#and she called her carrot top that's so cute

[sbd-laytall]

Alright, yeah. These two are in love.

The New Mutants (1983) #17

[roosterforme]

Aim for the Sky Part 5 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley is thankful every day of the year, but over Thanksgiving weekend, you and the Nugget give him even more than he anticipated. When he takes you back to the scene of the crime for your first wedding anniversary, he shares more of his notebook with you.

Warnings: Fluff, smut, cum play, swearing, pregnancy

Length: 5000 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

"Why is it so crowded?" you whined, pushing a shopping cart behind Bradley as he wound his way through Costco on Monday.

"Because everyone is doing the same thing we're doing," he said as he grabbed whichever turkey he could get his hands on. "Shopping for Thanksgiving dinner."

You were exhausted and tired of getting jostled around. You were getting close to the end of your second trimester, and you felt like you could curl up in the shopping cart and fall asleep. Today was also the first day of your annoying new routine of visiting the ladies' locker room after work to change out of your maternity tent. At least you got to talk to Phoenix for a few minutes. She even made a fuss over your belly and called you cute. But there was no way you were leaving base in your new uniform.

When you looked down at yourself in your stretchy tank top, even you could tell that your sore boobs looked bigger. You caught Bradley eyeing them up so frequently, it was almost comical. When you called him out on it, he would grunt some sort of response while his cheeks turned pink. And every time you let him take your bra off and do as he pleased, he was a rock hard, needy mess almost instantly. But he was also gentle and tentative, almost bringing you to orgasm with his mouth on your breasts alone.

You moaned softly, and he turned to look at you with wide, brown eyes. "Excuse me?" he asked, eyebrows shooting up. "You okay back there?"

"Yeah," you whispered breathlessly. "You know how much I love my Costco Daddy." Now you were thinking about the time you earned a spanking during one of your shopping trips, and you didn't know how you were going to make it home when your husband looked so fucking good in his uniform.

"What did you call me?" he asked playfully, his hands coming up to his narrow waist as you slumped against the cart and whined.

"Costco Daddy." This time you said it loud enough that a few people turned to see what you were talking about, but you didn't care. 

"I guess we should hurry up then," Bradley remarked casually, but that was pretty impossible to do when the store was as crowded as it was. You watched Bradley fight his way through the produce area so he could grab carrots and sweet potatoes, wearing a little smirk on his face the whole time. You tried to push him with the cart when he was taking too much time picking out a can of cranberry sauce, and he just chuckled but didn't budge at all.

"Roo," you whined softly.

"This is the last thing we need to get," he said, and then he made things even worse by standing behind you with his hands on your belly while you waited in line to pay.

His lips were soft on your ear and the side of your jaw as you gripped the shopping cart. His body was pressed against yours as he asked, "Is she moving around right now, Sweetheart?"

He'd been on a quest to feel the baby doing her somersaults, but he came up empty handed every time. "I think she's sleeping," you told him as his big palms moved around slowly. "You'll feel her soon. She loves it when you're around."

Bradley let his chin rest on your shoulder, and you were treated to his deep, needy sigh. You had no doubt where he was looking as the line started to move up and his thumbs grazed the undersides of your breasts. "As soon as we get home, your shirt is coming off."

"You're obsessed, Roo."

Even when it was your turn to pay, Bradley kept his eyes on you as he loaded up the cart again. The two of you walked to the far side of the parking lot where he insisted on leaving the new Bronco so it didn't get dinged up. Then he got you buckled in while he unloaded everything into the back, but you surprised him by climbing right onto his lap as soon as he was in the driver's seat.

He let his hands settle on your hips with a big smile on his face as you straddled his right thigh. "I don't know what you're planning on doing here, Baby Girl, but it's not quite dark out yet. Not that I mind. I know how much you like it in public."

But you started rubbing yourself against his leg, and he got quiet, his smile remaining intact. You tried your best to keep some space between his upper body and yours while you rubbed your pussy against your husband with two pairs of uniform pants between you. The friction was delicious, and Bradley leaned back in the seat with his hands still on your hips as you whispered, "I couldn't wait until we get home."

He helped guide you along as the rolling motion as you rode him brought you closer to where you needed to be. "I can wait until we get home," he rasped. "But when we do, I want you on your knees with those tits covered in my cum."

"Bradley!" you whined as his hands eased up your sides, grazing your breasts, goading you on faster.

"Take your time," he whispered, and you could feel how hard he was getting. But you didn't even need more time when he looked and smelled so damn good. Your hands settled on his insignia pins and name tag as you ground down harder and moaned his name.

He let you collapse against his body as you came, whining about how horny you were all the time right now until your orgasm started fading away. Then his hand slid down and squeezed your butt and he whispered, "Let's get home. Now."

Bradley helped you buckle in again, and then he took your hand in his as he started quickly driving home. When he needed both hands, he set yours down right on his hard length. You were still in a daze as you stroked him, working him up and making him throb. He grunted your first name which brought you back down enough to unzip his pants as he turned down the block toward the craftsman.

"You still want me on my knees?" you asked a little breathlessly as you got your hand around him, and Bradley's deep chuckle in response gave you goosebumps.

"There is only ever going to be one answer to that question, my love."

You were practically drooling at his words as he parked in the driveway and carefully withdrew your hand from inside the fly of his pants. Then he hopped out of the Bronco with his pants unzipped and his shirt an untucked mess before helping you carefully down onto the driveway. He gave you one of the sweetest kisses of your life which surprised you before he laced his fingers with yours and led you up the walkway at a leisurely pace. 

Once the front door was unlocked, he leaned in, kissed you one more time, his hard cock brushing your pregnant belly through his pants. "Yes, Baby Girl," he rasped. "I still want you on your knees."

You couldn't help but smile as you held his hand a little tighter, and he helped you get into position to give him exactly what he wanted. After he shut the door, you yanked your shirt and bra off and listened to him groan so loudly, Tramp briefly ran into the living room and back out again. After you got Bradley's pants and boxer briefs down around his boots, he lasted about thirty seconds between your lips before he was panting and stuttering.

"B-Baby Girl. Sweetheart." You let him jerk himself off, coating your chest in cum, just like he'd done in the garage last week. Just like he'd done in the shower two days ago. Then you let him play with it, making an even bigger mess before he helped you get cleaned up.

You had the distinct feeling that if you wanted anything in the whole world right now, all you'd need to do is ask him for it while topless, and it would be yours.

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

"I'm trying my best," Bradley growled. The turkey he randomly grabbed at Costco on Monday while you were a horny mess was huge, and it didn't really fit in your fancy baking dish thing.

"How am I supposed to stuff it?" you asked him, pouting in your sports bra, underwear, and I Love Meat apron. He was about an inch from telling you he didn't even care about the turkey and wanted to stuff you instead, but he knew you'd make a face at him since company was coming over. Not that he thought Jake Seresin counted as company. Now if your parents were here today, sure, he'd be on his best behavior. But Jake? Nope.

He shoved the turked into the baking dish and said, "That's as good as it's gonna get. Stuff it, and I'll lift it into the oven for you." 

He kissed your cheek and retreated to the bedroom where he wanted to go over his list one more time, just to make sure he knew what he had to do before Saturday. As he pulled the sheet of paper from his nightstand drawer, he sat on the edge of the bed. He had to find a way to sneak a cake into the house tomorrow and hide it from you. That was going to be challenging. There was also the matter of hiding all of the flowers if he decided to pick them up ahead of time.

"Shit," he muttered, remembering he needed to get the non-alcoholic champagne down from the torn apart attic sometime tomorrow. Maybe you wouldn't notice him messing around up there if he did it later when you were in the shower.

"Bradley!" you called out, your voice echoing down the short hallway. "Come here!"

He was on his feet instantly, heart pounding as he let the paper fall to the floor while he raced for you. "What happened?" he called out, panicking even more when he saw you doubled over as he reached the kitchen. "What happened?" He had his hands wrapped around your biceps, heart climbing up into his throat. You finally looked up at him as you gasped and started to untie your apron.

"She's moving so much right now," you told him, and it took him a second to realize you were smiling as the apron hit the floor. "Maybe you'll be able to feel her."

"Oh," he gasped, relief flooding his system even as he sank to his knees in front of you. When he placed his big hands on your belly and looked up at your perfect face, you slid his hands further to your right side. Bradley leaned in and kissed your wedding rings as you guided him along, and that's when he felt her.

"Holy shit!"

"Yeah?" you asked, voice laced with giddy excitement. "You felt the kick?"

"Yes," he whispered in amazement. Then she did it again, and he scooted himself a little closer, pressing his lips to the spot next to your belly button. "Hey, little Nugget." He was met with another thump that left him smiling. "I love you."

You laughed as you ran your fingers through his hair and let him rest his cheek against your soft, warm skin. "She's doing somersaults now," you told him, and he could feel something like a soft squirm against his hand. "She gets really excited when she hears you."

"Is that true?" he asked softly. "I get excited when I even think about you." He stayed there for a very long time, letting you adjust his hand placement over and over so he could feel her, and he never wanted to let go. He thought about taking you to bed so he could lay next to your belly, but he was afraid his daughter might get too cozy and settle in for a nap.

Bradley was running his nose along in a little pattern where the baby was kicking when you eventually removed your fingers from his hair and said, "I need to start peeling the potatoes."

"I can do that," Bradley replied, and he felt another hard thump. "You're right, Sweetheart. I swear she knows it's me," he whispered, looking up at you again.

"She absolutely does, Roo."

After that, he had his hands all over you. When you left the kitchen to finally get dressed, he went along, too. When you went back to the kitchen to check on the turkey, he stood behind you with one hand wrapped around you. If you found it annoying, you didn't say a word about it, thankfully. When Jake, Cat and Jeremiah arrived, Bradley had his arm slung over your shoulders as you walked to the front door.

"Is she moving around right now?" he asked softly.

You smiled up at him. "I think she's snoozing. I'll let you know when she's back at it again." Then you pulled the door open, and his peaceful little bubble felt like it had been burst as Jake walked in carrying several pies and some coleslaw.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Angel," the blonde said before kissing your cheek. Bradley rolled his eyes as Jake headed for the kitchen with a little grin on his face. A split second later, Cat came in, and then Bradley had his arms full of Jeremiah.

"He might need his diaper changed," Cat told him before she followed you to the kitchen as well. "Now let me finish cooking everything while you rest," she told you with a smile, and Bradley was happy someone who knew what they were doing was here to help you now. And he supposed that the next best thing after feeling his own baby kick was getting to hang out with Jeremiah. 

Jake was digging around in the refrigerator, and he pulled out two beers before nodding at Bradley. "Let's go see how the playset is looking, old man," he said, opening one of the cans and handing it to Bradley.

The playset was almost done, and Bradley would have probably worked on it a little bit more today, but he got so distracted following you around everywhere. "You know, I'm not that much older than you," he told Jake as he carted Jeremiah over to look at the slide.

But Jake didn't seem to be in a teasing mood any longer as he looked at Cat's son in Bradley's arms. "You know... you never really told me how you did it."

"Did what?" Bradley asked, watching two little hands reach out toward the can of beer before he touched the rope ladder instead.

"How you got Angel to marry you. The more I think about it, the less sense it makes."

Bradley glanced back through the sliding glass door where you were sitting at the kitchen island while Cat started to boil the potatoes he'd peeled for you earlier. "You know, if you're going to be an asshole, you can just go home. I'll drive Cat and Jer back to Hondo's later."

"Shhh," Jake told him. "You can't say bad words in front of him. He's learning how to talk now."

"Sorry," Bradley whispered to the little boy who was all smiles. Then Jake's words really started to sink in as he studied Jeremiah's dark eyes and sipped his beer. "You want them to be your family."

Jake was pacing around the patio, rubbing his temple with his fingers. "Of course I do. But she won't go for it. Every time I bring it up, she has some sort of excuse. Last night, after I told her how much I love her, she tried to tell me that I'll grow tired of them and want my freedom."

"Damn," Bradley muttered. 

"What did I tell you about the bad words?" Jake snapped. 

"Sorry." Bradley watched him pace while he thought about how he proposed to you in a dirty storage unit surrounded by cardboard boxes and ugly antique furniture. "I don't know how I got her to marry me, Jake. All I know is as soon as I was holding the engagement ring, I needed it to be on her finger. Like suddenly there was no time to waste."

Bradley knew Jake would be a good dad. He obviously loved Jeremiah. But their conversation was cut short as you poked your head outside and said, "Roo? Will you come help me set the table?"

"I'm coming, Baby Girl."

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

Thanksgiving dinner turned out fantastic with some help from Cat. You saw how comfortable the other woman looked in the kitchen, so you just sat down and let her work. And while everything was delicious, nobody batted an eyelash when you made yourself some carrot sticks to dip into hot sauce. And then you covered your turkey in hot sauce. And you dipped your stuffing in hot sauce.

You were helping Bradley clean up before dessert when you said, "Oh! She's kicking again!"

He basically tossed everything into the sink and came running for you with wide eyes. "Where is she?" he asked softly, and you placed his hands for him. A second later, after you kissed the few silver hairs at his temple, he turned his head to smile at you while he said, "There she is."

"I want to feel the baby," Jake said, as he carried more dishes into the kitchen. The way Bradley pulled you in a little closer to him was almost comical; it wasn't like Jake of all people was going to hurt you.

"Just one little kick," Bradley insisted, and you reached out for Jake's hand. But as soon as he was touching you, the baby stopped her round of somersaults.

"I don't feel anything," Jake drawled, moving his hand slightly.

You shrugged and said, "She really seems to like Bradley's voice the most."

You watched your husband absolutely strut back into the dining room with a pie in each hand after that. And he was still grinning as he ate three slices. Even after your company left for the night with containers of leftovers, he looked smug. As soon as he got you snuggled up in bed, he propped his head on his elbow next to your belly and whispered, "You like Daddy's voice the most, huh?"

She seemed to respond by squirming a little bit, and you had to roll your eyes. "Of course she does. So do I."

He smiled up at you before kissing your belly and pulling your shirt down. "I'm going to try to finish the Nugget playset tomorrow, and then Saturday is my favorite day of the year."

"Our anniversary," you whispered with a yawn.

"The first of hopefully a hundred."

You were sound asleep before you could respond. Most of Friday was spent feeding Bradley little snacks while he worked in the yard and shopping online for nursery decor.

"Oh, this looks really cute," you said with a smile as you held up your phone. He came running over to see what you found, only to be annoyed by the U.S. Army themed baby bedding. "It was a joke!" you insisted before switching tabs to the one you actually liked. "This one is not a joke."

Bradley's face lit up as he looked at the pastel airplanes and soft blue and white clouds. "That's perfect," he whispered. "Just what our little girl needs."

"It's kind of expensive."

He just shook his head as he continued to look at your phone screen. "The Nugget wants it."

You were afraid that was going to become his new mantra. The baby had a full nursery worth of items purchased by the end of the day. But Saturday was a different story. When you woke up late and stretched, you realized you were in your bed alone. On your anniversary. Upon further inspection, you realized Bradley wasn't even home at all.

"What the fuck," you muttered to yourself as you stood in the kitchen. Your intention had been to make him stuffed French toast and coffee. You were even going to arrange some fruit in the shape of a heart on the plate, but now that he wasn't here, your idea just felt stupid. You got the fruit out anyway and dipped it in hot sauce for yourself instead, and after polishing off almost an entire carton of raspberries, you heard Tramp run for the front door.

