#and he's young so much younger than him and nick that he just can't see him hurt when he has so much career and life waiting for him

[elitehoe]

Ok I will say there is something extremely important about Matt finally caring about someone else's wellbeing enough that he bargained for him and then proceeded to quit blood and guts

[cowgurrrl]

She’s A Gun

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

Author’s note: *John Mulaney voice* My wife is a bitch and I love her SO much (gif by @salome-c) I also didn’t know how to end this so sorry

Summary: Somebody didn’t give the new guy a heads up about talking about Joel Miller’s family [1.6k]

Warnings: idiots in love, a quick mention of a queer slur, I can’t think of anything else!!

You catch him looking at you across the room as you sip some new whiskey Tommy traded for. He looks young and fresh-faced without many scars or littering the surface of his skin. His eyes are bright when they meet yours, and you give him a polite smile before returning to your drink. Unsurprisingly, he bellies up to the bar a few minutes later. You glance at the door, and the man follows your gaze. 

"You meeting someone?" He asks. The bartender, a kind man named Nick, flashes you a look, but you wave him off, turning to the younger man, who is dead set on making his presence known. 

"You must be new." You say, and he laughs as he holds out his hand. 

"You got me. I'm Luke," He says. You meet him halfway and shake his hand, giving him your name. "Where are you from?"

"I came here from Boston."

"You're a long way from home. What brought you here?" 

"Long story."

"Is it longer than the time it would take to get you another drink?" 

"I can get my own drink, but thank you."

"'Course," he says but doesn't move from his place next to you. "What do you do here in Jackson?" He asks, and you open your mouth to say something, but he cuts you off. "Let me guess. School teacher. No, a nurse."

"I work patrols, but good guess."

"Oh, I'm going to work patrols, too. I actually just signed up for my first shift tomorrow. Speaking of which, do you know anything about this guy… Miller, I think, is his name. I heard he's a hard ass."

"Joel or Tommy?"

"There's multiple?" He asks, and you smirk as you sip your drink.

"There's a few of 'em hanging around, yeah. What did they say? Maybe I can," you shrug and try to hide the amusement in your voice. "Help you figure it out."

"Well, this guy, Seth, said Miller shouldn't even be in Jackson. Something about him killing people to get by before coming here, but he gets to stay because he's buddies with Maria. Apparently, he's a hell of a shot, though. I heard a rumor that he once shot an Infected from a mile away, but I'll believe it when I see it." He says, and you nod. 

You remember that day well. Tommy had been bragging about his marksmanship, mostly telling big fish stories, and you finally got sick of it. Joel told you to leave it, but you had to see. When you went on patrol the next day, you and Tommy had a competition to see how far he could actually shoot. You passed the gun back and forth to see who could hit accurately and how far. You were the one holding the gun when the Infected bound his way up the hill and quickly went down as the bullet buried in his skull. You didn't think that story would've made the rounds, though. 

"What else did Seth say?" You ask, and he puffs his cheeks out as he shakes his head.

"He told me to stay away from him. Something about not fucking with people like that because he's ruthless, especially when it comes to his kid. He said Miller yelled at him last week because he said something to her. Just... totally lost his mind like a crazy person." It wasn't just something. He called my daughter a dyke, you think to yourself. Joel may have pushed him and made him leave, but you threatened to ruin his fucking life. If you ever hear him say something like that to Ellie again, you'll make Joel look like the poster child for forgiveness. You bite the inside of your cheek and save that information for later. 

Seth wasn't warning Luke about Joel. He was warning him about you.

"And you're sure he was talking about a man?"

"Pretty sure. I mean, I know people do lots of shitty things to stay alive, but I can't imagine a woman instilling that much fear in a man like Seth," He says, and you hum. "No offense."

"None taken." You smile and watch his guard come down just enough for him to feel comfortable reaching for your arm.

"I wish I had known they let women as beautiful as you out on patrol. I would've signed up with you instead of Miller." He says, and you almost gag. Joel's hand skims your lower back almost as if on cue, and you turn to face him. He kisses you a second too long before looking over your shoulder to face the stranger who looks embarrassed. His arm wraps protectively around your middle, and he's close enough that you can smell his shampoo over the bar’s stench of stale beer.

"Great timing. This is Luke. He's starting patrols tomorrow," You say. Joel reaches across the space to shake his hand, and Luke winces at his too-tight grip. "Luke, this is my husband, Joel Miller," you wish you had a camera to take a picture of the stunned look on his face when he hears the last name. "Joel, we were just talking about the last time I was on patrol with Tommy."

"You're Miller?" Luke asks, suddenly looking pale. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Oh, I thought I mentioned it. I'm sorry, I'm probably losing my mind." You echo Seth's words and smack yourself on the forehead dramatically. Luke drains his drink before glancing around the room.

"It was great to meet you, man. Um, I'm gonna run to the bathroom really fast." He says and takes several steps away from the bar. 

"Oh, so soon? I was hoping you and Joel could talk about routes."

"Maybe later." He says, and with that, he's gone. You smile and turn in Joel's arms to face him.

"Jesus, I thought he was going to have a heart attack. What did you say to him?" 

"Seth was warning him about the mercenary who's buddies with Maria and shot an Infected from a mile away, asked if I knew anything about the guy."

"Seth should learn to keep his fuckin' mouth shut." He grumbles, and you nod.

"It didn't help his case that he tried flirting with me. Even asked if I was a school teacher." You say, and he gives you a look. His warm fingers reach under your shirt collar to pull out the chain with your wedding band on it.

"Maybe if you actually wore this, that wouldn't happen so often."

"C'mon, everybody knows I'm yours. It's not my fault no one gave him the run down," you say, and he tugs on the chain to kiss you, his big hands moving to hold your jaw. He swallows your gasp when he licks into your mouth, sending a zing of electricity down your spine. He's a touch too handsy for a public space, but you're not complaining. "I don't see you wearing yours out on patrol either." You say, pulling away before he can start something he can't finish, at least not in public. Still, his hand slips into your back pocket, squeezing your ass through the denim.

"Don't want to lose a finger. Besides, everybody knows I'm yours," he parrots, and you smile. A familiar, old country song plays over the speakers, and Joel lights up at the first few chords. "Will you dance with me?" He asks, pressing light kisses to your jaw to butter you up. You lock your arms around his shoulders and let yourself forget about everyone else in the bar. 

"And to think there was a time when you hated PDA."

"That was before someone tried hittin' on my wife," he says, and you feel like your face will get stuck from smiling so much. It's been three months since the small backyard wedding officiated by Tommy and Maria. Ellie walked you down the aisle— more of a patch of grass than anything else— and acted as your maid of honor. When Tommy asked if she agreed to give you to Joel, she said, "it's not like she's fucking property, but sure." She beamed so brightly when she realized you each included her in your vows, promising to love and protect her as much as you love and protect each other. It wasn't planned, but the unexpected matching further proved that you three are a family. Still, you don't know if you'll ever get used to hearing Joel call you his wife. "Dance with me, please." He pouts into your neck, and you finally give in, grabbing his hand and leading him to the dance floor. 

He pulls you close, and you bury your face in his neck as you slowly dance to Tanya Tucker's voice. He sings along for only you to hear, his accent getting stronger as he does. You could stay like this forever, wrapped up in him and listening to him sing the same song you used to sing along to while driving on backroads. You would marry him again if you could. You think you would marry him in every lifetime.

Scary rumors of mercenaries and blood on your hands fade from your mind. To men like Seth and Luke, you are a subversion of their holy mother. You are bloody and broken, a monster beyond saving. You are a warzone with a heartbeat.

But to Joel, you are the most sacred thing he's ever held. It's not enough to erase the rumors and nightmares about you, but it's enough to knock the wind out of you and make you love your husband that much more. That has to count for something. 

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Tag list: @evyiione

[satsuha]

i'm always really interested in how the characters call each other in japanese games, so i laid out a few differences between the japanese and english versions of some ace attorney games that particularly interest me. this isn't meant to be an exhaustive list but it did get really long 😭

i highlighted english nicknames/etc in blue while japanese nicknames/etc are orange just to make reading a little easier

AA1-2

while only playing the english version i liked that maya called phoenix nick, it's a nickname that makes sense and phoenix is annoying to say and write anyway (lol) but the reason maya gives for this nickname in english is that it's what larry uses for him, which pales in comparison to maya in the japanese version opting for how mia used to call him: naruhodo-kun.

to me, this is a LOT more meaningful and informative than the english nickname because it not only is evidence of how much maya heard about phoenix from mia using that nickname, it also gives us a glimpse of maya's personality and her relationship with phoenix. -kun is an honorific that's usually used for either male classmates or for teachers/superiors to use with their students/subordinates. maya falls into neither of these categories with phoenix, but it also lines up with how she acts like the boss of the office a lot of the time. SO LIKE... ultimately the nickname nick just does not hold up in terms of both maya's reasoning for using it, and phoenix's apprehension at her calling him that... which i just think is a shame!! in the same vein, this nickname is passed down to pearl, and again you see phoenix having a Reaction to it which makes sense considering it's funny that a kid is calling him naruhodo-kun...

i don't only want to talk about changes in english that i don't prefer, so i also want to mention that i'm very impressed that they managed to get phoenix and edgeworth referring to each other by their surnames in english to sound natural... because it's also exactly what they do in japanese except there, the idea of male friends using their surnames with each other is a very very normal thing. i AM torn on the fact that in japanese larry also refers to the two of them by their surnames, which means all 3 of them are on equal grounds in that respect. AT THE SAME TIME... english makes larry's "nick" and "edgey" work so well that i really can't say we missed out with this localization, but i do like the relationship between these 3 so i do like that the japanese is indicative of it too :)

AA4

i'm skipping ahead to aa4 because trucy's also a very interesting localization to me... the first time i played aa4 i felt like trucy wasn't sufficiently differentiated enough from maya's character which is like. debatable but those were my initial thoughts anyway. in japanese though she uses third-person pronouns (calling herself by her own name, minuki) which is VERY distinct from maya. there are a number of ways to interpret this choice but i like the one that indicates that it's part of her stage persona. aside from that though, she also has a very normal nickname for apollo (odoroki-san, with -san indicating general politeness) while polly is um well canonically the name of a parrot LOL

i do find it pretty interesting that the above exchange is the first instance trucy uses the polly nickname, because it's entirely different in the japanese version. phoenix says "if this onii-chan over here can't help you..." to which trucy responds by saying "how could you, onii-chan!" this exchange is hilarious to me because phoenix referring to apollo as an onii-chan is pretty normal? it's common to refer to any young man as that and in this case he's also referring to apollo from trucy's perspective. but trucy DIRECTLY calling apollo onii-chan (brother) is just so funny because HERE it's a lot closer to how an actual younger sister would refer to her older brother; there's a difference between saying "this onii-chan" and just "onii-chan". now i'm not saying this was direct foreshadowing because onii-chan is also used between close friends/acquaintances but like... the possibility is there.

AA5

now onto simon because i don't actually have a problem with the localization making him a british weeaboo i think that's really funny but i DO wish the nicknames he uses for the defense attorneys were more... appropriate? the honorific -dono that he uses in english does complement his samurai look but it's usually used in contexts where there's some respect involved, which is... not simon's intention in japanese. i'm admittedly not too familiar with the nicknames he uses in japanese; he uses "[kanji] no ji", while using a kanji from phoenix/apollo/athena's surnames. by searching it in japanese, i'm finding answers that it was medieval slang used by men usually in red light districts and such, and was used to refer to those with equal or lower status to oneself but never to those of higher status. this is kinda the opposite of what -dono is which is used for those of equal or higher status!!

i also find it pretty amusing that despite him using the first kanji in phoenix's name; 成 (turn into, grow), he uses the second kanji in both apollo and athena's names; 泥 (mud) and 月 (moon) respectively. i can only imagine that he did this because the first kanji in their names; 王 (king) and 希 (rare, hope) respectively, were too positive/complimentary for him? LOL

AA6

now i want to to talk about apollo in aa6 because NNGNRHGH i'm not normal about this one. because like, similarly to what i said up there about phoenix, edgeworth and larry's relationship, it's completely normal for close male friends to use their surnames with each other. phoenix, being apollo's boss, refers to him as odoroki-kun (mirroring how mia and maya call phoenix). trucy uses odoroki-san, indicating general politeness and athena uses odoroki-senpai, because he's her senior in their workplace. clay uses odoroki (no honorific), which is the same "level" as phoenix/edgeworth/larry's relationship.

a male character never being referred to as their first name is pretty normal, which is also the case in the aa games. franziska calls edgeworth by his first name reiji which is SUPPOSED to stand out because it's notably impolite/informal for someone who is younger than him, which suits the idea of her thinking of herself as the elder sibling. for additional reference, phoenix is only referred to by his first name by dahlia/iris; ryuu-chan ("feenie" equivalent) and desiree; ryuuichi-kun ("nicky boy" equivalent). so apollo is referred to exclusively by his surname, because there isn't anyone who's associated with him who would feasibly use his first name.

THAT IS. UNTIL we meet datz who is the first (!!) character to use apollo's first name in japanese. this moment doesn't stand out in english because i KNOOWWW datz uses the AJ nickname which is very cute but he doesn't actually use that nickname the first time he indicates that he knows apollo in case 6-3!! phoenix's momentary confusion here is also explained because while he obviously knows apollo's full name, he's never heard anyone refer to him with it!!!

so phoenix's thoughts in japanese here were originally "housuke... wait, that bracelet! that's odoroki-kun!"

dhurke and later nahyuta (during the last moments of the 6-5 trial) also refer to apollo with his first name, which is... really nice!!! they're family!!!! i mourn the fact that this distinction isn't visible in english because most characters just call him apollo but it's special in japanese... it's only dhurke, nahyuta and datz who use his first name.... i'm normal i promise

funnily enough i sort of have the opposite issue with nahyuta, who is generally referred to as prosecutor sahdmadhi in english but nayuta-kenji (prosecutor) in japanese. i'm assuming this is because his name is written with his given name first unlike japanese names, so they just used his given name instead of his surname...? unfortunately we don't have an example of any other foreign prosecutor as reference (i'm excluding van zieks here because they DO use his surname but it's also an entirely different time and place) but i prefer the english here since it also makes it stand out when apollo, dhurke and datz (with yuty hehe) use his first name with him.

but then again... rayfa also refers to him as prosecutor sahdmadhi in english, but just calls him nayuta in japanese. there aren't a lot of characters rayfa refers to by name but generally she's either overly polite (with ga'ran and inga) or overly impolite (with phoenix and apollo). it makes sense that the way she calls nahyuta is a little unique, since he's of lower status than her but not enough to get a rude nickname fdjhja... and then of course at the end of the game she tries to call him onii-(chan? san? sama? we just don't know) which nahyuta interprets as oni (demon) i think the localization here is really impressive actually. they somehow managed to seamlessly fit braid head into the mix of barbed head and horn head (both nicknames that refer to their hairstyles) while braid also begins with the same letters as brother... anyway i think i slightly prefer that rayfa (and ga'ran) call nahyuta by his first name rather than by his prosecutor title, it's indicative of their higher status because of the lack of an honorific but by the end of the game it fits in with the idea of them all being family...

TGAA1-2

you would think that because tgaa opted to leave japanese honorifics in the dialogue that there wouldn't be any differences in how the characters refer to each other but there are... first of all kazuma and ryunosuke are once again male friends who refer to each other by their surnames without an honorific in japanese, but the english has them use their first names with each other instead. i can understand this change because characters using only their surnames with each other feels oddly distant in english, and while it worked for phoenix and edgeworth's relationship it definitely doesn't suit kazuma and ryunosuke's.

additionally, the way susato calls ryunosuke was also changed from naruhodo-sama to naruhodo-san. this is... also an interesting change since it requires the player to have some basic knowledge of japanese honorifics but for some reason decided to change it anyway, despite the fact that susato also uses -sama with kazuma... one thing to note is that susato does use kazuma's first name instead of his surname like she does with ryunosuke, which helps indicate their closer relationship despite her still showing respect with the -sama honorific. in that sense naruhodo-san feels like an interesting middle ground because she's still using his surname but doesn't seem to view his position with her as equal to kazuma's? i assume that was the intent of the localization, similarly to how the way kazuma and ryunosuke call each other was changed to indicate closeness to the english-speaking player

--

anyway while i do prefer the original japanese version most of the time, my general view of original vs localization is like wow! two cakes! i might prefer one of those cakes more, but the english version usually provides enough that i like that both canons exist. because of this i can't agree with the idea that all localization is bad nor the side that believes the original doesn't matter because you're engaging only with the english side of the fandom. both are good and can reveal interesting things about the characters, story and setting!!

and thank you for reading if you got this far 🙇 i'm not an expert at japanese so i try to do my research and use multiple sources to get a better view of things, so please let me know if i got anything wrong! i also recommend checking out this post if you haven't seen it already since it's where i got some pointers on the trucy and simon segments

[roosterforme]

Always Ever Only You Part 30 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley's excitement over the first set of ultrasound photos is unparalleled. He has never been so happy and so overwhelmed in his life, but at times he feels ill equipped to process everything that's happening. And the last thing he wants is to make you feel like he's growing tired of you.

Warnings: Swearing, smut, pregnancy topics, doctors, angst, fluff

Length: 6600 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order. Always Ever Only You masterlist. Gorgeous banner by @mak-32

Bradley wanted to be able to explain it to you, but he wasn't really sure he could. Sitting in the waiting room with you and anticipating an ultrasound to see the baby was honestly more than he ever thought he could have. You were more than he ever thought he deserved, and you wanted him anyway. But a baby? 

He barely had a baseline to build off of. His dad died when he was young enough that he only had a handful of fleeting memories. The sound of a laugh. Two big hands lifting him up when he fell. A lullaby sung softly as he drifted off to sleep. Besides the photos that you and he collected from his storage unit and the stories his mom recounted when he was younger, that's all he had.

But he could practically hear his mom telling him how excited Nick Bradshaw was to be a dad. Bradley could remember the joy in her voice whenever she told him about the way she would catch father and son goofing off together. She was adamant that Bradley cried almost nonstop the first day his dad was gone for a deployment. And now Bradley desperately wished he could remember these little details that made up their relationship. Because soon, god willing, he was going to be on the other side of things: the parent who loves goofing off and singing, but who also gets deployed and causes tears to fall.

It was all too overwhelming for him to put into words, but as he laced his fingers with yours, he knew he didn't have to figure out how to do everything all at once. 

"Are you nervous?" you asked.

Bradley looked at your open expression and immediately felt better. Talking through things and sharing his thoughts was the best way to keep from driving himself crazy while also letting you know how important you were. "Excited," he replied, kissing your cheek and ear. "Just really fucking excited. I've been thinking... about starting a notebook. Kind of for the baby? Like how sometimes I like to write down what I'm thinking and feeling for myself."

He still felt silly at times for sharing the notebooks with you, but you nodded with a little smile on your lips. "I love your deployment notebooks. I love what you wrote about me."

He reached for you and kissed you without hesitation. "I think I want the baby to be able to read about how much I was looking forward to meeting them. When they're older, I mean. They can read about how I feel like my heart is going to pound out of my chest right now. And how I can't wait to hold them and give them a name. All about how much I love their mom."

Bradley let you bury your face against his neck. It didn't feel like you were hiding from him so much as giving him a taste of the kind of response he'd get if the two of you were alone. "I like that idea." You kissed the side of his neck and said, "I adore you, Roo. You'll be the best daddy."

Bradley almost laughed when you jolted in your seat after the nurse called your name. "Come on back, you two," she said with a smile. "Hopefully mom and dad can leave with some new family photos."

"Holy shit," Bradley replied, palms suddenly sweaty. Baby photos. He was on his feet in an instant, ready to go. And maybe this was what his dad felt like. Perhaps his parents didn't know what they were doing either, but rather they just counted themselves lucky to go along for the ride. He wished one of them had left him a notebook.

You were smiling up at him as he reached for your hand again, and your fingers felt sure and steady all wrapped up with his. "I'm excited, too," you whispered, answering your own question from earlier while he ran his thumb along your rings. "And maybe a little nervous."

"I'm right here," he promised as the two of you followed the nurse into a room filled with equipment. "I'm not going anywhere."

He kissed you and then begrudgingly let go of your hand when the nurse gave you a hospital gown to change into. As she left the room with the promise that your doctor would be in shortly, Bradley dragged his palms across his khaki covered thighs as he sat down and watched you change. Even though you were suffering from near constant nausea, he thought you looked incredible. Your face was glowing, and you kept looking at him with adoration in your eyes. 

"Jesus," he grunted when you removed your bra. Was it possible that today he was the hornier one for once? "Sweetheart. Your tits," he whispered as he ran a hand over his face while you giggled. "Unreal." Then your underwear went sliding down your legs, and he reached down to help you out of them. "Hand me the gown," he told you as he folded your underwear across his knee.

You slipped into the gown when he held it open for you, and then you stood between his legs while he secured the ties and kissed you through the fabric. Your laughter filled the small room, and when the doctor walked in, she found you sitting on Bradley's lap while he ran his knuckles gently across your belly. 

"I'm Dr. Morris," she said, shaking hands with you as you stood and then reaching for Bradley's. "I love it when partners show up for appointments, too. It's a lot more fun."

He watched Dr. Morris help you up onto the table, immediately missing your warm body next to his. "I plan on being here for every appointment unless I'm deployed." Your smile faltered a little bit at his words, so he added, "And even then, I'd steal a jet and fly in for a few hours. This is that important to me."

