#and it’s from a kid and kids thinking you’re cool enough to give gifts to is an honor

[moonfurthetemmie]

Kid would be saddened when they have to leave hunter. They know the pain he is in. And they saw hunter the big brother they didn't have in thier first family. They would wave goodbye, hug him and give him a little accessory for a phone in the shape of a cat. Because kid likes cats and own one too named lily!

Aww that’s so sweet!

It’s unfortunate that they’ll probably never see him again

they ask one day and the squad just looks at each other and goes ‘oh god he made them think he’s nice’ and have to gently explain that Hunter had to leave without telling them they’ve killed him

Or, best case scenario, threatened to kill him if they ever saw him around Kid again and he makes a point of avoiding them if he ever sees them

Idk how hush they’d be about their whole murder thing in general, but they’ll definitely try to hide Hunter’s murder from Kid. As long as they’re the one who did it. Clearly Kid got attached and they are not going to upset them if they can help it

eventually they may explain to them that Hunter’s off his goddam rocker and what he was like when he and Byte used to be friends, but I think right now they’ll be like ‘we’ll tell you when you’re older’

As if ‘he had no respect for boundaries and didn’t let her leave ever’ is really something kids can’t handle, but then Kid may not see much wrong with that. ‘Just be clear that you don’t want to be touched or whatever and tell him you really need to leave’

which Byte did do. Several times. And it didn’t work. Dunno if kid will understand that right now; not bc of age necessarily but bc they may be too attached to Hunter and/or optimistic about humanity to listen

But hey, if Hunter survives, at least he’ll have something from a friend! Hopefully Orange doesn’t try to break it or throw it out hahahaha

[somerandomdudelmao]

Just, man. Whenever I think about Holly I just get sad. Marmor have destroyed Holly’s planet. Kidnapped and mutilated their sister. Holly then also got captured trying to save her, just to find out she’s beyond saving while at the same time somehow not even granted the peace of death.

Holly gets experimented on mercilessly and every honest explanation they can give about their powers is met with contempt because “God did it” isn’t a good enough answer. The kid they helped raise abuses Holly physically and mentally just because they can. Holly was presumably also forced to help the Marmor hunt their own people. Holly can’t even change back to normal because the Marmor took that from them along with every single other form familiar to them! Going from a whole animal kingdom whittled down to an alien creature they can’t even name and a fucking Marmor.

Holly didn’t even have fucking eyes for god knows how long before Ward shows up! The first other being Holly’s ever met that doesn’t want to hurt them and he’s scared of them. And even then, after aaaall of the horrible shit Holly’s been through, they see Ward breaking down and asks “How do humans help?”. And fuck man. Holly is still kind somehow. Trying desperately to connect and to help because that’s what you’re supposed to do, right?

And Ward tells him to stay away. So Holly does. Things actually start looking up actually. Oscar has somehow charmed Ecliptica of all people, and Holly gets to move into a room that’s slightly less of a prison. And Holly isn’t totally isolated anymore! Are they?

Even if they’re nice to Holly, Ward and Oscar really don’t seem to understand Holly’s culture. And every time Holly learns something about humanity they get a little more horrified. Sure, Oscar thinks Holly’s gift is cool, but didn’t Ecliptica say the same thing to Iris?

I’m sure more horrors await them, but I’m glad Holly at least has Oscar and Ward around now. Even if they also count as some of the “Horrors” Holly has to come to terms with.

Shit man, Holly deserves a goddamn hug

You are. So so right.

Holly's whole life is a sandwich of horrors

[hana-no-seiiki]

WHY DON’T YOU GIVE ME A SMILE? (ACT 2)

YANDERE! BATFAM x JINX (ARCANE/LEAGUE)-ESQUE! READER

[ ACT ONE HERE ]

cw/tw: mentally ill reader. schizophrenic reader. reader w/ abandonment issues. manipulative reader. crimes. arson.

summary: we dive deeper into Gotham's explosive personality and history with those that took the title of ‘boy wonder’

MORE ON YOUR ORIGINS

“They were right! You’re just a Jinx.”

“Everybody shut up! I need to think!”

“We weren’t . . . “

As much as you scared the crap out of Joker’s goons. Since they saw you grow up first hand. A lot of them tended to be overprotective over you.

I mean, they’re insane enough to follow Joker. What more you?

They see you as his successor. An heir of sorts.

Which is why Jason Todd felt like he had no choice but to either fix you or keep you locked up.

You don’t remember much of him. If you did you would hate him.

He was the one that essentially helped you pull the trigger on your family.

If you haven’t read my other posts about it, here’s the rundown.

Jason had a massive crush on reader when the two of em were kids. Prior to everything. Before he was adopted, before reader set their world ablaze, before shit hit the fan essentially.

He saw how neglected you felt. The rejection you faced from your peers for not being strong enough. For being small and weak.

Him and your sister were pretty popular amongst the kids but it only made the comparisons worse.

It was always how they were “twice the kids at [Y/N]’s age.”

And so he thought of a little gift. Just a little something to show the others how cool you really are.

He didn’t expect you to use it that way. And the worst part of it all, he wasn’t there to comfort you. I mean sure, dozens of people died that day. Many of which he was somewhat fond of. But he was sure they’d want him to comfort you. To say that it wasn’t your fault.

And despite all that, you only knew Jason as that one guy Joker went too far with.

“Hey, [N/N].”

The call of your name almost froze you on the spot. Their screams pushed forward from the back of your mind into the forefront. You didn’t think. Your hands just pulled the trigger of your machine gun on its own.

“Who the hell are you?” You grit your teeth. You’ve heard of this Red Hood going around and ruining your adoptive father’s plans lately.

And what’s worse? The man kept forcing you to stay away. Plying you with all sorts of prostitutes and all the money you could ever need or want.

Despite your hostile disposition, the man in question doesn’t return it. “I’m sorry. This was all my fault. I shouldn’t have left you behind.”

“Leave.” You lowered your machine gun. A sudden wave of drowsiness overwhelmed you. A sense of calm. Weakness. Everything was screaming at you to end the source. But if he kept dodging your bullets them perhaps diplomacy would work.

You breathed out. [Y/N]. That name, that identity — though it fell down a well and was long dead it still had it uses.

Softened voice, doe eyes, and posture loose. If you had no other weapon they you always had your vulnerability.

“You need to leave, Joker is coming soon and I can’t help you if you’re caught.”

“Who was that, Jinx?” Joker asked.

You turned around. Your eyes meeting his chest and then his face, where that wide, freakish grin was stuck unto him.

“Old man, I think you mean what.” The toxic pink glint flashed through your eyes as you once again buried your old self along with the rest of the corpses that have met their demise by your hand.

“Meet Fishbones.”

BACK TO YOUR RIVAL:

Recently Tim had been . . . more agreeable to your demands somewhat?

You could tell he was pulling his punches.

Sometimes he’d even join you in your exploits.

You never trusted him of course. You never trusted anyone but yourself. But he was fun to be around is all. Whether it was you two beating each other to near death or blowing up buildings (he made sure to evacuate its residents before you two went all out).

“You know. I kinda wanna blow up that building. Don’t you think we’ll have a better view of the sky that way, Timmy?” You pointed to the structure with your signature gun shaped hand gesture.

That was one of Bruce’s buildings.

“You . . . “ Tim blinked at you a couple of times. “are so right.”

“Let’s go.” You yanked him the hand.

Tim smiled. Even if he wasn’t making direct contact with your skin, and you with his — he couldn’t help but smile at the intimacy of this moment. What were his worries with you beside him? All the sadness and anger felt so fleeting when he was with you.

His glee almost costed him his life as it took him a couple of moments to realize that you have pushed him off a building after a while of parkour.

He managed to grapple himself back, and with your assistance, he got back up to the ledge you two were on.

He gave you one half hearted glare. You laugh at his face, “You’re such a loser! Always ready to cry! Wah wah wah!” And you set off. Getting within the building with no care for stealth whatsoever.

What was the point of being all sneaky like when you had bombs on you?

"Wait up! Get back here!" Tim ran after you. He didn’t mind that you were essentially destroying all his and Bruce’s hard-work on his industries, but you were being too reckless. He would sure as hell minded if you were caught.

Turns out he wasn’t so far off when it came to his fears and suspicions.

“You. You set me up.” You glared at him. Hands on your blaster. Ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. Your eyes flicking between the men in front of you, wondering who was best to pick off first.

Batman, Nightwing, or the man you stupidly thought was your friend.

“No. No you have to believe me I—“ Tim tried to explain. But Dick cuts him off, “Good job, we couldn’t have done it without you.”

“You traitor. I knew it. I knew it.” Your voice got weaker and weaker.

No, no, no. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. This wasn’t part of the plan. Tim was supposed to be with you for longer.

“I told you, you have no choice.” Bruce finally spoke. His cape moved to his back.

He wasn’t going to let you go. Not without making it bloody.

“Oh, boohoo. You’ve always been no fun!” Your eyes never leave the two dark suited men, but Tim knew you were speaking to him. “Good thing I never trusted you.”

And you take a deep breath, dropping the laughing gas Harley gave you for emergencies. It wasn’t as strong as the original one, hell you’re sure that those people probably expected that move. But it at least blocked their line of sights on you, allowing you to create some distance.

You managed to get far enough to ready your weapons and send a call of help to your adoptive parents before your prediction proved to be true — footsteps behind you; loud and clear.

“Look’s like we’ve got even more company. Huh, boy savior?”

“Don’t move and I won’t cut you down.”

Pow pow in your hand, and desperation in your mind. The last thing you heard is a blade unsheathing before you pull the trigger.

୨ ©️ ୧⸝⸝﹕hana.no.seiiki - yun | 2024﹐⊂☁️⊃ ‹𝟹

AUTHOR’s NOTE: YALL THOUGHT THIS WAS GONE!! WELL THINK AGAIN!! I AM BACK!!! Sorry for the late update!! Man I’m so excited for season 2 of arcane ahahsheudidj

Taglist: @w31rdg1rl @cherry-peach-flavored @ice-cream-writes-stuff @speckle-meow-meow @inejghafawifesblog @sitepathos @mimiissia @rolo-at-midnight @mossyvampire @kawaiimusiccollection @harpy-space @takottai @maddeningmangos @obsessed-with-a-fictional @ihatemylifeuwu @caramelstrikezz @szapizzapanda @vanessa-boo @imbiafandbored @victor-rose @earphonejack09 @rainnyydaysworld @bubbabobabubbles @ksziggy @evan-trand @emo-z0mbiezzz @nyra-42 @h0rr0r-10ver-69 @orangeboulevard @alwayszealousdetective @huhuhhuhh @iwasveronica @imginarygirl @nebuluma @heyitsaloy @mysticalhills

[shotorozu]

(gender neutral reader, reader went to middle school with bakugou and midoriya, reader can make chocolate, and reader bent their back for the making of said chocolate, not that much beta read /derogatory, i got carried away 😭)

bakugou katsuki is a feared, but admired guy— especially during valentines day.

it’s interesting.. when he was a younger boy— he’d take gifts from admirers (usually girl classmates or other kids that frequent the park he goes to) with widened eyes and a scoff, snatching the gift away from them with quick hands, and mumbling how valentines day is stupid— that it’s lame and he doesn’t understand it.

but refusing gifts are rude, he’d remember his mom say, after he refused to accept something his dad made for him— and back then, he’d listen to his mom like his life depended on it. so, for a year or two— he’d take gifts.

but as the blond boy manifested a quirk and became just a bit older— he started ignoring her words altogether, having had grown out of the “listening to mom all the time is cool” phase.

his features started defining themselves, and he was starting to become taller. before he knew it— he had a sudden wave of admirers crashing down at him almost everyday of the year.

and it almost excluding valentines day.

because he’d sneer at anyone willing to offer their affection in the form of sweetened confectionary, and resorted to blowing up love letters into smithereens.

if his personality wasn’t obvious enough, this was precisely the reason why his admire-from-afar to get-personal ratio was obviously imbalanced.

of course, no one really learns— even as he grows older, enters UA for highschool, and retains his personality even after some realizations, because bakugou katsuki is quite beautiful.

so there’s at least a handful of admirers that are willing to risk it all— even if it meant some form of humilation or intimidation.

but not you.

you’ve prepared a little something for everyone in your class— yes, even the forbidden grape haired classmate and him. your hands practically hurt from stirring, and you feel like if you’d even bend up slightly, you’d hear multiple cracks amass from your back.

but you think it’s all worth it. your work tastes good, looks good and cute, and you’re certain everyone would enjoy how their chocolates varied in flavor, even if the change was just slightly noticeable.

you hand out chocolates to each respective person as soon as they pop into the common room.

the girls of your class perk up in interest and clamor around you— smiles adorning their faces as they line up to receive their chocolates.

mina, kyouka and hagakure compare their flavors together, momo asks you how you did it, because she’s “bad at cooking”

ochako’s already munching on the sweets, when he starts thanking you. finally, tsuyu just looks at you silently, and gives you a warm side hug.

midoriya goes beet red when he realizes that you personally gave everyone a slightly different flavor (you don’t know how he blushed over that, but you find it endearing.) todoroki, tokoyami, shoji, sato, koda, and ojiro look a little confused and dazed at first when you give them your chocolates, but they end up accepting it with gratitude.

kirishima, iida, kaminari, sero, aoyama and mineta accept your chocolates rather quickly, wasting no time in giving their thanks (excluding mineta— who just teased you about liking him, which was and will never be the case)

but through it all, you managed to avoid eye contact with your snarky blond childhood friend and classmate— who was silently trailing you with crimson eyes the entire time.

for a moment you think he’s mad at you for not giving anything, which you’d understand— if it weren’t for the fact that he is valentines day’s #1 public enemy. but you exchange this thought for something else.

he must think that you’re strange for making the class chocolate, and you wouldn’t blame him. usually, it’d be sato making stuff like this. not to mention, you heard him remark rather loudly about the kitchen smelling strongly of chocolate, in his usual bakugou tone.

you made the right choice not to give him the chocolates you made, you think to yourself. not to mention, how amidst it all, you might’ve showed a slight bias to his chocolate’s design— and revealing your crush on him on today of all days is less than ideal.

and you think nothing of his behavior—

“s’ i’ve got nothing, huh?”

he jumpscares you when you close your locker, and he lets out a snort when your shoulders rise in reflection of your surprise.

your gaze trails to his locker, which cannot close due to a lump of chocolate and letters preventing it from properly doing so. “you’ve got plenty, though. i don’t want to give you diabetes or anything.”

(which was half true because wow the amount of chcolate—)

“you gave all of them chocolate. why’da do that?”

“because.. it’s valentines day..?” you start walking away from your locker— and to which he follows all the way. you try not to think much of the action

“but what makes you think that i shouldn’t get any.”

normally, one would state that as a question, but the way he said it, the tone of his voice— it wasn’t said like one.

“i know you, kachaan,” you reason while making use of his childhood nickname, which gains an eye twitch from the blond. “if i was told to count how many letters you’ve burned and chocolates you either gave away or thrown out, i wouldn’t have enough fingers on my hands.”

“‘cause all of them were fuckin’ store bought?”

“and what if they weren’t?”

“then they were horrendous.” he states, matter of a fact. then, his eyes narrow, “and it’s not like you’re giving me a damned letter.”

you feel your cheeks heat up. that’s not the case— but the idea of writing him a love letter has your mind going into haywire.

“it’s not. but you’ve never showed interest in this sorta thing in a long time.”

“what— eating chocolates?”

“pretty much.”

he blinks, unamused. “you can be such a dumbass sometimes. can’t take the fucking hint.”

you’re pretty sure he meant to say that quietly, but he didn’t. you’re unphased at this point.

but you don’t get what he means, so you try to defend yourself. “but—” your words come to a sudden halt, as you realize the uselessness.

“wait, why am i trying to reason with you?— look, i actually did make something for you too. if i didn’t then that’d be such an asshole move of me to exclude you.”

“really. you’re not bullshittin’ me?”

