#and every day I know that we're getting closer to when something might happen that would make those things mutually exclusive

[kit-kittredges]

Having a 17 year old cat, in my case one with an autoimmune disorder, is really just a daily practice in, like, watching for any minute change in behavior and trying to manage my anxiety around anything that happens because it's probably nothing but also noting it carefully because what if it is actually something? Something big and wrong? But what if it's fine? But also it could be dire!

Like, today he's been drooling while napping, and he usually doesn't do that in this quantity. But also he's missing a bunch of teeth so of course he's more likely to drool. But it's been almost a year since those teeth were removed and I haven't really noticed before? But did I only notice today because he was weird yesterday? Because, oh yeah, yesterday he was sleeping in a weird place after I'd left him alone at a time I'm usually home, so now is that my fault? Did he feel abandoned? Or is it a sign something's wrong? Because it's also the spot his sister started going to when she got sick and had to be put down. But if something were wrong wouldn't he be eating less? When actually he's been eating more than usual the last few days? But then is he actually getting everything from his food that he should, because I swear his back feels bonier than it used to. But is that just because he hasn't been as active, because he's older and not because of anything actually wrong? Or is there something wrong? Because also the drool looks kind of thick and that seems weird and I just...

I just feel like I'm two seconds away from breaking at any point over him and I hate that, and I hate that sometimes it starts to feel like I'm resenting him over how hard it's all been. I don't, I know that, but damnit if I don't get frustrated at him, but then he's frustrated too for all the same reasons, because with the autoimmune disorder diagnosis and the teeth being removed my cat who had for 16 years only ever wanted to eat one kind of dry food suddenly had to switch to wet. And my boy was a grazer and now he has to have food given to him in set batches and he still refuses to finish a full bowl because he has always had anxiety around low food (even though he's literally never been without, but whatever he's a neurotic guy). And I think his hearing is going because he just screams all the time instead of how he used to cry to communicate and he gets startled when I walk up behind him and I don't know how to fix that. And it's all so frustrating and emotional but I love him so much, he's been with me since I was 11 years old and I can't picture life without him. But living with a 17 year old cat is also knowing that that time is dwindling and there's literally nothing you can do. All you can do is love him and wait for something to go wrong and it's so painful and draining and yet I know I'm so lucky, I'm so grateful for every day I get with him. But fuck, it just hurts a lot of the time too.

[hispg]

Trying hard

Pairings: ID! Leon X Fem! Reader

Summary: Your husband will not give up until you're pregnant. No matter what.

Wc: 2.2k

Warnings: smut, unprotected sex, p in v, creampie, mentions of pregnancy, worshiping, mentions of lactation kink, breeding kink.

"Negative again?" Leon asks, watching you leave the bathroom.

From your crestfallen expression, he didn't need to think about much to understand that the pregnancy test had come back negative once again.

You'd been trying for three months, three months of unprotected sex at every opportunity. But so far your actions had yielded no more results than memorable nights.

"Yes, negative." You say with sadness in your voice, sitting down next to him on the bed.

He gently takes the test from your hands, calmly examining the result.

"Don't worry, we'll do fine." Leon says with a smile, bringing your hand up to his lips and giving them a gentle kiss.

You smiled weakly, looking down at your lap in disappointment.

You sometimes blamed yourself for thinking that you might have a fertility problem. But all the tests you had done didn't show anything, so maybe it was just bad luck.

"Don't stress your pretty little head about it, Hm?" He says to you, gently moving closer and giving you a kiss on the cheek.

You loved the way he was always supportive of you, and that he would never blame you for any of it.

"Do you think we can make it this year?" You ask softly, turning a little more towards him.

He chuckled, nodding at you, "We just have to try, one day it will happen."

The way he was so sure of you, you felt so safe with him.

"Come here." He proposes, spreading his legs and tapping his thigh, showing you where he wanted you to stand.

You nodded with a smile, mounting him and sitting on his soft thighs. And he promptly wrapped his arms around you, giving you soft kisses on the cheek.

"Have you thought of names?" He asks in a whisper, wanting to improve your mood somehow.

You mumble a soft no, clinging to him tightly. He knew you were controlling your tears at that moment.

"Shhh, it doesn't have to be like this. We just need to try a little harder." He murmurs, holding you by the waist while his other hand goes up and down your back.

"I feel guilty..." You say weakly, knowing from his sigh that he didn't like what you said.

With the hand that was on your waist, he lifted your chin, making you look at him, "Don't say that. There's no one to blame here, we're going to have a baby, we just need to be patient."

You pouted, and he, knowing you'd protest, gave you a soft, gentle kiss on the lips, shutting you up instantly.

Instinctively you wrapped your arms around his neck, returning the kiss with the same tenderness and gentleness.

You only felt his hands running down your hips, playing with the soft fabric of your nightgown. His touch was gentle, just light caresses over your clothes.

When he decided to stop the kiss, he let his forehead rest on yours, looking at you with big, gentle blue eyes.

"I love you, you don't know how much." Your husband says, soon pulling you in for another kiss.

This time he wasn't being soft or gentle, it was something more intimate, hot, his lips moving with yours sensually, making your body shiver with precipitation.

His tongue sliding into your mouth, caressing your own. The kiss got deep quickly, his hands finding their way under your nightgown, caressing your soft skin.

His calloused palms moving up and down your thighs, giving gentle squeezes, feeling how soft your skin was under his fingers.

A contrast to his rough skin.

"I bet you'll be the most beautiful mother in the world." He murmurs as he separates his lips from yours with a 'pop' sound.

"Do you think so?" You ask with a silly grin, you've already become more attached to the idea of getting pregnant than you should be.

"Positive." He says against your skin, his lips tracing your neck.

He made a point of mapping every corner of your skin, leaving wet kisses, holding off just a little longer so that you could feel his teeth grazing your skin.

You gasped softly, your breathing growing heavy with each kiss, each time his fingers kneaded your skin under your nightgown, sending shivers up your spine.

"I can already imagine." He says, trailing kisses down to the cleavage of your chest, holding you tightly by the hips to prevent you from moving.

"You, all round and pregnant. All swollen." His words vibrated against your skin, making you gasp with every sentence.

You could feel his stubble on your breasts, rubbing gently against your body. This was followed by his hot breath against you, and if you looked closely, you could see that he was salivating just looking at your breasts.

"And these tits here? Fuck, they're going to be so heavy. So full." He purred, pulling the top of your nightgown down, exposing what he wanted to see.

Your breasts bounced free, making him growl and bite his lip in response.

In the blink of an eye, he was stuck to you, sucking and nibbling on your breasts. He was latched onto the spot like a starving man, sucking you so hard that you could even feel his teeth on you.

"Fuck, imagine you leaking milk. Asking me to help you. And I'd suck out every last drop." He whispered against you, wrapping his tongue around your nipple, making you moan like crazy.

Unconsciously you started grinding against him, rubbing your wetness against his thighs, feeling his growing erection poking at your ass.

"You're going to feed me every night. Every. Fucking. Night." With that he left your left breast, not letting you breathe before moving on to the right.

You were already marked, the sweet bites of love staining your delicate skin.

"Leon, God..." You moaned, tangling your hands in his hair and pulling him to your breast, making his nose nuzzle at you from how close he was.

And it didn't bother him one bit, you saw his eyes squint in a smile as his lips were glued to you, the sounds he made were as obscene as the scene before your eyes.

His tongue lapped at you, just as his hands held your hips tightly so that no matter how much you were squirming, you didn't move a muscle.

Once he opened his mouth, you knew what was coming. He traced your areola with his tongue, sucking lightly on your sensitive area.

Your mind was already in shambles, your panties soaked just from watching him feed on you like this. Feasting on every part of your body.

You could already imagine the image, Leon begging to taste your milk, wanting to know what it tasted like, the texture, wanting you to feed him every night.

Just thinking about it made you feel your pussy clench around nothing, making you let out a whimper at how excited you were.

He ravaged your nipple, sucking like a baby, growling as you slowly ground into him.

He could see your pink face, your panting breaths, you holding onto him so tightly, almost begging him to keep going.

And he was crazy if he didn't.

You could feel his grip on your hips tightening, you knew it would leave its mark the next day.

"Leon... Please." You pleaded with a little pout, clit throbbing for him to just fuck you.

You watched as he withdrew his lips from your breast, leaving a trail of saliva connecting the two of you.

"Please what? Mh?" he teases with a mischievous grin, rubbing his lips against yours.

You whimper, keeping your pout and looking at him with a sly expression.

"I need you. Please." You say slyly, rubbing your wetness against his thigh once again.

He moaned low, quickly turning you over and lying on the bed, climbing on top of you and planting kisses on your neck once more.

In this position you could see the wet spot staining his sweatpants, he was so turned on just thinking about you being pregnant. His mind was going wild with so many possibilities.

"You're going to be so beautiful, fucking beautiful." He says, taking advantage of the distraction to lift your nightgown up to your waist.

And once again you had him salivating, the lace panties that looked so beautiful on you. As soon as he saw it, he felt like ripping the fabric off with his bare hands.

You arched your body and gasped in response, holding back the urge to moan louder and roll your eyes.

But it all stopped when he found your clit, tapping it lightly before massaging your bundle of nerves.

"You're going to carry my baby. You're going to get all swollen because you're carrying my baby." He growls, kissing and nibbling your stomach.

As if to remind you how much he wanted this. How much he wanted you to carry his child.

His child.

"Yes, I'll carry your baby." You say shyly and softly, pushing your hips against his in a search for friction.

This made his eyes glaze over in anticipation, his cock throbbing painfully in his pants. The idea was too much for him, it was all he wanted most at that moment.

A desire he was going to fulfill no matter what.

He then began to remove your panties, slowly sliding them down your legs and off your ankles, then tossing them into a corner of the room.

And there you were, dripping wet, so ready for him, and you were like that because of him. Only him.

In agony, he removed his own pants, along with his underwear, his cock sticking out, drenched in his precum.

So red and flushed, the tip so swollen that it was painful for him. He then captured your lips in a sensual kiss, making you squirm and moan beneath him.

All you felt afterwards was him sliding his cock into you, shoving it all in at once. You were so wet that he didn't even have to do much.

As usual, your legs wrapped around him, his hips pressing into you all at once. You could feel the heat of his body against yours.

"I bet all you want me to do is fill that pussy, don't you?" He asked in a warm purr, slowly moving his hips against you.

All you did was nod in a sloppy way, he had you so full that you couldn't even think about anything. Just the sensation of paradise he was able to give you.

"So that's what I'm going to do, princess." He says this before giving a deep thrust, so deep you could bet he wanted to get as deep as he could reach.

He reached down to bite your neck, thrusting hard into you at a relentless pace.

One thing he had plenty of was stamina, you can believe that.

By this point he had given up on understanding any kind of language coming out of you. All that mattered was fucking you nice and hard.

All you could hear were his hips against yours, his balls slapping against you so hard that you rolled your eyes every time.

Your warm walls tightening around him was a clear answer that you were enjoying it, the way his cock was all wet with your fluids told him exactly what he wanted to hear.

He liked fucking you like this, in such a raw and dirty way, feeling you clench around him, your sweet moans entering his ears and making him grunt against you.

Or the tantalizing image of your breasts swaying as he thrust into you.

"Leon- Mh- I'm close." You say in a loud whimper, sinking your nails into his back.

"Go on, princess." He looks at you with a naughty grin, sending you straight into the edge.

You arched your body, crashing against his as you came, your cream dripping down your body, making a mess of the sheets and him, all he needed to start fucking you even harder.

"Good girl." He purred, slapping your clit lightly in approval.

He held you by the hips this time, slamming his hips into you, each thrust making you shudder. You held him tightly, as if you depended on it.

In and out, he took his cock out only to put it in again. Hammering his entire length into you.

You noticed when his thrusts became sloppier, him moving desperately to reach his own climax.

This time all you heard was his loud grunt, followed by a swear word that became almost inedible in the heat of the moment.

He sank into you in one powerful thrust, bottoming out and spurting all his seed. You felt that he was so deep that he wanted to hit your womb directly, just to be sure.

He let out a murmur of approval, lying down beneath you gently, but the peace soon ended when he felt his cum oozing out of you.

And he couldn't let that happen.

So he pulled out of you, getting down on his knees and pushing his cum into you once more, this time making sure that you didn't waste a drop, that you kept it all inside you as you should.

And he even smacked your tight pussy, murmuring a soft, "You did good."

You smiled under your breath, looking at him with tenderness. Your sweaty, tired expression said that you had enjoyed this as much as he had.

Despite the almost romantic moment, you could still see the lust in his eyes.

A silent message that you could already translate into your memory.

'Catch your breath, we're not finished for the night.

[multifandomsimagine]

Imagine Addison noticing Mark's feelings for you

It's the look on Mark's face that causes Addison to slow her walk as she's walking on the bridge. He's resting his arms against the railing, looking down at something on the first floor. He has an unconscious smile growing, tender and soft eyes gazing below to the first floor of the hospital as whatever he's watching has him practically radiating joy.

Addison might have first gotten to know Mark because he was Derek's best friend but she had gotten to know him and become close to him, close enough to call him a friend. There had been a rough patch because of what happened in New York but that didn't erase their history together. And it's because of that history that she knows that the look on his face means something.

She walked over to the side of the bridge, making sure that she was far away from Mark to not startle him out of his trance, before looking over the edge. Addison doesn't notice anything unusual at first as the hospital lobby looks like it does any other day. In the seating area were families fidgeting in their seats, picking at the armrests as they waited, desperate for any news on their loved ones. The nurses stations were buzzing with activity, some typing on the computer, some jotted down notes as they updated charts, and others were walking to different patients as they talked to doctors to update them on the patient's latest status. Doctors passed through, jogging to make their way to their operations or to patients who needed their attention.

With nothing catching her eyes, Addison looks to Mark again and carefully follows his eyesight to the last group in the lobby: the interns. The interns had split into smaller groups - Izzie and George were whispering to each other while you, Christina, and Alex were talking - as you all waited for Meredith. But it's not the whole group that Mark is staring at. No, the soft look in his eyes is directed at you.

Addison watches as his eyes follow your every move, as you gesture to the duo as you tell them about the surgery you assisted in - if she's interpreting your gestures correctly. She raises an eyebrow when she notices Mark's grip on the railing tightens slightly when Alex leans closer to your ear and whispers something to you. Neither one of them can hear what is being said but they can hear your reaction as you push Alex away while you throw your head back in a loud laugh.

Having seen enough to make her own deduction, Addison makes her way to Mark. He doesn't notice her presence as he continues to stare down at you.

"You've also changed."

Mark is startled out of gazing and turns his head to look at her. At his questioning look, she nudges her head toward you and his eyes dart over to you before meeting her gaze once more.

"You sleep with many people and flirt with even more, making it clear that there are no strings attached but," she gestures to you, "I can see the string here."

Mark gets off of the railing and shakes his head. "It's not like that. We're just—"

Addison gives him a look and Mark pauses, letting out a sigh. "I don't know what this is. It's different from what I've felt before but I don't know." He shakes his head. Even though he tries to stop himself, his eyes search for you once more and he watches you and the rest of the interns, now that Meredith has finally joined you all, make your way to the exit. He can't help the smile that shows when he sees you smiling as well.

A faint smile grows on Addison's face at the tender look on Mark's face appears once more. This is a different side to Mark, one that she never knew existed but is happy to see. "Change isn't a bad thing. You should embrace this feeling. It looks good on you."

[sanaexus]

pass pass- oh smash.

the inarazaki volleyball team was nothing short of chaos. be it the twins bickering, suna recording every fight, aran cheering them on, omimi's loud sighs of disappointment, kita's scolding and the manager's threat was something that happened on a daily basis, it was normal.

but despite all that nothing changed the fact that they were all extremely close, specially with the manager. in the past all most all the managers quit because of how patient you needed to be dealing with the havoc they created. but you were different. dealing with their bullshit every day, helping them with whatever they needed and just being a friend they really needed.

while to anyone outside it may have seemed like you have romantic feelings for one of them and that's why you chose to become the manager, so you could be closer to them. but that really wasn't the case. the last thing you'd like was one of those hooligans.

it was supposed to be a normal practice match with aoba johsai, but this was inarizaki they were talking about, of course it wasn't.

no one knew you were dating oikawa. no, everyone just automatically assumed you were with atsumu. they weren't exactly to blame, you were close to him but that's what happens when you know someone since your childhood.

to say you were tensed about the match was an understatement. not only about how this was going to end on the court but about how the teams would react if they somehow got to know you were with oikawa.

but it was as if luck decided to make a complete fool of me their entire team came barging in, the loud entrance made everyone flinch for a second as they stared at the door.

now you were panicking and omi being the actual saint he was asked you, "are you alright?"