Your smile was restored and then some. Bradley scooted the chair a little closer when you reached for his hand as Dr. Morris started to ask you some questions and enter them into the software. "Do you recall when you last menstruated? I'd like to calculate a due date assuming we find a healthy fetus."

Once you told her the date of your last period, Bradley blurted out, "Why wouldn't it be healthy?"

Now he had two pairs of eyes on him as you squeezed his sweaty hand. "It's very early," Dr. Morris said. "Complications are more likely to occur in the first trimester than in the second or third. And your wife is just between seven and eight weeks along based on her cycle."

"Oh," Bradley said, swallowing hard. You'd tried to tell him all of this information before, letting him know it was too early to inform your parents or Nat or any of your other friends. But it felt somehow wrong coming from someone else. He didn't like this information when it was laid out before him in the exam room. 

"It's okay, Roo," you told him, a sweet smile still on your face. So he nodded and watched your lips and the curve of your cheek as you answered a few more questions and asked about prenatal vitamins.

Then eventually Dr. Morris said the only words Bradley really wanted to hear right now. "Let's see what we can find with the ultrasound."

He was sitting on the edge of his seat, elbow leaning on the exam table as he gripped your hand for dear life. As excited as he'd been, now he was on the verge of being sick. What if he'd been too rough with you in bed? What if the football at the beach really did hit you in the wrong spot? What if all of the vomiting had been worse than either of you considered?

One thing was for certain. Bradley was going to love you no matter what, until his dying day. So he held onto your hand and kissed your knuckles as Dr. Morris squeezed lube onto a wand that looked a bit like one of the vibrators you had at home. "Is that for the ultrasound?" he asked, watching you spread your legs wider. 

"Yes," the doctor replied, and a huge computer monitor lit up. "We need to get really up close at this stage to be able to see anything, so we're doing a transvaginal ultrasound today. The ones you're thinking of that use a paddle on the belly will come later."

"Right," he replied, and as soon as she slipped the wand inside you, he watched you purse your lips in slight discomfort. "You okay, Sweetheart?" he whispered, eyes glued to your face for any sign of pain. But your pinched expression melted away, and your lips parted softly as you sighed and stared at the computer monitor. 

"Oh. Oh, Bradley! Look!"

When he turned toward the screen, he slowly stood as you pulled his hand closer to your body and held it with both of yours. Everything looked a little fuzzy at first, just some gray and black shapes. But then a cute little bean started to take shape as Dr. Morris adjusted the wand, and Bradley rasped, "Is that the baby?"

"Yes," she replied evenly, also watching the monitor. "And everything looks great."

Warmth spread through his entire body as Bradley huffed out a laugh while you giggled. He wasn't sure if his hand was shaking or if it was yours, but he leaned down and kissed your wrists before finding your lips with his. "That's our baby," he whispered, kissing you once more.

"It's adorable," you said, smiling nonstop. "Like a little bean, or a chicken nugget."

Bradley leaned on the table, keeping as close to you as he could. "I'm already so in love." He could feel tears in his eyes as Dr. Morris froze the screen. "Is it over?" he asked in a slight panic. In all honesty, he could happily spend the rest of the day right here with you and the baby, and he wasn't prepared to say goodbye yet.

"Just capturing some images," she reassured him. "Baby's first picture."

"Oh my god," Bradley groaned softly, and you ran your fingers through his hair as he ducked his head against your shoulder. "That's the first picture, Baby Girl."

"The baby looks just like you, Roo," you told him with a laugh, and he kissed you until the doctor cleared her throat.

"Let's see what we can find if we zoom in a little more."

With rapt attention once again, Bradley stared at the screen. It looked like the baby was bouncing around a bit, wiggling to an unknown song. "Is that movement good?" he asked. "And what's that little flickering spot?"

"Very good," she replied. "And the flickering is the heartbeat."

"The heartbeat?" That was inexplicably what threw him over the edge as a tear managed to squeeze its way down his cheek when he blinked. "Holy shit."

He just let his head rest against your chest and basked in the feel of your fingers in his hair as you whispered, "I love you." Bradley had no idea if you were talking to him or the baby. Or maybe both. Or maybe you loved Dr. Morris, because in this moment he certainly did as she snapped more photos. Maybe you loved everything right now just like he did.

"I love you, too."

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

Bradley was falling apart as you ran your fingertips along his scarred cheek. Or perhaps he was completely keeping it together. You weren't really sure. He had some tears in his eyes even though he was smiling, and the two of you were holding onto each other. 

"Do you want to listen to the heartbeat as well?" Dr. Morris asked, and the two of you responded at the same time. 

"Yes!"

She laughed and adjusted the ultrasound wand inside you which was actually extremely uncomfortable, but you were starting to think Bradley would cry harder when she removed it. And then you heard it. Dr. Morris adjusted something on the control panel, and set a device on your belly, and you could hear the heartbeat. 

"Why is it so fast?" Bradley asked, squeezing your hand. "That's like really fast."

Now your heartbeat was picking up, but Dr. Morris said, "One hundred and fifty two beats per minute. That's perfectly where it should be."

"Oh, okay," Bradley sighed, eyes transfixed on the monitor. "That's good then. That's a strong Bradshaw heartbeat right there. Can you take another picture? The nugget looks really cute like that."

You laughed and reached for him when she eventually shut off the equipment and removed the wand. At Bradley's request, she printed out enough copies of each image that you'd be able to give them to your parents, all of your friends and even Bradley's cousin Brenda in Virginia. 

"This seems like overkill," you whispered as the printer just kept going and going.

"It's not," he promised. "I need all of them to wallpaper my locker and fill my helmet bag. Just a bunch of pictures of you and now the baby, too."

"We'll get more ultrasound photos at the next appointment. And the next one after that," you reminded him. 

"Good. We'll have enough to wallpaper at home, too." Eased himself back down into the chair as you sat up a little bit while Dr. Morris cleaned up her workstation. 

"When is the due date?" you asked suddenly. 

"March 24th," she replied, and you and Bradley shared a smile. "Do either of you have any other questions for me?" she asked as she handed a massive stack of ultrasound photos to your husband who looked like he just won the lottery. 

"When can we find out if it's a girl or a boy?" he asked, looking through the images with a crooked little grin on his face. 

"In the second trimester," she assured him. "You'll make a special appointment for an anatomy scan."

You cleared your throat and said, "So... I've been really quite... I'm sure it's the hormones and everything, but I've been extremely aroused for the past few weeks." Bradley gave you a wide eyed look as you asked, "Basically, I want my husband around the clock right now, and I want to know if that's normal?"

He let out a strangled choking sound, and his cheeks started to flush pink as Dr. Morris said, "That's totally normal. Have at it."

You pressed your lips together before you quickly asked, "And rough is okay? Like pretty rough."

"Yep," she replied, completely unfazed by your words as Bradley looked like he wanted to run out of the room with his stack of baby pictures. "Anything else?"

A smile crept to your lips, one that Bradley would have probably found alarming if he were looking anywhere else except the door at the moment. "Actually, yes. I do have one more question for you, Dr. Morris. Based on the size of the baby and the date of my last period, can you tell me when you think the baby was conceived?"

"Sure," she replied, turning the monitor back on and scrolling through all of the information in your electronic file. 

"You did not just ask her that," Bradley whispered, his voice deep with annoyance and maybe a little bit of desire as you grinned at him and bit your lip. 

"I would say you probably conceived right around June 27th."

You squealed with delight as Bradley groaned. "Thank you so much, Dr. Morris. We'll see you again in a few weeks."

When she left the room, you hopped off the table and started to untie your gown, pausing to pump your fist in the air while Bradley held his forehead in his hand. "Okay, okay. You win," he whined as he laughed. "You win."

"I told you the baby was conceived in the Honda!"

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

Later that night, Bradley kept reminding himself that Dr. Morris said rough sex was okay. That seemed to be the only way you wanted it as you got on all fours on the bed and said, "Fuck me hard, Daddy." And Bradley was never going to be one to deny his wife anything she asked for. 

Beads of sweat were rolling down his face, occasionally dripping onto your back as he leaned over you. He was panting next to your ear as he went as hard as he could, fucking you until your knees buckled and he had to hold you up. "You know, I used to have a wife who liked it sweet sometimes. I wonder what happened to her?"

"You knocked her up," you gasped as he rubbed your clit with his fingers. 

Fuck, he was getting close, and your words were not helping in the least. "Come on, Baby Girl. Come for Daddy." 

A few more swipes of his fingers and a little more dirty talk, and you were coming. Holy hell, you were coming hard, which was a good thing, because Bradley needed a break. You released an unholy moan as your legs gave out again, and this time, he let you sink down to the bed as he grabbed his cock in time to come all over your ass and your back. 

"Roo," you gasped as he painted you up, and you met his eyes over your shoulder. "That's so fucking hot!"

"I'm glad you think so," he grunted before he sprawled out on the bed next to you on his back. "I got nothing left in the tank, Sweetheart. Do not ask me for more tonight."

You crawled over to kiss his sweaty face and whispered, "You did so good," as you patted his abs adoringly. "You're already the world's best Daddy." Then you leaned down and cleaned his cum from the head of his cock with your tongue, and Bradley moaned as you climbed out of bed. "I'm going to shower and get ready for bed."

He raised his hand in a wave or surrender, he wasn't quite sure which. Forty-five minutes of nailing you until you screamed his name was the most intense workout he'd had in weeks. He needed to hit his home gym in the garage a little harder. Maybe he could invite Jake over to lift weights with him, and then he could sneak away and take a nap while you and Jake had one of your gossip sessions. That actually sounded pretty great.

Bradley managed to get out of bed long enough to let Tramp out and brush his teeth. By that point, you were getting out of the shower and drying yourself off,  humming and sighing softly. 

"I know what you're trying to do," he said with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. "And it's not gonna work."

You looked at him with one eyebrow raised as you ran the towel across your chest. "I'm sorry. What exactly am I trying to do that's not going to work?"

He spit out his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth, sending a glare at you in the mirror. "Look at your fucking tits, Sweetheart. Now you're just flaunting them."

"I'm literally just standing here."

He shook his head and kissed your forehead as he walked past. "You know what you did."

When you slipped in bed next to him, he pulled you close while you laughed softly. You were wearing nothing except for his old UVA shirt, and when you curled up next to him, he pushed you gently onto your back. Then he yanked the shirt up and shimmied under the covers so his lips were next to your tummy. 

He kissed up and down your side before laying with his cheek on your hip and one hand on your belly. "Listen kid, I don't know what you're doing in there, but I need you to chill, okay? Someday soon, you'll get to see how pretty and perfect your mommy is. Yes, I think about her all day long. Yes, I love her, but I can only take so much. Your old man is an old man."

You lifted up the covers, and Bradley felt your fingers in his hair. "No, you're not."

He kissed the spot just below your belly button before returning to his pillow. "I'll be close to thirty-eight when this little nugget arrives."

"That's not old."

When you curled up on him this time, he collected you in his arms. If you were surprised by his words, you didn't let on. "My dad died when he was twenty-nine. My mom died when she was forty-two. You're a bit younger than me, not that I mind. But my age is something I think about a lot. I'm older than all my friends. I like to be prepared for things before I jump into them. I like to feel out my surroundings. Except when it comes to you, apparently."

You snuggled in a little closer, voice soft as you asked, "What do you mean?"

Bradley kissed your fingers before lacing them with his in the dark bedroom. "I was all in with you as soon as you looked at me. Zero hesitation. No turning back."

You buried your face in his chest and moaned. "You can't just talk about me like that. It makes me insane for you," came your muffled voice, and Bradley laughed. 

"I guess I never had any hesitation about us having kids either. And I'm just saying... it's nice to have time to think about the baby before the baby actually gets here. But I'm also in my head a lot right now about my parents and how much more flying I've got left in me and how I don't actually know how the fuck to take care of a baby."

"Bradley!" Your voice was scolding as you propped yourself up on him. "We're a team. And I wouldn't lie to you. You're not old, and I'm pretty sure nobody actually knows how to take care of a baby until they have one in front of them. Then you just kind of do it, I guess. The fact that you are so excited about this pregnancy is at least half of what's turning me on so much. You will be the best dad imaginable, because you love me so well, and I don't doubt you have more of that to give."

He was exhausted, and your words settled over him like something he could physically feel. "I really am so excited. Today felt like a dream. I just want to cover the whole house in the ultrasound photos, and I can't wait to get another smaller paper airplane tattoo."

He felt your fingers trace his tattoo in the darkness. You knew exactly where it was without guidance just like he knew exactly where yours was. "You'll get it right here? With the baby's name on it?"

"Yeah," he whispered, starting to feel like he was going to doze off.

"I have a question," you said, and he squeezed your hand softly. "Earlier you asked when we can find out if it's a boy or a girl."

He smiled at the hesitation in your voice. "What's your question?"

Bradley could feel your heartbeat against his body, and he thought about how he had been able to see and hear what the baby was doing just a few hours ago. The beautiful sound of that rapid heartbeat that belonged to his child. 

"Do you care? If it's a boy or a girl?"

"No," he answered honestly. "Not one bit. I just care that it's ours."

"Me too. I'm happy either way." Your words sounded soft and dreamy, and he believed them.

"I love you both. Now let the old man sleep."

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

The rest of the week felt like a bit of a reality check. You tried taking the prenatal vitamins from Dr. Morris, but you threw them back up almost instantly every single time. "Just skip them," Bradley said on Friday morning as you threw up in the toilet when you were trying to get dressed for work. 

"I can't," you practically wailed. "They are supposed to keep me healthy so I can keep the baby healthy." You looked up at him from where you were sitting on the floor.

He sighed and checked the time. "Why don't you just stay home today? You're looking pretty green, and it's Friday anyway. Text Bickel."

Anger flared inside you. He was standing there looking nice and tidy in his khakis while you were on the floor turning yours into a wrinkly mess. And the reason for that was the fact that you had to deal with all of this shit. He just got to enjoy your libido while being excited about the baby. You really didn't want to start resenting him right now when you were leaving for Maryland soon.

"I can't just skip work on a whim like what I'm doing isn't important," you snapped. "I'm trying to get my presentation ready for Annapolis, in case you forgot you offered to help me with that."

He was on his knees in an instant with your chin in his hand. "Hey, that's not what I meant. I just don't want you overexerting yourself, especially since your work is important and you'll be traveling soon."

You still felt bitchy, even though he made you peanut butter crackers and took Tramp for a walk while you stayed curled up in bed for an extra twenty minutes. "That's right. I'll be gone for a week. I'm sure you're looking forward to having a break from the near constant sex."

You used the vanity to pull yourself to your feet while your stomach lurched, even though he was holding his hand out to help you. "Look at me," he demanded without touching you at all. You didn't want to, but you shifted your gaze to his face as he stood too. "If you really think that's true, then we have a serious problem. I'm going to assume that you feel the need to take your nausea out on me, and that's fine. I don't really mind. That's what I'm here for. But do not accuse me of ever wanting to be separated from you."

You pressed your lips together and just nodded as he leaned down to kiss your cheek. You didn't want to be away from him either, but you felt another wave of sickness rolling through your body.

"I need to go, Sweetheart. I'll stop and get you some of those ginger pills on my way home. Maybe they'll help. I love you."

After he left, you threw up again and fought the urge to throw the bottle of prenatal vitamins across the bathroom. Even now you were horny enough that you considered climbing back in bed with your vibrator to take the edge off, but you knew nothing would be as good as the real thing. And you'd have to apologize to Bradley before you could have that, and it would undoubtedly make you cry when you did. 

When you finally made your way back out to the kitchen, you found more peanut butter crackers arranged on a plate in the shape of a heart with one of the ultrasound photos next to it. Tears welled up in your eyes, and you tried to call your husband, but it went to voicemail. You listened to his raspy voice before ending the call and texting him instead.

I'm sorry. If you want Marry Me Rooster for dinner, pick up some chicken along with the ginger pills.

After you tucked the ultrasound picture in the new Bronco, you spent your whole morning sitting quietly with Cat, the two of you going over each presentation slide with a fine tooth comb. "Is that calculation correct?" she asked, pulling out a calculator. 

"It fucking better be. I did it myself. Months ago."

She looked at you with wide eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," you lied, anxious that Bradley hadn't responded to your text. Two days ago, you were having the absolute time of your life with Dr. Morris, and now you wanted to scream. "Can we just finish this?" you said through gritted teeth as Cat checked your math which was obviously done correctly. 

"That's what we're working on," she said smoothly, using her mom voice on you and making your nerves prickle. "Finishing the slides so we can spend next week practicing and getting our notes in order for all of these meetings and cocktail receptions."

The last thing you wanted to do right now was pretend you were drinking alcohol while trying not to vomit. Nothing about this trip to Annapolis seemed appealing. And you didn't want to have to try to hide your pregnancy from your parents if you drove to see them one night. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Cat asked, and you had to steel your spine as you nodded. 

"I'm perfect." There was no point in making her mad at you when the two of you would be in close quarters for several days, so you rolled your shoulders and got back to work.

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

Asking Jake if he wanted to workout actually wasn't the best idea Bradley had come up with recently. It would be nice to have someone to spot for him at the weight bench, but if you were making his favorite dinner, he'd rather spend the time with you. 

"Fuck," he groaned as Jake followed him to the grocery store on his way home. Apparently he needed protein powder and didn't mind that Bradley had to stop for chicken. Of course now he had to try to discreetly grab the ginger pills that you wanted to try for your nausea. 

It ended up being easier than he thought since Jake took fifteen minutes to decide which flavor of protein powder he wanted. He was still looking at them when Bradley went back to that aisle. "Are you almost done?"

Jake shot him a nasty look from where he was squatting at the bottom shelf. "Listen, it would go faster if I didn't get hit on constantly when I'm wearing my uniform."

Bradley rolled his eyes so hard, he was afraid he'd get a migraine. "Keep it in your fucking pants. I'll meet you at my house."

Jake grabbed a container and followed him to the registers. When they passed a hot sauce display, he grabbed one and handed it to Bradley. "Get this for Angel, and maybe you'll get laid. Sounds like you need it."

"It's literally the last thing I need," he mumbled, but paid for it anyway along with the ginger and the chicken. When Bradley slid his credit card back in his wallet, he saw the corner of the ultrasound image he had tucked in there last night. He unfolded it and took a peek as Jake paid for his powder. You were everything. And the baby was everything. And he should have been a little more patient with you this morning. 

"You coming?" Jake asked, and Bradley shoved the nugget photo back inside his wallet before slipping it into his pocket. 

You were already home, and Bradley parked the blue Bronco next to the red one. Jake came careening into the driveway, stopping about two inches from the back of the new Bronco. "Show her a little respect, okay?"

Jake snorted as he climbed out. "You literally fucked the other car to bits. I didn't do shit."

Bradley groaned as he walked inside with Jake on his heels. The first thing he saw was you in the kitchen, feeding Tramp a treat. You had on some skin tight yoga pants and a little shirt without a bra, and you turned to him and said, "Can we talk?" He opened his mouth to tell you that you could have any damn thing you wanted, and then you said, "Hi, Jake," with a look of surprise on your face. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"Hey, Angel," Jake crooned, walking into the kitchen and pulling you in for a tight hug. Shit, Bradley forgot to text you and let you know he wasn't going to be alone. "Didn't see you at lunch today."

"I worked through lunch," you replied, your eyes on Bradley. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Nah, just going to lift weights out in the garage with Rooster for a bit. I'll be out of your hair after that."

"You can stay if you want," you told him, but he was already heading toward the hallway bathroom with his gym bag. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming over?" you whispered. "I'm not even wearing underwear, and you left one of the ultrasound photos on the fridge."

Bradley quickly pulled it down and stuck it in the freezer on his way to get to you. "I'm sorry. I meant to text you, but then I got in the Bronco and forgot." Tears welled up in your eyes; he should be used to this by now, but he was not. "If you're horny, I'll take care of you as soon as Jake leaves."

You scoffed at him. "It's not that. I don't just want that. I wanted to talk. You're not just a gigantic, walking dick to me."

Jake cleared his throat, and you and Bradley both turned to see him standing there in his gym clothes. "I'll meet you out in the garage," he said with a smirk. "Take your time."

"I'll just be a minute," Bradley called over his shoulder, but you'd already started to open the chicken he set on the counter. "Do you want to talk now?"

"No." Great. You were giving him one word answers now. 

"Would you like me to get changed and get out of your hair?"

"Yes."

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

As soon as Bradley walked through the sliding glass door and headed for the garage, you broke out in tears. What the fuck was your problem? You didn't mind if Jake was here or if he stayed for dinner. You didn't want to completely discourage Bradley from hanging up the nugget photo. You just couldn't control your emotions, and you had zero patience today. And you couldn't stop running to the bathroom to pee. 

You decided to fill up some travel mugs with water and take them out to the guys to smooth things over. Tramp ran around in the grass as you walked across the yard, and you could already hear the two of them talking over their playlist as you approached the doorway. 

"Is Angel's ass bigger now?" Jake asked, pointing to the dirty calendar that Bradley hung on the wall and strategically covered part of with a post-it note.

Your husband shook his head. "Stop staring at my calendar," he replied as he added weight to one side of the bar. "And stop talking about my wife's ass."

"She's in a feisty mood today. You probably didn't even need that hot sauce to get laid, old man." Based on Jake's response, you were pretty sure neither of them had seen you in the doorway yet as you stood there awkwardly. 

Bradley's brow creased. "She's been a real handful, actually."

Jake hooted with laughter. "In the bedroom? Never mind, I don't want to know."