“no.” you reply, firmly. “but you have to promise not to laugh. you can insult me, but laugh? no way.”

he raises an eyebrow.

then, you shift onto one leg and start looking for something in one of the front pockets of your bag. the search doesn’t take long, because you pull something out— medium sized chocolate in clear wrapping, with an orange bow tying it together.

it’s clearly slightly bigger than the rest of your classmates, and you hope he doesn’t notice.

he silently unwraps the chocolate, and gets eye to eye with your creation. it’s three pieces of chocolate shaped as explosions— the middle explosion being bigger than the other two. anyone who sniffed it could smell orange first, as the middle (biggest) piece has a swirl of orange and milk chocolate, the left piece is simply milk chocolate, and the right piece is white chocolate.

he takes the middle one and bites half of it, and chews. you observe, like he’s a top chef reviewing your latest work, and when he finishes, he says—

“not bad,” he remarks, flashing that heart racing smile. “wanna taste?”

you gulp, stupefied by his offer. words don’t have real meanings for a second. “huh?”

then, he’s reaching up and popping the other half into your mouth, thumb pressing against your lips.

you almost choke— and it wasn’t from the chocolate. you bite, taste the flavor, the mouth watering taste of orange and chocolate swarming your mouth.

to twist the knife into the wound— he cups your face and presses a deep, but quick kiss against your lips. his soft lips linger onto yours, and this intensifies what you can already taste.

and then, as quick as he kissed you, he pulls back— gaze still lingering on your lips.

a toothy grin starts to grow on his lips, and he pats your shoulder— beginning to create distance between you two by walking ahead.

“next time, give me the chocolates first, will ya? tastes fuckin’ good.”

you have a feeling he isn’t talking about the chocolate.

[winstonsns]

Hii I was wondering if you’d write gang when it’s your birthday? I think it’s be really cool since my birthdays the 27th!! (your inbetween pony and Johnny age wise)

the gang on your birthday (request)

pairings: ponyboy x reader, johnny x reader, sodapop x reader, darry x reader, dally x reader, two-bit x reader, steve x reader (separate platonic)

warnings: cussing

authors note: i won’t be posting anything friday to monday, im going camping! sorry about that, happy birthday! i hope you enjoy 💗

word count: 0.8k

PONYBOY CURTIS

pony looks up to you because you’re a bit older than him and probably the best role model out of the gang

as he can’t get you much because he doesn’t have a job and he doesn’t have money, he’ll somehow get you a book and write you a poem or letter

writing things is like his love language, if he gives you a note or writes a poem or a letter for you, he wrote it with his whole heart

he doesn’t really think much about getting you food or bringing you somewhere, it’s more about giving you something he took time to make

JOHNNY CADE

johnny can’t give you much because he doesn’t have money, will probably steal something from a store or restaurant for you

but he’ll talk with you late at night at the lot, feeling sorry he can’t get you much

you appreciate that he risks getting in trouble just so the two of you can talk for longer, doesn’t necessarily do much for your birthday though

instead of giving you a lot of items and money for your birthday, he talks to you a lot throughout the day about how old you are

SODAPOP CURTIS

on your birthday, soda gives you a cute letter and bakes you cupcakes or a small cake only for you

probably arrives at your house and wakes you up just to say happy birthday, a rainbow party hat on his head and a party horn

makes it everyone’s deal that it’s your birthday, takes you to do crazy stuff in restaurants and gets you food for free because ‘it’s your fucking birthday’

also makes you feel like you’re the most special person in the whole world on your birthday, basically gives you nearly everything you want because it’s your day

DARRY CURTIS

darry probably makes you chocolate cake or cupcakes with his ingredients, although whenever you come over, you have chocolate cake, it feels special when you have it on your birthday

because you’re young, he’ll rant about how you should cherish your days, it won’t be soon before all your time is gone and to take advantage of being young and having fun

sometimes his family would go out and get food for him and his brothers birthdays, so he gets you food or a little snack

he’ll get you a letter too, it says something like how you’re a good kid and and you can come to him if you ever need to

DALLAS WINSTON

dally hardly even celebrates his birthday, so if he gets you something or remembers, you’re lucky

he probably swipes you a gift from your favorite shop, he doesn’t care enough to pay for it and is more focused on getting to you than how he got the item

he might get you a letter if your relationship is truly important to him, writing only a few words, believing it’s the thought that matters

tells you that you better appreciate it, if you voice that you don’t, he’ll say something about his parents never getting him anything for his birthdays

TWO-BIT MATHEWS

two-bit tries to make you as annoyed but as happy as you can on your birthday, also making it everyone’s business

tries to get you as much as you can just by telling people ‘oh, yeah, it’s her birthday. how old are you turning again? wow you’re super old!’ even though he’s older than the seniors as a junior

swipes you a ton of random shit, brings you to the drive in just to mess around with some socs

he either babies you or treats you like an adult just to make you annoyed, he’ll do whichever one gets you ticked off, telling you, “soon enough, you’ll be able to drink beer! man, i’m gettin’ old.”

STEVE RANDLE

steve gives you some money so you can get something you want for your birthday

doesn’t really do much for your birthday, he might give you a letter or a note of some sort but very few words

at most, he’ll take the day off to hang out with you on your birthday

or if you really want to you could hang out with him at the DX and take a lot of free stuff, he lets you because it’s your birthday

[lumi077]

He's the type of man to...

A/N: Once again i have changed hyper fixations...drastically. And y'all know what that means lol...Nanami and Yuuta the type to be MY type if you catch my drift. Try to guess my favorite lol

Includes: Kento Nanami, Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, Yuuta Okkotsu, Masamichi Yaga

Warnings: MDNI; elludes to nsfw but no actual smut, possessive themes, canontypical violence in some (no gore), as always potential ooc, petnames (my love, princess, baby, babydoll, honey), slight spoilers for Geto (oops), Geto is a sorcerer au, slight harassment in yuuta's, specified fem reader in some (ie wife/princess)

Nanami Kento

is the type of man to settle on his knees by your feet and strap on your heels for you. 

You hum lightly, eyes flickering over what pairs of heels to wear to your husband’s work party before settling on a classy pair of black strapped ones. Before you can even lean down to put them on, Kento is kneeling down. His fingers ghost over your knee and down your calf before resting firmly on your ankle and slotting it into your chosen heel. Thick fingers quickly buckle them around your delicate ankle, and to finish it off he presses a kiss right above the strap. He repeats the action on the other foot, and you two are definitely going to be fashionably late. 

He’s the type of man to let you try out different color combustions of nail polish on his first. 

“Ken.” You cooed to your blonde husband, sat on the chair across from you. As he looks up from his book, you gesture to the colors spread out on the table “which ones do you think would look good?” He looks them over before pointing to a cool lavender and white before offering you his hand. Catching your questioning gaze he shrugs and simply states “try it out on me first.”

He’s the type to drive you around with a hand on your thigh always, and he always lets you play your music. Even going so far as to memorize singers you like.

You and Kento were heading to a newly opened club to hang out with some friends, his hand splayed across your upper thigh. His thumb was rubbing mindless circles as you scrolled through your phone “any requests?” Looking up at him. “Play that one singer you like…Lana del Rey was it?” And you swear you swooned. 

He’s the type of man you want to marry and have kids with, his responsible and nurturing personality luring you in. 

“you know.” You drawl out the words, looking at him through the corner of your eye. “Yuji is kinda like our kid.” 

Kento hums, raising a brow but not looking up from his work laptop “what makes you say that, my love?”

“He’s constantly over here, we feed him, give him an allowance…kinda makes me want another smaller kid.”

That makes him look up “you want a baby?” And when you nod your pretty little head he takes you right there and then. 

Kento Nanami is the type of man to stare down other men at the work party he took you too-not liking how the drunkards were staring at your exposed skin.

You were leaning on the bar, making small talk with Shoko before you felt a large muscular hand wrap around your hip and pull you closer. “Ken?” You mumbled, looking over your shoulder to see him looking somewhere else. Unbothered, you wrap your arms around his neck and press a kiss to his cheek. “Who’re you staring at, my love?”

“Some guy, looking at you like you’re not my wife.” he grumbled, leaning his head down to kiss you properly. 

“Wanna go home?” You asked, hand rubbing his chest before letting out a little giggle when he nods his head.

“Wanna show you just how much of you is mine” Spoiler alert-all of you

Satoru Gojo

is the type to randomly spoil you with very expensive gifts whenever he can. He rarely sees you some days and he needs to make it up to you somehow. 

Satoru was away again, another mission only he was deemed worthy enough to go one. By himself. You sigh as you unlock your shared apartment, something off. There, on the little table you keep in the entryway is a gift box with your name elegantly scrawled on it, opening it you find something you mentioned wanting- that was very expensive. Along with that was a note

“I’m sorry I’m not there to see your pretty face baby. I’ll make it up to you when I come home. -Your Satoru”

Satoru is the type of man to make you feel like a Greek god reincarnated, never is there a moment without praise. 

you were doing something mundane, scrolling on your phone while sitting on your very comfortable but ridiculously expensive couch when long lithe hands lifted your legs and let them fall onto his lap. “You’re gorgeous, ya know.” He cooed, fingers rubbing your calf as you giggle. “Pretty enough to eat right up.” He sighed affectionately, and you knew how this night would end.

He is the type of man to always gush about you, letting everyone know just who he belongs to

he was sitting in the expansive room, watching his students and those of the Kyoto school duke it out in the annual exchange event. "My poor sweet baby would have loved to be here to see this" he pouted, almost childishly. They had sent you on a mission, leaving him with boring Utahime nagging him.

"Shut up!" Utahime whined, giving him a pointed stare even though she too missed the presence you would bring.

Mei Mei laughed, shaking her head "They're more bareable than you, after all Gojo"

And now he's missing you all over again.

He is the type of man to let you use any and all of his expensive clothing whenever you want.

"Toruuu" You called in a sing song voice, clad in your pajamas while scouring your shared closet.

"Yesss princess?" he hummed from the bed, propping up to look at you.

"Can I wear one of your shirts today." You barely spar him a glance as you take said shirt off the hanger before he even speaks.

"Course baby, looks much better on you." He hummed, letting his head fall back into the pillows at the thought of you in his clothes.

The type that even though he prefers his carefree nature, gets so serious when it comes to you.

He told you, hours after the mission, how nervous he was when you called him. Panting into the phone, sounds of many curses in the background. You only said one word before the phone was crushed "help"

He was there in an instant, and he could see why you needed help. You were very powerful, but even if would have trouble with multiple grade 1 curses and another special grade.

Devoid of his usual humor or playfulness when fighting, he slaughtered them in record time so he could rush you to Shoko.

You had gotten so many kisses, you think the feeling of his lips are imprinted into you.

a/n: it was so hard to find an of age picture of him from the anime where he wasn't possessed by Kenjaku

Suguru Geto

is the type of man to, like his best friend-spoil you. always unprompted and at the least expected times

You were putting the girls to bed, walking out of their shared room to see your husband standing there. Raising a brow you walked over, hands snaking over your waist and pressing a kiss to temple. "My love" he mumbled against your skin, raising your hand and sliding a pretty little ring on your finger. One you distinctly remember fawning over last time you two had took the girls to the mall.

"Sugu-" you gasp, trying to remember if you had forgotten a date but he sushed you with a sweet kiss.

"Just wanted to spoil my pretty wife."

he's getting it tonight ong

Suguru Geto is the type of man to get baby fever and pester you, whining about how cute a baby that looked like the two of you would be.

"Babe." You groaned, seeing the notification that he had sent you yet another cute baby fever inspiring tiktok.

"What" He hummed all innocent from where he laid next to you in bed, your leg draped over one of his. "Just thought it was cute is all."

"Yeah, uh huh." You grumble, feeling the tug to want to have a baby filling you too as you watched a compilation of cute little baby sneezes.

"maybe a baby wouldn't be so bad...the girls want a baby siblings anywa-" he interrupts you with his mouth hungerly attacking yours, body pressed on top of yours.

He is the type of man to let you sit on his back while he does pushups, only if you ask nicely.

You sat in your home gym, watching you husband stretch his glorious mouthwatering muscles when he inevitably caught you staring. "see something you like, babydoll?" he teased, making your face warm.

"Maybe I do..." you trailed off, remembering something your friend said she did with her boyfriend at the time. "Can I sit on your back when you do push ups?"

he raised a brow, eyeing you before shrugging "If you ask nicely, I'll think about it."

"Please Sugu?" You hummed, batting your eyelashes.

And that's how you found yourself sitting on his back, feeling the same muscles you were drooling over flex and work under you. let's just say you were craving some other kind of workout...

he's the type of man that secretly enjoys domestic moments, it feeds the lighter side of his soul just right.

Nothing is better than walking into the house after a mission with Satoru and his partner to see his favorite girls snuggled up on the couch.

it was late, and the twins were passed out despite boasting they could stay up to see Suguru. You look over the two sleeping bodies of your babies and send your husband a small tired smile as he stalks over.

First he plants a kiss on the girls heads, before pressing one to your lips. "I'll help you get the girls to bed, then we cuddle, hm?"

Is the type of man to make you think he doesn't like physical affection as much as you do, but he goes feral for it.

"You know babe, you never really initiate contact all that much." you had told him one day, completely out of the blue as the two of you made breakfast together.

"You're the clingier one between us two." he teased back, shrugging in mock nonchalance.

You huff, a playful tease slipping past your lips "Fine then, I won't initiate it anymore."

he thinks he can last, that he won't care.

It takes all of two hours for him to be attached at your hips, hands squeezing and kneading your hips and thighs while he lips attack your neck...

Yuuta Okkotsu (aged up ver)

is the type of man to bend to your every whim; the word "no" is just not in his vocabulary when it comes to you.

"Baaaby" you drawl out, your draped across his chest, arms encircling his neck at about 2 in the morning. It's dark as hell in your shared room, and he only groans.

"Yes princess?" he mumbles, sleepiness evident in the way he was speaking.

" 'm hungry." you pout, tugging on his sleeve to get him awake "wanna get ice cream?"

He groans, the word "no" on the tip of his tongue, but once he cracks open a tired eye and sees you pouting at him, it dies and is instead replaced with an "of course princess, let me get changed." He slowly slides your body off his to get his wallet and pants.

He's the type of man that never lets you pay for a single thing ever, his bank account is yours to use.

You were shopping with a few friends, pulling Yuta around with you as you and your friends squealed to one another about cute clothes and the cute boys they saw. You mostly stayed quiet at that regard, fussing at your boyfriend for carrying your bags.

Your friends were slightly jealous, eyeing your free hands because their own partners couldn't come and hold their bags.

"Maybe some new shoes?" You asked your friends, nodding as you went in, tried some on, and decided on this pretty new sandals.

When you went to pay, Yuuta scoot in and gave them his card instead. You cooed, kissing his cheek "Yuu, you didn't have too!"

Your friends cooed too, making him blush and squirm. "Shhh, just let me pay."

Yuuta is the type of man to carry you because your heels hurt your feet-even after he warned you this would happen.

"Yuu baby." you pouted, shifting your weight to a different foot every other minute, the poor appendages throbbing as you took another step.

"Your heels hurting you baby?" He hummed softly, arms circling around your waist and lifting you up. The relief was almost instant, his other arm going to lift your legs.

"My princess needs carried hm?" he teased lightly, and you giggle while pressing your lips to his cheek.

"My knight in shining armor." You giggled, shaking your head. "What would I do without you?"

"Having to walk in heels I told you not to wear." He huffed back, still walking the path home. He laughed when you lightly hit his shoulder, pouting.

"Didn't have to say told you so!" you huff

The type of man that would absolutely punch someone in the face for bothering you. He may not look the part, but he is your scary dog privileges.

You and Yuuta had decided that going out to the local bar with your shared friends was a good idea, to celebrate a mission well done. You were sat up at the bar with Maki, while Yuuta and Toge sat at the table your group at previously claimed as your own when you all had entered.

There were some other college kids, already drunk off their asses when you had entered. They were a rowdy group, and the boys had their eyes on them the entire time.

As the two boys conversed, they had failed to see the boys make their way over to you and Maki.

"Hey beautifuls." one man slurred, throwing an arm around Maki while his friend stood awfully close to you. Maki was having none of it, shoving the man off her and grabbing your hand.

"Back off creeps." she hissed, clenching your hand in silent reassurance. The other man that had stood next to you put his hand on your thigh, making squeak out "I have a boyfriend!"

maki immediately looked over, ready to punch the guy for you when the sleeve of Yuuta's shirt appeared, his hand grabbing the collar of the guy.