"no, fuck shit no, do i look alright?" i was pacing back and forth trying to hide my face thinking about ways to hide myself from oikawa or at least let him no that he shouldn't approach me.

"are you alright you look like you just saw a ghost"

"that's because i saw someone worse than a ghost! oh my godd can i call in sick please?" you pleaded with him, trying to find any excuse that would get you out of here.

"no. why would you want that, what happened?"

"i'm kinda maybe sorta might be dating someone from seijoh"

"what's the problem, he's in seijoh this is volley- wait you have boyf- WHAT?"

the yelling had caught the team's attention as they look at the both of you confused.

"WE'RE FINE, NOTHING HAPPENED" as you glare at omi "shhh are you trying to get me killed here? the problem is he is the volleyball team and is kinda the captain of the team. i'm just gonna pray he isn't stupid enough to approach me here with these creatures all around me"

"praying isn't going to be enough for what the twins might do to him if they find out."

cue the bad luck as kindaichi and kunimi wave at you, surprised you're standing at the other side of the court. your hands frantically making the cross sign across your chest mouthing "stay away, you don't know me"

"oh wait how about you text him or something to like not come up to you and you'll explain later"

"ohhh my god you're a genius i love you omi"

as you whip your phone out going to text iwaizumi with your hands shaking.

-IWAIZUMI HELP

why do you look like you're about to pass out? are you fine?

-it's because i might pass out any second. my team doesn't know i'm dating oikawa

oh

-yeah tell him to not approach me please if they find out i'll be dead

i'll do it. good luck w this mess

-thank you i owe you big time

you look up from your phone to talk to omi- "i told his bestfriend to tell him to not approach me that should work right?"

"why didn't you tell him directly? what if he thinks he's just saying it so he stays focused"

"ohhh you're like SUPPER smart, i dont know what i'd do without you"

"probably have your little affair get caught"

you just mutter a little "rude" before going to text oikawa. but before you can, he comes in yelling.

"Y/NNN CHANN I MISSED YOUUU" his whiney voice can be heard to everyone as he jogs his over to you.

you sigh, knowing what's about to go down. "hi oikawa, i missed you too.." you whisper so only you can hear it. and before you can process the entire inarizaki volleyball team (and seijoh) is surrounding the two of you.

suna could careless about who you dated, if you were happy he didn't mind it. but this was something that was both surprising and funny, so of course he had to record it.

it was confusing to the team because up until now they were under the impression you were dating atsumu.

"wait wait wait what does he mean by he missed you? are you two friends?" osamu was curious, he knew you weren't dating his brother but he thought you liked him.

oikawa dramatically turned towards you "you haven't told them?"

"ladies, ladies there's enough of me to go around" which only brought you deadpan looks from both the volleyball teams "ok sorry, my bad for being funny"

"wait what does he mean you haven't told us??"

"we've been dating for a year, the last thing we could be is friends-"

"you're dating him? I thought you were with atsumu?"

"atsumu? i thought you were dating suna?"

"why me? i didn't even do anything keep me out of this?"

"NO WHY WOULD I BE DATING EITHER OF THEM?"

"what's wrong with us?" suna and atsumu asked offended.

"shut up i've seen you eating sand and you ask me what's wrong with the two of you?"

"y/n chan, what's going on?" kunimi asks curiously. the seijoh's team just stood there watching you, oikawa and the inarizaki members going back and forth.

"all of you shut up, we didn't even let y/n explain properly"

"oh my god thank you kita-"

"you don't like the twins?"

"KITA?! no oh lord i don't, i've been dating toruu for the past year, i never did and never will like any of these hooligans, no offense"

"HEY! that's rude-" before atsumu could whiney any further osamu smacked him in the back of his head, which shut him up immediately.

"what about the rumors of a girl making out with atsumu? that wasn't you?" suna finally asked, genuinely wanting to know more.

"Y/N-CHAN YOU MADE OUT WITH PISS HAIR? WHAT?"

"no oh my god toruu I didn't-"

"oh, that wasn't her that was just a junior i dated."

"yeah that wasn't me wait ew juniors? really atsumu?"

"she was cute! don't shift this on me"

"but guys seriously i never had have or will like anyone from the volleyball team. i'm sorry i hid it from you guys, but i was just scared of what you guys would think"

"are you happy? does he keep you happy?" aran asked borderline choking atsumu.

the question caught you off guard but instantly a small smile replaced the shock on your face "yes, he does, he's stupid but he really does make me happy"

"then that's all that matters"

"aww thank you-"

"nuh uh, i don't approve, what if he's a playboy?" atsumu disapprovingly shook his head praying aran's hands off him.

"oh god no one wants to hear that from you" suna shut atsumu up.

atsumu quietly huffed a "rude"

"well now that that's sorted, we should probably get back to warming up"

"yes thank you kindaichi, finally a normal person"

"y/n?" aran called out to you.

"yes?"

"just because your boyfriend's in that team doesn't mean we'll go easy on them, we'll just be rougher with them"

"if it makes you win, be my guest."

this was a bit awkward to write and I'm not proudest of this either but we'll js roll with it

@daisy-room here you go mam hope I did your idea justice

[sugdenlovesdingle]

What if everything hadn't been wrapped up in 42 minutes and the 118 did get closed down?

slightly spoiler-y for 8x04, now also on AO3

---

"They're shutting us down. They're actually shutting us down." Buck ranted as he paced up and down Tommy's livingroom. "Actually, no, they have shut us down. As of today the 118 is no more!"

"So you've said." Tommy sighed. Evan had been talking and ranting almost non stop since he'd walked through the door of his house an hour ago, and while Tommy had been happy to see him, he quickly realised his boyfriend wasn't in the mood for romance.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm a lot... but... I've never worked at a different house than the 118. Working under a different captain than Bobby is bad enough, but at least I always had the others. Now I won't even have that."

"Don't apologise. I get it, I really do." Tommy stood up and put his hands on Buck's hips. "But didn't you say Hen is working on something?"

"Yes! And she won't tell me what! And look what happened! We're all going to be moved to other houses and Bobby will still be on that tv show!"

"Hmm... but don't you think they all want the band back together as much as you do?"

"Well... yes... but I wish they'd tell me what they're doing! I could help." Buck sighed in defeat.

"I know, but I think they want to keep everything as on the down low as possible. The less people know what they're doing, the less chance there is of things not working out or someone getting in trouble."

Buck groaned and let himself slump against his boyfriend's 6'2" frame.

"I hate it when you go all reasonable on me."

Tommy chuckled and dropped a kiss in his hair.

"A few weeks at a different house might not be so bad. I mean... it did me the world of good."

"So not the same thing." Buck muttered, face still buried in Tommy's shoulder.

"When do you find out what house you'll be at?"

"Dunno." Buck mumbled. "We just came off a 48 so we're supposed to have a couple of days off... but... they just said we'd get an email telling us what house to report to and when."

"You might end up at the 122 with Sal." Tommy mused.

"Oh yeah that would be great. Working under my boyfriend's best friend." Buck said sarcastically.

"At least you know him." Tommy reminded him. "And he's a good firefighter and a good captain. If Bobby hadn't shown up, I think the 118 would now be Captain Deluca's house."

"He'd give me shit just because he could. He'd be worse than Gerrard because he's your friend and we're together."

Tommy knew he was right, but also didn't want to admit it and spend the rest of the night talking about work.

"Are you hungry? I got Chinese take out last night and there is still plenty left. I'll heat some up for you."

"In a minute." Buck said, wrapping his arms around Tommy a little tighter, keeping him exactly where he was. "Just want to stay like this for a while."

"Maybe we should sit down. We'll be more comfortable."

"Nope. I'm good." Buck told him and somehow stepped even closer until they were practically one.

"Uhm babe... I think you're buzzing."

"Baby no more bee puns please. I'm tired. It's been a hell of a day." Buck groaned. He was practically falling asleep on his feet with just Tommy's arms holding him upright.

"No, babe, you're actually buzzing. I think it's your phone?"

"What? Oh! Oh shit." Buck scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket. "Shit shit shit it's LAFD HQ." he said after glancing at the screen. "Hello? Yes this is Evan Buckley."

Tommy gave him a questioning look when almost every emotion possible moved across his boyfriend's face in a matter of seconds.

"A-are you sure about that?" Buck asked and paused to listen. "No, no, no problem. I'll uh... yes... I'll uhm... wait for the email for the details then. Yes... thank you. Bye."

"What? Don't tell me they're actually transferring you to Sal's house?"

"No... Not Sal's... I uh... have to report for duty on Friday... at the 217."

[shesoutofhere]

Meet Me in the Corner pt.2

Ignore all typos or I will cry.

Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: Peter is starting to grow on you but the Parker persona is not.

Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4

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

“So he totally blue-balled you.” your roommate says from her desk where she's painting her nails. 

“Mar that totally isn’t how you use that phrase.”

Mar has made you tell her what happened with Peter about 10 times now. Every time you re-tell it, she's come to the conclusion that Peter Parker is an asshole. 

“Okay well you get what I mean. Maybe you should request a new partner.”

Maybe not, Peter may have been an ass but you’d be lying if you said his work wasn’t good.

“Look Mar, maybe I just caught him on a bad day, I don’t know.” 

Marlene whips her head around, nail polish still in hand. “Oh don’t you start with that benefit of the doubt bullshit.”

You sigh, “Requesting a new partner is out of the question okay, I don’t want to seem like a difficult priss, especially since professor Cal already doesn’t like me.”

Mar gives you an obviously fake smile, “that is not true.” 

You give her a look and she grimaces, she’s started something.

“Professor Cal despises me and I don’t know why but  he does.” 

You feel your anger bubble up. You know you’re about to go on a rant and Mar, being a saint, listens. 

“He is constantly nitpicking everything I do and never fails to ridicule my projects in front of everyone. Nothing I do impresses him and I just-” you pause, “I think Peter might help.”

Mar shrugs her shoulders, “I’m still iffy since the blue-balling and all but whatever you think love.”

You giggle as Mar turns back towards her desk, “Hey Mar?”

“Yeah” she answers.

“Next time we're at the bookstore, remind me to buy you an urban dictionary.”

Mar just gives you a thumbs up.

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

You’re five minutes into your walk and realized a little too late that you need a scarf. You could turn back around and go get one but then you’d have to hear Mar say she told you so and that just won't do.

You decide to tough it out.

After a brisk walk, you make it to the library. Once you’re inside you decide that you’re going to treat yourself to a nice warm tea. You enter the library cafe and order your tea. Once it’s in hand you go to look for a spot to hunker down in.

You make your way through the floors and find yourself heading to the spot you found in the corner. When you turn the bookshelf you are surprised to see the spot empty. 

You immediately sit down and start taking your things out. 

You’re taking your laptop out of the case when you hear someone's shoes scuff to a quick stop. You look to see a surprised Peter Parker. Not very pleased with how he left you hanging yesterday, you just eye him up and down until your eyes reach his again. Peter is just standing there and you can’t help but ask, “ Can I help you?”

Peter walks a bit closer towards the table before he answers. “No, I was just checking to see if the spot was empty but it’s not so.” He says dragging the O.

Peter stands there expectantly, like he’s waiting for you to ask him to sit. You don’t, so he cracks first. “Do you mind if I sit with you, all the other floors are too loud and I really need some peace and quiet.” 

Surprised that  he actually asked you, in a nice manner at that, you just nod yes.

He moves to sit in the chair across from you. The tables are big enough to where both of you can spread out your work comfortably but you still can’t help but feel on edge. You didn’t come to the library expecting to see Peter, let alone have him sitting with you. 

You try your best to chill out, reminding yourself that you were here first and if anyone should feel mildly unwelcomed, it should be him. With that you decide to start typing up an article for a paper. 

You’re both quietly working when Peter speaks up. “What’cha working on?”

Trying not to lose your spot, you continue typing away and give a simple response. “An article”

“For?” 

You sigh, whatever groove you had originally found, is all gone now.

“A paper.”

“Which one?”

“An art paper.”

“Oh cool, what do you write?”

You look up from your computer to look at him. “What happened to peace and quiet?”

Peter seems a bit taken aback. You feel bad so you quickly follow up, “I write about up and coming artists. Whether that be new exhibits they have or just sit down interviews about their lives.” 

Peter stays quiet so you continue, “I also do in-depth reviews over specific expo’s and the fundraiser’s some of them work for.”

Peter crosses his arms and nods, “Cool cool.”

You give him a quiet ‘yup’ and go back to typing. You get about a sentence in before Peter interrupts you again. 

“Is that how you knew about the donors gala?”

You nod, “Sort of, but I really learned more about it through Austin.” 

“Art museum friend?”

You give him another nod, “art museum friend.” 

Peter just nods some more and leans back into his chair.

“Since we're on the topic, what exactly is the gala for anyways?”

Abandoning all hope for your article, you push your laptop away to fully engage with Peter.

“A bunch of the school's donors get together for a night and do a dinner and an auction. A lot of the art auctioned off is work that students have put together. Those students get invited and get to mingle with some pretty important people. Some even come out with internships or commissions.”

Peter can’t hide his surprise, “that's actually….really cool.”

You can’t help but agree, “yeah, even cooler that we get to go.” 

Peter sits up, “speaking of, how about we knock out that outline?”

You would be lying if you said you weren’t thrown off. Last time you saw Peter he was a bit of an asshole. Now, he’s tolerable and dare you say, easy to talk to. Whatever it is, you aren’t complaining.

“Yeah, let me pull up the sheet.”

You and Peter brainstorm for a while. Deciding on different angles and how to approach the assignment. After a while you guys decide on a solid plan and you begin to type it up on the outline. 

“So, you’re pretty lucky to have Cal as a professor, considering you write articles and all.”

You wince but continue to type, Peter notices. “What’s the face for?”

You let out a puff of air “I have this running theory that Cal is not very fond of me.” 

Peter looks intrigued. “Whaaat, Cal doesn’t like you? That can’t be true. What makes you say that?”

You shrug your shoulders, “he’s pretty, um, critical of my work. He also loves to pick on me and my ideas.” you double down, “like I said, theory.” 

Peter gives you a smile. “Uh oh, should I be worried about our project?” you know he’s joking, or you hope he’s joking, but you can’t help but genuinely worry.

Before you can really get into your head, Peter taps the table to get your attention. “Hey, I'm sure it’s gonna be fine. Plus I'm on the team now and I don’t mean to brag but my work is brilliant.”

Successfully making you feel better, you roll your eyes jokingly. “Yeah yeah I get it, Peter the almighty photographer.” 

Peter smirks, “so you’ve heard of my work?” 

You scoff, “oh come off it Peter.” 

All he does is laugh and starts to gather his things.

You can’t help but feel a bit sad?

“Well I’ve got to head out but let me know if you need any help on the outline.”

You nod, “Yeah, I think I should be good. I’ll finish it up and send it to you to look over.” 

Peter stands up and swings his bag over his shoulder, “if you want to, but I have full faith in you. You’re the writer after all.” 

You can’t help but smile at the compliment. “Look at us, the dream team.” 

Peter laughs and starts to walk away. “Oh yeah, Cal’s got nothing on us.” 

You let out a laugh at his comment. Peter turns to give a wave goodbye and turns the corner out of your eyesight. 

After a bit, you finish the outline, look it over a couple of times and once you’ve decided it’s perfect, you go ahead and submit it.

You send the file to Peter so he can go ahead and submit it for his class. Feeling pleased with the work you’ve done today, you decide to head out.

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

It’s Wednesday and you’ve just finished up with Cal’s class. You linger a little bit behind, finishing up the notes left on the board. Once you are done you begin to gather up your things and head for the door. Before you can make it out Cal calls out your name to stay behind for a sec. 

