#and my mom has been doting on him all day and catering to him AND LIKE YES OBVIOUSLY THATS NOT THE BAD PART

[skeletons-in-ur-closet]

hnnnngmmmmmm kermit scrunch face...i cant think abt my childhood for too long if i dont wanna be angry

[ryuichirou]

I been wondering what would it be like for the cast to be parents? I seen how Idia and Azul will likely be terrible ones and I am curious for the rest. (Except for Lilia for obvious reasons)

Anon! Sorry for the late reply. The day has come for me to share with you my nrc-as-parents headcanons lol I’ve mentioned this theme a little bit in one of the previous replies about Azul and Idia a while ago, and I’ll reiterate: we usually don’t really love the scenarios than involve characters becoming parents, and because of that I probably ended up talking about how bad of a parent all of them are lol But I tried to make it as fair as possible.

Actually, some of them turned out to be not so shitty ones! Which is quite surprising, not gonna lie.

Alright, so…

Riddle – such an anxious parent. One would assume that he would try not to mess his kid up as badly as his mom messed him up, but it’s Riddle we’re talking about; he’s still super dependant on tutorials and rulebooks, and whether he wants to acknowledge and avoid his parents’ mistakes or not, he’ll end up overthinking it and messing up massively. I guess it all depends on his partner, but he’d need a lot of help. He’s going to copy his mother until somebody stops him, although at some times he would think “I was actually very upset when my mother did that, I should stop”, but he wouldn’t be able to catch or even see all these moments, especially on his own.

Trey – “oh he is the perfect dad!” I hear the crowd saying. “NO!!!” I’m yelling back at the crowd. Of course, he is super caring and empathetic and has experience with children. And looking at some of the other…. Uh… contestants… of course, Trey is one of the best. But he is also an enabler that spoils his kids rotten. He’s way too doting. He’s strict about their dental hygiene! But other than that? Nah.

Cater – god I don’t think Cater would ever want a kid. I think he would think that unless he has a perfect and stable life with a house and no need to move anytime soon, it’d be too irresponsible to get a kid. But even then, he would be so focused on not messing up his kid (and he would only have one because siblings sucks) that he would probably make things worse lol He would also probably try to make everything seems perfect and his kid really wouldn’t appreciate it when they get older.

Ace – he’s the dad that doesn’t pay child support and visits them like once or twice every other week. I know I judge him based on his younger self, but I don’t feel like this guy is getting mature or responsible anytime soon. He’s the type of parent that always looks hella confused about what to do with a kid, especially when they’re too young/too old to appreciate his sick magic tricks. He’s not heartless, he just doesn’t get it and gets frustrated because of that and doesn’t want to continue trying.

Deuce – he would try to do his best. He would actually be quite a nice parent, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t make mistakes or get frustrated. He’ll mess up A LOT; he’s just very good at learning from his mistakes and knows how important it is to have a good parent. And his mom would help out a lot.

Leona – distant, lazy, always salty at someone for some reason. The type of dad who could technically brag about his kid to someone, but when the kid is there he just sits on a couch and watches tv in silence. He gets inspired to teach his kid how to throw a ball from time to time, but he’s also the type of a dad to miss the perfect timing for this kind of bonding and end up with a teenager who doesn’t want to hang out with him. Wow that went dark lol

Ruggie – on the one hand, he also has a lot of experience with taking care of children. On the other hand, his kid would know how to pickpocket at the age of 2. Just in case. His kid would love him a lot, but he’s definitely not the most conventional dad one could have. He’d also never have a child without any sort of financial stability because he doesn’t want his child to be raised up in the streets.

Jack – oh come on, he would be such a good father that it’s actually boring, NEXT!!!

Azul – Riddle’s mom 2.0. I’m sorry, this is the hill I’m going to die on. Yes, Azul was loved by his family and surrounded by nothing but support and care, but he’s also a psychotic control-freak that truly believes that he was too spoiled and that his parents should have been MORE STRICT WITH HIM!!! So in his head, the best thing he could do is to make sure that his kid knows magic by the age of 3, knows how to work with contracts by the age of 5, learns how to play an instrument, does sports, knows how to cook, has perfect pronunciation and vocabulary, and oh of course the kid also needs to have a hobby because if they don’t have anything they’re passionate about they’ll never succeed in life! Azul is overbearing lol but he is also probably overly protective of his kid. He’d also yell at his mom for spoiling her grandchildren lol but his mom would make a great counterbalance for his attitude with her being sweet, so it’s not that bad for a child...

Floyd – HE DOESN’T NEED A KID. PLEASE. HE AND JADE BOTH WOULD PIT TWO NEWBORNS AGAISNT EACH OTHER AND GO “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT”. But if we’re being honest, I just think he’s too volatile to be a proper parent. The possibility that he’d get bored and just ditch this whole parenting thing altogether is too high lol

Jade – If we don’t go the “baby wrestling” scenario, he’s… confusing. He might be a wonderful dad who is surprisingly perfect at parenting and smiles at you with his “what, you thought I would be bad at it? too bad” smile. As if he’s doing it to spite everyone. As if he’s plotting something. But I can also picture him leaving his kid in a forest just to see if he would find his way home.

Kalim – Oh he’s the most doting dad ever. His kid would have everything they want, he’ll shower them with love, kisses, songs, tasty food, gifts, snacks, cool outfits. He would photograph everything and have tons of videos on his phone. He would talk about his kids all the time. He would be so obnoxious and insufferable, Jamil would actually ask him to PLEASE consider not spending half of their funds on his child’s birthday gift? You’ll literally go broke please stop PLEASE.