Bradley rushed in wearing snug jeans and one of his tropical print shirts. His aviators were perched low on his nose, and he was holding a bouquet of yellow roses with a smile on his face. You were still wearing his ratty, old shirt, and you didn't even wash your face yet, but he took you gently in his arms and kissed you like you were the most incredible thing he'd ever seen.

"Happy anniversary, Baby Girl," he muttered against your lips. His body was warm from the sun, and he smelled fresh and delicious, and you melted into his arms. 

"Where were you? I was going to make you breakfast. Well, lunch I guess at this point."

Bradley cupped your cheek gently in his hand and said, "I had to get a few things ready for this afternoon."

"Right," you said, perking up a bit. "You said we're going back to the scene of the crime."

"We sure are," he confirmed, stroking your cheek with his thumb. "And I just want everything to be perfect for my girls."

You moaned softly. It was actually impossible to be annoyed with him when he was so sincere with pink tinted cheeks and flowers in his hand. "I'll make you some French toast," you whispered, and of course you ended up arranging the fruit into a heart. And of course you sat on his lap while he devoured two servings of the meal you made for him. 

"When are we going to the crime scene?" you asked as you brushed his hair back from his forehead.

He rubbed your belly and checked the time. "We can leave pretty soon. Go for a drive maybe? Then I'll surprise you with how romantic I am."

You kissed his nose and said, "I'm not even sure exactly what the scene of the crime is. That could be a lot of different places actually. Maybe the parking garage at the airport?" you asked with a raised eyebrow. "Or my old apartment?"

Bradley shook his head. "I don't think I could get Maria and Bob to stop fucking long enough for us to stop by there." You burst into laughter as he added, "But you'll find out shortly."

You let him keep his secrets as you finally got yourself ready to go out. You managed to squeeze into one of your sundresses, but you paired it with a zip up sweatshirt just in case it got chilly later on. When Bradley helped you into the blue Bronco and buckled you in, you asked, "Why does it smell so good in here?" The backseat and tailgate areas were covered with sheets and blankets so you couldn't even see anything, but it smelled sweet and flowery. 

"Don't worry about that yet," he rasped with a satisfied little smile on his face. "Just let me show my wife how much I love her." 

When he started the engine, he had already queued up the enormously long playlist of songs that reminded him of you, and you got to listen to him singing softly as he drove up the coast a little ways while the sun dipped lower in the sky. It was the perfect November day with a few clouds and warm air, and you held his hand while he started to head south again just as your stomach growled between songs. 

"You're hungry," he remarked, and you started hoping he had something planned involving food. "I made dinner, and we'll be there soon."

"You made dinner?" you asked, panic lacing your voice. "What did you make? Is everything okay?"

Bradley started laughing as he turned left. "Okay, made is a strong word. It didn't involve actually cooking anything, I'm sorry to say. But I wanted it to be edible for you."

You sighed and eased back in your seat, and that's when you realized where you were and what he had planned. "Roo," you whispered as the parking lot came into view. There were some orange cones lined up at both entrances, and when he pulled up and hopped out to move them, you read the permit attached to one of them.

SPECIAL PRIVATE EVENT

CITY OF SAN DIEGO

NOVEMBER 28

Then he hopped back in, pulled into the narrow parking lot that overlooked the cliffs beach, and he backed into a parking spot. He looked at you as he shifted into park and said, "The scene of the crime, Baby Girl. You stole my fucking heart."

You loved him so much, it was hard to put into words. "I wonder how many times I've kissed you since then," you whispered as you crawled toward him. "Since the first one, right here in this parking spot."

"Millions, probably. Could use a few more though." He was grinning as he patted his lap, and you were there in an instant. "Happy anniversary."

His words were muffled by your lips, and even with your growing belly, you seemed to fit perfectly against him. Bradley's big hand ran up your thigh and underneath your little dress, fingers stroking your skin with reverence as he parted your lips with his and tasted your tongue.

"I love you, Bradley."

The loud growl of your stomach left him laughing even as his hand made its way up to the lace trim of your underwear. He patted you on the butt and popped his door open. "Let me feed you and the Nugget dinner."

You eased yourself down onto the pavement, and Bradley followed you. When he opened the back door and pulled the blanket off the seat, you found a picnic basket, a cooler and a bakery box. When he dropped the tailgate and helped you climb in so you were overlooking the ocean, he pulled a sheet away to reveal probably hundreds of colorful roses, but most of them were yellow.

Tears filled your eyes as he ran around and unpacked dinner which consisted of carrot sticks, hot sauce, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. "I made your sandwich to your exact preference," he promised, also procuring a bottle of non-alcoholic pink champagne from the cooler. "And this is even safe for the Nugget."

You tried not to cry as you sat amongst the sweet smelling flowers with your sandwich in your hand and music playing softly. Bradley hopped in as well, and you felt the Bronco dip slightly as he settled in next to you with his own sandwich. He kissed your cheek just as the sun hit the horizon. You turned so your lips met his briefly before you said, "I'm obsessed with you."

"I'm obsessed with both of you."

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

The sun had set, and you were laying with your head in Bradley's lap, skimming the Nugget notebook which he'd brought along for a very specific reason. You read some of his musings out loud, often laughing at what he had written in there. He let his fingers drift along your belly while My Girl played from the front seat speakers, and he hummed along, occasionally pausing to feel his daughter kick.

Eventually his hand was under the fabric of your dress again, skimming along your embroidered Mrs. Bradshaw underwear, making you gasp softly before continuing up to your belly. You and he were alone in this parking lot where you got married, which was already pretty secluded on a regular day, but the permit ensured he could touch his wife like this to his heart's content.

The soft purple sky was pretty, but it had nothing on you as you looked up at him with wide eyes. "You wrote down some baby names," you sighed softly.

"I did." This was the reason he brought the notebook along. This was something he wanted to talk about when there were no other distractions except for him and you. "What do you think of them?" he asked, heart beating a little faster as he thought about his unborn child.

You read each of the girls' names softly out loud, and of course he still liked all of them, but when you got to his favorite, you read it and paused. "Rose." Bradley nodded, and you smiled, reaching to run your fingers along the plethora of soft petals that filled the back of the Bronco. "I think you like that one the most."

Bradley swallowed hard, holding his hand in place with his palm covering your belly button. "Rose Bradshaw. Yeah, that's my favorite one."

"I like it, too," you whispered, biting your lip with your eyes closed as you set the notebook aside.

"Yeah? You do?" he asked hopefully. "Because it makes me think about how we listened to the song together. Roses. Before you fell in love with me."

You started to sit up, and he helped you. "I remember. You played it for me on the piano," you told him with a smile. "That was the night at the Hard Deck when I scared the other girls away from you, because I was so jealous. I wanted you all to myself."

Bradley's heart felt lighter than air as he collected you in his arms. "I was already falling in love with you," he promised. "You just took a little more coaxing."

As your lips ghosted over his, you whispered, "Rose. Rosie. Yeah. I love it."

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

Okay, so that's a throwback. I love little Easter eggs and throwbacks! The Nugget has a name! Thanks for reading! Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 6

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[writeaboutit]

Damn the Chief

Firefighter Abby leaves for the weekend

Hii y'all so this is another part of my firefighter Abby x Reader fic. This was what I was originally going to write as the last fic but then it turned into their meet-cute story so here is this one I hope y'all like it <3

Warnings: none, just fluff

Word Count: 1.7k

Part 1: Donation Boot

Part 3: Silly Abby Candy's for Kids

The wicker basket at your feet was full of colorful vegetables: Bell peppers, carrots, onion, lettuce leaves. You would make a salad tonight you decided.

This was the first time your garden had produced enough to make a full meal. You started it last year so it’s not surprising but you were so excited that it was actually producing now. 

You dusted the dirt off of your knees and picked up the basket hurrying around the side of the house to the open roll-top garage door. 

Inside the cavernous space, Abby was there. She was sitting on her weight-lifting bench covered in sweat and breathing heavily. 

You opened your mouth to tell her the good news about the garden, but she began speaking first. Not to you, however, no she was speaking on the phone through her AirPods you realized.

Not wanting to interrupt you took a seat on the swivel stool sitting underneath the wooden workbench Abby had built along the far side of the garage wall a year ago. A ball of fluff wagging from under the bench Abby was seated on caught your eye; Alice. 

She watched your movements and came to greet you when you patted your hand on your thigh, quietly calling the dog over to distract you while your wife finished her phone call. 

“Mhm, yeah… alright” Abby muttered into the air, her phone still in her pocket. You scratched behind Alice’s ears, the dog nuzzled into your grasp further. 

Movement to your right caught your attention and you dragged your eyes away from Alice and towards your wife who had clearly finished her phone call and now was hunched over with her elbows resting on her knees. 

Something was wrong. 

“What’s wrong?” your heart picked up speed, beating faster. 

“You two look cute.” Abby nudged her head in yours and the dog's direction. 

“Thanks. What’s wrong?” Your tone was one of no bullshit. 

Abby let out a heavy sigh, hesitating to tell you whatever news she had just gotten on the phone. 

“Abby please,” You made your way over to her and crouched down to bring you two to eye level, “You’re scaring me.” 

She looked up at you then and brushed a loose piece of hair out of your face, “I’m sorry baby, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just…” her face contorted in the way it usually did when she was nervous to tell you something. 

“Chief just called and said I’m on the schedule to stay at the firehouse for the weekend.” 

Your heart sank right on down to your ass. You hated it when he called with that news. He was a good guy, you knew this, very much warm grandpa energy but god damn it seemed like every time he called he was telling your wife that she had to spend the weekend away from the house; from you. 

Yes, she was doing a good thing, being a hero and all that but you wanted your wife home. It seems like just last month she had to stay there for three nights in a row. You hated being in the house all alone. It was too quiet, and the bed was too cold. 

You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself, “Okay, do you leave tonight or tomorrow?” Your voice wobbled despite your best efforts. 

Abby’s brows scrunched in what looked like pain, “Tonight, I’m so sorry baby.” She rubbed her hands along the sides of your thighs. It was supposed to be comforting but it just made the realization that you would be spending your weekend alone all that much worse. 

You stood abruptly, “It’s okay, do you have time for dinner still?” You couldn’t look at her or you would start crying so you set to grabbing your basket and heading towards the door that led to the inside of the house. 

“Yeah I don’t have to be there until 9,” She said in a soft voice, like she didn’t know what to do. Usually, she had more time to butter you up and then drop the news; this was very abrupt. 

“Okay perfect, I’m making a salad.” With that, the door shut rather loudly behind you. You weren’t mad at Abby, you were upset at the circumstance. It wasn’t her fault she had to go in, you knew that, and that is precisely why you didn’t want her to see the tears that were now falling down your cheeks as you washed the vegetables in the sink. 

You were busy trying to calm your thoughts and tears, so busy that you didn’t hear Abby enter the house and slide up behind you. 

Her arms suddenly slithered around your waist and she rested her chin on your shoulder. 

“Please don’t be upset with me?” she whispered, her voice sounding vulnerable. 

You shut off the water and sighed before turning in her arms, “I’m not mad at you honey. I’m just sad that we don’t get the weekend together.” 

“I know, I’m sorry.” She kissed your forehead. 

“You don’t need to apologize, I’m sorry that I reacted like that.” You assured her, wanting to make it clear that it wasn't her you were mad at. She could get in her head about things involving work. 

She knew that the line of work she was in could be stressful for partners too and she was always trying to put your needs first, which was unnecessary. You knew what you were getting into when you fell in love with her, it was just hard to constantly stay positive about her being away so that she could put her life on the line. 

You both looked at each other for a moment, almost as if you were sinking up after falling out of rhythm with each other for a moment. 

“How about you stay with your parents for the weekend, hm?” For a moment when she offered up the idea it sounded pleasant, you wouldn’t have to be alone. But no you couldn’t put them out like that. It was too short notice. 

“Let me put it this way,” Abby leaned in closer resting her forehead on yours, “I know that you’re thinking you don’t want to inconvenience your parents so I already called your mom and she said she’d love to have you for the weekend.” 

That made your heart jump, Abby always thinking ahead. She knew you too well. 

“Really?” you asked. You should be shocked that she took the initiative but you weren’t she always knew how you were feeling; what you were thinking. 

“Yes, really. So how about we eat dinner and then I’ll drive you and Alice over to their house so you and your mom can have a movie night?” 

You smiled, “Yeah, that sounds good.” It would be like you were in high school again, cuddled on the couch watching a romcom in your childhood home. 

“Okay good,” She smiled down at you, glad she could turn your spirits around. 

You gave a quick kiss to her lips and then swatted her with the towel in your hands, “Well get out of my kitchen so I can chop up the veggies,” 

She caught the towel and dragged you to her, “Yes chef,” she whispered against your lips. 

_____

Abby threw your duffle bag and Alice’s dog bag into the bed of her truck and rounded to the driver's seat. The engine roared to life while Alice lay on the bench seat in the back wagging her tail. 

As Abby drove you softly mumbled the lyrics to the song playing over the radio. It wasn’t a long drive to your parent's house, and sooner than you liked she pulled up in that all too familiar driveway. You were excited to see your mom but this meant you had to say goodbye to the woman you loved. 

Just as she shut off the engine, the front door opened, your mom was standing in the warm glow of the light from the inside of the house. You couldn’t help but giggle at how excited she looked. You needed to come over more often. 

You got out at the same time as Abby. She grabbed the bags while you accepted your mom's bear hug. 

“Hi sweetie,” She squeezed you tight. 

“Hi, mom.” 

“No, I wasn’t talking to you,” Your mom joked as she shoved you aside from the hung and gave a similar one to Abby who still had the bags in her hands. 

Abby laughed. You swear your mom loved her more than she did you. You couldn’t really blame her though, what was not to love about Abby? 

You watched as Abby made her way into the house and chatted with your mom about work and life. 

You remember being so afraid to come out to your parents in high school. You thought they would view you differently, and treat you differently. Well now here you are stood with your wife in their kitchen. Them comfortably talking about the mundane things in life. 

“You want me to put these in your room?” Your wife's question brought you out of your thoughts. 

“Sure. Mom you want to watch a movie?” You asked already heading down the hallway. 

“Sure, I’ll find one while you guys do your thing.” She answered. Doing your thing meaning saying your goodbyes. Suddenly that wave of sadness came crashing back down as Abby opened the door to your childhood room. 

She set the bags down on your bed as Alice lept up and curled into a ball right on top of the pillows. 

“Don’t look at me like that baby,” Abby said pulling you into her chest. 

“I’m sorry,” it was muffled. 

“I’ll call you every night and I’ll be back on Sunday to pick you up.” She rubbed her hands up and down your bicep as she spoke. 

“I know,” You whispered looking up at her finally. 

She placed a kiss on the tip of your nose, “I love you, you know that?”

“I love you too,” You kissed her lips softly, savoring these last few minutes. 

Abby dragged in a deep breath and took a step back, “Come on you’ve got a movie night to attend to.” She turned you in the direction of the door and placed a light tap against your bum. 

You couldn’t help but laugh, leave it to your wife to cut the tension with something sexual. 