You halt in your steps and turn around to walk back to his podium. A fellow classmate gives you a sympathetic smile as she walks by you. You can’t help but dread what's to come.

Call talks to every other student before he gets to you. You can’t help but feel like he’s left you for last on purpose. You get up to his podium. He’s flipping through his stack of papers, when he pulls out a sheet of paper. You read the top and see that it’s your outline paper. 

Cal speaks first. “So, you and mister Parker are doing the donors gala?”

You nod, “yes sir.”

He just hums and looks down at the outline. He rubs his chin while he reads over the paper. 

“How will that work out?”

Here he goes. “Well Peter will take photos and I’ll write up the article.” 

Cal sighs, “yes I understand that but how are you guys attending? Will you be a guest? Workers? Volunteers?”

You pull your hands behind your back and try your best not to seem nervous. “We’ll be guests, sir. I know someone working the event and-” 

 Cal cuts you off, “So you’ll be loitering?” 

You dig your nails into your palms, trying to remain calm. “No sir, I know someone working who has offered guest passes and I’ve received invitations from an exhibit I write for.” 

“Ah” is all Cal says.

There's a bit of silence when Cal finally looks up from your paper. “ This is a very important event for the school and students involved.” Cal pauses, “you understand that you’ll be mingling with very important people?”

You nod, “of course professor.”

Cal grabs the paper and goes to hand it to you. Before you can grab it he pulls it back. “It’s an honor to be able to attend this gala. You will represent not only me but our school as well. I believe you’re one of the only students to have offered this idea up for the project. I’ll approve it but please note that I am expecting a lot considering how important of an event this is.”

You give another nod, beyond ready for this to be over. “Of course.”

Cal gives a curt nod, “very well then.” he hands over your paper, “I'm looking forwards to seeing you both there.”

You say goodbye and head out the door, paper gripped in your hand. 

When you make it far enough you look down at your outline. You sigh as you see all the markings on it. There's minimal notes on Peter’s ideas for the photos but your angle portions are all scribbled on. 

At the very top it reads ‘revise and turn in again by Friday.’

You think if you look at paper any longer you’ll cry. You shove it in your backpack and begin your walk to your next class. 

With your morning ruined, you can only hope that the rest of the day will be better.

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

Evil Cal has placed a curse on your day. You should’ve known his class would be an indication for how the rest of your day would go. 

You’d completely forgotten to finish your pre-lab for your lab, which led you to have to stay behind an extra thirty minutes to finish it. Those extra thirty minutes made you extremely late for your next class. You had run across campus in hopes of catching some part of the lesson. When you finally make it, dripping in sweat and out of breath, you walk up to the door and read the sign that your class has been canceled for the day. Just to top it all off, it started raining and you’ve got no umbrella with you so you had to go to the student store and spend an absurd amount of money on the smallest umbrella you’ve ever seen. 

You’re now walking towards your dorm, in no real rush. You’ve accepted that you’re going to be soaked by the rain, thanks to your ridiculously small umbrella. Your shoes make a squish sound with every step you take and you’ve got your backpack on your front side, hoping to protect what's inside. 

All is well until a gust of wind has the umbrella flying out of hand, poking you in the head on the way out. Your eyes drift to where it landed. You are extremely surprised when you catch sight of Peter holding the umbrella. You wave at him and get a small smile back. You think nothing of it as you walk over to him. When you get close you realize that he isn’t alone.

Peter is standing with a group of people under an awning of one of the classroom buildings. One guy looks familiar and you realize it’s the guy that interrupted you and Peter the first day you guys met. 

He gives you a wave and hello.

“Hey, we met the other day right?” 

You nod, “yeah” 

He extends his hand, “I didn’t properly introduce myself, I’m Nolan.”

You shake his hand and introduce yourself as well.

Peter is still holding your umbrella but hasn’t said a word to you yet.

You’re about to ask Peter for your umbrella when one of the girls from the group speak’s up. 

“How do we know you exactly?”  Okay wow, she’s a bit blunt. 

Nolan replies for you, “this is Parker's partner for that class he was talking about.”

She nods “Oh yeahh,  I remember. The project he’s worried about.”

Peter gives her a look and cuts in, “Charlotte.”  She just shrugs her shoulders. “What, were you not saying that you were worried.” 

Everyone but Nolan and Peter snicker. It’s like they know something that you don’t and you feel a pit form in your stomach. 

You can’t hold your tongue and look Peter right in the eyes. “What are you so worried about Peter?” 

He stutters, “well after what you told me I-” Charlotte clearly is having too much fun and decides to answer for him. “Parker here is worried about you guys failing the project, considering your track record and all.” 

Your stunned silent. You can’t remember the last time someone has been so blatantly rude to you. It reminds you too much of highschool and it’s upsetting you. What upsets you the most is the lack of Peters defense.

Your new found friend Nolan even says something, “Oh Charlotte don’t be like that.”

Charlotte just can’t seem to let it go, “I'm sorry, did he not say she hasn’t been able to ace a project.”  she looks at you with mock sympathy. “Don’t worry, I’m sure this project will exceed expectations.”

You feel your eyes begin to sting. You berate yourself in your head for tearing up. You blame the draining day you’ve had for the lack of self restraint.

You clear your throat. “Well Charlotte.” you turn to Peter who’s still not said a word. “Thanks for enlightening me on Parker's worries.” you snatch your umbrella out of his hand and walk away, offering no goodbyes. You faintly hear Nolan scold Charlotte but the giggle that follows tells that she doesn’t take it seriously. 

You speed walk as fast as you can, when you hear Peter call out your name. You don’t stop. You walk faster hoping that he’ll get the memo. You halt to stop when Peter steps in front of you. 

“Hey don’t listen to Charlotte. She’s kind of a-” you cut him off, “a bitch?” 

Peter winces, “I mean for lack of better words, yeah.”

Peter can tell you’re still upset and tries to lighten the mood. “Hey so I got this lens for the assignment, it's supposed to be really nice for night shots.” 

You are in awe. Is he really trying to completely disregard what just happened?

You deadpan, “real neat Parker, I gotta go.” you try to walk past him, but he manages to step right in the direction you're heading. “Hey, look, I’m really sorry but-”

You scoff, “but what?” you’re pissed off now. “I tell you something in confidence and you go and blab about it to all your friends.” you’re not done yet. “Speaking of your friends, that Charlotte one has a real shit-attitude. I am no one to judge who you can be friends with, especially since we aren't.” Peter frowns at that. “But it’s really telling about your character if that’s who you choose to hang with.” 

The rain begins to pick up again and you grip your umbrella harder, Peter still stands in front of you, now getting rained on. You believe you’ve had enough and step aside to go around Peter. Somehow he’s managed to line himself in front of you once again.

“Hey come on, it doesn’t have to be like that.” your eyes widen, genuinely shocked by his audacity. “You’ve got to be joking right? Peter you just let Regina George 2.0 make fun of me based off of whatever information you blabbed about.” 

Peter opens and closes his mouth, like he’s at a loss of what to say. You shake your head. “Whatever, you don’t owe me anything.” This time you’re set on getting away. Peter sticks his hand out. “Wait can I just-” you put your hand on his shoulder and shove him to the side. Peter is thrown off by this and it gives you a chance to get ahead of him. You think he’s gotten the message because he doesn’t call after you again. 

You make it to the crosswalk and wait for the light. You can’t help but look back at the group. Peters made it back and is laughing away with the rest of them. You can only assume he’s blowing off what just happened. 

You pull out your phone and immediately text Mar.

Peter Parker IS an asshole.

 Cal can kiss my ass.

ALSO, we need a bigger a umbrella. 

You see the dots and receive her response.

Oh honey, I'm ready and waiting. 

Doors unlocked 

Xoxo

You see the light turn green and give one final once over at the group. Seeing the group reignites your anger and you stomp your way across the street. 

Mar is about to have the biggest I told you so moment ever.

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

Peter is so #fake and i kinda love it.

Also, sorry to all the Charlottes out there, you're my villain of choice :)

[yan-lorkai]

"Hello Lorkai! I've got an idea for a headcanon and would like to request it!

Yan!Idia (maybe with platonic Yan!Ortho too if you like) with an extroverted male reader who somehow gets placed in Ignihyde Dorm by the dark mirror (students from other dorms like to joking about the dark mirror putting him in the wrong dorm or something). The reader kinda becomes the mom friend of the dorm, always helping and taking care of everyone, assisting Idia with his Housewarden's work, you know, like the friend who orders food for their shy friends. Thank you very much <3

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ A/N: Uh... I've might misread the fact that you wanted headcanons. And so I did hcs and a few little drabble 🥺.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ You are Ignyhide's mom figure, fixing everyone's hair and shirt. Everyone know that whoever is sorted into this dorm is somewhat of an introvert or ambivert. You, though, is an extrovert. You can talk freely, you know how to make friends and enjoy helping others around the campus. Yet, the others don't have this same capacity. And they need someone to take care of them, whence the title of mom, which was just a joke but slowly spread thought Ignyhide completely.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Idia was the most difficult person for you to get closer. He just seems to push away anyone that tried without even realizing but you persisted till you make friends with his brother and him. Taking care of Idia though... Sure, it's difficult sometimes.

"Let's go, Idiiiiiiia!” You tried to pull the antisocial Ignyhide dorm leader out of his bed, wanting to take him outside to sunbathe and eat in the canteen. You've been trying for a while now. Sometimes Idia was a lot like a younger brother to you. Stubborn, obstinate. His hair burning bright in a frightful color as you pulled him and he pushed you.

"Do you hate me, Yuu-shi? I didn't do anything wrong." Idia threw himself to the ground, a scream of pure terror escaping his throat as he struggled against you.

"Listen, either you walk out that door of your own free will or I'm going to throw you over my shoulders and we're going to leave the same way." You threatened him. You had tried every tactic you had on your sleeve today and still none of them were working. Regardless, he felt light enough for you to carry around.

"Yuu-shi wouldn't dare." Idia murmured back, he tried to sound confident and sure of what he is saying.

Yet he didn't stop you from pulling him to his feet this time, even though his legs were visibly tense and he had an annoying expression on his face. Idia knew that you meant what you said. And he wouldn't survive a day if someone saw you carrying him around. His shame would be too big to bear. He would be dead by the end of the night if that was to happen.

He gave you the best puppy dog eyes he could muster, but it was of little use. You opened the door for him and offered him a soft smile, trying to ease all the fear and anxiety he felt. Still, you had good intentions when trying to bring him out of his shell. There was tons of people you want him to meet, tons of things you wanted to do with him, outside from his room where you usually spent your free time. Without talking with him through a floating tablet.

You were working to make him realize that it was not healthy to stay cupped inside of his room all day. It was a slow process but in a few months, you know he'll be fine making phone calls and sending emails.

"C'mon, dude. We don't have all day." You teased him a little, watching him fumbling. He squeaked, hands founding yours to hold, to ground him, cold finger lacing with yours.

Idia didn't like this idea at all. There was so much that he could do at his room. Gaming, bing watching something, reading, studying. So why he have to abandon the comfort of his room?

He wanted to ask your intentions. But you are a mischievous guy, always so secretive, only the sevens may know what passed through your mind this week. Either way, Idia doubt that you would tell him where you're going or why. Sighed, he followed you outside.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ No matter how difficult he was, Idia was still your best friend. Your brother, if you will. Nobody could see one without the other nearby, even if most of the time it was just you and his floating tablet. It was a sweet friendship, most thought. And Idia deserved it. As did Ortho, the young robot was so funny to have around and he was as curious as a child, always asking you questions, even if he could have his answers with a snap of his fingers.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ While you make friends with Idia because you noticed how lonely he was, Ortho just latched onto you when he realized what you were trying to do, helping you in your mission to be Idia's friend. He was like a younger sibling, following you around, sometimes messing with your homework or phone for fun. He was mischievous. And you could never get angry at him because of his very cute puppy eyes. Often times, though, he includes you on his pranks.

"How things going, Yuu-shi?" Idia asked, voice tired and dark circles under his eyes as he stared at his computer. He knew it was you just by the sounds of your footsteps on the carpet.

Ortho programs are special, designed by Idia himself. They are not supposed to malfunction but sometimes errors happen and this is one of those times. Idia told you he would pull an all nighter so he could fix his brother and you, like the good friend you are, scold him for losing sleep. Yet, you brought with you some snacks and soft drinks, and you got to work with him.

The panel located on Ortho's chest glowed red, emitting a high-pitched sound that broke any and all silence that might exist, in addition to Idia's heavy breathing. You knew how to fix Ortho, you'd seen him do it a thousand times.

"I don't think that it's a systemic error, pass me the screwdriver so I can see something, Idia." Idia mumbled something, drinking one of your drinks as he lent you a screwdriver so you could taste your theory before turning back to his computer and start typing something again, running another bunch of tests.

"Be careful!" He advised. You huffed, of course, you were going to be careful.

You slowly began to unscrew the nails holding the panel in place, carefully placing it on the bed next to you. You observed all those wires and pieces, the fire on his chest burning even brighter now, you tried to remember for what which wire was for. Ignyhide was after all known to raise students to be the best in mechanics.

"Actually everything's normal," You murmured to Idia, there was nothing wrong with Ortho that you could see. Red light still emanating from somewhere below his artificial heart. "C'mere and help me, Idiaaa."

The older Shroud laughed at your tone but he complied, crouching down by your side. "Let's see..." Just as Idia reached out to inspect Ortho’s chest panel, the younger Shroud's eyes suddenly lit up, glowing a vivid yellow.

His previously limp body jerked upright and his voice, eerily robotic, boomed through the room: "Error 375, host unable to respond, initiating reboot sequence."

Idia yelped and practically jumped out of his skin, scrambling backward in a flurry of blue flames, his ears hurting from loud Ortho's announcement was. "W-what, error 375, what even is that? Ortho? What did you do?" He stammered, looking between you and Ortho in sheer disbelief, lost.

Then, just as suddenly, Ortho broke into his usual chipper grin. "Just kidding, Nii-san!" The younger Shroud chirped, a playful glint in his eyes. "Got you!"

Idia’s expression was a mix of shock and exasperation, his face and hair bright red from embarrassment. "You little—!"

Ortho giggled innocently, while you couldn’t help but burst into laughter. The prank had been a success.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Aside from moments like that, you also help them with simple things, helping Idia with his dorm leader's duties in general, and playing with Ortho, helping them with laundry and making breakfast. And when you three go out to buy things or something, you always team up with Ortho to tease Idia. It's funny.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ You and Ortho incentives Idia to be more sociable, though that's still not possible so often you three just spend time on the gardens or somewhere more secluded. At least, Idia can leave his room if you and his brother are by his side the entire time. He still have a long way to go to overcome his shyness but you're proud of him and you let him know at every opportunity.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ It's common for you for you to order for you and Idia but if you're tired or unwell, Idia will crawl from his shell and stutter out your favorite order. It's the only time he'll try for real to overcome his fear of talking to other people.

[estellan0vella]

Clingy Older Brother Sukuna AU HFBU

The evening sky is painted with hues of twilight as you and Sukuna sit on the couch, browsing through articles on your tablet. Yuji is already asleep, tucked in snugly after a day full of adventures. You come across an article titled "Understanding SUDEP: Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy." Your heart skips a beat, and you feel a cold shiver run down your spine.

"Kuna, look at this," you say, your voice tinged with worry.

Sukuna leans in, his eyes scanning the article quickly. "SUDEP," he reads aloud, frowning. "Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. Damn, babe, that sounds serious."

You nod, feeling a lump in your throat. "I've read about it before, but it still scares me."

Sukuna wraps an arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer. "Hey, don't think like that. We're managing your epilepsy well. You've got your medication, and we're always careful."

"I know," you whisper, your voice trembling. "But what if—"

"Stop," Sukuna interrupts gently but firmly. "We can't live our lives in fear of what might happen. We'll deal with whatever comes our way, together."

You nod, taking a deep breath. "You're right. I just... it's hard not to worry sometimes."

"I get it, babe. But you've got me and Yuji. We're not going anywhere," he reassures you, kissing the top of your head.

Little do either of you know, a small figure stands quietly in the hallway, having overheard your conversation. Yuji, his eyes wide and filled with worry, silently creeps back to his room, clutching his teddy bear tightly.