Jamil – he’s also probably the one not to have a kid for a very long time because of having too many irons in the fire. But he’d be an okay parent. His biggest problem would be the fact that he’s busy. His kid would probably be super mature from a very young age though. And learn how to cuss from Jamil. Jamil didn’t mean to teach them that, but oh fuck. But also I think he would somehow end up making some of the same mistakes his parents made with him. He’s way too focused on Kalim to notice that he pushes his kid away a lot hoping that they’ll “understand” because they’re “smart”.

Vil – he would be a solid one! He’s also super focused on his kid learning a bunch of stuff from a very young age, but he is much more mature and empathetic than Azul is about it. Still, he’s quite strict, but he’s also super doting when he has his soft moments. But sometimes he still takes his own perfectionism too far. He’s the one to read a lot of the books about parenting and try to be as prepared for it as possible. But mistakes are unavoidable so let’s hope that the great Vil Schoenheit shows his excellence at everything he does yet again.

Rook – oh the weirdo. He has his strong points, and a lot of them: he’s super supportive, super loving, he helps out a lot, and he would actually provide a good balance if the second parent is Vil for example. At the same time, it’s impossible to have a “normal childhood” when your dad is Rook, because he’ll teach you how to hunt, how to survive in the woods, how to hide your presence from a tiger. His kids will watch him snap a deer’s neck at the age of like 2. So yeah, on the one hand he would be that parent who yells in excitement at his kid’s elementary school play, but he’ll also give the most ruthless critique to them afterwards. He’ll show his kid the beauty of nature, but he’ll also leave them in the woods for a week to survive alone. Don’t worry, he believes in them~ (his kid and Jade’s kid would stumble upon each other in the same woods and become friends lol)

Epel – he’s too much of a baby… I can’t even picture him having a kid. What kind of a teen mom?.. He’s going to be too focused on this whole cute/manly stuff, this never ends well lol

Idia – the awkward and avoiding parent that kind of wants to hang out with the kid but also wants nothing to do with them. He doesn’t know how to act around them and it’s painfully obvious. So he might miss the moment to actually bond with them just like Leona, but on the other hand, if the other parent is Azul, Idia could be “the fun parent”: the type that you can eat ice-cream with and play videogames for hours. But when the videogaming and ice-cream eating hours are over, he’ll just stop communicating with the kid again and hide somewhere. He doesn’t like being a parent much; he’d prefer to be “a cool uncle” of sorts. The one that only comes to visit twice a year…

Ortho – an actual cool uncle lol I also can’t picture Ortho as a dad. He’d be a collection of all the dad tropes from the tv. He would have so much fun! Not sure of the kid would have fun though. But Ortho would!

Lilia – oh we all know how good of a father he is. The best one.

Silver – a very sweet and empathetic one, caring and protective; his main downfall is the fact that his own childhood was so messed up that he doesn’t really know how to care for kids. Of course he wouldn’t just drown a kid in milk like his own dad did, but he also wouldn’t automatically assume that it probably isn’t safe to just let his kid play with a sword on their own. Something among the lines.

Sebek – absolutely obnoxious. Sometimes he’s surprisingly good… because his childhood wasn’t as bad as Silver’s, so he knows better. He’s also the one to read a lot of books and hope that he won’t make any mistakes. But he’ll make mistakes, get frustrated and angry, and make even more mistakes. And then he’ll sing an ode to Malleus instead of a regular lullaby because the young one needs to learn what’s important from the very first days of their life!!!!!!111 Silver and he need each other to balance shit out lol

Malleus – he would try, but I don’t trust him to try hard enough lol he would be invested and loving at first, but he would also get moments when he would just leave a kid and go on a stroll. It would probably take some time for him to learn that he probably shouldn’t do this. Hey he went through the same thing, right? Was it fair then? Why isn’t it fair now? (besides, Silver also turned out alright!) Not everything is about you, Malleus…

[im-in-vin-ci-ble]

Heyy could I possibly request f!OC x Mark, in which the OC is Red Rush’s daughter who also inherited his powers. Set before the events of episode one maybe at a Guardian’s work party or smth. Mark and OC are hitting it off in a ‘Idk what’s going on my dad just works here’ solidarity during the party; while her doting and protective father Josef is keeping an eye on them, unsure about how he feels about his favorite sidekick growing up on him. Maybe Olga and Debbie try to be matchmakers too lol

A/N: okay well this is CUTE AF, I love this sm thank u for requesting <3 also josef and olga are married here, no one dies (yet) and everyone is happy!!!

Pairing: Mark Grayson x Fem!OC

Rating: T

Warnings: mild swearing

The annual Guardians of the Globe Founder's Day party was never really Zasha's scene. It mainly consisted of the Guardians and the Global Defense Agency's families, and more often than not, she was the only one in her age group. Her true purpose there was to really just pay her respects to the people — including her father, who people knew as Red Rush — who protected the planet.

This year's Founder's Day event was different, however, as Omni-Man finally accepted the party invitations he'd been ignoring for years. Although there were jokes that he had accidentally RSVP'd to the party, or that his wife had accepted the invite behind his back, everyone seemed happy, and still pleasantly surprised, when he and his family walked in.

Sitting down with a non-alcoholic beverage in her hand, she watched as everyone shook hands with the powerful Nolan Grayson and his loving family. Zasha's mom, Olga, walked over to say hello and immediately dragged the three to where Zasha and Josef were. The two male superheroes first exchanged pleasantries, followed by Olga forcing her daughter to get up so she can properly be introduced to the teenage boy standing across from her.

"Zasha, hi," Debbie said with a wide smile as she gave you a warm hug. "This is my son, Mark. I don't think you two have properly met yet."

He extended his arm, "Oh, hi, uh, I'm Mark," he replied with a sheepish smile.

