moment before laughing. “No.  But I’m flattered you would think so.” She took a carrot from a nearby bucket of treats Mabel started keeping in Ford’s study and pressed a button to lower the barrier enough to toss it in. The carrot landed between three hungry, gaping pig mouths, and they fought each other as they devoured it. 

“Is there a way to fix him?” Ford asked.

“Maybe. The energy that did this to him came from Bill’s dimension, but it’s more than that. It’s the same energy that’s feeding those cracks.”

“So if we find a cure for Waddles….” 

“We will find a cure for the rift.” 

Stanford watched the pig blink at him as if expecting more treats. For the first time in a long while, he felt the glimmer of optimism rear its head in his heart. “Let’s get to work, then.”

—

Stan walked past Greasy’s, noticing the unusual crowd at the door. That ratty little diner never got this much traction, even during tourist season.

He was tempted to snoop around, if only to find out what they were doing and how to steal whatever new gimmick got those people through the doors. Shrugging off the mantle of Mr. Mystery was harder than he realized. 

Maybe later. As he reached the general store, he tried the handle. It didn't budge. 

Huh. The store had pretty damn consistent working hours for 30 straight years. He peered through the window. 

“They’re not in,” said a voice. Stan turned and saw one of Wendy’s teen friends. She didn’t look up from her phone as she said: “Everyone’s been holed up at Greasy’s.”

“Oh yeah? What’s at Greasy’s?”

“Beats me, some kinda town meeting. It’s been crowded all afternoon.”

Stan swallowed nervously and looked back down Main Street at the bustling diner. His first worry was that their attempt at hiding Bill had turned out pretty lousy, and the thought of a parade of justifiably scared town citizens filling their yard, carrying pitchforks and torches, did not make him any less nervous.

“Guess I should check it out,” he said.

“I literally don’t care,” said the teen.

—

“There are a few materials we could try,” Jheselbraum stood in front of the chalkboard and scribbled out a formula while Stanford watched from his desk chair. He hadn’t slept well, but that hadn’t been unusual for the past few weeks. He did his best to focus as his interdimensional friend dropped the chalk and picked up something she’d brought with her: a purple, semi-translucent scarf. “Imagine the fabric of existence as a tightly interwoven net. It’s hard to break, but with enough torn strings it can come apart easily. And strings are most easily torn at the seams,” With that, Ford watched, surprised, as she tore the scarf in half with her hands.

“Er, that wasn’t anything valuable, I hope?”

Jheselbraum stared at the torn pieces in her hands, realizing what she’d just done. “...I’ll make a new one.” She tossed the pieces aside. “The rift is a tear in space-time, most likely to be found at the seams of a dimension, where reality is the weakest. And the more they appear, the more likely it is for the entire fabric to come undone.” She gestured to the chalkboard. “The fabric of reality is made of logic and systems, not cloth, but the principle is the same.”

“And the tear was made by a high concentration of weirdness?”

“Yes. Weirdness, chaos, entropy, whatever you wish to call it.” Jheselbraum pointed at the first half of the formula. “Chaos is an imbalance, a surplus of energy. Without Bill Cipher as an agent to channel it, the Nightmare Realm is overflowing with that energy. Your dimension will be the most affected, having been the one directly in contact with the Nightmare Realm a year ago. But there are ways to channel that energy, ground it, using magically made materials. If we create some of them, and test them-”

“We can sew the hole in reality back together.”

“You’re catching on.” The Oracle smiled. 

But Ford was busy thinking of something she’d said. “‘Without Bill Cipher’. You mean he’s been preventing this?”

Jheselbraum’s smile instantly vanished, replaced by mild annoyance. “Yes and no. Technically, he caused this a year ago when he tried to take over your dimension. But he was made of that energy, and energy doesn’t just go away. When he died, all the power that he wielded got stuck in between this world and his.” 

“It’s either Bill or the universe ending?” Stanford swallowed. “Doesn’t seem fair.”

Jheselbraum just shrugged. “The universe doesn’t exactly care about fair.” She stared at the chalkboard for a moment, brow furrowed. It was much easier to read her expressions now that she had a human face. “There’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“What is it?”

She tapped the numbers she’d scribbled down. “Even with the surplus of energy, it shouldn’t be… altering matter. Not at such a rate anyway. It takes millions of years for a lifeform to be corrupted like that. But with Waddles, it seemed to happen within minutes, if not seconds.” She shook her head. “Entropy is inevitable, but it’s not instantaneous. It’s almost as if whatever corrupted Waddles pushed it forward.”

Ford shuddered. “You’re implying it was done deliberately? By someone?”

“…I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion just yet.”

“Bill,” Ford said immediately. “If it was anyone-”

“It wasn’t him,” she said calmly. “He’s powerless.”

“Or he wants us to think that!” Ford ran a hand through his hair, thinking of all the worst possible scenarios. Had Bill been playing them all for fools? Had he really been at their mercy this whole time? Or had he just been waiting for the right moment?

The Oracle regarded him with an unwavering gaze, almost like she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Ford, he’s a drama queen. And horribly impatient. Do you really think he’s spent so long pretending and putting himself in humiliating situations on purpose?”

Ford breathed out slowly. “Alright, I see your point. But J-…” he suddenly remembered that she’d gone by a different name at some point, and felt a rush of shame that he’d forgotten it. “Nora? Forgive me, I’m not sure what you prefer.”

Her gaze softened momentarily. “I’ve gone by many names. The one you know me by is just the latest. The other one…is very old.” She looked past him. “Call me whatever you like.”

“Nora,” he amended. He felt a little thrill at addressing such a renowned creature by a name he assumed not many knew. “If it’s not Bill…”

Then what could have done this?

---

[next]

[prev]

[first]

[cervitaur-dipper]

Oh, hey.

I'm Dipper Pines, and I'm a cervitaur.

I'd, uh, honestly rather not give out too much right off the bat? Just a. A gut feeling. I've lost a lot of memories recently, actually. Kinda hard to tell everyone what I've been up to if you can't remember it, right? Not like I think I want to.

Anyways, come talk to me! I'm more than happy to talk about anything, really! I. I think.

My head hurts.

OOC under cut

This is. Really fucking insane. It was supposed to be normal and then it got not okay really fast.

Dipper will speak in green.

Dipper's being tortured by a Bill! Say hi to @theburningeyeofdawn, the Bill who's responsible for all of this! Yes I asked them to, this was all super agreed upon before. It was sort of improvised but I did immediately go "don't kill or maim the kid and we're chill" so yeah. Blame that Bill for everything here. (This is a joke, I literally asked for it and just be nice, okay?)

We have a memory gun! I repeat, we have a memory gun!

He has killed before and I might make him kill again, but he won't kill another person unless they ask, and even then, under extreme duress.

Ground rules: No nsfw asks - asks containing curse words, gore, death, or references to any of the bullshit I've had Dipper do are allowed, but nothing adult. No GoFundMe asks - it's a roleplay blog, sorry. Can't do much here! Don't be afraid to interact! I don't bite! (Well, he might threaten to stab you with his antlers but he's pretty harmless. More mentally scarred than anything.)

My main is @abyssal-author-and-artist and all art is from me! I like to draw lol.

Want a fun place to hang out and talk about Gravity Falls and Tumblr? Check out my friend's discord server!

[mynameisnotsoda]

THE CRITTERS PART TWO !!!

Technically they all have separate stories that I'll eventually find a way for some of them to interact. So. Uh. YEAH !!

Also Ocean's name was changed to Circe but only after i finsihed the ref so uhh ignore that !!! Circe's involved in two stories that's right TWO, they're Keiths adopted kid AND part of the lab crew. Without spoiling too much she'll end up with them after Keith in the timeline hehe !!!

Also im gonna make this into a webtoon ! Or I'll post it on tapas? Idk but I'm gonna make it into a comic !!!!! Its not gonna be amazing since its just for fun but i hope you guys enjoy it regardless once i start posting it :]

Also i probably should've put all their pronouns next to them but i FORGOT anyway all the animatronics/androids use he/him.

All of Tobi's friends use he/him mostly but Tomas and Philip will also use any other pronouns bc they dont really mind/care that much!

All of the subjects (+Dr. Schlatt) use he/him as well except for Randy and Soda who use they/them then Circe uses they/she/he!

Shepard uses they/them and Adrianne uses she/her!

Bill uses they/he, Thomas and Charles use he/him and lastly Raniel uses she/her !!!

It was so weird making so many ocs based off the same fourish guys LMAO I did my best to make them all different

I want to get this out NOW so I'll probably make a post with some info on all of them at some point but for now if you have any questions just leave em in my asks !!! I probably wont be drawing all of the asks just keep that in mind :)

[mirrorofliterature]

How do you interpret Percy's relationships with the other students at Hogwarts (i.e. not his family or their friends)? Do you think they looked up to him, were annoyed by him, etc.? What about his relationships with the professors?

Generally, I interpret his relationship with other people at Hogwarts as positive.

I understand why many people think he would be widely disliked due to Harry’s general disdain towards Percy, but that’s a perspective that is heavily influenced and filtered through Ron and the twins’ bias. I think the students who were friends with his siblings tended to be outliers, rather than the rule. For example, in a study of cracked gold, Ginny’s friends are confused about why her favourite brother is Percy, because whilst Percy is steady and dependable, the twins are fun; it’s also unlikely that as second-third years three years below the twins they would have been targeted before Percy left and the twins started to test out products on the younger years. Also, this was a throwaway line to illustrate how peculiar it was for Ginny’s favourite brother to be Percy to a handful of tween/early teen girls, who are not a majority of Hogwart’s population. 

But from the perspective of the general populace? Well, School Captains - School Co-Captains - School Head Prefects - whatever you want to call them, the two senior year-level students chosen as school leaders. They are generally well-liked by the broad student population. It doesn’t make sense that this level of authority would be given to a student who the general student populace does not like. Let us look at other known Head Boys and Girls (how unnecessarily gendered - I am going to call them Head Prefects from now on): Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, James Potter (probably the clearest example as he was /not/ a prefect beforehand), Lily Evans and Bill Weasley (who is ‘cool’). So, logically speaking, Percy must have not been unpopular, with a base of ‘well respected’ at the bare minimum.

I don’t think Percy was necessarily, strictly, popular a la James or Bill. I think he was well-liked and generally well-regarded amongst the student population, probably more like Minerva was. Me and some of my lovely Percy Weasley peers have developed a web of ideas where Percy tutors younger students and is generally a great mentor to them, drawing from his strong big brother tendencies deflected by his actual siblings: thanks to @infinitelycynical, @cixxsxturn and others for the collaborative brainstorming a few months ago. I think Percy - as a calm, studious and helpful personality who, yes, was a little uptight about rules - was generally well-liked and respected by the students, particularly in contrast to the twins, who liked to constantly disturb people’s lives with their pranks.

Now moving on to the professors - I think they generally liked him: again, he made Prefect, and then Head Boy (Prefect). He was clearly a studious, dedicated student. I think Snape did not like him, but gave him begrudging respect, purely because he was a Gryffindor Weasley and he is a narrow-minded prick. The professors are much clearer-cut than students: from my own experience, teachers greatly enjoy students who actually do the work and engage in the lessons. Note that I said engage, not dominate. A student like Hermione can be taxing and draining as she demands all of the professor’s attention and doesn’t allow the other students to participate. Percy, on the other hand, is more mellow, and seems more willing to work collaboratively (as he does in the Ministry, as he likely studied with Penelope, as he likely helped Oliver out with Quidditch strategy, etc).

Throughout Hogwarts, I think Percy was liked by most people and respected almost universally. Maybe not at the start, maybe not when he was still learning how to interact socially (cough, autistic, cough), but I think as he grew, as he gained friends such as Oliver and Penelope and was allowed to flourish outside of his family’s stifling dynamic, by the time he became Prefect, he had become the good student and mentor viewed positively by most of Hogwarts. 

And that eventually carried through the rest of his life, in a vibe similar to that described by @louff4tw in this post.

Essentially:

Thoughts on Percy Weasley?

Weasleys: :/

Everyone else: 👍

[beavtifvl-creatvres]

When I Was Your Man - Fred Weasley

Pairing(s): Fred Weasley x fem!reader

Warning(s): Angst, break up (reader x Fred), sad Fred :(

Summary: 4 years after the war, Fred still regrets the way things ended between him and his long-time girlfriend. He regrets it, even more, when he sees her in someone else's arms. But maybe talking to her might do him good.

---

Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now Our song on the radio but it don't sound the same When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down 'Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name

Y/n’s finger drew random patterns on his chest, her eyes closed and a content smile on her lips as the two slowly woke up. A short kiss and quiet good mornings shared as the light shone from the window. But that was 4 years ago, and now Fred woke up alone. The light that once shone brightly through the window seemed dimmed as he remembered the girl that used to lay with him.

No one understood what happened to the two. Some days Hermione and Ginny would sit in the kitchen quietly talking when Y/n’s name gets brought up. Everyone had a different bond with Y/n. Ginny looked up to her, Y/n bonded with Charlie over drawings, she bonded with George over pranks, Ron loved the little baked treats she made, Bill could always depend on her to look out for the others, and she even got along with Percy!

Even as careful as they are as they reminisce about the times with her, Fred still hears and his heart breaks a little more than the day before as a ghost of a smile appears on his face. The bittersweet memories clouding his head once again.

It all just sounds like ooh, ooh, ooh, hoo Mm, too young, too dumb to realize That I should have bought you flower And held your hand Should have gave you all my hours When I had the chance Take you to every party 'cause all you wanted to do was dance

When he looks back, it’s easy to see that he did take advantage of her. He always thought she would come back even if he pushed her away.

The beginning of the two was the best in his opinion. Flowers and chocolates and dancing in the common room at 2 in the morning. But it all slowly faded away as Fred stopped giving her as much attention. She was one of the few things he and his twin got into arguments over. George could see how much it hurt Y/n when Fred made up yet another excuse and he did not put it lightly when confronting Fred about it multiple times.

Now my baby's dancing But she's dancing with another man

Ginny, Harry, and George finally managed to get Fred to leave the store. Dragging him to a small lounge. The evening was filled with small smiles and light drinking. That is until Fred’s eyes fell on a couple on the dance floor. His smile dropped as his eyes took in the sight of Y/n.

Her head rested on a man’s chest, his hands wrapped protectively around her waist as hers rested around his neck. She lifted her head with a quiet giggle as the man spoke in her ear. Leaning up on her toes to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made, oh And that haunts me every time I close my eyes

It was April 1st, Fred’s birthday. He hadn’t seen Y/n much the whole day and it was starting to annoy him. So when he saw her and his brother hugging in his room, the world just kind of stopped. Fred was yelling at her, she was trying to stick up for herself, and George was yelling at him. She stormed out that day, tears streaming down her face. Fred hated her until his eyes landed on a neatly wrapped gift on his bed, looking at George who simply shook his head and walked out of the room.