Over the next few days, you notice a change in Yuji. He's unusually clingy, sticking to your side like glue. At first, you think it's just a phase, but as the days turn into weeks, his behaviour becomes more pronounced. He insists on sleeping in the bed with you and Sukuna every night, and he won't let you go anywhere alone, not even to the bathroom.

"Yuji, sweetie, why don't you want to sleep in your own bed?" you ask gently one night as you tuck him in beside you.

He shrugs, his little face set in a stubborn expression. "I just want to stay with you, Y/N/N."

Sukuna, lying on your other side, shares a concerned look with you. "Yuji, you know you can tell us anything, right?"

Yuji nods but doesn't say anything more. He curls up close to you, his small body pressed against yours, and soon falls asleep.

Sukuna sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I don't get it. He won't tell us what's wrong."

"We'll figure it out," you say softly, stroking Yuji's hair. "We just need to be patient."

A few days later, you decide to take Yuji to the tattoo parlour where Sukuna works. Maybe being around familiar faces will help him open up. As you walk in, the smell of ink and antiseptic fills the air, and the buzzing of tattoo machines creates a steady hum.

Toji and Geto look up from their stations, grinning when they see you. "Hey there," Toji calls out. "What brings you guys here? You rarely ever show up on your day off Sukuna"

"Just wanted to get out of the house," Sukuna replies, leading you and Yuji inside. "And maybe you two can help us with something."

Yuji stays close to you, holding your hand tightly as Sukuna talks to Toji quietly, the man nodding. Geto kneels down to Yuji's level, his eyes kind. "Hey, little man. Want to help me clean some tools?"

Yuji nods eagerly, and Geto takes him to the back room. You watch them go, hoping this might be the moment Yuji finally opens up.

In the back room, Geto and Toji exchange a knowing glance. "Alright, kiddo," Toji says, sitting on a stool. "What's been bothering you?"

Yuji fidgets, looking down at his shoes. "I don't want Y/N/N to die," he mumbles.

Geto's eyes soften. "Why would you think that, Yuji?"

"I heard Suku and Y/N/N talking about something called... SUDEP," he says, struggling with the unfamiliar word. "They said it's when people with epilepsy die suddenly."

Toji sighs, glancing at Geto. "Damn. That's heavy for a kid."

Geto nods, patting Yuji's shoulder. "Hey, Yuji, listen to me. Y/N/N is strong, and she's taking good care of herself. Sukuna and everyone around her are making sure she's safe. You don't have to worry about that."

"But what if it happens anyway?" Yuji's voice is small, scared.

Toji crouches down, looking Yuji in the eyes. "Then we'll deal with it, just like we deal with everything else. But right now, Y/N/N is fine, and she needs you to be strong for her."

Yuji nods slowly, the fear in his eyes slowly being replaced by a hint of understanding.

That night, back at home, you and Sukuna sit down with Yuji in the living room. Sukuna had talked to Toji and Geto, and now you know what's been troubling Yuji.

"Yuji," you begin softly, taking his hands in yours. "Toji and Geto told us what you talked about."

Yuji looks up at you, his eyes wide. "They did?"

"Yes," Sukuna says, his voice gentle. "And we want to talk to you about it."

You take a deep breath, trying to keep your voice steady. "Yuji, I know the idea of SUDEP is really scary. It scares me too. But I'm doing everything I can to stay healthy and safe."

Yuji's eyes fill with tears. "But what if you..."

Sukuna pulls Yuji into his lap, hugging him tightly. "Yuji, I promise you, we're taking good care of Y/N/N. She takes her medicine, she sees her doctor regularly, and we're always watching out for her."

Yuji sniffs, wiping his eyes. "I don't want to lose her."

"You won't, sweetheart," you say, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "I'm not going anywhere. And even if something did happen, you've got Suku and so many people who love you and will take care of you."

Sukuna nods, his expression serious. "We're a team, remember? We face everything together. You, me, and Y/N/N."

Yuji takes a deep breath, nodding slowly. "Okay. I just... I got really scared."

"It's okay to be scared," you assure him. "But talking about it helps. You can always come to us with anything, no matter how scared you are."

Yuji hugs you tightly, his little arms wrapped around your neck. "I love you, Y/N/N."

"I love you too, Yuji," you whisper, feeling the weight of his fear and the relief that follows.

Sukuna smiles, ruffling Yuji's hair. "Alright, kiddo. How about we all get some sleep? And this time, you can sleep in your own bed, knowing we're right here if you need us."

Yuji nods, a small smile finally appearing on his face. "Okay, Suku."

That night, after tucking Yuji into his own bed and making sure he feels safe and loved, you and Sukuna lie together in your room. You curl up against him, feeling a sense of peace.

[pepsiboyy]

Could you do one where the boys are on a tour (in Australia maybe😏) and the reader gets like a backstage pass for her and he bff and reader is talking to Chris in the meet greet(earlier cause of the pass) and Chris seems to take interest in her so he slips his number in her pocket and she eventually finds and called the number confused and he picks it up and then after awhile of them talking back and forth Chris asks her out and they start dating blah blah blah (sorry for the in Australia maybe lol I just want them to do a tour here so I can meet em)

SAVE MY NUMBER.

pairing: chris sturniolo x fem!reader summary: the triplets are finally having an abroad tour and the reader purchased vip tickets with their best friend to meet them. what happens when she finds a stray set of numbers on her postcard when she gets back to the hotel? warnings: cursing, use of y/n!! a/n: thank u for the request love <3 i hope this is awesome sauce !! i tried so hard to make this enjoyable LOLL but i think it may have come out ok!! <3 lowercase intentional !!

my fingers anxiously picked at my shoes with one hand as my other hand scrolled through instagram.

"come on, y/n, aren't you excited!?" my best friend, harper, exclaimed as she gripped my shoulder and shook me rapidly.

with a soft nod and a small chuckle, i nodded as i locked my phone and let it fall into my lap. "of course i am. i'm just tired of sitting here."

we had been sitting in the sun on the side of the venue in line for the last hour and a half. it was that point in the day where the sun was beating directly onto us.

i had managed to get my best friend and i some tickets to the triplets' tour with the meet and greet pass. counting down the days was grueling, but we finally made it and the hardest part was now. waiting outside to be let into the building.

"it'll be worth it. who even cares?"

i nodded softly as i looked her up and down. she was decked out in purple, some purple stars drawn on her cheeks under her eyes and some purple cargo pants with a let's trip tee and some white air forces.

i, personally, was drowning in orange. with an orange crop top and deep gray ripped jeans, my outfit was topped off with orange nike high top dunks and an orange belt. my friend had helped me out with the orange stars, mine on the opposite side from harper's.

"y/n, the line is moving!"

i turned my head to harper, being ripped from my thoughts before quickly standing to my feet and moving up in line.

the line moved slow, but it was something.

we still had a long way to go.

-

the line for the meet and greet felt like it was forever, but as we got closer, i felt like no time had passed at all. i could see them every once in a while through the lit cloth between the line and the boys, and my eyes shifted to harper. "dude, we're almost there." i chuckled, trying to keep myself as calm as possible as harper made noises i didn't even know were humanly possible.

"y/n, i don't know what to do or say, i think i might shit myself."

i slammed a hand over harper's mouth and let out a cackle, shaking my head. "shh, say that less loud." i scoffed and before i knew it, harper was next in line.

my hands toyed with the orange belt that helped my jeans hug my hips, my eyes glued in front of me as i watched the three boys.

the three boys i watched at first every once in a while when they appeared on my for you page, but i quickly became a huge supporter of the triplets, and they were somewhat a coping mechanism for me when things were hard.

and now i'm meeting them.

"next!"

i shot harper a smile and tapped her shoulder. "you got it!" i smiled brightly and waved as she approached matt.

i felt a lump develop in my throat. this was bad.

it wasn't a crying lump, but an anxious lump. unfortunately, when i get nervous, i can't help but ramble and yap.

"next!"

no way time flew by that fast. as i approached matt, i swallowed and smiled brightly as i felt like each step that i took was in slow motion.

matt's arms opened and i quickly stepped towards him and hugged him tightly. "hi, matt," i breathed, taking a deep breath as the reality of the situation began to settle.

"what's your name?" he asked softly, picking up his photo and signing it quickly.

"oh, it's y/n," i breathed, the smile on my face so wild you could have probably found me in a horror movie.

"nice to meet you, y/n. i hope we haven't kept you waiting too long?" he questioned, and i quickly shook my head.

"i'm just happy you guys are here," i breathed and smiled brightly at him before my expression fell. "oh my god a picture-" i scrambled to reach and get my phone from my back pocket, opening my camera and lifting it up.

two bright smiles later, matt pulled me into one more hug and smiled brightly, while i wished him luck on the rest of the tour.

i turned to see nick and smiled brightly, pulling him into a deep hug. i always had a theory that nick gave the best hugs of the three. so far, my theory was correct.

"hi, friend!" nick cheered, signing his card and smiling at me. "your star makeup is so cute, your friend had the same thing, no?"

i smiled brightly and nodded, biting my lip. "yeah, she did them for me actually! she's the best." i smiled and pulled out my phone.

"i'm so glad you guys could come." he stated as he wrapped an arm around me and held up a thumbs up in the camera.

i smiled brightly as i pulled away and gave him one last hug. "you guys are amazing. i just thought you should know, i'm proud of you guys. good luck tonight!" i told nick as i pulled from the hug. nick shot me a soft and quick thank you as i was rushed off to the final triplet.

christopher sturniolo.

i felt my entire being crumble the moment i took a few steps forward.

of course, i loved all three of the triplets with everything i had.

but chris.. i related to him in many ways and always found my eyes gravitating to him while watching their videos. he's a silly guy, and it doesn't help that i find him insanely attractive between the three.

"you in there?"

my eyes shot to chris as i let out a breath i didn't know i was holding.

i literally just spaced out in front of chris, who waved his hand in front of me to snap me out of my trance.

not to mention i'm decked out in his color.

"hi!" i squeaked, and he pulled me into a hug.

i bit my lip as i hugged him tightly, taking a deep breath.

the hug lasted for a little longer than needed, but i wasn't complaining.

not sure if it's because it's chris or not, but i think nick has some competition for best hug.

"i like your outfit," chris stated softly as he pulled away from the hug. i smiled brightly at him, and i couldn't tell if i was gaslighting myself or if he licked his lips while looking at my orange self.

"thanks, i don't really wear much orange," i stated and i felt my face heat up.

"it's definitely your color more than it is mine. consider wearing it more often?" he asked, writing on the card and pausing before deciding to hand it to me. "wanna take a selfie?"

i nodded quickly and shakily took out my phone and began to raise it, but chris carefully took it from my hands and raised it himself, wrapping his other arm around my shoulders softly.

he took about four photos and handed me the phone back.

after signing the card, taking a little longer than usual, he looked me up and down one more time.

we stood there for a few moments, simply looking at each other and i noticed my friend waving at me from behind chris, about ten feet away.

"you're gonna do great tonight," i quickly said to him, and he simply smiled at me and nodded, running his fingers through his hair to adjust his bangs.

holy fuck, this guy isn't real.

"i'll do great because you came. thanks for coming." he stated softly, and brought me into a tight hug.

i bit my lip hard as i hugged him back, taking in a deep breath.

-

the night went incredibly well. the show was enjoyable with the games they all played, and i told harper about the interaction i had with chris.

harper was in the shower. i had just gotten out, my pajama pants and small black tshirt hugging my body perfectly as i laid against my bed in the hotel.

i turned to the postcards, smiling brightly as i took them into my hands and admired them. i turned them in the light to look at the layered marker, holding them towards the lamp. as i got to chris's, i noticed some writing on the back through the light and my heart jumped out of my chest.

i threw myself up off the mattress and flipped the postcard over, feeling my heartrate pick up at the phone number written against the back.

"dude, the shampoo in there is awesome. you weren't kidding." harper stated as she dried her hair in a towel as she sat in front of me, also in her pajamas. "you okay?"

i looked at her and slowly held up the card, pointing at the number.

"holy fuck, is that..?" harper trailed off, and i bit my lip.

"oh my god, i need to call it." i stated as i searched for my phone under the comforter, quickly retrieving it and dialing the number.

i put my phone on speaker as i looked at harper, my leg bouncing anxiously.

"hello?"

my heart sank.

"h- hello?"

i mentally cursed at myself for stuttering.

"who is this?"

"uhh, it's y/n, i found this number on the back of my postcard-" i was quickly cut off.

"y/n!" he cheered. "it's chris."

"are you fucking for real?" i whispered, biting my lip.

"yes ma'am." he chuckled, and i shook my head. there's no way this is fucking happening right now.

"i know it's late and you guys probably have jet lag, so i'm sorry, but i just found it-"

"it's fine, really, i was running fortnite with matt." he stated quickly, cutting me off.

i snorted. it made sense.

"well, get a victory royale ok?"

"for you, i will. save my number, i'll text you." chris stated, and i looked at harper who was in utter shock.

"right, yeah i will." i stated quickly, and hung up afterwards.

silence overcame harper and i before i bit my lip and we both screamed at the top of our lungs at the same time.

there was no way this was real.

-

my eyes were beginning to shut as the video of the triplets from a few weeks ago seemed to be watching me.

i turned to harper, who had fallen asleep a little while ago and blinked a few times when my phone vibrated and chris's name appeared on my screen.

a bright smile took over my face as i began texting him, and my night was made even more. somehow.

[byechristopher]

⠀

I hate you, too [pt.2].

– CHRIS STURNIOLO SMUT & ANGST.

PART ONE.

Author's note: HI, I finally wrote it. I originally made a poll but, the answer was pretty clear so, here it is. It was requested, by the way! I'll reply to the message because I forgot to put it here, thanks for the request, dear. Side note, I was listening to Never Lose Me – Flo Mili (during the smut part, obvi). Do not copy/steal my work. :)

Warnings: filthy smut, super super long, didn't proofread, rough smut, car sex, angst. That's pretty much it. Minors dni. Thank you.

It's been a week since the party I attended, the one where I encountered him.

My mind has been consumed by reflections on that night, so much that I haven't been able to do anything else other than that, except for work. While I assume he might not have dwelled on it, I can't help but wonder if he thinks about me – about the way we touched, the way I looked at him when he prepared to leave. When I didn't want him to leave.

I shake my head, realizing I can't continue this self-inflicted struggle. Accepting the ongoing intimacy with my ex was challenging enough, let alone having feelings that linger inside me, still to this day. I almost gave in that day, when I saw something in his eyes, something that said he still cared about me – mending my dress, that sweet kiss, his declaration of hatred, a reminder of our past. That we once hated each other and that's why we weren't together anymore. Or so we thought.

Deciding that just sitting here, mopping around and feeling sorry for myself isn't going to help at all, I get up determined to go outside and have some fun. No house parties, no hosts, no Chris, no nothing.

My friends are already up for it (and I love them for it), because it only takes ten minutes for them to come over so we can get all dolled up together. It's a few minutes past midnight and we're finally ready (okay, we did have a few pre-drinks then and there), so we immediately call a cab. We reach our destination just a few minutes later and after greeting the girl that was at the entrance of the club, she lets us in and we get lost in the crowd.

You know how it goes; flashing lights everywhere, people kissing and drinking, almost pitch black all around. Looks like clubs aren't that different from house parties after all. A group of friends offers to buy us drinks, and who are we to say no (there's no way we're dancing with any of them, but it's fine) – we're already having the time of our lives, we're drinking, we look amazing, everything seems possible.

Except for the impossible.

Because there's no fucking way Chris happens to be in this same club; I completely lose the ground beneath my feet. I want to turn my back to him, I really do. But at the same time I want him to see me again. I want to see him again.

My friends notice where I'm looking and they know better than to say anything – so they just leave me be. Chris notices me as well and everything stops. Not again. I hope he doesn't come here but deep down I'm praying he does.

"Never had a bitch like me in your life.."

What is it with me, Chris and songs that we both used to like (and have sex while listening to them)? He's looking at me, and I can feel his intense gaze once again. As he drinks something, for a moment, I wish I could see this sight up close, look how his tongue touches the glass. Fucking hell.

Me and my girlfriends sway to the music, letting every beat ignite a playful dance between us. As we keep each other close, the music wraps around us, and for a moment I forget about him. Lost in the rhythm, we surrender to the dance, singing along.