"Hi, I'm Z," she said as Olga gave her a soft push to move her forward. The young girl's eyes threw daggers at her mom before politely shaking his hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Are you all hungry? They've got a lot of food," Olga told the Graysons, leading them and Josef, who squinted his eyes at Zasha and Mark, over to the buffet table.

Zasha and Mark looked at each other awkwardly and exchanged nervous smiles. He began to rock back and forth on his feet, shoving his hands into his pockets as he attempted to think of what to say.

"So uh, how's... superhero training?" he asked.

"Uh, good," Zasha answered, nodding her head. "We managed to take down Titan yesterday so that was pretty cool."

"Oh yeah? That's great," Mark exclaimed. "How about, um..." he scratched the back of his head, "Is the, i-is the drink... good?"

She looked down at her cup and clicked her tongue, "You know for a party that's sponsored by the government, you'd think they'd have better catering."

He chuckled, "If I knew this was going to be a boring party with adults and toddlers and no good food, I would have at least brought a snack and some comic books."

Zasha sat back down and looked up at him with a smile, "Well you better take a seat, buddy, because the next few hours are going to make you wish you were being hurled at buildings instead."

She gently patted the seat next to her and Mark accepted the offer. "Do you go to these things a lot?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Zasha replied. "You are so damn lucky your dad never wants to come to a Guardians event."

Mark laughed, "You know what, I used to be really jealous of all the families who got together during these events but right now, I'd do anything to just go home." He looked around and sighed, "I don't even know most of these people."

"Me too, and I've seen their faces at least thrice a year ever since I could remember," she agreed. "Actually, I think this is the first solid conversation I've had with someone at these things."

"Really?" he asked in shock.

"Really," she answered, taking a sip of the bland orange juice that now mostly tastes like water. "Most of the guys who are my age that have attended aren't really cute, nor are they interesting, so meh."

Mark's head snapped up at that remark and he felt the warmth rush up to his cheeks. "The other guys aren’t... cute and not... interesting?"

"Hell no," Zasha laughed. "Have you ever tried connecting with a person who has no special abilities but know you're a superhero? It feels like talking to a wall."

He crossed his brows, "What do you mean?"

She sighed and leaned forward, "They usually ask me what being a superhero is like, but when I tell them that I managed to take down a man with rock for skin, it's like I'm a freak."

"You're not a freak, Zasha," he replied. "And any guy who feels that way about a girl who's trying to save others sounds like a shitty person."

"And they're not even cute!" she added.

"And they're not even cute," he repeated after her with a laugh.

Zasha sighed again and sat back up. She looked over at him and briefly examined his face, "Well it's a good thing you are."

Josef turned around and watched as the 17-year-old boy chatted up his daughter, as well as literally take his seat at the table.

He held on to Olga's arm and leaned in, "I don't like what I'm seeing over there."

Olga turned to look then laughed at her overbearing husband. "They're just talking, Josef," she said. "It's not Zasha's fault she can enjoy a pleasant conversation and you can't."

"Mm..." Josef groaned, "I don't like it."

"Don't like what?" Debbie asked from behind.

Olga walked over to her and excitingly yet subtly pointed at Zasha and Mark, who were now facing each other now laughing. "Josef's worried that Zasha won't have time to be his daughter anymore if she ever started dating boys," she explained to Debbie. "You know he scares off every single boy Zasha introduces to us? I'm worried she'll never have a boyfriend!"

"She doesn't need a boyfriend, Olga," Josef chimed in grumpily, crossing his arms as he watched the two like a hawk. "No one will be good enough for Zasha anyway. She can literally outrun all the boys she dates."

"So are you saying that my Mark isn't good enough for Zasha?" Debbie asked with half a smile, momentarily shutting Josef up before he nervously tried to form a sentence. "I'm just teasing, Josef," she followed, winking at him and almost warning him not to underestimate her son.

Olga chuckled, "It's good for them to bond. They're both teenagers and superheroes, if they ever date at least they won't have to worry about keeping secrets."

"Whoa, wait," Josef exclaimed. "They just met, who said anything about dating?"

His wife rolled her eyes at his remark. "We should, what's the term... hook them up," Olga said. "Debbie, ask Mark what's going on and I'll ask Zasha."

Debbie agreed to the plan and walked over to Mark and Zasha while Josef huffed in annoyance but stayed in his position; there was no way in hell he was going to keep his eyes off of them.

Debbie offered Mark some food from her plate but he kindly declined. "Good choice," she said. "For a party paid for by the government, you'd think they'd have better food."

Mark laughed and nodded in agreement, "That's what Z said!"

"Oh really?" Debbie replied with a playful smirk.

Mark and Zasha looked at each other as if they were sharing an inside joke before Olga called her daughter over.

"Sorry, mama is calling me," she told the Graysons as she excused herself.

"So..." Debbie trailed off, raising her eyebrow at her son whose cheeks were rosy red.

"Mom, please don't make it weird," Mark begged.

"You and Zasha seem to be hitting it off."

"I begged you not to make it weird," he groaned, covering his face.

"I was just asking!" Debbie said with a giggle. "Why are you being so offensive?"

"I'm not, mom, I'm just... ugh," he groaned again. "Please don't say anything to Josef and Olga. Don't make it weird."

"I won't, I won't," Debbie reassured him. "Are you gonna ask her out though?"

"Mom!"

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving," she said with a hearty laugh, nodding at Zasha who was walking back to her seat.

"Sorry about that, my mom was being strange," Zasha said. "Everything okay?" she asked Mark, who now looked like he'd been slapped over and over again.

"Yeah, yeah! Great! Everything's great!"

She smiled at him but Mark leaned over and kept his head down. Another moment of awkward silence fell upon the two; Zasha looked around while tapping her toes and Mark's sight was glued to the floor. From the corner of his eye, he could see his mom and Olga delicately signalling at him to make his move. He covered the sides of his face and continuously mouthed "No," but the two were unrelenting. He took a deep breath and finally sat back up, and looked over at Zasha who was still pretending to casually look around.