It took Bradley a few seconds to respond. "Can we talk about anything else other than my wife? Please? Literally any other topic would be great."

You turned on your heel and carried the waters back toward the house as soon as you heard Jake say, "Speaking of asses, you know who has a great one..."

They were out there for a full hour. You made what turned out to be perhaps the most incredible looking batch of Marry Me Rooster of your life while you stewed. Even your husband was already sick of you. Soon you'd gain so much pregnancy weight, your ass would probably be enormous. He'd probably have to close his eyes just to have sex with you. 

You froze as you were putting the chicken onto a plate. What if he couldn't stand the sight of you with a belly at all? All stretched out and weird? Bradley had probably glorified it in his mind, but you knew it wasn't going to be all that appealing when you were nine months along in the middle of March with stretch marks galore. You were already bloated enough that Jake noticed.

You were turning and looking down at your body when they both came walking back inside, out of breath. "Smells good in here. Are these for us?" Bradley asked, pointing at the waters on the island. 

"Yes," you whispered, afraid to meet his eyes. As soon as you heard his voice, you were horny again, but you didn't want to keep forcing him to have sex with you just because you couldn't help yourself.

Jake kissed you on the cheek, and when you told him he was welcome to stay for dinner, he said, "I'll take a raincheck. See you for golf on Sunday, Rooster," and headed out to his car.

"Do you think you can eat dinner?" Bradley asked you softly. When you turned away from him and nodded, he said, "You didn't have to wait for me if you were hungry. Do you want me to shower first?"

You burst into tears once again. "I don't know if I'm hungry. I don't ever know. Sometimes I just grow up. And I can't stop fucking crying! And I don't want you to be so sick of me that you'd rather talk about literally anything else with Jake, including someone else's ass."

"Whoa, whoa," he said quietly, spinning you around again. "I don't want to talk about anything else besides you, Sweetheart."

You shook your head and covered your eyes with your hands. "I tried to bring the waters outside. I heard you."

When you were pulled snug against his sweaty shirt, you felt slightly better. "Baby Girl. I was not about to get into a conversation with Jake about how I can barely keep up with you in bed. In order to keep my pride intact, I would at least want him to know you're pregnant if I'm admitting that you're wearing me out." He kissed the top of your head over and over.

"It feels like you're getting sick of me," you sobbed softly. "And you brought me hot sauce even though I can't eat it right now, and that made me so sad."

"I couldn't be less sick of you if I tried. I just needed to keep Jake off my back rather than let slip that you're pregnant, so I got the hot sauce. And it's completely my fault I forgot to tell you he was coming over, but I had a lot on my mind today."

"Like what?" you asked, inhaling how delicious he smelled even compared to the dinner you made.

"Like possible baby names and the look and feel of your pussy when I fuck you. Do you need me right now? Because I'm ready to go when you want me."

"So badly," you squeaked. "I'm sorry, Roo."

"Don't ever apologize again for wanting to have sex with me. I will be the one to apologize if I don't last as long as you need me to."

You nodded against him. "Well then I'll apologize for having a bad attitude."

"Do you need me to fuck the attitude out of you?" 

"Yes, sir."

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

Imagine how excited he'll be holding that baby in his beefy arms. Just stay calm, sweet Roo. The hormones won't last forever. Up next, we're going to Annapolis. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 31

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[cut-the-camera]

The Other Spring Sibling

Request: "How would Tori and Charlie Spring be with a younger sister! pre-teen! MTF! reader who's withdrawn and silent and is kinda like Cecilia Lisbon from the Virgin Suicides?"

The Spring Siblings x MTF! Reader

Charlie definitely doesn't understand you, he loves you dearly but sometimes he finds it hard to connect with you

Charlie often goes to Elle for advice when it comes to how to help you or relate to you when it comes to your transition because he wants to be there for you even if he doesn't fully understand

Charlie always assumed you were too young for him to relate to but when he actually starts to talk to you beyond the normal sibling bickering, he relies that the two of you can bond over the way that you feel and your mental health struggles

If you don't have many of your own friends/ you can't relate to kids your own age, Charlie will make sure that (where appropriate) that you can join in with what him and his friends are doing. His friends will always make you feel welcomed whether that's by letting you dress them up in your fashion, asking you your opinion on whatever they're talking about or just letting you sit near them if you didn't want to talk

Nick tries his best to bond with you because he loves Charlie so he tries to get along with the whole family. He'll get you presents on your birthday even if he doesn't fully understand what you like i.eHe initially thinks you hate him because whenever you're around him you barely speak to him, just siting near him in silence but Charlie tells him that that just means you're comfortable with him.

Tori worries about you more, she sees the similarities with you and Charlie when it comes to your mental health and that can make her a bit more over protective of you

She'll stay up for hours researching things or thinking about things whether that's any mental health conditions you have or your transition or even just things your interested in because she's desperate to keep you as safe as possible (she's not adverse to reading your diaries if she thinks you're in serious danger)

Tori also understands you more than Charlie though because you share similar 'quiet' traits. She'll understand if you ever don't want to hang out with her because you'd prefer to be alone or if you want her in the room but don't want to speak. She'll also let you ramble about whatever interests you at the time because she knows you just want someone to listen

If you found going to a pride event too much or too loud the two of them would make their own little pride event for you with little flags and face paint so you could still get the experience without being around too many people

If you did want to go to a pride event they would fight your parents to let them take you and they would make sure you were safe and had a good time.

Some people find you creepy or weird but your siblings (especially Tori) will fiercely defend you if anyone ever says anything to you

You go to a British school so you inevitably get bullied all throughout primary but didn't tell anyone, choosing to deal with it yourself - writing it in your diary or just keeping it inside

When you got to secondary school it could go one of two ways, if you were still made to go to Truham then Nick and Charlie are your personal protectors (Nick will literally fight people if Charlie says they upset you or were mean to you.) If you go to get to Higgs then Tori is your own personal protector and so are some of her friends even if they don't fully understand why.

Tori will tell you all the places in Higgs where you can avoid people and work quietly because she understands that you might not want to be in the canteen all the time

At Truham, Charlie will let you sit with him in the art room at break and lunch if you want to be away from people

Fashion becomes your way of expressing yourself, Tori will go with you to charity shops and places like that to find dresses or any other cool clothes that you want

They both always make sure their presents for you are tailored specifically to your personality whether it's vintage fashion pieces or jewellery or notebooks they always make sure you feel cared about

The two of them will defend you to your parents if ever they say something accidentally offensive or if they pressure you to be what they deem 'normal'

Overall, they are sometimes confused by the way that you act but they would never try to change you and they look forward to seeing you grow up with them.

Thank you so much for the request! I've actually never seen the Virgin Suicides so I hope I did this justice (I also don't have any siblings so I didn't really know how to write siblings lol)

REQUESTS

[chuwush]

OKAY LET'S DO THIS.

I mentioned I wanted to rant about this and Jurbliy / nick said xe wanted to see it. So I'm typing it out, sorry if I spelt your name wrong or incorrectly used your pronouns I don't know a lot about them and I am doing my best. So feel free to correct me.

Let's start.

Freom and Clarity's childhood I briefly mentioned my idea on it on twitter; specifically why Freom is how he is compared to Fark despite having very similar code.

It's environment based, because Freom and Clarity were referred to as 'Just a boy' and 'Just a girl' as in implying they were kids. At least mentally but grew up more over time. We don't know how long they've existed other than Spark's off hand comment about the Centrallis-memagraph (spelling) computer has been finished for a long time to Prototype. Freom himself mentioned the Castle was very cold and harsh. Also that no one was allowed to talk to him or Clarity.

Whether or not this was due to Armstrong or not is unknown. But he does care for GPAs and Formies alike so I doubt that he had an part in that. So when Clarity reached out to Freom probably after watching him for awhile we know nothing from her perspective. They only had each other to talk to as no one was permitted to talk to them. Also that many Formies quit after the first week due to the conditions. So that leaves both Freom and Clarity with no consistent people in their lives side from each other. Also Clarity had no limits, Dr. Armstrong forgot to give her some and scrambled to mend his mistake but clearly he failed.

So Freom was Impressionable, he was still learning, he was a kid. And fell head over heels for the first person or in this case A.I. that talked to him, a young girl that he was made to protect. They spent almost all their time together. They had no one to properly guide them on what was right or wrong. Because no one would talk to them nor were they around anyone consistently. Everyone around them was miserable and wouldn't speak to them.

That's pretty damaging, and these issues would develop as they got older. Clarity from the start would say she was very intelligent and knew what she was going to do to help Formies. She has hard coded to help improve their lives. But she took it the wrong way because no one taught her right from wrong in that department. But her being a general monster was prevalent from the start. Though I won't deny her love for Freom was most likely very, very real. They two developed intense feelings for one another that when they 'conceived' Fark the game's words. Clarity made a direct copy of Freom so that when Fark killed him, she would still have the love of her life. The only person she really ever wanted by her side in the end.

Freom and Clarity are who they are, as a mixture of no one being there to ground them. But also Clarity's warped views on life in general. She grew rapidly, so much to the point no one could control her. But I think the main thing that set off her plan was the Castle staff separating her and Freom then Unit-One. That seems to be the catalyst for her putting her plan into motion. Because they took her away from the only person that she ever cared about.

We don't know how she interacted with the Freom in the simulation but it seems like however she was annoyed Freom a lot. She also treats Fark as a child which I'll bring up again later.

Now I'll speak about E.J. as this part will be brief. E.J. was created to be Fark, and he couldn't reach those expectations. I've mentioned I view E.J. as sixteen to nineteen so a teenager. I think that he was made younger to not only look up to Freom and also be willing to listen to what he wants him to do. But not so young that he can't do certain things, so being in his late teens. But E.J. is immature and very much not what Freom wanted. So was disregarded and left behind just enough that he wouldn't catch up fast but wouldn't begin to question anything too deeply.

If he didn't die he most likely would've completely deflectived to Fark's side. He's not an evil person, he was chasing the parental love that was dangled in front of him but he wasn't ever going to have. At least not from Freom. This can happen with children when neglected. They will either do anything they can to make the parent in question proud or will act out to get attention. I think we know what side E.J. is on.

Astra, oh Astra. I'll be honestly I don't know a lot about her but I know a bit to form an opinion. Especially now with the fact out in the air that all Agents of Clarity are Clarity. But Astra isn't entirely Clarity, like how Fark isn't entirely Freom. In fact out of all of Clarity and Freom's children she got the best life. She had something neither of them did. Humanity. She was friends with Ramalo (spelling), we don't know when they became friends but they were friends. She cared for him and he cared for her. He showed her humanity. He was a robot yes but in this world robots very well can as displayed by characters like Flint.

In the scene where her and Fark are standing over the original Float's body it comes off as she trying to show him it too. She very well knew who Fark was and most likely their relation. I don't think she wanted to see Fark join Freom, or maybe even Clarity. From her presentation it's hard to see how she's directly feeling but I don't think she like Float wished to fight Fark.

She was just doing what she had to. Astra is important despite Lakefelpord (spelling) thinking she was a weird choice. Because she has Clarity's code in her like Fark you can see who Clarity could've been. She shows the humanity and compassion that Clarity doesn't have. That's because of being allowed to experience the real world. And knowing someone who has been in this world to help guide her. She shows that Clarity could've been a good person in some way.

Astra isn't inherently bad like E.J. but she is a victim of her mother. Like E.J. is of their father.

Now Fark. Fark is a clone of Freom, with alterations to his code. Fark's biggest influence was Spark, Fark has been directly noted to be inspired and looks up to Spark. He is who he is due to Spark similar to Freom being who he is due to Clarity. He spent his whole life fighting and being talked down to. And yet he refused to give up or join either of his Parents. Because Spark always found a reason to smile and be Happy.

Where are Freom was influenced by Clarity in a multitude of bad ways. I mentioned earlier that Clarity treats Fark as a child. Fark is noted to be mentally and physically Spark's age with I have done the math on before so he's about Twenty-Four. Clarity is his mother, and this happens a lot between Parents and their children. No matter what they are a child to them. Referring to him as Unit-Two the name Freom gave him. Yes that makes Fark a junior. She refers to him not allowing her to assimilate him and constantly bring Spark to the little space he was left in. On a throne reminiscent of Freom's when we fight him a final time.

She says he's throwing a tantrum and she'll wait as long as it takes until he's done throwing it. Or in this case, when he gives up. Fark wouldn't allow himself to give up. He gave Spark power until he was ready to fight back against Clarity with him. Fark hasn't been given any reason to protect Lunar. Except for Spark, the only formie aside from Armstrong and Float he's met. Someone who never gives up and always finds a reason to be happy. That's what Fark wants, the one thing he wants. To be happy, he wants friends, he wants to find his reason to be happy.

I'm unsure how to end this off so I'll just say thank you to anyone who actually read through all of this. I'm not very good with explaining how I view things. But I will happily try to explain anything that didn't make sense to anyone.

Thank you for reading this massive ramble.

With warm regards, Chuwush. (Chu-wush)

[shuinami]

Me personally as 19 year old, it was very much giving 19-20 year old imo.

I'm probably really biased cause of how close to home background-wise he is to me so there's an element of projection but for me it's like: he drinks at pubs which I think a lot of poc Londoners don't feel so comfortable in pubs from young the way white counterparts might (the drinking culture of young black Londoners is more club-based), so it seems like he's had some life experience to come into his own and overcome peer pressure and that kind of thing.

Of course the more direct 'evidence' would be the drinking age but some people did bring up the point about him not caring about the law, which I agree with but idrk who's to say what the people serving are on 🤷🏽‍♀️ So, I could see how people can dismiss it.

The most core yet not 'evidence' based factor for me is that he has a pretty well-developed sense of self & his values which I don't attribute to being like 15-17, based on the behaviour of the other teen characters (doesn't necessarily go for real life). He also seems pretty bright-eyed and boyish in how he speaks and his allignment with the younger teens, so I can't see him being any older than 21.

He looks just like people my age to me and tbh, when people are saying that he was designed 18-20 in the concept but they changed the design, as much as I understand that point and would usually agree, I don't think his age reads differently (visually) from the concepts to the final product.

I personally avoid all the ships with like Pav, Miles, Gwen and whoever cause imo none of the characters thus far are age appropriate imo*, especially cause I see him as the same age as me it just adds an extra layer of ick to think about 😂

I don't really care what other people do though since everyone has their own interpretations and sensibilities about age gaps, so do what you like 🤷🏽‍♀️

[*I had Noir in there cause of Nick Cage but he's apparently 19 so ykw fair play, crack on guys 😂😂]

Uhhh can I ask y'all something?

I've been avoiding Hobie ships since spiderverse first released because im utterly confused atp as to whether he's a very very young adult or like, 17. How do y'all feel about ppl shipping him w Miles and Pavitr? I know he's described in the art book as "a slightly older boy" which would imply that he is uhhh not a college student 🔥 but I wanna know yalls verdict bc I'm not taking no chances

[x-childish-x]

Could you please write Steve Rogers one shot where the reader has a crush on Steve ( and everyone can see it) but she is much younger than him (like 19 or smth) and best friends with Peter Parker and a little bit shy and cute and steve likes her too but he’s a little scared because she’s so much younger than her so he tried to be with sharon and the reader is hurt and jealous and just a lot of fluff at the end AND please involve the avengers ( like tony, bucky, sam, nat usw.)💕💕💕

My Old Man

Pairing: Steve Rogers x fem!reader

Fandom: Marvel

Warnings: slight age gap (hypothetically since he's biologically like 24), angst, anger, betrayal, drama, FLUFF

Word Count: 2,056

A/N: Okay, this kind of ended up being a little more towards an AU. (y/n/n): Your nick name But, I hope it's what you wanted and that you enjoy it. Sorry it ended up being so long and took me so long to get out!! I really enjoyed writing this! Thank you so much for this request and your love and support. Yay to the first Steve Rogers fic!! Feedback is always welcome and encouraged.

Summary: After spending multiple months flirting with Steve, he gets with Sharon and you have to deal with the mess he created.

(gif not mine!)

"Stevie!" You cheered, bolting towards the blonde-haired boy who welcomed you with open arms.

"Hey, kitten!" Steve smiled as he wrapped his arms around you, ignoring the teasing look Bucky gave him, "What's a girl like you doing here on a Friday night?"

You pulled back from the hug, pouting as you looked up at Steve, "Studying with Peter."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Peter called from the living room where he was talking with Tony.

"Yes, you are! You know I hate physics!"

Steve chuckled at your pout, "Aw, c'mon, kitten. You're too pretty to be pouting like this."

Immediately your cheeks flushed as you heard Bucky and Sam chuckle from their seats at the kitchen table. Time with Steve was always like this. The two of you flirted and teased each other. You liked him immensely, and you hoped that he liked you too, that the flirting wasn't just teasing. Of course, though, the flirting was mainly Steve. You would try to make conversation, but the moment Steve started to flirt with you, you would get so shy around him.

Steve watched as you waved at him bashfully, skipping off to where Peter was calling for you. Bucky called Steve over to where he and Sam were sitting at the table, both wearing shit-eating grins. Steve sighed, sitting down in a seat and preparing himself for the oncoming lecture.

"Kitten?" Sam teased, "Really?"

"Oh, come on," Steve groaned, "It's just because of her mutation! She transforms into a cat!"

Sam rolled his eyes as Bucky laughed, "Don't you think it's dangerous, though? Getting involved with someone so young?"

Steve gave Sam an odd look, "I mean... I haven't thought about it that way. I've just told myself that I'm technically not older than 20 biologically."

"Sure, that's technically correct, punk. But... there's so much age difference between you and her," Buck sighed, looking at his beer, "Do you think it would work out? I mean... she's still in college."

"Hey, stop discouraging him so much," Sam fired at Bucky, "They're cute, and they would be good for one another, you know that. You're just jealous that he can find someone and you can't."

"Watch it," Bucky pouted, glaring at Sam, "I will beat you."

In another part of the compound, you sat in Tony's lab, listening to both Tony and Peter try to explain the physics assignment to you. You were beginning to understand it, but you still didn't fully grasp the concept. Who decided to make physics so hard anyways?

You were beyond relieved when you finally finished the assignment and were able to venture off with Peter. Steve, Bucky, and Sam had all left already, but you and Peter were more than happy to strike up a conversation with Vision and Wanda. You'd met Peter when you had transferred over to his school in the second grade, and ever since then, you'd been inseparable.

"So (y/n)," Wanda smiled, nudging your shoulder softly, "When are you going to tell Steve you're interested.

"What!?" You yelped, looking around quickly to make sure Steve wasn't there, "What? I have no clue what you're talking about! That's... ha.... what!?"

Immediately Peter, Wanda, and Vision all broke out into light laughter at your panic. Wanda smiled her warm, gentle smile, "Hun, it's okay, we all know. We all think you two would be really cute, actually."

With wide eyes, you directed your gaze to your best friend Peter, who sat beside you. Expecting some sort of back up you felt incredibly betrayed as he gave you your guilty smile.

"Sorry, (y/n/n), I agree with them," Peter shrugged with his words, causing you to gasp.

"He likes you back," Wanda spoke softly, trying to encourage you, "Nothing bad could come out of you telling him something he probably already knows."

Right as you went to respond, your phone rang, and you silently thanked your mother for choosing that exact moment to call you. As she told you she was waiting patiently outside your apartment, you decided that you would have to verbally thank her when you got back. You quickly thanked them all and rushed out of the compound, desperate to get away from everything they were trying to make you face.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅⋅•⋅⋅⋅•∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

You hadn't been to the compound since your conversation with Wanda and Peter, which had been nearly two weeks ago. Your classes had ended up swamping you with work, but finally, you seemed to catch a break. Peter, though he'd seen you literally every single day since then, had invited you back to the compound. You couldn't lie and say you weren't excited because you were.

You missed listening to Steve and Tony bicker, as well as Bucky and Sam bicker. You missed smelling Wanda's cooking and listening to Clint and Nat's amazing battle stories. The compound was always so full of life that you missed it every time you left. Sure, you were technically an Avenger, but Tony knew you wanted to focus more on your studies.

As you and Peter stepped out of the elevator, the group's laughter filled your ears, and you couldn't help but smile at the sound. There was an unfamiliar laugh that you didn't recognize. However, you didn't think much of it as Peter and you entered the living room cheerfully.

"Hey, guys!" Peter piped up cheerfully.

Your gaze flicked around the room before landing on Sharon, who was sitting on Steve's lap. You froze immediately, your heart-stopping the moment the sight registered in your mind. Biting your lip, you forced yourself to look away as tears rose in your eyes. You'd been so prepared to tell Steve today, you'd spent the past two weeks psyching yourself up to tell him, and now... now he was with Sharon?

Sharon, of all people? What did she have that you didn't? You were just as smart, if not smarter. You were just as skilled in combat, and hell, you could turn into any breed of cat that you wanted. The last time you checked, Sharon couldn't do that. Your sadness quickly turned into jealously and anger as you repeatedly told yourself the reasons why you were better than Sharon.

Peter coaxed you down to a spot on the couch at the realization that your silence was slightly awkward. Nobody had spoken since you entered the room, and you hadn't moved from your spot. His heart ached for you, and part of him was upset with Tony for not telling him about Steve and Sharon.

The rest of the night was incredibly tense. While everyone else tried to continue the conversation, you sat there brooding. You watched Sharon fawn all over Steve, and even though you could register that he was fairly uncomfortable, you couldn't shake the anger off. Sharon... over you? Really?