He's here. Well fuck.

He grabs me by the waist and pulls me closer to him – I can't help but roll my eyes, turning around to look into his blue ones, holding my own drink close to me.

"How dare you interrupt my dance?" I yell in his ear so he can hear and he smiles.

"I stayed to watch you for a bit before I approached and interrupted your dance. You were just too irresistible, damn." as usual, he has a big smirk on his face and I just want to slap it off his face.

His arm stays on my waist and I can't find the strength to push it away – his hand roams around my naked back thanks to my dress, not that I'm complaining. He leans in to wrap his lips around my straw, tasting my drink while looking at me.

"Tastes much better with that lipstick you're wearing.." he teases and licks his lips, "..bet you love it even more when it's around my dick." his gaze darkens and my legs shake a little.

"What a shame you'll never see it on you ever again." I give him a sarcastic smile and push him gently with one hand.

"You sure about that?" his lips are touching my ear and again, I hate myself for letting him have such an effect on me.

"Yes. I don't like sharing my lipsticks." I raise a challenging eyebrow, indirectly asking him if he's been fucking anyone else besides me – because if that's the case, I feel like I will completely lose myself.

"Mhmm.. you're already thinking about other girls sucking my dick?" he tilts his head with an innocent-like look on his face, "..jealous about it?" his thumb rubs my bottom lip and his smile returns.

My blood is boiling to say the least, but I know him way better than to show that. So instead, I smile, "I don't have time to think about your dick, baby. Someone else makes sure I don't." take that.

No one. Absolutely no one can make me stop thinking about him in general but I had to say something. Otherwise I might just start crying.

Something shifts in his eyes and I internally high-five myself for achieving to make him jealous once again. He leaves. What? He literally just lets me go and goes back to where his friend group is, turns his back on me and everything. Well, shit.

I'm more than jealous but I want him way more than our egoistic bullshit; I'm shameless, I want him.

I move swiftly through the crowd, desperately trying to find him before i change my mind – and I do find him. He doesn't really expect to see me there but he does and he smiles. I quickly wrap my fingers around his wrist this time, dragging him with me like he did in that house party the previous week. Safely, I lead us out of the club, making sure to not answer any of his questions.

Once he realises that I'm not speaking to him until we reach the car, he stops talking and simply follows me. We finally get into the car and I start the engine.

"Do you realise how crazy that was?" he finally says, he really didn't expect me to just do that.

"I thought you liked crazy." I smirk this time and he huffs, licking his lips and leaning back against the passenger seat, making himself comfortable.

Once I make sure we're somewhere where no one will be able to see us, I immediately stop the car, lock it and I practically jump on him, straddling his thighs. His hands immediately grab my hips, his mouth hungry, searching for my lips and his eyes even hungrier.

"You drive me fucking crazy." he almost growls as he quickly rides up my dress, exposing the rest of my thighs and panties.

I undo his shirt with shaky fingers, leaving it on but making sure I have access to his naked body. I almost attack his skin with hungry kisses and love bites as he keeps himself occupied with my butt, kneading and smacking the skin every now and then.

I wrap my lips around his nipple and now my lipstick is long gone – his moans fill the car, fogging up the windows as I continue sucking on his sensitive nipple. He pushes my panties to the side from behind, his finger traveling from my ass to my pussy, rubbing the entrance and collecting all of the juices. I can't help but moan against his skin. With his free hand, he grabs a fistful of my hair, tugging at it to make my head fall back – with my neck now exposed, he finds the opportunity to attack it with his kisses and bites. In the meantime, I unbuckle his belt, moaning every time his teeth sink into my sensitive skin.

His finger keeps teasing my wet entrance, but his other hand finally lets go of my hair and I immediately lean in to kiss his lips hungrily. As I sit up as much as I can, I push his pants down with a bit of his help, doing the same with his boxers as I start rubbing his cock.

"You must be very loyal to that other guy, hm?" he chuckles and wraps his hand around my throat.

"Your other girlfriends haven't been able to satisfy you, it seems. You're about to cum already..." I click my tongue, completely avoiding what he said to me, "..either that, or you're still obsessed with me.." I whisper, grinding down on his dick as he keeps grabbing me by the throat, "do you think they'd like that?"

He chuckles, moaning as soon as he feels the warmth and the wetness of my pussy, "do you think your little bitch will like it when he sees the marks I left for him?" he whispers, tightening the grip around my throat.

I groan, realising my neck must be all bruised up already. This fucking asshole.

Grabbing his dick again, I lower myself down on it as we both moan in unison – he immediately hugs me, his warm fingers digging into the skin of my back as I start to finally move.

"Fucking hell.." he whispers, his face buried in my neck as his hands cup my ass cheeks, guiding me up and down on his cock.

"Fuck.. Chris.." I moan loudly, one hand around him and the other one pressing against the car window, leaving a mark behind.

"Baby.. like that.." he mutters and I can feel myself clenching around him as soon as he calls me that.

He takes my breasts in his hands, squeezing them gently and kissing them with every chance he gets. I can feel him throbbing and I know it is almost time.

He immediately licks his fingers and presses them on my clit, making me stop my movements and tremble, my eyes roll to the back of my head.

"Don't stop. Keep going." he orders and I do exactly that. My burning thighs don't make it easy, especially in his goddamn car, but I don't care. As soon as I start moving up and down his dick again, his fingers start moving.

"Chris.. Chris, please.." I moan, gasping every time he picks up the pace. My breasts bounce with every movement, both of my hands now are on his shoulders supporting myself as I feel myself getting closer and closer.

"I wanna feel it, cum on me." he moans and his touch on my clit becomes as gentle as it can, and that's when I lose it. Once I come down from my high, he pulls out and cums all over my belly, almost shouting my name as he squeezes his eyes shut and grips my hips so hard that I'm sure it'll leave bruises behind.

It takes a while for me to start breathing normal again – and at the same time, I was afraid of what was going to happen when all of this stopped. But for now, I am trying to live in the moment as much as I can; he holds me in his arms tightly, I can feel his heartbeat and his breath tickling my hair, and I can swear I feel his fingertips caressing my back, drawing invisible circles on the skin.

I almost want to cry as he holds me close, I am so overwhelmed with emotions I didn't know I still had in me, that my hands start shaking.

"There's no one else. Only you." I whisper against his shoulder, my cheek pressed against it.

He takes a moment to respond, but he eventually does, "no other lipsticks for me either. Only yours." he whispers back.

This is what happens all the time ever since we parted ways – I call him, we have sex. He sees me outside, we have sex. We are ruthless, merciless, ready to tear each other apart without thinking of the consequences. So when we're finished, and all the hatred and lust is gone, what's left is two vulnerable, broken hearts and a love for each other that once existed.

I don't know how to react at his words. I feel relieved but I also feel angry, I feel hurt. Everything all at once.

"Come on." he says and makes me lean back against the dashboard. He grabs some baby wipes he keeps in his car and starts cleaning up my belly, my thighs, everywhere. He cleans himself up as well and throws them away in the little bin inside the car. He fixes my panties and my dress as well (as much as he can).

He tries to make me get up, but I stay in place. He looks at me but I don't move an inch, "can I ask you something?" I muster up the courage to ask.

"What is it?" he sighs, he knows something heavy is coming.

"Why are you so cold all the time?" he furrows his eyebrows at my question, and he looks like he is about to say a million reasons why what I just asked was stupid, "..so cold, playing it cool all the time, as if nothing happened." I say and I almost regret it.

"Are you fucking serious? What did you expect? You broke up with me, yet you still wanna have sex with me. Do you want me to be all lovey-dovey with you?" he narrows his eyes and I bite the inside of my cheek.

He's correct – what did I really expect? I vividly recall the day I ended our relationship; he was devastated, it was like something shifted within us since then. I was devastated, too. But the decision to break up felt necessary and inevitable. Our hectic schedules kept us apart for days on end. And being the jealous toxic assholes that we both are, this never ended well; it drove me nuts, I had to end it. However, ending the relationship doesn't mean my love for him ceased; on the contrary, I'll never stop loving him. And as for the sex.. well, it's pretty self-explanatory; he's the only one who knows what I like and what I don't. His touch is the only thing I knew for years. And that was the only way I could be close to him. I might've regretted that decision. Might've.

"No. But I would at least expect you to be respectful towards me, we were together for so long." I look down at my trembling fingers, there's pain in my voice.

"Yeah, well, do you know what else would be respectful? You, owning up to the decision you fucking made for the both of us." he's staring into my eyes, "when you break up with someone, especially when you've been with them for a long ass time, you don't go back to them. No matter what the situation is. That's what's respectful. But can you handle that?"

I don't know what to say. And I hate the fact that he's right – I know I fucked up.

"I don't think I can handle that, no." I say truthfully, my voice feels small and now I feel small too, in front of him.

"Yeah, well, that's your fucking problem now." he leans back against the passenger seat and clears his throat.

"Why do you come back?" I whisper, fearing the answer.

"You said it yourself that day. It's the only way to have you at the moment. And I'm taking it." now there's pain in his voice, "but do you realise how toxic that is? That's draining us way more than our schedule did." he runs his fingers through his hair and looks out of the window.

"So what are we supposed to do?" I ask. I feel so dumb.

"As I said. Own up to your decision. I never wanted to break up with you, which is why I never did. You should be the one who stops any contact between us. Not me. If I could, I would, trust me on this one." there's an emptiness in his eyes that I can not quite comprehend what it means. It doesn't let me see through him like I usually do.

"Chris.. damn it, I can't." I whisper, tears fill up my eyes but he's not having any of it.

"No, fuck off. You're fucking selfish." he's getting angry now, the vein in his neck is popping out, hands turning into fists and his knuckles turning white.

Fuck. It seems like everything I say is wrong. I want to just scream and cry and run away.

"I am not selfish, Chris. I am stupid.." I can't stop the tears that fill up my eyes, "..I never wanted to end things with you, I promise. I thought that.. that was the only way for us to calm the fuck down.. we were jealous, and crazy, and toxic." I let my hands fall on his lap.

"And what we're doing now is not toxic? How do you think I feel coming back to you after you broke up with me, just so we can fuck and tell each other we hate each other?" his jaw is clenched and his eyes are turning lighter. He's about to cry.

"I am sorry, Chris. I cannot imagine that, no.. I just.. I made a mistake.. and I am deeply sorry. I am paying for it as well.. this whole time, I really thought you just didn't care.. otherwise I would've made a move way sooner." I explain as much as I can, I am fully crying now.

He's holding back as much as he can – he collects me in his arms for yet another comforting hug when he notices I practically can't breathe, "first of all, breathe for me, okay? I need you to be calm so we can solve this." he rubs my back soothingly and my heart almost jumps out of my chest, because that's exactly who I fell in love with. That's the Chris I knew.

He does make me calm down way faster than I thought. I wipe away my tears and collect a single tear that left his eye as well.

"I love you. I always will." I whisper, cupping his cheeks.

"You know I love you too." his voice is very low, "I cannot stop loving you."

"Do you want to try again?" I whisper timidly, "I will try my best to make you trust me again." I say and I mean it.

"Pretty girl.." he mumbles, grabbing my chin gently, caressing it, "..you better try your hardest, hm?" he whispers and I nod like a little kid, "I promise to make more time for us, we deserve it. You deserve it."

⠀

⠀

⠀

[mikesbasementbeets]

ok. look at these.

look. that's the same look. right?

let's take a closer look. to do that, i'm gonna have to zoom in a bit on the first one. because, as you can immediately see, the shots are slightly different. the first is a little farther away, showing both mike and el, walking next to each other, whereas the second is much more intimate, a closeup on mike's expression as he looks at will's face in the foreground. a minor but telling difference about the levels of emotional intimacy in each scene.

so, moving past that first element of contrast, let's look at each shot in full, because in both of these scenes, mike goes on a bit of a face journey before he gets to that final smiling expression, seen above.

personally, i think studying actors' body language and micro-expressions is inconclusive at best, but i won't deny that these look similar. however, it's pretty clear to me that they aren't the same.

toward el, i see confusion, intrigue, maybe pleasant surprise, followed by a glance down (to emotionally process and/or watch his step), and then a nervous but friendly smile.

toward will, i see awe, relief, and overwhelming affection, followed by a shy glance down and a slight schooling of his slack jawed expression into a warm smile.

but, again, that's just my interpretation, and i can't say with any certainty what the intention of all of finn's micro-expressions are. but from my perspective, even a surface level viewing of these two expressions depicts a very different emotional experience. however: there's no denying the connection between these two scenes. they clearly mirror each other, just like a lot of things about mike's relationships with el and will mirror each other. i don't think that's an accident.

whatever you think his sexuality is, mike is undeniably in a romantic narrative with el. beginning in season one episode three, when the concept of their romantic relationship is introduced, the narrative arc mike and el share is heavily focused on that relationship. the first scene above actually happens in that same episode (s1e3), not coincidentally almost directly afterward. and the former scene, with mike, lucas, and dustin behind the baseball field, provides very interesting context for several reasons:

first: bear with me, because we're going back to look at the context behind this context. this is only episode three of the show, but already there's a lot going on, both in text and subtext.

and since we have the entirety of their relationship so far presented to us on screen, when lucas accuses mike of looking at el romantically, we're easily able to go back and figure out where he got that impression: we can examine every time lucas has seen mike look at el at all.

the first night, after finding el in the woods instead of will, and while insisting that the next day she'd be gone and they could focus on will again, mike's behavior is directly reminiscent of benny's. taking el in, and providing her with shelter, food, and clothing.

the next day, after learning that she's in danger and changing his mind about pawning her off on his mother, mike infers that she might know something about will. when lucas arrives, he exclaims that she recognized him and knew he was missing.

later, when lucas tells her that will is their friend, she asks what that means and mike explains. a friend...

and then she displays that she might really be able to help them find will. and mike looks at her like this:

each and every one of these interactions is directly related to will. but lucas, through the omnipresent lens of heteronormativity that surrounds boys' interactions with girls (especially a group of boys who have no experience with girls... more on that in a bit), only seems to consider the fact that mike's behavior, which is undeniably about will, is being directed at el.

throughout season one (and beyond, in more subtle ways), will and el are repeatedly connected to each other through the trope of mistaken identity. will is abducted on the same night (and due to the same series of events) that el escapes the lab. hopper, in his investigation into will's disappearance, keeps running into clues about el. and mike, lucas, and dustin, sneaking out in episode one to search for will, find el instead.

later in the season, hopper eventually realizes the truth of his own more overt mistaken identity arc: while he was under the assumption that he'd been following will's trail, he'd actually been following el's. interestingly, the realization is triggered by one specific distinguishing difference, which tells him beyond a doubt that he's been looking for two different kids: their art.

though much more subtle (aka hidden in the subtext), mike's arc with his feelings about will and el follows a very similar pattern. the main difference, though, is that in season one, the swapping of places is eventually reversed but never acknowledged as such, and mike ends season one with el now missing and will back in his life, but a lingering sense of something yet unresolved.

second: (i'm not going to deep dive into this one here, because it's a whole analysis in and of itself, but i need to mention it because it is relevant) this scene introduces the recurring motif of superheroes being directly connected to mike's feelings for el, which is an association we see follow them all the way into season four and become a defining metaphor for their incompatibility.

third: lucas is the character who first introduces mike's romantic feelings for el into the narrative. and instead of giving any indication that lucas' interpretation is correct, mike's reaction is... difficult to read. his response is immediately defensive, both verbally ("what are you talking about?" "shut up, lucas,") and physically (leaning away and shielding himself when lucas hugs him). we can infer from the original character descriptions why mike might be defensive about this subject:

obviously, this description is only a vague impression of what Mike Wheeler became, but it's clear that the core elements of his character outlined here did come to fruition on screen. here, mike's insecurity is linked both to the bullying he undergoes, and to his inexperience/ineptitude with girls. and it's presented as key to his character motivation (the original concept of his character arc put forth here is very straightforward: at the start, mike has insecurity centered around bullying and is romantically inexperienced. by the end, mike has courage against monsters and romantic experience.)

in any case, this scene is the first hint of this aspect of mike's character in the show itself (the earlier scene of bullying in the show focusing on mike consoling dustin over what he’s being bullied for (“i think it's kinda cool. it’s like you have superpowers or something!”)... see my last point here… mike holds the idea of superpowers in high regard, and they are consistently connected with his feelings about el. something about the mistaken identity through-line feels apt here: mike mistakes his feelings of admiration for el as feelings of romance.) in this scene, mike is confronted with both romance (in direct relation to himself for the first time in the show) and bullying.

but due to the way this is shot, it's impossible to get a read on what mike is truly feeling. it reminds me a lot of another scene, actually...

in both of these scenes, mike's genuine emotional reaction is hidden from us. in the first, lucas forcibly hugs him, teasing him about how much he "loves" el, and in effect introducing the idea of el as a romantic prospect to mike. in the second, el hugs mike tightly, her hand still around his neck from their kiss and his arm trapped in between them, similar to the way he shields himself from lucas. we're then shown that he's signed the card on the flowers squished between them "from, mike." hm. so... not love, as lucas suggests.

we come to learn over the course of season four that this is something mike is actively struggling with: his inability to "love" el in the way that she wants, expects, and deserves. this scene, introducing that season-long arc, conceals mike's true emotional state and motivations from us, again, mirroring the first introduction to their entire romantic plot line way back in season one.