"Hey, uh, Z?"

She quickly looked over at him with wide eyes, "Yes?"

Mark looked behind her head and watched as Olga and Debbie were giggling and whispering to each other, like a bunch of high school girls who just saw their best friend talking to their crush.

"Uh, I'm hungry."

The smile on Zasha's face was quickly replaced with a look of confusion. "Okay... and?"

"Oh! Um," he cleared his throat, "do you... like burgers?"

Zasha giggled and nodded, "I do like burgers."

Controlling his urge to fist pump, Mark cheekily bit his lower lip and moved a little closer, "You wanna head out and grab a bite?"

"Uh..." she turned around and watched as Olga and Debbie quickly nodded their heads, her mom giving her a sign of approval to leave the party. "Sure, I'm starving."

Josef looked on as the two of them stood up and began to make their way to the exit. Sighing in defeat and sadness, he called them over to the place where he's been stationed at since the Graysons arrived.

"Papa, we're just gonna get something to eat," she informed him nervously, knowing his scare tactics when it came to the guys she introduced him to.

Josef's eyes softened as the sight of his little girl, who he knew and finally accepted was growing up. She was making her way into the world and as much as he wanted to always protect her, he knew that she was just as smart and as capable to start doing it herself.

He took his daughter's hand and held it tight, "Okay, call me if you need a ride home."

"I will," Zasha said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Love you, papa."

"I love you too," he replied with a smile that was immediately erased when he focused his attention to Mark. "Bring her home by 11:30, and no sneaking into her room by the window," he ordered the teenage boy sternly.

Caught by surprise by the sudden formality, Mark straightened his back and nodded. "Uh yes, y-yes sir, Red Rush, sir."

"Papa!" she exclaimed. "No more scare tactics."

"I'm sorry," he chuckled, "that was the last one, I promise."

[ouranmusicroom3]

Bella Notte

Tamaki: Ah, la Saint Valentin~! A day of love...a day of romance...each and every princess made to feel like a queen! Of course, sadly not every lovely lady at this academy has that special someone of her own to make the day special, and that’s where we come in! 

Haruhi: Come again?

Tamaki: My dearest Haruhi, it is our job as hosts, no! Our duty as gentlemen is to shower our guests with adoration and dote upon their every whim on this most auspicious day! It is crucial to the well-being of both the host club and it’s guests! Every guest deserves a romantic Valentine’s Day, and who better than myself to provide it?

Haruhi: Very modest of you Tamaki-senpai. (And I’m not a gentleman, remember?)

Tamaki: *waving her off* Details, daughter-dearest.  

Kyoya: Moving on, what exactly is it you have planned this time, Tamaki? I don’t appreciate hearing about new projects this close to the event, you know.

Tamaki: *chuckling nervously* Now now, mother, don’t worry! Everything has been taken care of. This year while the ladies enjoy a romantic dinner, we will serenade through music! What could be more romantic than listening to moi play Debussy?

Kaoru: Yawn.

Hikaru: Boooooring.

Kaoru: Yeah! It’s Valentine’s Day, shouldn’t we be doing something a little more...

Hikaru: enthralling~? 

Tamaki: *ignoring them* It will be perfect! Just think of the twinkling candlelight dancing off the eyes of our beautiful princesses as they dine upon the finest cuisine accompanied by the music of yours truly...

Mori: I thought you said we’d all be serenading?

Tamaki (unperturbed): ...and Kyoya, you and I can play piano/violin duets!

Kyoya: That’s never going to happen, but you’re cute when you’re hopeful.

Tamaki: *with stars in his eyes* Well lads, I’m off to finalize everything! Haruhi, be a good daughter and come help! 

Haruhi: Wha-why me?!?

*Tamaki bounces off dragging Haruhi along*

Hikaru: *conspiratorially* ...So we’re all in agreement then, right?

Kaoru: Absolutely.

Honey: Yep! Mori and I are on board with Project Amour!

Kyoya: I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about. But were anything unexpected to happen...I can’t say that I’d mind. *smirk*

- Valentine’s Day -

Honey: Right this way! The candlelit dinners are ready, and I’ve saved you a special spot next to Usa-chan!

Mori: Please, take your seats so the musical portion of the night may begin.  

Kyoya: *with a flourish* Ladies, I’ll be your lead for tonight’s event.  You will all enjoy the special attention of the Host Club this evening, with the exception of one special guest who has won the luxury of a private dinner with the host of her choosing.  It seems she’s chosen Tamaki, but fear not; should you desire your own tete-a-tete, I’m sure we can arrange a similar get-together in the future. 

*backstage* 

Kaoru: Hey boss! One of the caterers called; the fancy tuna has arrived but it seems like they’re locked out! They’re out in the garden right now and need someone to give them a hand.

Tamaki: Can’t you...

Kaoru: *pushing him toward the door* Oh, nope!  Sorry!  You’re the only one, they said they needed you. 

Tamaki: But I never deal with administrative stuff!  That’s what you guys as the supporting cast do!  Hey wait a minute I-!

Kaoru: *shoves him out the door and locks it* Byeeee~!  

*In the dressing room* 

Haruhi: *staring at the outfit on the hanger* I don’t believe this....does he seriously want me dressed like that?

Hikaru: *shrugging* Who knows what goes through the boss’s head. You’ll look great though. Kaoru and I picked it especially from our mom’s newest line!

Haruhi: *glaring at the dress* I don’t care. I’m not wearing it.

Hikaru: Oh yeah? Then I guess I’ll just have to tell Kyoya-senpai about the expenses you’ve wracked up while he was gone on that business trip...