Alright, y'all it is past my bedtime when writing this so hopefully, the mistakes aren't too crazy. Anyway, thank you for reading <3 Tags: @grey-jedi12

[cxffecoupx]

omgomgomg just read your soonyoung as a girl dad and it was so cute!!!! but what if it was joshua but twin girls😭 imagine him struggling who is who because they keep on messing with him in their toddler phase, cause that would be so chaotic 😆 plus what if it was jeonghan who gave the twins that idea, i think joshua would lose his mind if he found out.

sorry for the random thought i just needed to get it out😭😭😭😭

I LOVE your random thought shut up-

but but imagine this:

your twin girls are so identical that you're basically the only one who's able to tell them apart. so to make it easier for everyone, you come up w distinguishable features like maybe one pigtail for one and two for the other, or or the colour of their clothes and stuff like that. that's literally how even joshua tells them apart (he thinks he's sneaky, but he's not).

and then one evening, shua asks jeonghan to babysit the girls so that you and him can have a date night and jeonghan accepts because he loves the girls, but only realises later about the fun he can have in pranking josh with the help of the girls. with fun uncle han's ideas and plans, the evil twins 2.0 (han and shua remain the og evil twins) return home and start with the elaborate plan.

no. 1, changing their hairstyle. let's say they exchange the way they tie their hair, so the one who used to wear one pigtail, jiwoo, now has two, and the one with two pigtails, jiwon, now has one.

no. 2, changing their clothes. they decide to exchange their reds and greens. now jiwoo who used to wear red has a green skirt on, and jiwon who loves her green top has a red one on.

no. 3, and the final one. jiwon going when jiwoo is called. they've basically exchanged their names too.

you see, jeonghan was very very elaborate while planning this. but that does not make you not notice the way jiwoo now wears her hair in two pigtails unlike her usual one, or how jiwon runs to her dada when jiwoo is called. you quickly catch onto their tricks and play along with them, because what's wrong with a lil fun?

and then chaos ensues. he's feeding carrots to who he thinks is jiwoo, but it's in fact jiwon who HATES carrots with a burning passion. joshua almost cried at his daughter's tantrum, but doesnt notice the way you and jiwoo laugh behind his back as he runs around to think of a damage control.

or, when he's putting on a frilly skirt on jiwoo who starts screaming because she likes the shorts more than those irritating frilly, weird looking skirt.

i dont think this would last long though, like joshua's bound to fall onto the bed and worry about how he still can't figure out his girls. and while you try to calm him down saying that it's okay, the girls — who he had just put to sleep — climb up the bed and on shua's back and tell him all about the plan they had made with uncle jeonghan and that they were actually just pranking him. he sits up almost instantly and calls all curses in his mind, until the girls mention your part in this lil game and you swear you hear his heart break. needless to say, you've got two mature kids and a pouty adult to take care of now.

joshua turns to seungcheol to babysit the girls after this fiasco.

[wileys-russo]

i thought of a PERFECT lessi fic. so r is a teacher and one of her students have a cute crush on her. lessi notices the little gifts she’s getting and gets jealous

school yard crush II a.russo

"-alright that's the bell and i will see you all tomorrow. make sure to be sensible and smart when walking home or by the road please year three!" you called out after your students as they filed out one by one, chattering happily that the day was finally over.

"miss?" you looked down to see one of your boys was requesting your attention, hiding something behind his back. "yes ben?" you gave it to him as he shuffled from foot to foot. "this is for you bye!" he handed you a folded piece of paper and raced off out of the room causing you to laugh.

watching to make sure all of them made it out safely you returned to your desk, having some homework to mark before you could head home hopefully before five.

taking a seat you opened the letter, a smile growing on your face as the boy had scrawled a poem using the letters of your name to compliment you. "so cute." you chuckled, taking a photo of it and tucking it away in your desk.

"lessi? you home?" you called out a few hours later as you let yourself in, not having seen her car in the driveway. dumping your bag on the counter you noticed a heart shaped note stuck to the fridge indicating your fiancé had headed to the market to grab a few things.

unsure when she'd left or when she'd return you headed off to shower, ready to wash off the day and get comfortable to continue the marking you'd not yet finished.

stepping out of the bathroom and into your bedroom you could hear music and smell the inevitable scent of the blondes cooking signaling she was home. changing into her arsenal travel top and a pair of shorts you made your way toward the source of the alluring scent.

"hello you." she saw you before you reached her, stirring something in a pan as she sent you a beaming smile. "hi baby." you kissed her gently in greeting before clinging to her tightly, feeling an immediate sense of calm settle over you as the two of you shared an embrace.

"you smell lovely." the striker mumbled as she rubbed your back and kissed your cheek, the two of you stepping away from one another. "it's this new body wash, it's caramel scented." you yawned, rounding the bench and settling yourself on a stool.

"when did you get that?" alessia asked curiously, moving to chop some carrots as she kept a watchful eye over what was already on the stove. "one of the kids at school gave it to me, i tried to give it back but he started to cry and i felt too guilty." you admitted with a sheepish smile.

"mm teachers pet? every class needs one." alessia laughed, sweeping the carrot off the board and into the pan. "no i think he has a crush, it's quite sweet really." you chuckled, alessia's smile disappearing at that. "should you be encouraging that?" she questioned with a small frown.

"i'm not encouraging it!" you chuckled as your fiancé simply hummed. "alessia russo are you jealous of an eight year old?" you teased with a grin, the blonde sending you a glare over her shoulder. "no." she grumbled with a frown.

"my love i mention that my name's gonna change once i get married like every five minutes. i'm not leaving you for him less." you laughed at the question.

"i'd also be marrying you in prison if you did." alessia retorted as you clicked your tongue in agreement. "look its harmless babe. i'm sure his parents got the body wash anyway, you know very well they have no issues trying to bribe me to pay their kids a little extra attention. and you have no issues eating the chocolates that follow!" you smiled standing up and moving to hug her from behind, poking her very ticklish sides as she squealed and grabbed your hands in hers.

"he did write me a little poem today though. you know you could take some tips from this kid i don't see any love letters from you!" you teased, placing a few gentle kisses to her neck. "i leave you notes in your lunch all the time!" alessia protested with a huff.

"yeah that say things like 'property of future mrs russo' or 'reminder that you have the best fiance in the world'." you laughed with a roll of your eyes. "they make you smile do they not?" alessia raised an eyebrow as you had to agree.

"then you're welcome."

"mm so romantic." you smiled, the blonde pecking your lips before you removed yourself, grabbing your phone and waving her over to read the poem from today.

"i guess that's a little bit sweet." alessia admitted with a sigh, stealing another kiss and returning back to the stove.

"what's cookin good lookin?" you questioned as you slid your laptop out of your bag, placing it down in front of you and moving your bag to the floor.

"beef ragu." you could have moaned at the answer, instead sighing happily as alessia chuckled at your obvious excitement.

"if food is the way to the heart you could have asked me to marry you the first night you cooked for me and i'd have said yes." you grinned, flashing your wedding ring at her as she sent you a wink.

~

"come on come on come on, i want butts in chairs within thirty seconds or we'll do extra math all afternoon instead!" you warned playfully as your class took their time dawdling in from their morning break. though at that threat they sprinted in and hurried to sit down making you laugh.

"it's quiet reading time to calm down a bit, everyone go and grab a book please!" you encouraged, gesturing toward the bookshelf on the back wall.

"why did you get us to sit down if we had to get up again to get a book miss?" one of the girls called out with a groan. "because i can! now off you go." you waved, taking a seat at your desk. focused on the paper in front of you you jumped slightly as you glanced up and found a pair of eyes much closer than you thought.

"these are for you miss." ben thrust out a handful of flowers and weeds, messily tied together with a hair tie as dirt showered down on your desk making you wince. "did you pick these out of the garden buddy?" you asked to which he nodded with an eager grin.

"okay. i think we need to have a little chat." you smiled, standing to your feet and gesturing for him to follow you outside. "3C my listening ears are on, so keep reading and no silly business or its times tables for all!" you warned seriously before stepping out of the classroom and partially closing the door.

"how come you brought me those flowers ben?" you started gently as the two of you sat down on the bench outside your classroom. "because my dad gets my mum flowers." he answered matter of factly as you bit back a smile.

"okay. so you got them for me because..." you encouraged for him to finish your sentence. "you're really pretty, like my mum." he again answered confidently. "now ben that is very sweet, but you know you and me aren't like your mum and dad." you started softly.

"i'm your teacher, so we have a special relationship but not like the one your mum and dad have. i am always here if you're feeling sad or upset or confused or angry or if you just need to chat, and i'll always do my best to help you. but i already have a fiancé, and i love her like your dad loves your mum." you continued, the boys face falling slightly but nodding along.

"and she gave me this ring which means that we promise to only love each other like your dad loves your mum. one day when you're ready and a lot older, you'll find someone like that too! but you have to stop getting me things okay? its very thoughtful but i want you to only think of me like a teacher or a friend, okay?" you finished as ben nodded.

"now you and olivia are pretty good friends right?" you diverted as he confirmed. "so why don't you go and give her the flowers? because you can give best friends things like that too to make them smile! just not teachers." you clarified as the boy let out a small oh and nodded quickly.

"alright. thank you for listening! back inside you go." the smile returning to his face as he raced inside you let out a sigh, taking a moment to collect yourself and return, clapping a pattern and grinning as all your students clapped back.

~

"only me!" you perked up as your fiancés voice rang through your shared home, a thump as she tripped over on the way in making you grin as she hurried to the kitchen.

"welcome home clumsy." you greeted her as the blonde returned and wasted no time flopping her taller form down on top of you. "how was dinner?" you asked, running your hands through her hair, alessia having gone out with a few of her team mates after training.

"it was lovely. missed you though!" she pouted as you kissed it away, having declined her invitation in favor of lesson planning. "brought you some leftovers. have you eaten?" she pushed herself up to hover over you as you shook your head with a guilty smile.

"baby it's nearly nine thirty! no more work, i'm banning it." your fiancé scowled, closing your laptop expertly with her foot and hauling you up to your feet. "those are for you too." she kissed your cheek and nodded to a bunch of flowers on the counter as she moved to heat you up some food.

"oh lessi, they're gorgeous. thank you!" you smiled softly in appreciation as she placed a bowl into the microwave. "are these just because i told you about ben today?" you teased, having called the striker during your lunch break to fill her in on your conversation.

"no! they're just because i love you." alessia defended, moving to press her body into yours and bury her face in your neck as you hummed with a chuckle, the taller girls lips beginning to mark a trail down the column of your throat as she pushed you a little harder into the counter.

"maybe it had a tiny bit to do with it...but just a tiny bit!"

[the-s1lly-corner]

The TADC cast with a reader who’s a fluffy droopy eared bunny like the picture above.

Those eyes have absolutely no thoughts behind them just vibes (that may or may not include various types of cake)

Readers just a little fella,an absolute pal.they give soft plush hugs but the catch is that their like 7’5 tall.their super kind and patient and somehow always know what to say or do to help the cast.

(Also…JAX FIDGET HC!! He totally flops their ears about)

TADC cast x big soft silly plushie bunny!reader!!!!!

uueueueue the macarons i made earlier ended up so good!! easily some of the nicest and prettiest ones i made recently; not like bakery level pretty but none of them collapsed or cracked! main issue is that some of them kind of have a tip or bump on the top from the piping!! otherwise theyre solid!! gonna answer some stuff then i might go draw then hit the sack

CAINE:

i like to think that he took one of your ears in each of his hands and lifted them up, messing with them a bit before letting them flop down to your sides. has probably tried to blow you away with spectacles and grand gestures only for you to blink dully at him... oh... was he saying something..? you werent really paying attention... always reties your bow/bowtie when it comes undone, he cant have you not being ... not presentable..! very much endeared by your sweet demeanor and very loudly asks for hugs every now and then

POMNI:

has probably waved her hand in front of your face to see if you were awake and/or alive, genuinely thought that you were a real normal plushie the first time she saw you. got jumpscared when you slowly moved your head to look at her. oh dear! please reassure her that everything is fine!

since shes new you have taken to hovering around her during IHAs to make sure shes safe.. you have probably picked her up to your chest and made a run for it. like literally just pomni held flat to you and you just running with her. silly, i think

RAGATHA:

one of my favorite ragatha headcannons that lowkey becoming a given and my go to; she makes you accessories to go on your ears! bows and ribbons and the like! she thinks you look so so cute; vaguely reminds her of a bunny doll she used to have in her childhood, at least thats her guess judging by the warped and murky memories of her old life in the real world. has accidentally left you behind because you were spacing out and thinking about whatever it is that goes on in your head... thinks youre as sweet as can be, probably calls you "carrot cake" or something along the lines

"sweetie bell"

sits

JAX:

messes with your long droopy ears. not uncommon for him to just grab one and run his thumb over you false fur and fabric. he thinks youre too soft; literally and metaphorically. you make a great cuddle buddy and give great hugs, but youre just too nice for your own good. and on the off chance that youre actually paying attention when hes setting up a prank for someone, you put a stop to it. pulling pranks is mean, especially jax's style of pranks! you cant have that!

jax definitely pouts off to the side when you sabotage him.. youd think the two bunny folk would get along with one another!

well its not like you guys dont get along, youre too nice for that and sometimes i feel like jax's conscious would step in at least once and he would try to be nicer to you, at least for a day

KINGER:

sometimes he likes snuggling into you within the pillow fort, your body is just so soft and warm and comforting, youre literally just a giant teddy bear- er... bunny! stuffed bunny! honestly he probably hangs around you more than he would hang around a normal reader simply because youre just so sweet and soft, as well as inviting. you both tend to space out together.. do you think he accidentally put you in the walls of his pillow fort, before he realized you were a whole person ? like do i think kinger is that dense? no, but i do think that the thought it really really funny and silly and i can definitely see it as a gag

ZOOBLE:

tries to pretend that theyre not into how soft and comfy you are.... but they find themselves subtly leaning into you when youre nearby. i would say that they would be blunt with wanting to be held or wanting a hug like they are with everything else.. but i think when it comes to affection, zooble can be a little... eh... like theyre bad at saying what they want when they want it, at least verbally.. your softness makes up for the fact that they feel like those hard plastic kids toys

sometimes get a little annoyed by your... empty eyed look... because sometimes its really hard to tell when youre paying attention or not

GANGLE:

love love loves snuggling into you after a rough day, bonus if youre fixing up her comedy mask while she presses her other masked-face into your fluff and venting about her day. oh that jax is so so mean! please rub her back... her.. ribbons, actually. honestly hugs from you are s tier and the very best because as said several times before, youre really soft and comfortable. you guys tend to lock yourselves up in gangles room and hang out when a IHA isnt going on; and thats just fine with the both of you because you have one anothers company

[topguncortez]

A Letter to My Grandchild - Rooster & Dragon

over the rainbow series | rooster & dragon masterlist | main masterlist

synopsis: Maverick isn't known for keeping a lot of things from his past, but he did hang on to a beat up old shoe box for the day his best friend's boy would grow up and settle down

word count: 2.3k

warnings: pregnancy, mentions of past pregnancies, mentions of character death, cursing

note: nope y'all didn't miss any parts. it's just me, writing out of order. and I wanted to give y'all something cute and sweet before whumptober starts:)

Maverick wasn’t sure how long he had held on to the letter, let alone remembered where he had put it. Penny thought he had finally lost his mind when she came home to boxes of Mav’s stuff strewn all over the living room. Maverick had never ever been labeled a “pack-rat” choosing to live very modestly, but there was some stuff he had kept over the years. One of those things had been a couple of envelopes that Carole had given to him the last time he saw her alive. Carole could hardly keep her eyes open from the pain medication but she had managed to direct Maverick towards her closet and grab an old shoe box that had been tucked away in the corner. 