"Hands. Off." he basically growled the words, and the man immediately backed off.

"S-Sorry man, thought she was single!" he yelped, both him and his friend scuttling off afer he let go and wrapped his arms around you.

"Let's head home baby." nodding to maki, he grabbed your hand and started leading you out.

The type of man to absolutely match with you. Whether it's phone cases, profile pictures, clothes, necklaces. He really doesn't care.

"hey Princess." he hummed, brushing against you in his matching shirt. It was cheesy, an "I <3 my girlfriend" t shirt while yours said "i <3 my boyfriend."

"hey bubs." you hum, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "What's up?"

"Just got you a lil something." pushing your hair back, he put a necklace on, clasped it, and let the chain fall against your neck.

Looking down with a furrowed brow, you let out a tiny giggle as the small silver name of "Yuuta" written in cursive shone dimly in the light.

"Have one of your name too. So we match." he almost giggled the words against your neck, and you sighed happily.

"So sweet for me baby, thank you." you really did love the gift.

Masamichi Yaga

is the type to keep your marriage a secret for your own safety...and conveniently forgetting to tell you about that little tidbit.

"Honey" You called as you entered through the front door of your shared house, giddy and excited to tell him about an encounter you had with a teacher at his school.

"Yeah?" he called back to you, sitting on the couch and fiddling with a new puppet, his eyes flicking up to you instead. Noticing your giddy smile, he tilted his head.

"You'll never believe who I saw when I was shopping!" You placed the bags down on the coffee table, putting off the task of putting them away for a moment. "Gojo! He was so sweet, i don't think he knew we were married."

"Oh, how silly of him." He had neglected to tell you that well...you were his well-kept little secret. No one knew about you but Panda, who was like a child to you despite his unique appearance.

"Mhm, but he invited me to see Panda train with the other second years, how nice!"

he nodded, a light scowl. "That's wonderful honey, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you."

Gojo was going to be one hell of a headache.

Masamichi is the type of man to do all the chores you hate around the house, even if he doesn't like doing them either.

You had just gotten back from the school where your husband worked at, watching your son train with his other classmates when you hear the dishes clinking and Masa humming.

Walking into the kitchen, you had tilted your head as you saw your tall, muscular, rather intimidating husband putting away the now clean dishes.

"Masa baby?" You called out, a small smile on your face as you leaned on the wall. He let out a small hum of acknowledgement, waiting till he placed the last dish where it should be before turning to you and opening his arms for you.

You walked into them without a second thought, his thick arms wrapping around your waist. "Thought you didn't like unloading the dishwasher?" You hummed, looking up at him.

he simply shrugged his shoulders, lifting you up to place a kiss on your lips "Know you don't like doing it either, thought I might as well."

You coo at the thoughtful action, and placed a kiss on his cheek. "thank you my love."

He's the type to introduce you to every puppet, making sure they're nice and gentle with you every time.

"C'mere my love." he waved you over, you had just stepped out of the shower, hair wet against your back. You were dressed up in his shirt as you sat down on the bed next to him, curious.

Pleasantly, he showed you his newest creation. The puppet was small, the body of the puppet was your favorite color as it stared up at you from his hands.

"Awe, what a cutie." you cooed to the little thing, and it seemed to purr at your words, tumbling off his hand and into your lap to cuddle up.

He pouted, muttering a "traitor" before shaking his head "I think they like you more than me."

"Must have good taste then." you laughed lightly, scooping up the puppet and pressing a kiss to the top of it's head.

"Do I get a kiss?" he hummed, snuggling up to you just like his creation had.

"I suppose." You hummed, pressing a kiss to his lips only for the little puppet to punch the creation, almost pouting in your hands.

"Hey!" He huffed as your laughter broke the kiss, looking down at the small puppet like it stabbed him in the back.

He's the type to look so mean, but is so soft with you.

You were sat in the rocking chair stationed in your living room, some meaningless show playing on the flatscreen for ambience. You were knitting a scarf for Panda, the cold season approaching quickly. Which led you wanting to make some for his friends too, knowing Maki and Yuta couldn't have home knitted scarves to keep them warm when your husband burst in.

His head swiveled, trying to find you. You could hear the sigh he let out when he found you, sitting on the ground next to your legs. Placing a gentle kiss to your knee, he let out another sigh.

"Hello my darling." you spoke softly, placing down your knitting materials to rub his head. he hummed tiredly at the action, leaning into your touch. "Rough mission?"

he nodded, "But I'm home now."

"You're home." You assented sweetly as he laid his head against your leg.

"Now help me knit these scarves for Panda's friends."

He's the type of man to put a lot of importance on birthdays and anniversaries, always making sure he has a clear schedule for them.

You woke up to an empty bed, something that wasn't entirely unusual when it came to your husband. Though you felt a twinge of hurt, normally he was here.

Pulling yourself from the warmed sheets, you slipped on your house shoes and through on a robe, walking to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast when hands went around your waist and spun.

"Happy birthday baby!" Masamichi cooed down to you, pressing a lasting kiss to you cheek because your mouth was too preoccupied giggling up a storm.

"Thought you went to work?" You spoke in-between your giggles, arms wrapping around his thick neck and pressing your own kiss to his cheek.

"And have you spend your birthday with just Panda? I could never my love." he peppered kisses against all the skin he could, shaking his head. "My pretty spouse deserves much better than that. Now c'mon, we're going out to breakfast."

All in all, these men are the type to love you so completely no matter what you look like <3

[turtleblogatlast]

I honestly love the clothing styles of each of the turtles in this show and I love how these styles really incorporate their personalities as well.

Like, obviously Donnie has the best sense of style, yeah? Think that’s something pretty agreed upon here. Everything we see him put together is very meticulously crafted and clean. That goes with his personality because Donnie is a very meticulous person in general, and he knows what he likes very, very well, and knows how to flaunt it in turn. Him commenting on colors he enjoys or disapproving of outfits that the others see no problem with also shows how he just generally has an eye for this kind of thing. He doesn’t just know what looks good on himself, but also what looks good on others - and I think this ties into his love of gift giving too. Donnie also has a flair for making sure that his things have his “mark” on them, and his clothing is no exception. All that he wears and how he wears them screams “Donnie.”

Mikey is really fun because his styles are honestly a pendulum between super simplistic and incredibly out there. And often, you’re going to see a lot of color or patterns to both. And in my opinion I think that all reflects really well on Mikey’s character - he’s got a colorful personality but even more than that he’s incredible sure of who he himself is. Mikey’s style, I feel, is less what looks good as clothes and more what sparks joy in Mikey himself. His bright stickers he wears are a testament of that! He’s comfortable in his own skin and his style reflects this perfectly, whether he goes for a more out-there look or a more toned down one.

Now, for Leo. Okay, I think I’m actually in the minority here I feel because Leo’s style isn’t really that bad? Hear me out- if you actually look at what he wears, try taking out, like, one accessory. Suddenly, that outfit works! He even manages to put together many good outfits in the series, but his “bad” ones are the ones that tend to stand out, alas (just like how his mistakes tend to be big ones oop-) Basically, my personal look at him is not that he’s inept at styling at all, but that he has a “too much” gene. And like everyone else, this sense of style is completely like him, too. Going too far to impress when all he needed to do was slow it down some to think things through. (And funnily enough, a lot of his outfits take random aspects from his brothers too - “nothing without them” huh?)

For Raph, I feel bad for him since pretty much all of his clothes are inevitably going to be ripped, but he makes them work pretty much each time. Like Leo, Raph tends to go more sporty with his looks, but I also noticed that his stuff often goes in that in between of comfy, cool, and cute. His pajama suit in particular comes to mind in terms of “cute” as it’s more something you’d see younger children in rather than older kids, and I think it can be a subtle nod to the fact that for all Raph tries to seem older, he’s still just a kid too.

I could probably go on, but these are just all off the top of my head - I love how the boys’ personality’s come out in so many different ways.

[justagalwhowrites]

Halcyon - Ch. 10: People Might Think You Care About Me

You and Joel spend the holidays together. A continuation of Halcyon from the prologue through Ch. 9, a modern no outbreak AU TLOU fic found on Tumblr here.

Again, I'm here begging HBO to give me something to use for young Joel PLZ

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

Warnings: Mention of dieting and diet culture. Modern No Outbreak AU, No use of Y/N, Slow burn, 18+ only, Minors DNI

Length: 5.8K

AO3 | Main Master List | Prologue | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

“I can’t believe my kid is going to like you better than me,” Joel said, sitting in the middle of the living room floor with a roll of wrapping paper spread out in front of him. “Scissors.” 

You handed them over before grabbing the tape, putting a piece on the tip of your finger before folding the paper around the box - a friendship bracelet kit - that you were wrapping for Sarah. 

“I mean, first of all, your kid already likes me more than she likes you,” you teased, turning the box to do the other side. “She has good taste…” 

“You’re the worst.” 

“Second,” you said, ignoring him. “It is a joint gift, you’re getting tons of cool dad points out of this.” 

“She’s gonna know it was your idea,” he said, adjusting the gift he was wrapping. “Hell, she’s gonna know that only one of us could have gotten tickets and it ain’t me.”

As if on cue, Swiftie - Sarah’s kitten - pounced on the box Joel was wrapping. 

“Yeah, this one knows, too,” he said, scooping her up with one large hand and setting her down. “I miss when she wanted Barbies. Shit was easier.” 

You laughed. 

“Be happy she’s excited about anything enough that she’s going to freak out over Taylor Swift tickets,” you said. “She’s about to be a disaffected teenager, enjoy it while it lasts.” 

“Yeah, don’t remind me,” he muttered, “She’s stubborn enough as it is.” 

“You’re in for it, Miller,” you said as your cat, Puck, climbed on your lap. You reached around him to finish taping the package you were wrapping. “She’s going to give you so much shit…” 

“What if she’s just like you, hm?” Joel teased. “Gonna have a nerd for a kid…” 

“Hey, I was a nerd who snuck out at night to go get drunk with the boneheaded jock,” you teased back. “You really want her to be just like me?” 

“Jesus, you’re right,” Joel shook his head, finishing wrapping his present. “I’ll have to keep her far away from anyone like me for the sake of us all.” 

You snorted and finished wrapping your own gift before scooping Puck into your arms, nuzzling into his fur and giving him a kiss on the head before settling with your back against your couch as you looked at the lights on the tree.

It was Christmas Eve, the first one in years you were spending without Gale and you’d never been more thankful for Joel. 

Last year, you and Gale were separated but you’d felt so alone that you’d texted him the afternoon of Christmas Eve and spent most of the night and next day in bed. You’d tricked yourself then, pretended there was a chance in hell of the two of you getting back together and things going back to the way they used to be. 

That hadn’t happened. You’d spent New Year’s Eve in bed, too. Except that time, you were alone. 

You’d been afraid that was going to happen for you this holiday season, too. You asked Anna what she had planned for Christmas, fully expecting her to want to spend the day together. She had other things in mind. 

“Honestly, ever since Mom died?” She’d shrugged. “I love using it as a day to just chill. Binge watch TV I’ve been meaning to catch up on, eat a pile of Chinese food, maybe take a bath… It’s pretty boring but I love it. And since I’ve got this little bundle on the way, I’m extra looking forward to it this year.” 

“Oh,” you forced a smile, trying to hide your disappointment. “No, that sounds great.” 

“Oh God,” she clamped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide for a moment. “Did you want to do something? I’m so sorry, I should have…” 

“”No,” you waved her off quickly. “No, you’re good! I don’t want to disrupt your plans…” 

“You can join if you want!” She said. “I mean, for everything but the bath part, that might be a little much now that we’re not kids anymore.” 

“No,” you said again. “You have fun! Tradition is tradition and you need the break. Maybe I’ll do the same.” 

You should have known that she would have her own way of doing things. You’d all but abandoned her during your marriage, sending perfunctory text messages and holiday cards and flying her up for a long weekend every year or so but, otherwise, you went weeks without talking. Of course she had Christmas plans that didn’t involve you. Why would she have any that did? 

Joel, however, had done what he’d always done since you’d moved back to Texas: Made room for you in his life. 

“Know you and Anna probably already got plans but,” he’d shrugged two weeks earlier. “If you don’t… want to spend Christmas with me n’Sarah? Tommy, too, assuming he doesn’t con his way into dinner at some girl’s house. S’OK if you don’t, just figured… I dunno…” 

You’d smiled, bigger than you’d really meant to. 

“You want me to spend Christmas with you?” 

“I want you to spend most days with me,” he shrugged. “But you know, we gotta go out in the world and make money and shit. Anyway, Christmas. You in? Could just move in until the New Year if you really wanted…” 

The last part wasn’t going to work with your obligation to go try to write a book once Christmas was through. But you had spent the last two nights at Joel’s, bringing Puck over to play with Sarah and Swiftie as the three of you watched Christmas movies and binged cookies. No papers to grade, no lawyers calling because your attorneys’ offices were closed, no pressure because you already had time set aside to write. You could really relax for the first time in what felt like an eternity and relaxing with Joel and Sarah was quickly becoming your favorite thing in the entire world. 

But all that relaxing had meant there was a small pile of presents that weren’t wrapped that needed to make it under the tree. It was Christmas Eve and time had run out. 

“You need to stop procrastinating,” you said, getting your egg nog that was now mostly liquor off the coffee table and taking a sip. “Can’t get away with that shit when you’re a business owner.” 

“Just watch me,” he teased. “Besides, you’re one to talk, you made any progress on that book?” 

“That’s what next week is for,” you said, giving the cat a kiss just as he started to get restless in your arms. You set him down. “Fingers crossed having nothing else to do will make me churn out the words.” 

“Wild to me that you make money from what’s in your head,” Joel came and sat next to you. “Not that I think you shouldn’t, if anyone should it’s you. Just that anyone does at all is insane.” 

“Well, I may not make money off it for long if I can’t write anything else,” you sighed. “Know what? Let’s not talk about next week. I want to live in this moment - the one where we don’t have any worries and the presents are all under the tree and Sarah is passed out - for a while longer yet.” 

Joel hummed in agreement and you leaned your head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly. You could smell his skin and cologne and there was still a little bacon scent from when he’d made breakfast for the three of you that morning. 

“Think she’ll have a good Christmas?” Joel asked quietly, the two of you watching the lights twinkle on his tree. 

“Hell yeah,” you smiled a little. “You really are an amazing Dad, Joel.” 

He scoffed. 

“I’m serious,” you peered up at him. “You’re lucky to have Sarah but she’s lucky as hell to have you, too. She’s going to love it.” 

“Speaking of parents… anything new in the Anna situation?” Joel asked cautiously. 

“It’s a girl,” you sighed. “But she seems to be keeping up with everything, thank God. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe this is the kick in the ass she’s been needing…” 

“Was for me,” Joel shrugged, making your head rise with his shoulder. 

You sighed again. 

“Just seems like an awful lot to put on a kid,” you said. “And you might have been young and dumb but you didn’t have the shit Anna’s got on her plate. It’s a bit of a different story with her.” 

“She might surprise you. But either way, we’ll make up a room for the little sucker here,” Joel said. “Just to be safe.” 

“Regardless, that’s next year Goldie and Joel’s problem,” you said. “And thank fuck for that.” 

“Yeah, fuck those two,” you could hear the smile on Joel’s voice. “Let’s put the wrapping paper away and go to bed, something about Santa and knowing when you’re sleeping and all that.”

You cleaned up the living room and tried not to pay attention to the nighttime routine you’d fallen into with Joel in the few days you’d been staying with him. You had your own sink in Joel’s bathroom, one that had your hair products and face wash lined up alongside it. You had your own side of the bed with your own nightstand where the book you’d been reading the last few days was nearing its end and waiting for you. If you thought about it too much, you’d miss it when it was gone. If you thought about it too much, it might seem like something you could keep.

Joel made his customary space at his side and you nestled into him, your head on his chest where you could hear his heart beat. His fingers trailed up and down your arm. 

“There are upsides to a kid, you know,” he said quietly. “Christmas morning is one of ‘em. Just wait.” 

You smiled a little. 

“Stop keeping me awake and we won’t have to wait long,” you said. 

Joel snorted. 

“Yeah yeah. Night Goldie.” 

“Night Joel.” 