(an aside: lucas' "if you love her so much, [then] why don't you marry her?" aka the inciting event of their romantic arc, is a based on a conditional statement with the hypothesis that mike loves el. as mr. clarke might posit (in, say, season one, episode one): what's the difference between an experiment and other forms of science investigation? ...well, an experiment is a controlled test of two or more variables against a hypothesis. does that remind you of anything happening in mike's romantic narrative? something about...... [murray voice] experimenting sexually?)

anyway. then, after extracting himself from el's embrace, mike finally drops his bag(gage) and opens his now empty arms to will, before preemptively cutting himself short with a punch to the shoulder.

...did someone say internalized homophobia?

and then immediately upon being introduced to argyle, mike is called out for his presentation here not being genuine. ("it's a shitty knock-off,"/"i really thought it was ocean pacific...") we're being told that something about mike's performance is not what it seems (and may even be a case of one thing being mistaken for something else).

and speaking of homophobia...

fourth (and finally): this scene, of lucas' teasing mike about his "love" for el, which i'll remind you again is tied directly to lucas mistaking mike's behavior regarding will as being solely about el, is quickly interrupted by an onslaught of homophobia, during which mike is specifically targeted (read: tripped) by the bullies.

the juxtaposition is immediate and obvious: mike's friends lovingly teasing him, even embracing him, over a crush on a girl vs. bullies maliciously taunting them about will being killed for being queer and then physically harming mike.

(there's also something to be said about the later scene in which these bullies force mike to drop his bike in the woods and chase him to the edge of the quarry, mirroring exactly how the cops assume will must have died... and, to be clear, i'm not saying that mike himself is being bullied for being queer in the way will was. no, mike's queerness is invisible to those around him in a way that will's isn't, so his relationship with it and the ways it affects him are hidden in subtext.)

which brings us directly to the following scene in the woods. el asks about mike's injury (sustained from the aforementioned bullying, thereby linking these two scenes even more concretely) and with a little prodding ("friends don't lie"), he opens up to her about what happened, and about being bullied at school. she listens, tells him she understands (this also follows her recent flashback of brenner's abuse in the lab), and they share a "cool," "cool," and a smile.

so... let's quickly jump over from here to the van scene with will. something similar, yet notably different, is happening in this scene, leading up to that infamous smile at the end. mike is sharing his insecurities with will now, but instead of will prodding him to open up, mike, prompted only by will's "she's gonna be okay," begins rambling so much about his insecurities (while speaking in superhero metaphors) that he eventually cuts himself off, saying it's "stupid." instead of letting him brush it off, will guesses exactly what mike is afraid of: "you're scared of losing her." he gives him The Painting (a symbol of his love for mike) and a long speech about feeling lost and different, while insisting upon mike's value (you're the heart, leading us, inspiring us, etc). and then they share a "yeah?" "yeah," and a smile.

so we can see the similarity in the way the shots are set up, the progression of the conversations, and mike's visible reactions. but we can also see distinct differences, all of which together inform a significant difference in emotional weight between these two scenes.

while mike's conversation in the woods with el takes place in the third episode of season one, at which point mike has known her for less than 48 hours, the van scene is in the second to last episode of season four, and is the fourth of five heart-to-hearts mike and will have this season alone (and following three previous seasons and beyond that years of close friendship). it is also arguably the climax of their shared arc this season. on the other hand, mike and el's season one moment is part of the introduction to their storyline, and the introduction to their romantic arc. in this moment in the woods, mike is looking at el romantically (did you think i was gonna argue that he isn't? because no, he definitely is). in fact, this is the beginning of mike's entire romantic arc, which sets out to address the foundational insecurity that is key to his character. we, as an audience, right alongside mike, have just been told (by lucas) that mike has romantic feelings for el. and then we are presented with this scene. we are supposed to view this as romantic. because mike is starting to view it as romantic.

had stranger things been one season long, then the climax of their romantic arc would have been the kiss they share in the cafeteria, followed by the denouement of el's symbolic death (the gay implications of which i could write another whole essay on...). but the end of season one was not the resolution of mike's full romantic arc. by the nature of the five act structure (which is what stranger things has, being five seasons), the entirety of season one serves as exposition for our full narrative. which means, in effect, that the entire arc of mike and el's season one relationship is there to serve as groundwork, a foundation for mike's complete five season arc. season one, starting from before he even meets el, all the way through to when he eventually kisses her and then loses her, is only act one of that arc. the first act of five act structure is when the driving conflict is presented. so in the context of the entire show, for us as the viewer, mike's narrative arc surrounding the romantic aspect of his insecurity begins with his season one "romance" with el.

and we know that this insecurity is an element of the full five-act narrative, rather than being presented and wrapped in the course of the mini "self contained" narrative of season one, because we can see plainly, three seasons later, particularly during mike's heart-to-hearts with will, that this insecurity has not yet been resolved. we know this, on a basic level, from having watched mike and el's relationship struggles progress, but it is still explicitly laid out for us in season four. and will is consistently the only person who genuinely hears mike out, encourages him to open up, and addresses his insecurities, instead of brushing him off, like most other people in his life (including will at some points) have done. will understands him in a way el only claimed to in season one.

looking back to the character outline: mike has now "kiss[ed] a girl" and even "had a girlfriend" and still hasn't resolved his insecurities even remotely. in fact, after the first season arc wraps up, this romantic relationship becomes the main source of that insecurity. his difficulty navigating a real romantic relationship with el is the basis of their arc in season three. and by season four, mike is consciously struggling with being unable to tell el that he loves her. despite will's reassurances that things will be okay (which stack onto lucas' constant relationship advice in season three), mike keeps circling back around to it. because he can't move forward on the path he is on.

he has reached a point of no return, like a “fight you can’t come back from.” he is unable to find the security he is searching for in his romantic relationship with el... and this is where we arrive back at the van scene with will.

if the scene in the woods marks the beginning of the introduction of mike's romantic arc, then the scene in the van marks the beginning of the conclusion of mike's romantic arc. if the introduction of his romantic arc (season one) presents his insecurity, then the natural conclusion of that arc (season five) is security. throughout season four, mike lays out for will the insecurity that his relationship with el still brings him. he is unable to find that security with el, and, in the van scene, finds it with will instead.

or, should i say, begins the journey to finding it. because, especially after the lie that brings them into that moment, and then traumatic pizza dough freezer incident, we're still at the beginning of the conclusion. there's still a lot to resolve, but season four (alongside mike, who now understands what he's been going through) finally began moving the subtext of mike's arc into the actual text. and this moment indicates that season five will take that next step to fully, textually, actualizing it.

so, getting back to the parallel we're looking at here: each of these scenes is a catalyzing moment in mike's romantic arc. in season one, when lucas suggests that mike has a crush on el, and then what follows is a conversation with el where she is (to quote lucas) "not grossed out" by him, he actively begins his journey toward resolving this character motivating insecurity. he looks at el and he sees the possibility of romance.

and just look at him. he looks excited. hopeful. a little nervous. but... i want to remind you again: mike has known el for less than 48 hours at this point. this is the first conversation they've had in which they've related to each other as equals. for their entire relationship before this and afterward, outside of their romantic interactions (and also. often. disturbingly. concurrent with their romantic interactions...), mike's role has been as el's protector, a makeshift father figure, the elliot to her E.T. here, though, el tells mike that she understands him.

in season one, mike is twelve years old (read: pre-pubescent). he has no personal understanding of or experience with romance. dustin starts to comment in s1e2, "you're letting a girl...?" and ted later scoffs "our son with a girl?" and outside of the queer coding, what we can take from both of these (which draw back to the original character description) is that mike has no experience with girls whatsoever. (outside of, you know. family. but that's not what this post is about.)

and again, this scene happens almost directly after lucas first introduces the idea of romance between them, both to the narrative, and to mike himself, who, very significantly, up until this point, has shown no romantic interest in el. the sequence of these events is not a coincidence. 1. lucas assumes mike has romantic feelings for el. 2. el and mike have a moment of personal connection and understanding 3. mike "boys only" wheeler puts these two together and assumes the connection between them must be romance. but the expression on mike's face here isn't a representation of already existing romantic feelings. there's no basis for those. again, this moment represents for mike the potential for romance.

which... makes his expression in the van scene hit even harder. because unlike el, will isn't a stranger he barely knows, but rather his best friend of ten years. and it isn't lucas telling mike how mike feels. it's will professing his own feelings about mike, in direct response to mike's self-professed insecurities. (ding ding ding, are your alarm bells going off?) mike's expression at the end of this scene, if we're viewing it as a reprise of his season one expression, is a representation of hope for his romantic future. but this time, heading into the resolution of mike's romantic arc, with all of the knowledge and context we (and mike) have gained over the course of the past four seasons, it's directed at will.

ok. so. with the basic connection between these two scenes established, i'm gonna move a little bit sideways here. at the end of their romantic arc in season one, el disappears from mike's life and will reappears in it, effectively swapping their places (remember that we've been dealing with the mistaken identity trope between these two), and leaving the question of mike's romantic security glaringly unresolved.

and we know why - this is a five act narrative we're watching - but just within the context of the season one arc... the climactic moment of mike finally asking the girl to be his sister kissing the girl was preceded by her locating will in the upside down (leading to his rescue) and followed by a resolution in which she disappeared... and will took her place. at the end of the season, mike is left in the same place he started: playing games in his basement with will, his first attempt to resolve his arc of romantic insecurity, with el, ultimately ending in tragedy.

after season one, this arc picks up again, but this time will is the one present in mike's life. and mike's behaviors toward el in season one, during which they were undergoing a romantic story arc, begin showing up again in his behavior toward will. but unlike with el, mike's particular (read: romantic) behavior toward will happens without outside intervention, and in fact, often in spite of outside intervention. now, this isn't to say that all of mike's behavior with el was a result of others' influence. when el reveals to mike that she is on the run from "bad people," mike is immediately protective and caring toward her. however, as i've already explained, this caring behavior (which, again, we know right off the bat is not romantic because it directly mirrors the way both benny and hopper care for her) doesn't turn into romantic behavior until lucas introduces that idea.

on the opposite side of the spectrum, right from episode one of season one, mike's behavior toward will is fully self motivated, even in the face of opposition.

and as we move through season one and beyond, we can see that mike continues to rely on constant guidance in the way he cares about el (particularly and most consistently from lucas).

stranger things is, at it's horror filled core, a coming of age tale. like many of our other characters, mike's full character arc, romantic and otherwise, is about self-actualization. from the very conception of the show, his insecurity is presented as a central character flaw to overcome, while also being directly linked with his romantic fulfillment. the overcoming of this fatal flaw, the resolution of his romantic arc, and his final achievement of self-actualization are all inextricably intertwined.

the reprisal of this specific expression of romantic hope as we enter the end of mike's romantic arc is not an indication that mike is in the same place emotionally at the end of season four as he was at the beginning of season one, just with a different person now. instead, it is an indication of his romantic arc coming full circle. mike began in a position of hope for his romantic future with el, only to have the actualization of that hope (their romantic relationship) gradually degrade his romantic fulfillment and self-esteem. the longer mike and el are together, and the more serious their romantic relationship becomes, the worse mike's insecurities become. this is, i would argue, directly related to the fact that mike's pursuit of a romantic relationship with el is not due to his own genuine desire, but instead a combined result of heteronormativity (lucas assuming mike's feelings for el to be romantic), compulsive heterosexuality (mike's subsequent assumption that his feelings for el must be romantic), forced conformity (mike's attempt to resolve his insecurities firmly within these heteronormative boundaries, under the assumption that a rejection of these boundaries is unacceptable), and the trope of mistaken identity that has been following will and el since season one.

and of course i don't know with any concrete certainty what season five will contain, but based on the narrative so far, and optimistically expecting a satisfying resolution to his character arc, the actualization of his romantic hope regarding will is going to lead to true romantic fulfillment and coincide with his self-actualization (a big part of which is coming to terms with his sexuality).

now, i'm not going to conclude this whole analysis by saying, "and that's why mike is gay!" because while i think this all is a good indication of that, based on all of the context and my impression that this narrative is being presented in a way that focuses on the subtext and deeper symbolism of each of these relationships rather than being a case of specifically el vs. will, you might still have a different interpretation than me. that's fine. however, i am going to end by insisting (me when i argue with the wall), based on everything i've laid out, that this parallel and others like it (ie parallels between byler & miIeven's romantic arcs) are not evidence of mike's feelings, specifically whether they are genuinely romantic or not. this parallel serves as a narrative device in his romantic character arc... the conclusion of which is mike realizing and coming to terms with the fact that he is actually in love with will, and not el.

just to be very clear, i'm not saying these parallels alone are proof against mike being bisexual, but i am saying that they are not evidence in support of his being bisexual. again: they do not indicate that mike is romantically attracted to el. what they indicate is that will and el are foils in mike's romantic arc.

before i finish, i want to address a couple misconceptions:

1. the fact that mike actively and willingly participates in a romantic relationship with a woman means he can’t be gay. this is straight up homophobia. gold star bullshit. no.

2. mike and el being presented in a romantic light means that they have genuine romantic feelings for each other. this is a misconception of the way narrative tools are used to tell a story. going right back to my first point: it is an irrefutable fact that many gay people have romantic relationships with the people of different genders (read “the opposite sex”) before they come out/realize their true sexuality. it is also a fact that many of these gay people fully believe their feelings to be genuinely romantic before realizing that they are not. as i've already gone over, mike is twelve years old when his romantic arc begins. on the surface, his relationship with el is presented as romantic. he participates in (and even initiates) romantic behaviors because he believes that his feelings for el are romantic. in seasons one and two, mike is one of our main POV characters. we can see a romantic tilt to the way some of their scenes are shot because, to mike, while they are happening, they are romantic (keeping in mind what i said before about mike having no experience and therefore no personal knowledge informing his perspective, AND keeping in mind that many of these on-the-surface "romantic" scenes are also consistently subtextually linked (read: paralleled) to familial relationships for both of them... and i haven't even touched the cultural context surrounding homosexuality in 80's. there's so much nuance informing the way this story is being told). and we, as the audience, are supposed to read them as romantic on first viewing, because otherwise the season five plot twist, revealing the truth of mike's feelings, would not work.

it is not a coincidence that the active degradation of their romantic relationship (outside of all of the other context, parallels, symbolism, family coding, etc, that are there to hint along the way that things are not as they might seem) begins full force in season three, at the exact point when the two actually enter a real relationship for the first time, and also when our characters are entering puberty, the time during which a person's sexuality (in a general sense, but also in regard to sexual orientation) begins to fully emerge. after his season one arc with el, mike underwent another season-long romantic arc: this time, with will. it's more subtle, because (i believe) mike doesn't realize yet that it's romantic, but it's there. then at the end of season two, mike makes a choice: he encourages will to dance with a girl and he dances with el, re-writing their tragic ending from season one, but now leaving his romantic arc with will frustratingly unresolved, again mirroring the sense of unresolution from season one: mike has swapped out the end of each romantic arc with the wrong love interest.

and then in season three, now having had the experience of both romantic arcs, and now, for the first time, with both will and el right there beside him, all we can see anymore is the overt contrast between the two relationships, depicted most blatantly through the same type of visual and narrative "parallel" we've been looking at here.

but at the end of this season, instead of making a choice, mike's choice is made for him. he has a romantic moment with will, and then el kisses him, confusing the resolution of these two romantic arcs once again.

mike's season four arc closely mirrors his season one arc (searching for one love interest with the other by his side, mistaken identity trope abound), but with important distinctions: 1. mike is a little older, a lot more experienced, and has a better understanding of both the context of romantic relationships and the scope of his feelings for both el and will. and 2. mike's only real guidance in season four comes from will, and he doesn't simply listen and act based on will's advice, as he did with lucas' in seasons 1&3. now, he fully engages with will's input, pushing back against it when he doesn't agree, and accepting it when he can acknowledge its truth (up until, of course, our fourth (and hopefully final) tragic, incorrectly resolved ending). mike is finally taking control of his romantic narrative in a way he hasn't previously, and the direction it's heading in now is toward security, self-actualization, and will.

so the point of all of this is: nothing is as simple or straightforward as it may seem on the surface. the narrative has always been deeply complex and layered with subtext and symbolism. and most of all, when interpreting the meaning of anything presented directly to us on screen, context matters.

also uh. yeah, mike gay

[papuhater]

I THINK

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚a/n I don’t know actually, this is shitty and short. ┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ cw: reader knows spanish, miguels (both) are asses and say bad things, reader is harassed on the street but nothing happens thanks to the plot. ┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ pairing: miguel o'hara x spiderwoman!reader

series masterlist

something was wrong with y/n, miguel knew, she had not clocked in and wasn’t with webslinger or peter b. he wasn’t worried, no, he kept saying that to himself as he stared into the door, expecting her to appear. and she did

“you look dead.”