Haruhi: Wha-fine. But you have to get out! *boots Hikaru out of the dressing room*

Hikaru: *yelling over the curtain* Oh, Tamaki-senpai wants you to meet him in the garden once you change, something about making an entrance or whatnot.

*Haruhi grumbling*

Haruhi: Huh...I guess it is kinda pretty....don’t tell senpai I said that though. I’m still mad at him *huffs off*

Hikaru: *to her back* Yeah...you are pretty...

*In the garden*

Tamaki: Oh, Haruhi, you’re hear to save me! Don’t let the door clo-

*door closes*

Haruhi: What was that, senpai? 

Tamaki: *distracted by Haruhi’s outfit* Hm? Wha-?

Haruhi: The twins said you needed me, but if not, I’ll just go back insi-...oh. The doors locked. I guess we’ll have to look around for another way in, huh?

*the garden lights up, illuminating the gazebo* 

Haruhi: ...I suppose we’re meant to go that way then.

*At the gazebo, they find a candlelit dinner and Tamaki finds a card*

“For our dearest boss,

We know the French are known for their romance, but we couldn’t let you hog ALL the guests on such a special day! As your ‘reward’ for all your planning (without us), we thought we’d let you have the spotlight on your very own date! After all, we are simply the supporting cast, right? So while this dinner is all about you, we’ll be ‘supporting’ all the lovely ladies inside, stealing hearts and keeping them happy. Enjoy!”

Tamaki: I can’t believe they’re going to steal all my lovely princesses away from me! Haruhi, we have to get back in the-

Haruhi: *awed by the sight*...It’s so pretty, isn’t it, Tamaki-senpai? 

*he looks at her, seeing her eyes sparkling under the candlelight*

Tamaki: Yes, I think it really is quite beautiful.

[apocalypseprodromus]

Oh my, prepare for like an overwhelming amount of questions then... How did she act around the respective groups (Like with the chocobros or Class Zero)? Did she have any favorites or least favorites among her squad mates?

The Insomnia Crew always just treated her like she was one of them and she, in turn, did the same. If the guys did have crushes on her beforehand she was either oblivious, or they never showed it. (Gladio flirts with everyone, so how could she truly suspect him? Prompto is pretty comfortable around her and doesn’t hesitate with physical affection, Noct is an awkward baby who didn’t get their nap 24/7 so talking to him has been what it’s been. And Ignis is... Ignis. Designated Mom-Friend™) They’ve always just been bros. Prompto was her first real friend. Y/n’s parents tried setting up an arranged marriage between her and Noct, but that was quickly absolved when they were both still young. She and Gladio buy 15 packs of Cup Noodles every time they go to the store. (Otherwise, there’s not enough for both of them. Gods forbid someone wants one of their’s.) Iggy has always attended to Y/n like he does with Noct, but under the guise of getting all the practice he can in for when prince lazy-ass finally takes the throne. (Convincing argument, so no one ever questioned it.)

She was transferred to Class Zero when Arecia visited Insomnia to observe how the Kingsglaive of Lucis use magic and found a young girl training against a giant man with a broadsword. Suffice to say the result was unexpected. The girl won and mended her opponent’s wounds flawlessly afterward. When getting to Orience, Y/n was fairly anxious. Machina and Rem the other transfers to Class Zero tried breaking the ice first, then Jack, Cinque, and everyone else started to take in the new girl as one of their own. Nine is the most defensive about her, gets into many scuffles with other Akademeia cadets who look at her. King is comfortable enough with her that he lets her climb on him. Queen and Trey took pride in being her mentors in academic studies. Cinque would ask constant questions about Insomnia like it’s goddamn storytime. She and Jack go back and forth with witty dialog and sarcastic quips. Sice is like the mean, but over-protective sister. (”Move.” as she shoves a path for two.) Seven is the doting confidant who Y/n goes to talk with about personal problems. In return, Y/n helps Seven complete all the assistance requests she gets daily. Rem and Deuce help her pick out her outfits. Eight is a major show-off when Y/n is around during a sparring match. Y/n cooks certain meals she learned from Ignis and Cater is the lucky one who gets to help taste test. She and Izana can talk about chocobos for hours. Kurasame appreciates how she’ll after class to help him. Naghi let Y/n in on a few secrets. Mutsuki’s hostility died down when she found Y/n to be rather agreeable to her bomb-making hobby. Y/n made a ‘donation’ to Carla so she could afford her mother’s medical expenses in exchange, she has to lower her prices. Y/n had a very ‘explosive’ argument with Quon the first time she met him, and to this day still doesn’t like him. She’s asked Ryid about Lorica on a few occasions. Y/n was pretty shy in the beginning but her friendly, supportive demeanor won them over.

The Spirians were hospitable enough when Y/n first got there, but the ones who took to her the fastest was unsurprisingly Tidus as another understanding outsider from Zanarkand and (very surprisingly) Auron, acting as a constant guide and source of certainty in the very religious region where it’s very easy to offend the native populace. Y/n didn’t meet Lulu in this timespan. Yuna was curious about the customs of other worlds when meeting Y/n and Tidus and began inquiring about it, piquing her interest to travel. Y/n was uneasy about saying the wrong thing but was quickly reassured that if she didn’t do anything sacrilegious she needn’t worry. Y/n was present for the whole awkward laughing thing Tidus initiated with Yuna but joined in with real laughter. “You two are funny.” Y/n followed behind Auron like a baby duck most of her time there, mostly out of fear of other people. It became a joke that if you couldn’t find her, check behind Auron. Rikku expressed her personal racist experiences with a certain religious fanatic. (*cough* WAKKA! *cough*)