“Happy birthday, daddy. Don’t have too much fun, I’ll be there next year to celebrate with you” His heart stopped as he read the note, shaking hands unwrapping the box, and pulling out a framed photo of an ultrasound.

It all just sounds like ooh, ooh, ooh, hoo Mm, too young, too dumb to realize That I should have bought you flowers And held your hand Should have gave you all my hours When I had the chance Take you to every party 'cause all you wanted to do was dance

His favorite memory of Y/n was after a quidditch party. Everyone was tired and hyped, music blasting through the common room and right in the middle of it all was Y/n dancing in Fred's arms. Kissing away his playful pouts and complaints of dancing with small giggles.

Now my baby's dancing But she's dancing with another man

After that day it just seemed like he saw her everywhere. At the store, at restaurants, on the streets, you name it. But the first time he saw his little girl was the day he broke down.

Y/n was at the park, sitting next to the mystery man on a bench overlooking the playground. Fred subtly watched as a little girl, not over 4, ran up to them, lifting herself onto her mother’s lap and giggling. She looked exactly like Y/n. Except for the bright red hair which was neatly put into 2 little buns on the top of her head, that definitely belonged to her father. That day he also saw the shining gold wedding ring on Y/n’s hand. Her hand intertwined with the man’s as the two walked, the little girl skipping not too far in front of them.

Although it hurts I'll be the first to say that I was wrong Oh, I know I'm probably much too late To try and apologize for my mistakes But I just want you to know

“Fred?” A small hesitant voice came from behind him making him freeze. He was at the store, picking up some groceries for George and Angie. He turned, his heartbreaking as his eyes met hers. The e/c in her eyes still as bright as the day he first met her all those years ago. He took her in, eyes softening at the little girl clumsily hiding behind her.

“You look good” His voice rasped, a sad smile appearing. Y/n smiled, moving to hug him. “How’ve you been?”

“Better,” She pulled away, gently pulling the girl to stand in front of her. He knelt down to look at the girl, her eyes peeking up at him. “Her name’s Georgia. Georgia Maeve,” Y/n quietly watched as the two interacted. Georgia warmed up to him almost instantly, giggling and babbling to her birth father.

I hope he buys you flowers I hope he holds your hand Give you all his hours When he has the chance Take you to every party 'Cause I remember how much you loved to dance Do all the things I should have done When I was your man Do all the things I should have done When I was your man

“Y/n? Ready to go?” A man called out, walking to stand by her. “Who’s this?”

“An old friend,” She shared a small smile with Fred before looking at the man and pecking his cheek. “Why don’t you take Gigi to check out for her things and I’ll meet you at the car?” He nodded, holding his hand out to Georgia and walking away.

“You two look good together,” He speaks up, hurting less knowing that she forgave him. “Are you happy?” She nodded.

“Matt treats us both good,” She whispered, a soft look in her eyes. He nodded, smiling as he stepped forward, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead before walking away. He turned around once more, gently calling out to her as he walked. “I love you.”

She smiled, mouthing it back as she walked the opposite way.

Do all the things I should’ve done when I was your man...

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[notllorstel]

I've been really interested in your joml au for a while now but I'm having a hard time figuring it all out. Is there an actual storyline to it and if so what is it? How does Pi Mo fit into it? What DOES Stan actually do during those 30 years? Does he make friends with the supernatural? Cause when I go looking for stuff regarding this au I usually just get Omen - which don't get me wrong, I ADORE Omen - but I'd like to know the rest that goes along with it. Please?

AAHH i do want to make an opening comic for the au (even started drafting it), but oof that depends on the motivation juices. 

So will try to answer what you asked best i can (and by that i mean what i can remember off the top off my head)-

Yes there is. It revolves around the Pines discovering a journal that was written by Grunkle Stan, who doesn’t remember doing so because of the finale events. The gang uncover what Stan went through those 30 years at Gravity Falls and him regaining some of those memories. Old enemies, friends, secrets, the whole lot. 30 years is a long time.

As Stan takes up pretending to be his brother. So do others mistaken him to be Stanford. Especially some pissed supernatural creatures. However, Stanley discovering from this the more strangeness of Gravity Falls and Stanley being Stanley was able to strike a solution.

”Let me make up for my brother’s actions” and he became a sort of middle man. Between the human world and supernatural creatures. Doing odd jobs, requests, obtaining stuff etc (hey i want to order 56 cans of monster soda, but i live in a tree, so let me use the Shack’s address).

And overtime, Stanley gets a pretty good hang of handling the supernatural stuff. Getting on friendly terms with some supernatural residents. Discovering some hidden ones among the town’s citizens. Getting stuff from them and maybe they even gift him with when he helps them out. Which helps inspire new attractions at the Mystery Shack.

Then something happened. Maybe they learn that Stanley is rebuilding the Portal or was it something else? That soured things between the supernatural and Stanley. Maybe because of the years that Stanley helped them, they give him a warning and that he is no longer welcome etc. And promise there will be dire consequences if he reactivates the portal.

Stanley, even though been cut off, still interacts with a few residents that stay in contact with him and is on good terms with. All that is thrown out of Stanley’s head after the final plus any other memories.

Then a year later when everyone is back in Gravity falls. The journal is found hidden inside the canvas frame of a sad clown painting. A grim appears out of nowhere and is happily wagging its tail at Stanley. Stanford gets captured to be judged by a supernatural council of Gravity Falls for his actions and why are we just now spotting spiral patterns scattered everywhere.

Pi Mo fits in this story by slowly manifesting in Gravity Falls some time after Bill’s destruction of their universe and the all the demons. Pi is just at a pinch of their power levels and needs to recover before confronting Bill. At some point Pi comes across Stan. Stuff happens (I also want to draw a comic that goes into that) and they make a promise (which is Pi mo’s Jam. What is the promise? A mystery) and Pi Mo comes and goes over the years while regaining her powers and is like hanging around, dropping random stuff, fun shenanigans etc.

When the summer comes that the twins are sent to Gravity Falls. Stanley asks Pi to buzz off until the kids leave. Less on trying to keep the level of supernatural lower and more of Pi would annoy and tease Stanley over his grand nibbles. So they go and do their own stuff, then come back and hmmm well. All that sure did happen. Then the JOML story happens and then things get really interesting.

Might shift and develop the au more over time. Highly likely i will loop back to Gravity Falls again in the future and also get to some of the things i have sitting in my WIP folder >;3c

[holmes-cringe-compilation]

"Hello there again, thank you for the opportunity for a match up~ (since you said you wanted me to send it asap, I hope it's okay—this is an old thing copy/pasted because I don't have the capability to rewrite a short thing about myself).

For the basics, I’m female, an istp, a leo, and I’m type 4w5 with a self-preservation variant on the enneagram test. 

I’m the supportive friend who’s there to listen to others when they need it and I’m also pretty extreme on the introversion. Also, I’m not very socially assertive and easily get overwhelmed with groups of people, but I'm honestly a lot better communicating in typing/over text compared to in-person (in-person interactions and phone calls give me a whole different kind of stress and anxiety--). Trying new things is almost impossible. I’m told I’m insecure a lot, and it’s probably true. Being as invisible as I am is probably a skill, lol. I’m also told I’m pretty health conscious and eat like a bird. It’s not intentional–I swear.

I enjoy writing as a hobby and I’m dabbling in drawing. I also enjoy character driven stories, such as series like Chihayafuru and Kono oto Tomare! Yeah, I’m a manga and anime person, I suppose, though I’m not as into it as I used to be. My favorite pass time would probably be creating my own ocs for original settings. Writing is my life. Can’t live without it."

i match you up with.....

barok van zieks !!

being an introvert himself, barok can relate to not being able to cope with amounts of unnecessary social interaction with others, unless it's you of course because those who he love don't seem to tíre him as much. he'd rather spend dates with you inside drinking his finest wine, in a fancy restaurant where the water costs more than a hospital bill, or just at the park after everything has died down.

if this were set in modern day 2022, i think it'd be pretty common for you to spend a good chunk of time texting on the phone but would text in a dry way. like it's so obvious that it's him you're talking to. he sends no emojis, no reaction images and upon receiving one will need a thorough explanation like an elderly person who just got an iphone. i wish you good luck, soldier.

he sadly does relate with having insecurities, having too many to count himself. this man let's everything sink into him to build up over time as an armour made purely out of insecurities builds up around him. this man knows how to spot people when they get uncomfortable around something about themself and you are no different. although he is.... not the greatest at comforting, barok does believe that actions speak louder than words (although this may seem the total opposite) and pays more attention to you. buying you meaningful gifts that he knows will warm your heart forever is a way he helps though he would loosen up just for you, enabling a more soft spot to be shown around you.

he encourages you to write stories and create immersive worlds for days on end ! a guilty pleasure of barok's is a good story, possibly a tear jerker... maybe. to see you at your desk with your writing utensils, head almost flat on the desk with how far you're leaning down, it just warms his heart. you want to run by some ideas about the story ? you might have to run it by twice more so that barok fully understands it, not because it's too complicated but because the way your eyes sparkle and how excited you look talking about it makes barok feel all warm inside, thinking about how cute you look right now.

he Would offer to read with you or for you from time to time. these always end up with you two falling asleep with each other of course as his voice is so soft and deep.

this is just for fun and i apologise if you didn't get who you wanted !!

[naughtyneganjdm]

A Compromise - Chapter 5

Summary: Negan pressures Y/N after thinking she may not be okay with the idea of him having a daughter. The truth about Sam is revealed and Y/N gets to see a side of Negan she had never really seen before.

Characters: Negan, the reader (OC), Sam, etc.

Warnings: Swearing, angst, fluff, etc. 

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27834154/chapters/75051987

Notes: Sorry this took so long to post!

“Of course I don’t have a problem with you having a daughter. I just thought maybe that would be something that you would have told me ahead of time,” Y/N answered while Negan stared out at her expectantly waiting for her answer after the arrival of Sam. It seemed like a lot of their relationship would depend on her answer by the look on his face. The idea that she may be upset by him having a daughter really seemed to offend Negan. Maybe she came off aggressive about him having a daughter, but deep down it didn’t bother her at all. That would have been something silly for her to be upset about. It was just something she figured Negan would have told her. Then again, they weren’t really dating so he owed her nothing in terms of an explanation. “If I would have known your daughter was coming over, I would have made sure we weren’t in the middle of painting a room.”

“Two things,” Sam stepped forward from where she was standing behind Negan to make her presence known once more. “One, I think painting rooms are awesome. My mom paints the rooms in our house all the time and I always help. So, I don’t mind. It’s cooler than just sitting around and doing nothing. It gives us time to get to know each other. Work together. There is nothing wrong with that.”

“You want to get to know me?” Y/N stammered, her head tilting to the side as Sam giggled and pulled her long, blonde hair back.  

“Of course I do. If you are his girlfriend, why wouldn’t I?” Sam muttered, her brow line creasing much as Y/N had seen Negan’s do before making her wonder even more if Sam was Negan’s daughter. “If you’re important to Negan, you’re important to me.”

“Well, that’s very sweet,” Y/N looked between Sam and Negan noticing the way that Negan was staring down at Sam while she spoke.

“Well, I want Negan happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him happy,” Sam reached out to poke Negan in the abdomen making Negan chuckle when she did it. “But I never got to my part two and part two is…I’m not his daughter.”

“Sam,” Negan snorted and Sam threw her hands up in the air. Obviously, Negan wasn’t going to drop that last bit of information until he knew that Y/N wouldn’t have a problem with him being a father.

“Being honest is the best thing you can do in a relationship,” Sam reminded Negan making Negan let out a hearty laugh at her advice. “Of course, he’s always been like a father to me, but he’s my uncle. Well…he’s kind of my uncle.”

“Sam, I’ve been around since you were born. I’m your uncle,” Negan grumbled and Sam smiled brightly, turning to look to Y/N again. Negan reached out to wrap his arm loosely around Sam’s shoulders before pulling her in closer to him. “Sam is Lucille’s sister’s daughter.”

“And I’m also his goddaughter. My mom and Negan here were pretty good friends. Well one of my moms thinks he’s great. The other one…” Sam looked up at Negan and chuckled when Negan hushed her.

“Moms?” Y/N repeated what Sam said and saw Sam proudly nod her head.

“Yeah, I have two moms. So, I guess you could say that Negan was the closest thing to a father I’ve had my whole life,” Sam muttered and laughed when Negan picked her up in his arms to pull her close to his chest. Planting a kiss on Sam’s cheek caused her to groan out making Negan laugh again when she did it. The interaction between the two of them made Y/N laugh and Negan smirked when he noticed Y/N was amused with them. “One of my moms is a doctor. She’s the one that was Aunt Lucille’s sister. My other mom travels for business. When my mom travels for business she always has me come over and be with Negan. Even when they aren’t traveling, they let me spend at least one weekend a month with Negan. Plus, I like hanging out with him. He’s a great uncle. We do a lot of fun things and he’s a really great guy.”

“How much do I owe you for talking good about me like that?” Negan teased, squeezing Sam close to him.

“I’ll take a twenty please,” Sam held her hand up and Negan chuckled as he set her down back to her feet. Negan pulled his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill for her. Sam pocketed the money and laughed making Y/N entertained when they did it. “Were you two in the pool together? Since you’re both wet.”

“Yeah, we were in the middle of painting and I just got hot,” Negan lied, looking back at Y/N knowing that they needed to talk, but it would be hard for them to do that with Sam there. “Why don’t you head to the room and pick out the brush you want to use to paint. I’ll be right in there.”

“Is Y/N coming?” Sam inquired and Negan shrugged his shoulders. That wasn’t an answer he could give Sam because he didn’t know what kind of mindset that Y/N was in. Or if she’d even want to be around him. “Well, it would be cool to get to know her if she was staying. Either way, it was nice to meet you Y/N…in case you’re leaving.”

“It was very nice to meet you too Sam,” Y/N gave a wink and watched Sam wave before heading down the hallway. When Sam was gone, Negan turned to Y/N with one of his eyebrows arched. They both were quiet until they knew for sure that they were alone. “I should probably allow you to spend time with your niece. Having me around makes things complicated.”

“It really doesn’t. I would rather you stay here,” Negan insisted her with a heavy sigh, folding his arms out in front of his chest.

“You once again said what we did was a mistake,” she reminded him and Negan frowned as he shifted his weight. There was a silence between them as Negan searched for the right thing to say to her. “Why are you so against being with me?”

“I’ve already told you the answer to that. I just feel bad because we had our first kiss and I just let things get out of hand,” Negan responded with a frown, lifting his right hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “I don’t regret kissing you; I just regret pushing you into what followed.”