“you sure know how to charm a lady” she replied bitterly and she held a carton

“i hope you got it right this time” he shot a web and pulled it to him, she just let him take it. weird, she normally made him say thank you, what was weirder is that the empanadas were of meat, not mixtas. he huffed and side eyed her while she tried to leave

“lyla lock the doors.” he sighed and leaped from his platform “look, ninety nine, something is up” she opened her mouth but before she could speak she was cut off “and don’t try to deny it. you look as if you hadn’t slept all night, you come in late, and now you are very silent” she sighed

“why would you care?”

“i don’t”

“then stick your nose in other person’s business” she huffed and tried to open the doors, they were locked

“lyla open the doors.” miguel gave up, but the doors didn’t open “lyla?” suddenly, the lights went off “the hell?”

“boss, you might not like this..”

“we’re locked in, send people” he tried to talk to the gizmo, but it had no answer, the doors seemed to have locked it too hard and blowed a fuse, now he was locked with y/n in the room.

“you can’t communicate out of here, you imbecil, we just have to wait.” she huffed, clearly annoyed “they better come in soon” she looked at him “what time is it?”

“well it’s 8 in the morning.” she nodded and muttered something “what did you say?”

“nothing, it’s just that I have to be somewhere today, around 6:40”

they kept quiet after that, y/n not talking and looking nervously at the door, while miguel messes with his gizmo and trying to get the power back on. each of them seem on edge, as if any word could set them off.

“could you stop sighing? it’s distracting” he growled

“oh so now I can’t breathe?” she spat out, while glancing towards him

"yeah you can't, because you can't even do things right!" he scowled "everyday you come in, with a stupid smile, stupid empanadas mixtas, and a stupid teasing tone!" with every word, he got closer, until he was jabbing his finger onto your chest "you are everything i hate in a person! giving stupid advice and sarcastic remarks! no se como mi yo de otra dimensión se pudo haber enamorado de ti!"

"don't say that..." she said softly, slapping his hand off "don't even dare to day that! you know nothing!" her voice cracked, and just as it happened the door cracked too, revealing a few spider people who came to save them.

"we're done here."

and like that, she left.

"boss, not to say anything, but you're an ass."

miguel did nothing to deny it.

"amor? are you okay? you have barely touched your pasta."

"huh?" she snapped out of her daze, with a fork in her hand, she was swirling the pasta around "oh, it's nothing, you know, just a hard day."

"what could be hard about your days? cielo, you're a stay-at-home wife, not a geneticist." he laughed, he tried to lighten her up, but it only made her more gloom.

"yeah, i guess, it just gets lonely, i get sa-" before she can end the statement, she's interrupted by a vibration from her husband's phone, miguel held finger as he took the call, she just sat there in disbelief

"hey...yeah?" he let out a short laugh "oh? yes i can be there, when? right now?" he spared a glance towards y/n and mouthed a 'sorry' "hold on" he placed a hand on his phone, covering the speaker "i'm sorry, but i need to leave, see you at home" he said quickly and before she could answer, he kissed her temple and left her on the expensive restaurant.

she looked into her plate, then called a waiter.

"the check please"

after getting the plate, miguel had left in the car so she had to walk home, while she walked, her head was lost in thought, in miguel, in her miguel, was miguel even her miguel anymore? he seemed so distant, it was her fault, she never did anything correctly.

suddenly, a drop of rain fell on her head, making her look upwards, many drops followed

"mierda, esta lloviendo" she made a turn in an alleyway, a shortcut, but little did she know, that with her clouded mind did not choose the right alley.

as she made her way into the alley a vulgar sound was heard

a fucking wolf whistle

"ayo lady!" she tried to ignore them "i'm talking to you! didn't your daddy taught you good manners?" she grimaced at the comment, and walked a little faster, until she heard footsteps behind her, so she began to run.

"c'mon girly, we only want to give you a good time" one of the men said

they caught up with her, and when one tried to touch her, she punched him, hard.

"you fucking bitch!" the men grabbed a hold of her, she squirmed and kicked, scratched and punched but she was outnumbered, she wasn't gonna give up easily, she spat on the 'leader's face, and he punched her, on the nose, and she began to bleed

"i'd advise you to stop" was heard, everyone turned to the shadow, the rain droplets making a hard noise on the pavement "the lady clearly doesn't want it." her eyes tried to decipher who it was, and they did

it was miguel o'hara.

"and what if i don't you lucha libre fighter?" the man mocked miguel

with a sharp movement, talons and claws came out of miguel's body

"you won't like what come's next."

"look, macho, we don't want problems so turn around-" before he could even finish he was in a web, dangling in the air

"anyone else?" he growled.

"miguel.." she began, drenched in rain

"ninety nine, i know, i know i shouldn't have sai-" y/n hugged him, and began to cry

y/n was crying

he hugged her back

they stayed like that in the rain until miguel held her and shot a web, and pulled the two of them up, they swung through the city, until they arrived to a ceiling, her ceiling. in her ceiling, he gently let her go, and took a tuper, with empanadas mixtas, he helf them out as if they were a peace offering

"i'm sorry ninety-nine, i shouldn't have lashed out my pent up anger towards you"

she took them and smiled "call me y/n."

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translations:

no se como mi yo de otra la dimensión se pudo haber enamorado de ti = i don't know how me from the other dimension could've fallen in love with you

mierda= shit

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[little-bumblebeeee]

Hey, this is my first time doing an ask so could you please do steve harrington angst where he feels a lil distrust cause of how things ended with nancy with comfort at the end. Feel free to ignore if you're not up for it 🙃

Omgggg babes sorry this took longer than expected, I started a new school and got food poisoning lmao 👍

Anyways without further ado,

Steve Harrington x reader, slight angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort, Steve thinks reader might be cheating or is unhappy, 1k words ♡ (hardly proofread, forgive me love)

You had to stay late for work to fix a mess your boss made, and in your haste to finish it you forgot to tell Steve. Sure, you haven't been dating long and sure, you don't live together, but lately he's been staying at your place to escape the big empty birdcage that is his parent's house, so maybe you should have told him.But you didn't, that's the thing. The sun has already set by the time you get home, your cheeks flushed from the cold as you quickly close the door to let as little heat out as possible.

"Steve? Are you here?" You call out, seeing the light from the kitchen on but no noise. Not the clink of the dishes being washed or the sound of something being stirred, no sizzling of food and no shuffling of feet to the pop music Steve likes. No noise and no answer.

"Stevie?" You call out once more. You have a feeling that he's here, the imaginary hook in your chest that pulls you closer to him feeling short. When you show up to the kitchen, there he is, standing in front of the counter and looking down at his cup of hot chocolate, little marshmallows disintegrated and no steam rising from the top, he must've been standing there for a while.

"Hey." He says softly, bringing the mug to his lips maybe for the first time, frowning at the cold as if he was completely powered down before you stepped into the room. He sets it back down to be forgotten until the mug needs to be washed, turning the burner back on that has the pot of milk on it.

"Sorry I got home late, my boss is an absolute child." You say as you lean up against the counter, watching as he stirs the milk in the pot and shakes the chocolate packet. "Oh no, it's fine. It's fine. You don't have to tell me everything." He says, the muscle in his jaw clearly clenched.

"Steve, you alright?" You ask, stepping just a little closer with your arms crossed loosely upon hearing the tone in his voice, firm and steady, as if he's controlling every word, every breath, every little movement. It's a little scary and concerning– but you've seen him like this before. He's just annoyed and doesn't want to be snarky with you. Before he can say that he's fine, you raise your eyebrows at him, daring him to say that he is because you know he's not. Daring him to say that he had a tough day because he already called you during your lunch break to tell you how good of a day he had.

"I just.. were you actually at work? Just tell me the truth." He asks you. The truth? Does he believe you're lying? Sure, you haven't been together for a super long time, but why would he think you were doing something else? You told him what happened– does he not trust you? You just can't help but wonder what goes through his mind in times like this.

"I was. I just couldn't text you because my boss won't stop acting like a child, I told you." You say. The hurt and confusion you feel must be visible on your facial features because he puts down the packet of chocolate power, turning to face you.

"I don't mean to offend you or anything but how am I supposed to know I can trust you? We haven't.. we haven't been dating long, I know– and you can call me crazy or paranoid or say all of this is bullshit but I.. just want to know. I want to make sure you're okay– I want to make sure we're okay. I don't want to be lied to." He explains, running a hand through his hair and pinching his nose once or twice, a clear sign he's holding everything back. You two haven't really... talked about past relationships, but you've heard things. Heard and seen things. All you wanted to do that night at Tina's party was hide in the bathroom until your friend came to pick you up, leading you to hear a conversation you definitely shouldn't have heard. The air feels dark and heavy– something you've never felt around Steve, who practically has sunlight coursing through his veins, making every room just a little brighter. But the sunlight is gone, his blood red instead of gold.

"Steve–" You start, but he stops you in your tracks. "Don't start like that." He says, looking as if you're about to break the worst news to him. You kind of did start like that too– a sort of softened tone in your voice as if you didn't want what you were about to say to hurt him. But you continue anyways.

"You're not crazy, or paranoid, or whatever else. You're just a little cautious. But I was at work, and I can call my boss right now if you need me to." You say, your phone open and held out to him.

Steve just.. blinks a couple times. But he shakes his head, pushing your hand away and pulling you close, his arms snaking around your waist as he buries his nose into the crook of your neck. You feel more than hear the apology, but you know it's being said.

And you know he means it.

Because Steve doesn't lie. He doesn't say things that he doesn't mean, if he tells you that he loves you then he loves you, no doubt about it. "I shouldn't have. I'm sorry– I... things never went right for me, and now that they are, it's scary. It's scary as hell. Because I don't know when it's going to stop, I don't.. I don't know when things will go wrong again. I just.. I love you. Too much, sometimes." He admits, lifting his head up a little with a humorless chuckle, brown eyes boring into your soul.

"And I don't ever want to let you go." He adds. He proves his point by squeezing you tighter, putting everything he has into this one squeeze as if someone is waiting just behind you to steal you away.

His skin shines golden once more, the room feeling warmer and brighter. Everything seems to feel less dull when you love him, doesn't it?

[lvlyghost]

All The Nights to Come

Pairings: Simon "Ghost" Riley x F!Reader

Summary: You get hurt during a mission.

Word Count: 900+

Tw: strong language, blood, angst, comfort towards the end. grumpy ghost as usual. bad grammar, and probably a lot of typos. not proofread 🫶🏻✨💞

A/N: just a little one-shot to help me with writer's block. next I'll be working on another part of salvation and a third part of the things i never said since a lot of you asked 🥹💛 remember english isn't my first language, corrections are welcome 🤍

Masterlist✨

You didn't know how to stay out of danger. Or at least that's what all of your teammates said. Especially Ghost.

Ghost. You had a complicated... relationship with the Lieutenant.

Polar opposites.

That's what he had called you both one day.

He's the darkness that comes at night, you're the light he'd gladly let consume him.

"Stop distracting me." He grumbles staring straight ahead. You chuckle at his growing annoyance.

"We're in the middle of nowhere, Ghost. The worst thing that could happen is tripping with a rock." You roll you eyes. "How about we play something, we still have one hour left until we reach the evac point."

"No."

"Comen on! There's no one around." He sighs, but doesn't say anything. You decide to not push his limits. You've started to know him more and more, as much as he would allow, of course. "Is something bothering you?" you finally ask, head tilting down to watch your step. Again the only response you get is silence. "If this is about what happened last night..."

"It's not that." He gruffly interrupts you. Irritated that you're even bringing it up.

"You were the one who said this couldn't happen anymore. So you might as well make up your mind Ghost." You walk faster, leaving him behind, or as much as you can considering his strides are easily longer than yours.

"I am your superior, what the fuck am I supposed to do, kid?" You clench your jaw, hating how his words are setting deep in your heart. The way he emphasized the word superior. "I could get us both suspended, or even worse get us kicked out of the military! Am I really the only one who's thinking?" He seethes.

"Oh well!" You feign amusement. "I'm sorry, I didn't think you cared enough when were fucking each other in my room..." Ghost's body freezes for a brief second before he keeps walking. "If you're bloody scared of letting me in you should've just said it. No need to fucking hurt me like I'm nothing."

"The fuck did you just say? Have you not heard a word I just told you?!" His accent becoming more prominent every time he speaks. "I'm trying to protect you, I don't bloody care what happens to me."

Ghost doesn't notice it, too enraged, looking down at you as he walks closer. But you do.

You see the reflection, a small glimpse of the scope. The sun shining down on the sniper's rifle. Everything moves in slow motion, you scream... or at least you try to, pushing Ghost with all the strength you have. He stumbles a few steps to the side, the pure shock in your face as you realize what's about to happen. A bird chirping in the distance, and what sounds like a cascade near, a river flowing before it hits you. Right on your left shoulder, a shot that was aimed at his heart.

Ghost's heart.

And you take it instead. It pierces through flesh and bones, hurting like million of bullets. Your sight goes black as you start falling, body helplessly hitting the muddy terrain. Shots are fired, a loud shriek and a deep voice echoing but it's so far away. It's getting harder to regain consciousness.

"Why the bloody hell did you do that!?" Fear glowed in his eyes. Ghost's big gloved hand pressing down the wound on your shoulder, the fabric quickly becomes stained with crimson red blood.

Your blood.

"S-Sir?" You choke up. Fighting to keep your eyes open.

Focus on him.

"I'm going to fucking have you on desk rotation for this." He grits his teeth. "Don't you do that ever again. Not for me. Never for someone like me." He leans closer, managing your body in his hands so he can take a better look. He breathes when he sees the exit wound.

"It's my duty..." you murmur, with half-lidded eyes. "To shield and protect my superiors..." you breathe out.

"Don't give me that shite." He scolds you. "I'm the one who's supposed to protect my team." Not just his team. The truth was that he wanted to protect you, he had to. "Now keep those pretty eyes on me, yeah? That's an order sergeant." He commands.

You laugh, with what low energy you have left.

"Sir? You and I both know I'm not good at following orders." He reaches his medical pouch, disinfecting and wrapping as many bandages as he can on your wound.

"Now's a good time you start listenin', kid." He picks you up with more gentleness that's he's ever experienced himself. Who would've thought that a man like him could care for someone else. He has the softest touch, you think. "Think you can hold on until we get there?" He asks, looking down to your face, body too small and light in his arms. If he could kiss you right now...

"Sure thing, Ghost." You murmur, wincing when he starts walking. "This is not what I had in mind when they said we were going to Spain. We could play that game now, right?