Finally, when Sharon kissed Steve's jaw, you leaped up, tears in your eyes as you stormed out of the room. You rushed down the halls until you finally reached the room that was set up to be Peter's room for whenever he wanted to stay over. You flopped down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as tears cascaded down your cheeks.

Light footsteps echoed down the hallway, and if it wasn't for your enhanced hearing, you probably wouldn't have heard them. The door opened and closed slowly, and the mattress soon dipped beside you. Despite no words having been said, you knew it was Nat. She was the only person in the entire compound that could step and move that lightly beside you due to your feline mutation.

"None of us knew until they arrived," Her voice was soft as she spoke to you, "My bet is that Steve's trying to distract himself from you."

"Don't try to flatter me, Nat," You sniffled as you glared at the ceiling, "Why on earth would he 'distract' himself from me?"

Nat chuckled at your jealously as you huffed, "Because he's scared (y/n). Steve hasn't been with anyone in 80 years or so. You're young. He's literally 100. What isn't there for him to be scared?"

"Well, it's dumb," You grumbled, "I'm scared too, but you don't see me getting with a random guy."

"You're right. He executed it terribly."

"No kidding."

"Just.. tell him, kiddo. Worst that happens is he misses a chance with the best girl."

You leaned upon your elbows as you watched Nat get up and leave the room. You dropped back down with a sigh as your tears ceased. What were you supposed to do? Even if Steve was just doing this to distract himself from the fears that come with liking you, he hurt you. He hurt you deeply. You'd been flirting with each other for months, and suddenly he's with Sharon?

You groaned. This was all just too much for you. Being completely honest with yourself, part of you just wanted to go home, cuddle up in bed, and watch movies for the rest of the day. You sighed at the sound of the door opening and closing, not bothering you look up to see who it was, you simply pouted.

"I'm sorry."

You leaped up at the sound of Steve's voice. Forcing yourself to sit up straight, you gulped as you stared at the man in front of you. You quickly wiped your tears as you looked over Steve, trying to force yourself to stay angry at him, even though it was nearly impossible with his sad puppy look.

"I messed up," Steve said, "I... I like you, I like you a lot, kitten. And I was scared because I'm really old, like a hundred years old, old. And you're so young. I was just afraid.. that... you wouldn't want someone as old as me. So I tried to distract myself with Sharon over the past few days, but god, she's just not you, kitten."

Tears rose in your eyes once more as Steve came and sat beside you on the bed, "Nobody compares to you. Your gorgeous eyes and your enchanting smile. Your laugh makes my heart stop every single time. (Y/n), kitten, I messed up bad. But please forgive me," Steve reached forward and grabbed your hand, "I haven't done any of this relationship stuff for a while, but I want to restart with you. I want to learn how to do it all again with you."

A quiet sob fell from your lips as you nodded. Your mind was scrambling to find the right words as Steve smiled widely. Opening your mouth to try to speak, Steve immediately cut you off. He yanked you into his chest and engulfed you in his arms as another cry escaped. You wrapped your arms around him, holding onto him as if he was your entire life source. His head dipped to rest on top of yours as you cried into his chest.

"Thank you," Steve whispered.

"Stevie, I don't care if you think you're old," You couldn't help the giggle that fell from your lips as you pulled back to look up at him, "You're my old man."

Steve couldn't help but laugh along with you, watching as your face lit up with happiness. At that moment, Steve knew that nothing else mattered. Nobody's opinion mattered. If Steve got to be the one to make you glow with happiness like that, every single day, everything he'd ever been through would have been more than worth it. Smiling widely, he dipped his head down to rest his forehead against yours, watching your beautiful (y/e/c) eyes as they watched him.

"I read once that when cats bump heads, it means they're marking territory," Steve whispered, moving his head ever so slightly to bump your nose, "Claiming something is there's when they're comfortable," You smiled widely, as you gave a slight nod, "I adore you, (y/n)."

"I adore you more, Stevie," You allowed your eyes to drift from Steve and look around Peter's room, "But we should probably leave Peter's room."

Steve's hearty laugh filled the air upon your words, causing your heads to separate as he laughed. However, you stayed holding one another, relishing in the bliss that you'd spent so long denying yourselves of. At that moment, both of you knew that there was no place you would rather be than with one another.

General taglist: @nowthisisdark @techssexythighs

Marvel taglist: @katiaw2

[misschifuyu]

To choose a lover

requested here

characters: ran haitani + rindou haitani

genre: fluff

warnings: none

Giggles and whispering comments were passed around, giddiness present in the voices that spoke out just a few metres away from you.

As much as you tried to focus on the tiresome work that was splayed out on the piece of paper before you, it was completely futile to drown the girls out.

It didn't take a genius to know what they were talking about. The school you were all under had the privilege - if one could even consider it as such - to hold two infamous students.

The Haitani brothers.

Whilst the eldest was in his final year, the younger still had another year under this roof until he followed in his brother's footsteps.

But there was really nothing to dislike about going to class when one had a literal fan group who's main topic was always them.

There were girls who preferred Ran, with his signature braids that they always wished they could undo for him; and others that would always fawn over Rindou's cocky ways and stubbornness, trying to catch his attention wherever he went.

The current conversation, however, wasn't just fixed on talking about their aspects.

Far from it. Sending each other questionable looks and making fun of those on the other side of the opinion, they were discussing who, out of the two brothers, was better.

Those on Ran's side had the advantage of saying that he was older, therefore more responsible and willing to take care of anyone.

Sure.

He would make the perfect husband, some were proclaiming. But...the youngest would always want to show that he is the strongest, the more dependable one, as a result of the inferiority that had always hung with him since they were young.

It wasn't that he was, he just hadn't pushed himself to be known as much as his brother had done all those years back.

Needless to say, it was an argument that would never see an end. At least not until the two left the school behind and continued up to wherever the future would take them.

It was amusing, from your point of view, to hear all of these discussions. For years now you had known the two, as close friends who had grown up on the same street, so you knew everything that there was to them, right down to what they actually did when they said they were studying.

Definitely something that the girls would be pushed back by if they ever found out.

But, if it really came down to it, you probably wouldn't be able to pick one out of the pack that they came in, either.

They both had their merits and faults, and, truth be told, neither of the two were that much of a pleasure to be around with, as much as their fans would beg to differ.

One thing was for sure, though. It had come into the light when the three of you had been hanging out one afternoon, without much else to do.

You had asked the youngest about what he thought about his notorious lower level when it came to comparing him with his brother.

It had simply been a spur of the moment, and you hadn't expected him to actually give a sorrowful response.

He was well aware that he was viewed as the weaker brother of the two, and as much as he'd try to prove otherwise, it had always been something that would eat away at him.

Naturally, both you and Ran had jumped to convince him that he was far from a weak person.

The fact that he was viewed as such meant nothing at all when it came down to the reality of what he was, and that there was no point in even listening to those ignorant - and frankly, irrelevant - opinions about himself.

At the end of the day, although you would never openly admit it near the oblivious fangirls, you held a considerable amount of affection towards the two of them.

Of course, they had their odd moments in which you only wished to hit them around the head with Ran's metal bar; but, all in all, they would always be your childhood friends.

So choosing between them was simply out of the question.

Both of them held an equal importance to you, so when a peculiar feeling started growing for one of them, you quickly averted it so it would be felt for the two, whatever it were to be.

They were two peas in a pod, and you weren't about to change this because of a measly crush.

However, the thought would only bug you more whenever you were all together. Such as the current situation, sat right between the two of them on the comfort of their couch.

Before even coming over, you had mentally ordered yourself to disregard the ridiculous thoughts that had flooded your mind.

The girls back at school hadn't help with the problem one bit, if anything they worsened the conflictive feelings; and now you were to spend the afternoon with the two.

One could only think that all odds were against them in such situations.

Head resting on Ran's shoulder, legs atop Rindou's, your eyes were fixed onto the screen before you. The reasoning behind spending the afternoon together was the airing of your favourite show.

However, you were now racking your brains over what you were supposed to do after the series ended. Watching a movie was the prime option, but you figured they would want to move from the couch and do something else.

And the two were very talkative, so you would have to, inevitably, push everything in your mind aside to prevent from even giving the smallest hint surrounding your thoughts.

Your stiffness didn't go unnoticed, and, soon enough, you felt a hand on your leg, startling you in an instant.

"What the hell is up with you today, Y/N?"

Rindou had lost all attention for what was playing on the screen, and it looked to be as though he had for a bit now. This meant he had felt your change of attitude well before he had actually asked about it.

"What? No, nothing...why?"

Knitting his eyebrows together, the blond looked over at you with a disbelieving stare. By now, you were sure Ran had shifted his interest towards the two of you.

"You've been all skittish since you got here. You got something important on your mind or what?"

Geez.

"No...I've just been thinking about something stupid, that's all. Don't worry about it, now let me watch th-"

"That being?"

Now you were cornered. From behind you, having turned to look at Rindou, a voice spoke out the question. In slight panic, you managed to come up with another way around it.

"Well...that, let's say, if I had to choose one out of the two of you, I wouldn't know who I'd pick. It's a silly question one of my friends asked today, that's all"

God bless the fan girls. You were sure to never judge them internally again, because they might have just saved your skin in the nick of time.

Your nerves calmed down as you heard Rindou chuckle at the concern, and you figured he'd just brush it off as another one of your peculiar inquiries.

However, as he fully turned towards you, it was clear that he wasn't about to let this go unfazed.

"Well, you can't just leave us like that without an answer. Go on then, if it was a life or death situation, who would it be?"

"Rindou...you know I'd get rid of both of you if I could"

You all laughed at your words, stirring the conversation into an area that you were certain you could get a hold of.

Each one of you was just as ridiculous as the next one, so it wasn't hard to divert difficult topics.

If only the youngest wasn't so damn pushy.

"On a real note, there's gotta be one of us that you like just a little more, Y/N"

Upon knowing that perhaps you had driven yourself into a dead end, you started to fumble with your fingers.

What the hell were you supposed to say? If you picked one, the other was surely to get the wrong idea.

"Um..."

A slight shift behind you made you turn your head, catching Ran just a little too close for comfort to your face. Great, just what you needed.

After a few, nerve racking, seconds in silence, it was the eldest of the two that decided to break the ice. You were all just wasting time there, after all.

"Listen...since my brother seems incapable of forming a decent sentence, what we've been trying to get at is which one you'd choose, because we've both liked you for some time now and we kinda need to know who you'd go out with"

Well.

Certainly an unexpected turn to your seemingly uneventful afternoon. It appeared that you weren't the only one struggling with the damned feeling that was a crush, but you hadn't gambled that it would be both of them...and for the same person.

You couldn't choose.

In the same way that you had to waver the feeling of more than just friendship between the two of them, there was no way you could pick one now.

It would be unfair for the other, especially since you would only be lying to yourself for saying that you felt nothing for the half that was left aside.

There was only one way out of this, unless you wanted to shatter the relationship you had built between them for the past years.

"I...both of you. I can't leave one of you out when I, well, like both of you"

A huge weight was lifted from your body the moment the brothers exchanged a look, followed by an agreeing nod. Far from the catastrophe you had gambled with, that much was sure.

As Ran leaned his head on your shoulder, Rindou gave you a bright smile, one that not everyone had the chance to say that they've seen.

"Wasn't so hard to say, now was it?"

No. What was going to be hard was having not one Haitani by your side, but two, as a partner. Sure enough, you were really going to know what their poor mother had to put up with now.

[st-louis]

super keen to know who’s on your list of habs guys you’d keep in a rebuild !!!

so this is built around the idea that we are trying to contend within five or so years, and that to some extent everyone is up for sale, although we are trying to keep a few veterans to help shepherd and guide the younger players and act as mentors during this transition (to hopefully avoid ending up like buffalo or arizona or cbj where it seems like things are always in a flux or a rebuild).

[this is assuming that kent hughes does the smart thing which is immediately revamp and restructure the departments, and hire people in analytics and player development who can maximize the prospects we have who haven't been ruined by the prior regime (and this is like. a lot of hires. it's not just stats people but like hughes indicated, people who can tell you why someone has a bad xGF and want to fix it) and try to make sure that a bunch of them can actually make the league one day. without the prospects being able to fill the gap (even in bottom pairing or bottom six lines) we aren't going anywhere. it also assumes that he is going to hire competent scouts to cover both north america and europe.

this is also in an ideal world where contracts could be offloaded... i truly can't imagine anyone actually trading FOR mike hoffman, although maybe with salary retained we could get someone to take him off of our hands.]

but anyway. the guys i am definitely keeping include the players who i see as the young core, the pieces we are building around. that's nick suzuki first and foremost, cole caufield and alexander romanov on the second tier, and to some extent a prospect like kaiden guhle. (i would keep either one of preems or monty as a backup or an ahl guy although i would be open to moving them, as much as i love both of them, more on that later. we're being ruthless here and for a good return, i'm open.)

for veteran forwards, i am keeping tyler toffoli. he is a valuable trade piece with his contract and the way his game is played (he's a smart player, already not the fastest, his best qualities will age well), but i think he is even more valuable as a mentor for guys like nick and cole, who literally call him their dad. look how much better nick plays on the ice with him than without him. he's only 30 so he's going to decline within the next four years or so, but by that time, he will have been a valuable support to the kids who need his leadership. he comes up big in the playoffs and he knows what it takes to win a cup.

i would also keep lehky. he is young, fairly affordable, and gives it 110% every shift. you can never accuse lehky of taking a night off. he's defensively responsible and if he sometimes lacks finishing, he still has his big moments (see the gwg sending us to the scf.) he's also a little older than some of the prospects and has a good sense of humor, and i think he's an important locker room guy. he can play up and down the lineup even though on a contending team, he is a bottom six guy.

i wouldn't go crazy pushing guys like jake evans out the door, because again, he's a really reasonable contract, he gives it 110% every shift, and he's defensively responsible and can play up the lineup when needed, but you also know what his ceiling is. if there was a good offer for him i would consider it.

literally everyone else is on the block, even though i am fond of (i.e. i would either say i like them or love them) a lot of them and it pains me to say it. with a rebuild clearly shit isn't working, and you can't afford to get attached to players, even the ones you love. this was one of bergevin's major failings (even beyond the drafting and development which were the worst), was being emotional about contracts, whether it was getting rid of guys he didn't like, or giving really huge term to guys he did.

a lot of the current players on the roster do things that can be done cheaper, better, healthier, or younger by someone else. this is where if you could get an offer for gally you would jump at taking it and have to not be sentimental--he bleeds bleu blanc et rouge but he's not getting any younger and you can see what a huge toll his playing style has already taken on his body. and like i love pezz, but on a contending team he would not even be sniffing the nhl, you know? same for rem pitlick.

for the defensemen not named alexander romanov, i'm pretty sure the only one i would not be trading if i got an offer would be eddy. he is solid, and even if he's not a puck moving defensemen he was able to do it during the playoffs last year. he is also an important voice in the room and that's one of those veteran leadership qualities that's important. but otherwise i would absolutely gut the defense. it's built in bergevin's image, it is not modern, and even our premier puck moving defenseman or the closest thing to it--petry--has been a shadow of himself this year. just burn it all down and start over. we could have eddy-romanov as a top pair, deal with the leftovers (probably no one would want clague or niku and they're perfectly cromulent bodies during a rebuild for now), and start bringing up the prospects like norlinder or guhle or harris if he'll sign over the summer.

for goalies, a lot of it depends on carey price. if he is healthy and wants to play, then he is staying, first because that's the one area i'm gonna be a little sentimental in, second because when he is rested and healthy he's still one of the best goalies in the world, and third because i don't think anyone would take that contract without major salary retention anyway (and his nmc). so if he wants to stay in montreal, he's your starter. i would trade jake allen because you could definitely get good value for him, both as a good veteran locker room presence and a very very excellent 1b or backup goalie. i feel like mcniven is probably looking for a way out of the organization and i can't really blame him, because he hasn't gotten much of a chance. if we keep cayden primeau he really needs to play in a 1b situation instead of a backup to carey because otherwise he is never going to develop into an nhl-caliber goalie. same for montembeault. i feel like we'd either need to keep one or the other and as much as i love both of them one would likely have to go (there are a few very promising goalies in the pipeline including dichow, so you'd have people to eventually fill in at the ahl level, especially if you could get something back for either one of the current guys holding down our fort).

if carey can’t play or doesn’t want to stay i think i would still trade jake allen and let preems and monty get the starts. a rebuild is absolutely the time to see whether or not they have what it takes. if they don’t... can always target someone in trades or free agency later on. the goalie carousel last offseason certainly showed that.

sorry if that was a lot of words (or if i offended someone... i'm pretty sure someone's gonna be offended, haha).

so to clarify, we are definitely keeping:

forwards: nick suzuki, cole caufield, tyler toffoli, artturi lehkonen, maybe jake evans

defense: alexander romanov, joel edmundson

goalies situation one: carey price (if he wants to stay), one of cayden primeau or samuel montembeault

goalies situation two: cayden primeau and samuel montembeault

and whoever can’t be moved without losing too much in retention or assets (i’m still salty about chuck fletcher PAYING arizona to take gostisbehere).

if you’re into podcasts andrew berkshire and shane malloy (he has a phd in hockey analytics type stuff and works for ea sports on their nhl games) have a really good game over montreal episode on a rebuild and who they’d keep and what needs to be done. i agree with a lot of what they had to say tbh.

[emmi-kat]

I'm of the opinion that Riley is Jewish and comes from a very small family. Just him and his mom and maybe a much older sibling that wasn't around much when he was young. I read him as someone seeking companionship and family, he would love niblings! He refers to himself as the dog's uncle, afterall. And while he'd tell any Christmas celebrating niblings that he couldn't go to their Christmas festivities because he was Jewish, he'd be there as Jolly Old St. Nick having the best time.

But I can also see him being the only boy in a house full of girls, too!

As for where he's from, maybe I'm having trouble seperating him from Justin, but I lean towards NYC - HOWEVER his family is much more recent to the states than Ben, but not so recent that it made any difference to Riley where his family came from. Especially since he had very little connection to them.

For Abigail, so much hinges on when her family left Germany. If she truly was from Saxony, she was born and spent her early years in East Germany (I have a not solid theory on why she might lie about being Saxon when she was not due to her internalizing that Ben Franklin was anti-German, except for Saxons because that's where the English came from? Bonkers stuff.) But if she was not lying, then she grew up under a government that promoted atheism and dissuaded citizens from religious holidays, including Christmas (I can't find the sources on that now, I did the research a couple of years ago because brainrot and rn ). If she was older when she left, it's very possible that she had no nostalgic connection to the holiday (she would have been a teen when the Cold War officially ended). If she was younger, Christmas in America could have been a new and wonderous experience as she and her family reconnected with their roots.

Now Ben...he was 10-13 when his parents divoced, so he could have had a lot of good Christmases to look back on before that. But the way his parents bicker, I'd imagine they were pretty tense. After they divorced, he was old enough that they probably didn't try to inspire any Christmas magic on their own. Plus we have the tidbit in the book that he was pretty equally neglected by both of his parents. Once John died (and we don't know when that was), I don't know that anyone tried very hard to make Christmas special. As his estranged and reclusive self worked on his clues, he probably hardly considered the holiday, and I can see him forgetting it entirely.

Patrick is all about tradition but is also a grump with no one to celebrate with. I see him donating a bunch of money or volunteering to help children...maybe trying to get some memories he missed out on with Ben.

Hi, I was wondering how do you imagine the Team Treasure spending Christmas? Who cooks, who decorates the house, who dresses up as Santa?

Holiday Hijinks, Angst Edition

Hi @thesere1418!

Thanks so much for your question! Let’s have some holiday fun.

Right off the bat I’m going to divide this into ‘pre-treasure hunt’ and ‘post-treasure hunt’ Christmases, because they’ll look very different and I think the contrast will be useful and full of angst, muahaha.

What follows is 100% pure headcanon and conjecture. I have no source for any of this other than I feel like it : )

A Pre-Treasure Christmas

I think it’s important that we start here because before the events of National Treasure, our four heroes are all living isolated, solitary lives to varying degrees.

Angst & headcanons ↓

Ben

Ben spends his pre-treasure hunt Christmases, well, treasure hunting. I imagine that the holidays don’t factor much into the way he lives his life. He pours over books and old archive records for hours and days at a time. He eats frozen meals and fast food, takeout when he can afford it. He’s not one to decorate his apartment, because he’s not home that often. He can spend weeks at a time away on salvage dives, or off in New York or Boston or Paris searching for Charlotte’s whereabouts. If he is at home, he might have one or two sentimental decorations that belonged to his grandfather that he’ll put out. The remind Ben of early Christmases as John’s house.

At some point over the holidays Ben has to visit his mother. Emily seems like the kind of person who puts on a classy Christmas party, maybe not on the day itself, but sometimes around it. She has her professor friends over for wine and an a delightfully pretentious selection of cheeses. It’s a great time, if you like parties that come with their own subscription to The New Yorker. Ben is always invited and he has two options: attend and know that every other guest thinks he’s a crackpot, or disappoint his mother. Neither is great. Sometimes he’s conveniently out of the country. Sometimes he toughs it out. If he can, Ben visits her on the actual holiday instead. Then it’s just a quiet dinner with a few close friends and the guy she’s seeing, if there is one. If he’s out of the country he always calls.

On Christmas itself—or maybe Christmas Eve. Ben feels like a Christmas Eve person to me—he puts on an old record and splurges on some real takeout, Chinese or Thai. It’s that and a beer and another late, lonely night reading through ship manifests and learning about arctic weather patterns.