“You give that to him. . . when he becomes a father,” She had whispered to Maverick. He had promised his best friend’s widow that he would keep the box safe and protect it with his life. He swore that if his house was on fire, that old shoe box from Yonkers would be the one thing he ran back in and saved. 

Maverick didn’t even bother to wrap the shoe box or remove its contents into some nicer box. Instead, he slapped a bright pink bow on it and set it on the gifts table with the others, sticking out like a sore thumb. He stood in the back of the crowded bar with Jake and the rest of the guys, watching as Dragon and Rooster took their time opening up the gifts and holding them up so everyone could see. Phoenix sat to the right of her sister, already taking on the doting aunt duty by writing down what the gift was and who it was from. 

Maverick still couldn’t believe that he was standing in the same room as Bradley Bradshaw, celebrating the soon to be birth of his child. If you would’ve told him ten years ago that he would be “grandpa mav”, he probably would’ve laughed in your face. There was no way on earth that anyone, let alone a child of Bradley’s would be calling him “grandpa”. Those years of hatred and no communication seemed to be a distant memory now as Maverick watched the kid who was basically his son try to hold back tears while holding newborn onesies and baby blankets. 

The baby shower was shark theme, which had to have been 100% Dragon’s idea, and Rooster went along with it. Dragon was at the point in her pregnancy where all Rooster could do was nod along and agree with her. So if was sharks that she wanted ontop of carrot cake cupcakes, than it was sharks on top of carrot cake cupcakes she got. It was moments like these, where Maverick could see the resemblance between Rooster and Goose. Two Bradshaw men who would’ve gone to the ends of the earth to make their partners happy. 

“Last one!” Phoenix smiled, and handed Dragon a beat up old shoe box, “It’s from Mav.”  

“You couldn’t have wrapped it!?” Penny scolded, lightly smacking her husband’s arm.

Pete just shrugged, “Adds character.” Penny rolled her eyes. Dragon chuckled, carefully removing the top. Her eyes widened for a moment, then she looked up to look at her husband. 

“Rooster,” Dragon whispered, her eyes starting to fill with tears as she looked down at the contents of the box. Bradley leaned over her shoulder, his eyebrows furrowed, “Look.” Dragon handed him the shoebox, and he felt his breath get caught in his throat. 

“Are these all from-” 

“Your mom and Dad from various deployments. There’s some written after his death too,” Maverick said, “She promised me to keep that box for you.” 

Rooster nodded, his eyes feeling the sting of tears, “Th-” He cleared his throat, “Thanks. I’ll have to read them.” Dragon grabbed his hand and squeezed it, “Thanks everyone for the gifts. It’s clear that Baby Bradshaw is gonna be one spoiled duck.” 

“Hell yeah!” Jake cheered, raising his glass, only to be swatted by his wife for his language. 

— — — 

Later that night, after Bradley had joined Dragon for a bath, and rubbed her feet until she fell asleep, he grabbed that old, worn shoebox and sat down at the kitchen table. He poured himself a glass of scotch and grabbed his glasses, sitting in the orange glow from the light above the stove. There were probably a hundred letters in the shoebox, some of them bound together with a rubber band with notes on them. Carole had grouped together letters that were sent from when Goose was either at the academy, in flight school, or deployed. Bradley carefully ran his fingers over his parent’s handwriting as he shifted through the box, landing on one letter in particular. 

‘Open when: you become a father 

It was his mother’s handwriting, Bradley could tell by the curly tails of some of the letters. He gently opened the worn envelope that had a coffee stain on it, which always seemed to be a signature of Carole Bradshaw letter. Bradley could remember the various birthday and Easter cards that somehow had a coffee stain on the envelope. He unfolded the sheets of paper, and sucked in a breath as he began to read. 

‘Dear Bradley, 

If you are reading this it means two things, I am no longer with you. Though it is sad, you must remember that my earthly body is no longer there, but my soul remains with you always. The other thing that this means, is means you are about to be a father. 

Your dad once told me the greatest thing to ever happen to him was becoming a father. Now, I thought he was lying to make me feel better about getting pregnant so young and when his career was just getting started, but he assured me that it was the truth. And for those three years, I got to watch him live up to that truth. 

You might not remember a whole lot about your father, but he was a damn good one. Bradley, he loved you more than anything in the world. More than flying with Maverick, more than the Phillies, and more than apple pie on Sunday afternoons. He once told me that he could walk away from flying forever and be just fine because he would have you to fill his time. 

I bet you are scared, and that’s okay. Goose was too, but do you know what he used to say about being scared?  “What is life without a little fear? A life that is not one at all.” But I assure you, that parenthood is the best time of your life. There is nothing better than watching your child grow and become their own person. My favorite thing was watching you become an adult and spread your wings on your own. There comes a time in your life when you will sit back and say to yourself: “Yep. I did that.” as your child gets ready to leave the home and start a life of their own. 

There are three simple rules to live by when it comes to being a parent: 

Celebrate everything - no matter how big or small 

Write down a note or two about the day, it’ll help you remember when you get old like me 

Love can conquer all - remember to tell them that.

Oh, how I wish I could meet the person you fell for. Bradley, your heart is so big, I just know that whoever it is you met has a big heart just like you. You need someone to challenge you, someone who has the same spitfire and determination as you. Whomever it is, I hope you treat each other respectfully and always say I Love You before you leave for the day and every night. And remember no house is complete without an ironing board. 

Bradley, I hate to leave this earth before you really get a chance to be on your own. It hurts me that you are about to walk into adulthood on your own and start a family without your own, but remember, I am always there. If you need me, turn to the sky, and I will guide you. We will both guide you. 

We love you, Bradley. 

Always have & Always will, 

-love, 

Mom. 

P.s. I also found a letter that your dad wrote when we found out we were pregnant with you. 

P.p.s I hope you can forgive Maverick one day. He only did what he thought was best.’ 

Bradley didn’t even know Dragon had walked into the kitchen until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and looked up at her, a small smile on her face. He pushed his chair back from the table and pulled her to sit down on his lap, his hand instantly resting on her protruding bump. Dragon gently cupped his cheek in her hand, wiping away a tear he didn’t know rolled down his cheek. 

“You weren’t in bed,” Dragon mumbled, running a hand through his curls, “The baby wouldn’t settle down without you.” 

“‘M sorry,” Bradley said, placing a kiss on her cheek, “Wanted to look through these.” 

“Yeah?” Dragon asked and he nodded, “Do you care if I-?” 

“Oh go ahead,” Bradley said, “I was just about to read this one from my dad. . . C-can you read it, actually? I don’t think I can.” 

“Of course, baby,” Dragon said and picked up the letter. She smiled looking at the messy, yet familiar handwriting, “You two have the same handwriting,” She looked at his baby cow brown eyes, “Dear Baby Bradshaw,” Dragon read, “Wow, you two really have a lot in common.” 

“Hush,” Bradley chuckled, “It’s not my fault my child is ‘camera shy’ and won’t tell us what they are.” 

“‘Camera shy’ my ass,” Dragon rolled her eyes, mumbling the words that their midwife had told them about 10 weeks ago, “I ain’t ever heard of a Bradshaw being ‘camera shy’.” 

“Must get it from their mama,” Bradley smiled. 

“As long as they don’t come out with my attitude, I’ll be okay with that,” Dragon sighed, and continued reading, “‘Dear Baby Bradshaw, I would call you by your name if you had one, so Baby Bradshaw it is. 

I’m writing this letter because I can’t sleep, my mind is too awake. I know I should be cashing in on the sleep before you get here, but there’s just too much going on. 

We got to see you today and hear your heartbeat. It was nice and strong and had a sound that was even better than Great Balls of Fire. I could never tire of hearing your heartbeat. Next appointment I’m gonna have to record it so I can listen to you whenever I can. The doc said you were growing nicely, which is good. Your mom and I want you to grow big and strong. 

We have been waiting for you for a long time. Your mom is probably a bit more than me. I’m not going to beat around the bush, when she told me she was pregnant, I got scared. Am I really ready to be a dad? Am I dad material? Can I be a good dad? I had a good dad growing up, he didn’t do more than what was expected of him. So I don’t really know what I have to do. I guess that’s something I will learn as we go. 

I know your mom is just going to be the best. I’ve seen her with the young kids running around base, and it is one of those things that makes my heart flutter. She’s just a natural and the kids seemed to be drawn to her. She cares for them and makes them smile and giggle. She is already getting things set up for you and you aren’t even here! The poor woman is making my wallet hurt! 

You are going to be so spoiled, not just by us but by your Uncle Maverick too. He’s already shown up with teddy bears and onesies and some child aviators, which I have no idea where he even got! I’m guessing it's got something to do with a certain Admiral’s daughter he’s been seeing. You didn’t hear this from me. . . but I think Penny might be the one for your ol’ uncle Mav. That is if he can ever settle down. 

Hell, you might settle down and get married before your Uncle Mav ever does. 

I gotta be honest with you for a second kid, I’m scared to be your father. I don’t have the most ideal job in the world. Flying planes with my best friend has been my everything (don’t tell your mother). It’s been one of the best parts of my life. I love being in the sky, watching the world from up above. I love knowing that I am protecting people. People who don’t have the means to fight for themselves. But being able to protect people comes with a risk. A risk that one day, those enemies might turn the page and come after me. 

There might be a day when I am no longer on this earth with you, baby Bradshaw. It hurts to think about, leaving behind you and your mother, but it’s the harsh reality of doing something I love. But I promise you, if something were to happen to me, Baby Bradshaw, you will be taken care of. You will have all the means to get by. You and your mom will never have to worry, I can swear to you that. But Baby Bradshaw remember one thing:”

Bradley had hardly felt like he could cry for his father. He barely knew him and didn’t feel right to cry for a man he hardly knew. Plus, he had watched his mother cry for years and Bradley felt like he had to be strong for her. But now, sitting in the arms of the woman he loved, Bradley let years of pent-up grief out. Dragon held him tightly in her arms, as he rested his head in the crook of her neck. Bradley’s large hand rested on her belly, fingers splayed out as if he could protect the growing life inside her from the outside world. She gently ran her hand up and down his back, a trick she remembered her mother doing to her when she cried, to try and soothe him. 

Dragon sniffled, and picked up the letter, reading the last line: 

“I love you and I will always be with you, no matter where on this earth or in the sky I am.

-love your dad, 

Goose’”

taglist: @damrlova @shanimallina87 @phoenix1388 @desert-fern @mygyn @cherrycola27 @yanna-banana @seitmai @topgun-imagines @bradleybeachbabe @startrekfangirl2233 @xoxabs88xox @atarmychick007 @happypopcornprincess @sophiaslastbraincell @bradswolfe @fandom-princess-forevermore @thedroneranger @angelbabyange @lovelywiseprincess @diorrfairy @krismdavis @eternallyvenus @pono-pura-vida @dakotakazansky @starberryhorse @gspenc @poppyalice2001 @els-marvelvsp @nyx2021 @t0kyoreveng3rs @frazie99 @spencvrr @kmc1989 @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @toobouquet @malindacath @badasspizzalover @sagittarius-flowerchild @hardballoonlove @harrysgothicbitch

[brainddeadd]

Ummm mayhaps a request:

In honor of the lovely matching costumes of Matt and Jonathan (srsly had me crying from laughter), perhaps a Halloween party where reader goes as the snowman from Elf and it makes Matt happy

Or idk something along the lines of distracting Matt from the injury he got while they're with the others 🥹

Halloween Party 2024 no. 2

ngl i read this as a baby devil request im so sorry

so this is like some kinda weird ass joint ranger-devils demon party with them not dating

i hope you enjoy even though i royally fucked up

The arena was buzzing with energy as players and staff mingled at the Halloween party. Y/N walked in, beaming in her Snowman costume, complete with a fluffy white outfit, a bright orange carrot nose, and a jaunty top hat perched on her head. She felt cute and ready to enjoy the festivities, blissfully unaware that her costume would soon lead to an unexpected connection.

As she navigated through the throngs of costumed teammates, she caught sight of Matt Rempe and Jonathan Quick across the room. They were an amusing sight: Matt was decked out as Papa Elf, his tall frame enveloped in a cozy red and green outfit, complete with a fuzzy hat and a fake beard. Jonathan, beside him, was the embodiment of Buddy the Elf, with his green and yellow ensemble, complete with a giant smile and an almost contagious enthusiasm.

Y/N couldn’t help but chuckle as she approached them, catching the end of their playful antics. “Hey, you two! What’s with the get-up?” she called out, crossing her arms and pretending to scold them.

Matt turned, and his face lit up with a grin. “Well, if it isn’t the cutest snowman in the room! Jonathan and I thought we’d bring a little holiday cheer to Halloween. What about you? Did you plan to match us?”

“Match? I had no idea you guys were going as elves!” Y/N laughed, looking down at her fluffy costume. “But hey, snowmen and elves make a pretty good team, right?”

“Absolutely!” Jonathan chimed in, doing a little dance. “Snowman, Elf, and even a little Christmas spirit in October—what could go wrong?”

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully, but deep down, she felt a warm flutter at being part of the fun. “I think it’s just a little too early for Christmas cheer, but I’ll take it. You guys look ridiculous!”

“Ridiculously festive, thank you very much,” Matt replied, his voice dripping with mock seriousness. “Now, come join us! We need our snowman to help us spread the holiday joy!”

Y/N joined them, and as they made their way through the party, they turned heads and elicited laughter from their teammates. Jack Hughes, dressed as a superhero, spotted them and raised an eyebrow. “What is this? A holiday movie or a Halloween party?”

“Why not both?” Matt called back, clearly enjoying the attention. “We’re here to bring cheer to the chaos!”

As they approached the snack table, Matt leaned closer to Y/N, a teasing glint in his eye. “You know, Snowman, you really complete our little holiday trio. We could start a new Halloween tradition.”

“Oh yeah? What would that be?” Y/N replied, trying to keep her tone light, though her heart raced a little at the prospect.

“Dressing up as our favorite winter characters and spreading joy wherever we go,” Jonathan added with a grin. “I can see it now: the Snowman, Buddy, and Papa Elf bringing laughter to every party!”

Y/N laughed, feeling a warm blush creep up her cheeks. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of commitment. But I’m definitely down for some festive fun tonight!”

As the three of them grabbed snacks and laughed at the absurdity of their matching costumes, the camaraderie felt easy and natural. Matt leaned over, snagging a cookie off the table while looking at Y/N. “You know, for someone who’s supposed to be a snowman, you’ve got a fiery spirit.”

She raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at her lips. “Is that your way of saying I’m more like a fire hazard than a snowman?”

“Maybe just a little,” he quipped back, winking.

Just then, the rest of the Devils’ crew, including Jack, Nico, Luke, and Dawson, approached, each of them laughing and shaking their heads at the sight of the trio.

“What a sight!” Jack said, clearly amused. “The snowman with two elves? Didn’t think I’d see that today.”

“Yeah, but we didn’t plan this! It’s all coincidence,” Y/N defended, laughing along with the boys.

“Coincidence or not, you all look like you belong in a Christmas special,” Dawson teased, nudging Matt with his elbow. “And don’t think we’ll let you live it down anytime soon!”

As the playful banter continued, Y/N felt the warmth of friendship enveloping her. The boys’ protective nature shone through as they rallied around her, ensuring she felt included and cherished. Matt's presence was comforting, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that their connection was deepening, even if it was just as friends for now.