Sarah came careening into Joel’s room before 7 a.m., slamming into the bed so hard that it made your teeth rattle. 

“Dad! Aunt Goldie!” She shook you both. “Wake up, it’s Christmas!” 

“Yeah, alright,” Joel groaned, taking his warm arm from its place around your shoulders. You groaned, too. “You stay here with Goldie while I go put the coffee pot on and get set up to record you…” 

Sarah groaned. 

“Seriously?” 

“Seriously,” he said. “Sit tight, five minutes.” 

You rolled onto your back and blinked the sleep from your eyes, Sarah bouncing impatiently on the bed. You lifted your head enough to look at her, curls sticking every which way, and you dropped back down onto the pillow with a groan. 

“You’re lucky you’re cute, kid,” you said. 

“Yeah, that’s what my dad says,” she said cheerfully and you could picture her smile as she did. 

“Alright, come on out,” Joel called from the living room. Sarah rocketed off the bed and you laughed as you got up yourself, trailing behind her and trying not to yawn. 

“Oh cool!” Sarah flopped down beside her stocking and started going through it as you got to the living room. Joel was sitting on the couch, his phone set up on a tripod in the corner and pointed at the tree. “These are those face mask things I said I wanted! And the headbands for soccer!” 

“I do pay attention now and then, baby girl,” Joel said, rubbing his eyes. 

“Don’t you mean Santa pays attention?” You asked, sitting next to him on the couch. Joel handed you a cup of coffee, made exactly how you liked it.

“I know Santa’s not real, Aunt Goldie,” Sarah rolled her eyes and gave you a look. “I’m 11, not a kid.” 

Joel snorted. 

“Sorry,” you said. “My mistake.” 

“Don’t spoil Santa for Goldie,” Joel said before reaching down on the ground next to him. “Speaking of which…” 

He handed you a fat stocking and you frowned a little as you took it. 

“You made me a stocking?” You asked, tears pinching at your throat. “No one’s made me a stocking since I was in high school…” 

“Then you’re real overdue,” he smiled a little and went back to watching Sarah as she unwrapped a chocolate Santa and stuffed the entire thing in her mouth. “Alright, let’s not eat all the candy in one sitting…” 

“But it’s Christmas!” She said, voice muffled around the chocolate. 

“Still gonna get sick,” he replied. 

You started unpacking the stocking, pulling two pairs of fuzzy socks out of the top. 

“Because your feet are always freezing,” he said, looking back at you. “Figured one pair for here, one for your house…” 

“Thank you,” you smiled, going back into the stocking. There was some of your favorite candy, one of the face masks Sarah had, a bottle of gold nail polish. 

“We can do a spa day!” She beamed. 

“We can,” you laughed, looking at Joel who just shrugged, a small smile on his face. 

At the bottom of the stocking was a chunky gold pen, thick plastic encasing glitter and you turned it over in your fingers, frowning for a moment at just how familiar it felt. 

“Saw one like the one you had when we were kids years ago,” Joel said. “Bought it on a whim, thought you might want it.” 

You wanted to say thank you but you couldn’t seem to make a sound, the words caught in your throat. Instead, you just threw your arms around his neck and he laughed a little when he caught you, his hand sliding over your side and around to your back. 

You stayed close to Joel and watched as Sarah tore through her presents, the envelope with the concert tickets safely in Joel’s possession. 

“Hey Sarah,” you said eventually. “Can you hand me that box under there that’s for your dad?” 

Joel frowned as Sarah got the box, setting it on the coffee table in front of Joel and hovering as he went to open it. 

“Didn’t need to get me anything,” he said. 

“Too damn bad,” you said. “Don’t get too excited, it’s nothing crazy.” 

He opened it. Inside were two shot glasses, leather wrapped with a monogrammed M burned into it. 

“I thought you needed some accessories for the flask,” you smiled. 

He laughed. 

“We gotta break these in,” he said, looking them over. “They even look like they match…” 

“May have gotten Tommy to send me pictures,” you said. “Keep going, one more thing in there.” 

He shifted the tissue paper before pulling out a cassette tape, frowning at it for a moment. 

“What…” 

“I know your stereo is old enough that it plays tapes,” you said, palm out. “Hand it over.” 

He laughed once but obeyed and you went to put the tape in, adjusting the volume so it wouldn’t be too loud. It crackled a bit at the start and then Joel’s voice - almost 20 years younger but still so familiar - filled the room.

“My name is Joel Miller,” he said. “I play guitar and sing, mostly rock, little country…” 

Joel gaped at the stereo before looking to you. 

“Is this that old demo tape we made when we were kids?” He asked. You laughed and nodded. “Holy… where the hell’d you find this thing?” 

“I kept one,” you shrugged. “Thought it might give you a nudge toward playing again.” 

The Joel on tape started playing and Sarah came and sat between the two of you on the couch, looking up at her dad. 

“So that’s you?” She asked. 

“Sure is,” he said. “Long time ago, I was closer to your age then than mine now.” 

“What’s it for?” She asked. 

“Well,” Joel looked over her head to you and smiled a little before looking back at his daughter. “I always liked playing, wanted to be a singer for a while. Goldie here talked me into making some demo tapes to give to places around here that had open mic nights so I could actually play for people. Worked, too. Had a few places I played pretty often for a bit in there thanks to that tape.” 

“Why’d you stop?” She frowned. “You were good.” 

Joel shrugged. 

“Bigger things to do,” he kissed the top of her head. “Though speaking of music… think there might be one more thing for you under the tree.” 

Sarah’s frown deepened and she went to look around, picking her way through wrapping paper and but not finding it. 

“There’s nothing over here, Dad,” she said. “Are you sure?” 

“Oh, right,” Joel said, giving you a wink and pulling the envelope out of the pocket of his pajama pants. “Here it is.” 

She jumped over some of the boxes scattered over the floor and took the envelope from him, her eyebrows knitting together as she read the writing on the front. 

“To the swiftest music fan?” She said, looking up from the envelope and at the two of you. 

You just shrugged. 

“Gonna have to open it, kiddo,” Joel said. 

She slipped her fingers below the seal and pulled out the card, two pieces of paper falling to the ground before she had a chance to read it. She picked them up and unfolded them, reading the first one. 

“It says we have a hotel room in Dallas?” She looked at Joel. 

“Gotta read the other paper, baby girl,” he said. “That’s the important one. And the one from Aunt Goldie.” 

She flipped to that page next and only held it for a moment before shrieking and throwing herself at you, knocking you back into the couch. 

“You got Eras Tour tickets?” She pulled back, half on top of you and half on the couch. You just laughed and nodded. “Oh my GOD, thank you thank you thank you, you’re the best! OH MY GOD!” 

“Well your dad is the one getting us there and making sure we have a place to stay,” you said. “So hug him, too.” 

“Thank you!” She threw herself at him, too, and he laughed, catching her and giving her a squeeze. “This is the best present ever, it’s going to be the best time, I can’t wait! We’re going to see Taylor Swift! Oh my GOD, I have to tell my friends!” 

She shot off to her room to get her phone and Joel laughed, looking over at you. 

“OK I don’t even care that she likes you better n’me now,” he said. “She’s that happy? Worth it.” 

“We’ll see how we feel after a few days wrangling her for the Taylor Swift concert,” you said, watching where she’d disappeared up the stairs. “But… yeah, definitely worth it.” 

“Hey,” Joel said, voice oddly earnest. You looked over at him. “Thanks for loving my kid.” 

You smiled a little. 

“She’s yours,” you said. “How could I not?” 

Tommy came over a few hours later, once the turkey was in the oven and the wrapping paper was cleaned up off the floor. He gave Sarah a five pound bag of Sour Patch Kids and said “don’t tell your dad” before kissing the top of her head as she scampered off to stash her hoard in her room. He greeted you with a hug with a tight squeeze on the end and you still couldn’t quite get used to just how adult he was. There was part of you that still saw him as the little kid who trailed after you and Joel, the one who sometimes begged to go to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard. Now, he was nearly as tall as his older brother, drinking a beer and talking to Joel about a woman named Maria he’d just started dating. It was an odd reminder of just how much time you’d lost with Joel, just how much had changed. 

The four of you had dinner - Tommy teasing Sarah more like a loving older brother than an uncle, making you smile - and, before too long, the day was done. 

Sarah insisted on listening to Taylor Swift while she got ready for bed and Joel read to her from an Artemis Fowl book, you eavesdropping on Joel doing the voices from your place in the living room while the cats curled up around you. 

A keen sense of belonging settled over you then, as you held a mug of cocoa in one hand and the other rested on the back of your large, orange cat. This, you thought, was where you belonged. In this space, in this time, alongside these people. 

How could you ever hope to find this anywhere else? How were you ever supposed to recover from this stubborn crush if Joel was the place you felt most like home? 

“You OK?” Joel asked, hovering toward the top of the stairs, his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. 

“Yeah,” you smiled and gave Puck a scratch and let yourself have the feeling. “I’m good.” 

You got up early the next morning, Joel barely awake enough to help carry your bags to the car. 

“See you New Year’s Eve,” he said, his hands in the pockets of his pajama pants and his hair in total disarray. “Better have that damn book done by then.” 

“Do you really think you can write an entire book in a week?” You asked, brows raised. 

“I dunno,” he said. “You’re the smart one, you tell me.” 

You rolled your eyes and he laughed a little. 

“Alright, I’m goin’ back to bed,” he said. “Text me when you get there, have fun being a genius.” 

“Hey,” you called to him as he made it halfway back up his walk. He turned to face you, frowning slightly. “Thanks. For being my friend.” 

An expression you couldn’t place passed over his face before he smiled a little. 

“Careful,” he said. “Talk like that enough, people might think you care about me and shit.” 

“Well, we can’t have that,” you said. “See you in a few days.” 

He watched you drive off and you made your way to the hill country and the cabin Stephanie had reserved for you. You’d insisted that it have extra bedrooms and a hot tub and were surprised that she hadn’t pushed back on it. 

“Whatever you need to get the job done, you’ve got it,” she said after sending you links to some cabins. “I’m just here to facilitate.” 

You stopped on the way for groceries, stocking up so you wouldn’t need to leave the house once you settled in. You went with most of your standbys for cooking for one and watching the careful diet you’d been on for years but then thought of Joel bringing you tamales and plying you with cookies over the last few days. Maybe he was right. Maybe you did need to live a little. You got the stuff to make the bagel sandwiches, too. 

The cabin was damn near idyllic, all stone and wood with huge windows looking out at the brush leading down to the lake in the backyard. The hot tub was set on the back porch, a fire pit in the yard and rocking chairs out front. The kitchen was large and reasonably well equipped and there were enough bedrooms that Joel, Tommy and Sarah could have their own when they all joined you for New Year’s Eve. There was even a desk set up near a window that overlooked the water and you set up your laptop and charger and got out your notebook with the pen from your Christmas stocking, arranging everything just so. 

“Alright,” you said to no one after you got the groceries put away and made yourself a cup of coffee before settling in at the desk to write. “Let’s do this.” 

And… you tried. You really, truly did. 

Day one, you got most of an outline done. Enough of one that you went to bed feeling somewhat accomplished and felt good treating yourself to a bagel sandwich in the morning. But then, when you sat down to work on the next part for day two, you weren’t sure you liked any of it anymore. You pressed on, anyway. Day three, you tried to write the first chapter and you made some decent progress, at least feeling like you were getting to know the characters a bit as you settled into the story. But, day four, you read what you’d written the day before and wanted to claw your way out of your skin. What were you doing? Why did you think you could do this at all? Had you ever made anything worthwhile on your own? Why would you suddenly be able to do it now? 

The text came through when you were taking a break for lunch, desperately avoiding the gnawing feeling of failure after days of accomplishing fuck all when you really had no excuse not to. You sighed and opened your texts, fully expecting from Joel or Anna or even Stephanie. 

It wasn’t. 

Hey Doll

You dropped your fork in shock and it clattered to your plate as you blinked at your phone in total shock. He was texting you. Why was he texting you? He hadn’t texted you in months, not since you’d left Rhode Island. Why now? Did you want to know? Could you resist knowing? 

Hi Gale

You propped your phone up against your half empty can of Diet Dr. Pepper and stared at the screen, waiting for the next shoe to drop. 

It didn’t take long. 

How’ve you been doing? 

Your hand shook as you replied. 

Alright. I like the new school. You?

He responded almost instantly. 

Not bad. Was just thinking about you. Miss you. 

You froze, your heart in your throat. 

He missed you. How could he just say that? The collapse of your marriage had been one of the most painful things you’d ever gone through, happening in slow motion as he pulled further and further away and you desperately tried to dig your nails in to keep him close. You’d all but begged for him to miss you for years and now he was just texting it to you out of the blue. How could he just say that? How could you pretend like it wasn’t what you wanted to hear? 

You went to his Facebook page and checked his relationship status, one of the upsides to being with an older man meaning that his social media presence was pretty limited. He was still listed as in a relationship with Carla, a woman he’d met in much the same way he’d met you. The thought made your stomach churn, that you’d been so easily replaced by the younger, thinner, prettier version who had been dropped on his desk, practically gift wrapped. 

You went back to the texts. 

How’s Carla? 

There was a longer pause that time. 

She’s not you. 

“Jesus,” you said, setting the phone down and closing your eyes for a moment. You tried to think, forcing yourself to be practical. This wasn’t the time or the place to be having this conversation. You couldn’t have this conversation, not when you’d just been sitting her wondering if you could do the only thing you’d ever felt like you were supposed to do without his help. 

I don’t want to talk about this now. I’m in the middle of working on my book. Maybe another time. 

You stared at the phone, waiting for him to respond. He never did. 

“Yeah, sure seems like you missed me,” you muttered, finishing your salad and cleaning up from lunch, settling back in at your desk to write for the afternoon, trying not to think about the very real possibility that your writing career had ended when your marriage did. 

“I’m losing my mind over here,” you said, breaking down and calling Joel on day five. “There’s only so much I can say to a wall, you know.” 

“We’re comin’ your way tomorrow,” he said. “Be praying for some peace and quiet once Sarah and Tommy are there, trust me. Still like pecan praline ice cream, yeah?” 

“Blue Bell?” You asked. 

“Course it’s Blue Bell,” you could hear him roll his eyes through the phone. “What kind of animal you take me for?” 

“Oh, my apologies…” 

“Anything else you can think of?” He asked. “I can always stop on the way, too, but it’s easier while I’m here.” 

“I still think it’s silly to buy ice cream an hour away and then drive it out here,” you said. 

“That’s what coolers are for,” he replied. “Stop finding shit to worry about. Just give the writing one more shot, see how far you get. Who knows, you might surprise yourself.” 

“Yeah,” you sighed, chewing on the inside of your cheek as you remembered your texts with Gale the day before. 

“Goldie,” Joel said, tone serious. “That all that’s on your mind?” 

“Stop trying to read my thoughts,” you said. 

“Tell me,” he said. “Or I’ll show up early and make you.” 

“That a threat?” 

“That’s a promise,” he said. “What’s goin’ on?” 

“Gale texted yesterday,” you said, fidgeting with the handle of your coffee mug, the coffee itself going cold an hour ago. 

“Gale?” Joel asked, tone sharp. “Fuckin’ Gale? The fuck did he want?” 

“I don’t know,” you sighed. “I’ll show you the texts when you get here, maybe you can translate them for me since he’s not making any damn sense.” 

“That asshole better not be making any trouble,” Joel said. “I will find him and kick his ass, Goldie, just say the word…” 

“I know you will,” you laughed a little. “But don’t worry about it right now. And I should let you go…” 

“Yeah, go write your book,” he teased. “Change the world and shit.” 

There was a knock at your front door and you frowned, staring at it. There was a window to the side of it but all you could see was a shadow. 

“Hey, Joel?” You said. “Hang on one second, there’s someone at my door.” 

“What?” He sounded serious now. “Were you expecting anyone?” 

“No,” you said quietly, approaching it slowly and trying to see through the frosted glass. You couldn’t make out who it was. “So just stay on the line and make sure I’m not axe murdered…” 

“Need me to come out there now?” He asked. “If you ain’t safe…” 

“I’m sure it’s fine,” you said, unlocking the deadbolt. “Probably just a neighbor, but…” 

You opened the door and peered out through the crack, phone clutched against your head. 