“You didn’t push me into anything,” she denied that idea and Negan tilted his head to the side, not believing what she was saying. “You didn’t.”

“You were nervous. I was pushing too much and too fast,” Negan stepped forward, his hand sliding in over her hip and she let out a tense breath. “I don’t regret having you around here. I don’t regret kissing you…”

“That’s not the way it seemed,” she went to bicker with him as he dipped down to collect her lips in a kiss. The kiss was slow, meticulous and absolutely took her breath away. With the way Negan caressed over the small of her back while kissing her felt amazing. Chills went down her spine and when Negan pulled away from her, she could feel her body trembling.

“I want things to be perfect with you,” Negan asserted, his face scrunching up as he thought about what they did. “You deserve perfect. We went from kissing to…”

Negan looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone, but Y/N reached out to draw him to look back to her knowing they were alone. Tipping up on her toes, she met him in another desperate kiss hearing him hum when she did it. Instead of being uptight, they both loosened up while their kiss continued and she could feel Negan possessively grasping at the side of her neck.  

“Whoever painted the right side of the wall…” Sam moved out into the hallway making both Y/N and Negan hop back from each other. When Sam saw the two of them, she snorted and shook her head slowly. “Never mind, I’ll talk to you when you guys are…finished.”

“Nice Sam,” Negan looked back at his niece seeing the way she shrugged her shoulders before heading back into the room. When Sam was gone, Negan turned to look at Y/N and he sighed heavily. “I told you when people…get with me…things just fall apart and I don’t want that between us.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen Negan,” she tried to assure him, looking down toward the ground. The soft stroking of Negan’s fingertips was felt against the side of her face. It caused a shuddering breath to fall from her throat and she lifted her gaze. “We do have a deal after all.”

“Yeah, I guess we do,” Negan acknowledged, lowering his hand when she clearly brought up the fact that they weren’t exactly official to begin with. There was a sense of disappointment in his eyes, but he shrugged his shoulders and tried to brush that feeling away. “It’s your choice. You can stay and get to know my niece if you want. Or you can go and we can get together again at some point. I would prefer you stay.”

“And that’s what you want?” Y/N confirmed and Negan nodded his head. “That’s not going to make this feel odd? Since I’m not really your girlfriend and she thinks that I am.”

“You’re the closest thing to a girlfriend I’ve had since Lucille,” Negan reasoned with her, throwing his hands up in the air in a dramatic manner. “Let’s be honest, our relationship isn’t…conventional, but it’s a relationship none the less.”

“Are you sure it’s okay if I stay?” she confirmed seeing Negan seem to perk up when she thought about staying with them. “I don’t want your niece to hate me.”

“She won’t,” Negan replied with a firm shake of his head. “I would really rather you two get to know each other. Sam is a good kid. A little spicy, but she usually likes everyone unless they give her a reason not to. I know you; you’re not someone she wouldn’t like. You two I think would get along quite well.”

“And you want me here?” by now she probably sounded like a broken record and she knew it. The crack of a smile that pressed in over his lips made her realize she had asked that one too many times. There was something about those dimples of his that just made her weak in the knees as he smiled at her nervousness. All he had to do was smile and it made it feel like everything was right in the world. That’s the kind of charm he had.  

“How many times do I have to say yes before you realize that I sincerely want you here?” Negan stepped forward to wrap his arm around her waist to draw her in closer to him. “If my niece makes you uncomfortable, you can leave. She’s going to be here today and tomorrow. You’re welcome to stay. But I understand if you would like to leave. The choice is yours.”

Negan stepped back and waited for her decision. When she continued to stand in the foyer and didn’t make a move to leave, he took that as her answer. Reaching out his hand for her, she accepted it and moved back toward the room with him to work on the room again. When they entered the room he was painting for her, the music playlist that Sam had picked was blasting while she worked on the walls.

“Damn you’re a fast cookie,” Negan released Y/N’s hand slowly as he took a look at what Sam had done already. Sam looked back at them to see Y/N was still there and a smile expanded over Sam’s features.

“Hey! You stayed,” Sam winked before going back to work on helping to get the primer on the walls. “I’m glad you stayed, that way we can gossip about Negan.”

“Hey now,” Negan reached for the paint roller that he had set aside and he waved on Y/N to have her come in closer with them. Negan moved in beside Sam to wrap his arm around her shoulders to give her a firm squeeze. “No gossiping about Negan during this time period please. We’re just going to work together on these walls and keep our mouths shuts.”

“Well that’s boring shit then,” Sam snorted making Negan laugh when she said it and it made Y/N crack a smile. Sam definitely took after he uncle. That was for sure. “We’re going to talk about things whether you like it or not. Sitting in silence is not fun.”

Sam poked Negan in the side before grabbing his roller. Setting the roller in a paint tray, she handed it to Negan and nodded toward the other side of the room, “Y/N and I will work together. You can go work to yourself over there.”

“My own niece is kicking me out?” Negan placed his hand in over the center of his chest to feign being hurt. The way Sam laughed drew attention to her dimples and it made Y/N chuckle herself at how giggly the two of them were together. “I feel cheated.”

“It’s okay. We’re probably going to have to fix your side anyways,” Sam shoved into Negan to get him to go away toward the other side of the room. When Negan went to his area of the room, Sam urged Y/N to start working with her. “So…how long have you known Negan?”

“Uh…” Y/N looked back at Negan who was eyeing her over while looking over his shoulder working on the other side of the room. There was an expression on Negan’s face that showed her he didn’t really know what the answer for that should have been either. “Not for very long.”

“I see,” Sam worked on her side of the wall and Y/N did her side. Y/N was honest with Sam. Honesty was the best like Sam had said earlier. After a minute, Sam cleared her throat and looked to Y/N with her big, green eyes. “So what are your intentions with him?”

“Sam!” Negan snorted from where he was and Sam threw her hands up in the air defensively, holding the paintbrush haphazardly while it dripped on the drop cloth beneath them. “I would actually not like to scare this one off, okay? Questions like that so early in a relationship…not cool.”

“This one? You act like you’ve had multiple women around,” Sam retorted with a wrinkle of her nose before going back to working. An embarrassed expression flushed over Negan’s features when his eyes connected with Y/N’s. It may have embarrassed Negan, but Y/N actually found it kind of cute that Sam would ask that. It meant she cared about her uncle. There was nothing wrong with that. “I’m sorry if I upset you. You’re just the first girl that my uncle has been around since my aunt died and I just want to make sure you want what’s best for him.”

“I very much like your uncle,” Y/N took a moment to speak, but when she gathered her thoughts she assured Sam of how she felt. “I know about your Aunt Lucille and I really like spending time with your uncle. He’s unique and he treats me really well. Better than a lot of people have my entire life.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him,” Sam stammered with a sigh making Negan chuckle in the background behind them. “He’s really good to me too. Has always treated me like I was his own child. Buys me things. Pampers me. He really likes animals. Did you know that? Every few weeks we go and volunteer at a shelter. He really loves dogs, but my Aunt Lucille was allergic so he never got one. I hope you can convince him to get one soon. It’d be nice to have a dog to play with when I come here.”

“I’ll have to see what I can do,” Y/N smirked as Negan let out a sigh.

“What she hasn’t told you is that she keeps asking her moms for a dog and they keep telling her no, so she wants me to get her one and pretend it’s mine,” Negan informed Y/N with a snort and he watched Sam look over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at him. Returning the gesture, Negan stuck his tongue out at her as well making Y/N laugh at their silliness. “Which in reality, I’ll be the one training it, living with it, feeding it, taking care of it…all of that fun stuff. So it will be my dog.”

“Dogs make you happy Negan,” Sam insisted moving closer to the middle of the wall so she could work on the lower parts while Y/N worked on the higher parts of the wall. “I’m sure having Y/N here makes you happy, but imagine how happy you will be if you have a dog here too. A new girlfriend and a new dog? That sounds like the ultimate happiness to me.”

“That sounds like exhaustion to me,” Negan teased as he finished up with the wall he was working on and moved to the next part. “What am I going to do with the poor puppy when you’re at school and I’m at work? He or she will be all alone to themself.”

“What does Y/N do? Could she watch it?” Sam looked to Y/N with big eyes and Y/N glanced over at Negan. Multiple times already, she had looked to Negan for some kind of answer, but he seemed just as blank as her as to what to say to his niece.  

“If the time ever comes where it feels right and your uncle wanted to get a puppy, then I would have no problem babysitting it,” Y/N answered knowing that she could have left it at that, but she didn’t want to leave Negan in the hole where Sam was expecting him to immediately get one. “I think because the bond you want to have with a puppy, your uncle might want to wait until something like summer time so that way him and the puppy could have time together. Only have two days a week with work with the puppy might be hard on both Negan and the puppy with separation anxiety.”

“When you put it like that…” Sam spoke in a slow slur before shrugging her shoulders, “I guess that kind of makes sense.”

They finished with the primer and talked about random odds and ends before following Negan into the kitchen for some dinner while they waited for the primer to dry so they could actually paint the color in the room that they had been working on. While they sat at the island in Negan’s kitchen, Y/N could see that Sam’s eyes were hooked on her curiously.

“You’re very pretty,” Sam complimented Y/N and Y/N couldn’t help at smile over how sweet Negan’s niece had turned out to be.

“And you’re very pretty too,” Y/N repeated and Negan looked back at the two of them as he put something together for them to eat. Negan gave a wink and Y/N was actually thankful she stayed. Getting to see Negan interact with his niece was nice because it showed a side to him that she didn’t even know existed before.

“You and Negan make a good looking couple. I think my Aunt Lucille would have liked you,” Sam assured Y/N with a happy sound as Negan set Sam’s plate of food before her. “You lucked out with Negan. He’s a good cook.”

“She lucked out with Negan?” Negan reiterated her words with a chuckle. The look Sam gave him made it seem like she didn’t think it was a big deal. That just wasn’t something Negan was used to hearing Sam say. Stepping back toward the counters, Negan grabbed the plate of food he made for Y/N and moved to the island to carefully reach out to hand it to her. “Where the hell did you hear something like that?”

“I heard mom saying it the other day about something. I figure it means something good, right?” Sam inquired, pushing her blonde hair back into a ponytail again before she started to eat dinner.

“No, you used it perfectly right in a sentence, I just don’t expect to hear that from a twelve year old,” Negan grunted with a half laugh, his face scrunching up when he repeated the saying once more. “But apparently you lucked out with me Y/N. I can in fact cook and I cook well.”

“He does a lot of things well. My Uncle Negan isn’t like most people and I mean that in a good way. He can fix cars, he can fix things around the house, he’s really funny…” Sam continued to ramble on; her eyes hooked on Y/N as Negan took a seat next to Sam and started laughing. “What?”

“You do realize she is already dating me, right?” Negan pointed out making Y/N smirk as she took the first bite of the food that Negan had put together for them. Sam was right; he was exceedingly good at cooking. Maybe she would have to spend more time with Negan because she could just tell by this meal that he prepared that he already made food better than her family.

“I just think she would like to know that the guy she is dating has all those qualities. Sure, he isn’t great at painting, but he’s awesome with kids,” Sam continued on making Negan throw his hand up in the air to cover his eyes and laugh as if he was embarrassed. “That’s marriage material right?”

“Marriage material?” Y/N repeated Sam’s words and Negan dragged his hand down his face letting out an uncomfortable laugh. “I think it’s a little early in the relationship to be talking about marriage, but I do agree with you he is a special guy.”

“It’s never too early to talk about marriage, is it?” Sam reasoned making both Negan and Y/N laugh with her over dramatic tone. “I mean look at my parents. They knew each other three months and then they got married because they knew they were the right ones for each other.”

“Not everyone is like your parents though. What they had is special,” Negan claimed, pushing at the food on his plate with his fork. “Sometimes what took your parents three months to do takes people ten years to do. Sometimes you just have to be really sure that’s what you want.”

“But you and Lucille got married at nineteen,” Sam bickered with Negan and Negan cleared his throat uneasily when Sam dropped that little bit of information.

“Nineteen?” Y/N stammered and Negan looked to Y/N with a tilt of his head. The way his eyebrows furrowed made it seem like once more she needed to tread carefully with how she responded to that information. When they had talks about Negan being a ladies man in the past, she really didn’t expect him to be the kind of guy that was married at nineteen. That meant if she took after him, she would have been married for a few years now. “You were married at nineteen?”

“I was,” Negan nodded, glancing down at his wedding ring that he had on his hand. He spun it on his finger before shifting uncomfortably in his chair. The way his neck tensed drew attentions to the large vein in his neck and Y/N could sense that Negan wasn’t exactly thrilled that Sam had dropped that bit of information. “Things kind of came fast for me when I was young. I did really well at baseball. I looked like I had a great career ahead of me. Then I got hurt when I was nineteen and special events led to me being married.”

“She didn’t know that bit?” Sam winced when she realized that she dropped new information on Y/N about Negan’s past. “I’m sorry.”

 “No, it’s okay. She should know things. You were right about the whole honesty thing Sam,” Negan stammered taking a bite of his dinner. “Lucille was pregnant when we got married.”

Y/N choked when Negan admitted that and Negan’s eyes narrowed while he stared out at her. Negan took a big bite of his food and craned his neck a bit, clearly uncomfortable, “Lucille had a miscarriage and after that was never able to have kids again. But I don’t regret marrying her at that age. Like Sam said, when you know you love someone…you know.”

“I am so sorry,” Y/N apologized feeling suddenly guilty that she had made things so stressful earlier about Negan having a child. Sam reached out to place her hand over Negan’s and she gave it a firm squeeze. “Negan…”

“We’re good,” Negan wrapped his fingers around Sam’s fingers and gave them a tiny squeeze in return. “We always talked about adopting, but that never really…went through.”

“What was nice though is that with Uncle Negan and Aunt Lucille it was like I had two sets of parents growing up,” Sam informed Y/N with a bright smile reaching out to wrap her arm around Negan’s shoulders and he grinned. “I was always with Aunt Lucille and Uncle Negan. Almost as much as I was with my moms. I very much liked it.”

“Were you…” Y/N paused, her eyebrows furrowing when she thought about her question she was about to ask. Curiosity was getting the best of Y/N, especially knowing that Sam had two mothers. In some cases, this question could be considered rude, but Negan and Sam seemed to be quite open to their lives.  “Were you adopted Sam?”

“No, it’s kind of complicated. My parents explained it to me, but my biological mother is my Aunt Lucille’s sister,” Sam waved her hand around in the air, shrugging her shoulders when she continued to eat her food. “I don’t know who my dad was. They had a donor or something. I never understood it. It kind of creeped me out when they tried to explain it.”