As the party carried on, the group moved toward the dance floor, Y/N sandwiched between Matt and Jonathan, feeling the excitement and joy of Halloween, but also the promise of something more on the horizon.

“Alright, let’s show these folks how the Snowman and the Elves can party!” Matt declared, and Y/N couldn’t help but grin widely.

“Let’s do it!” she shouted, ready to embrace the night, the laughter, and whatever came next.

[thighzp]

Getting ready for the pool

☀️🍉🍓🧃

Inspired by @na-dineee’s comment: “getting ready to go to the pool on a hot summers day”

Shared for several sentence Sunday 07/28/24 full story below the cut!

“Daddyyyyyyy!” Henry hears from upstairs, the tiny voice sounding far away and muffled.

He could tell immediately that his daughter was in no danger and that nothing was wrong. This was merely her whiny voice when she needed something. He took the stairs two at a time nevertheless.

Standing on her tippiest tippy toes in her closet, Ellie was reaching for the top shelf. “I can’t reach it!” Her voice strained as she craned her neck up to try to get more height.

“What are you reaching for, my love?” Henry asked and hoisted her up to his eye level.

“My favorite swimsuit!” She cheered when her grabby hands finally reached the fabric.

“Oh, of course! The watermelon one is my favorite too, you know that,” he winked and kissed her on the forehead. “Why did you call me though, darling? Papa is right in the next room?”

Ellie looked over her shoulder before leaning in to whisper in Henry’s ear. “You’re taller than papa.”

The two giggled as Henry put his daughter down and began to get her changed into her bathing suit.

“What are you two conspiracizing about in here, hm?” Alex appeared in the doorway of their daughter’s room. He was already dressed in his (sinfully tight and sinfully short) swimming trunks, sunglasses pushing back his unruly curls.

“Nothing, dear,” Henry assured him. “Would you mind getting El’s sunscreen on while I finish packing our picnic lunch?”

Just then, the five year old whined as she pulled both straps of her watermelon-patterned one piece over her shoulders. “I don’t wanna wear sunscreen daddy! It’s so sticky!”

That, Henry could completely understand. Their daughter had 100% inherited her textural sensitivities from him.

“She hardly needs it anyway, Hen.” Alex added. His darker complexion was another thing she had inherited.

“Enough out of the both of you,” Henry not-so-intimidatingly pointed at the two of them. Alex and his mini-me.

Alex scooped up their daughter and toted her off to the bathroom to apply the sunscreen, and Henry traipsed back downstairs to continue packing their lunch.

PB&J’s, cut up strawberries, carrots & hummus, and a juice box for Ellie were today’s menu selection. He may not have the best record with cooking, but cold lunches he could manage. Since he worked from home, he was always the one who spent the morning packing lunches and sending his two kids (the big one and the little one) off about their days, Alex in his suit and Ellie in some form of frilly dress or another.

Summer looked different in their brownstone. While Alex still left the house in a suit a few mornings out of the week, he also managed to take more time off so that he and Henry could both spend time taking Ellie out as a family.

Even if their pool days consisted of much more time spent actually getting ready, making food, arguing over sunscreen, and loading up the car than actual time spent swimming, Henry wouldn’t trade it for the world.

He heard his gigantic kid and their tiny one giggling their way down the steps, and saw Alex’s sunglasses now tangled atop Ellie’s own untamed curls. Henry handed a carrot to David as a treat, and smiled to himself.

He couldn’t believe this was all finally his. His own family who he could love properly, fully, and watch grow.

He hadn’t yet told Alex, but it was about to be growing even more.

☀️🍉🍓🧃

If you enjoyed, please feel free to suggest more cute girldad moments I can write about!

[babygaybenson]

That Cabenson was cute! We know how they get Noah, but how do they get Caroline and Johnny? 👉👈

I gotchu! 🩷

In my HC Alex is the same age as SMarch irl.

This is set two years after they got Noah.

She was tired more often than not. Being pregnant came with such a cost but since Noah, she’s enjoyed being a mother. Her life changed so much - from symphonies to toy stores, listening to Noah try to form words and a little personality of his own. He takes after Olivia more than her - he’s inquisitive, daring and brave. He sleeps on Alex’s chest while she hums and goes over her casework for the next day. There weren’t as many sleepless nights as she thought. After six months, Noah was sleeping perfectly. After two years - it was a breeze. Still, that warm feeling of him crawling onto her chest just for a cuddle was all she looked forward to after a long day in court.

It took three rounds of IVF before Alex finally fell pregnant. Olivia held her hand through fertility shots, diet changes, and various medications that would knock over a racehorse but not Alexandra Cabot. This was their family - this was what they wanted, all they wanted. She was nearing the seventh-month mark and she was starting to feel the strain of a pregnant belly. The morning sickness had passed, finally, and she was starting to get a taste for chicken tenders, not just any chicken tenders. Olivia had to drive to Meloni’s Deli on 42nd Street. Harry, the owner - gave Olivia his number so she could call ahead and make an order for the same chicken tenders. He’d usually put them in a sandwich - but the thought of bread made Alex gag. It had to be just chicken and nothing else. He started giving Olivia a bag of frozen tenders so she could cook them at home, in the middle of the night, and then Alex would eat them in bed while watching The Gilmore Girls.

Once they found out he was a boy, a list of names was thrown around. Elliot was quickly thrown out, Nick wasn’t off the table, and Don - was not. “He’s a child, not a crime boss.” Alex blurted one evening. “What about Johnathan?” Olivia suggested after their dear friend John Munch. “Shorten it to Johnny.” She added. Everything was falling into place, they had a beautiful growing family. Their marriage was the strongest it had ever been. Alex couldn’t hide a smile when talking about Noah’s dislike of peas but his love for carrots and peaches.

As the night lulled, Alex focused on the last few court documents she had left before maternity leave. Noah’s toys littered the floor, a small laundry pile sat at the foot of the bed and the TV hummed quietly in the background. Olivia emerged from their en-suite, fresh-faced and ready for bed. She was tired. She yawned as she climbed into the side closest to the bedroom door. Alex didn’t even break concentration. She continued to tap away at her iPad as she dipped with the bed. Suddenly - she felt a bop on her right side. Alex frowned and placed her hand on her swollen stomach. Another bop! And then again. Alex smiled, causing Olivia to prop herself up on her elbows.

“What?” The detective asked with a smile.

“A kick…” Alex smiled moving the iPad from her lap to the bed. “Do you want to feel?” She asked with a warm smile.

“Like you gotta ask.” Olivia beamed brightly propping herself up a little more and scooching over to her wife.

Alex laced their fingers and brought Olivia’s hand to where the baby was kicking. She tucked her hand under her nightshirt while the detective frowned, concentrating on any movement, and then suddenly - bop! Olivia smiled, sitting up even more and caressed the area with her thumb. He had been so active recently, kicking, turning, and dancing. Olivia loved feeling every movement her son made. She rested her head against Alex’s chest as Johnny continued to move inside his mother’s womb. Alex kissed the top of her head and ran her fingers through her long brown hair.

“Hi Johnny…” Olivia whispered to her son. “I love you so much…”

She could hear the sweet thumping sound of Alex’s heart beating and her son’s foot pressing against her hand. She’d never been so content. Olivia sighed, her eyes fluttered closed for a moment before her phone started to ring. She groaned pushing herself off from Alex but stopping for a moment to give her a soft kiss. She turned over and grabbed her phone, frowning at the caller ID. It wasn’t a case, nor was it Elliot, Finn, or Munch.

“Who is it?” Alex asked with a look of concern.

“It’s Chantal…”

Suddenly anxiety started to climb even more. Alex felt a lump in her throat. Was this about Noah? Were they going to question compitance? Noah’s adoption had only just been completed when Alex became pregnant. Did they change their minds?

“Hey, Chantal…” Olivia frowned sitting up in bed. “Yeah, it’s very late. Is everything okay?” She asked. Another pause. Alex placed her hand over her baby bump, she just needed that little bit of comfort Johnny provided. She watched as Olivia’s face changed again, this time to surprise. “Uh, yeah - let me just ask my wife.” Olivia put the phone to her chest and took a deep breath before turning to Alex. “They have an emergency foster case. She’s a little girl, a year older than Noah. Chantal is asking if we can take her.”

“Yes!” Alex didn’t even hesitate. There was a little girl in trouble and she needed two people to protect her. There was no one better than the Benson-Cabots.

Olivia smiled and placed the phone to her ear once more. “Hey, Chantal - yeah, we’ll take her in. When will you get here?” Olivia nods, listening to the social worker. “See you in an hour - thanks.”

She placed her phone on her bedside table before climbing out of bed. “I’m gonna run to the store and get… something. She has nothing.”

“W-what happened? Do they know?” Alex asked as she slowly climbed out of bed.

“DV situation.” Olivia called from the walk-in closet.

“What’s her name?” Alex asked leaning against the doorframe.

“Uh, Caroline!” Olivia replied walking past her to put on her shoes. “Will you get the guest room ready? I’m gonna go and see if there’s anything open.”

They hadn’t planned to be emergency foster parents. But they didn’t take their names off the list either. If another child comes their way - they won’t turn them away. Alex smiled and welcomed a kiss on her cheek and she watched as Olivia dashed out of their bedroom.

[daydreaming-en-pointe]

╰┈➤ i won’t sleep till you’re safe inside.

Pairing: Pavitr Prabhakar x Sister!Reader (platonic obviously)

Type: Fanfic - Fluff -> Angst

Word count: 8.5k (🫢🤯)

Warnings: NOT CANON-COMPLIANT! (I’ll make a list of everything that’s probably not canon but is for this fic) colour-coordinated dialogues to make it easier to understand who’s talking, starts out fluffy but evolves into angst, cussing, reader is desi, usage of Hindi (translations given, except for the Sheila Ki Jawani song), hahaha culturedumping & projection go hand in hand 😭

Some Goldenmodel (is that their official ship name??) too! (pls they’re literally so cute 🫠🫠)

A/N: Basically where Pavi loses his sister instead of Gayathri :D

The numbers at the top of every section indicate Pavitr and the reader’s age respectively (reader is older than Pavi) :)

Andddd the Pavitr Bhim Prabhakar hc continues 😁

Probably (Definitely) Non-Canon List:

-reader’s existence basically since she’s the daughter of Maya Aunty and Uncle Bhim (so she’s not technically his sister she’s his cousin but close enough!)

-I actually have NO idea how Pavi’s parents died or anything abt them so I’m basically making stuff up hehe

-Reader also gets the scholarship to Mumbattan that Pavitr got, but for a different subject

-kinda waffling on Bhim’s death since I’ve never actually read the comic where he died so idk much of anything

-Reader helps Pavi make his webshooters (kinda)

-Pav may be a teensy bit ooc I apologize for that

-there’s probably a lot more but none I can pinpoint specifically right now

(this is the song that Pav sings btw)

title inspo:

Will you call me to tell me you’re alright?

Cause I worry about you the whole night

Don’t repeat my mistakes

I won’t sleep till you’re safe inside

(Safe Inside, James Arthur)

——— ———

4 & 6.

“Didi!”

You stifled a giggle, peeking out from behind the tree you were hiding behind to see the tiny boy scrambling over rocks and protruding tree roots, his eyes squinted in concentration as he searched for you.

“Come out, come out wherever you- ai!” He cut himself off with a sharp squeal of surprise, stumbling backwards as you leaped out and bared your teeth like the demonic rakshasas that seem to lunge right off the pages of your mother’s - Pavitr’s aunt’s - mythology books.

“Not fair,” Pavitr complained, glaring up at you and crossing his arms. His nose scrunched at the injustice and you laughed, sticking your tongue out at him and ruffling his hair.

“Totally fair.”

“Nahin! Pura cheating! Didi, tum hamesha dhokha deti ho!” (No! Fully cheating! You always cheat!)

“Oy, Pavi, main kaise dhokha de rahi hai? What nonsense you’re talking.” (How am I cheating?)

“I’m telling Maya Aunty that you’re being mean to me.”

“Wait-”

“Arrey, both of you stop squabbling and come up here,” Maya Aunty’s voice carried down into the lawn from the veranda as she poked her head out of the kitchen. “I made gajar ka halwa. Come eat before Bhim gets back and finishes everything.”

Pavitr’s eyes lit up at the mention of the carrot dessert, all earlier frustrations forgotten for the moment. “Race you!” He turned and darted across the lawn, his hair bobbing as he kicked up clouds of dirt under his shoes.

“Pavi, how is this fair?!”

——— ———

6 & 8.

“Didi! Checkmate! I win!”

“Ai, Pavi, that’s not… chess doesn’t work like…” He turned to you with big, shining eyes, grinning from ear to ear because he thought he had won. You trailed off with a resigned sigh, not having the heart to tell him that he had just got his own king killed.

“Wow, Pavi, you’re getting so good at this! You’re a natural!” You ruffled his hair affectionately, despite his protests and attempts to fight you off.

“Y/N! Yahaan aao!” (Come here)

You immediately perked up, eyebrows drawing together as you heard your mother’s voice, only… something was off. She sounded like she was holding back tears, the beginnings of a raw sob lingering in her throat.

“Haan, Amma? Kya hua?” (Yes? What happened?) (Amma/Maa just means mother)

She sat hunched next to the balcony, a phone in her slack grip. Your father - Pavitr’s Uncle Bhim - knelt with his back to you, holding her and rubbing her shoulders comfortingly. Tears fell from her eyes and the only sounds that split the air were her jagged heaves between soft sniffles.

“Amma? Papa, what happened to Amma?” Unease twisted in your stomach, knitting your eyebrows closer together as you moved forward and grasped your mother’s hand.

Your father turned to look at you and you inhaled sharply.

That was the first time you had ever seen your father cry.

“Pavitr’s parents were involved in an accident,” He struggled to keep his tone even for you.

“An accident? You mean…”

“Yes, beta. They’re… they’re gone.”

Your breath hitched and you backed away slightly, steadying yourself against the wall behind you.

You didn’t know much about what happened - and it would probably stay like that since you were ‘too young to bother yourself with the worries of the adult world - but you knew one thing for sure.

This is going to break Pavi.

I can’t let that happen.

You heard soft patters of bare feet on the marble floors and looked up just as Pavitr’s dark hair disappeared to the side of the doorframe.

Not trusting yourself to speak without breaking down mid-speech, you got up and left without a word, patting your mother’s hand sympathetically on the way.

You found Pavitr sitting against the tree you used to play hide and seek around. He pulled his knees to his chest, resting his forehead on his kneecaps and raising his head when you approached. “What happened, Didi?”

You grasped at words that would help convey it, but to no avail. How could you tell a 6 year old - one who was essentially a brother to you now - that his parents had died?

You had two ways out.

…I should tell him.

“Pavi… Maya Aunty will explain, but… basically, you’re going to be spending a lot more time with us - with me. How does that sound?”

Pavitr grinned, his eyes shining - and of course he had to look like a trusting puppy. Of course it had to make you feel guilty the moment those words, a romanticized version of the truth, left your lips.

“That sounds awesome,” He said happily, half-turning to wrap his arms snugly around your waist in a hug. “We’ll have so much fun! You can finally teach me how to play kancha and lagori like you’ve been wanting to! Right, Didi?”

“…yeah. You’re right.” You leaned down to kiss the top of his head as he nestled comfortably against your side, the strands of hair tickling your chin as you rested your head on his. You felt tears starting to well up as the depth of the situation hit you at full force.

Kaayar. Coward.