You still almost dropped it. 

“Hey Doll.” 

***

“Hi Gale.” 

Joel’s heart dropped. 

“Gale?” He said, pressing his phone tight against his head and trying not to yell in the middle of the line at the HEB. “Fucking Gale? He’s there?” 

“I have to go,” you said quickly. “Talk later.” 

You hung up before he had a chance to say goodbye. He tried calling you back but you ignored it. 

Joel stood there, staring at his cart for a moment, his head swimming. 

Was he freaking out because it was you and he didn’t want you alone at some romantic looking cabin with your ex-husband? Was it because he knew that you weren’t in a place to handle this right now? Was it because he knew - knew - that your ex was a goddamn predator? 

He’d bitten his tongue about that fact since you’d been back, that the man you’d married had been more than twice your age and you’d only been a legal adult for all of a month when he’d met you. It didn’t matter that it was you, that Joel had gone searching for you and found you there with him all those years ago, he’d want to beat the shit out of a man like that regardless of who it was. A man like that couldn’t be trusted. 

He especially couldn’t be trusted with you. 

Joel checked out as fast as he could, calling Tommy as he drove. 

“Hey, need you to do me a favor,” he said quickly. 

“You always need me to do you a favor,” Tommy said. “One of these days I’m gonna cash in.” 

“Yeah, who got you the only job besides the army you’ve kept longer than a week?” Joel asked. 

Tommy sighed. 

“Fine. What’s up?” 

“Need you to take Sarah tonight.” 

“Joel, come on!” 

“M’serious,” Joel said. “Goldie’s ex just showed up at the fucking cabin…” 

“Oh, not that fucking asshole from the funeral,” Tommy cut him off. 

“That’s the one,” Joel said. 

“Fuck that guy,” Tommy said. “He needs to stay the fuck away from her.” 

“Yeah, somethin’ tells me he ain’t gonna make that choice on his own,” Joel said. “So I need you to pick up Sarah and take her for the night. And bring me my shit tomorrow. I’ll text you the address where Sarah’s at, she’s at her friend’s playing right now, needs to be picked up about five…” 

“Yeah, I got it,” Tommy said. “Go save the day.” 

Joel drove as fast as he dared, not familiar enough with where cops liked to hide to go too fast. He pulled up in front of the cabin you’d sent him the information for a week and a half earlier. He’d have admired it, in another circumstance. He’d always wanted a place like this, someplace quiet where there was enough space to live a little, maybe hunt. A place where Sarah could run and play and get to know nature a little. 

But in that moment, he was too pissed to take it in. 

He grabbed a bag out of the trunk - pretense more than anything else - and stalked up to the door before knocking on it, his fist coming down in heavy thuds on the wood. 

You pulled open the door, a surprised look on your face and your ex-husband at your back. 

He looked just about the same as Joel remembered him from before. Tall but not as tall as him, a refined air about him that made Joel want to deck him, a smug look on his face. His hair was gray and his face was wrinkled and Joel fucking hated him. 

“Joel,” you said, staring at him. “What are you…” 

Joel did the only thing he could think to do, fucking Brad standing so close to you with a hand between your shoulder blades like he fucking owned you. 

“Missed you too much, baby,” he said, watching your eyes go a little wide at the word. “Couldn’t wait until tomorrow.” 

He reached out and cupped the hinge of your jaw, his fingers wrapping around the back of your neck and he tugged you closer, his heart beating so fast he was sure that your fucking ex could hear it. 

But he didn’t care. 

All he cared about was the way your lips felt on his when he kissed you. 

Next Chapter

A/N: I mean we can all agree, fuck Brad/Gale.

But also... his presence does get results.

THANKS FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME! Love you!

[togrowoldinv]

Tattoos

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Natasha invites you to a pool party and you see more of her body than you ever have

Note: I am a simp for Scarlett’s tattoos so this is definitely inspired by her. Enjoy!

Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 1, Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 2, Main Masterlist

You’ve been dating Natasha for a few months now, so it felt only natural for her to invite you to little Morgan Stark’s birthday party.

You picked out a gift for the girl together and Natasha promised to pick you up on her motorcycle.

She shows up right on time and walks up to your door. She knocks a few times and you open the door.

“Hey there,” Natasha says when she sees you. She steps forward and kisses your cheek.

“You’re wearing-“

“It’s a pool party,” she explains her summer attire. Shorts and a tshirt. You’ve not seen her in this clothing before.

“Oh shit. I guess I might need to grab a swimsuit,” you say. She nods. You step back and gesture for her to come in.

“I have mine on, so yes you should get one too,” she says. You freeze for a second thinking of her in a swimsuit. “We have about five minutes.”

She pulls you out of your trance and you go to your dresser to find a bathing suit. You put in on under your shirt and change into some shorts as well.

Natasha is waiting patiently when you emerge from your room.

“Ready?” She asks.

“Definitely.”

She places her hand on the small of your back and leads you to her motorcycle. Like always, she slips a helmet onto your head and gives you a soft kiss when she buckles it tight.

The ride to Tony’s goes quickly and the sun is beating down on you as you approach the party. You’ll definitely have to get in the pool to cool down.

You greet everyone and drop the present off at the gift table. You’ve met the team before, but only briefly. Wanda quickly became a friend though, so you find her when Nat goes inside to ask Pepper if she needs any help.

“Hey y/n!” Wanda greets you with a hug.

“It’s so good to see you again, Wanda!”

“You too. How are things with Natasha?” She asks.

You catch sight of the redhead emerging from the house and you smile at her.

“Pretty perfect. She’s so beautiful and kind,” you say.

Wanda grins at your answer. She knows Natasha is completely enamored by you.

Nat makes her way over to you two and hands you a drink. She shares a light conversation with Wanda.

“I think it’s getting hot enough to swim. What do you think, detka?” She asks you.

“Oh, yeah I think so,” you reply.

She sits her drink down and you anxiously await what kind of bathing suit she might be wearing underneath. She slips off her shorts first and you realize just how toned her legs are. The bikini bottoms don’t leave much to imagination.

Wanda chuckles when you don’t even notice her poking your arm to try and bring you back to reality.

But then Natasha takes her shirt off. You figured you’d notice her breasts first, but instead your eyes are drawn to the tattoo she has right on her ribcage. It looks like an owl with its wings spread wide.

“That’s better already,” Natasha says, turning to you with a smile. She notices your eyes on her tattoo. “I didn’t tell you I had them?” She asks it as a question but she knows the answer.

“Hm? Oh- no,” you say.

“Right. Well I do,” she says. She smirks and starts walking towards the water. It’s then that you notice her back tattoos.

Your knees buckle and Wanda holds your arm up.

“You’re down so bad,” she jokes.

“Did you know she had those?”

“I did, yeah. Only from training.”

“Wow,” you remark. Your eyes are trained on Natasha. She’s playing in the water with Clint’s kids.

You watch on for a while before she’s dragging you into the water with her.

“Come on, baby. It’ll be fun,” she says. She leans on the edge of the pool as she reaches for your hand.

You let her grab it and pull you into the water. You kiss her cheek once you come back to the surface.

“I have a feeling you like my tattoos,” Natasha says.

“I do. They’re really hot,” you say honestly. She chuckles and pushes you into the pool edge behind you. Her knee threatens to touch not so innocent places.

“I’m glad you think so. I was waiting for you to find out about them. I wanted it to be during sex, but-“

“I can pretend I didn’t see,” you say.

“Cute.” She kisses your lips ever so quickly. It leaves you hungry for more. “I don’t think anyone will notice if we disappear,” she whispers in your ear. Your eyes widen and she smirks.

If anyone notices you two, they don’t say anything as you make your way into the house.

Now you’ve seen everywhere on Natasha’s body and you want to do it again and again. Thank goodness for her tattoos and a sunny day.

[bonesandchalamet]

a glimpse of summer - j.fisher

part two

masterlist

pairing: Jeremiah fisher x fem!reader

warnings: some anxious thoughts + fluff + minor grammatical errors

a/n: ahhh season 2’s official trailer dropped and I’m sooo excited!

the cool air was finally lifting over cousins beach. the warmer days were approaching, the sun was shining, and the nights lasted longer. summer was coming.

these months before school was over always lasted the longest. the anticipation for cannonballs in the pool, parties on the beach, staying out until dawn, and you. your arrival was his favorite moment of the whole summer, and your departure is his least favorite.

things were different from before. you looked at each other much differently than you used to, and you caught on to his long stares and quick glances. what would this summer hold? was he still into you? the questions are exciting, but they don’t change how much time holds in between each other, before his arms could finally wrap around you.

—

the sound of the car parking, the doors slamming, it jerks him awake from his slumber. the clock reads 9am, and he knows by the smell of the ocean, the whistling of the wind from the beach, you’re here. the torturous months of waiting and debating on picking up his phone were finally over. he could see you again.

his feet quickly descend down the stairs, brushing past his mother, the gravel crunches beneath him as he moves to the passenger side lifting you into his arms.

“what a welcome.” you chuckle feeling your feet finally hit the ground. you pull away, those caramel colored curls still bounce in front of his eyes, his pearly white smile still spreads to his angelic eyes. nothing has changed about how the way he makes you feel, and the distance certainly hasn’t had any affect on him either.

“don’t say you didn’t want that.” he challenges, and he has a point. he can see you’ve been waiting for this too, you’ve been counting those nights and hours until you were in cousins beach once again. it’s just that this time you were counting those days and nights to see him, not just for the smell of the ocean, the sand between your toes. rather, his lips against yours, holding your hand in secrecy, the late night laughter you shared. it was all the things you looked forward to most. the scenery just so happened to be background noise now.

“we have to unpack.” your mother interrupts, and while she doesn’t want to, she’d rather share a glass of wine with her best friend than gag over young love.

you blush in slight embarrassment, she had to listen the whole car ride was your antsy finger tapping and anxious radio channel surfing. she knows Jeremiah fisher was all you had been waiting for since you left.

“I’ll help you unpack.” he grabs your bags in the back, the same bright yellow Vera Bradley pattern you’ve had since you were kid, enters his vision. he remembers when his mother gifted you that for your birthday, the smile on your face was irreplaceable. he couldn’t wait to give you your birthday gift this summer.

“she always overpacks, you think you can carry that?” your mother struggles to pull the bag out of the trunk, but he’s much stronger, taking the bag over his shoulder and grabbing anything extra that he could.

“how many clothes you bring this year?” he drops the bag at the end of your bed, instantly collapsing on the mattress he’s sure he’ll spend many nights in. he’d watched his mom set your room up last weekend, her excitement for your arrival was always uncontrollable. the weekend before your arrival signified that summer was here.

“just enough for every month.” you join him on the bed, faces turned towards each other, your smiles couldn’t be wiped. he takes his hand, wrapping his fingers around the back of your neck, pulling you closer for his lips to just brush yours.

“here’s to the next three months.”

read part two here

[dovkss]

Continuation of the “dumb bitch” series/ Drabbles ,maybe something where she apologizes to kiri + him and katsuki make up and then have a threesome

anon: + orrr she cheats with kiri | but she doesn't realize she's cheating or something like he convinces her

“cheating" on bakugou with kiri

word count: 2.2k

warning: 18+; gentle dom! kiri; dubcon; size kink; dumbification; belly bulge; light degradation; mocking; manipulation; panty stuffing; mating press; unprotected; yandere themes; kiri finally got some pussy !

all characters are aged up !!

a/n: i love your brain, anon. more of “dumb bitch,” hope i made it to your liking !! had a lot of fun with this one actually, i was giggling a little too much... forgive me for any mistakes, it's 2am, i'll proofread later to touch some things up, xoxo, enjoy <3

You lay next to Bakugou as he slept. Your body nestled comfortably under the warm blankets, he was almost naked, as he only had on boxers as he laid on top of the covers to feel the coolness of the fan that was in the corner of his room. His body was hot; every time you touched his back, you were stunned at how warm he was.

He was a peaceful sleeper to your surprise. Despite knowing it for a while, it still shocked you just how less intimidating he looked. His snores were faint, and his chest would rise up and down slowly as he took in deep breaths. All you did was smile.

It was late at night, well past midnight. The room was shrouded in darkness, except for the faint glow of the moon that seeped through the curtains. You had decided to stay over for the night since you didn’t think it would be safe to drive home in the dark. Bakugou suggested the idea of course.

“I don’t want you driving at night,” he said sternly. “It’s dangerous I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Well, that’s how you liked to recall it. Really, it was: “You’re not leaving.” When you opened your mouth to insist, he just glared at you. His scarlet-colored eyes made you shut up instantly.

You didn't even realize that he'd only kept you there to fuck. But even if you did know, you wouldn't deny him. You would always give in to his touch, responding to his touch in a way that nobody would ever be able to make happen besides him. It was like love.

You were awake, in your undergarments, running your fingers through his soft hair. Everything was comfortable until intense thirst crept up on you. You shifted in bed, careful not to disturb Bakugou, until you realized that you couldn't ignore your thirst any longer. You gently untangled yourself from the sheets, being as quiet as a mouse, and slowly slid out of the bed.

Every movement was calculated, as you tiptoed toward the bedroom door. You'd spent enough time at his house to know your way around in the dark. You navigated through the room with ease, being careful to avoid any potential obstacles that could out your presence. You'd made up your mind to get a glass of water from the kitchen, but the main operation on your mind was to not wake Bakugou by accident.

Taking slow, deliberate steps, you glided through the hallway, your ears perking up for any sound that might indicate Bakugou stirring. The house was quiet, except for the faint hum of the fridge and your footsteps. You reached the kitchen unscathed and let out a sigh of relief as you switched on the softest light.

Your gaze fell on the cupboard where the glasses were kept. You gently pulled it open, wincing slightly at the faint creaking sound. Your fingers brushed against the cool glass as you selected a cup, being careful not to clatter it against anything.

You recognized that cup. It was a cute one, with children's stickers on it. It was Bakugou's from when he was a kid. A gift his mother gave to him, you remembered Kirishima showed it to you when you were trying to get intel on Bakugou. With the cup in hand, you turned toward to fridge to grab the filtered water dispenser.

The soft sound of the water being poured filled the silence. You watched as the water flowed into the cup, your mind momentarily drifting to the peacefulness of the night. The thirst that had gnawed at you earlier had seemed to fade away.

With your thirst quenched, you silently placed the glass on the counter. You paused for a moment, considering whether to grab a snack as well, but ultimately decided against it.

You suddenly heard a rustling noise and froze. You turned slowly and saw that it was just Kirishima. His looked awfully tired. His hair was messy, and his basketball shorts were loose around his hips as you were able to see his v-line. He opened the cupboard as you just did and grabbed himself a bigger cup than what you had grabbed.

"Hey, Kiri," you said. "You scared me!"

"Sorry." He said flatly.

"Didn't expect to run into you. It's really late," you pressed on.

No response.

"How are you?"

He only hummed, not meeting your gaze. You felt the tension between the two of you yet again, and it made you uneasy. He wasn't interested in a conversation.

He poured water into his cup as well before putting the dispenser back in the fridge and began to walk out. You frowned. He didn't even say 'goodnight.' He said nothing at all.

You couldn't stop yourself from reacting.

"I'm sorry!"

He turned. Finally, his slow-blinking eyes met yours. Those familiar red eyes that once gave you comfort now were filled with what you would only describe as distaste. You stammered over your words, trying to find the right thing to say.

"I know I haven't been the best of friend to you lately. But it's not because I don't care about you, it's just... things are complicated."

"How?" He asked, his voice groggy.

"Well," you said, hesitantly. It was embarrassing. "Katsuki..."

"Of course it is." He scratched his head. "He's always been that way."

You sighed. The guilt was getting to you at that moment. "It's not like that. He just wants to protect me. He told me to stay away from you, Kiri, and to not talk to you. That's why I've been a little silent."

He shook his head. "Whatever sick game you and your boyfriend have going on, keep it between you two. I don't care for it."

You raised an eyebrow. "Boyfriend? Katsuki and I aren't dating."

Kirishima's eyes widened for a moment. Then he laughed. He laughed at you. Your face got hot. He was taunting you. He laughed at you.

"That's rich," he teased. "Katsuki doesn't even want you, but he can control who you talk to? That's low, even for you."