“Your mother would kill me if she knew we were talking about this,” Negan stammered with a groan and Sam giggled. “Lucille’s sister is Elaina and Sam’s other mom is Jane. Elaina is very open about things where as Jane…”

“Let’s just say they are complete opposites. One thinks I should know how babies are really made and the other got very angry when I found out how they were made,” Sam made a disgusted face and Negan’s nose wrinkled when he listed to his niece ramble. “My mothers are so different it’s weird.”

“Elaina likes me and Jane…not my biggest fan,” Negan took another mouthful of food and lifted his eyes to see Y/N listening carefully to them.

“She loves you. She just doesn’t get your humor. She’s kind of…lame. But I love her!” Sam explained while poking at her food.

“It sounds like you guys have a really good family there,” Y/N pointed out as she continued to eat her food and Sam’s eyes were still hooked on hers. It was nice hearing the two of them go back and forth with one another. There was no doubt by the way they could talk with each other that Negan and Sam were close.

“I think you would make a perfect addition to it,” Sam gave a cheesy smile and Negan dropped his fork to the plate making Sam giggle again.

“You might as well be proposing for me at this point. Do you want to go to the store with me and pick out a ring?” Negan reached out to tickle at Sam’s sides and strangely enough, Y/N really liked this.

“At least it would be a pretty ring. I have taste,” Sam firmly stated between her laughter while she continued to try and fight off Negan from his tickling.

Domestic life was not something that Y/N had ever seen herself enjoying or wanting. More than anything she thought wanted a good job and she wanted to be fiercely independent because of how her parents had been toward her. Yet Y/N enjoyed the time she was spending with Negan and Sam. Their bickering was incredibly cute and charming. With her family she never really got to see the good side of having a family, so this perspective of what a family should be was really eye opening for Y/N.

When Negan stopped tickling Sam, he looked up at Y/N with slightly rose colored cheeks. “I’m sorry; I have a bit of a pushy one here Y/N.”

“You’re fine. I think Sam is great,” Y/N gave Sam a wink and Sam tickled Negan back for revenge when his attention was fully on Y/N. Watching them play with each other made her happy. Their laughter was contagious and even though Negan had opened up about things that were kind of dark, Sam was there to balance it out and make it better for him. Which was a good thing and Y/N was glad to have that moment.

After dinner, Y/N was helping Negan clean up the dishes. Sam was eager to get back to painting in the other room and left them to clean up. Negan insisted that he had no problem cleaning everything up, but Y/N didn’t want to leave it all on him, especially since he had been kind enough to make them such a nice meal. There was a silence between them as she looked over at him with a sad expression. After watching him with Sam, she started to think about how angry she had been at him over the last few days. It made her regret the way she was acting and spending this time with Negan made her rethink the way she was about things previously.

“I’m sorry I’ve given you so much shit. You have been through so much and I don’t think I realized that,” Y/N explained how she was feeling and Negan’s gaze lifted from the plates that he was cleaning up in the soapy water.

“Please don’t apologize,” Negan looked to her with a frown and he shrugged. “You had no idea what I’ve been through. How were you supposed to? Plus, I could have been more open with you. There are a lot of things I think…might be hard for me to tell people. Still. What you know now is only scratching the surface. Not sure anyone would want to be around me if they knew everything.”

“I highly doubt that,” she reached out to squeeze over his shoulder and there was a sense of sadness in his expression.  

“I really fucked this up didn’t I?” Negan snorted as he looked away from her with an uncomfortable shift of his body. “This is exceedingly strange and way too much when you were just looking for a sugar daddy, isn’t it?”

“Nah, you’re still my sugar daddy, but I think we’re a little bit more complicated than that now,” she teased, bumping him softly with her hip. They could have talked more about that, but considering Sam was in the other room, she didn’t think now was really the time. “Sam is really amazing you know.”

“I told you that you would like her. She’s pushy, but…” Negan went to continue and Y/N reached for Negan’s shirt to pull him to her so they could kiss. A surprised sound fell from Negan’s throat as she kissed him over and over again. Licking his lips when she pulled away, Negan let out a long exhale and smiled. “Well that was nice.”

“Sexy sugar daddy Negan is nice, but this side of you,” she took a moment to eye him over and she palmed in over the center of his chest, “This makes you so much sexier.”

A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. His eyes were hooked on hers when she started to back step away from the sink.

“Finish up drying and I’ll see you in there,” Y/N whispered moving toward the hallway to go back to helping Sam with the painting. Leaving Negan in the kitchen, she just wanted him to know that she liked what she had seen of him. Having him be a mystery was appealing, but seeing how amazing he was in general was even better.

After they finished painting late into the night, Y/N had helped Negan and Sam build a ‘fort’ in Negan’s living room out of blankets, sheets and cushions from the couch and chairs. It reminded her so much of being young. She missed the innocence and fun that came with being Sam’s age.

When the fort was done they had pulled some sleeping bags and blankets into it. All three of them easily fit in underneath it and they were all lying together. Negan was in the middle and the area was lit by a flashlight that Sam was holding onto. Negan and Sam were making shadow puppets giggling with each other whenever Negan would do something ridiculous. When they calmed down and seemed to be winding down, Sam let out a heavy sigh and looked over to them, “Today was fun. I’m excited for whatever we’re going to do tomorrow. You’re staying tomorrow, right Y/N?”

“Of course I am,” Y/N assured Sam as Sam cuddled into Negan for a while. Feeling her phone buzzing in her pocket, Y/N cleared her throat and pulled out her phone to see she had a lot of missed calls from her parents. She hadn’t been in contact with them since she had been with Negan so they were likely wondering where she was.

“You should let them know that you are okay,” Negan whispered, looking down at his chest to see that Sam had fallen asleep on the center of his chest. “Parents just like to know you’re okay. No matter how fucking awful of a parent they may be.”

“You’re right,” she agreed sending a text to her mother that she was just staying with a friend for a few days. Negan gave her a wink when she turned off her phone and got comfortable beside him.

Negan turned the flashlight off while Sam was and they had all fallen asleep for a while. In the middle of the night, a gasp fell from Y/N’s throat when she felt a weight shifting over her. Opening her eyes, she saw Negan crawling in over her, bracing himself on his elbows. Negan placed his finger in over his mouth to keep her silent as he nodded over toward a sleeping Sam.

“You are so fucking perfect,” Negan slurred, his eyes hooded while he looked her over. Lowering in, he pressed a teasing, faint kiss over her lips before starting to pepper kisses over her lips. Each kiss would get just a bit harder and a bit more intense. Soon her arms were hooked around Negan’s shoulders while they were essentially making out. A moan fell from Negan’s throat when he felt Y/N sucking at his tongue and he lazily pulled his mouth away from hers. “I think I need to go back to bed. We have to keep this PG-thirteen.”

“God,” she laughed against his mouth as he gave her a final kiss goodnight before rolling back to his spot. Taking advantage of the moment, she slid in beside him and urged him to wrap his arm around her. Cuddling up to Negan felt amazing and made her feel safe. Even if they were sleeping on the floor, this was the most comfortable she had been sleeping at night being with Negan the last two days.

By the time she woke up in the morning it was because she heard the sound of pans clanking together and she lifted up to see that she was alone in the fort that they had built the night before. Crawling out carefully making sure she didn’t destroy anything, she could hear Negan and Sam talking together in the kitchen. Their giggles made her smile when she reached the entrance of the kitchen to see them together cooking breakfast.

“Good morning,” she finally spoke up and both of them looked over their shoulders at her. “Something smells good.”

“Morning,” Negan winked and then went back to cooking. Sam waved excitedly while her other hand clung to the spatula she had. “We didn’t want to wake you until breakfast was done because you seemed really comfortable.”

“I guess I needed the sleep,” she admitted, taking a look at what time it was, “How far away is breakfast? I should probably go grab some clothes and a quick shower so you both can stand to be around me.”

“You’ve got time,” Negan gave her a nod, but Sam gave her a weird expression. “She lives across the street.”

“Oh!” Sam nodded, looking toward what they were cooking. “We just started so you should be fine.”

“Bring your bathing suit, this one wants to go swimming after breakfast,” Negan informed her, looking over his shoulder again at Y/N with a smirk.

“And then tonight we’re going to a fair that’s happening in town. I heard about it and wanted my moms to take me, but they never had the time so Negan is going to take us,” Sam informed her with a happy smile, “So that should be really fun, but you need to be comfortable so we can walk around.”

“Got it. Good walking shoes and a bathing suit,” Y/N snapped her fingers, nodding her head. She wondered if she should have been giving Negan and Sam some alone time together, but they both seemed to want her around.

Heading back to her house, she knew that her parents wouldn’t be there so she quickly snuck in and grabbed what she needed. She got in a quick shower before rushing back to Negan’s to have breakfast with them. When they got into the pool, Negan had set up a net for them to play volleyball and Sam had requested Y/N to be on her team.

“I don’t think this is really fair, the whole two on one thing,” Negan prepared to serve the ball while they were in the pool together. His big smile expanded over his handsome features, enhancing his dimples when he did it. There was definitely a happiness to Negan when Sam had been with them that she hadn’t seen before. He just lit up around her and Y/N liked to see it.

“It’s not like we’re taking much away from you Negan, you suck for the most part so it wouldn’t have helped who was on your team,” Sam teased Negan and stuck her tongue out making Negan snort before serving the ball. Sam managed to bump it back over the net and Negan easily hit it back to them, but Y/N was able to spike it back to Negan. He attempted to jump to catch it, but ended up missing it letting out a frustrated sound. “We’re kicking your ass.”

“Butt,” Negan chuckled holding his finger out to point out at Sam, “If your mom hears you saying that, she’s going to kick my ass.”

“I know, I know,” Sam rolled her eyes and held her hand up to motion him to calm down. “I know to only talk like that around you.”

“I think we should play something else,” Negan swam under the net and moved in closer to them. “I’m going to continue to get my ass kicked and I feel like we should play a game where I actually stand a shot.”

“Watch your mouth,” Y/N muttered, playfully elbowing Negan hearing him chuckle when she said that after he corrected Sam on the word ass. “What do you have in mind?”

“How about Marco Polo?” Negan suggested and he saw Sam’s face scrunch up before shrugging her shoulders. “You can be it first since you were the MVP of the last round.”

“Shouldn’t the loser be the first person to be it?” Sam pointed out and Negan threw his hands up in the air while shaking his head.

“I think I should be given a break after how badly I was losing,” Negan smirked and nodded toward the steps. “You know the rules. Go over there, close your eyes.”

“I know the rules of Marco Polo,” Sam grumbled, swimming over to the steps of the pool and she turned away from them. Sam started to count out loud and Negan reached for Y/N’s hand to pull her with him toward the corner of the opposite end of the pool.

Pulling her in front of him, Negan kept his arms loosely wrapped around her waist and nuzzled his nose against the back of her neck, “When she starts, you stay to the edge of the pool and go that way. I’ll go this way and go to the stairs. Then follow my lead.”

“Okay,” she snickered with Negan whispering against her flesh. The sensation of him pressing a tender kiss against the back of her neck made her eyes close for a moment before hearing Sam announce she was going to start looking for them.

When Sam started swimming out, Negan urged Y/N to move like he had said and Sam’s voice filled the air, “Marco.”

“Polo,” both of them muttered in return and because they were separated, Sam seemed to stand still for a moment to try to determine where to go. When Sam repeated Marco, they both responded once they reached the stairs. Negan urged Y/N to carefully move out of the pool and she gave him a look that made him shrug his shoulders.

“Move around the pool and keep responding,” Negan ordered in a quiet tone as they both moved around the edge of the pool. For a while it worked, but eventually Sam picked up on what they had done. Sam pulled herself out of the pool and chased after Negan making him laugh when she managed to push him into the pool. “Hey, why did I get shoved? Y/N did it too.”

“Because I know it was your idea, you jerk,” Sam laughed, jumping back in the water to splash Negan when she returned to the water.

Sitting on the edge of the pool, Y/N watched Negan and Sam play wrestle together before Negan looked to Y/N with big eyes. When Sam went to swim, Negan moved to the edge and slid his hand up Y/N’s leg, “What are you thinking?”

“How much I like you,” Y/N answered, reaching out to trace over the side of Negan’s face and he leaned into her touch. His eyes closed when her fingers pushed into his wet, dark hair. “I’ve really liked these last few days.”

“Me too,” Negan declared, his eyes opening and leaned in to press a kiss over the inside of her knee. Looking over his shoulder, Negan checked on Sam before nodding toward his phone. “Could you let me know the time?”

Getting up from the side of the pool, Y/N reached for Negan’s phone to see what time it was, “It’s almost one.”

“Hey Sam,” Negan looked back over his shoulder and brushed his fingers through his wet hair. “We should get some lunch in and then rest for a bit before going to the fair. Binge something for a few to get some relax time in.”

Sam didn’t take much convincing and it was nice getting to relax with the two of them for a while to watch things until they finally went to the fair together. It had been a very long time since Y/N had ever been to a fair. So this was exceedingly new to her.

Sam was eager to play multiple games at the fair and in typical Negan fashion he would let her do whatever she wanted. Y/N just stood beside Negan, holding his hand while they watched Sam having fun.

“You know,” Sam pointed toward one of the games and drew Negan’s attention to one of the giant bears. It was a game where it was a basketball shooting game and Negan slowly pulled his hand from Y/N’s.

“You want the bear?” Negan confirmed and Sam shook her head. “You don’t?”

“I think you should get it for her,” Sam pointed at Y/N making her laugh when she did. “That’s what good boyfriends do, right?”

“Do you want the bear?” Negan looked over his shoulder at Y/N, but before she could answer Sam was tugging at Negan motioning him to lower down closer to her.

“You’re not supposed to ask if she wants it, you are just supposed to win it for her and then give it to her. That way you look impressive,” Sam pat Negan on the shoulder and Negan let out an amused sound before grinning.

Doing what Sam suggested, Negan went and did whatever the rules were to get the bear was and surprisingly enough, he got it. Negan was good at basketball which was something that Y/N didn’t expect because she thought Negan was originally training to be a baseball player.  Negan moved across the way and held the bear out to Y/N.

“My dear, this is for you,” Negan held out the bear and Y/N accepted the bear before Negan looked down at Sam. “Was that good?”

“I think you should have kissed her,” Sam pointed out and Negan snorted before stepping forward to look over Y/N. Leaning forward Negan quickly pecked Y/N, his eyes hooked on hers when he slowly pulled away. “Better, you’ll get the hang of this dating thing soon.”