The worlds of Cocoon and Pulse were polarizing, to say the least. One was very accommodating to human life and the other was a world of savagery. The Cocoonians were a bit xenophobic of anything that was probably from Pulse, and The Pulsians claimed Cocoon to be a veritable wasp nest. Imagine getting stuck with a group of both. At first, some disagreements seemed to spring up from nowhere with the poor Lucian girl in the middle who refused to choose sides, citing their fighting as trivial, unproductive and even detrimental to survival. Cue everyone getting bashful for being called out as petty. A different time Y/n built her own campfire while the others were fighting. The fight ended when Y/n cast firaga at an impressive pile of sticks. Anyone was welcome to share the warmth but if they started shit they were banished from the fire. This punishment-based system proved effective the longer it went on. No one wanted to be forcefully removed from the one source of warmth in camp, (or worse; violently kicked into it.) When Vanille started talking to Sazh and Hope it seemed a miracle to Y/n, the others eventually got over themselves and Y/n was finally content.

When Y/n first got into Balamb Garden, the disciplinary committee tried to ‘punish’ her ‘for trespassing on Garden grounds’. “Is that your latest excuse to bully the new cadets?” A scarred brunette asked half-heartedly as he neared closer. “What’s it matter to you?” The blond with a mirrored scar taunted. “Don’t tell me you grew a heart, Squall! That’s precious.” While he was distracted Squall just grabbed Y/n’s hand and walked away. “Whatever Seifer.” “That your girl, Leonhart?” The tanned cadet next to Seifer gawked at their linked hands. “No, I’m taking her to Cid’s office.” And from that moment Squall would be teased relentlessly and he knew it. Y/n felt bad for that. Overall, when she saw how the rest of the cadets just couldn’t give him a break, she grew an attachment to Squall, much to his dismay. But it’s not like he didn’t reciprocate, though he always made a justification for himself. (After awhile those arguments started to fall flat, even in his head.) He learned to accept the social torment that came with his relationship with Y/n. Zell and Irvine might be a little upset with themselves for putting those kinds of thoughts in their heads. (If they weren’t there already.)

This has gone on pretty long so I'm stopping here. I love writing for Squall though so this has been a treat. XD

[imaginarybird]

Rucas Fic Week 2017

Day Eight// AU + Free Choice: Unwilling and unable to face everyone on her own when it comes time to attend Auggie and Ava’s wedding, Riley Matthews hires a solution in Lucas Friar. Loosely based on The Wedding Date.

Part One II 

Notes: Obviously, this is an AU and it takes place in the future. The characters are adults. While I’m not someone who will ever write smut, and I don’t plan on getting particularly graphic with language or even implications, the vary nature of this story is a bit more adult than what I’ve written previously. I’d place the rating somewhere around a PG-13/14.

Also, this is essentially the first installment to what has started developing into a multi-chapter fic. So this starts a lot of threads and leaves them dangling by the time you reach the end. But you will get answers eventually.

Enjoy!

The invitation comes on a Wednesday and Riley immediately considers throwing it in the trash and pretending she never got it.

It’s not that she hasn’t known it would be coming–Auggie had told her about the engagement weeks ago and asked her to be what he called his ‘Best Sister’–but receiving the invitation makes it real. Auggie and Ava are getting married, they’re holding the wedding in Cape Cod, and Riley is expected to join them and the family for a week of wedding festivities at the end of the summer. Riley could just about throw up at the thought. It’s really the sort of scenario she’s been trying (semi-successfully) to avoid since high school graduation nearly eleven years ago, and if the invitation were from anyone else she probably would crumple it up and pretend it got lost or RSVP with an easy lie about not being able to get the vacation time at work, but this is for Auggie.

The only acceptable reason for Riley not to attend would be massive injury and/or death.

With a resigned sigh, Riley clips the invitation up onto the fridge. She has to go. She’s already agreed and Auggie will be devastated if she goes back on her word. Still, in her heart of hearts, she knows the whole thing will be an unmitigated disaster.

Maybe she’ll be abducted by aliens before September.

“Ava wanted me to remind you that she wants heartfelt speeches only at the reception, no jokes or embarrassing stories. And she said if you want to submit a draft for her to look over and give you notes on, which, I’ll be honest, is less of a suggestion than it sounds like, you need to do it by Friday at noon and not a moment later.”

Riley rolls her eyes, cradling her cell phone between her shoulder and her ear as she pulls her street clothes out of her locker; Ava is a controlling bride, and it’s absolutely not a surprise. It’s actually a relief that Ava has stayed true to character. At least Riley knows the girl will have no truck with anyone causing trouble during any of the wedding festivities and stealing her thunder. With Ava’s domineering personality being well-known and feared throughout the Matthews’ family, everyone will, in all likelihood be on their best behavior. Which doesn’t make going seem any less intimidating and dreadful, but at least it will help provide a small layer of security. “Duly noted.”

“And to remind you that since Uncle Josh is handling my bachelor party, she wants you at her bachelorette party instead.” Auggie says.

“That depends on the rest of the guest list.” Riley answers primly, kicking off her shoes and starting to change. She’d normally shower here before getting changed, but since she’d happened to catch her brother’s call as she’d gotten into the locker room, she’d just shower when she got home.

Auggie sighs. “Maya’s coming to the wedding with Josh. If you’re not going to do things that she’s at you’ll miss the entire thing.”

“I wasn’t asking about Maya. I was asking about mom.”

“She’s gonna be at the whole wedding too.”

One of the many facts that Riley’s not looking forward to but has accepted that she can’t change. “No, you dork!” If they weren’t separated by a phone line (and in fact across the country from each other), Riley would shove Auggie’s shoulder. “I meant, Ava is having a Pleasure Party for her bachelorette, and I’d rather be stuck smoking cigars and playing cards with you and the rest of the Matthews Men then find out any details about what my mother likes in a sex toy.”