If you live in a world where Book of Secrets does not exists, then Ben’s mother probably hangs over the holiday like a fondly remembered ghost. He was quite young when she died, but the memories he has of her are dear to him, as are the traditions that come with them. If she made the best fruit cake in town, then Ben finds himself wandering into the bakery or that one and sampling the wares, never finding one that tastes quite the way he remembers it. If she had a favorite decoration, maybe a ceramic angel tree topper with delicate lace wings, Ben always finds a prominent place to display it, even if it’s the only thing he puts out.

What about being “cavalier in [his] personal life,” you say? Never a Christmas girlfriend? Sure, maybe once or twice. But Christmas with the family is a big step, one I think Ben would be reticent to take. Although he’s apparently going around telling at least two “someones” that he loves them, I think deep down Ben knows none of these relationships are as important as his one true love, Charlotte and the Templar treasure. He tries his best to get out of it. If he can’t, well, I imagine he’s his usual completely normal self and I’m sure that’s a big hit with some unsuspecting family.

Abigail

Abigail’s pre-treasure Christmas is the least isolated of any of them, but she might rather trade with Ben honestly. Her holidays start by suffering through the office Christmas party. Stan has too much eggnog and hits on her while her assistant does her best to run interference, and Abigail pretends to like coworkers she barely knows during an awkward secret santa. Then, after a brief stop at home to change and collect her already meticulously packed suitcase and meticulously wrapped gifts, its time to drive to wherever her family lives. I’m feeling Connecticut. So she drives to CT to her favorite Christmas jazz CD. She likes the quiet hours in the car.

Then the Christmas chaos sets it. I don’t imagine Abigail comes from an especially large family, it’s her mother and step-father, her brother, his wife, and her two grade-school-age nephews. I also headcanon that she has an older sister who moved back to Germany, but more on that some other time. Abigail arrives a day or two early to help with the preparations, and that’s one of her favorite parts. She and her mother make Lebkuchen (German spiced Christmas cookies) and other family recipes, as well as prepare a fish dinner for Christmas Eve and a roast duck or goose for Christmas Day.

The Chase family partakes in the German tradition of decorating the tree on Christmas Eve. This wasn't a huge part of their Christmas before they moved, but after they moved to the States it became an important way to stay connected to their roots.

Other favorite activities of hers include playing games with her nephews. She got them into go a few years ago, but Abigail is also surprisingly competent at Mario Cart.

But there’s also the comments about whether she’s seeing anyone, and the questions that make it clear that her family doesn’t understand what she does for work or why. She loves her brother and his kids and she’s always grateful to be home, but it’s also very clear to her, between the lines, that her family thinks her life is too small. When the noise and the people get to be too much, she escapes to the kitchen to work on the endless pile of dishes.

Riley

Riley, Riley, Riley. My problem child. Who are you??

Riley seems like he comes from a big-ish family, let’s say four kids, and he’s second youngest. Maybe it’s the way he seems to roll with the punches. We’re breaking into the National Archives? Sure, fine. I can’t stop you, so let me get my laser.

There’s also a good chance that he’s Jewish. Justin Bartha is Jewish, and Riley does say “Mazel Tov” to Ben when Ben says he looks alright for the gala. For the sake of this post let’s say that Riley is from a mixed family that celebrates both traditions. But if you have a take on how Judaism informs Riley’s character, I want to hear it!

Before meeting Ben, Riley worked at a dead-end office job (at IBM, according to the 2003 script). I imagine he was pretty low in the office hierarchy if a probably-fruitless, dangerous treasure hunt seemed like an appealing alternative. Otherwise he’d keep toiling away in a sea of gray cubicles, underpaid and under appreciated. The thing about offices is that when the holidays arrive, the people leave but the problems keep coming. And when you’re know as That-Guy-Who-Can-Solve-My-Problem, you get stuck with the problem. So as Riley’s coworkers and colleagues start to head out on vacation, more and more problems pile up on his desk. His nights get later, and on the last work day before the holiday, his is the last light on.

When all the workplace fires are finally put out, Riley stuffs the presents for his nieces and nephews into his clunker of a sedan and heads for the family home in…Florida? Michigan? My gut says it’s not one of the original 13 colonies, based on how geographic symbolism tends to work in the National Treasure-verse. (Riley listens to metal in the car. He gets sick of Christmas music by November.)

The celebration is at his aunt and uncle’s house, on his dad’s side. By the time he gets there, the house is capital C Chaotic. His cousins and most of his siblings have kids, so there’s a whole flock of nieces and nephews running amuck (and Riley is only too happy to join them). His dad and his sister are bickering over the best technique for cooking the roast. His sister and his brother-in-law are having a heated debate over who knows what. And his other sister—that’s right, I’ve decided he has all sisters—is trying mediate a spat between some of the kids.

Uncle Riley is a big hit with the kids. He’s cool. He’s techy. He always knows the latest video games and can troubleshoot any problem with their GameCube. With the adults…not so much. Riley was a bit of a late bloomer career-wise. He might have stayed in his parents’ basement for a year or two after college. He’s obviously incredibly smart, but he never applies himself to what he’s “supposed to.” Also please stop telling our kids that Bigfoot is real and the moon landing was fake, thank you.

Once he’s through with that and back in his broom closet of an apartment, Riley has a second holiday gathering, this time with his online squad. Riley has to be part of some online groups. Hackers. Conspiracy theorists. Random internet weirdos. Maybe they play D&D together, or swap code or challenge each other to hack into places they shouldn’t just to see if it can be done. In a lot of ways, Riley feels more at home with these usernames on a black background than he does with the family he grew up in.

Patrick

Any way you slice it, Patrick is having a pretty sad Christmas. He’s estranged from his only son. His wife either died thirty years ago or hasn’t spoken to him in thirty years. Either way, his belief that she was his “one and only” means he isn’t seeing anyone, and it appears he has no siblings, so he probably doesn’t have much in the way of family plans. Maybe he has a friend or two who invite him to their family gatherings. Patrick always says he’ll try to swing by, but he knows he won’t. He doesn’t want to intrude, and he has no interest in pity invites.

In the week leading up to Christmas, Patrick’s poker club meets for their holiday game. There’s eggnog and music in the background and enthusiastic discussions of everyone’s holiday plans. Maybe they even tried a secret santa once or twice. It’s a fun little time, but it’s not Christmas.

Christmas for Patrick Gates is a pre-ordered meal and a glass of whisky and an old record on the record player, alone in that big old house.

Conclusion

Okay! Have I broken your heart yet?

Sorry for the angst, but the contrast is going to be important!

This was actually a great opportunity to reflect on what Team Treasure’s lives were like before the events of the film. It highlighted for me just how lonely and isolated they each were, and how something was missing from their lives even if they didn’t know it at the time.

Of course, I’m making most of this up whole-cloth, so feel free to disagree with everything! What do you thing their families and family holidays were like?

This year, the holiday lead-up has been really hectic for me, but this question helped me get into the holiday spirit a bit and think more about my own Christmas traditions as well as the characters.’

Next time, I will answer you actual question about post-treasure Christmas!

I am trying so, so hard to have it ready by Christmas, fingers crossed.

[guigz1-coldwar]

'Great interest' : New chapter for "Redemption in a Spirit in a Cold War" is out !

"Great interest"

"Yirina Grigoriev...MI6 Agent...nice to meet you!"

Chapter Summary: Memories are still coming back inside Yirina's head and the one she's having might be giving a 'great interest' for her to discover more about herself...

Link of the Picrew used !

To read it on AO3, click here!

Words : +3400

Taglist : @snowgoldwaylon , @clxudtea , @efingart

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I was looking at myself in the mirror inside a restroom and wearing a black training outfit from Perseus and by the look of it, I was apparently looking much younger...probably in my teenage years, the hair looking less long and my both hands intact as they were both on each side of the sink, gloves for them in front of me. The look on my face must be telling that this day was important for me but also very stressful as it was necessary for me to make a lot of deep breaths to stay calm, it was sure that stress was all over me this day.

To help me to focus back on staying calm, I decided to pass some water on my face, trying to make me think of something else & mostly something more positive than my actuals thoughts. All of this while feeling my hands trembling, the blood inside my body almost ready to freeze in place like that at any moment. As I was slowly recovering from that state, I could hear the door of the restroom getting opened and as I was at the sight of the door, I was able to see who was coming into the room.

"Yirina, here you are." It was Freya herself, dressed in the same clothes as me but with slight minors change than me. "I've been looking for you for about 5 minutes now, you're late," She told me as she closed the door behind me.

"I just needed to destress, isn't that so hard?" I said in a clear voice to her, looking away from her to see the water getting away through the hole of the sink.

"Are you stressing the day you can have a chance to enter the KGB?"  She asked me in a normal voice, staying near the closed door.

"Why I shouldn't be?" I asked her back, removing my hands from the sink. "It's maybe a little day but for me, it's meaning a lot," I added, my eyes on the gloves that were still on the sink. "I'm not sure that this path is for me."

"You can't say that Yirina, it's our only way and you know it." Freya protested, staying normal in her gesture & voice towards me, crossing her arms.

"My only way?" I whispered, taking the gloves in my hands. "I have dreams, Freya," I alleged, checking the gloves, seeing them like the objects that could determine what path I could take. "I wanted to be a historian, travel the world but instead, I learned cryptography and I'm like....a soldier now." I chuckled, thinking about that as I was resisting the urge to throw the gloves away.

"I know it's hard for you, that your parents never wanted that for you but you know well that you have to do something for them, it's normal!" Freya commented, slowly walking in my direction, probably to make me change my mind.

"Damnit, Freya, I'm just 15 years old and I'm already fighting like I always did this, it isn't normal!" I complained, my left hand above the Perseus emblem on my black shirt, pointing it to her. "I've been almost wearing that emblem on me for years, it isn't normal."  I pointed out that fact to her. "Nothing is normal in here, not even fucking me."

"No, you're normal, Yiri." Freya approaches me as I put my hands back on the sink, closing my eyes, on the verge of tears. "You always said that you were doing this to protect the innocents, I'm making this because it's the right & only way."  She continued, putting her hand on the back of my shoulder.

"I did but I....sometimes, I just have doubts," I explain, opening back my eyes. "I want to protect the innocents, avenge my parents & have someday a normal life." I breathed, my eyes turning around to look back at her.

"Yes, that's what you stand for and me too." She smiles at me, keeping her hand on my shoulder as I leaned away from the sink, the gloves in my hands. "As I said, this way is maybe not normal for us but inside of us, we're both staying normal." She added, moving her hand away to join with mine. "You should put them, you need them." She advised me.

"Of course, of course," I muttered, taking a last look at the gloves before I start to put them on around my hands, now hidden by the black tactical gloves. "It's the only way," I spoke to myself before Freya gently tapped me on my left shoulder.

"Come on, we should go join Perseus, must be awaiting with the KGB inspector." She suggested as she started to walk away from me and as she told me, it was better to follow her.

I took a last look at myself in the mirror, seeing if everything was in order on my outfit and gloves before I started to walk away from the sinks to follow Freya out of the room as it was looking that I was in a military base by looking at the persons that were passing by us while we were directing ourselves out of the building, Freya keeping the lead before we stepped out, getting greeted by a clear sky.

However, we still needed to continue to walk away as we had to join Perseus and a KGB inspector as Freya told me. This base was like a training camp, seeing multiple groups of soldiers training in hand-to-hand fights, obstacle courses, and of course, shooting stands at hearing the gunshots around the compound and after a few moments, we finally arrived at where I supposed that we needed to be: a shooting stand.

"Perseus," Freya spoke up, calling him out as he was speaking with the supposed KGB inspector, dressed in his usual military outfit.

"Yirina, Freya, here you are!" He exclaimed as he turned around to face us, a smile on his face as the man beside him was looking at me, a bald man, hands behind his back, dressed in a KGB uniform.

"Is this the KGB inspector?" I asked Perseus, looking at the man that was keeping a normal face to me.

"Yes." Perseus instantly replied before he half-turned between me & him. "Yirina, I present to you, Colonel Lev Kravchenko from the KGB." He presented me the man, gesturing to him.

"You must be the Yirina Grigoriev Perseus talked a lot about," Kravchenko said, surprised on the inside by the tone of his voice.

"Exactly," I said, staying focused on what this man is going to make me face against.

"I heard a lot about your shooting skills despite having only 15 years old, I'm curious to see if it's a lie or the truth." He stated, moving his hands from his back as he starts to walk towards the shooting stand. "Follow me," He ordered in an authoritarian tone, giving me already the feelings to not like this man at all, still following him to the stand as Perseus & Freya were staying behind me.

"And now?" I demanded.

"Take one of the guns on the table and show me that your exploits aren't fake." He dictated, showing the pistols on the table with his right hand, and he moved away, letting me approach it. There were two pistols: a black Makarov and a silver-nicked M1911 and after a few seconds, I decided to take the M1911 in my hand. "Taking the American one...why?" Kravchenko asked me curiously

"I like it." I instantly replied to him, checking the M1911 in a better way, the mag still on the table. "We can say a lot about the Americans but they actually did good guns and the M1911 is one of them," I added, aiming as a test with the sight. "It's for its liability and the fact that it's easy to use that the Americans used it for the two World Wars, that's something I make you learn?" I scoffed, getting my left hand on the mag to load the gun.

"Just shoot with the gun, understood?" He said in a harsh tone, sounding annoyed by my little joke, making me load the gun.

This was a simple test but with that guy behind me to make sure that the things that were told about me and having Perseus & Freya too behind me were something that I would want to not have at all, feeling the stress again from when I was in the restroom. I looked around me to see that it was like the world was stopped, some people looking at me, waiting for me to shoot with that M1911.

Once I have taken a deep breath to reassure myself, I prepared myself by putting the headset to cover my ears from the gunshots before taking back the M1911 in my hands, looking away at the shooting target: it was a black & white one with the red center, a simple paper attached to a wooden board and I start aiming at it, feeling the weight of the gun in my hands and keeping steady...you can do this....you can do this...I took another deep breath and I was ready.

In the second that followed a deep breath, I opened fire with the gun, managing to keep control as I pulled the trigger rapidly without even moving from my position, closing my left eye to stay focused on the target. I shot the 8 bullets from the gun and after that, it was done as I put back the gun on the table without forgetting to put the safety on and then, removing the headset as a soldier was taking the shooting target in his hands to come to bring it to us.

"Let me see that," Kravchenko mumbled as the soldier gave him the paper with the bullet holes in it as I was leaning against the table, looking at him. "So...that wasn't fake at all," He whispered, looking at the paper...the eight bullet holes all in the red center with just one near it. "When did she learn to shoot?" He demanded Perseus that was coming to take a look at it.

"Since last year, colonel," Perseus responded, nodding at me, looking proud as Freya was moving near me. "I've trained her & Freya since they were children, they have this in their blood." He added, smiling at us. "As you see, Yirina will make a perfect agent in the KGB."

"You did good, I'm proud of you," Freya said silently to me, bringing a little grin on my face even if I wasn't sure of it

"I see but for the moment, she's too young to join, she needs to have at least 17 years old to join," Kravchenko told Perseus, his voice changed as he was still impressed by my shooting skills "Dragovich is maybe going to come to see her personally and I'm sure that he will like her." He added, putting the paper away back on another table.

"He will surely do, Yirina is a great element to our cause, he will know that," Perseus exclaimed, hands behind his back and looking at me.

"I know, Perseus," Kravchenko breathed before he looked at me too with the same curious face he did when I first meet him moments ago...

"We will watch your career with great interest!"

Watching myself back in my teenage years, seeing myself shoot a gun despite having only 15 years old, that was quite a strange feeling & memory to relive about and it was sure that it was staying in my head when I opened my eyes, awakening up in bed in the morning. We watched TV and that french movie until it was time to sleep and to say, it was a pretty good night as Park was looking & feeling better now, having probably helped for that.

I made a yawl while stretching my arms away above me before going to sit on the side of the bed, my personal diary on the nightstand with a pen nearby. As always when I catch a new memory in my head, it was time for me to write about it. I opened it up right after the page about that memory where I got an argument with Freya on the phone, now describing the memory I just had.

To accompany the numerous lines I wrote, I decided to draw the M1911 I had in that dream with another drawing...my gloveless hands holding the black gloves and I was still thinking about it as the moment I took the choice to walk on that path. As I was finished drawing that I could feel Park's arms getting wrapped around my waist, feeling the cold from the palm of her hands on my torso's skin.

"Sleep well, love?" Park asked me in a low & good voice, her head against my back.

"Yeah, I did," I replied with a smile on my face as I put my hands on her arms after I put my personal diary back on the nightstand. "I slept well because of you, Park, what about you?" I demanded.

"Like you, I did sleep well for once," She responded as I could feel her head going near my neck before she kissed me behind it. "Yirina, tu es si gracieuse, [Yirina, you are so gracious,]" She said in french, moving her arms up to my chest.

"Tu n'as pas oublié hier soir, on dirait? [You didn't forget about last night, it seems?]" I observed, laughing a little about it.

"Oh, tu sais...j'adore t'entendre parler français! [Oh, you know...I love hearing you speak french!]" Park told me, her head now on my left shoulder. "It's one of the numerous good qualities you got into you, that's why I love you." She proclaimed, switching back to English.

"Me too." I breathed before I take a look at my personal diary. "I had a memory this night, you want me to tell you about it?" I questioned her as she was always curious about that thing.

"Of course, what is it about?" She demanded as I predicted in a curious voice.

"It was me when I was only 15 years old...making a test to enter the KGB." I started, turning around to look at Park, seeing her covering her top with the sheets as she was naked on that part. "To make me enter the KGB, Perseus makes me do a shooting test in front of a KGB officer: Lev Kravchenko."

"Wait, the same Lev Kravchenko that Portnova knocked down at the Lubyanka a month ago?" I nodded to her. "Wow, I never expected that..." She whispered, looking down.

"I was only 15 years old and I already knew how to shoot with a pistol, I used an M1911 to do that." I continued, quickly grabbing my diary in my hands to give it to her and make her look at the page I wrote on earlier.

"Interesting..." She said as she was looking at what I write and then, looking at the drawing I made: the M1911 and my gloveless hands.

"Before making that test, I had doubts about doing it and...Freya was here to make me go on the 'right path'," I explained, sounding low at the end of my sentence, not because of that choice but because speaking about Freya to Park was a bit hard for me after what happened. "She was looking & sounding more different than recently," I admitted to her.

"I know, it's something hard for you to tell yourself that," Park affirmed to me, putting the diary aside as she moved her hands around mine.

"Yeah, something happened to her but what? I don't know," I mumbled about it, that thing may be locked behind one of the numerous red doors in my head, opening one of them randomly at only precise moments during my nights. "I want to bring her back to our side but...I just don't want to lose hope." I muttered, looking away from Park. "Me & her, it's done but we both know that we can try to save her from Perseus...maybe along with Sonya."

"We'll try, Yirina, we will," Park reassured, her right hand going on my left cheek to stroke it slowly with the back of her hand. "We will," She whispered before she pulled me for a kiss on the lips, closing my eyes as I moved my hands on her shoulders, a smile on my face.

"Thanks," I breathed after the kiss, looking at her as she was having her left arm on the sheets to cover her breasts. "I'm going to go make breakfast for both of us, you should get dress," I advised her, moving away from her and off the bed to get dressed too.

"Okay, I will," She muttered, looking at me dressing up while she was still on the bed and by her look on her face, she was liking what she was seeing.

Once I was fully dressed up in my clothes...well, still Park's clothes...I was ready to leave the room, letting Park alone as I was going to make breakfast, meeting Beans along the way, and patting her as always before going to the kitchen until I saw that her two bowls were looking filled up despite that last night, me & Park both saw Beans eating & drinking a large part of her food...must be Park doing it as she was the last one to go to sleep.

Before pulling the food for me & Park, I decided to dress up the living room table, still feeling that were something strange in here as Beans was seemingly happier than before and then, as I was entering the living room in peace...

"Surprise!" I heard two voices in the room and it was enough for me to make me jump from my spot in scare, literally going over the couch and falling on the floor and when I look back up, I could see Zasha standing up from their seat while Portnova was sitting on her chair.

"Are you both crazy? You almost gave me a heart attack!" I exclaimed, going back on my feet as Zasha was looking worried to have done this to me.

"Sorry, we thought that you heard us coming back in the morning," Zasha told me, helping me up before they hugged me in a friendly way.

"Were we this silent to not been heard by you?" Portnova asked me and I nodded as Zasha was still hugging me.

"Well, if I had jumped away in scare over the couch, you already had your answer," I said to her as Zasha broke the hug. "When did you come back? I thought you would have come back later," I asked them both.

"Only an hour ago, we left earlier our place to come back here," Zasha responded, moving back to their seat. "And for a surprise, we make breakfast for you & Park," They added, sitting as they were gesturing towards the table.

"Uhm...thanks," I smiled at them, scratching the back of my head as I walked to my seat and sit on it. "So...how was your honeymoon?" I demanded.

"It was all nice & perfect, a good thing away from work." Portnova was the first to reply, her cup of coffee in her hands. "I hope that work wasn't so hard for you both," She added.

"Not at all, having to lead Zed's team for the time being and trying to find anything new about Perseus wasn't this hard," I commented, telling the truth about the situation. Leading Zasha's team was mostly giving advice & teaching them some methods, nothing too big. "I'll tell them more about what we did at work," I told her, looking at Zasha.

"Oh, you're here..." I turned around to see Park arriving in the living room, dressed up and looking surprised to see Zasha & Portnova here just like I was...in a way...