“Well, I’m glad I have the love guru here to tell me how to do things,” Negan snorted, reaching out to wrap his arm around Y/N’s shoulders to pull her in closer to him. Sam wanted to go on a ride and Negan urged Y/N to stay with him while Sam went. While they stood at the edge watching, Negan moved behind Y/N to wrap his arms tightly around her waist. He nuzzled his nose against the side of her neck and pressed a kiss against her flesh. “I’m sorry if that has been uncomfortable at all for you. I know we’re not technically dating, but with Sam…”

“I’m not uncomfortable,” she interrupted him and reached down to slide her hands in over his and found herself leaning further back into his chest. Turning slowly in his arms, she reached out to trace her fingers in over the side of his face and Negan smirked. “I’m actually quite the opposite. I’ve enjoyed this probably more than I should of.”

“Good. You’re a very special girl,” Negan muttered, his eyelids heavy as he stared deeply into her eyes. His thumb slid in over her bottom lip and traced over it in a slow fashion. Leaning down, he captured her lips in a kiss. The loud sounds of the fair seemed to drown out as Negan took his time kissing her. Clutching to him tightly, everything felt perfect in the moment. The tender caress of his fingertips, to the motions of his lips over hers getting stronger with each passing second that their kiss continued. Brushing her fingers through his hair with her right hand while her left arm hooked securely around his shoulders, she found herself falling into his chest. They had progressed so much in the last few days. At first Negan was afraid to kiss her, but now he kissing her quite often. Kissing her in ways that absolutely took her breath away. The sound of the ride moving was heard and Negan pulled his mouth from hers to lift his head up to watch Sam. “I’m glad I got to see the two of you interacting. I was worried at first that you wouldn’t be okay with being around kids because Sam is a big part of my life.”

“She’s a pretty incredible girl,” Y/N kissed Negan one final time before turning in his arms to watch Sam having what seemed to be the time of her life on the ride. “It’s very nice that Elaina and Jane still let you spend so much time with her. I’m glad they do. The two of you have a special bond and I love it.”

“Me too,” Negan hummed against the side of her neck before cuddling his chin in against her shoulder. “After Lucille died, that little girl is the only thing that kept me hanging on.”

Y/N didn’t say anything; she just looked down to see the golden ring that was still around Negan’s finger. Biting at her bottom lip, she knew that Negan still seemed to be hooked pretty heavily on his wife. Negan was a beautiful mess. A perfect, beautiful…mess. Yet she liked him more because of it.

Being held in Negan’s arms felt amazing. In the moment, she didn’t feel like they had a compromise that they would help each other out. Instead of being the girl he was paying to be around him, she actually did feel like she was his girlfriend. Surprisingly, she liked it. Feeling that way made her feel special. Like she was important to someone for the first time in her life. Originally, she didn’t plan on getting so attached to Negan, but it was hard not falling fast for him.

When Sam got back they went on multiple rides together this time. It was nice getting to spend time with people that actually felt like a family. With her own family, Y/N felt like they were broken. Like they had shattered a long time ago in terms of relationships, but with Negan and Sam the missing puzzle in her life felt like all the pieces were together.

“Are you having fun?” Sam looked up at Y/N with big eyes while they waited for Negan who was getting cotton candy for them. Immediately, Y/N nodded. She was truly having a good time. “You know he really likes you, right? I can see it in the way he looks at you. It’s not just me trying to get him together with someone because I want him happy. I just can see he really cares about you. I haven’t seen him look like this since he lost my aunt. Usually he’s just sad.”

“I really like him too,” Y/N claimed knowing that Sam loved her uncle and wanted to make sure that he was just happy.

“What are we talking about?” Negan came back, handing out the cotton candy to them. Reaching out, Negan stole some of Y/N’s and plopped it into his mouth. A wide, crooked grin pressed in over his handsome features after he finished with it.

“You,” Y/N answered truthfully and Negan snorted.

“All good things, I hope,” Negan winked and Sam looked up at Y/N with big eyes.

For the rest of the night, time seemed to pass exceedingly fast because they were enjoying themselves so much. By the end of the night, Y/N was sitting beside Negan on the Ferris wheel and Sam insisted being alone to herself so the two of them could be together.

“You are fucking beautiful, you know that?” Negan slurred, his eyes hooked on her as she shifted in the seat when the wheel came to a stop. They were at the top giving them a view of the whole fair that surrounded them down below from the night sky. “I’m glad we could do this the last few days.”

“Me too,” she whispered letting out a surprised breath when Negan moved in to press a kiss over her cheek. His kisses pressed down over her jawline before she turned in to meet him in another kiss. It was a simple, sweet kiss, but she liked kissing him. “This has all been so different compared to what I thought would be going on between us.”

“Would you even want to date a guy like me?” Negan’s right eyebrow arched up and he was speaking quiet enough so Sam wouldn’t be able to hear him. “With all the baggage I’m carrying.”

“Is that even something I should be considering with the set-up we have going on?” Y/N bit down on her bottom lip knowing that she had gotten her hopes up before with them.

“That doesn’t really answer the question. I asked if you would want to date a guy like me,” Negan reminded her, his eyebrows arched up when he spoke. “I’m not saying you have to, I’m just interested in knowing if you would ever be interested. I’m older. I’ve got baggage. I’m a little broken.”

“I think you’re perfect Negan,” she blurt out and knew that she should have really thought it out before she said it, but when she did say it the smile that expanded over his features was gorgeous. There was a bit of a cockiness in the way he reacted, but he liked hearing her say that. “I like you. There’s a lot to like. Even if you are broken.”

“Is that because you find me attractive?” Negan slid in closer to her when the ride started moving again and she could feel the warmth of his breath in her face.

“If I said your looks didn’t play a part in how I felt, I would be a fucking liar,” she admitted hearing Negan snort when his mouth was exceedingly close to hers. “You’re very gorgeous, but spending time with you like this…you’re more than just looks.”

“Good answer,” Negan slurred, claiming her lips in another kiss that drew her to grasp at his hair. They seemed to continue to kiss and the rest of the world just faded away for her. Kissing Negan was something that she enjoyed greatly. Negan knew what he was doing. In the past she really hadn’t enjoyed sharing moments like these, but everyone she had kissed in the past had never been quite as good as Negan was. If you would have told her when this thing first started that she would be this attached to Negan, she would have never believed you. Yes, she was exceedingly turned on by him the first moment she had seen him, but she just wanted to be by him and with him. When the Ferris wheel had stopped, they broke apart noticing that it was time to get off. Negan could see that she blushed over when the people working the ride waited patiently for them to stop and it made him snicker. “Come on baby girl.”

Following him off the ride they waited for Sam and when she approached them, her bright green eyes were hooked on Negan’s, “Were the two of you just making out and holding up the ride?”

“No,” Negan lied and chuckled to himself, reaching his free hand out to Sam to grab hers while his other hand held onto Y/N’s. “I think we’re winding down here kiddo. Your mom is going to come and pick you up in the morning. If you’re absolutely exhausted she is going to kill me.”

“A few more games, then we can go. Okay?” Sam reasoned and Negan nodded. They ended up staying longer than he probably planned. Negan had a hard time saying no to Sam, but within reason.

When they finally did get back to Negan’s home, all three of them kind of crashed on Negan’s bed together on top of the blankets after talking about their day. When morning finally came the girls had woken up first and decided to let Negan sleep. They had agreed to go clean up the fort for Negan and it was nice to actually spend some time alone with Sam.

“I think my uncle made a good choice with you,” Sam alerted Y/N from where she was at the other side of the couch putting one of the cushions back where it belonged. “You kind of worry about the people you care about and who they are dating. I’ve seen a lot of nice people date some nasty people, but you…you’re special.”

“As are you kiddo,” Y/N gave Sam a wink knowing that it felt good to hear that Negan’s niece thought highly of her. Part of her felt that maybe this was kind of a test to see how things would be if she was in Negan’s life as more of a permanent role. Why would Negan have her around otherwise? Either way, she liked it and the feeling it gave her. Feeling like she was part of a family was something nice. Something she never knew that she would actually like. “I hope to get to spend more time with you and Negan in the future.”

“Me too,” Sam helped finishing up, but when the sound of the doorbell ringing was heard Sam let out a tense breath. “That’s mom.”

Rushing to the door, Sam pulled it open and Y/N shifted uncomfortably when Sam’s mother walked into the room. Sam pushed into her mother’s lower back and pushed her toward Y/N. The bright green eyes and the physical similarities to the photo Negan had on his fireplace mantle of him and the woman together led her to believe this was Lucille’s sister.

“Mom, this is Y/N and she’s Negan girlfriend,” Sam was eager to introduce the two of them and Elaina laughed when her daughter was eager for them to meet. “Y/N, this is my mother Elaina.”

“I’ve heard so much about you,” Y/N extended her hand to shake Elaina’s. She probably came off shy, but this was someone who was actually a big part of Negan’s life and she was the sister to Negan’s late wife. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It’s great to meet you too,” Elaina smiled and before they could talk any further the sound of footsteps coming around the corner was heard. Negan’s tired eyes connected with Elaina’s and he offered up a weak smile. His messy hair showed that he had just woken up making Elaina chuckle when saw him. “You’re looking very energetic this morning.”

“Tell me about it,” Negan groaned rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand before moving forward. Wrapping his arms around Elaina’s shoulders, he hugged her tightly and then looked back. “Have you met…?”

“Sam just introduced us,” Elaina nodded and shoved her hands into her pockets while she looked between them. “Did you have a good weekend baby?”

“I sure did! We had a lot of fun,” Elaina informed her mom with a bright smile.

“You should go get your bag baby, we have to meet your mother somewhere,” Elaina informed Sam with a tilt of her head toward the door.

“I’ll get it with you,” Y/N suggested leaving Negan to be with Sam’s mother for a few minutes alone. When Sam and Y/N disappeared down the hallway, Negan could sense that Elaina’s eyes were locked on him.

“What?” Negan snorted with a wrinkled nose when Elaina folded her arms out in front of her chest.

“Since when have you had a girlfriend? We talk all the time and I’ve never heard about your girlfriend. Please don’t tell me that you have a one night stand here with Sam,” Elaina whispered and Negan hushed her placing his finger in front of his lips to keep her quiet. “Negan?”

“She’s not a one night stand. We haven’t even slept together yet. She’s not my girlfriend, but she’s something,” Negan confessed, his brow line creasing when he thought about his agreement with Y/N. That wasn’t something he was about to tell Lucille’s sister though. She would definitely look down on him for it. “I just got sick of being lonely and we’re…helping each other. You know how hard it is for me to get close to people after Lucille.”

“Oh, she’s something? Well I think she’s cute. She seems sweet and shy, kid of not your type,” Elaina responded with a wrinkle of her nose and Negan chuckled.

“You just haven’t heard her when she gets excited. I swear the first time I heard her talk I thought I was listening to Lucille,” Negan recalled how he had heard her having an argument with her father the first time he had seen her. The side eye glance that Elaina gave him made him toss his hands up in the air. “Yes, she reminds me of Lucille, but trust me she’s so…different as well.”

“Try giving this one a chance, okay? If you’re willing to have her around Sam, that’s…big,” Elaina pointed out and Negan’s thick eyebrows bounced up. He bit down firmly on his bottom lip and let out a long sigh. “I think Lucille would decide that maybe it was time for you to let go and finally find some happiness.”

“I think Lucille would rather me be pining over her for the rest of my life. She liked being the center of my world,” Negan corrected Elaina and he heard her laugh when he said that. “You know I’m right. I think Lucille fully expected me to be broken for the rest of my life after losing her.”

“I also know that while my sister was very spicy, I know she loved you and would want you to be happy,” Elaina watched Sam return with her bag with Y/N by her side. Right before she left, Sam gave Y/N a big hug and Elaina gave Negan an impressed look by how much Sam seemed to like Y/N. “Well it was a pleasure to meet you Y/N. I hope I see you again.”

“It was nice to meet you too,” Y/N grinned watching Negan kneel down and Sam ran to Negan’s arms for him to pick her up in his arms. He grunted when he spun Sam and peppered kisses over the side of her face.

“I love you kiddo,” Negan pressed a final kiss over Sam’s face hearing her laugh when he did it. “Call me later, okay?”

“I promise,” Sam gave Negan a final big hug before he carefully set her down and they fist bumped. It made Y/N impressed with how close the two of them actually were. When Sam left, Negan actually seemed a little sad as he watched them walk to the car from the door.

“You okay?” Y/N moved in behind Negan to press her hand in over his shoulder to give it a firm squeeze to be supportive and Negan nodded slowly. “That’s an incredible little girl. Thank you for letting me be around.”

“And thank you for being so good this weekend with her,” Negan sighed reaching for his back pocket to pull out his wallet. Y/N watched him open it to pull out a wad of cash after counting it. Negan held it out making her tilt her head to the side. Her throat locked up when she looked down at the money. “I promised you two-fifty for every day you spent with me. So…this is yours.”

“Oh, right,” Y/N felt absolutely terrible even hearing him say that. Even though she knew this was their ‘compromise’, after spending all weekend with him and Sam, she kind of forgot about it. Undoubtedly, her face had flushed over. Pocketing the money that Negan gave her, she had a hard time looking him in the eye after he gave her the money. While she knew this was the deal they came up with, part of her would have rather the lie they gave Sam be the truth. Instead of being paid to spend time with him, she may have enjoyed the idea of them dating instead of what they actually had going on better.

Negan put his wallet back in his back pocket and he looked at the time, “I have work in a few hours, but if you want we can have breakfast? I can cook something really nice for you. What do you say?”

“I should probably get out of your hair,” she muttered and she saw the expression he gave her was one she couldn’t quite read. His eyebrows bounced up and his jaw locked up before he followed her toward the door when she went to leave. “I had a nice time Negan.”

“Me too,” Negan gave her a wink and he leaned down to give her a kiss, but she turned her head away and he let out a confused sound. Negan’s hazel eyes surveyed her over when she opened the door and he seemed to stand there not sure what to do now that she had turned him away. “Hey Y/N?”

“Yeah?” she stopped on his porch seeing the way he clutched to the doorknob.

“Did I do something wrong?” Negan wondered, clearly worried that he had done something. Truthfully, he had done nothing wrong, he was just keeping up his end of the deal they had going on. It just felt so dirty when it finally did happen and she didn’t like the way it made her feel. Shaking her head, she said nothing. What was there to say at this point? Negan appeared to be disappointed and very confused by everything, but sighed when she started to leave. “I guess I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Right,” she waved before walking out the door and heading back to her home.

She went immediately to her room and set the money he gave her on the bed. It was a significant amount of money to spend time with someone she actually found herself liking. Moving over toward the window, she saw Negan standing on the porch smoking and he looked flustered. Maybe she was wrong in leaving like that, but knowing that their relationship still consisted of this whole money thing just made her feel strange at the end. Especially since she felt like she cared about Negan more than she really should have.