Auggie’s groan of disgust is definitely worth it. “I’ll tell her that’s a ‘maybe’ pending more information.”

“Wonderful. Anything else I can do to soothe the bride-to-be’s nerves?

“Well, she wanted me to ask you why we haven’t gotten your RSVP yet.”

Riley nearly rolls her eyes again. “Because I’ve agreed to be in the wedding. My RSVP is implied.”

She hears some muffled conversation on the other end of the line; Auggie is obviously talking to Ava with his hand half over the receiver, so she finishes changing while she waits for his return to the call.

“Ava says she needs an official RSVP anyways. She needs your choices for the food for the caterer, and she needs to know if you’re going to be bringing a plus-one.” Riley freezes at the notion, but she manages to control her breath so Auggie doesn’t notice and he keeps talking. “I told her that you’re not seeing anyone but she insisted that you might bring Zay, or that you might be seeing someone that you haven’t told me about and you might want to bring him so my say-so wasn’t good enough.”

Riley’s mind races to contemplate her options. Desperate to avoid facing her family and childhood friends alone, her first thought had been bringing her best friend and roommate, Zay, with her as an escort; unfortunately his career is starting to take off and he’s simply unavailable when he would be needed. She’s not seeing anyone (her love life having remained stalled other than a handful of ridiculously terrible first dates ever since her official break up with Charlie Gardner in their junior year of high school) so left without a boyfriend, and lacking the options of available friends, her only real choice is to attend alone.

Not ideal, but it won’t be the first time she’s dealt with her family on her own.

Except…

Auggie had just said it. Maya will be attending with Josh. And in all likelihood, the attendees will also include innumerable other figures from the past that she’s tired of presenting the same life story to, and hearing the same not-so-whispered comments and judgments. In the past it would happen over the course of a couple of hours at a dinner or a party and then she could find an excuse and retreat for another five years before putting herself through it again, but this will be an entire week. Carefully planned and scheduled and filled to the brim with activities that she has no choice but to attend and facilitate as Auggie’s ‘Best Sister’.

She can’t face that alone.

Riley’s not entirely sure what she’s going to do to make it happen, but the lie is falling out of her mouth before she can stop it. “Actually, Ava’s right. I have been seeing someone.”

A week later, and a full day and a half before she has to board her flight to Boston to get to the wedding, Riley finds the solution to her non-existent boyfriend dilemma.

“Hey, I need you to give me a call around 1:00 today.” She announces, leaning in the door frame of Zay’s bedroom. Her best friend is sitting on the bed, slipping on socks and shoes before he heads to work for the day, so she’s lucky she caught him. “You don’t have to say anything special, I just need to have a call in case I need an out.”

Zay stops pulling on his shoe, and looks up at her raising an eyebrow. “What for? You got a blind date or something, Sugar?”

Riley looks askance briefly under the scrutiny. “Or something.”

“What? Did you finally decide to stop waiting for a grocery store meet-cute and venture into the world of online dating?” Riley doesn’t know how to answer that, but she starts to blush and Zay gets a wicked grin on his face as he continues to probe.  “Don’t tell me Little Riley Sunshine has gone straight into the deep end and made herself a Tindr date. How will her innocence survive?”

“I’m not that innocent and you know it.” Riley crosses her arms over her chest. “And I’m not going on a date at all, for your information. It’s more like a…a business meeting.” In that money will be exchanged and if she understands the information she read on the website correctly a contract will be signed, but that’s neither here nor there, and absolutely none of Zay’s business.

The pointed expression on Zay’s face tells her that he doesn’t buy that one bit. “A business meeting that you might want an excuse to leave? And just moments ago you practically compared to a blind date?” His eyes and grin both slowly start to widen. “Riley Eleanor Matthews, are you meeting with an escort!?” The last word comes out in a heightened whisper.

Riley doesn’t answer, choosing silence over either confirming or trying and failing to deny the accusation, but Zay takes the silence as confirmation anyways.

“Oh my god, you are! I can’t believe this. My sweet little Riley,” he claps a hand to his chest, wiping a fake tear away from his eye, “going to visit a male escort. How will we survive the scandal?”

“First of all, there will be no scandal, because no one is going to find out.” Riley says, quite firmly. It’s really a foolproof plan, if she does say so herself. She doesn’t use social media for posting any personal updates so there’s no evidence to the contrary that the man she’s found isn’t her boyfriend, and every article and review she had found on the service she had stumbled across was full of praise at the level of ‘boyfriend experience’ the escorts were able to provide; as long as this initial meeting goes well (and for a somewhat shameful amount of money), she’ll have a doting companion for every moment of wedding festivities and everyone will stop seeing her as the unfortunate girl who never got past what happened in high school. That’s two wins for the price of a major dent in her bank account. She can live with that. “I just need someone to bring to Auggie’s wedding since you’re not available, and this is the perfect solution.” She explains why it’s a great plan. “And it’s not like he’s a prostitute or anything.”

“Sugar, I am not passing any judgement. You can do what you want to do with your money and I am all for a plan that makes sure you’re not going back to deal with those people on your own. But in what universe is a male escort not a prostitute?”

“It says right on the website, ‘Outside of the occasional chaste kiss, sexual encounters of any nature are strictly forbidden. Our fees cover solely emotional companionship.’”

Zay shakes his head, chuckling. “Oh Riley. My sweet, innocent, beautiful Riley… You know they put that to cover their asses, right? Because technically speaking, money for sex is illegal and having that on their site keeps them mostly out of trouble. You know, unless a scandal breaks.”

“Oh god.” The floor falls out from beneath Riley’s stomach. “I’m having lunch with a prostitute.”