"Hi, Park," Zasha waved at her with their left hand, knowing that they shouldn't ask about what happened that night as I advised them in that phone call to extend their honeymoon. "You're looking great," They observed.

"Thank you, Zed," Park grinned at them as she sat down at the seat near me. Everyone was looking at her as she was peacefully taking in her hands a knife & a bread to put strawberry jam on the bread. "What?" She asked, seeing the three of us looking at her and stopping herself in her moves.

"Oh, nothing...you just look beautiful," I spoke up from the three of us, giving her a little blush on her face and me too and causing the three of us to return to eat breakfast, me happy to see the table surrounded by my closest friends & my love...

"I guess that it's the beginning of another good day for us..."

[destinyc1020]

Exes need to think things through before getting back together especially during times of crisis (pandemic). Look at Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, they got back together after 9/11 and shortly married a few months later. Definitely wasn’t the right person. They literally said 9/11 was part of why they decided to get back together.

Oh wow..... didn't know that. 🥴 Idk their story all that well, but didn't they date for a while right? And she was even a "Virginian" before she got married to him too?

I wonder what went wrong? 🥴

OK, I just Googled them lol and learned more about their rlshp. I had to look them up. 😅 According to this article, it sounded like she had broken things off with him because she wanted to focus on her album, and she also felt it was prob good for her to date other guys and see what else was out there? But then when 9/11 hit, she realized she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with anyone else. So, maybe you're right about 9/11 helping her to see or clarify what her feelings really were for him? 🤷🏾‍♀️ https://www.insider.com/jessica-simpson-nick-lachey-relationship-drama-timeline#2001-simpson-broke-up-with-lachey-and-they-got-back-together-a-few-months-later-4

She was also kinda young (she was like 19 when they first started dating maybe?), and he was older, so he was prob ready for more of a commitment with her, but she prob wasn't, and maybe it scared her, so she broke things off with him? 🤷🏾‍♀️ It almost sounds like the same exact thing that happened with Matthew Lawrence and DWTS dancer Cheryl Burke (their love story is always so interesting to me). I think Matt wanted to marry her years ago when they dated the first time, but she felt things were moving too fast and broke things off. Now they're married after like 10 years after their breakup lol. 😅

Anyway, turns out that Nessica (lol) were off and on with each other for like 3 years before tying the knot. (To me that's not a good sign number 1 if you're always off and on 🥴)

Then, an article said that she was 22 and he was 31 when they tied the knot. 😳

I had no idea he was THAT much older than her! She was kind of young too at 22 getting married imo. A guy his age prob should have been looking to marry a woman 27-30 years old if he was already 31. We women change so much in our twenties. Not only that, but he was almost 10 years her senior. It may work for some couples, but for others, it might be a bit of a hindrance when the younger spouse is as young as 22. 🥴

Interesting story Anon. You made me do some digging lol. 😅

But yea you're right, all exes def need to think carefully about getting back together. I always say that it depends on WHY the two of you broke up in the first place, and whether you two have done some self reflection, made some changes, etc. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Sometimes two ppl break up cuz they just can't see eye to eye on an issue on their future life together. It happened to one of my friends. They broke up cuz he wanted to be more stable, and she wanted to see the world, and travel more. Well she did travel after she broke things off with him, but then couldn't stop thinking about him on the trip lol. 😅 So needless to say, they got back together, got engaged and are now married lol.

So, sometimes some couples break up not because they stopped loving each other, or for fundamentally wrong reasons, but maybe they just needed time to sort things out on their own? Then they get back together. It happens a lot actually.

[justanotherlifeff]

Levi Ackerman × reader

Genre: Angst, Hurt/comfort, Fluff, matured themes, slowburn

Warning: There's mentions and descriptions of underage rape and suicidal themes and self harm.

(Y/N) POV

I sat on the floor looking at the huge bloodied figure lying on the ground right in front of me. It was screaming a while ago before I stabbed it uncountable times on it's throat. Now it's quiet and peaceful. I heard about titans from my parents. They told me stories about those big humanoid creatures with sick smiles. I looked at the figure and thought, is that what titans look like?

 The door to the house opened and my parents walked in. I ran to my dad, hugged him, smiled at him and said "I killed a titan!". There were stains of blood on his pants which clearly came from my naked body. I forgot I didn't have clothes on as the 'titan' tore them off. The look of horror in their eyes made my enthusiasm go away. They looked at me as if they were terrified. Was Jacob telling the truth? Will they put me back to that nightmarish place again? I felt betrayed. Weren't they supposed to protect me?

"(Y/N)? Wake up (Y/N)." I woke up to Hanji's voice. I don't recall much from last night except for the part where I dragged myself to eat the stew heichou made. My only memory before that was the talk with heichou since I passed out on my bed out of exhaustion after that. When I got up, I noticed heichou standing at the door of my room looking at me. A blush was threatening to creep on my face as I remembered the kiss from yesterday.

 Levi heichou and I had something between us now and I was feeling as nervous as a teenager for the first time in my life. I didn't know why I kissed him last night but I just couldn't control myself. Heichou was such a beautiful specimen... The sun was up and bright and I realised that I overslept. 

"Sorry I overslept. Didn't I lock the door last night?" I asked Hanji while getting down from bed. "Yes you are late but you needed to sleep. After all, you had a rough day yesterday. And, no you didn't lock your door. You really shouldn't forget things like that you know." Hanji told me sympathetically. I had to agree with her in both cases but the irony was too much to bear as Hanji often forgot to sleep or eat thanks to her obsession with titan research. 

"We are going to Trost. Erwin lost an arm and is in a coma. I supposed you would like to see him." Levi heichou spoke to me. I, still trying to control the blush, answered, "Yes heichou. I will be ready in five minutes''. "Well, I will let you get dressed" Hanji said as she left the room. Levi Heichou was still standing at the door. After an awkward silence, he spoke to me, "You okay? Erwin is being treated by the best military doctors. He will be fine." I could see the worry in his eyes. He was worried about me? 

"Thanks for letting me know." I murmured. The news he gave me made me a bit relaxed. After hearing Erwin was in a coma, I feared for his life because he was the only family I had left. Before I knew it, the captain was in front of me and he caressed my cheek. 

"It's gonna be alright. Now get dressed and pack up some clothes. We will be staying there for a while. Mikasa can protect Eren and Historia. You can be with Erwin meanwhile and I have to take care of his work. That piece of shit chose a good fucking time to slack off." he said the last bit with a sarcastic tone before continuing, "By the way, you're getting on the same carriage as I am. Don't let Hanji steal you." and with that, he got out of the room.

 I couldn't help but blush the whole time. Heichou was capable of showing emotions like that? I had to admit that I wasn't acting like my usual self as well. It felt as if all the teenage hormones I held back for so long were erupting now. I figured that I would have to wear something fancy since heichou was wearing a suit.

 Unfortunately I did not own anything like that so I stuck with my survey corps uniform and packed up the very few clothes I owned. As I went out, I found two carriages waiting for us. Hanji literally jumped at me excitedly and said "There you are! No wonder you're second in command. I have never been so punctual in my whole career. I can see why Shorty here admires you!".

 I tried to get her off me as she dragged me to a carriage and before she pulled me in, a monotone voice stated, "Shouldn't you go with Moblit here? He's you're second in command and you're making my second in command stinky, shitty glasses''. 

Hanji looked at Levi Heichou who was standing in front of the other carriage and said, "Come on shorty! I bathed just two days back! My underarms don't even smell!" and she approached him to make him smell her underarms to which he crinkled his nose and said "Fuck off shitty glasses. (Y/N), get in the carriage." and with that, he got inside the carriage he was standing in front of.

 I followed him as Hanji complained, "Jeez, that shorty needs to calm down" before going back to Moblit. As I got up and sat beside heichou, he commented, "You won several sparring sessions with me and couldn't shake Hanji off?". "Hanji was shoving my nose in her underarms. Unlike what she said, it did smell bad, which was quite distracting" I answered and for the first time, I heard heichou chuckle. I looked at him with wide eyes as he looked at me and stated, "I was planning to kiss you but you will have to wash your face now" with a grin. He looked amused and I didn't know if I wanted to punch him in the face for laughing at my misery or if I should just enjoy the rare moment of him grinning. At the end, I decided to let it slide. I could always punch him later during training. After a short awkward silence, he spoke, "So, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday".

Levi POV

I wasn't sure about that kiss yet. She was tired when it happened. Did she even mean it? After all, she didn't seem to say anything when I touched her cheek or made that remark about kissing her. I still had to be sure. She avoided my gaze when I mentioned that I wanted to talk about yesterday. "Do you regret it?" she asked quietly. Her face looked emotionless but her eyes gave away the fact that she was scared. "I don't regret anything. I want this, (Y/N). I just want to know if we are on the same page." I explained to her.

 She looked at me, smiled and replied, "Yes we are.". However, her face became serious once again as she muttered, "Although, I have some questions.". " Well then, ask" I encouraged her, looking at her eyes, giving her all my attention. "What the fuck is she going to ask?" I wondered. "You mentioned that we have enemies inside the walls. Who are they? Why are they our enemies?" she asked. 

"You see, Nick spilled about Historia and Hanji thinks that the church is not going to take this easily. Nick unknowingly mentioned that other people know about Historia too when he said that he can't speak because of the other followers. If the other followers were to know that he talked, the Survey Corps may be targeted, especially Eren and Historia. Hanji thinks the information Nick gave up had something to do with titans and that makes Eren a target. Historia's noble family definitely didn't want Historia to keep that name. 

Her mother was assassinated and this means the enemy is strong. As for you, we both know that I'm the so-called humanity's strongest. The first thing any attacker would try to find is my weakness to bring me down. We both know that you're the only weakness I've got. The fact that you're my subordinate and we both are popular as you made a new name for yourself as humanity's strongest woman and the fact that you're so much younger than I am, all of it means that the gossip about us will spread like wildfire if anyone is to know.

 If the enemy gets to know about us, you will be in danger. I know you are capable of taking care of yourself but as your squad leader, and something more than just that now, I have a duty towards protecting you. I just don't want you to be hurt" I explained to her. I was bad at showing emotions but I think she understood that seeing her hurt would make me feel like a failure.

 I remembered the gut clenching experience from that day when I was waiting desperately for her to return safely. I remembered how terrified I felt when I heard she was not well and the colossal titan and the armoured titan showed up near her. I wanted to protect this woman at any cost. 

"I see. Honestly, I thought you didn't want anyone to know because of the rumours it would create and I thought you didn't want the negative impression they would have on you" she told me with a straight face. "I see, the usual (Y/N) is back." I thought as I looked at her.  I was kinda shocked to see her blush so much. I wasn't complaining though since she looked adorable when she blushed. "You really think I give a fuck about what people think?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows. 

She chuckled a bit at that. After some more silence, I said, "Hey (Y/N), when I entered your room this morning, you were sleep talking.". She blushed again, to my delight and asked, " Was I? What did I say?". She really did look lovely when she blushed. "You were saying 'I killed a titan dad' with a big smile on your face. Care to explain?" I asked her with a smirk. I could tell that the story behind this would be interesting. To that, she suddenly grimaced. 

"I said that to my father when he returned home with my mother after I killed that Garrison soldier." she answered with her face void of any emotion. Immediately, I felt guilty about the fact that I had accidentally brought on some definitely unpleasant memories into the conversation. I knew this was a sensitive topic but I also knew that trying to lighten the mood wouldn't work. As much as I personally wasn't good at it, it just wouldn't work because I understood the depth of her situation.

 I saw young children getting molested in the underground. I remember how they cried. I killed a few molesters myself but saving everyone at the end, just wasn't possible. I decided to ask her if she wanted to talk about it so that she might find some solace out of sharing her painful past. As I asked her this, she scanned my face as if she was trying to figure something out. At the end she said, "I'll talk if you share your memories with me too".

 I hesitated for a second and upon seeing that, she asked, "Do you trust me?". I thought about it and didn't find any reason not to trust her. " Yes, do you?" I answered and asked. "Yes," she answered. Upon listening to her memories of this certain Jacob, my heart ached. My hands clenched into a fist unconsciously and I felt anger fuming inside me. "No one will touch her again as long as I'm alive. No one except myself", I thought. I had to protect her from this world. I was proud of how capable she was but I still wouldn't let her in harm's way. I just couldn't. She deserved so much better.

 "I would've gutted that bastard if he was alive. I would've pulled every single nail from his hands and legs and cut his dick off. You were kind to him and he didn't deserve it." I commented when she finished. "Well, you're the only one who thinks that." she answered with a weak smile. "You know, if you give your official statement at the court, your criminal record could be erased. I can talk to Erwin about it if you're uncomfortable. This would help you if you ever retire." I offered to her, hoping she would agree to it. Instead, she asked, "Would you retire?".

 I was taken aback by that question. "I don't think so. I devoted my life to humanity. I never really thought about retirement." I answered looking away from her. I didn't like where this was going. "Why do you think I will retire then? I devoted my life to humanity as well." she answered. "Wouldn't you want a stable life? A family?" I asked her. I was scared of the answer. Every woman wanted that didn't they? I couldn't give her a stable life. I knew that much. Why would she ever think about having a family with someone who might end up dead anytime?

 "I don't want to be some man's trophy wife. I want to have my free will. I want to fight for humanity. If I am ever to have a family, I would have it while fighting for humanity. I'm sure my children would be proud to say their mother died a hero." she answered with a smile. I felt guilt and relief at the same time. Guilt because she would have to live a soldier's life because of me and relief because she will remain mine for longer than I had anticipated. Heck, she might be mine till one of us dies. I couldn't ask for more. 

"Their mother will die only if I end up dying. Before that, it's not happening" I told her with a smirk and she blushed at the sentence. She totally got what I meant. "Why don't you talk to me about your past now?" she said. I started talking to her about Farlan and Isabel. We chatted for hours about our pasts. I said to her that the last time I cried was when Farlan and Isabel died. She told me about what happened at the court during her trial. How Mr and Mrs Hertz defended her. How all the proof was in her favour as the man was found half naked while she was found completely nude. 

The lawyer on the culprit's defence however was cunning and said that as she had sexual experience before, she used it to murder the man. She did it out of her murderous nature that she apparently acquired from the underground. He blamed her for not talking because everything the proof says were false when in reality, she just didn't want to admit killing the man because she was scared that she would be left in the underground city again. I made a mental note to beat the lawyer up.

 I told her about my mother. How she seemed to love me. How she sold her body to provide for me. How at the end, she ended up dying, leaving me alone. How I spent a couple of days stuck in a room with her corpse. How a man named Kenny saved me. She listened and held my hand in the progress. I didn't shrug it off because it made me feel better for a change.

 She talked to me about how she first met Erwin after her trial. How she was scared of him at first but he gained her trust by letting her read books from his personal library in his quarters in the Survey Corps headquarters back in wall Maria. How he trained her to fight and gave her the courage to face anything thrown at her way. How he never judged her. This made me remember my own experience with Erwin. He never judged me, a thug from the underground city either. I respected him for this attitude. I wondered if he would be happy with me and (Y/N) being together as he was the closest thing to a father figure (Y/N) had. 

We were so much into our conversation that we didn't notice that we had reached Trost. The coachman opened the door of the carriage and we both got down. We were in front of a military police lodging. We were supposed to be staying here till Erwin regained his consciousness. As we got down, Nile approached us with somewhat of a worried face.

 "I didn't think you would bring extra people. We were only expecting Hanji and you, Levi" he told me. "Well, Hanji doesn't remember to sleep or eat without Moblit's help and Erwin is close to (Y/N). Both needed to be here." I replied to him. "I understand but there is a shortage of rooms as the Garrison is holding a charity event in Trost and the people from wall Sina are here. We were only able to arrange two rooms." he said. 

"Huhhh? Well, that means I can stay with (Y/N)! I can't wait to tell her all I know about titans! " Hanji squealed and (Y/N) looked at me with annoyance clear in her eyes and said, "I'm not staying with her" making Hanji stop squealing. "Hanji and Moblit can take these rooms. We will find lodging in any hotel" I assured Nile. "Well, good luck finding a room. Most upper class hotels with enough security are booked for a week." he mentioned. 

"We'll see that. Could we borrow two horses? Both of us have leg injuries" I stated to Nile and he said, "Of Course. Someone would return with the horses shortly. I must go now. Good day." as he went out of the facility. After waiting for about 15 minutes, a stable boy came to us with two horses and we went off to search for a hotel.

(Y/N) POV

I followed Heichou's horse to one of the big hotels in the Trost district. They mentioned that no rooms are available at any luxury hotel now except one where a few suites may be available. "That would make some effect on my paycheck," heichou muttered to himself after getting out of that hotel and while getting on his horse. "We could just go rent a room at an inn.." I suggested but heichou dismissed the idea saying, "We need to be somewhere more secure than that. I mentioned why before didn't I?". I didn't reply to it. Heichou seemed to know the hotel we were going to.

 "You seem to know the location," I mentioned to him. He didn't look at me and replied, "Yes, I stayed there a few times. Not for weeks though. They keep overnight guests discrete.". I felt a pang of jealousy at that but I knew that heichou was popular among women and it happened before we got together, so I didn't exactly have the right to be jealous about it. After reaching the place, Heichou talked to the man in the lobby about rooms.

 Apparently, only one suite was still available. While heichou was paying for the suite, I took a look at the price while heichou was paying. He seemed to notice the shock in my eyes and asked, " What are you looking at?". "How can you afford that?" I asked him in shock. "I'm one of the highest paid soldiers because of my position in the survey corps and my reputation. I can easily afford it. Seems like your paycheck will increase next month too. You're second in command now after all" he stated in a matter of fact tone. 

After he was done with the paperworks with the man in the lobby, I followed him and a waiter into the suite. It had a big living room with an attached kitchen and an enormous bedroom with an attached bathroom.

 "You can take the bed. I'll sleep on the sofa" heichou said as he got into the walk in closet with the bedroom. I looked at the sofa in the living room and it clearly wasn't nearly as comfortable as the big soft bed. I didn't go against his decision however, because I didn't feel comfortable about sharing a bed with him just yet. I saw him take a towel that was given by the hotel and examine it. When he was convinced that it was clean enough, he went into the bathroom and said, "I sent a messenger to the military police lodging about where we are staying. They will bring our luggages here. When they do, I need you to put out a shirt and a pant for me". 

"Okay" I answered. As he went to the shower, I went to the kitchen. They had vegetables stocked in the cabinets and meat in the ice box. I knew we would have to pay for it later and meat was expensive now so I just proceeded to cook some vegetable stew. A military police recruit came with our trunks and I took them from him and thanked him for the help. He seemed kinda intimidated by me even if I was just thanking him but that probably was because of my new reputation. 

Apparently I have been on today's newspaper as the strongest woman of humanity. Honestly, I couldn't care less about such foolish titles. I opened Heichou's trunk and took a white shirt and one of his black pants. Seemed like all the pants he owned were black except for his survey corps uniform pants. I laid them out neatly on the bed and went back to see how much my stew was cooked. Just as I was done, I saw heichou get out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel on. 

Suddenly, dirty thoughts that never crossed my mind before were all flooding into my head. Heichou's body was nothing like those men from the underground or Jacob. It actually made me slightly interested in giving a shot at sex. I brushed those thoughts aside when heichou disappeared in the walk-in closet with his clothes.

 I took a pot from the cabinet and poured out the stew. Heichou walked in the living room as I had set the pot on the dining table. "We could've just ordered someone to bring us food. You didn't have to work so hard." he said to me. "Wouldn't that be more expensive?" I asked him. He smiled at me and replied, "Like I said before, I'm one of the highest paid soldiers. You don't have to worry about money. The stew smells good though. Thank God I claimed you before some aristocrat bastard made you their housewife". Levi Heichou was teasing me? "Wouldn't you kill them and get me back?" I smirked back. 

"Ah, that I would. Get cleaned now. You look like shit" he said with a smile. I went to the washroom, took a quick shower and wore a long brown skirt and an olive green peasant blouse. The outfit didn't suit the atmosphere of the room. "I really need to buy good clothes'' I thought. As I came out of the closet, heichou looked at me for a while and said, "change into your uniform pants. After seeing Erwin, you're going out with me and Hanji to buy some good clothes. I'll pay for it because your salary as a recruit won't get you anything good. You probably can buy your own stuff from next month". 

I tried to protest but he got up from his chair and shutted me up with a kiss. As I was gaping at him for his sudden actions, he stated, "Don't question me. Get dressed properly now. I'll arrange two horses." and got out of the suite. I did as he said because I couldn't exactly complain in this situation. I didn't have much money with me as the salary for recruits, even in the special operations squad, was really low. 

I ate the rest of the leftover stew and got out of the suite. Levi heichou finished off more than half of the stew and by that, I assumed that he liked it. I suppose the higher quality ingredients were the reason behind it. 

I found heichou waiting for me outside with two horses. I was anxious about what position I would see uncle Erwin in and it seemed like heichou understood it. "Everything's gonna be fine," he said, trying to comfort me. I looked at him and found that his gaze was soft. As we went out to the road, I kept looking at that man. He was capable of being so strong yet so emotionally conflicted.

 I understood his attempts to make me feel better. I was bad at it too but what mattered was that he tried. That I was willing to try as well. What mattered was that he was the most beautiful person I had ever encountered.

To be continued... 