——— ———

9 & 11.

“Didi!”

You looked up from your schoolwork as Pavitr burst into your room. “What’s going on?”

“Maya Aunty said there’s some sort of… scholarship? They said we have to go to Mumbattan!” Your eyes shot wide open and you pushed your chair back from your desk to follow him into the kitchen. What scholarship? Mumbattan?

Maya Aunty had told you both that she had submitted samples of your writing and a few of Pavitr’s blueprints for futuristic designs he had come up with for various robotics competitions, but… you never thought the entry would ever amount to anything.

“Amma, Papa, yeh sach hai? Did we get a scholarship to Mumbattan?” (Is this true?)

“Haan, beta.” Your mother looked slightly tired, weary - but ultimately happy. The happiest you had seen her in quite a while. Your father patted your head affectionately, a large smile on his face. “Well done, both of you. Mere champions.” (My champions)

The moment dissipated like it was never there in the first place when Maya Aunty’s eyebrows scrunched together with worry once more as she turned to Uncle Bhim. “Arrey, Bhim. Hum kaise kharch uthayenge? Mumbattan mei, woh kiraaya-” (How will we afford this? The rent in Mumbattan-)

The moment you heard those words, you let out a soft exhale and took Pavitr’s hand, gently tugging on it and leading him away from the ‘adult’ conversation. By now, you were almost conditioned to do your best to avoid conversations that always got your parents stressed out and sometimes led to frustrated breakdowns which simmered into tearful apologies and doubtful plans.

“Let’s go play kancha, Pavi. I’ll even let you start this time.”

You ran out onto the lawn with him, your hand holding onto his smaller one tightly as if you could protect him from all the harm and sadness and worry that the world had to offer.

——— ———

11 & 13.

“Didi!”

“Don’t didi me. You agreed to this, remember? You brought this upon yourself,” You said between giggles that got increasingly louder at how ridiculous he looked.

Maya Aunty and Bhim Uncle were both out buying groceries, and Pavitr was so bored that he accepted your challenge to see who could balance more than five stones on their forehead. And if he lost, you would get to do his hair and makeup.

That was why he was currently sitting in front of you, bright pink eyeshadow on both his eyelids and wearing the brightest red lipstick you could find. He winced in pain, loudly protesting every two seconds as you tried to put his wavy hair into a Dutch braid. He had let it grow out over the past few months, and at the rate he was going, if he left it for even a little while more it’d be longer than yours.

“You need a haircut, Pavi. I think you might be getting split ends…” You couldn’t help but chuckle at the expression of pure horror that crossed his face at your words, which quickly turned to annoyance. “Shut up, you’re just saying that because you’re jealous- ow!”

“Whoops.”

“You did that on purpose.”

“Did not.” You looped a rubber band onto the ends of the braid, finally finishing and tilting your head to critically examine your handiwork. “There, you’re all done.”

Pavitr glanced at his reflection in the compact mirror you offered him. “Wait, I don’t look that bad. I can pull this off pretty well, actually.”

“Sure you can, sweetie. Let’s do your nails now.”

“You’re the absolute worst.”

——— ———

12 & 14.

“Didi! Rise and shine!”

You groaned softly, turning over onto your side. “Get out.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet and definitely not a prime example of you being mean to your younger brother. Seriously though, we have to get going soon for school.” He expertly dodged the spare pillow you threw at him, deciding to kneel by your bedside and stare you in the eyes like some psychotic cat.

“Not everyone’s a morning person, Pavi. Besides, it’s 6 in the damn morning. Come back in another hour.”

Pavitr didn’t respond, just started humming a tune and tapping out a familiar beat on your bedside table, using two pencils from your desk’s mug of stationery as makeshift drumsticks.

“I know you want it but you’re never gonna get it, tere haath kabhi na aani…”

Your eyes shot open as you recognized the song. “No, Pavi, I swear to God-”

“Maane na maane koi duniya yeh saari, mere ishq ki hai deewani…” Stifling laughter, he backed out of range before you could smack some sense into him with another pillow.

“Pavitr! Stop!” You chucked a pillow at him, sitting up and staring at him in utter astonishment at his song choices.

“Kisi aur ki mujhko zaroorat kya, main toh khud se pyaar jataun! What’s my name, what’s my name, what’s my name…?”

“Pavitr Bhim Prabhakar, if you don’t stop singing that song right now-” You lunged forward, trying to grab him and muffle the lyrics of the Bollywood song he was singing - granted, he wasn’t a terrible singer, and in fact he could sing in Hindi quite well, but out of every song he could’ve chosen… this? “By the way, you missed a few lines, but that’s not the point! Stop it!”

“My name is Sheila! Sheila ki jawani! I’m too sexy for you, mei tere hath na aani-”

Chaos ensued in the next few seconds. Pavitr, who had been running around your room doing whatever choreography he could remember from the scene with that particular song in the movie you had both watched, tripped on the fallen pillow and fell flat on his face.

You had been chasing him around and tripped over him, rolling over and landing beside him. Luckily, you managed to break your fall with your palms.

“How’d the ground taste, hmm?” You asked, offering a hand to help him up.

“You’re mean,” Pavitr complained, taking your hand and pulling himself up. You fixed his slightly ruffled hair, a little surprised at how soft it was. Was he already going through the phase of being obsessed with how he looked?

“Yeah, well. You’re in my room at 6 am singing one of the sluttiest Bollywood songs you know, so… you’ll live, buttercup.” You gave his head a rough pat, turning to reluctantly make your bed - might as well, since you were already awake - as he hovered over your shoulder with a grin.

“But hey, it did get you up, didn’t it?”

——— ———

13 & 15.

“Didi! Where are you? I need to tell you something!”

“…I don’t understand. What are you saying?” You felt so paralyzed that you didn’t even register your brother’s voice. Instead you stared at the person you thought was your boyfriend, dangerously quiet. The calm before the storm. He shifted uncomfortably, fiddling with his sleeve and clearing his throat.

“Um, I think we should break up. I’ve kind of been… seeing another girl. Shreya.”

You were careful to keep your expression neutral, crossing your arms to prevent you from worrying at your nails. “For how long?”

“Uh, I-”

“How. Long. It’s a simple question.”

“Five months.”

“Son of a bitch.” You kept your voice low, sweeping a hand towards the door. “The exit’s there. Leave.”

“Listen, I’m really-”

“Get out. I’m serious. Get the fuck out of here before I make you do so.”

He stopped and stared at you for a few seconds, realizing just how angry you were.

“Okay. Well, it was… good seeing you, I guess. I hope you-”

“Didi?”

This time you heard Pavitr call you, soft hesitancy in his voice that carried into the room from the other side of the door. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, Pavi, I’m fine. You can come in.” You covered the cracks in the screens of overly pleasant tones that you layered over your voice so as to make sure he didn’t worry.

He quickly entered your room, and from the way he glared daggers at your now-ex-boyfriend you assumed he had heard everything - or at least, a large chunk of the conversation.

“Hey there, buddy.”

He had the nerve to smile and hold his knuckles out for a fist bump. Truth be told, you felt a sort of bitter satisfaction when Pavitr just glared up at him and didn’t bother lifting his hand to return it.

“Fuck off.”

“What?”

His eyes widened slightly and traveled from the harsh scowl fixed on Pavitr’s face to your dangerously calm demeanour.

“You heard him, didn’t you?”

“I… yeah. I’m going. See you around.”

You followed him with your eyes as he inched toward the door, shutting it behind him.

The moment he left, your unbothered façade cracked and splintered into pieces. You moved yourself to sit on your bed, slipping the covers over your legs. “Thank you,” You murmured to Pavitr, closing your eyes so he wouldn’t see the tears threatening to spill. He came over to sit beside you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

“Mat rouoh didi. Hum ek movie dekhenge?” (Don’t cry didi. Wanna watch a movie?)

“Haan, please. As long as it’s not Tees Maar Khan, I am not watching that again with you. I’ve had enough of that Sheila ki Jawani. Wait, Pavi, you said you wanted to tell me something?”

“…that’s not important right now, don’t worry about it.”

You didn’t notice him anxiously trying to peel off the edge of the blanket that was stubbornly sticking to the pads of fingers.

——— ———

A week later.

It had happened so suddenly. No one seemed to know anything.

Well, except the fact that your father had died somehow.

I know we fought a lot more in… in the end, but I love you. I always have and I always will, Papa. You made me who I am today, you taught me to know my own worth and accept no less. Believe me, I think about it every day. If you were here I’d tell you.

You wished you could say that out loud, to offer everyone present a window into your thoughts to prove you weren’t just an angsty teenager - or a family disappointment, which a few aunties seemed to believe by the way they were whispering and shooting overly sympathetic looks your way which were quickly followed up by hushed giggles.

But instead you kept your head down and used what little energy you could muster to give a nod of acknowledgement every time a distant relative - even ones you hadn’t seen since you were a baby - popped up in your face to console you.

“Where’s Pavitr? Did he come to the antyesti?” You jumped; you hadn’t noticed your mother hovering beside you until she laid a light hand on your shoulder. She seemed to move around like a spectre; dressed completely in a simple white salwaar kameez with a long white shawl wrapped around her in such a way that it obscured both her arms and her hair, along with part of her face.

“No, I don’t think so - at least, I haven’t seen him.” You looked over her shoulder at the priests starting to get everything prepared for the ceremony and searched the crowds of vaguely familiar people.

Where the hell is he?

Getting the priests to agree to Pavitr - who wasn’t exactly Bhim’s son but the closest thing to it - leading the rituals was hard enough. But then again, it wasn’t like they had much of a choice, did they? You couldn’t exactly do it - the rituals of an antyesti were to be performed by the eldest son. Or the priests themselves, if he couldn’t do it for any reason. Never a woman.

You and Maya Aunty weren’t allowed to do anything except watch and pray.

And now if Pavitr didn’t show up in time-

Thwip! Thwip!

You frowned and shook your head slightly, wondering what the source of that noise was. Oh, well, probably just a pesky mosquito buzzing in your ear.

“Didi, Maya Aunty, I am so, so sorry that I’m late. Did they start already?” You jumped again in surprise - what was it with people sneaking up behind you today? You took in Pavitr’s crisp white dhoti and neatly styled hair, and for a second you couldn’t decide whether to hug him or punch him in the face.

“I’ll tell you everything later, didi. Pinky promise,” Pavitr murmured to you, offering his pinky to you. You linked your little finger with his, looking into his eyes as concern bubbled up to mix with the hurricane of emotions already clamouring for attention in your brain.

He had horrible bags under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept properly in a week. And when you gently squeezed his pinky, his breath hitched as if he was in pain and he drew his hand back after a few seconds. You blinked in confusion, getting a brief glimpse of painful-looking faint purple splotches all along his hand and the underside of his arm. They looked like bruises that had been poorly covered up by foundation that was almost three shades too light for his skin, but before you could say anything he turned to make his way through the crowd.

“Pavi-” You started to ask what was going on, what happened, what was wrong, but he just shook his head, angling his chin toward the priests waiting patiently for him.

“Badh mein, didi. Antyesti ke badh.” (Later. After the antyesti)

——— ———

After the ceremony.

“Pavitr Prabhakar, if you don’t tell me what’s going on-” You came face-to-face with one of your more distant aunties, who immediately lit up excitedly in a way that was probably not suited for a cremation ceremony as soon as she recognized you.

“Arrey, beta! You’ve grown so much! How old are you now? You still sing, no? Kya aapne college ke bare socha hain?” (Have you thought/started thinking about college?)

“Haha… hi, aunty… no, aunty… no, I haven’t thought about college yet… have you seen Pavitr anywhere? I need to find him and it’s really urgent but… oh, uh… yes, of course, I would love to catch up over chai sometime. Sure, we should plan that - oh, sorry, bye! Tell my mother that I’ve gone to look for Pavitr, okay? Thank you!”

Seizing the opportunity that presented itself in the form of another aunty who came waddling over to greet the first one, you squeezed through the crowd of people in sarees and dupattas, some milling about and some dispersing, all accompanied by the almost suffocating smell of jasmine. God, did everyone use the same horrible perfume?

Luckily for you, the antyesti was held fairly close to your house - on a large terrace that was only about a 15 minute walk away.

You got to the front door and fumbled with the set of keys in your pocket for a second, your fingers shaking slightly as the shock and grief began to set in. Adrenaline could only take you so far, it seemed.

“Pavi? Pavi, I’m home, where-”

You opened the door to your room and inhaled sharply at the sight that lay before you. Pavitr leaned against your bed, sitting on the floor with his knees hugged close to his chest, chin resting on his kneecaps. His eyes were squeezed shut, eyelashes fluttering as tears slipped out one after another from underneath them.

“Pavi…? Oh, Pavi, mera chhoti bhai, kya hua? Kisi ne… tumhein chot pahunchaee?” (My little brother, what happened? Did… someone hurt you?) You scooted closer to Pavitr, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and drawing him into your side. He buried his face in your shoulder, tears soaking through the thin fabric of the kurta you were wearing.

“Shh. Sab theek ho jayega. Mujhe batao, Pavi. Kya hua?” (Everything’s okay. Tell me, what happened?)

“I’m Spider-Man.”

You blinked in surprise. Out of all the possible explanations he could have offered you, that was certainly not on your list. “Spider-Man? Matlab… the superhero?” (Matlab means meaning)

The hero had emerged only a week ago. Wearing an intricately patterned mask that left his wavy hair loose at the top, a blue-and-red spandex suit and blue dhoti pants on top of them, he was basically impossible to ignore. You had seen some key similarities between Spider-Man and Pav’s hair, but you had always just assumed it was related to how boys cut their hair like their idols sometimes.

“Chacha died because of Spider-Man. Because of me. He got caught in the crossfire and I couldn’t reach him in time and-” Pavitr’s words spilled together in a panicked haze, blurring each syllable and tripping over letters in an attempt to get them out before he could break again. (Chacha is another word for uncle)

You shifted to face him, wrapping him in a tight hug. “Shaant ho jao. Main yahaan hoon. Main kaheen nahin ja raha hoon.” (Calm down. I’m here, I’m not going anywhere)

“I can’t-” His breath quickened as his whole body started to heave with dry sobs. “Please just… just listen to me. This is what I wanted to tell you last week. I’m Spider-Man.”

He mistook your silence as a sign of disbelief and carried on speaking, trying to convince you. “There were these bullies I was running from, and I tripped and fell into a tree hollow and there was this yogi who said he’d give me the powers of a spider to fight the evil in this world, and I didn’t know it would turn out like this so I accepted and-”

“I believe you.”

That caught him off guard. He pulled back to look at you, his eyes wide. “You do?”

“Of course. You think I haven’t noticed you sticking to everything? You almost ripped the couch’s upholstery clean off because you weren’t paying attention.” You gently swiped your thumb near the corner of his eye, wiping away the tear that was at risk of spilling out. “It’s okay, Pavi. Let’s.. talk about something else for the moment.”

As much as you wanted answers - how exactly had your father died? Which sick, twisted, psychotic ‘villain’ killed him? - you knew when to stop pushing Pavitr and now was definitely that time. Tears still shone in the corners of his brown eyes, not quite ready to fall but not small enough to be blinked away.

“Spiderwebs!”

“What?”