----

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[mysterystarz]

of clubs and new beginnings:

summary: the oak had always been an interesting place to plan new jobs with your gang, but the appearance of a strange man has you wondering what exactly he has in store

pairing: iwaizumi hajime x g!n reader

word count: 2.6k

genres + themes: fluff, mild mild angst, strangers to acquaintances arc

warnings: swearing, mentions of fluorescent/neon lights, implied alcoholic consumption (everyone in this fic is aged up, so this is legal!)

a/n: hello and welcome back to iwa8!! i'm sorry this chapter took long to come out, but i'm excited to unveil a new perspective and an actual set up for the fun stuff! i hope you enjoy this <3

The Oak had always been a place of much intrigue, since nothing was ever as it seemed. An endless rabbit hole of sorts, interactions far too complex and far too numerous to be ignored.

You observed casually as the bartenders served yet another drink, a smile on their face as they graciously accepted the tips from yet another rich heir with nothing better to do with their money. It had been an hour of such observations, the chatter of your friends and colleagues Hanamaki and Matsukawa a mere background noise to the soundtrack of your thoughts.

The atmosphere felt a little different tonight. Underneath the fluorescent lights that shifted their colors and the bass of the music from floors below, there seemed to be an air of impatience—as if there was something they were supposed to be waiting for, even when no other signs pointed to it otherwise.

You liked the observation. It gave you a chance to provide the framework for yet another job, one that would ultimately be successful due to the amount of planning you liked to put in. It was exhilarating being a con artist, with every new dollar bill renewing a sense of confidence and drive into your system. However, stumbling across Oikawa Tooru had seemingly shifted your mindset.

He was one of the best. You were able to tell from every calculated step, a grin to the right lady, and a hand in the right pocket as he passed by everyone that rolled in money they had no use for. You used to believe he’d be the type to be drunk off the thrill, but he ended up being much different.

Planning. That word was one Oikawa detested with every nerve in his body. You knew enough about his past to know that it had to do with something gone terribly wrong, but the nights spent avoiding the topic were enough to tell you that he wasn’t over it, even if he claimed to be. He had pride, and a crap ton of it, but none of that could deter you from the fact that he needed your help when his demons became too much to handle.

“Where is Tooru?” You asked, turning your gaze to Makki. You were met with a nonchalant shrug, but you could tell he was wondering the same thing, Oikawa wasn’t the type to get into trouble in such a posh place. It’d draw attention.

They couldn’t have that.

“I saw him take a call,” Mattsun added, taking a sip of his drink. “He should be back any minute now.”

You weren’t quite sure though. The feeling in your gut churned uncomfortably as you stared out into the vast sections of the VIP booths.

Rising from your seat, you smoothed down your clothes before walking away from the table, briskly strolling through the club's many passageways until you were met with his familiar face.

Oikawa seemed emotional. He held the phone with something that looked a lot like relief, while the look in his eyes told a tale of something a lot darker and quite unresolved. You found yourself a little hurt at the thought.

Who was on the other end of the line?

“Tooru,” you called out to him, waving at him. “Are you alright?”

He turned around almost immediately, seemingly soothed by your presence. “You want to meet me here?” He asked into the phone, his foot tapping steadily in anticipation.

The response he got must have been satisfactory. Oikawa smiled once before placing the phone into the pocket of his blazer, his eyes meeting yours.

“What are you doing here?” He questioned, looping his arm in yours as you headed back to where the bar was. “Weren’t you just with Makki and Mattsun?”

“You were taking a while,” you admitted, speeding up your strides to match his, “I got a bit worried. Who was it?”

“Someone,” Oikawa diverted immediately, finally reaching the counter of the bar. “It’s nothing of importance. We can hang tight here for now, and then I’ll let you know the stats.”

“You’re lying to me,” you sighed, an eye trained on the bartender, “I saw your face, Tooru. Tell the goddamn truth.”

“It’s seriously nothing.” Oikawa slid a bill over the counter, nodding to the bartender as they moved about the space, concocting his drink. “You seem insistent.”

“I’ve never seen you look like that,” you glared, opting to stare him in the eyes. “So how about you tell me what’s going on. I know you think you can handle it, but I don’t want you battling yourself later on. We’re friends Tooru, best friends. You can trust me.”

Grabbing his drink, his eyes met yours yet again, and you were shocked by the sheer intensity of his gaze. It was normal for him to close off every now and then, but never to this extent.

Ah, Perhaps the person behind the line was the root cause of why he was the way he was now.

“Well, for starters, they’ll show up here eventually,” Oikawa explained, taking a sip of his drink as he made his way towards the table where Makki and Mattsun sat. “And then you’ll have rights for commentary.”

“Say more,” you giggled, punching his shoulder playfully, “Leaving your second in command in the dark is one of the rules that you yourself said you hated. C’mon, open up a bit. Who are they?”

“Wait a second. Is it…?” Makki trailed off, while frantically looking to Oikawa, “Is it actually?”

Oikawa offered an enthusiastic nod as he took a swig of his drink, setting it down on the table. “Just got back to Tokyo a few minutes ago. I...I’m not sure how to feel.”

“He must have had another trick up his sleeves,” Mattsun chuckled, “Why am I not surprised.”

“We have to tell Kuroo,” Makki immediately chimed in, “He deserves to know. So do the rest of them.”

“Who are you talking about?” You questioned, feeling a creeping feeling of isolation at the ambiguity of the subject. “Is this something I should know?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the all-knowing one?” Mattsun teased, “Oikawa, why don’t they know?”

Oikawa merely dismissed the idea with a flick of his wrist as he kept his gaze pointed at where the entrances to the VIP section were. “They’ll find out soon enough.”

“Why all the suspense?” You pushed, composing your demeanor externally, “If this is a potential job, don’t you think I have the right to know?”

You did have the right to know. It was established from the moment you had fatefully shaken hands with the man you now called your best friend, that he’d tell you everything if it meant that they’d earn something or benefit from it. Call it rules or guidelines, but that was something that was agreed upon from the start.

What the fuck was making Oikawa backtrack on his words?

“The gang,” said Oikawa, meeting your gaze. “They’ll be here soon. I want you to make sure that Sugawara doesn’t get overzealous when he sees who’ll be coming through that door. Can you do that for me?”

You felt a sense of resignation creep in your veins as you rose from your seat, the loneliness finally getting to a point where it was unsettling. “I think I’ll go to the lower levels. It'd be better to have someone to escort them when they get here.” With that, you walked away, the slight sting from Oikawa’s blatant refusal to inform you of the circumstances ebbing and flowing into your chest.

He probably had a reason, as he did for everything.

You just...wish that he had told you what that reason was.

It was a short walk to the lower level, one which you navigated smoothly, avoiding collision with the new patrons that arrived with every passing second. Over the sea of heads, you had almost gotten yourself lost when you bumped into something firm and solid in the middle of the floor.

It was a split-second realization.

Green eyes met yours, and the world seemed to freeze.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his reaction quick, “I didn’t realize you were there.”

“Neither did I,” you countered, taking your time to look at the man. Even in his formal attire, the muscles of his forearms were defined nicely, hinting at why the collision had such a solid impact. His hair was spiky and brown, but it was styled in a way that was endearing under the ever-changing lights of the club. A lopsided smirk sat on his face as his eyes finally met yours again.

Oh crap. He was hot.

“You look new around here,” he chuckled, the low timbre of his voice accentuating his words. “You still seem like you know your way around though.”

“Am I supposed to assume you’re an old patron?” You asked him, raising an eyebrow. “This is the first time I’m seeing you here.”

“I know this place like the back of my hand,” the man shrugged, turning his palm for effect. “I’m actually here to meet some friends. Do you by chance know where I can enter booth 62 without startling the people in there?”

Booth 62.

That was the booth where Oikawa, Makki, and Mattsun were at.

“What business do you have here?” You narrowed your eyes at the attractive man in question, a subtle smile pulling at the corner of your lips at his bewilderment.

He was surprised. That was a start.

“So you’re that type,” he deadpanned, meeting your eyes. “Tell me, when did you start?”

You felt your heart thud louder in your ears at his question. Surely you weren’t so obvious. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play coy,” he grinned, shrugging off his blazer, “How many years have you been working with Oikawa? Is it two or three?”

“You must be the person he refused to tell me about.” You whispered, feeling the confidence surge in your veins. “Who are you?”

His once prideful posture morphed into something much more casual at the question. “You don’t know?”

“He didn’t tell me anything.”

“Typical. Shittykawa sure likes his secrets.”

A sense of familiarity crept over you at his phrasing. “Are you one of them?”

“Not quite,” he smirked, the look he gave you indecipherable. “But I’m sure I can be yours. Let’s head back to that booth now, shall we? It’s been a while since I’ve greeted my best friend.”

The first thing you noticed was how guarded he was. Down to his very stance, it was as if he was preparing for something. Defensive. He was defensive.

The other thing you noticed was how alert he was. Every now and then, you caught him turn around at the chuckle at yet another rich patron of The Oak, expression frozen and analytical as they continued to walk. You didn’t even know his name, but from his very demeanor, he seemed to be someone who hid a lot of stories beneath the tough exterior he portrayed.

He wasn’t at all like what he seemed.

“The VIP’s look the same.” He commented, lazily stepping through the entrance. “They haven’t made any renovations.”

“Is that supposed to be surprising?” You replied, scanning the room, until your booth was in sight. “They have a brand name to upkeep.”

Oikawa sensed you, like he always did, turning around at the brief thought that you were back. The widening of his eyes at the sight of the two of them, you and the mysterious man who insisted on accompanying you, was enough to tell you that you had definitely met the right person.

But if the man was who he refused to tell you about, what importance did he have?

You watched as Makki and Mattsun slowly placed their glasses on the table, slack jawed and seemingly shocked as the man continued to make his way towards them, with you trailing slowly behind.

“Nothing to say at all?” He teased, playfully ruffling Oikawa’s styled hair. “It’s not that serious.”

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa choked out, before rising from his seat and enveloping Iwaizumi in a hug. “You’re a fucking idiot you know? You haven’t seen us in years, and your first words are ‘nothing to say at all?’ You are still a rock in the head.”

“Loserkawa,” Iwa-chan laughed. “I bet you haven’t even done anything productive.” Breaking away from the hug, he went to slap Makki and Mattsun on the back, the two of them immediately laughing and shaking his hand frantically.

“Iwaizumi, how was prison life?” Mattsun laughed, “You’ve got to fill us in.”

“Mattsun, I swear.” Iwaizumi groaned, slipping into one of the seats at the table.

Makki immediately took this chance to punch Iwaizumi’s arm, smiling widely all the while. “Yeah, Mattsun is right. You’ve been out of commission and we must know the details. Anything interesting happen?”

“Seriously,” Iwaizumi sighed, “It was boring. Nothing interesting or even remotely gripping. In fact, the first gripping thing I saw was actually…” At that moment, Iwaizumi turned his gaze towards you, his gaze mischievous and unwavering. “Them. They were the most interesting thing I’ve seen tonight.”

You quickly froze at his sudden statement, feeling a smile tug at the corner of your lips at his intense gaze, slowly sliding into the free seat next to Mattsun. You were intrigued.

At least that much was certain.

“You never gave me your name.” Iwaizumi said seriously, his green eyes meeting yours in a piercing gaze. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is it?”

“Y/L/N,” you grinned, “I’ll allow Y/N if we become friends.”

“Is that so,” Iwaizumi smirked, an amused look painted on his face. “Well then I’m sure we’ll get there.”

“I’ll need your first name as an exchange Iwaizumi,” you teased. “There are a lot of Iwaizumis in Japan.”

“Well this one is Iwaizumi Hajime.” Mattsun pointed. “Ringing any bells Y/N?”

It sure did. You felt the shock engulf you as you looked back at the man you had just met, attractive as he was charming, and felt all the information you had gathered flood your head all at once.

Iwaizumi Hajime. Esteemed con artist and the mastermind behind some of the most successful heists of the century. His style was precise, the payoff was millions, and his gang....was yours.

You hadn’t expected this. You had heard enough of the rumors to know of his temperament, precise, methodical, and ever so deadly to the rich owners of any establishment. You had picked up all this through what you heard on the street and Oikawa’s midnight rambles, pained mumblings of what he used to have with his best-friend, before it all came crashing down.

You knew he was in prison. You knew that your best friend had known Iwaizumi since childhood. You knew how there was that one job that went wrong, but suddenly, you had an idea of what made the experience so traumatic.

You weren’t sure how to react.

Oikawa’s gaze was trained on your features, his brown eyes glistening with a slight sense of concern and something else that you couldn’t quite place.

“Am I seeing things,” a rich voice had interjected, breaking the tension of the booth with its presence. An upwards tilt of your head found you face to face with Kuroo, as Sugawara offered you a wave in greeting. The two of them stood mostly in silence as they looked at Iwaizumi, who had begun smiling.

“Suga. Kuroo. Nice to see you.” Iwaizumi nooded. “Sit down. We’ve got some catching up to do.”

“You...you’ve got to be kidding me.” Kuroo chuckled, “Damn, you’re actually back.”

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi said, placing a hand in his blazer. “Once Akaashi gets here, I think you’ll want to hear what I’ve got to say.”

©mysterystarz all rights reserved, please do not plagiarize, translate, or modify my fics in any way even if credited

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[wickedgamesoyaoya]

Irritation weaved through your limbs, devouring every nerve and cell with no remorse. The only remedy that was available for the virus contaminating your blood sat ahead of you, belittling you with the familiar scent that would tickle your nose whenever the waitress would slip on by. There was a reason you vowed to remain sober for the evening. Ingesting liquor would simply draw out the one emotion you were strategically masking with artificial laughter and twinkling smiles. Your new acquaintances found entertainment in your façade, and they made no inquiry into the truth behind your sarcastic words. For the smile painted across your lips indicated that you were satisfied with their company, they did not have even the slightest inkling of the emotions sickening your core.

Your best friend did, however, catch the tremors in your fingers, and the incessant tapping that sounded underneath the table. Oikawa tried to console you, with exaggerated praise and comedy. The others at the table were consumed by the performance, but your mind would not permit you a moment of peace.

It had been hours since you spoke to your two friends about locating your fiancé. Their silence was uncharacteristic and supplied confirmation that your fiancé did something, or perhaps was going to do something. Something that none of the others would dare to say. This newfound loyalty towards the cook was puzzling to say the least.

But was it really a matter of loyalty…? What could he have done that would compel silence from three of your best friends? Was it that terrible that each of your friends refused to be the bearer of bad news?

With your questions unanswered, the only option was to forget they existed.  

Curling your fingers around the stem of the glass, the cold liquid was brought to your lips, earning you cheers from your new friends. The chocolate shavings defeated the bitterness your throat had craved, yet you were thankful for the weight the alcohol had lifted from your shoulders.