Riley white-knuckles her drink while she waits for her lunch companion. She’d been very tempted to cancel the entire thing, cash in the second plane ticket she had bought and just suffer the embarrassment of showing up to the wedding alone, but with some well placed arguments and the decision to cease teasing her, Zay had convinced her that meeting with the guy couldn’t hurt.

“Just because he has sex for money, doesn’t mean that if you give him money he has to have sex with you.  This is a business transaction. If outline your needs and expectations clearly, that’s all that will happen. Otherwise it wouldn’t be very good business.”

So she’s at the little sidewalk cafe, resisting the urge to order something stronger than water, and silently wondering if every guy under the age of fifty that walks past is going to be the one who recognizes the agreed-upon signal of a daisy pin near the collar of her sweater. So far, two minutes past the scheduled meeting time, no one has approached.

Maybe he got a better offer and he’s standing her up. Or he came and saw her and decided there’s no way he could make it work.

Both options are upsetting in their own way, and Riley’s so caught up in her own paranoia and feeling conflicted about being a little disappointed if he’s really not coming that at first she doesn’t notice the tanned, sandy blond approaching her table. Right up until he’s standing directly in front of her. “Hi, you must be Riley.” He holds out a hand. “I’m Lucas. We’ve been e-mailing the past couple of days.”

Riley’s eyes scan up his body–muscular in a way made obvious by the way his green t-shirt stretches across his chest–right up to a handsome smile and the softest, most gorgeous set of green eyes she’s ever seen, and her mouth goes completely dry.

She doesn’t remember seeing anyone this good looking among the profiles on the website.

“Y-yes.” She struggles to swallow around her sudden onset of cotton mouth. She does manage to rise from her chair and shake his hand, hoping that she’s only imagining the sweat that might have sprung up on her palm.

Lucas’ smile shifts in a small way that Riley can’t quite place as they sit back at the table. “This is the first time you’ve done something like this, isn’t it?”

“Is it that obvious?” As she asks the question, her wrist bumps into her water tipping the glass over the edge of the table.

Lucas catches the glass as it topples, although the water still sloshes out, and he chuckles softly as he answers. “Only a little.” He pauses to set the now empty glass back down. “But there’s no need to be nervous. This is just a first meeting. A chance for us to get to know each other a little bit, and to talk about what you’re hoping to get out of this if we move forward. Nothing’s going to happen today, or at all if you don’t want it to.”

The waitress comes back to refill the water and get Lucas’ drink order. When she leaves, Lucas looks to Riley, obviously waiting for her to step and say something, but she can’t even manage that. Her nerves are at a high, still reeling from the fact that she’s meeting with an actual escort (even if she had had the opportunity to change her mind and cancel but hadn’t taken it) and that he’s quite possibly the most attractive guy she’s ever seen outside of a movie screen. He’s the sort of guy that never even looks twice at her and at the moment the entire thing is feeling a bit…much.

“Would it help if I did the talking first?” He asks, taking pity on her. When Riley nods, he continues. “OK. Well, since you’re new to this and a bit nervous, how about we see if this is really something you think you’ll be up for? I can tell you a bit about my packages-,”

“You have more than one?!” Riley squeaks, unable to stop herself from glancing down towards his lap, even with the table blocking her view.

Lucas’ laugh is a bit more obvious this time. “My experience packages. You know, ‘The Doting Boyfriend’ package, the ‘Dad’s Worst Nightmare’ package…those sorts of things. I accompany people to all sorts of different events for any number of reasons. How I act, both with you and the people around us, can be tailored for that.”

“Oh. Right.” Riley starts to fiddle with her napkin, just to have something to do; if she doesn’t look at him, she doesn’t have to see him noticing her embarrassment and taking pity.

“Now, from your e-mail, it sounds like you’re primarily looking for some backup for this wedding of your brother’s, right?”

“Yeah. A week in Cape Cod with my family.”

“And you don’t get along with a lot of the people there, but you’re not really interested in freaking them out, right? You just don’t want to be alone all week.”

Riley agrees, feeling some of her nerves inch back. At least two of them. There’s something about Lucas that has a soothing presence. Even from across the table, he comes off as steady and calm–someone that’s there for her. She supposes that’s part of him being a professional.

“Then I would probably suggest a variation of the doting boyfriend. We could agree on the pertinent details when we’re travelling, but essentially I’ll be your boyfriend. Your very loving, caring, supportive boyfriend, who takes care of you as much as you require the entire week, and runs interference between you and the people you don’t want to deal with.”

“You really do that?”

“As long as it’s legal, I do what’s required to make a client happy.” Lucas nods.

As long as it’s legal…Riley wonders if that means if the disclaimer on the website is actually true, but she doesn’t ask. Instead she thinks about what’s actually on the table. A week where she’ll be on the arm of the very good looking guy sitting in front of her, and he’ll be doing his job which is to make her look good, and keep her comfortable and happy. She has to wonder, can she get over her nerves and play along with the game? Does she want to?

Riley pictures what it will be like, staying true to everyone’s expectations and showing up in Cape Cod tomorrow alone. Then she imagines showing up with Lucas on her arm, and finally getting to lay some of the perpetual assumptions and rumors about her to rest. Even if it’s only pretend, only she and Lucas will know that. And the temptation of that moment of satisfaction, and of having someone by her side and looking out for her (even if she is paying him to do it) is too great to pass up.

“That sounds…fantastic.”

“So you want to move forward?” Lucas asks, his smile taking on that unfamiliar quality once more.

Riley’s fairly certain that if she weren’t already seated, she’d swoon. Resolving to work on that before they officially start putting on a show at the wedding festivities (being swoon-worthy is pretty much his job after all, and not at all indicative of how he feels about her), she matches his smile and nods. “I do.”

“Great. We can work on the contract and get to know each other a bit better after we order.”