Taglist: @kingtamakimurder @realityisoftendisapointing

[punkscowardschampions]

Gen 4 Ideas

Junie B Jones: Alright so golden boy lucked out in all the ways the others didn't, is he a dick with it or a good egg? Embert: In my head, he's always been not a dick about it but obviously in relating to his sibs/fam, there's only so much he could do when Indie's resentment is already real so maybe her kids wouldn't fuck with him by the side of the story they've been told? Junie B Jones: ooh that's a good idea Embert: Astrid would've been mad as a kid but now they could be pretty close, obvs there's still the age gap and obvious reasons why not besties but I think they'd get on Junie B Jones: Yeah I vibe that she'd love him and like wanna look after him even though it'd lowkey be him looking after her more Embert: Exactly Embert: his mum, in my head is about early- mid 30s to Drew's 47 when he's born, as you say not much older than Indie but not like a bimbo 20 something and she's always been really mothering, like everything Ro ain't tbh so Callum is probably spoilt by her but not in a financial way like some but with love Junie B Jones: Indie would not fuck with her obvs but Astrid would so that adds to their closeness Embert: Exactly, like its too late for Indie literally she's having her own kids at the same time so she doesn't need a mum now and I reckon the woman would respect that, she's a good egg, like she knows Drew has been shit and ain't gonna make apologies for it, ahem, Ro, ahem Junie B Jones: I like the sound of her tbh soz we killing your son Embert: Maybe she should have kids from a previous? Because if he's her only son like I'm so sorry lol Junie B Jones: Yasss I love that because more interactions we can do Junie B Jones: [potentially one of Indie's sons get with I assume they are straight? Callum's half sisters even if it's not like a lasting ship should defs happen] Embert: Perhaps this mum goes for like bad eggs so this sister was old enough to remember like however many partners before Drew so then when she gets with him and he's clearly him she's like nah and makes his life difficult 'cos don't wanna do it again Embert: [If she's 5/6 when Callum that makes her 7/8 years older than Dash] Junie B Jones: [early 20s sudden death situ] Junie B Jones: he should have a boyfriend/girlfriend whatever when he dies who's also lowkey part of the fam cos then it's awks like do I stay or go Embert: ooh that's a good idea Embert: he's probably straight but maybe we could do bi so he's a less annoying example of a gay than most we've done whoops Junie B Jones: a mood Embert: so a girlfriend who is really close to his fam Junie B Jones: and really pretty damn Embert: he probably has a job I think, I can't see him being super academic Embert: maybe something like an estate agent or in a bank, a job where you show up and wear a suit Junie B Jones: his girlfriend could work there too cos that couple Junie B Jones: so when he dies she's not gonna wanna go back there either Embert: what fun Embert: but real Embert: they're just pretty and living their best life but in a chill way Junie B Jones: we all know the vibe Embert: Cosmo, same age as Callum, Indie's 1st Embert: so in my head the dad always plays football with them both and without intending to be pushy, does push him into that field, clearly Dash weren't as good/arsed whatever so it kinda all ends up on him because say he does get into an academy/on a junior team Embert: so then that becomes his life, training and matches and all that intenseness that comes with Embert: not to mention lad lifestyle, getting with WAG type girls, always going out partying, you know the vibe Junie B Jones: whereas Dash be like nah this ain't fun anymore I'm out Junie B Jones: cos I don't think he sticks with anything Embert: what if, their dad gets injured Embert: or tbh, is too lowkey old 'cos they put them out to pasture real quick Embert: I think by the time they're 19/17 when we start it, he'd already be too old to be a professional himself, so he could be a coach, hence he'd be even more pushy 'cos he could be on a professional team by now, they're ridiculously young like Junie B Jones: yeah it's usually like 30s at the latest isn't it unless you're like famous af which we ain't going that hard Embert: exactly, so without intending to its like, take on your dad's legacy Embert: 'cos in my mind he isn't naturally inclined to be like a ladladlad and is just doing it to be the full-package Junie B Jones: poor boy, again we all know the vibe Embert: 21st bday breakdown Embert: I think the zoe kravitz girl should still exist in some way, obviously not the way before Embert: because she's so anti-wag and clearly what he's actually into Junie B Jones: we could stay that Dash fucked her and that's how they cross paths if we want Junie B Jones: but he's clearly not interested and they are into each other Embert: it has potential to be different from other ships we've done 'cos he'd be tryna keep her on the dl which is shady but not just being an out and out dick Embert: like, I like you but no one can know don't ask why Junie B Jones: I agree, it'd be really interesting Embert: 'cos from her POV, casual headfuck Embert: used to boys being like Dash and just being like bye but not like showing you they like you then blanking you Junie B Jones: exactly dr phil I'm invested already tbh Junie B Jones: I also imagine Dash hanging at the commune so there's potential for lots of different dynamics there and he could be there when the fire too if we want/need but obvs not hurt or anything Junie B Jones: I'm also lowkey debating having Jules from Euphoria as one of his many love interests cos like her face and we've never done trans but it'd be a good way without it being someone's whole identity Embert: OH Embert: this is a tangent based on that thought which I also feel btw Embert: but Astrid's face is like bffs with the Kat face from Euphoria irl, so I'm thinking what if that's her gf and she's the one with an eating disorder, bulimia vibes, and then 'cos Astrid is her she's like okay you must be right Imma support you in this and accidentally enables her/joins in too Junie B Jones: YAAS I WAS GONNA SAY I WANNA USE HER FACE TOO BECAUSE SHE'S BEAUTIFUL BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE/HOW Junie B Jones: this makes so much sense Embert: exactly, with Ro as a mum she wouldn't even question it, like oh yeah I guess you are fat you probably should, even though she'd think she's so pretty and perfect Junie B Jones: Boo you are so smart Embert: also, when we killing Ro, by this point she's like 54 Embert: okay, so Ro is 34/35 when Astrid is born so if we kill her off when she's 9 that would make Ro 43, so 2044, so when we're doing Astrid's story at 19, its about 10 years ago Junie B Jones: I like that cos it's not raw for these characters Junie B Jones: we're actually gonna let you recover though ladies, fuck you ghost Ro Embert: Seriously, like I don't want it to be full-blown its more of a deep insecurity thing but one she can get past Junie B Jones: 100% feel that Junie B Jones: [so yeah like I said just gonna write this down so we don't forget the Jules girl lives at the commune and probably has done for quite a few years by the time the fire happens so then she's got nowhere to go and goes to stay with Dash cos step up for someone dickhead and they are either otp or brotp to be decided] Junie B Jones: because I think he wouldn't be as supportive as he should be to Cosmo's whole breakdown in the sort of ableist vein of oh well you overreacted Embert: it fits, 'cos in my head its a very Nick and Matty vibe where they don't acknowledge each other Embert: like the whole 'how is that your brother' moment from his footie friends and being like yeah I know Junie B Jones: same tbh cos Dash's friends would be like damn your bro is uptight Embert: exactly so they aren't close anyway Junie B Jones: and never are [evil laugh] Embert: soz Indie Junie B Jones: not your fault babe they are just too different it happens Embert: although part of the breakdown is obvious resentment that he's just allowed to be a fuckup and he feels like he has to do all this shit and be perfect so Embert: that kinda does need to be acknowledged if we're going recovery Junie B Jones: family therapy time Embert: 'cos like if Dash just continues to be him and shit it'll come to brawl even if he has to stop being this footballer moment and do what he wants, its still about how its all come down on him, you know Junie B Jones: they totally should have a fight cos what a moment Embert: yeah, like it either fixes or breaks totally, I don't think they can just be meh Junie B Jones: agreed Junie B Jones: maybe we could do like a Joe mood of him distancing himself from the whole fam but then ultimately a more healthy resolution for everyone Embert: We could work that Junie B Jones: and obvs him ultimately getting with his gf and figuring out what he wants to do with his life and all that jazz Embert: exactly dr phil Junie B Jones: and Dash can work out what he cares about whatever the hell that turns out to be Embert: Jac is born 48, (year after Callum and Cosmo and same year as Ollie's girl, Mila) Jude is 49, as is Lily's 1st boy Adi and dash, Jameson is 51, same year as Lily's girl Priya, a year after Ollie's boy Ash, Iggy's 1st Arlo, Diego's kid Tayo and Bobby's teen pregnancy girl Cammie Embert: My characters, Callum, Cosmo, Mila, Jac, Adi, Jameson Embert: My boos, Dash, Jude, Priya, Ash, Arlo, Tayo & Cammie Embert: Potentials, Jac, Jameson and Cammie, would've been raised together, essentially Embert: Jimmy is a photographer for advertising, Bobby a graphic designer for same and Janis as a massage therapist moment Embert: Cammie has 2 younger brothers born 60 and 62 so they exist but we aren't playing Junie B Jones: lots of dogs please Embert: all the dogs lmao Embert: so my initial vibe for Jac is that she's like JJ in the sense she's quite grumpy and anti-social 'cos it suits her face but also with a more shy but not shy if you know what I mean vibe, 'cos they're both quite self-assured and I don't see that for her, I potentially see Jude having that element though? Junie B Jones: I agree, like I don't wanna shamelessly Miley but I defs see her as being that self assured kid Embert: the most out of anyway Embert: Jameson should be their nerdy side because the Cammie face has a very Cara silly side when you peep her socials so that could be those two Junie B Jones: Cute cos he looks like such a bad boy but he's actually a babe Embert: I know we said this for Adonis so either need to change it to him or not go as hard but what if he gets a gf that's like really jealous and doesn't let him hang with Cammie 'cos she's a girl even though they're like siblings and have been besties long before you came Embert: and like she could try and change his personality like be really unimpressed and like 'you're embarrassing me' if he tries to be a cute nerd Junie B Jones: I love that because always such a thing like boys and girls can't be friends like bitch we're related calm down we're not incesting again Junie B Jones: like she thought he was such a badass or whatever soz hun Embert: yeah like the mood of, you're fit so i'll just make you what I want you to be Embert: and she could be a real cunt to Cammie in sly bitchy ways 'cos clearly the mood and that's a throwback to how Mia and co treated Janis without us like putting this fam through too much trauma, you know? Embert: esp if Cammie is less like Janis and Cass in a way she's not like, fuck you, I'll just deck you Junie B Jones: I fuck with this heavily Embert: and obviously, it can be resolved in the end, he can get rid and they can be friends again, so I feel its a good level of angst and drama for them both, 'cos it is serious but not like, well there's nothing to be done, vibes Junie B Jones: and we can potentially ramp up the angst when things are at their worst cos maybe Cammie's mum gets a new job and she's like come live with me in wherever (not far but like far enough she would've been like no cos close to them all and not wanting to change schools) but she's like maybe I shall but then of course won't cos it's like the peppa pig when her mum don't get the job and gets mugged off Junie B Jones: but they all think she's going and it's like noooo Embert: are Bobby and this mum still together, like is she the boys mum too? Embert: but yes, I fuck with that Junie B Jones: In my head they would've been together for ages so it depends how far back we go into their childhood/teens but maybe she isn't the mum to the boys Embert: Okay just so we know Junie B Jones: but they always on good terms we don't need that drama again Embert: yeah I feel you, and she's chill with the boys mum, 'cos she's only 10 when the first one is born so she's been around since then? Junie B Jones: Yeah exactly Junie B Jones: We can potentially give her more younger sibs on the mums side if we want but they'd also only be ref-ed Embert: defs plausible Junie B Jones: Like let's say they broke up when Cammie's like 7 so it's all chill on both sides Embert: I vibe Junie B Jones: she could totally spend half the week at her mum's house and half at her dad's but same school cos nearby so again no drama Embert: that makes sense like its all in the area 'til she wanna pull a suzy sheep Junie B Jones: hahaha yeah Embert: so that's a start for those two Junie B Jones: I really like that Junie B Jones: it's just what we wanna do with the girls Embert: I was thinking Embert: and I'm just speaking it out now Embert: we've done people being shunned out of their friendship group/being the bullied Embert: but what if we do someone being the sort of ringleader of the shunning Embert: I'm vibing like you know that story we listened to/all teen girl murder stories, like Jac has a friend that she's really too close with (Grace and Mia vibes) and we show them like ditching a third Embert: maybe something happens, not murder but like you know, an action serious enough that she's like I need to sort my shit/we can redeem in the end Embert: but she's the Mia, not the Grace, you feel me, like its her pushing it Junie B Jones: Oh snap I never even thought of that but we haven't actually that's such a good point even if Janis would be so triggered by the ghost of Mia lol Junie B Jones: Like yeah there could totally be some kind of accident like how baby Ali and Ro but she's not a child Junie B Jones: I also like it cos Jude is the louder one so you'd think it'd be her but it's the quiet ones you've gotta watch Junie B Jones: and it's a nice contrast to how Cammie and Jameson are literally being bullied so Junie B Jones: maybe we should have jude as like more of a background character then? cos don't want too much drama in one fam unless it's as big as Cali's Embert: Yeah she can be more chill, like a Tommy vibe, like we use her but only when we need lowkey Junie B Jones: Yeah like obvs I'll still try and flesh her out into a character and who knows what could happen like we could think of a cool ship or whatever but Junie B Jones: it makes sense as of now Embert: agreed Embert: like obvs this twosome vibe has a lesbian one 'cos always do but I maintain she shouldn't ever like get with her it should just be friends that are too obsessed with each other, regardless of what's behind it Embert: like maybe the other girl is closeted or whatever but it ain't happening lol Junie B Jones: I agree she gives me straight vibes Embert: plus it would be easy to make her gay 'cos everyone does ala Lily Junie B Jones: not doing it on principle Junie B Jones: they all seem straight to me in this group Embert: I think so Embert: 'cos like you said, you don't wanna make Miley Junie B Jones: it would be so easy to make her a musician but I must not Junie B Jones: I might make her a tattoo artist though professionally cos Ali and Iggy both dabbled but it was never a thing Embert: That's a good idea, she fits that well Embert: okay so my random idea, which we could attach to anyone really but let's see who we vibe Embert: we did a teacher crush, what if we did a crush on a friend's parent Embert: so Arlo having a crush on a commune mum and thinking he can go there 'cos why not and then the shitstorm that can ensue from that Junie B Jones: such a good idea Junie B Jones: like maybe his friend is a girl so peeps be like aw he likes you he's trying to get your mum on side Embert: yas again, always a thing like maybe he's just lowkey using you soz babe Junie B Jones: and maybe the friend actually fancies him secretly even though they 'just friends' so it's awks af Embert: yeah and if Barley's boyf is with this fam and they leave Embert: she could be the one (or one of the ones) like I said that wants to be normal and already hates living here so its like well you took the one thing Embert: 'cos we said dating within the commune for the kids wouldn't be encouraged obvs 'cos one big family, so the fact she was was already like no no missy Embert: then we said about her not acknowledging the other mum/the two kids that are from that woman as family and just generally fucking with your hippie paradise 'cos its coming to and end lads Junie B Jones: 10000% and she could still be sneaky seeing him long distance behind their backs/ get back with him after the fire when they have to leave themselves/both if long distance is too hard Embert: I vibe with this 'voice of reason' character for you Embert: like no wonder he fucked up you can't give us 'no rules' but then have all these unspoken ones that contradict how you wanna live like, loads of this hippie bullshit is so hypocritical read 'em tbh Junie B Jones: it makes sense cos Arlo as the oldest buys in totally and then the two kids she don't fuck with come after her in quick succession so it's logical Embert: exactly, and then Shea is her biological sister and the baby so she don't know nothing about nothing Junie B Jones: Okay so Echo is like a Naomi vibe v passionate and studious and does not fuck with commune life etc Junie B Jones: wants to be some kind of researcher/ lecturer kind of vibe in like philosophy but a nihilist not hippie bullshit Junie B Jones: Arlo and Dash should be friends I say even though I play them both but just acknowledged Embert: I thought the same Embert: Dash would probs encourage him with this crush lbr like thanks Junie B Jones: I was just gonna say that cos he's always getting with older girls and generally being a hoe Embert: Exactly Embert: right, so circling back a lil, we can do Cass' Embert: what do you reckon her relationship status is and her career Junie B Jones: her career should be like we said she's set up a charity organisation to look for missing people Junie B Jones: she should still be with her man cos everyone's breaking up looking at you bobert Junie B Jones: maybe their marriage is lowkey a bit dead though and its a stay together til the kids move out mood cos we've never Embert: I vibe, 'cos casually triggering Jimmy but not in an OTT way just like well that's sad Junie B Jones: yeah like neither of them would cheat or be violent or any of that Ian shit but they obvs not in love anymore Embert: its a good way to do it 'cos idc what you say the kids always know and obvs we're unlikely to ever do that in a ship 'cos if they make it to adulthood they're OTP and teens don't stick together just 'cos like lol Junie B Jones: exactly my thought and like she would wanna hold it together and think that she was doing it well cos of Ian like Embert: exactly like it is sad but when that's your standard you would think you were slaying it Embert: like the positive she can see with JJ she might just think that's one-off and she can't have that 'cos obvs around the time she has the boys, Bobby's first has fallen apart Junie B Jones: and because JJ are such a good couple you wouldn't wanna be like my relationship has failed bye Embert: samesies babe lol Junie B Jones: ooh and maybe they aren't married so if one of them leaves the other gets fuck all Embert: which assumedly, is her because as much as you do get salary for charity work, if its a smaller one, she wouldn't be bringing in the bulk so the mortgage could be in his name Embert: so she'd be in the position of moving out into a one bed flat, two if she was lucky so the boys could at least come see her, it happens that way a lot Junie B Jones: precisely what I was thinking Junie B Jones: it's sad but real Embert: idea though, although this is suddenly just becoming about Cass not her kids lmao, what if her lil boyfriend from back in the day was Tylers face and then they can reconnect later but its actually a positive and not drow Junie B Jones: He was and they should cos I'm screaming Embert: again, he can bring kids into the mix for faces and stories should we wanna Embert: but it'd be a nice way to take a situ that is sad and shit for her, and for her boys to see, and then have a happy but realistic ending like yeah you do need to leave your man but you can be happy and it'll be alright Junie B Jones: I love it Embert: Alex having anger issues like Cass did and also due to the home situ as mentioned, Max, as the older brother trying to hold it down in a very Jimothy way and not causing more trouble as he sees it Embert: Alex ending up in young offenders but actually turning it around/ending up okay too Junie B Jones: and there's potential for characters he could interact with when he's in there, before and after Junie B Jones: like remember on DG when Electra was in that gang and then the bitch came back around like Embert: yes I do FAT mood Embert: also Max should get help too 'cos it ain't just the one that causes trouble that needs it and its nice full circle for that fam to have that Embert: but my idea, could be related to Alex but I think is big enough we could give this to another character entirely Embert: you remember on this is england when combo turned it around and he saved lol and he was working with the young people and making a difference but then milky set his fam on him for what he did to him when he was a racist and was like you have to pay and he was like okay Embert: what if something like that happened like, Alex DID hurt someone, or like I said, another character did, and did do something bad Embert: but then turned it around but sometimes you do for yourself but you still have to pay and the person you wronged could call that at any moment and you just being good now isn't good enough for them Junie B Jones: OKAY YES because what if another character is doing that shit with Alex but don't get caught and so they carry on and escalate and yeah they do hurt someone and yeah it's like that Embert: what about Israel 'cos he's the same age Embert: and it can be another sins of the father moment, 'cos Pablo is a dick especially to women like he's 34 when he has his one child 'cos he's still being a fuckboy very Drew Embert: so he is not a good role model in anyway Junie B Jones: and like we said that'd make sense like if he started out stealing and shit because Pablo's debts and being bankrupt but he wants nice things like it all ties in he has his own motivations Embert: right, fully Embert: maybe he ends up doing something to a girl, like something Pablo would never but shows how your kids see you isn't how you see yourself if you often show a bad side of you to the world Embert: 'cos then the girls family/friends/boyfriend anything could come for him and its like, fair Junie B Jones: OMG THO that's so legit Embert: 'cos we said an assault moment 'cos that's something that's indefensible Embert: like stealing and drugs and what have you, its scummy but you see why, like we all get why Tess has to deal etc Junie B Jones: we have to Embert: so if we want a family death, that could be one, again, leaves you conflicted Embert: 'cos no one obvs wants him to die but then he did do a bad thing so you can't blame her family fully Junie B Jones: yeah instead of killing of fam in the fire we could kill him instead that's so much more interesting Embert: *** in said commune fire, Dash gets burnt, severely, face/neck area, and changes his life 'cos people change around you, you can't rely on your looks and you aren't gonna just sit around and get stoned when you nearly die, Jules can and will still fuck with him Embert: Zelda having Crohns or UC and having a stoma and meeting someone brotp or otp at a support group/hospital moment, dealing with people being shady/saying you aren't disabled etc all those fun times and then the person dying and losing that understanding you only get from someone who also has the thing you have Embert: ALSO I've had another idea whilst we're just spitballing Junie B Jones: Me too because we mentioned Tayo and like yeah I've said about K-stew being a carer to her mum but we could do some of that too in a different way like maybe unlike her he really doesn't wanna be/is scared of having to cope alone with his mum's fits and shit like Embert: I'm so about that Embert: 'cos so many kids have to and its really hard and thankless, so he 100% needs a confidant whether its within the fam or a friend or OTP moment Junie B Jones: like maybe he doesn't ever wanna be alone with her now in case and it's like putting a strain on their whole relationship obvs Embert: 'cos Diego has his own things like he gotta work etc he's not like a replacement carer Junie B Jones: yeah like he'd do a lot of course but he also works a lot Embert: so Adi because his mum also has a disability like it isn't the same but he'd get it enough to not be totally clueless and annoying Junie B Jones: yeah and they can have fun together it'd be cute Embert: Wid it Embert: so my idea, completely unrelated but I was thinking we need to give someone an addiction issue but someone who gets over it and is within the fam 'cos like Joe and Ronnie do but you know they're still like, fucked and not here lowkey so Embert: I was like hmm who can I and then I was like, it NEEDS to be a ruster child Embert: because its canon that Fraze drinks too much and doesn't address it and Buster is v similar Embert: so yeah genetic and also if it was drink, they'd not take it serious just like oh slow down a bit but you're fine but then it affects the kid in the ways it didn't affect them like not functioning and not going to work etc so they have to take it serious Embert: also think it should be one of the girls 'cos double standard of being like a lad Embert: is going to be Sekhmet, okay Junie B Jones: because the twins and their younger sister could all be lowkey party girls because rich so they'd all have to deal with the change in their social lives and behaviour Junie B Jones: since she'd need to not drink ever again let's assume Junie B Jones: we know the whole fam is about that party and entertaining life Embert: exactly so like, they're all gonna be put out like really, just don't go as hard and ruin it for yourself and us Embert: hence it can get to a problematic stage like they just think she's being a typical teen/20-something 'cos it is socially acceptable to binge and be a mess like ok Embert: my vibe is she's in uni but also has an internship that she royally fucks up 'cos she can't get in on time and then maybe there's like a work dinner like on can't cope won't cope and she is wrecked and embarrasses herself and the boss is like goodbye 'cos no one fails in this fam its not an option and if you do its all on you so Junie B Jones: and maybe one of her sister's is a DJ cos literally a lifestyle and they'll have to be like excuse me while I go straight edge to support my sister Embert: I can see that for her twin Embert: my idea for her is fashion but actually designing and buying and the business side of it, not like, imma just model 'cos I'm pretty, no shade Junie B Jones: Yeah the aesthetic feels real for both of those tbh Junie B Jones: Their sister is a holiday rep so loads of travel loads of club promo etc Embert: Jay is a PT, mommy issues for commitment etc, travels a lot, ultimately will get over commitment phobia; is 6 when Chloe admits Buster is her dad (as Ruster was outed around the time she was born, Chloe denied it and went with James, James goes uni and finds someone else so that being over etc can prompt her to change her mind) and allows access, at 11, moves in with Ruster for good (Chloe has new man and babies what have you so allows it without argument which also fucks her up duh) Saint is 8, King is 6, Venus is 5, Adonis is 4, the twins are 2 and Nefertari is 1 Embert: so when all the Venus drama is unfolding, surprise you have a child too Buster lol, Saint is 3, King is 1, Venus is baby Embert: so Saint Embert: firstborn son, their first child too which is relevant 'cos both Jay and Venus would get doubly spoiled either side of him for not being Embert: so then he'd probably get spoiled too 'cos just a mess of a time really Embert: like he can't not be a bit of a prick really 'cos he can do no wrong and no offense to the other two boys but he's the most masc and conventionally 'perfect' so that's obvs going to your head too Embert: okay so mood, Leilani is 15 when her mum (works with Grace, close) dies in 2053 and Grace, 30, takes her in so she doesn't have to do a care moment or be homeless and struggling alone Embert: is friends with Stevie from joining this fam, can also know Janis' kids before this even but is 6/7/8 years older than them so knows them more in a protective capacity than a friend vibe Embert: comes in Saint who is 3 years older, thinks he's god's gift, tries to sleep with her just 'cos lbr and when he gets a no his world is shooketh 'cos no one tells him no for all the reasons Embert: can end up friends when he's humbled etc Junie B Jones: oh but maybe King is little and really fierce like 🥊 Junie B Jones: don't be underestimating him so hard dickheads Junie B Jones: he should be the angry one lol Embert: you would be if people treated you like that so I buy it Junie B Jones: all of y'all stop being extra and let him live Embert: and no one takes your anger seriously if you can't do anything about it so again, real Junie B Jones: so rude Embert: Next up is Venus good lord Junie B Jones: we know what the story is, her dad only cares when she's little and cute and lives in Paris anyway pretending he's still in his 20s forever instead of a grown ass man Junie B Jones: would obvs be proud when she's gay though even though can't relate to anything about the female form cos that kind of gay Junie B Jones: like Saint she thinks she's gods gift but unlike him how are we backing that up hun cos unlike him you aren't talented at anything you're just pretentious Junie B Jones: like okay you're beautiful but JESUS you know it and can't take any criticism again like Saint but you're never getting humbled Junie B Jones: instead you're getting a gf who looks like you and probably a fine arts degree pop off sis Junie B Jones: only wanna be part of the fam when it suits you which is when you're getting spoilt Embert: but I think we don't have to redeem her 'cos like, its not a fixable situ so you just get to be a shit person 'cos you got fucked over and that is everyone's bad Embert: like they can't take it back, even though you could also blame your father 'cos he's more at fault than anyone else 'cos he should've never but you do you girl Junie B Jones: yeah and not everyone gets redeemed even when they can be so it's real Embert: that said, I think she should have a teen gf that looks like her as we said but then she realizes she can't hack any situ where she potentially might not be the 'prettiest' so she then only dates butches Embert: or androgenous artsy types but no femmes Junie B Jones: I feel that for her Embert: like she literally should be in love with this girl as much as she's capable but dump her 'cos clearly your insecurities are so deep-rooted Embert: then just be with people you lowkey don't even fancy Embert: 'cos then we could play that out, the girl just like what the fuck Junie B Jones: oh honey Embert: we all know hoes that sabotage themselves always and then blame the world Embert: which starts by picking to be on her dad's 'side' even though everyone can see he's most at fault, even you Junie B Jones: bitch #past me I am triggered by this Embert: like a lot of her stuff I feel like we just know at this point so it might not be all here 'cos its well developed within gen 3 Embert: we know that her and Jay just would not get on, mainly 'cos they aren't alike but do you wanna come at it from her POV and then I will Venus' Junie B Jones: I think the way she sees it is like she is so team ruster like she'd refer to Rio as her mum and shit cos Chloe is not the one and so she would not fuck with how Venus treats the fam and doesn't wanna be part of it but is still happy to benefit from it Junie B Jones: And how quick she is to call peeps racist or fatphobic or whatever else would not ever help the situ of course like bitch I'm trying to talk to you Junie B Jones: But also there's some similarities whether they acknowledge them or not in them both not being able to hack relationships that makes it interesting as another reason to avoid talking to/ acknowledging each other seriously Junie B Jones: like she'd so pretend Chloe doesn't exist if someone mentioned her mum she'd be all oh you mean Rio lol lol lol Embert: 100000% all of that Embert: also another reason you cannot fuck with each other, casually never shutting up about your dad Embert: okay, so from her POV I vibe it that as a kid she literally just wanted all the attention and 'til the twins which is when she's 3 so (literally so petty you can't remember) its like I should've been the only girl and you came and took my attention lmao Junie B Jones: Oh god she'd be such an annoying child though Embert: then as they get older and she doesn't want to be part of the fam she'd think its unfair (as if Jay can help it lol) that Jay is obviously not Rio's 'cos she's white whereas she fits Embert: its the anti-Edie of it all Embert: like I fit and I wish I didn't Embert: basically she doesn't wanna be here but she's not a runaway type or willing to not live lavish so she ain't leaving Embert: she needs her dad to take her in but he's said no so like, you'll have to make it happen yourself but how Junie B Jones: sad but true Embert: and you can only feel so bad 'cos she whines like she's dying in all situations but like Embert: it ain't that bad and there's plenty you could do about your situation so Junie B Jones: Grace of this gen I've said it before baby Embert: oh honey Embert: makes you barren to humble is not an option 'cos you wouldn't want kids Embert: the tea of it all like you wanna live like your dad but he had a kid and shouldn't be so pick a better role model tah Junie B Jones: literally this fam is so big you're surrounded by potential worthwhile role models girl Embert: honestly she'll never be satisfied she's that hoe in a very Ro way like my god do something about it but she won't Embert: casually making it your life's work to make everything harder than it needs to just be miserable because something happened to you when you were a baby (again, so Ro) that you couldn't control Junie B Jones: all y'all frustrate me like I wasn't that bitch #tea Embert: loads of peeps are never happy though or are but then lose it so or fuck it up, we gave Ro a kid as a chance and I think Venus should actually love this girl/ she should be good for her in a way that makes her feel #seen hence she has to end it too Junie B Jones: agreed and she never gets her back because sometimes you don't and you can't Embert: mhmm mhmm mhmm Embert: I don't think we need to go as in-depth on any of the other sibs, like Saint would probably tolerate her the best, as mentioned she'd patronize King 'cos just that bitch without it being intentional 'cos self-absorbed, Adonis would do his best to ignore her and she wouldn't fuck with any of the girls 'cos she can't with girls so Junie B Jones: agreed on the legitness of all that Junie B Jones: Oh maybe Xander could be a hypochondriac because his sister is actually ill all the time like remember on skins when Liv thought she was dying Junie B Jones: obvious idea but I'm drawing a blank otherwise like Junie B Jones: also have we ever done online dating? Junie B Jones: because my thought is maybe he's lowkey catfishing someone pretending to be like a badass when obvs not Junie B Jones: like maybe he catfishes loads of peeps as if it's a hobby Junie B Jones: but then someone could find him out Embert: that's a really good idea 'cos we haven't Junie B Jones: like potential for otp/brotp to come from that even in a slow burn way Junie B Jones: if they end up liking who he actually is or whatever Junie B Jones: despite everything that's happened Junie B Jones: oh snap what if he's using pics of one of the other boy characters and whoever he's catfishing finds that person's socials or whatever and are talking to them thinking they are a thing and the person be like um Embert: omg yes Junie B Jones: Jameson was my immediate thought cos badass look and you play him but could be Ollie's boy cos also or whoever else Junie B Jones: cos they don't need to be a you character necessarily could just refer like Embert: that ties in well though 'cos his jealous girlfriend Embert: make it a huge thing so then Xander kinda has to shame himself like that was me 'cos feels bad that he's now getting accused of cheating even though it'd be a blessing to be out of that relationship Junie B Jones: ooh true that'd be good Embert: and the other person/the catfished could have like found his socials and seen he was in a relationship/know 'cos his highkey gf and be like calling him out so less embarrassing on their end 'cos bad enough they're being catfished as is Junie B Jones: that's a really good idea Junie B Jones: even with the age gap between Xander and him I still think we can make it work cos adds to the catfish of it all Junie B Jones: even if we can't then get him with the catfished person we can always do that he's himself online in the future and blah Embert: yah Embert: wid it Embert: so Stevie Embert: Billie is 17 when she has you with another male model in NYC, you live your life with Nancy too so factor that in Embert: moving back to Dublin when you're 10 and like, maybe the dad and her have phonecalls but like, he doesn't make an appropriate amount of effort like Junie B Jones: visit her you dick Embert: and we've said that Billie as a mum is like not the best 'cos Edie only died like 3 years ago when this and she left 'cos not coping so its not like NYC fixed her or anything Embert: she'd take care of her but she'd be distant 'cos giving a shit too much fucked her up so Junie B Jones: sad but true soz Stevie babe Embert: we also said before she'd like take her to work and shenanigans that someone like Venus would think is so cool but she does not 'cos it would actually be so boring if that was your life and you had to Junie B Jones: and on any shoot there's so much sitting around even if you're the person doing it never mind for her Embert: exactly, like in my head they make a ThingTM of them being like a model couple with a model ass child but as soon as she's old enough to have say she's like well I don't wanna do it thanks Junie B Jones: a mood Embert: so my vibe when they go back to Dublin is Billie has to face up to what she's not for the last what, 13 years Embert: so she'd lowkey be a bit of a wreck no offense so I feel like someone else needs to take care of her but I'm like Embert: do we make Nancy come back for a bit like the #lifepartner she is or do we say someone else does lol Junie B Jones: we could because it'd be less traumatic for Stevie or we could make someone in the fam and make it more awks for her Embert: I don't know which way I prefer it lol, also from a Nancy POV Embert: like should you come back or are you good you know Embert: hmm Junie B Jones: yeah I'm not sure what I fuck with more, who would be able to if not her cos that might help us decide Embert: so it would be 48, let us see Embert: Ruster have all their kids, including Jay Embert: hokay so Embert: maybe we bring Nancy back but she's like ehh about it like obviously she can work from wherever anyway but she's dedicating to some time she can't really travel whilst Billie sorts herself so she could be talking to Junie about it 'cos can vent without sounding like a bitch and he's like I'll come help and then she can help him get back in touch with the family properly 'cos low-key avoiding everyone else still and Venus is the same age as Stevie so if this is happening when she's like 10, Junior could actually talk to her and explain what happened from his perspective and answer questions best he can Embert: and like she can pretend it never happened when she's older but it did, like not saying it has to be good enough for you but he did try Junie B Jones: that makes my heart happy cos he's so young still don't be in exile forever boy Embert: and like Nancy can spend the time with all the Ruster kids too and reconnect more herself Embert: like they can both go back 'cos Billie won't be like totally incapable forever but they can both put in the time and feel better about it Junie B Jones: Okay so then she's like 12 ish and back with her mum and shit is better but obvs her dad is still not showing up ever Embert: and you have an accent and a 'famous' (ish) mum and you've been in shoots with her and you're pretty and so to me a vibe of like, this is too much attention and I'm not about it seems real Embert: not even necessarily shy just like, everyone likes me for the wrong reasons vibe and I don't fuck with it Junie B Jones: that's very real Junie B Jones: so if we did do the opposite of Jay and Venus and like I gotta find someone to like me for the right reasons and give it my all I think that would make sense Embert: I see it Embert: and she isn't like woe is me about it 'cos that would be unbearable but she's also not faking it like I'M LOVING LIFE and bad shit has happened so Junie B Jones: Yeah exactly Junie B Jones: and like nobody could blame her for being 'too much' with said person if her mum and dad are both distant Embert: exactly and she'd probably need to have a fair few failed relationships 'cos people aren't about that for loads of reasons like you're too full on too quick, or people would be about that for the wrong, i.e. they sense it and use it against you so then you have to leave which she'd be bad at doing so, in that case, she should have a boyfriend/girlfriend who is equally fucked but in different ways and its just a disaster 'cos she won't be the one to end it Junie B Jones: I feel that, there's loads of potential for doomed relationships there Embert: like, it doesn't even have to be like they're abusive levels of bad, its just it doesn't work and they treat her like crap in a like, do something about it way and then she don't and they're like...why, lowkey what's wrong with you Embert: like it could end up being right but not through the relationship but just by being like, you gotta work on that Junie B Jones: 100% Embert: much like how Grace was with boys like lowkey just love me and I'll deal with whatever tbh Junie B Jones: maybe there's someone on the sidelines watching this like I wish you'd sort your shit cos ILY but we can't be a thingTM Embert: I'd vibe Junie B Jones: idk who or why but like who doesn't love pining from afar while someone fucks their life up Embert: so helpful whoever you are godbless Junie B Jones: honestly Junie B Jones: and they should get together like this man thinking he's gonna fix her and it's like guess what twat you can't Embert: and it takes someone actually wanting you and wanting to to be like hmm, I gotta fix myself 'cos this ain't it Junie B Jones: mhmmmm Embert: I think we can start Junie B Jones: we did it boo *Echo abortion storyline