One drink turned into two, then three… and then four. When you endeavoured to order a fifth, Oikawa intercepted, swapping your glass with his. Instead of abiding with his request to sober-up, you scooped out an ice cube from the water glass then flicked it at Francisco.

“What was that for?”

“Well, Juliana said you were too hot, so I thought I’d cool you down.” The words were purred out slowly and followed by a half-hearted wink.

“Y/n, you know that’s not how it works.” Oikawa contemplated apologizing on your behalf, but your antics did not seem to phase the model.

“Shh, I don’t wanna hear your voice.” A single finger was pressed against the setter’s mouth, which twitched into a pout. Turning your attention away from him, you pressed yourself against the table edge, then leaned forward, dropping your voice to a whisper. “You guys know my best friends are more loyal to my fiancé than they are to me?”

“Y/n…” Guilt twisted into a dagger that planted directly inside of Oikawa’s heart. He was keeping this secret for you, not for the damn cook. He knew that come tomorrow; the younger Miya’s presence would replace the pain circling your thoughts with happiness. That was all he wanted. Your happiness. But he should have known this would backfire, patience was not your strong suit.

“I don’t think that’s true, y/n. I saw your social media. These guys care a lot about you.” Francisco countered after witnessing the grief in the setter’s eyes. From their limited interaction, the model was able to pick up on certain things – he knew the bond between you and Oikawa ran deeper than any friendship he could claim to have. He was envious of your relationship, really. And he also knew that it was the liquor that prompted your allegations, not the truth.

“Nope,” Popping your P’s, you shook your head. “Only Hajime cares about me. He’s the only one who is loyal to me! Isn’t that right, Tooru?” Both of your eyebrows were provided a taunting lift, but you knew he would never admit to a lie.

“You know it’s not.” The protest was exhaled softly, at this point the correct decision would be to confess where your fiancé was. However, when he opened his mouth to supply you the information, you ripped your gaze away from him then declared your own answer to the question posed.

“No, I don’t. What I do know is that I have a phone call to make.”

As you stepped away from the table, the setter groaned out your name, in hope to stop you. When he realized you would likely refuse to return, he removed a few bills from his wallet then placed it on the table.  

“Thanks for inviting us. Sorry, my sweet little y/n gets a little emotional when she drinks. But it’s time we head out anyway.” Despite the worry lines etching into his delicate features, he presented them a departing smile. Juliana practically choked on her drink at the sight.  

“No need to apologize to us. We had a good time. I hope things work out between y/n and her fiancé. She really does love him.” Francisco lifted his glass, accompanying the motion with a nod of acknowledgement. To Oikawa’s surprise, there was not even a hint of malice underlying his comments. 

“Yeah she sure does.” Laughter spilled from the setter’s lips as he mumbled a repeated farewell. He sincerely hoped that Osamu loved you just as much.

**

The phone call you were referring to during your dramatic exit was meant for Iwaizumi. With the alcohol amplifying your emotions, you needed the trainer’s soft reassurances. You needed someone in your corner. Yet, your plan did not go unaltered. Battered by the icy breeze roaming the streets, you were stripped of every emotion except one – sorrow.

It should be no surprise that the person you elected to call was no longer Iwaizumi. The number you had dialed went straight to voicemail, though the pre-recorded greeting almost successfully tricked your intoxicated senses. When the beep signalled for you to begin, a deep breath was inhaled to prepare your lungs for the lengthy rant that would commence.

“Let me just say… it is seriously rude that you are ignoring me when you were the one desperate to talk that day. I even tried to keep my promise to Shin… I hate you. I hate you so damn much. I hate that I can’t stop thinking about you... I hate that I can’t stop loving you.” A pause was administered only when the liquid glazing over your eyes completely distorted your vision. Aggressively, you discarded the tears, smudging the mascara coating your eyelashes in the process. 

“I hate that I miss your stupid face. It’s the stupidest face ever… I can’t believe you hurt me and then ghosted me! Get the fuck out of here, dude.” To help ease the strain now entering your temples, you pressed your fingers against your forehead in a soothing manner. 

“Don’t ask me why I called you dude. I don’t know… But you and I are going to fight. That’s how we’re going to settle this now. No more talking. You better be ready punk, when I see you, it’s on.”

You would have added some additional threats if Oikawa had not snatched the phone out of your grasp, immediately clicking the end button.

“You’ve had a lot of fun this evening, haven’t you? Come on. It’s time to go home.”  

Let’s do it again, shall we - sus-kawa

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A/N: lmao that voicemail is going to be a great landing present for osamu. 

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Taglist continued in the comments from my personal  ❣️

[official-weasley]

Tiger - (The Irreplaceable Charlie Weasley AU)

Warnings: is getting a pet a warning? 🤔🙈

Word count: 5,205

Characters: Charlie Weasley and my OC Nova from TICW which you can find here

Nova

“Mum, when is dad coming home?”

Aoede and I were sitting on our sofa, watching cartoons and eating cookies. An episode of Tom and Jerry just ended and Aoede noticed that Charlie wasn't home yet.

“In a few minutes, sweetheart.” I ran my fingers through her soft hair, getting another cookie from the bowl.

“Is he late?” Aoede posed another question.

“No. It's five minutes until 3 o'clock so he hasn't finished working yet.”

“I wish he didn't have to wolk that long.” Aoede sighed.

“Oh, sweetheart, me too. But he works every day until 5 or 6 so he is already coming early today because it's Friday.” I wiggled the bowl to switch Aoede's attention to cookies.

“Fliday and Sunday ale my favolite. You know why, mum?” Aoede turned to me before trying to stuff an entire cookie in her mouth.

“Why?” I giggled, watching the chocolate get smeared all over her face.

“On Fliday, daddy comes home earliel and we have a cuddle day and on Sunday we have pancakes fol blefcast.” Aoede clapped excitedly.

“Breakfast, Aoede.” I corrected her.

“Bleak...fast.” Aoede furrowed her brows trying to remember the word.

“There you go! Nice job!” I pulled her in a half hug.

She was sitting next to me because my belly was too big for her to sit in my lap.

“You know what,” I said after I took a bite of yet another cookie, “Fridays and Sundays are my favorite too.”

“Leally? Because of daddy being home and pancakes?” Aoede's eyes were sparkling.

“Because we all cuddle on the sofa and pancakes.” I sniggered.

“What about dad?” Aoede asked curiously.

“Meh.” I swung my hand, trying to sound uninterested.

“Mum,” Aoede gasped, “stop it! You love dad!”

“I do,” I giggled, “nothing gets past you, does it?”

“You tlied to tlick me!” Aoede fully turned to me and took my cookie. “No cookie fol you!”

“Hey, give that back, I'm eating for two!” I made puppy eyes at her.

“Those only wolk on dad, mum.” Aoede giggled and put my cookie in her mouth.

“You are too smart for a 3-year-old.” I playfully shook my head.

“I am just good at taking youl cookies,” Aoede said with her mouth full.

“Want to watch another episode or should we wait for dad?” I reached for the remote.

“Wait fol dad. I will talk to the baby now.” Aoede cleared her throat after finishing the cookie.

I still didn't like the fact that Charlie raised his voice at her the night Bill and Fleur came by. I wasn't used to it as my parents rarely had to do it with me and I have learned from them that most of the time just talking peacefully works wonders.

Before Aoede was even born, Charlie expressed his concern about how his mother always shouted at him and his siblings and that he doesn't want to be like her and made me swear that I would scold him if I ever notice he is turning into his mother.

He might not have shouted at Aoede like Molly used to shout at her boys, but it was evident that he has lost his temper with her and I wasn't okay with that. Especially, when Fleur told me that she was the same when her sister was born and later Bill trying to calm me down telling me that he and Charlie were the same when their younger siblings were born.

Charlie and Aoede worked it out the second Charlie and Bill came back inside and he apologized to me 3 times that night before we went to sleep.

Even though I forgave him the second he sat down and talked to our daughter I couldn't help but notice that by raising his voice Aoede started to warm up to the fact that she is getting a sibling.

The first thing she did, she asked me when the baby is coming. Then she asked Charlie if she can join him when he was singing to my belly. To say that we were both shocked by her sudden change of heart was an understatement but at the same time, we were over the roof about the fact that we could talk about the pregnancy in front of her without her glaring at us.

She usually played with her Unicorn plushie or did puzzles – which her grandpa Artie sent her the second we told him she finished the dinosaur one – when Charlie was either talking or singing to the baby. It was progress that she didn't mind, but last week she got curious and actually listened to what he was doing.

Two days ago, when Charlie was still at work, she stopped playing all of a sudden and walked to me, avoiding my eyes. I had never seen her so shy around me so I asked her what was going on. After a lot of mumbling to herself and fiddling with her fingers, she admitted that she would like to try and talk to the baby.

I did my best, hiding the fact that her action shocked me and made her sit next to me on the sofa so she could sit on my legs and talk to the baby. She only introduced herself before getting too shy and jumping off me to go back to her toys but it meant the world to me.

Charlie, of course, couldn't believe it when I told him and was hoping he would get to see it and since she wanted to do it again today, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that he will be able to witness this miracle sooner or later.

“Okay, whenever you are ready.” I smiled softly at her, gently stroking her hair.

“Hello.” She tapped on my belly so lightly that it tickled me. “Uhm, mum I don't know what to say.”

“Well, your dad usually tells the baby stories.” I encouraged her.

“Oh, I know plenty of those!” Aoede's eyes sparkled as they did every time she got an idea.

“Hi, baby!” She waved at my belly. “I love cookies. My uncle Geogie makes the best ones and I love when he comes and we make them togethel. I love the ones with chocolate the most! You will love uncle Geogie, he is so funny! But uncle Bill is my favolite. He has longel hail than dad and he lets me play with it. He isn't as funny as uncle Geogie but his stolies ale fun! He loves auntie Fleul. She is vely pletty and...”

Before Aoede could continue the front door unlocked and Charlie stepped inside.

“I'm home!” He sang.

“Daddy, shhh! I'm talking to the baby!” Aoede whispered with a finger in front of her mouth.

“You are what?” Charlie raised his eyebrows and locked eyes with mine.

“She's talking to the baby,” I whispered, trying not to giggle too much to disturb her.

Charlie was quick to put his jacket away so he could join us as he couldn't wait to be a part of this. He kissed Aoede's forehead and got a little groan in return for disturbing her. Then he gently pushed me upward so he could sit down and I positioned myself in his arms. He kissed the top of my head, listening to Aoede tell the baby all about her uncles and aunts and why she loves each of them.

“The last one is uncle Pelcy. I only saw him once. Daddy doesn't like him much I think...” Aoede gave her words some thought.

I looked up at Charlie who swallowed thickly, his eyes on our 3-year-old.

Percy came home for the first time about 2 months after the war. The reactions to his action varied. Arthur and Molly were just happy he was back. Ron, George, and Ginny didn't want to hear him out at all. Charlie and Bill were hesitant and asked him to give them some time to think everything through.

Because Charlie wanted Aoede to have all her uncles in her life, he invited Percy to stay with us at the end of last year. It was very awkward but I saw that Charlie tried to understand where Percy was coming from and even though their relationship is still a bit shaky, they exchange a few letters per month.

“I...ah, mum! Ah, what did I do?!” Aoede suddenly jumped in the air, her eyes widened in horror, looking at my belly.

“What happened?” Charlie got alarmed.

“Nothing,” I giggled, “the baby just kicked and Aoede felt it.”

“Oh.” Charlie sighed in relief, tightening his arms around me.

“The baby kicked?” Aoede tilted her head and slowly climbed back on my legs.

“Yes. That's what you felt.” I chuckled, finding her reaction amusing.

“I didn't hult you?” She was still in shock.

“No, sweetheart. You did the same when you were in my belly.” I gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her toward me to give her a hug and calm her down.

“O-okay.” Aoede took a deep breath and buried her head in my shoulder.

“So, if I am not mistaken, it's cuddle day.” Charlie grinned at us, trying to make Aoede forget about the kick.

“Yes!” Aoede exclaimed and carefully climbed off me and jumped to the floor.

“Where are you going?” Charlie asked her as she started walking to the drawer where I had my art supplies.

“I want to look at mum's dlawings.” She explained as she pulled out one of my sketchbooks and walked back to us.

“I thought you'd want to watch cartoons.” Charlie teased her.

“No. Mum and I watched Tom and Jelly befole. I want to do this now.” She lifted her hands in the air for Charlie to help her back on the sofa.

“Do you want to watch a cartoon?” Charlie whispered in my ear.

“Sure.” I smiled at him and gave him the remote.

“Mum, look!” Aoede turned the sketchbook to me. “It's Blue but little!”

The sketchbook was opened on a drawing of a kneazle which I drew the year I came to Romania. Blue was Felix's kneazle and is now living with Andrei. Aoede loves to go there not only to play with the animal but also to spend time with Andrei who she calls her best friend.

The first time Andrei heard her say that he shed a tear and didn't understand what he did to deserve that title but gladly took it. Andrei is the one who first showed Aoede a picture of a unicorn and told her all sorts of stories about his interaction with the creature. Andrei is even better at telling stories than Charlie is so it's no surprise that unicorns are her favorite creatures.

“Yes, that's Blue when he was still a cub.” I thumbed through the book to find the other drawing of him. “See, that's him too.”

“Oh, so pletty. I love Blue, mum.” Aoede was admiring my drawing, her eyes sparkling.

“I know you do, sweetheart.” I watched her trace her little finger over the lines of Blue's ears.

“Mum, can we get a kneazle?” Aoede said more to herself than to me.

“You think you are old enough to take care of a kneazle?” I raised my eyebrows at her.

“Yes! My best fliend showed me how to feed Blue and how to make Blue's ful look pletty and shiny!” Aoede closed the sketchbook, her eyes locking with mine.

“Hmm,” I tapped my chin with my finger, giving the idea some thought. “I love your idea.”

I grinned at her, making her eyes even bigger and if it would be possible sparks would fly out of them.

“But we have to ask dad first.” I pressed my lips together knowing this is going to be very amusing to watch.

“Dad, dad! Mum and I want a kneazle!” Aoede was shaking from excitement.

“What now?” Charlie mumbled, his eyes still on the telly.

“A kneazle, dad! Oh, can we? Please!”

“What about a kneazle, Pumpkin?” Charlie asked absentmindedly.

“We want one!” Aoede started to look annoyed because Charlie still didn't look at her.

“Wait what?” Charlie turned down the volume and looked at his daughter.

“We want a kneazle, dad! We want a kneazle!” Aoede bounced on my legs.

“We?” Charlie cocked an eyebrow, his gaze switching from Aoede to me.