“You need spiderwebs, naa? So you can swing like a spider instead of leaping around and relying on sticking to whatever surface you can reach. Ooh, it’d be so cool if you could shoot them from your hands and lasso bad guys and when they fight back you go dishoom dishoom.” (dishoom is basically just a sound effect for beating someone up 😭 usually punching someone)

“… you mean webshooters?” Pavitr watched your emphatic display of just what dishoom dishoom meant to you with a mildly concerned look on his face before he took a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket and smoothed it out. It was filled with designs for some sort of gadget, the sharp, jagged pencil lines highlighting every feature and listing possible building processes.

“I’ve done some research and I’ve got everything, so I know how to make it. But I need something that can contract if I wrap a web around it… kind of like a yo-yo? But it also has to fit on my wrist so that it’s easy for me to angle where I want the web to go.” He absentmindedly tapped the pencil against the silver bangle you were wearing. The soft clinks gave you an idea and you quickly got up, going to your dresser and rummaging around in the drawers.

“Wait, I think I might have something that’ll work…”

Your fingers closed around what you were looking for and you fished it out. You held two large golden cuffs in your hands, but they weren’t regular heavy cuffs. The top and bottom were actually two separate pieces, joined together in the middle by a stretchy piece of white nylon that went all the way around.

Just looking at it made your heart ache a little as all the memories associated with the simple accessory came flooding back.

Your father had given it to you a few Diwalis ago, when you were throwing a tantrum about having to wear the large bangles to go to with the itchy salwar you had on - against your wishes, of course. But your mother warned you that her mother was a stickler for traditions and insisted on everyone wearing the most colourful ethnic wear you all had, including Pavi.

Your father had slid one of the cuffs onto your right wrist, laughing gently at your surprise look when you discovered how light they were, a stark contrast to the gold bangles that weighed down your other wrist.

“Compromise paaya, hain na?” (We’ve found a compromise, right?)

“Haan, papa.”

Now, more than eight years later, you held one of the last things you had left to keep your father’s memory alive.

And what better way to honour him than to use his kaadas to fight evil and protect the city?

“Use these.”

Pavitr looked up and immediately shook his head, gently pushing away your outstretched hands. “No, didi, I can’t- this is what Uncle gave you-”

“I know. He gave them to me as a gift. And now I’m passing them down to you. Please, Pavi. Take them.” You took his hands, pressing the kaadas into his palms and closing his fingers over them.

Something in your tone made him search your gaze for a few seconds before giving in and bringing the cuffs up to his eyes, testing out the nylon middle. “Wait, this is perfect. If I can just…”

He reached into the depths of one of your drawers and pulled out a small device that looked like it had some sort of fluid sloshing around in its… fuel container, maybe? You furrowed your brow in surprise. “Has that always been there? In my cupboard?”

“Well, yeah. Can’t have Maya Aunty accidentally pulling it out of mine, can we?” He gave you a grin. “Besides, you have so many things stuffed into that one drawer that it’s basically impossible to find.”

He attached the device to the inside of the cuff with a small click and slipped it onto his wrist.

Thwip! Thwip!

With two tiny flicks of his wrist, he had shot two webs to the ceiling and was now hanging upside down, a satisfied grin on his face.

“Well, this is working pretty well-”

Thud.

“Don’t you dare,” Pavitr warned you as he winced and rubbed the spot where he had fallen on his backside.

“I will not laugh. I will not laugh. I will not-”

You couldn’t help but burst into giggles at his mildly pathetic sad-puppy expression as he sat dejectedly on the floor after falling from the ceiling.

“So, uh… the web strength may need some work.”

“Everybody, this is Pavitr Bhim Prabhakar, Mumbattan’s Spider-Man.” You pretend to speak into an imaginary microphone, gesturing animatedly towards Pav as he lay on the floor.

“Oh, sure, announce it to the whole world, why don’t you,” He grumbled, reluctantly pulling himself to his feet.

You gave him an overly sweet smile, leaning over to mess up his hair. “Never. I’m gonna take this secret with me to my grave.”

——— ———

14 & 16.

6 months really went by quickly.

6 months of monthly poojas to honour your deceased father. 6 months of Pavitr being Spider-Man. And also…

“Didi! Why isn’t my hair staying down?!”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because that bad guy threw you into an electricity tower? Pavi, why are you dressing up all of a sudden anyway?” You sat on the floor of your room as you skeptically watched him brush out his hair. He had insisted that your mirror was big enough and ‘had the best lighting’.

He stayed silent, though you could see him scrunch his nose a little in embarrassment. The realization hit you and you let out a loud - maybe overly dramatic - gasp.

“Oh my god! You have a date!”

“…maybe. So?”

“So that means I get to meet and terrorize them! You know, sibling stuff!”

Pavitr froze for a split second, a small smile starting to form in the corner of his mouth at the last part. Siblings. In all honesty, didn’t that word describe the bond you both shared almost perfectly? Siblings - not by blood, but by something so much bigger than either of you could’ve imagined.

“Absolutely not. Gayatri’s-”

“Gayatri? Is she Punjabi? Ooh, is she pretty? Is she really badass and cool and-”

“She’s a model,” Pavitr interrupted, smoothing down his hair and glaring at you. “And this isn’t my first date with her. Just for the record.”

“Wow, and she’s your age? Damn, Pavi, you managed to pull a model! I’m so proud of you right now.”

“I will strangle you if you don’t stop talking,” Pavitr grumbled, punching the bridge of his nose.

“I’m not saying anything bad!”

“Sure you ar-” Pavitr stopped mid-sentence and stiffened, craning his neck and glancing out the window over his shoulder like a cat that had heard something strange. “Wait, someone’s here. Gotta go!”

He dashed into the bathroom and came out two seconds later, fully decked out in his spider suit and mask.

“Don’t get your ass kicked!” You called out as he nose-dived out the window.

“Ha, ha! Very funny!”

——— ———

10 minutes later.

“Pavitr, what the hell?!” You leaped backwards as a strange sort of alien materialized in your room for a split second before they disappeared into a black hole-like void, followed by a… Spider-Man? Not Pav. This one was taller and his suit was red and black, and oh God, was he bleeding from his armpits?

You were tempted to offer him a few cotton wipes and something to clean the wound but he disappeared in after the weird teleporting alien before you could ask.

Pavitr came crashing in through your window, landing on the floor and glancing around. “What? I thought they came here-”

“Really?! Now you show up? I’ve just had some sort of cow-man and a new Spider-Man teleport into my room through a pit and-” You stopped short as another Spider-Man landed on the floor. Except… Spider-Woman? She wore a suit in the shape of a white-and-black ballet leotard and had a hood with web designs on the inside.

“Pavitr, is… this Gayatri?” You tried to wrap your head around the fact that there were three different types of Spider-People and a cow on the wrong side of evolution who had just phased through your house. “Oh, hi, Gayatri, I’ve heard so much about you. Pavi thinks you’re really classy and cool and you’re the prettiest girl alive and-”

Pavitr webbed a pillow and swung it into your face before you could finish, temporarily shutting you up. “Didi, this… this isn’t Gayatri.” Despite his face being covered by his mask, you could tell from his tone that he was embarrassed out of his wits. “This is, uh… this is Gwen. She’s a Spider-Woman. Look, it’s hard to explain, but they’re all from different universes and I think the New Guy’s in love with Gwen, so we gotta go save their romance before it shatters. Bye!”

He leaped out the window again, followed by Gwen - who was stuttering and tripping over her words trying to form a plausible denial for his last statement.

Never a dull day in Mumbattan, I guess.

——— ———

5 minutes after that ordeal.

“Arrey, your chai is getting cold. Drink fast, no?”

“Haan, Amma. Ek second.” (One second) You moved away from where you were hovering near the window. As much as Pavitr reassured you that he was okay, that being Spider-Man was easy now - you still remembered having to disinfect wounds and ice bruises and watch him hiss and crinkle his face up in pain every time you wiped a tissue soaked in Dettol along his cuts.

Maybe those were only fairly harmless flesh wounds, but what kept you up at night was the worry that one day it might turn into something worse.

“I’m drinking it,” You said defensively and sat down as Maya Aunty lifted an eyebrow at you over her own mug. Just as you sat down the whole ground seemed to shake, a horrible din filling the air, screams and the sound of rubble falling mingling together in the cacophony.

“Oh, someone blew down Alchemax,” said Maya Aunty once the noise died down. With a small shake of her head, she casually returned to her chai as if this sort of thing happened almost every day.

“What an idiot.” You glanced out the window, squinting into the distance and widening your eyes as your eyes snagged on a flash of vibrant fabric flying through the air, just barely visible through the pieces of flying rubble.

Oh, fuck, that’s my idiot.

——— ———

You figured the easiest and fastest way to get near Alchemax was to take the bus. After all, those bus drivers had basically decided long ago that they were above the rules of the traffic. They honestly didn’t give a damn about the speed limits and you respected that.

“Hi, Y/N!” You turned at your name, tilting your head curiously because you didn’t recognise the voice.

You found yourself looking at someone who looked oddly familiar, you just couldn’t place it - until you glanced briefly out the window and saw a Zomato billboard. Of course if had to be her, how else would she know your name?

“Oh, are you Gayatri? Hi! It’s so nice to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you from Pavi.”

“Aww, that’s sweet, and likewi-“

The bus swerved sharply and you, Gayatri and more than half of the people who weren’t holding onto the railings were slammed against the back window before the bus started to tilt forward. You blinked away stars for a few seconds as the wind was knocked out of you.

When you regained your vision you let out a yelp of surprise. Someone yelled “Fuck!” right next to you, followed by a string of unrepeatable Marathi cusswords - while also listing out gods and praying to them that they’d make it out alive - and you could understand why.

Some dumbass - or maybe a large piece of rubble - had ripped a hole in the middle of the fucking Mumbattan Bridge. The whole bus was falling right into that hole, and unfortunately the bus driver’s magical ability to fly straight over potholes seemed to have evaded him right now, judging by the fact that he was currently contributing to the chorus of terrified screams.

“Hold on!” Gayatri caught your forearm right as your grip on the flimsy side railing was loosening and pulled you up to latch onto the railing at the back. Good lord, was this girl strong. You decided right then and there that you definitely liked her.

You saw Pavitr stop mid-swing and turn around, his mask’s eyes widening as he saw both of you pounding relentlessly on the back bus window in the hopes that it would break in time.

He shot a web that stuck to the back of the bus, tipping it almost vertically as he held onto one of the bridge supports. His eyes narrowed with effort as he struggled to hold onto the deceptively delicate-looking silky tendrils.

You silently thanked whatever higher power existed for the time when Pavitr fell from the ceiling 6 months ago. If that hadn’t happened, you and the other people on this bus would’ve been flattened on the ground by now. Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down.

Pavitr glanced behind him, his shoulders falling slightly in shock. The web holding onto the bus stretched and dipped, threatening to snap any second. He wrapped the silken web around the support, trying to bring it up.

You and Gayatri were just barely hanging on, your entire bodies dangling down with gravity as you held onto the railing for dear life.

Suddenly something changed. Another web attached itself to the bus and pulled you onto the bridge. Another Spider-Man, possibly?

You let out the breath you hadn’t realized you had been holding as the bus levelled itself on solid ground again. Gayatri gave you a weak smile, grasping your hand and pulling you straight into the throng of people rushing to exit the bus.

The moment she stepped outside Pavitr wrapped her in a hug, eliciting a surprised squeak from Gayatri.

“Are you okay? I was so worried-” He realized his mistake mid-sentence, drawing back from her and patting her shoulders with both hands, unsure whether to cross his arms or rest them on his hips. “Uh, you seem like a nice young woman who I do not know…”

Gayatri chuckled softly and looked past him. “Papa!”

“Gayatri!”

She ran at him and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. Seeing their bond warmed your heart but also made it ache slightly with the acceptance that that could never happen to you with your own father.

“Real smooth, Pavi,” You grinned at your brother, who grumbled something under his breath and closed the distance to crush you in a hug.

“Shush, didi. I just saved your ass.”

“Yeah, I suppose you did.” You ruffled his hair affectionately and pulled back, smiling at the growing shouts of ‘dhanyavadh, makhdi-bhaiya!’. (Thank you, Spider-Guy!)

“Amma’s going to kill you, by the way. She thinks you snuck out to go to some p-”

You let out a soft mmph as you collided with possibly the boniest person you had ever had the misfortune of bumping into. You were pretty sure you had just got stabbed in seven different places by various joints.

“Sorry, I didn’t-” You paused as you looked up, taking in spikes, a leather vest, pins, a guitar, and mask eyes which looked like running mascara.

“Holy shit, you’re really cool.”

The Spider-Man variant blinked in surprise and let out a laugh. “Why, thank you, poppet. I try. Pisses the fascists off so much that they call me Spider-Punk.”

You heard the twang of a well-known (almost infamous, at least in Mumbattan) accent and glanced at Pavitr. “He’s British,” He confirmed, giving Hobie a high-five.

“Well, I don’t care. He looks awesome.”

“Oi, Pav, I like this one.” He gave you an appreciative fist-bump, and you lifted your eyebrows at the sheer size difference between both of your hands.

“That’s my sister.”

“Makes sense. But you know I didn’t mean it like that. She seems cool is all.”

“Wait. If you’re British, can you do us a favour and steal back the Kohinoor? Please?”

“I’ll try my best, but I can’t make any promises. Fuckin’ Sweeney*, I doubt they even know where it’s kept.” (*Sweeney/Sweeney Todd - Cockney rhyming slang for Flying Squad [the police])

You nodded along politely with a smile like you actually understood even one word of that sentence. “Well, okay, in that case-”

You turned and almost burst out laughing. Pavitr looked like he was on the losing end of a staring contest, his hand almost engulfed in Inspector Singh’s much bigger one. Gayatri stood behind him, looking between them in awe. “I’ve never seen him so emotional.”

“Excellent job.”

Your bother just gave a nod, but knowing Pavitr he was internally over the moon and would hold that simple statement close to his heart, insisting that his girlfriend’s dad “loved him”.

“Man-like Miles, my guy!” Hobie grabbed the red and black Spider-Man - Miles’ - shoulders and shook him excitedly, punching him lightly as the people of Mumbattan started cheering.

You were about to join in when something happened. Well, not happened, really, but… something felt off somehow. You had read something once that said a person’s hair stands on end as a warning when lightning’s about to strike. You imagined that’d feel like you you were feeling right now. And you could hear whistling… was that sound just your ears being weird?

The cheers died down suddenly and you turned around too late. One of those portal-holes, slicing through the air like a deadly frisbee, slammed into you and knocked you inside in such a way that you got teleported straight off the side of the bridge. You scrabbled for the supports, but to no avail as you sailed right past them.

You heard Pavitr’s panicked yell, the sounds of confused and worried chatter bubbling among the ground, and the air rushing around in your ears as you free-fell.

You can’t save me, you realized as you saw Pavitr dive off the bridge, reaching out his wrist in preparation of shooting a web. You won’t get here in time. You focused on mouthing the next few words that came to your mind, because if you were going to die and leave your brother you would do so by reminding him that he was - and always would be - loved. Pavi, I’m sorry. I love you. I always will.

Your stomach dropped and your head spun - but by some mercy you didn’t feel the final impact.

——— ———

Pavitr’s POV.

“No, no no no- please, please no-”

Pavi, I’m sorry.

I love you.

Six words. Six words which shouldn’t be used in the same sentence. Those two sets separately, sure, but in very different scenarios.

Those would not be the last words you said to him. They couldn’t be.