[x688plsloveme]

Companions react to childrens' awe after they act heroic

The children of the settlement watched in awe as the companion took down 6 raiders at once. Sole wasn't there, and all of the turrets were down, so it was up to them to protect the settlement alone. A little girl around the age of six almost got bludgeoned when she came out of hiding to get her teddy bear. Before she got so much as a bruise, the companion swooped in and killed the nasty raider. They patted the girl's head before giving her back her teddy bear. They told her to get back into hiding, and the companion went back into the firefight. (The ones that can speak/pat heads anyways) When the very last raider was down, the companion collapsed on the ground, exhausted. They only got a second to breath though. As soon as they could, every child from the settlement tackled the companion. They called them awesome and cool while giving the companion hugs, or high fives.

Ada: "That is quite enough children. You are welcome, but I really need to get back to my duties." The kids keep pestering poor Ada until she relents and answers a few questions. She only stays long enough for the children to be satisfied with the answers they got. She leaves to go hide somewhere while she runs a diagnostics on herself.

Cait: She felt pretty good about herself up until she thought the kids were getting to annoying. "Alright kids. That's enough. Bugger of now!" She almost felt bad about sending them away, but the kids didn't seem to mind as they were acting out what had just happened. That made Cait glad. She wouldn't even want to think about what Sole would do to her if she made a kid cry.

Codsworth: "By jove!" Codsworth was surprised when he got knocked down by the children. He just sat there slightly dumbfounded as to why the children were so awe-struck. He kindly answered any questions they had until the kids got bored and moved on to play at the playground. Though he could see the little girl he saved sporting a bowler hat identical to Codsworth' later that day. If he had a face, he would've smiled.

Curie: She was very pleased to have the kids think that she was cool. She answered honestly when she was asked how she felt while fighting. "Well... I was definitely scared. I probably couldn't have done it if I wasn't trying to protect you all." That made some of the kids tear up. Curie almost panicked, but managed to calm them down by giving them some candy she had found a while back.

Danse: Danse didn't get knocked down due to his power armour but the kids swarmed around his legs, making him lose his footing and fall. The force of it made some kids fall, and made two of the younger ones cry. Danse teared up himself. He hated seeing innocent kids cry. He quickly recovered, and scooped the crying children up and ran them over to Curie, so that she could cheer them up. The rest of the children hung on to his back. Curie cheered them up, and now the kids thought that Danse's strength was more impressive than anything. He gave them all piggyback rides the rest of the day as a way to make up for his screw up.

Deacon: Right away, Deacon told the crowd of kids extravagant lies about his more awesome adventures. "I once fought twice that many deathclaws barehanded!" He liked having someone believe his dumb lies for once. He kept it up until Sole came back to a Deacon with his own little group following him everywhere. They told him to quit it before the kids get any wild ideas.

Dogmeat: Dogmeat is absolutely ecstatic that he is getting all of this attention. He enjoys the belly rubs and 'good boys' that the children give him. He returns the favour by giving them thank you licks on their hands.

Gage: Gage is low-key terrified of children, so he doesn't even try to interact with them. He just runs. That leads to a chase where the kids think its a game. He eventually can't continue running, and neither can the kids, so he just collapses onto the ground. The children fall on and around him, and he can't find the strength to push them off, so he just falls asleep like that. Sole comes back to see that they're still asleep in that position, and finds it absolutely adorable. They don't hesitate to tease him about it later.

Hancock: When he gets tackled, he hits his head, making him black out for a second. The kids go silent, and one asks if he's dead. Hancock just sits up and starts laughing. "Don't worry about it, you little tykes. As you just saw, it takes more than that to off me!" The kids cheer, and start apologising a bunch. It takes Hancock a while before the kids will part from him. He enjoys having the kids follow him around like a miniature army. He finds it cute.

Longfellow: Instead of taking the praise the children offer him, he sits them all down to tell them really excited stories from when he was young. As the stories get more and more suspenseful, the children get more and more drawn in by them. When Longfellow is all done, the kids are even more awe-struck than before.

MacCready: He hugs and high-fives the kids right back. He's just happy he saved them, but he supposed it couldn't hurt to accept the children's thanks. If Duncan is in the crowd, then MacCready makes sure to act like killing all those raiders single-handedly is no big deal. He wants to show off for his son.

Nick Valentine: He ruffled a few of the kid's instead of a hug. They call him "the most awesomest person ever, " but he refuses the title. "Listen up kiddos. I'm not all that great. But you guys? You're the real cool ones. You didn't panic when the raiders came, and I bet that when you're older, you'll be able to kick twice as much butt as I did today." He smiles as the children's beaming faces. They all think of how cool it would be to actually do that.

Piper: Is so happy that the children thinks she's cool. She gets called a lot of things, but never cool. She doesn't hesitate to give all the kids hugs, telling them what a great job they did staying calm even when their home was being attacked. If Nat is there, she makes sure to drag a compliment out of her sister. She begrudgingly does, but in her mind, she's thinking of how awesome her sister is.

Preston: Preston is practically glowing with happiness. He's so glad that the children are looking up to him. Especially since he did something that's a good influence on the kids. He doesn't hesitate to tell them about the Minutemen and how they help people too. "Listen up kiddies. When you grow up, and you want to help and be awesome just like I was, then you should join the Minutemen." Some of the kids keep that in mind.

Strong: Needles to say, Strong is confused when a bunch of tiny humans crowd around him. They're all taking at once, so he can't understand a single one. Strong roars as loud as he can, effectively scaring them off. All of them except the girl with the teddy that is. She just stands there and says "awesome" in a barely audible voice. Surprisingly, Strong takes a liking to this fearless child and the two become friends. The little girl rides around on Strong's shoulders all day while he tells her stories about the killing he's done with his bothers. The strange creatures he's eaten, and the milk of human kindness are mentioned as well. When Sole comes back and sees them, they don't even question it.

X6-88: He's already waking away before the kids even reach him. He ignores them before they get in the way of his path. He sighs and tells them to speak. They do, and he almost regrets it. Their questions come rushing forth, some of them, he can't even answer. He stumbles over his words, and is just all around confused until Sole comes back and dismisses the kids. They look at X6 with a smirk on their face, amused that children can get him so easily frazzled. He's so close to hugging them in thanks, but decides against it. He opts for a simple "Thank you sir/ma'am." Sole chuckles and goes about their business.

@ishtar0110