Your eyebrows furrowed, and your lips parted slightly in surprise. You searched Kirishima's face for any signs of deception but found none. A wave of uncertainty washed over you. "Don't say that."

He chuckled, enjoying the reaction he had provoked. "Well, that's what it sounds like. And you just let it happen, why? You're... weak."

You shifted uncomfortably. You looked down at your hands, fidgeting with your fingers. "You shouldn't say things you don't mean."

Your mind spun with conflicting thoughts and emotions. While you and Katsuki never had openly discussed your guys' relationship, you believed there was a mutual understanding between you both. The idea that Katsuki didn't want you shattered your heart.

Kirishima's grin widened as he poked more at your vulnerable state. "Oh, come on. Don't be so naive."

Your heart sank. The room fell into an awkward silence, your emotions welled up inside you. The weight of his words became unbearable. Tears welled up in your eyes.

You wanted to believe that he was just hurt. He had every right to be. When people are upset they say things they don't mean. That's happening now.

"I'm sorry, okay?" you mumbled. "I don't know what else to say."

Kirishima stepped forward, no sign of regret on his face. "Don't cry, Baby. It's not your fault you're so trusting."

You wiped away the tears that fell and turned away from him. You needed to stay composed.

"You know what? Let's have some fun. If you really wanna make it up to me for being such a shit friend, why don't you spend some time with me? Let's just... enjoy each other's company."

Your heart began to beat faster as you felt his bigger chest rub against your backside. You shook your head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Kiri. I don't want to go behind Katsuki's back."

"Come on," he whined. "It'll be our little secret. Just for tonight. Don't you miss having fun with me?"

You felt a flutter in your stomach. It was true, you did miss the way things used to be between you and Kirishima. You missed the inside jokes and the way you both would talk for hours without running out of things to talk about. You missed never having to look over your shoulder.

But you also knew that what he was suggesting was wrong. It would be going against Katsuki, and you'd never want to disobey him.

"I don't, I mean, Katsuki wouldn't approve-"

"Katsuki doesn't need to fucking know."

He was persistent. He turned you around, your chest brushing against his. He leaned in close, you could smell the faint scent of his cologne.

"Come on, babe," he whispered. "Just this once. For old times' sake."

You just wanted everything to go back to normal.

You didn't mean for things to escalate.

Your entire body was on fire, but the opening between your legs burned like hell. Kirishima's fingers were entangled in your hair and he deepened the kiss in an attempt to make you more quiet.

"K-Kiri, i-it hurts!" you tried to turn away from his kisses, but his hand held your chin toward him, your sentence getting caught up in between his lips.

He was much bigger and girthier than Bakugou. Legitimately, you were afraid he would split you open. He entered you slowly, being sure to make you cum twice from his mouth first. But even after all of that work, the pain of just his tip was enough to make you want to tap out.

But he insisted it would feel better. That the pain would go away in no time. So he kept going, slowly. He had your legs pushed up by your head, making sure to get every inch of himself inside of you.

"Does that feel good, baby?" He asked, his fingers digging into the flesh of your hips, pushing your body into his mattress.

All you could do was cry out. The sensation was too much to bear. Your fingers gripped the sheets, your nails almost splitting through the thin sheets. Tears streamed down your face each time he thrusted into you. He wasn't being rough at all, he was just so hard to take.

His hands softly slid up and down your stomach, feeling your skin thoroughly. His long, fluid strokes only made you gasp. Kirishima huffs out every once in a while, a wide smile plastered on his face as he watched you take him in.

You were so tight.

"You're clenching so much around me- oh, fuck, baby, look at me," he slapped your face lightly when he noticed that your eyes were closing.

He leaned forward and took your arms in his hands before wrapping them around his neck to make you hold onto him closer. You never thought you'd be here. Never thought you'd be doing something so intimate with him. You weren't this sensual with Katsuki either, your heart ached at the fact.

Maybe Kirishima was right.

He pressed a thumb to your swollen clit and you screamed. His eyes went wide, taken aback at how you reacted. Quickly, he grabbed your panties from beside him and forced them into your mouth. Your garbled noises went muffled as they continued to spill from your throat.

"I didn't know you were so sensitive," he panted. "I need you to stay quiet, hun. Understand?"

You couldn't answer him. You felt so full, so stuffed. You felt his cock hit your cervix with every roll of his hips. You had yet to notice the bulge he had made in your stomach.

His head tilted. "Awe, you're so stupid. You've gone all dumb on my cock, can't even fucking talk. Shit, but you're gonna. Does he make you feel as good as I do?"

Your eyes traveled to him. You were nearing your third release, your thighs started twitching in pain. What?

"Don't look at me like that. Answer the question, baby."

He purposely began grinding his hips deeper into you. His sharp-toothed smile turned you on even more. He was only teasing you, he knew you were barely able to comprehend what he was saying to you.

You felt yourself coming closer, your cream making a mess all over his cock. You trembled and squirmed.

"T-Too m-much, aah!" you cried out, the panties slipping to the side of your mouth.

He chuckled. You're so fucking cute.

"Wanna cum, pretty baby? Wanna come undone all over my cock? Be a good girl for me, yeah?"

All you could do was babble. Babble about how good he made you feel, about how much you wanted to cum, about how much better he was compared to Bakugou.

You gave him everything he wanted to hear.

He took that as a sign and he drove into you faster, harder. The sounds of skin slapping filled the room. Your back was arched and your eyes were crossed before you knew it.

Your cunt squeezed around his cock involuntarily and you couldn't stop your moans from coming out as you finally gave in to your release. Your moans were like music to his ears. They made him want to fuck you relentlessly, but he needed to hold back. He slapped his hand over your mouth, grunting as he reached his end.

It wasn't long before he came. Inside you, that is.

He collapsed onto your chest, you both breathing heavily. His skin was slippery as both of you were sweaty. Your cunt was incredibly sore. You winced at every breath he took as his cock was still inside you. He didn't plan on taking it out anytime soon, either.

You didn't mean for things to escalate. You just wanted things to go back to normal. You knew Kirishima long enough to know he'd always kept a promise.

You only feared that things wouldn't go back to normal as quickly as you'd hoped.

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Commoner foreign exchange student that is penpal/long time friend with Haruhi is a good consept

And what's more thinking of reader is from the country side where they from so they used to do manual labor and hard working

Meeting the host club would be a lot of them and what's more utter confusion of it but just roll with it

Country Side Reader | Yandere Ouran Highschool Host Club

Like the thought of you just being low-key, relaxed 24/7, and uber-friendly is so hot

Haruhi has you during your exchange program and you both are pumped

But then she’s like ‘sorry can’t hang I have debt’ 

And you’re like ‘it’s cool I’ll help’ 

So she arrives to the host club with you in tow and their just befuddle

“Everyone, (Y/n) (L/n). (Y/n), everyone.”

“Hai Hai!”

The great thing is everyone thinks your cute

But their such sheltered rich kids that they don’t know what you're saying for a while

Your dialect is so different from theirs

Immediately you and Mori-Senpai hit it off

Whether its because he’s just more desperate to talk to you

Or he has some experience with living there

“Ah, Mori-Senpai how’re ya today?”

“Good. Did you finish your assignments from class?”

“Yeah yeah sure takes quicker than ma’ usual routine!”

Honey is  next 

“You talk funny!”

“Ack Honey-senpai! You can’t say that!”

“S’alright I get it.”

He’s not mean about it and he gets better at understanding you with time

Unfortunately, the thing with those two is that they start hogging all your attention

Kyoya being Kyoya decides to put your energy towards something someone else

Eventually finding out you have Honey-levels of strength

No matter your stature 

Tons are easy for you

And at their beck and call you can easily carry Tamaki who might be busy whining somewhere

Then comes the princess energy for Tamaki

“(Y-y/n)-sama!?”

“It’s a’right I’ll carry ya!”

Carry him once in bridal style and he’s now the princess

He loves it 

The Hitachiin Twins also love you 

They can convince you of a lot of things 

“You’ve got to be more skeptical, (Y/n)!”

“Yeah, you keep this up someone might come and snatch you away.”

“Well I din’t think it bad ta trust ma friends.”

“...”

“...”

“You’re right it’s not bad, (Y/n).”

“Yeah you can trust us!”

When you start saying goodbye and giving goodbye gifts they all get real snappy

Not with you but with everyone else

“You’ll have to excuse us (Y/n), it’s just that…we will all miss you terribly.”

“Awww it’s not for’ver though.”

“No, it won’t be.”

They’ve got connections and they're pulling strings

“Yay! Isn’t it great!? We get to spend some more time together! Maybe you can stay with me and Takashi!”

“Yeah."

“Come on! (Y/n), stay with us…” “We have way better sleepovers.”

“No! Stay with me! (Y/n), please? If you want I can try carrying you this time!”

“Such fuss. I’ve already arranged a reserved room in one of the Ootori resorts. I’ll happily accompany you then.”

“Guys don’t overwhelm them! They’ll be staying with obviously.”

“But your house is barely large enough to stretch your legs out!” 

“Grrrr!”

“Anywhere’s fine tho.”

[klausysworld]

Hello, I read your Klaus in his wolf form stories and really liked them. It gave me this idea that when Klaus broke the curse and turned into a wolf, rather than falling in love with a human, he fell in with a wolf. Though he doesn't know it, the wolf is immortal, like existed from the dawn of time, and the wolf was the cause of werewolves, like if she bites you, then you would be a werewolf. Klaus wouldn't know that or that she, the wolf, was there when he was a kid, and he called her a pet. This part I just thought of, but what if Klaus was Mikael's kid but just got bit but didn't know. I was wondering if you could right this, I am cool if you don't, though. Thank you for even reading this.

My queen

PT2

(Present day)

I watch silently through the trees as his bones snap, as he scream in both pain and pride of his accomplishment.

The pain of the turn was one part I don’t appreciate about the gift i have given to those i had chosen.

But he embraces the pain, he doesn’t go through so much struggle as he allows the power to fly through him, he embraces the wolf.

And a stunning wolf he is.

His coat thick and eyes dark. A midnight wolf, his fur looking almost a shade of the darkest blues as the light of the moon shines over him.

I turn my head to see his brother, Elijah, he watches cautiously as Niklaus nears him. The threatening growl he gives him as the sticks snap and the leaves crunch beneath his paws. He’s experiencing the inner conflict, the urge to give into his instincts to attack the vampire.

I took a few steps forward emerging from behind the bark of the wood that hid me before. I made sure to step on enough sticks to make a ‘crack’.

Both originals looked to me, both wide eyed and confused. Niklaus took five large strides to stand before me, his nose almost touching mine as he bared his teeth in warning.

I huff at him in disappointment, you would have thought he’d recognise me. I’ve been present for many moments of his life, his childhood especially though i suppose a thousand years will have him forget.

I step back from him before circling his body. He stands tall and strong, a mighty wolf.

Through the years my bite has began to carry through blood. What once was only given through the power of my bite is now becoming more frequent through genetics. But not Niklaus, he was my own, i have him his power all that time ago. It was a dream for us both that he managed to bring this side of him back, his mother and father locked it away claiming it a curse rather than a gift. Simply because it gave him an advantage they could never provide.

———————————————————————

(A thousand years ago…ish)

I lowered my head slowly allowing the young boy to place a flower crown to my head. I glanced back up to see his bright smile as he adjusted it.

“There, now you’re a queen” he said taking a small step back. I gave a small bark in response, my tail wagging subconsciously as he pet my face, his hands smoothing the fur back so i was less poofy.

“I must leave, my father wanted me to learn to hunt…he wouldn’t like me playing with the wolves, he says you’re to be killed because…well because you’re dangerous but I think you’re lovely, I won’t let him kill you” he promised as his little arms hung loosely around my neck and i licked his arm.

———————————————————————

(A few years later)

Niklaus grew to be a rather handsome young man. He was relatively strong and well mannered. He was a free spirit and spent his time within the forest with his berries that he had ground up to create colours where he would spread them over rocks and large leaves to make an image.

He wasn’t the best at hunting with an arrow but was excellent with a sword.

And so i would often kill the deers or rabbits for him, give them to him so that his father couldn’t harm him, so that his family remained proud…and so that he continued his visits to me in the woodlands.

(On another occasion)

“My queen?” He called softly into the cold air of the night. I lifted my head from the ground of the opening a tree i laid in. I stood quickly and made my way out to find a battered Niklaus. My legs moved fast to reach him as he collapsed to the ground, he clothes soaked in his own blood and face covered in shades or blue and purple.

I let out a high whine and a long howl, the other wolves i had created came running at my call to assist. They helped me clean him. The magic through my veins allowed me to lick his wounds until they healed, until he no longer weeped and sobbed, until the pain was relieved and he fell asleep with his hands clutching my fur.

I knew then that he needed the power of the wolf more than anyone. To begin with i feared that it would only cause him more damage, more shame to his parents but those people-monsters would never stop their beating and this was the best way to protect him.

And so with his body safely tucked to mine, i ran my tongue over the space between his shoulder and neck. I gently let my teeth sink into his skin, feeling my power grow as i fed more of it into the world.

No matter what other magic or pain he suffered, the wolf would save him.

His mother cursing him to have it locked away was one of the worst things possible to happen to a gift given wolf. To be stripped of who you were, before he could even experience it.

———————————————————————

(Present day)

I made a sound closely replicating a growl but too soft to be threatening to urge him to follow me as i begin to walk through the woods.

I can hear as his paws meet the ground faster and faster as we fall into a fast pace, running quick and with purpose as he chases me as fast as his body will let him. I can sense his frustration not being able to keep up with me, his growl in desperation as he throws himself forward, tackling me to the ground roughly.

We both tumble through the woods, rolling down threw the forest. He yelped as i bit his scruff pulling him with me. A tanglement of limbs rushing through the trees as both of us scrambled to gain any sort of balance.

Eventually i managed to get up on my feet, i turned to sprint again but i heard his whine, such a familiar cry, a reminder of his suffering from his late teens into adulthood.

I froze in stride turning to check on him, his body was low to the ground as he got ready to pounce. Relief floods me knowing he isn't harmed and before i can thimk about hisnplayful stance, he's already lauching himself at me.

His body collided with mine pushing me onto my back and his teeth around my throat. The position should be threatening and i should be fearfully submitting but he seems to have forgotton I'm the reason he holds his strength.

I pushed up from the floor and on top of him. My fave directing above his as my paw pressed down on his neck, claws puncturing the flesh making him whimper. I don’t like to be the cause of his pain but his dominance was an issue, he had grown far more narcissistic over the years compared to his selfless younger form.

After another minute or so of his pitiful attempts to push himself up and get me off of him, he gave in. His head tilting back to offer me his neck as his eyes looked to the ground in what i assume to be shame. I stepped back letting him stand again, the question of ‘why?’ In his eyes as he looked at me cautiously.

I nodded my head for him to follow me, we continued to run throughout the night and i watched the surprise in his eyes as we both woke the next morning still in wolf form, the day after the full moon.

And the day after that too when we hunted and he made his own display of human bodies. I had indulged with him for a few hours but eventually grew bored and waited for him to finish. His aggression was something i was still unused to, i forever missed the gentle touch as his face brightened and he weaved plants together to create a crown.

I found him on a number of occasions patiently waiting by my den, as soon as i arrived he was on his feet and ready to run to the falls, often pushing his luck to see if he could push me into the water which would always end up with him being dragged in too and us both having a water war for hours on end.

A moment I cannot forget is when his mother came into town, an attempt to kill her children but she chose the woods to do so and i could sense his fear.

But when i arrived and broke through her magical barrier, recognition spread through her face as she stepped back

“No…it can’t be” she uttered looking from me to Niklaus

“After all these years you still protect him?” She murmured but i didn’t allow her many more words before launching at her, Finn dragged her away after I mauled her.

I reluctantly looked to Niklaus seeing his eyes soft and lips parted, only two words whispered before i dashed back off to the forest

“My queen”

[tempting-andromeda]

Can we get some Javier headcanons 🙊 maybe some where the reader is shy or oblivious???

Ty! The Javier ones are my favorite, he’s so 😢

GAH I LOVE HIM SO NUCH

Shy Oblivious reader with Javier Escuella

He won’t make the first move

Have you guys seen the way he interacts with Tilly?

His way of flirting is close proximity and trying to look cool

(Loser❤️)

Anyway!