A soft chuckle rumbles deep in his chest, making your lips tilt up in a weak yet heartwarming smile.

"Fuckin' hell, love" he doesn't lose sight of your eyes. "I guess we can. As long as you keep talking to me. Don't you dare go somewhere I can't follow."

"Don't think you'll get rid of me that easily, Sir."

[coeurcanelle]

DONT PLAY ANIMAL CROSSING AT 3AM

horror au

playing animal crossing was all fun and games with ellie until events happening in the game turned out to happen in real life

->inspired by a short movie on yt

A/N:sorry for the long break,I went to the beach and lost my right arm because of a damn shark. Specialists say they want to know how human flesh tastes, but it bit my whole arm off 😵‍💫. Anyway, I’ve learned to write with my left hand so I can still cook 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

Rainy days were your favorite.

They gave you and Ellie an excuse to stay indoors and play video games for hours on end.

After playing the same games repeatedly, growing emotionally attached to them, Ellie convinced you to give a try to something different from your usual apocalypse-themed games.

Halloween was tomorrow and ellie judged it to be the perfect time to introduce you to Animal Crossing's latest spooky update, a game you had never tried before.

"it's not traumatizing-scary, but I thought if I like it, you would too," Ellie said as she turned on her Nintendo Switch, a gift Joel had given her for her last birthday.

Often, she would gift you video games from her own massive collection, which hadn't gotten her into the Guinness World Records yet, but it might one day.

It was your favorite hobby together, a shared passion that easily brought you closer.

"you know what I like. If it's not pee-your-pants scary, it's deadly boring," you stated clearly as you made yourself comfortable next to her on her bed, lying flat on your stomach, propping yourself on your elbows as your eyes darted to her screen, the game just starting.

"oh yeah? we'll see about that. I bet ten bucks you'll get so addicted, you won't wanna go home tonight," Ellie said with a confident smirk, pressing 'play' as she seized the opportunity to have you to herself for longer than usual.

The screen flashed, revealing Ellie's character in a virtual room. "just watch me," she muttered, focusing on the screen as she led her character out of the room with a joystick.

Her character entered a clothing shop, trying on brand new clothes.

"I'll let you know that having no taste is a symptom of covid" you teased, followed by Ellie's soft chuckle.

She was used to your constant teasing but never grew tired of it.

"alright, try to make her look hot. we're going to see who’s going to need to get their health checked."

You smiled in victory, pleased to get a chance to play on her Switch.

"alright, bet" you said, going through every option available, trying your best to give Ellie's avatar a brand-new Halloween costume.

After a while, your lips curved into a smile as you admired her avatar in a cute, spooky witch costume.

But when you tried to buy the costume, your face fell in disappointment at the sight of Ellie's in-game money.

"man, she's broke af. that's why she looks so hideous. I can't even make her glow up, that's so sad."

"hey, take that back...as long as she's got clothes on, it's fine." Ellie said, taking back her Switch and removing the costume you were eager to buy.

You rested your head in your hand, already feeling exhausted, when suddenly, a loud, deep rolling growl pulled you out of your trance, followed by increasing pouring rain.

"looks like you're stuck with me tonight,"ellie smiled cheerfully, already plotting to stay up all night.

☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°☆°

Halloween was only after a night, right after the full moon, but the spooky vibe that accompanied it came early today.

Both of you had turned the lights off, total darkness enveloping you, with the rain pouring and spooky sounds coming from the game as background noise.

You and Ellie took turns exploring the city and completing Halloween quests, distracting yourselves from the menacing storm that didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

That is until another storm struck, slightly shaking Ellie's house and almost blinding you with the flashes of lightning outside the windows.

Now, the rain was pouring softly.

It was the calm before the next storm.

Turning your attention back to the game, the first thing you saw was Ellie's character momentarily freezing as the screen quickly flickered.

Ellie looked at you to see if you found this as creepy as she did.

"so, still boring as fuck miss apocalypse?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"a jumpscare here and there won't hurt"

A laugh escaped Ellie's lips. "bro, this is 'Animal Crossing,' not Freddy and his friends or whatever."

"Freddy and who?" A look of confusion on your face didn't betray your words.

"Freddy and his friends," she exclaimed, her gaze averted, trying to use her brain that's rotting from playing all the time. "the bear dude who scares kids or something. I dunno, I haven't played that stuff."

"that's FNAF, girl."you corrected, looking at Ellie puzzled. Between the two of you, you always assumed Ellie to be a game nerd.

"yeah, whatever," she said.

Now that you mentioned it, she actually remembered playing it but somehow forgot about it.

Your eyes drifted from Ellie's to her screen, which had stopped flickering, noticing many details.

"You know, I don't know how you managed to do that, but.."

Many details you've never paid attention to before.

"It's really cool how you got an exact copy of your bedroom in there," you said, looking back at Ellie, impressed.

Ellie’s eyes fell on the screen as she listened.

Her eyebrows furrowed suddenly.

She had never noticed too.

In fact, she had never decorated her in-game room with the intention of making it look like her real-life room.

As if trying to make her memories clearer, she scratched the back of her head, trying to think back to when she decorated her room in the game.

"uh, thanks. I never tried to make it look like my room, though."

"you even got the Savage Starlight poster on your wall," you pointed out, looking at her screen curiously before glancing at the same poster in real life, which was in the exact same spot in the game.

Though you were absolutely amazed by this, Ellie felt anything but impressed.

A feeling of unease started to creep up inside her.

No matter how much time she had spent in that game, she never recalled getting this poster.

This was undeniably weird, but it's only in such an atmosphere that things start to get interesting.

It was just a game after all.

"yeah, I think that's how I got broke," an awkward laugh escaped her lips, ignoring how hot she suddenly felt.

With shaky hands, Ellie wandered around her in-game room, which was just as dark as the one in real life.

To lighten it up, she walked towards the lamp on her bedside table, noticing it was placed just like in reality.

After looking at the bedside table, she focused her attention on her screen again and pushed a button to turn on the lamp.

At that moment, a quick 'click' sound echoed in the room, instantly drawing both your and Ellie's attention.

The bright lamp was flickering, casting shadows behind it.

You felt Ellie's eyes on you and turned to look at her, wondering if you both saw the same thing.

"you did that, didn't you?" Ellie asked, eager for a rational explanation for this unusual moment.

"no, I didn't," you exclaimed. The bedside table was just to your left, but your arms remained flat on the bed.

Even if you wanted to scare her, you couldn't have been that creative.

However,your words weren't convincing enough for her to believe them.

Still trying to figure out what was happening between her game and her room, she decided to try something again.

"stay here and don't move," Ellie ordered, to which you nodded and obeyed.

The drawer next to her closet drew her attention.

Her eyes fell back on her game, staring at the same drawer.

You watched Ellie's every move, your nervousness increasing as her finger pressed a button.

It was inevitable.

The drawer opened in the game.

The drawer opened in real life.

A mix of confusion and excitement flashed across Ellie's face as virtual and reality made one.

Thrilled by the turn of events, she turned to face you.

"now this is getting creepy as fuck," Ellie said, talking to you but becoming self-conscious about one thing.

You weren't alone anymore.

"yeah, this feels like the first minutes of a horror movie, but not the shitty low-quality serial killer ones—"

"the crazy haunted ones that leave you paranoid with 'inspired by a true story' in their summary."

"we're definitely in some 'bury your gays' type shit."

Ellie's soft laugh contrasted with the eerie atmosphere. No matter how serious the situation was, you were still able to make her laugh.

A part of her still clung to denial, seeking any rational explanation, but... where's the fun in that?

Was it scary because it was cool?

Or was it cool because it was scary?

Either way, this mystery was eager to be solved. Unsure of where all of this would lead, Ellie gave in to the temptation to discover it.

You decided to keep playing.

She then walked toward her in-game guitar, which was placed in the exact same spot in real life, right beside her desk.

Your eyes drifted toward it while Ellie was focused on her screen.

This was getting more and more interesting.

She pushed one button,making her character picking up the guitar.

As mini-ellie strummed the chords, you and her noticed something about the sound.

The melody wasn't coming from her Switch.

It echoed from her guitar in the corner of her room.

You couldn't believe your eyes,your ears and your mind.

In denial, you were convinced you were dreaming. But when you pinched your skin multiple times, nothing changed.

Ellie looked at you, seeking confirmation that this wasn't all in her head, a sign of her insanity.

"I'm starting to believe there's someone here with us," you said, your worried eyes meeting hers.

"you're just realizing that now?" she smirked.

You crossed your arms protectively, feeling thrilled by the game despite how scary it was becoming. "I'm actually surprised you still haven't peed your pants."

"trust me, it'll take more than that to freak me out like you."

"be careful what you wish for," you warned, feeling and fearing that something was about to happen.

In the dark,where fear and curiosty reigned over all your emotions,it was the comfort place for one thing.

The storm had calmed down for a while, but the rain continued pouring relentlessly.

Each droplet hit Ellie's closed windows, the sound resembling someone knocking.

Now you don't know how that spirit managed to stroll across the windows, but you knew that it got her.

It got Ellie.

With wide white eyes and mouth parted open, her body was entirely frozen, unresponsive to your calls.

The evil had total control over her body.

At least, that's what she made you want to believe.

After slightly shaking her to make her stop, you thought of her biggest weakness, something that always worked when she'd try to prank you like this.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA," Ellie panted as you tickled her sides, desperately trying to push you away from her before she fell off the bed,head hitting the floor.

Worried, you put a hand over your mouth at the scene. "oh my... are you alright?"

"would be better if you help me back up,"you reached out a hand that she carefully took, before helping her to lay back on the bed.

This is what she gets for trying to scare the hell out of you, always using the same old prank that only worked once on you.

When you were worried about her head, she was shamelessly laughing.

"you know what? laugh while you can. we'll see if you laugh once you wake up in the flames of hell after I choked you in your sleep."

"wow... nice charming words, you really know how to make a girl feel special, huh?" Ellie snickered as she saw you rolling your eyes at her.

The banter kept going, from playfully nudging each other's arm to pushing each other, as if nothing creepy had happened earlier.

That is, until your hands grabbed the Nintendo, back on the game.

Now that the virtual and reality have united, your careless laughter could easily turn into cold-blooded fear.

Ellie mirrored your wide eyes as she spotted the visual confirmation that both of you weren't alone.

Behind her character stood something in the dark.

Something because it was indeed not a human.

Its body blended with the color of death, or perhaps it was the other way around.

The darkness's arms warmly embraced its sinister presence.

The color of its eyes was the only hue transcending through the darkness in the room.

They were red—red like pumping blood and Persephone's pomegranate. Not leaving the character’s body.

Its eyes were able to pierce through the darkness, as if its life was too fierce to be halted by death.

Because it was death itself.

Ellie's eyes turned to you instinctively, seeking confirmation that it wasn’t part of her imagination.

You returned the same gaze, but not effortlessly. This unexpected turn of events made your mind run laps of thoughts and your body freeze in place.

With the same thought, "Is it behind us?" echoing over and over, the silence grew too loud, nurturing your frightened state.

Then.

The door creaked.

The one behind you and Ellie.

Your eyes remained on hers, with fear enveloping every single last spark of excitement and amusement.

"It's just the wind, right?" you managed to whisper.

Ellie still understood you despite your shaky voice, mimicking the same tone as yours. "the windows are closed."

That wasn't the first time rationality couldn't explain the strange events around you.

You were just afraid it wouldn't be the last time either.

Suddenly, a message appeared on the screen.

As your curious eyes returned to the screen despite the fear slowly consuming you, another feeling began to take over.

"Don't. Look. Behind. You."

It was regret.

[cursedkeyboard]

Funnily enough, I've never been too big of a Jason Todd fan. Not because I don't like him, he's a great character, but because DC fails over and over again to give him justice and treat him right.

The number of times alone this boy has been beaten by his adoptive father, betrayed, and forgotten are far too many, far too much.

And the constant portrayal of Jason as this volatile, violent, mindless man is tiresome, lazy in all senses of the word and overdone. I understand that Jason was unstable after he left the pit, I mean, who wouldn't? The trauma of his death alone could've sent anyone crazy, but then to experience everything else afterwards, including having to come to terms that Bruce not only did not kill his murder but also replaced him, leaving Jason to grieve what was once his and what he should've gotten, of course he'd be less than okay.

Again, I'm not the biggest Jason Todd fan but I do wish more people would see just how much good Jason has in his heart, how kind and gentle he can be once his walls are down, when he's no longer constantly analyzing your actions and wondering why would you bother talking to him, getting closer to him.

In my opinion, a man who is so gentle with children, who constantly gives second, third, and fourth chances to people who don't deserve it, who despite it all still wants to make a change and protect the city that failed him, couldn't possibly be anything but the most caring partner. Not just partner, no, also brother and friend.

We all know what he did to Tim and Damian, there are reasons, such as his mental instability at the time and rage, and though those are not excuses, I believe Jason would still drop everything to go save his family. He might complain, he might brood, but family is something important to him even when just looking at them hurts him. He lost his loving mother, stepmother, far too early and it's not hard to imagine that even with all the pain and grief inside his torn heart, the little boy inside Jason still craves the warmth of a family.

Just look at the way he treats his friends, at the way he helps them through situations no one else would, how caring and attentive he is. Jason is gentle, sure, he is rough and mean and he's got blood on his hands, but Jason is made of love.

Jason was made to be loved.

So I think, whether platonic or romantically, Jason would treat you so well. He'd scold you for not wearing warm clothes during winter, "We're in Gotham, you fucking moron, you wanna freeze to death?", all while wrapping you with his jacket or scarf. He'd make sure you're eating at least something every day, and if not, he would immediately put you under his arm, maybe over his shoulder, and take you to the nearest food chain he could find, "I don't want to hear you complaining about headaches when all you had today was a cup of coffee and gum.".

Lord, he'd be torn between freaking out and being extremely annoyed that you got hurt, be it at work, a fight, or just out of clumsiness. But no matter what, his hands would always be so, so gentle when touching you. The tip of his fingers brushing under the injury, as light as a breeze, his other hand holding the back of your neck, or your bicep, perhaps even your hand just to make sure you're there, with him.

Jason would both hush you gently, "I know, sweetheart, we're almost done.", and also tease because he's a little shit at heart, "If you had a little more awareness than a ten year old this wouldn't have happened, idiot."

And physical touches? Oh, love, Jason is a sucker for intimacy.

I know for a fact he wouldn't be comfortable for a long time with anyone in his personal space due to the torture he went through. The trauma would make his skin crawl any time someone got too close or brushed past him, he'd hate it so much because it makes him weak but also because he can't let anyone try to hug him without feeling sick to his stomach.

And with you it's no different. It would take a long time, a lot of trust being built up, conflict and confessions, maybe he'd even open up to you with his head on your lap as you brushed his hair softly, a big, big step for him after years of not letting anyone close. He'd tell you about the Joker, about having hope in Bruce, about his biological mother. And he'd feel vulnerable like a child when you wipe his tears gently without a word.

Once he starts craving your touch, though, regardless if you two have a platonic or romantic relationship, Jason is putty in your hands. Forehead kisses when you part ways, cuddling on the couch while he reads and you're on your phone, thighs touching when sitting close, even a little bit of hand holding when he's stressed and needs to play with your fingers.

He's like a big cat that's constantly making his way onto your chest, stealing your breath and making biscuits on your skin, making sure you're giving him sufficient pats every day.

It's a little part of him that he's barely able to properly allow space for. There's still so much hurt in Jason, so much confusion and desperation, hatred and upset, that he'd probably still close off sometimes, try acting tough so you'd see how fucked up he is, how he's not truly worth of your love.

And yet.

And yet all it'd take for him to go soft and pliant in your hands would be a single touch, cupping his cheeks, brushing his skin softly with your thumbs, right under his pretty emerald eyes, making sure his gaze is on you and only you. Just like that, he'd slump his shoulders and bring you into his arms, breathing a sigh of relief and squeezing you close, your heartbeats synching.

He wouldn't remember when he started feeling safest in your arms but it'd feel like it was since forever. Like there was no one else but you.

Jason was made to be loved, though he is a little broken and a little tainted, lost like a child and hateful like a sinner, your love might just be his salvation, something he's greedy for, selfish for, even when he's so hesitant of somehow hurting you.