“I said she has to ask you first.” I winked at him.

“Why me? Why do I have to decide?” Charlie narrowed his eyes at me.

“You're the man of the house, aren't you?” I sniggered.

“Right.” Charlie nodded his head, still a bit confused about how we are suddenly discussing having a pet. “Well, what did you say?” He whispered to me.

“I said that I love her idea,” I replied.

“You did?” Charlie tilted his head. “You think she's ready to have a pet?”

“I am!” Aoede crossed her arms on her chest.

“Love, we are 14 days from your due date, we'll be busy with the baby. How are you planning to take care of a kneazle too?”

“You are making some good points, Charles.” I nodded. “However, I think Aoede has enough experience because of Blue to take care of one.”

“She's 3!” Charlie exclaimed.

“So that's a no?” I pouted. “I think that's a no, Aoede.”

“Why!” Aoede whined.

“Wait, how do you think this is a good idea?” Charlie ignored our daughter.

“Well, you know I wanted to get a pet ever since we moved to Romania but then we didn't have the time and now we have a house and you know we will always find an excuse and honestly since we both love animals so much, it's a miracle we don't have a zoo already.”

“Okay, true, but you know that Aoede is too young to take care of it alone and I will be at work so you will have to feed it and everything.” Charlie sighed.

“I am aware of that, Char. But it would also be a good opportunity to teach Aoede to be responsible and I can handle a toddler, a baby, and a kneazle.”

“Daddy, please!” Aoede looked at Charlie with the biggest puppy eyes I have ever seen. “I will help mummy, I plomise. I will feed it evely molning and evely night and I will tlain him to poop and I will give him lots of cuddles!”

“Yeah, there's no doubt about the last one.” Charlie tried not to look at Aoede because he knew he won't be able to resist her looking at him like that.

“Admit it, you want it too.” I nudged him, whispering.

“Of course, I want it.” Charlie ran his hand across his face, still not fully convinced.

“So we ale getting a kneazle?” Aoede gasped.

“Oh, I don't know.” Charlie gave it some thought.

“Please!” Aoede and I said in unison, making puppy eyes at Charlie.

“I swear if our second born has your eyes, you three will be the death of me.” Charlie sighed in defeat.

“I think that's a yes, Aoede.” I giggled and high-fived her.

“Yes!” Aoede thrust her hands in the air, carefully climbed off me, and started dancing around the living room.

“I can't believe I was the one who needed convincing for us to have a pet,” Charlie whispered after a few moments of us giggling and watching out daughter celebrate.

“I know it's kind of an impulsive and an irresponsible decision but I know we can do it and I believe Aoede will take care of it. She loves to help Andrei with Blue and honestly, he has taught her a lot about kneazles.” I defended my decision.

“That's true, she is pretty responsible for her age and I guess it would be a good distraction for her from the baby in case she ought to change her mind.” Charlie scratched the stubble below his chin.

“I mean we kind of owe her for having another baby.” I chuckled.

“Oh, great. So what are we getting her when we're having our third child?” Charlie raised his eyebrows at me, looking amused.

“Let this one be born first, will you?” I laughed.

“I can't wait.” He kissed me first on the nose, then on the lips.

“So, are you really okay with it?” I asked.

“Yeah, why not.” Charlie shrugged. “You tamed a chimera which is supposed to be untamable, how hard can having a kneazle be?”

“I guess we'll find out soon.” I nodded my head at Aoede who was still running around the room shouting that we are getting a kneazle.

Charlie

The morning after we decided to get a kneazle, we visited Andrei to see if he knows anyone who breeds them. Even though my girls convinced me to get one, I still wasn't sure it was a good idea. It wasn't that I didn't want one – in that regard, I thought it was a good idea too – but I was worried for Nova and how she'll be able to handle everything while I'm at work.

The second pregnancy has been draining her and I have no idea how she will be after she gives birth and Aoede is getting more energetic each day and even though I will help her as much as I possibly can, I will have to go to work too and I don't want Nova to be exhausted for the next year because we decided to get a pet.

When we woke up in the morning I told Nova that I will ask Andrei if he thinks it's a good idea and if he reckons we can take care of one with having a baby on the way.

We walked to the Sanctuary – well Aoede ran most of the way because she was too excited – and knocked on Andrei's door when we reached his cottage.

“Aoede! What a pleasant surprise!” Andrei grinned when he saw our little one.

He picked her up and twirled her in the air.

“Andy, Andy, we are getting a kneazle!” Aoede told him the news the second he put her down.

“You are?” He bestowed her with a grin before turning to us. “That's sudden.”

“Yes, very,” I spoke first.

“Charlie thinks it's a bad idea with the baby on the way.” Nova followed.

“I think your timing couldn't be more perfect,” Andrei said casually.

“Really?” Nova and I said together.

“Kneazles are the best pets to the people they can trust and they tend to trust children more. Aoede is great with Blue, he simply adores her meaning she is trustworthy. If a kneazle trusts the whole family then they are better behaved than most cats. All you'll have to do is feed it, comb its fur around 3 times per week and play with it, which I think won't be a problem.” Andrei nodded his head to where Aoede was sitting on the floor, playing with Blue.

“So they aren't too high maintenance?” Charlie wanted to know.

“Not at all. They are a much better first-time pet than crups. They learn faster because they are highly intelligent and they don't have as much energy as crups so they mostly like to cuddle with you.” Andrei continued with a smile on his face.

He then asked us how we came to the idea and Nova explained how Aoede saw Blue in my sketchbook and made him laugh when she told him how they convinced me to get one.

“Why were you against it, Charles? You and Nova have been discussing getting a pet since you moved here.” Andrei teased him.

“That's what I said!” Nova chuckled.

“Well, I was just hesitant with the new baby and I won't be home all the time to help around the house and...” I sighed. “I guess I just got worried.”

“Understandable,” Andrei nodded, “you know you'll get some time off when the baby arrives and in case your kneazle will be too much to handle you can always bring it here.”

“Thank you, Andrei.” His words calmed me down.

“Do you know anyone who breeds them or where we could get one?” I wanted to know.

“Mary would be your best call. She lives in the same village you do and Felix got Blue from her.” Andrei answered my question.

“Wait, you mean Mary Hucklewood? The one that has the drug store?” Nova got excited.

“The very same!” Andrei smiled.

“Oh, that's going to be easy, Char! She's a really sweet lady. I had no idea she's a kneazle breeder.”

“Yeah! Her kneazles won some amazing awards on shows and such. I am sure she'll be able to tell you more!” Andrei looked towards where Aoede was still playing with Blue.

“Did you hear, Pumpkin? We know where to get a kneazle.” I kneeled next to her and rubbed Blue's belly.

“Leally? Can we go now?” Aoede gasped.

“We can't just leave Andrei after being here for 10 minutes.” Nova giggled.

“I would love to come with you if you'll have me. I have to buy some groceries anyway and I haven't seen Mary for a long time.” Andrei said, winking at Aoede.

“See! We can go now! We can go now!” Aoede was jumping up and down.

Without saying another word, we walked to the door and headed back to the village.

“How are you feeling?” I asked Nova as we were walking hand in hand, Andrei, and Aoede right in front of us.

“The walk is doing me good. My feet hurt but I had to move from that sofa eventually.” She said softly. “Not 14 days before your due date.” I tried hiding the concern in my voice. “And I'll massage your feet the second we get home.”

“Thank you, Char.” Nova smiled appreciatively at me before turning to see what made Aoede squeak.

“Mummy, daddy, we're here!” She pointed at the house on our left, hardly containing her excitement.

“Now, Aoede, even if Mary has a kneazle for us to adopt, it doesn't mean we will get it today, okay?” I kneeled next to her.

“I know, dad.” Aoede sighed disappointedly but I knew she understood the situation.

“Go ahead, then. Knock on the door.” Nova nudged her so she got closer.

Aoede took a deep breath and knocked on the door so gently that I was sure the lady inside the house won't be able to hear her.

It was amusing to see Aoede nervous but in a way admiring to watch her in this state because she showed me that despite being so young, this means a lot to her.

“I think we should let Aoede do all the talking so that we see if she is really ready for this,” I whispered to my wife.

“Okay, she seems a bit nervous.” Nova giggled.

“Yeah, she's adorable.” I followed her lead, waiting for someone to get the door.

“Maybe you should knock again, Pumpkin.” I encouraged our daughter when she started to turn around to look at us.

She did as she was told, her knock more determined this time.

“I'm coming, I'm coming! Pretzel, dear, move to the side so I can open the door.” We heard the voice in the house say.

The door creaked opened and a lady in her fifties was standing in the doorway.

“Andrei, Nova! What a pleasant surprise!” The woman grinned at them.

To me, the woman seemed familiar but Nova usually paid more attention to people than I did because she reckoned that we should know the people who live around us in case there would be any spies – that was back when we were at war.

“Hi, Mary! Long time no see!” Andrei waved at the woman.

“And you must be Nova's husband Charlie and I bet this little cutie is Aoede.” She locked eyes with me and smiled before bending down to shake Aoede's hand.

“That is me!” Aoede beamed. “Maly, this is my best fliend Andy and my mummy and daddy and we ale hele because you gave Blue to Andy and mummy and I want a kneazle. See, daddy isn't sule but he said that we can have one if we will take cale of it and I plomise, I plomise Maly that I will take the best cale of my kneazle. Blue leally likes me!”

Nova and I chuckled at Aoede's enthusiasm, Mary however looked surprised.

“You sure know how to make a good first impression, Aoede,” Mary said after waiting for a moment longer if Aoede is done talking.

“And all that she said is true, she is amazing with Blue and he adores her.” Andrei supported Aoede's statement.

“Oh, I have no doubt about that.” Mary nodded toward Aoede who was petting one of Mary's kneazles. “Pretzel doesn't trust a lot of people and he has certainly never let anyone touch him the first time he meets them, so your daughter is really good with animals.”

I blinked a few times before exchanging a look with Nova – getting all teary-eyed and proud of my daughter. From the looks of it, Nova wasn't doing any better, as she sniffed and couldn't stop smiling.

“Unfortunately, you would have to wait until the next year. I have given away the good kneazles from my last litter a few weeks ago so I am afraid you are too late.” Mary bowed her head, sadly. “Kneazles breed only once per year, if they do, so it's hard to say.”

“Oh,” Aoede tried her hardest not to sound disappointed even though I could see her eyes filling with tears.

“What did you mean with the good kneazles?” I asked.

“The ones that are suitable for shows and further breeding,” Mary explained.

“We would have it as a pet and we are not looking to breed kneazles.” Nova's voice turned cheerful.

“Well,” Mary put her hands on her hips, “there is one then. I was planning to keep him for myself but if he'd like you I would gladly give him to you.”

She invited us inside and we followed her upstairs.

“What's wrong with him?” Nova wanted to know.

“He is completely healthy and loves to eat,” Mary laughed, “but there was an accident when the litter was a few weeks old.”

“What happened?” Aoede got curious.

“He was trying to make friends with my Venomous Tentacula.”

Mary opened the door and motioned with her hand that we should come inside.

“Hi, sweetness, I brought you some company,” Mary said in a baby voice.

The room was full of kneazle equipment and the kneazle Mary addressed was the only one inside. He was orange with brown spots and the only thing I could see being wrong with him was the tipped left ear.

Andrei, Nova, and I stood in the doorway while Nova encouraged Aoede to enter the room. She made a cautious step toward Mary, fidgeting with her fingers.

“Go on, he's friendly.” Mary smiled at Aoede.

Aoede took a deep breath and sat down. Nova's eyebrows raised, while Andrei and I exchanged a look.

Aoede didn't move nor called the kneazle, she waited patiently for him to come to her. Since kneazles are big on trust this was a smart move and it blew me away that my three-year-old knew what to do.

The kneazle tilted its head to the side and observed Aoede as if she was the only one in the room. He looked very playful and after a few moments approached Aoede carefully. He sat down right in front of her and tilted his head again.

I have never seen my daughter sit so still. She was always running around or talking to us or drawing on my arm or making ponytails on my head or painting my nails. The only time she didn't move was when she was sleeping and even then we sometimes found her on the other side of the bed compared to where she fell asleep.

I can't find the words to express how proud I was of her at that moment and I felt like crying and hugging her and telling her that she's the best but I had to be patient like she was with the kneazle and do that later. If nothing else her behavior proved to me that she was ready to have a pet.

The kneazle took another step forward and extended his paw toward Aoede. She carefully moved her right arm and placed her hand over his paw. The creature purred and jumped in Aoede's arms.

“Oh, how wonderful!” Mary clapped excitedly.

Andrei looked almost as proud as I did and I caught myself observing the scene with my mouth open.

“Yeah...wonderful.” I turned to Nova who was sobbing and brushing away her tears.

“Oh, you ale so pletty! Look at youl ful and colols and oh,” Aoede gasped, “look at youl eal!”

“That's Tentacula's work.” Mary shook her head.

“He is pelfect!” Aoede turned around to see our reaction.

“I think he likes you, Pumpkin.” I sent her a wink.

“Mhm,” Nova mumbled, looking ever so proud.

“He's all yours, Aoede.” Mary walked to her and put her hand on her shoulder.

“I have to ask mummy and daddy filst.” Aoede gently hugged the kneazle and placed him on the ground so she could stand up.

“Can we have him, dad?” Aoede stopped in front of me, looking up and waiting for my answer.

I turned my head to Nova to see what she has to say about it. She nodded her head slightly and I bent down to our daughter.

“We can have him.”

“What is his name?” Aoede asked all of a sudden as if she has just remembered she doesn't know his name yet.

“I didn't name him for some reason. I just kept calling him sweetness, so the honor is all yours.” Mary smiled at her.

“Oh!” Aoede's eyes sparkled as she was thinking of the name. “Tigel!”

“Tiger?” Nova, Andrei, and I said at the same time.

“Tigel,” Aoede repeated.

“You're going to name a creature after another creature?” I raised my eyebrow.

“You're the one to talk!” Nova laughed. “Have you forgotten that you named an abraxan at my aunt's Dragon?” She nudged me with her elbow.

“Touché. I completely forgot about that.” I felt the heat on my cheeks as I scratched the back of my head.

—

“Another thing she has after you.” Nova giggled.

“And what's that?” I put my arm around her waist as we walked toward our house.

Andrei was helping Aoede carry Tiger and all the supplies Mary gave us for him.

“She is as bad at naming creatures as you are.” Nova pressed more into me, while I just playfully rolled my eyes.

I didn't care what she named him. Aoede had many moments so far that made me a proud father but her interaction with the kneazle beat all of those moments' arses by far and even though she probably got her intuition for animals from Nova, I was happy that she got the creature-naming after me – even though, I had to agree, not the best trait to inherit.