He definitely is putting on his lil charm on you

Doing knife tricks and then glance at you to see if you’re impressed

He doesn’t give up easily though

Not unless you state you don’t like him

He’s a hopeless fool

Always offers to take out around town if you need it

Insists that he’s the best option to take you

However if you take him up on his offer his hands are suddenly clammy and he’s too loud when he starts conversations

He’s the biggest gentleman even if he looks like a kid nervous for his first day of school

Pays for your things and gives you little gifts

From just small treats from the general store to a pretty shawl

Poorly embroidered your name into the shawl

Had to ask one of the girls to help him

Thinks his feelings are obvious and you’re just politely protecting his feelings but not saying anything

Sucks up his pride and asks someone you’re the closest with if you just don’t like him

If he finds out you like him back he’s just not being bold enough for you to notice he steps up his game

But he’s so flustered about it

If he seems Dutch and Molly dancing he asks you to dance with him

He’s taking notes

He’s not awkward in a “he’s never dated before” type of way

He fled Mexico because he killed his lovers husband

But his awkwardness is his charm

It’s his goofy lil smile

He can’t just blatantly tell you he likes you

Hints it

He’d rather risk kissing you straight up and humiliate himself before going up to you and giving an awkward sappy confession

[sunshine-theseus]

Angel In Disguise | Esme Morgan x Reader

Word count: 2k

Summary: life’s hard when all your students prefer your footballer partner over you.

Warnings: fluff, children? idk how the English school timeline works and the Australian one doesn’t match up with the story so I’m just saying school starts in like September and ends in late May??

Request for: @wlwskyy i hope this is good! it's probably not as good as I hoped but i'm still pretty happy with it

Being a primary school teacher was hard. Trying to help students who struggle with the content while also helping others progress. Being strict while also wanting to be fun. My biggest struggle though, was a very me specific one.

Esme Morgan loves to visit me or help me out at school from time to time, and just like everyone else she meets, the kids fall in love with her. From the first time they meet her, they’re begging me to bring her back.

“Ms L/n it’s so cool you’re dating a footballer! Can you bring her back tomorrow? And the day after that and the day after that one until forever?” and once they realise that she actually has her own job to do, they beg I bring her in at least once a term.

It was my first year teaching after university, the first time she’d come to work, and it had been a complete surprise.

After she broke her leg in 2021, Esme struggled to fill her time. She’d made about 27 bracelets in the first 3 days, then tried to bake a little, although it went rather poorly. She then watched all the original Disney movies in release order. I think she got to Mulan II before she decided enough was enough.

I was in the middle of teaching the times tables when there was a light knock on the door. I could see her cheeky smile through the small pane of glass and rushed to open it for her. Esme stumbles through the door, her moon boot and crutches making it difficult for her to fit through the rather narrow frame.

She pecks me on the lips and the room erupts in childish giggles. Romantic affection was something so foreign to 8 and 9 year olds.

“Es… what are you doing here?” I whisper as I pull a chair for her sit on.

“I got bored, and I miss yoouu.” She smiles up at me and I can’t help but smile back.

“Oh! And I brought gifts for the kiddos!” she holds out a paper bag and I peak inside.

My heart melts at the pile of hand-crafted bracelets, ranging in colour and design, that fill a significant proportion of the bag.

She spent the rest of the day surrounded by my class. Eventually I had to stop teaching because they were so in love with this angelic limping figure who brough them friendship bracelets. I don’t think Esme prepared for them all to assume she was every single one of their best friends.

~~~~~

It was nearly Christmas break when she first met my class for this year, and everyone knew who she was. For the first time, I didn’t have to introduce her or tell them what she does for them to get hyped.

“I WATCHED YOU IN THAT FOOTBALL THING” and other similar phrases are shouted many times when she enters the room.

When I looked at her it was hard not to smile. She was playing and talking with kids and giving them all little bracelets, just like she does every year.

As she was crouched in front of a small group who were excitedly asking her questions, Marley, a rather shy and quiet girl, walked up to Esme and lightly tapped her shoulder. She fiddles with her fingers and avoids looking at anyone as she waits.

“Excuse me Mrs Esme?” Esme is already smiling when she turns to look at Marley.

“Hey kiddo!”

“Um you’re my favourite player of all time. I watch all your games and wanna grow up and play just like you.” And Esme’s smile grew bigger, something I wasn’t sure was possible.

“That’s so cool! Can I give you a hug?” Marley nods and giggles into the embrace, and then they begin to talk about Marley’s interest in football and Esme’s work.

I’d been struggling to get her to talk for 2 months, and Es came in and got her to talk within minutes, but I can’t stop staring lovingly at the angel of a woman in front of me. There was a part of myself I saw in Marley. I’d struggled to be very open for a long time until I met Esme. She just had this gentle, caring nature that was hard to ignore.

-

Marley misses her the most between visits. They’d made a secret handshake and love to chat and giggle on the oval at lunch, kicking the ball around.

In between visits Esme and Marley both interchangeably would give me something to give the other; a bracelet or a packet of lollies or a flower they found randomly. It was so hard for me to not burst from how cute their friendship was.

It had changed Es as well. Obviously, she has always been welcoming and warm-hearted but she’d become more confident about her play and sometimes I would catch her bragging to her teammates.

“I’m Marley’s favourite player!” it took them a while to realise who Marley was, but they found it adorable.

-

We’re in our last week for the school year, just in time for Esme to make one more surprise appearance before she has leave for camp for the France Olympics. I’d told the kids she wasn’t sure if she would have time to make it between finishing up the season and preparing for the Olympics, but that didn’t stop them from begging me to bring her in.

It’s the last day, everyone already buzzing for their long holiday, and admittedly from the lollies I gave them. I always try to make the last day super fun, activities and music and a surprise guest.

By midday I’d already had to apologise that Esme couldn’t make it. 17 times and counting.

And by 1, there was a knock on the door. A knock the kids were all too familiar with, and Esme rushes into the room, kids swarming her from all angles.

“Hey kiddos!”

“Hey pretty lady” she turns to me and kisses me quickly. Gags and loud ‘ewww!’s echo out.

Marley waits patiently with a small bag in her hand, still considerably shy. Esme wastes no time in getting to the young girl, with a similar bag in hand.

“Hey Mar! I got you a little something.” Esme hands the bag over, and everyone watches carefully as she pulls out whatever lays inside.

I see the familiar light blue peak out, and recognise the jersey design I sport most weekends. The present is clear when Marley starts jumping up and down in excitement.

“It’s one of my spares so don’t tell Gareth, ok? I got all the girls to sign it.” Marley is wrapped around Esme before she can finish the sentence.

“Thank you!” she scrambles to put her bag in Esme’s hands before tugging the shirt over her head.

I nearly scream when I see Esme pull out a black and purple jersey, colours I know from all the pictures Marley shows me of her games, usually with a trophy in her hands. Her last name and the number 14 adorn the back with a tiny ‘Marley’ in black sharpie on the ‘1’.

“Oh my god Marley this is so cool! I’m going to keep this forever. In a few years time I’m going to see you playing for England and know I got the first ever Marley jersey and signature. And of course you’ll play for Manchester City yeah?” the little girl eagerly nods her head.

-

The day goes on and the kids go home for the last time. Esme leaves after an hour of helping me pack up the classroom, to start dinner and I don’t finish until 5:30.

By the time I pull into the driveway, I’m exhausted, but satisfied with my work for the year.

I leave most of my gear in the car to unpack another day and walk to the door. I struggle to open it for a moment but when I do, I’m hit by the smell of my favourite meal cooking and the sound of Esme singing, albeit not well.

I drag my feet into the kitchen and wrap my arms around my wife, kissing her back as I just rest against her.

“Hello my love.”

“Hey sunshine.” I pause for a moment.

“You’re so good with kids.” She hums as she turns the stove off.

“And you helped Marley so much.”

“She’s a good kid, it’s hard not to like her.” I pull away and reach up to kiss her on the cheek before looking for the small gift bag.

“What are you doing?” Esme questions as she begins to plate to the food

“Well we have to measure Marley’s shirt for a frame so we can hang it up don’t we? I want to be able to boast to the world in like 8 years time about how I taught her and how we have her first ever signature.” I poke her in the side as I grab my plate.

“Well how about we do that tomorrow? I just want to cuddle with you tonight before we have to pack and get ready for camp.” I let out a loud groan.

“I can’t believe you’re taking me to France, and we’ll barely be able to do any of that gross romantic shit together.” Esme smiles down at me, regret floating behind her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“Noo I’m so excited I just think they’re cruel for making players do their job or whatever.” I jokingly roll my eyes before I lean back into her on the couch, both our plates sat in our laps.

“I promise to take you to that restaurant on the top of the Eiffel Tower before we leave.” She kisses my forehead.

~~~~~

“This is light work for the defender, tapping the ball passed Courtney Nevin and chipping it passed the Australian goalkeeper! IT’S A GOAL FOR ENGLAND AND THEY FIND AN EQUALISER IN THE OLYMPIC FINALS!”

I cheer at the goal with the rest of the stadium, hugging the small girl next to me as she bounces in excitement.

“Did you see that mumma? She scored! Mar Mar scored!” Reese shouts over everyone else.

“I did! It was amazing, wasn’t it?”

When the game ends, I pick Reese up and we rush down to the pitch with the other family members, celebrating as we make our way. It takes us a few minutes to spot the players we’re looking for but when Reese points them out, I put her down and she runs toward them without a single thought.

“Congratulations!” I pull Esme into a kiss before turning to Marley. The 16-year-old smiled brightly at me before hugging me tightly.

“Your goal was fucking phenomenal Marley! They should make you a striker.”

“But then she wouldn’t be just like her favourite player” Esme buts in, our daughter falling asleep on her hip. We all laugh and continue to talk with the other girls and celebrate until we decide to head back to the hotel to put Reese to bed.

“I’m so proud of how far you’ve come you know?” I pull Marley into my side as we wait for the elevator.

“From ‘shy little 8 year old who refused to talk to her teacher’ to ‘number 14; defender and debut scorer for her country at the 2032 Olympics at 16 years old’.”

“And one of the youngest and best signings for Man City!” Esme chimes in

“Thank you for always believing in me.”

After we say goodnight to Marley and make sure Reese is definitely asleep, I climb into bed with Esme.

“You’re so amazing.” I stare at her. Sometimes I don’t understand how I was blessed with such a kind-hearted, gentle woman.

“I try.” We break out in giggles and I slap her lightly on the shoulder.

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.” we don’t say anything else.

She kisses me hard before I rest my head on her chest, her arm wrapping around me as we fall asleep. She’s my angel in disguise.

[sunlightmurdock]

The Odyssey | 0.1 | Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

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Summary: There are a few bumps in the road during your travel to Italy and your first day there. Bradley’s not a regular professor, he’s a cool professor.

Warnings: enemies to lovers, power imbalance (professor / student relationship), age gap (22 / 33), will be smut, virgin reader, swearing, themes of eventual infidelity, mentions of travel sickness and throwing up, wc: 4.5k

…

“I can’t do it, I just can’t go,” You throw yourself back against the leather seats and cover your face with your hands. Malcom drives a Rolls Royce corniche from last year with a black exterior and brown leather seats. You’re parked outside of Ithaca Thompkins Reigonal airport, your suitcase is in the back and your fiancé’s stroking tenderly at your cheek. “It’s going to be hell.”

“It’s a summer in Italy, honey, not jail time.” Malcolm laughs at you, lifting your jaw and giving a calm shrug of his shoulders. The sun on your face, the two of you had practically the entire winter to celebrate your engagement, it seems fitting that his last summer is his and his alone. His heart squeezes at the thought of the autumn to come. Your honeymoon, a short stay at his father’s place in the Bahamas.

Then, the rest of your lives together. The thought is enough to make you concede finally.

“It’s hardly a vacation.”

“You’ll be home before you know it, and then you’re gonna be my wife. I’ll take you on all the vacations you could want.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.” You point, tone begrudging as you finally move to pull open the car door. Your fiancé follows you out of the car, leaving the roof down as he

reaches into the back to grab your suitcase. It’s a gift from your mother, part of a matching his and hers set that should’ve stayed pristine until your honeymoon. Bringing it back tarnished isn’t an option.

He lifts it out of the car and walks around, closing your door for you and then wrapping an arm around your waist.

“This will all be a funny little thing that we look back on. Something to tell our kids the first time we take them to Italy.” Malcolm’s thumb nudges just slightly under your white t-shirt, stroking a gentle circle on your waist. He squeezes you against him, pleased with himself for finally drawing a smile from you.

“Alright, two, four, six…” Bradley counts the young adults in pairs, his brows drawing together as he searches for his seventh. There’s no need to wonder who it is that’s missing. Eight minutes after nine, he’s giving you two more before he leaves you behind.

“Hey, Bradley,” Luke is Bradley’s favourite TA. He’s not supposed to have favourites, but he’s also not supposed to have any tattoos. He’s supposed to wear a tie at work. ‘Supposed to’s’ haven’t mattered much to Bradley in the course of his career. Luke is a little shorter than Bradley, athletic and dark haired. He’s going to teach in France in the Autumn, inspired by his favourite professor. “Did you hear back from that guy in Sicily about August?”

Luke listens. He really cares about what he studies, Bradley likes that about him. They share the same sense of humour too. He smiled a little, and then shakes his head.

“No, I think he heard the American accent and made up his mind before I’d even asked him about it.” Bradley gives a small shrug, like it doesn’t matter, but they both know that would have been the opportunity of a century.

Luke’s sympathetic in his nod back. They leave it at that. Bradley lifts his arm and checks his watch again. As he’s about to turn and leave, he catches sight of you, strolling in and talking away to your fiancé like you aren’t holding everybody up.

“You’re late.”

You turn your head and look him over. He’s wearing beige shorts and white converse tennis blancs. No other professor you know would show up to a work trip in sneakers. The first impressions are set.

You’re late, he’s underdressed.

“Sorry, man. We hit traffic on Warren Road.”

It’s a maybe thirty minute drive from the furthest part of campus. Bradley doesn’t say anything at all. He just stares. Just the look on his face makes you seethe, wondering silently what kind of woman could have raised such an impolite adult.

His eyes pull away from Malcolm and fall down to the nice, white suitcase that you’ve brought along with you. It’s Ralph Lauren with an extendable handle and wheels. From this alone, Bradley knows that you haven’t spared a second to look at the itinerary. You watch him scrutinize your luggage, narrowing your eyes at him.

“Alright, well, since we’re already late. Let’s move.” Bradley decides, bored. He turns and hoists lifts his much more manageable suitcase into his right hand. Like ducklings, the other students gather quickly and follow him as he turns towards the check in desk.

“You can’t seriously expect me to spend three months in the middle of nowhere with that man,” You shake your head adamantly, folding your arms over your chest and looking to your fiancé for support. “I’ll wind up murdering him.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to say murder in an airport, honey,” Malcolm teases. He pulls you into his arms and kisses the top of your head. “You’ll be back before you know it. Go, see the world. I’ll be right here to listen to all your stories when you get back.”

“I love you.” You mumble begrudgingly into his Tommy Hillfiger polo. He grins and kisses your temple, then tells you the same. Finally, he takes you by your shoulders and pushes you towards the other group of students.

You swallow dryly as your loafers carry you forwards. One of the students, dark haired and grinning, leans in and says something to Bradley while his eyes remain on you. Bradley chuckles as it and shakes his head, dropping his suitcase onto the scale.

Glancing back over your shoulder, trembling starting in your chest and spreading along your nerves, Malcolm smiles and nods for you to go ahead. He’s tanned already from the start of the golf season, cheeks dimpling, straight brown hair falling into his eyes a little. He’s going to have to cut it once he starts working for real, but you like the boyish look for now.

Pausing, you take your time to look him over. Taller than you by just a few inches, strong from his years of baseball, slim from his years of track, smooth skin and blue eyes that are just to die for.

Your gaze falls down to the rock on your finger. The knowledge that if you can withstand these two months, you’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted is enough to finally make you turn back around and set your suitcase down on the scale.

The next twenty four hours will be the worst. Your itinerary, which is wrinkled near the bottom from the stream of tears that had been pouring onto it the night before, tells you that it’s about seventeen hours of travel. A short flight, first, two Newark airport. Then, a six hour flight to London. Finally, a two hour flight to the north of Italy.

Bradley settles into his seat on the flight to Newark and glances behind him to search for his seven students. Three sitting together, two sitting together, Luke’s at his side and then you’re sitting on your own between an elderly married couple. His lips quirk to himself as he turns back around. It’s only fair that karma pays him back a little bit.

He’s less than thrilled about you being here. It just doesn’t seem fair that someone missed out on this opportunity because your daddy was able to pull some strings. You don’t give a shit about this trip. So, if it’s miserable for you, Bradley really couldn’t care less.

You rub at your temples, the volume of your Walkman turned up as loud as it will go, Joy Division blasting in your ears as the Houseman’s lean over you to argue with each other. Lifting your head, you find Bradley soundly asleep, arms folded over his chest and lips parted slightly — perfectly comfortable aside from his knees pressing into the seat in front.

He couldn’t care less when you’re panicking in the lounge at Newark airport, thinking you’ve lost your passport. Or when you’re stuck next to a screaming baby on the flight to London. Or, when on the flight from London to Turun, there’s such bad turbulence that the first thing you do upon landing is rush down the steps and puke.

“Oh, here — did you want some water?” Abigail offers. Bradley doesn’t know her that well other than the fact that she is the only person he knows who has never gotten less than an A in his class, and that she’s probably more intelligent than he is. And apparently, more of an empath. She rubs her hand along your shoulders soothingly and offers you the unopened plastic bottle.

You step back from the trash can, letting go of your hair and groaning quietly, blinking the tears from her eyes.

“Thank you,” You seem surprised by her kindness, taking the bottle from her slowly like she might have snatched it back from you. Gratitude. That surprises Bradley. “That’s really sweet of you.”

It’s not your fault that you were taught early on that there’s no such thing as a free handout, or that selflessness is a myth. Abigail comes from a much different background. Her mom does soup kitchens and charity drives, she taught all three of her children the meaning of kindness early on. Your mother taught you the value of womanhood early on.

“It’s no big deal.” She smiles, reaching into the pocket of her light washed jeans and pulling out a packet of gum. “You can keep this.”

Bradley watches the exchange, then checks his watch again. As much as it seems fair to watch you suffer, the last thing he needs is for you to call your father screaming on the first night.

“Alright. It’s a twenty minute ride to the hotel, there’s a bus for us outside. Are you going to be alright?”

Exhausted, your ears are ringing and this is the most professional that he has acted all day; you know not to push your luck with him. You nod weakly at him. He can’t help but notice how colourless you’re starting to look at baggage claim, and how much trouble he’s going to be in if you die on the first day. You chew tiredly on the peppermint gum, trying to pretend that the motion of just chewing alone isn’t enough to still make you queasy.

You should be in Malcolm’s television room, right now. Sitting curled into his side with your legs across his lap, watching some action movie that will keep his attention long enough for the two of you to finish it. Closing your eyes and picturing that you’re there just doesn’t cut it.

Stepping out of the airport, an iron-tight grip on your suitcase handle, you inhale deeply. The fresh air makes you feel a little less light headed. You sip slowly at the water. Everyone keeps looking at you.

It’s not half as warm as you had expected it to be. When you had pictured Italy, you had pictured vineyards and thick heat. Tonight, you’re in a city, and it’s actually a little cold even with the thick denim jacket you’re wearing. The chill helps breakthrough that sick, sweaty feeling that you’ve got going on though, which is nice.

“Mr. Bradshaw!”

Bradley’s lips turn up into a big grin as he locks sights on the short, bald man that’s grinning at him from in front of a black minivan.

“Pasquale!” He chuckles as he speaks, dwarfing the older man as they hug. You’ve never seen him that pleased to see anyone. “How’s it going?”

“Same old, same old,” Pasquale shrugs, giving Bradley a knowing wink. They share a laugh again. “Big group this year.”

Bradley turns to look at all of you over his shoulder, then nodding slowly. His gaze lingers on you. “Uh-huh. They’re a little tired.”

“Well, then, let’s get the kids to bed.” Pasquale jokes. He grabs the handle and tugs open the middle door to the van, then walks around to tug open the back doors.

Everyone hands their bags to him, then finds a seat inside. Making the most of the fresh air whilst you’ve got it, you’re intentionally the last.

Pasquale grunts as he lifts your suitcase off of the ground, struggling with the weight of it. Bradley shoots him a look and then grabs your arm, stopping you before you can step into the van.

“Sit up front. In case you puke.” He instructs, grabbing the passenger side door and pulling it open for you. Waiting for the ground to just swallow you whole, you nod weakly again.

Bradley was right. It’s a twenty minute ride to the hotel. He just hadn’t warned you that it was going to be the longest twenty minutes of your life. Turin has a tram system and passing over the tracks, and the bumpy roads makes your stomach churn. Pasquale tries to make conversation but there’s not really much you have to say. Everyone behind you is in pretty good spirits, looking out of the windows and talking about the city.

“Alright, everyone gets a roommate — are we going to be mature about this and buddy up, or do I have to treat you like you’re six?”

You’re blinking at him now, knowing that no one here will want to share with you, hoping that you get assigned a room so that you can finally pass out. The hotel is ninety years old and it looks older, cracks through the paint and cobwebs in the corners, but you just can’t find it in you to care. Dust fills your nose and makes you blink like you’re going to sneeze. The entire place smells like cigarettes. Speaking of cigarettes, Bradley’s just itching for a couple of seconds away from you guys.

Everyone around you buddies up. Your eyes widen, finding that there are only seven students.

“Uh, no, no — you two cannot share a room. I’m not taking anybody home pregnant. Luke, you’re with me.” Bradley snaps his fingers, frowning sternly. You turn your head and watch as he takes his arm off of the girl’s shoulders. She whines, frowning at Bradley. “That goes for all of you actually. You’re all adults, just — I’m not your dad, don’t make me act like it. Okay?”

“Okay…” Come a few begrudging agreements as Luke sulks over to Bradley.

“Cool. That leaves you two.” Bradley decides, nodding to you and the girl who just had her evening’s plans ruined. You swallow, nudging the toe of your shoe into the faded red carpet under you. “Okay. I’m going to give you your keys, there’s one per room so don’t be a dick and lock your roommate out. Don’t lose your key, there’s a twenty euro replacement fee and I’m not paying it.”

What no one had mentioned to you about Italy was the stairs. You’re still fairly naive about it as you drag your suitcase up to the third floor — you’ve got a long summer ahead of you. Your room is at the furthest end of the hall. Bradley makes his location known to all of you, and then suggests that you try to get as much sleep as you can.

“Dibs on the bed by the window.” Your roommate, who you now know to be named Robin because of a conversation you heard as you were coming up the stairs, declares before the door is even open.

You’re far too tired to argue, and not really bothered by that kind of thing anyway.

It’s a twin room with dated paint on the walls and patterned sheets, heavy curtains covering the window and faded carpet under foot. You swallow softly as you look around you. Quickly, you realise what’s missing.

“What? — Not what you’re used to?” Robin teases as she lifts her bag and drops it onto the bed by the window. It’s most definitely not what you’re used to. Your mother wouldn’t touch this place with a ten foot pole and your father dismantles businesses like this one just for the fun of it.

Still, the decor isn’t your biggest issue. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Huh,” She stops to look around the room, frowning, then shrugs and turns back to her case. She unzips it and flips the top open. Your eyes land immediately on the box of trojans at the top of her belongings. “I don’t know. Ask Brad.”

You’ve never heard anyone call him Brad, or heard him introduce himself as that. You don’t like it. But, you turn and walk down the hall anyway. All that you want right

After approximately thirty seconds of peace, Bradley winces at the knocking on his door. Something in his gut tells him that it’s you, or something you’ve done, before he even answers.

“What?”

The force with which he swings the door open makes you jump. You almost shrink away from him, pushing your sweaty hair back off of your face, then remember everything that your father taught you about being taken seriously. You swallow, straightening up again, “Our room doesn’t have a bathroom in it.”

“There’s one at the end of the hall. It’s right next to your room.” Bradley answers, resting his hand on the chipped paint over the doorframe, nodding his head in the vague direction of it. He watches your face change in realization. You look more sick now than you had when you were hunched over that bin.

“Oh. It’s… a shared bathroom?”

“Yeah. It’s for the floor.” Bradley’s tone tells you that he thinks you’re even more stupid than you feel. You don’t even share a bathroom in your own home. Safety is the first thing that crosses your mind.

“What if someone tries to get in while I’m in there?”

“Locks are still a thing here.”

Luke snorts in amusement from inside of their room behind him.

“I know that,” Your tone slowly starts to stray from sheepish to snappy. It’s been a long day and being made fun of isn’t how you would like to end it. “But, I really need to take a shower and I—“

“Luke, go stand outside of the door until she’s done.” Bradley’s already turning away from the door, bored by his conversation with you and starting to pry open the buttons on his blue shirt.

“Me? — Why do I have to do it?” Luke frowns from his perch at the end of the twin bed closest to the door.

“Because I want her to shut up and quit whining at me, and you owe me a favour. Remember?”

It seems unprofessional for Bradley to be close enough to one of his students that they’re now owing each other personal favours. That’s something to think about another time. You shift back awkwardly as Luke pushes himself up from his bed and starts towards you.

“Alright. Go get your stuff.”

Exhausted, you’re on the verge of blacking out the entire time that you’re standing under the stream of water. It’s lukewarm and the pressure is poor, but it helps.

You brush your teeth quickly and dress yourself in your pyjamas. Sitting on the floor, Luke falls backwards into the bathroom as you tug it open.

Now laying on his back, you catch his gaze starting to wander. Even about to fall asleep standing, you’re awake enough to jump back before he can sneak a peek up your nightdress.

“Pig.” You mutter, stepping around him without thanking him for standing guard. He watches you wander back to your room and slam the door shut, then pushes himself up laughing.

He walks calmly back to his room and lets himself in, swinging the door shut behind him. Bradley’s on the bed by the window, a cigarette dangling from his lips and a stack of six books, all opened to different pages sitting in front of him.

“D’you think she’s really going to make it two whole months?”

Bradley looks up, scratching an itch on his bare shoulder and then taking the cigarette from his mouth. He exhales, then shakes his head with a breathy chuckle.

“Buddy, the sooner that she calls her dad to come and get her, the better.” He mutters, flicking ash from the cigarette into an empty water bottle and picking up his pen to scrawl a few notes onto the page of one of the books.

Luke drops down onto his bed and tucks his arms behind his bed. He wishes all of his professors were as cool as Bradley is. “She wears a nightdress like my freaking grandmother.”

Bradley scoffs, taking a long draw on the cigarette, his dog tags dangling between his collarbones as he flicks through the paperwork for the trip. His lips quirk up slightly as he shoots his friend and student a playful look, “Well, what does your grandmother wear?”

Luke pulls a face and then shrugs, running his hands through his feathery, raven coloured hair. “I don’t know, it comes down to like here. Hers was this cute little yellow with cap sleeves and a heart shaped kinda neckline.”

Bradley’s smirk grows around the thin cigarette as he looks over. “Didn’t you say your Mom was one of six kids?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Maybe your grandmother was onto something with those little nightgowns, huh?” Bradley taunts, chuckling and turning back to work while Luke gasps in horror at his side.

“You’re sick.” Luke complains, amused but playfully offended as he turns onto his side and presses his face into his pillow. Bradley just laughs to himself.

The next morning, you can’t help but notice that Luke seems to have modeled himself after Bradley. Both of them are wearing nearly the same thing. A half buttoned, cotton shirt — Bradley’s is a pale yellow, Luke’s is a deeper blue — and five inch shorts.

Once again, you’re late, he’s overdressed.

You’re in a cute little sundress with a sweet little purse in your shoulder and a pair of expensive, Dior sunglasses on your face.

“Did everyone eat?” Bradley asks, tucking his Ray-bans into the opening in his shirt by their arm. He’s got a baseball cap on today, his auburn curls peeking out from under it. You bet Luke’s pretty upset that he didn’t get the memo on hats. A chorus of quiet yes’ come from your class. “Good. Because lunch isn’t for another five hours and we’ve got some walking to do.

“Now, remember,” He pushes his hands into his pockets and looks straight at you. “You’re a big group of kids in a foreign city, so watch your stuff because someone will try to take it if you’re not careful.”

That seems like common sense. With Pasquale as your tour guide, you’re led through the streets of Turin. Bradley already seems to know his way around well enough, walking ahead of everybody else, studying the streets as he passes. This is his sixth summer consecutively spent in Europe, his fourth year spent in Italy. Turning his face towards the sun, indirectly looking up at the laundry hanging between apartments over his head, he misses it here more than anything.

As much as this is a research trip for himself and his work, it’s also somewhat of a cultural exchange. So, the first stop is a museum near the centre of the city. Today’s itinerary starts with this place, the museum of national something something. You cross your arms over your chest and look over the detailed architecture. It’s pretty, but you can’t pretend that you wouldn’t rather be sat on a rooftop in Manhattan with your girlfriends on this sunny morning.

Although, back there it would be the middle of the night, barely 3am. It still feels like 3am for you, you would have happily spent another five hours in bed just to avoid returning to that shared bathroom.

“Who knows what this place is?” Bradley stops and turns on his heel. Everyone seems to know at once, spouting off the name of the museum whilst you’re still standing there with your arms folded. “Cool. And who can tell me what Risorgimento is?”

“It was the nineteenth-century Italian movement of unification.” Abigail answers calmly, tucking a braid behind her ear. She’s well prepared for the day, wearing her backpack on her front so that she can keep an eye on it.

The streets are busy already, the centre of Turin at almost 8am is bustling with people trying to get to work and tourists trying to get to the sights.

In retrospect, it was a bad place to stop. Standing in front of a big museum with a group of students. It’s practically a target. You, with those fucking Dior sunglasses on your face, are a target. The man isn’t dressed like a thief. He’s wearing blue jeans and a green Ralph Lauren polo, walking quickly like he has somewhere to be. You don’t take any mind as he bumps into you, inhaling quickly as you’re surprised by the impact, but then stepping out of his way without much notice.

Bradley has watched as the man had sped up, knocking his shoulder into yours and curling his hand around the strap of your bag. With one swift tug, he has the strap off of your shoulder quickly. Your brows draw together, surprised and confused as you turn to look.

Immediately, Bradley steps forwards and catches hold of the back of the man’s navy shirt. He tugs hard and pulls the man back swiftly before you’ve even registered what was happening. Bradley tells him something in Italian, the man lets go of your bag accordingly and then sneers at your professor. He mutters something back that you don’t understand Bradley lifts his hands and shoves hard at his shoulders.

The man stumbles, sneering at you as he turns and hightails it away from your group.

“What did I tell you? — Watch your stuff.” Bradley mutters in annoyance, like it’s your fault that you were almost mugged. Your mouth opens to back with an immediate protest. He narrows his eyes at you. “I’m not going to babysit you this whole trip.”

“No one’s asking you to.” You bite back.

“Hey, he did a nice thing. Maybe stop being such a bitch.”

Bradley and you both turn to look at the same time, finding Robin tucked under Luke’s arm and looking at you like you just kicked her. You gaze darts quickly back to Bradley, waiting for him to scold her.

Instead, he just looks at you like it’s all your fault and then turns away, calling for the group to follow him inside. You flinch as someone bumps into your other arm, finding Pasquale smiling at you.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine.” You answer Bradley’s friend begrudgingly.

He’s older, maybe in his late forties or his early fifties. A little shorter than you, with a seemingly perpetual smile on his face. He guides you after your class with his hand on the elbow. “Seems like Italy doesn’t agree with you much,” You’re not certain if that’s a polite way of him saying that Bradley doesn’t like you much, you leave him without an answer anyway. “Stick with me, I’ll help you find your feet, miss.”

…

If you’re wondering what her nightgown looked like, it’s the yellow one on the right

tags:

@thedroneranger @batdanceq @wkndwlff @littlemissobsessedwitholdermen @sunflowerziva @cassiemitchell @himbos-on-ice @bradshawseresinbabe @damrlova @fudge13 @xoxabs88xox @mak-32 @sihtricswife @callsignvenus @callsign-joyride @harper1666 @krismdavis @sheisanangell @thecitysgraveyard