Time seemed to slow down, making his movements sluggish and hazy. He stretched his wrist out till it ached, silk erupting from his - no, your - kaada. Come on, come on…

The silk shot toward you and for a second he thought it would reach in time.

Then he heard a crash and watched you fall straight through the flimsy tin roof of an abandoned warehouse. “No!”

He landed after you, shooting a web at a street lamp and pulling up to break the built-up momentum at the last second. Kicking down the warehouse door, he rushed over to your limp form, sprawled across a few empty crates in the dimly lit space.

“Nonono you have to stay with me, please don’t go, I can’t-” Pavitr swallowed hard as he picked you up and set you down with your back against the wall, holding up your jaw so your head didn’t fall forward. He snapped his fingers in front of your face two, three times - no response.

He could feel his vision starting to blur, heart practically causing an earthquake as he shakily put his finger to the pulse point on your neck.

Nothing.

“No,” He whispered into the still air, as if that would be able to revive someone who was so much more than just a cousin. You were his sister, his closest and most annoying friend, his anchor. You were supposed to be a constant in his life. If you were gone… what would go next?

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, cradling your lifeless body in his arms. But after a little while Hobie dropped in through the hole in the ceiling, and Miles and Gwen came in through the door. He didn’t understand anything they were saying. Pavitr felt like he was underwater, the cold, murky silence filling his ears and bleeding into his brain.

Someone else, much bigger than him tried to drag him away. Someone wearing a beige police uniform and a turban. He kicked and fought, screaming at them that they didn’t understand, he couldn’t leave you, this wasn’t how it was supposed to end. That you were going to wake up soon. You were only unconscious, after all. You had to wake up sometime.

You had to, right?

Pavitr watched as you were placed on a stretcher, a white cloth laid over your body. He slumped in the hands of whoever was struggling to drag him away as all his hopes of you waking up splintered into a million pieces. Pieces that he would step on and trip over and they would cut his skin a billion times. Little tiny paper cuts. Paper cut after paper cut, till he bled out.

Through whatever shocked haze his brain was forcing itself into, he knew that something inside him had broken. Duct tape could fix it. Duct tape could fix anything. Was this metaphor for something? His brain really needed to slow down, he couldn’t keep up with what was and what wasn’t fixable with a single roll of duct tape.

He pictured his heart, the muscles and blood vessels torn clean through in the centre, forming a hole in the shape of you. Did it stop beating? It felt like it stopped beating. Was there a way to check if he was still alive? He hoped he was. Though there didn’t feel like much reason to be. Not anymore, at least.

Oh. Maya Aunty. Someone would have to tell Maya Aunty. No, he would have to tell Maya Aunty.

Two funerals in the span of 6 months. Two core members of the family gone.

Twin flames burning warm and bright, always lighting up the entire place with their own unique luminosities, until they couldn’t anymore. The wicks were extinguished and the candles melted into stumps before their time.

The Spot knew exactly what he was doing, Pavitr realized. Because he might as well have set fire to his entire home.

——— ———

15 & still 16.

Pavitr Bhim Prabhakar was many things.

He was Mumbattan’s Spider-Man. He was Maya Aunty’s nephew. He was Gayatri’s boyfriend. He honoured his dead parents with his last name. He carried the legacy of his dead uncle with his middle name alone.

Most of all, he carried the memory of his sister in every scar that he got that day.

Suddenly every moment you had spent with him seemed too little. Even just one of your hugs would take away some of the pain.

Keep them in your heart, they’re watching over you. Recall the memories you made with them.

What did that even mean in this case? You had gone too soon. Dead, cremated at 16. You weren’t even an adult. And what hurt the most was that everything - from your room to your belongings - was exactly how you left it.

It had been almost 3 months and he still hadn’t let anyone change anything in your room. The messy duvet could stay messy. And the pillow that was thrown at the foot of the bed had taken up permanent residence there.

The room smelled like vanilla and honeycomb. And it would stay that way for as long as he could help it. If someone rearranged anything, would that part of you disappear from this house? He didn’t want to find out.

Everything that made this room yours would stay there, it had to. The way you meticulously arranged every makeup and hair product by height, colour and serial order on your chest of drawers. The way your cupboards always smelled of cotton candy because of an essence diffuser your friend had given you.

Gayatri, Miles, Gwen and Hobie had all tried their best to help him, and Margo had even dropped in a few times and offered to play video games with him. And admittedly, he was in a much better frame of mind than how he was only a little while ago.

He sat on the floor, hugging his legs loosely to his chest and clutching a mug of chai in one hand. Pavitr couldn’t say anything even if he wanted to; the altogether lack of the owner of this room made the silence even more oppressive and suffocating.

He stretched his legs out slowly, refusing to let his mind wander. Focus on the wallpaper. Focus on the sound of traffic. Focus on the chai. Focus on anything except the posters, the pillows, the way that it felt like time itself was holding its breath inside this room.

Pavitr’s leg brushed something hidden underneath the rug in front of him. Frowning slightly in confusion, he leaned forward to peer underneath the fuzzy square of fabric - finding nothing but a small notebook and a pen.

He pulled it out and, upon recognizing it, drew in a surprised inhale. The leather-bound cover was dusty and worn out. The label that read Bhim Prabhakar in neatly printed handwriting had been scratched out, jagged words cutting across the paper like tiny knife strokes. His heart squeezed when he read the word written in the second handwriting.

Y/N.

Of course he remembered this book, how could he not? On days when you had noticed he felt sad, you tore out two lined pages of paper and made him write down what was bothering him in a letter.

“Here, Pavi. Write it to anyone you want, and fill it out with everything bad that happened today. You don’t have to send it to them, don’t worry. I’ll even do it with you.”

He still remembered the first time he had done that activity with you. You both sat back-to-back, scribbling down all the ‘yucky feelings’, as you had put it once. Pavitr had finished his letter and surprised you by addressing it to you, twisting around to hand you the folded piece of paper.

You hadn’t addressed your letter yet, so you wrote his name on the top in big block letters.

To: Pavitr Prabhakar.

Because it was a very official document, you had explained solemnly.

And when you took a look at how he had mentioned you, you had lunged forward and trapped him in a bone-crushing hug.

To: The Best Didi In The World.

He felt tears well up slightly as he recalled the amount of times he went and wordlessly sat at the edge of your bed, pointing to the leather journal. And you would pull out two pages, hand him a pen, and sit back-to-back on the floor. Every time, without fail.

Pavitr opened the book, running a hand along the pages of handwritten letters that were unevenly glued or stapled in. Some were tearing at the edges, others had chai-stains or ink splotches.

He carefully pulled out a page - only one this time - and picked up a pen from the mug of stationery on your bedside table.

Pausing to think for a second, he tested the pen on the bottom of the page. Then moved the tip to the first line.

Dear Y/N,

Pavitr stopped and narrowed his eyes at that. It felt strange, almost alien for some reason. A foreign word on these pages.

He tapped his pen on the page as he got an idea. He scratched out the two words he had written, addressing it to someone with a different yet more familiar title, at least to him.

To: The Best Didi In The World.

I know very little about the antyesti process so if anything’s wrong don’t hesitate to correct me! <3

Glossary:

Antyesti - Antyesti literally means "last sacrifice" or "final auspicious ceremony", and refers to the funeral rites for the dead in Hinduism, which usually involves cremation of the body. This rite of passage is the last samskara in a series of traditional life cycle samskaras that start from conception in Hindu tradition.

Saree/Sari - A saree is a garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately draped around the body, traditionally worn by women from South Asia. It is usually worn with a blouse that exposes part of the midriff, but blouse styles can vary.

Dupatta - A length of material worn arranged in one or two folds over the chest and thrown back around the shoulders, typically with a salwar kameez or a kurta, worn by women from South Asia. (Srry guys u have to look up those two definitions if ur curious,, it’s better to see how it looks rather than read a description anyway)

Kancha - Kancha is played by using marbles. It is popular in small Indian cities and villages, among small boys only as a gully sport. It is rarely played by girls. The participant has to hit the marble kept in a circle. If he hits the target properly, he wins. The winner gets the kancha (maybe kanche is the plural form? idk) of the other participant boys.

Lagori/Pithoo/Seven Stones - Lagori is a traditional game from the Indian subcontinent. It involves a pile of stones and a ball.

A member of one team (the seekers) throws a ball at a pile of stones to knock them over. The seekers then try to restore the pile of stones while staying safe from the opposing team's (the hitters’) throws. The hitters' objective is to hit the seekers with the ball before they can reconstruct the stone pile. If the ball touches a seeker, that seeker is out and the team which the seeker came from continues, without the seeker. A seeker can always safeguard themselves by touching an opposite team member before the ball hits the seeker.

@hobiebrownismygod @l0starl @therealloopylupin2099 @vhstown

[curtsycream]

So its snowing outside in my country and I was thinking about a snow das with cg kiribakudeku x little reader where she crawls in the snow around and build with her daddies a snowman 🥺

BakuKiriDeku Blurb

It’s taking me a while to get to each request, it turned into a blurb as I’ve been focusing all of my attention on grad school and my new job as a bookseller. But I hope you enjoy, I love the snow! Sadly the show is gone where I’m from

The snow was still falling when they went outside in full winter apparel. Bakugou stood in the snow with his arms crossed watching. The snow wasn’t his favorite he would rather be outside when it was bright and sunny.

Yet like the other two he couldn’t deny her as she made snow angels alongside Kirishima. It was an adorable sight, watching her laugh and try and form snowballs to throw.

“Dada!” She called out for him as she patted the snow that was being used for the bottom piece for the snowman.

Nodding his head he walks over to them as she crawls about grabbing handfuls of snow to toss on top of the snowman. It was cute to watch, “you’re doing such a good job baby,” Midoriya cooed as he helped Kirishima add the second piece to the snowman.

It was slowly coming together as the four finished stacking the snowman up. Soon it was time for his accessories as she reached for the carrot in Bakugou’s coat pocket. Handing it over he watched as she put it where it belonged.

The snowman was an attempt but it was their’s with Kirishima’s scarf, Bakugou’s mittens, and Midorya’s hat. “Pretty,” she said before sneezing.

“Bless you!”

“Are you getting sick? Maybe we should go inside!”

“Calm down, Deku!”

Snow days were always the best.

[mischievouslittlecreature]

Part 21: The Shadow of the Abattoir

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x OC

Summary: Lucy offers Tommy a break from all the work and stress he's been dealing with lately. 

Word Count: 5,241

Notes: I decided to give these two a cute little moment because I've been very mean to them lately. Warnings for depictions of smut.

Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Chapter

Chapter 7: Respite

“Tommy?”

He didn’t notice Lucy where she was standing in the doorway to his office, nor did he hear her when she gently called his name twice. He was too hyper-focused on the small mountain of papers in front of him, battling back a headache from both stress and eyestrain. 

He did take notice, however, when she promptly pushed his chair back from his desk and plopped down definitively in his lap, her arms around his neck.

“Wha-”

“Thomas,” she said, with a sternness that was greatly undercut by the fond amusement dancing in her eyes. “You’re ignoring me.”

His hands settled on her waist of their own accord. “Sorry,” blinking, his eyes darted to the door that she’d left ajar, brow furrowing at the realization that the betting shop was empty and mostly dark. They were the only people still there.

Fucking hell, where had the time gone?

Lucy’s fingertips trailed up and down the nape of his neck to draw his attention back to her, red-painted lips quirking into a tiny smile.

“Did you need something?” he asked. She raised an eyebrow, leaning back to pluck up the paper he’d been looking over. 

“These aren’t due until next week,” she commented.

“Yes, but, I figured I ought to get a head start–”

“They can keep ‘til tomorrow,” she set it down at the top of the stack of paperwork. “It’s late,” she gave him a look, green eyes sharpening. “And I know you haven’t eaten yet.”

“Love…”

“C’mon,” she hopped up off of his lap, grabbing his hand and giving him a tug. “Otherwise we’re going to miss it.”

“Miss what?”

She shot him an amused, mischievous look. Like she knew some big secret that he didn’t. She gave him another tug.

“C’mon.”

He looked over the work still piled on his desk conflictingly, the stubborn part of his brain tempted to just insist on staying until the stack of papers had been reduced.

“Tommy,” Lucy said, a little more assertively. He looked at her apologetically.

“These need to get done, love…”

“And they will. Tomorrow. I’ll help you, alright?” she took a step towards him, cupping both his cheeks and tilting his head up. She widened her already enormous green eyes a little, pouting in that way that they both knew would get him to do just about anything that she asked of him. “Please, Tommy? I put a lot of work into this, and if you spoil it, I will be very cross with you.”

He could feel a fond smile threatening to pull at his lips despite his workaholic tendencies urging him to stay at the desk. Raising an eyebrow, he wrapped his arms around her waist, interest piqued. “Well, we can’t have that, now can we?”

She smiled, shaking her head, sliding his glasses gingerly off of his face, folding and placing them onto his desk. This time, when she took a step back and tugged on his hand, he let her pull him from his chair. 

She guided him to the green double doors, only slightly ajar, faint, flickering light bleeding in through the other side. One of the doors pushed open with a creak when Lucy nudged it, and he was greeted with the kitchen, lit only by the dim, twitching lights of dozens of lit candles. A vase of blooming red roses was set upon the counter. In the center of the stable, surrounded by little plates and bowels piled high with bits of bread, apples, carrots, shrimp, and roasted potatoes, was a steaming fondue pot filled with melted cheese. Lucy let go of his hand, bustling over to it and giving the cheese a gentle stir. Tommy stared at her with wide eyes, lips partially parted. She looked over her shoulder at him and smirked at what he assumed was a rather gobsmacked look on his face. 

“When…”

“You were so sucked into your work, you didn’t even notice when I burned the first batch,” she cringed lightly. “This thing is kind of finicky.” 

“I didn’t even know we had a fondue pot.”

“We don’t. I traded with Ada for it.”

“Traded what?”

“I let her take Charlie for the evening.”

“You traded our child for a bowl of melted cheese?” he chuckled, even as he let her herd him into a seat. 

“Just for the night! Besides, she missed him.”

He hummed. Ada had gotten close to Charlie when she’d come to live at Arrow House to help with him right after Grace had died. 

Lucy sat down in the seat next to him, dividing out the fondue forks between them while Tommy took in the spread before him. She had to have put some effort into this. 

“Lucy…” he said, baffled as to what could possibly have precipitated her to do something like this. “Why…”

She shot him a mischievous look from over where she was skewering a bit of bread onto her fork. Like she knew some big secret that he didn’t. “You’re not the only one who can be spontaneously romantic, you know.”

He snorted, still sensing that she wasn’t entirely telling him everything, but decided to let it go, at least for the moment. 

“You didn’t have to do all of this,” he said, fiddling with a slice of apple before stabbing it with his fondue fork, dipping it carefully into the fondue, rotating it to make sure it was covered as much as possible in the melted cheese. Lucy shrugged. 

“I figured that we deserved something nice. After all the shit lately.”

He blew on the apple before popping it into his mouth. The cheese was warm and gooey, a sharpness in it that mixed well with the sweetness from the apple. He skewered a piece of potato next. 

“It’s good,” he complimented, and Lucy looked down at her plate bashfully. She was a decent cook. Nothing too fancy, but so long as she had a recipe to follow or was making one of the dishes her mother had taught her to make, she could do a damn good job. “Thank you,” he rubbed at his face, shooting her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I know that it’s all a madhouse at the moment…”

“You don’t have to apologize. We’re fine. Don’t worry.”

He rubbed his hand up and down her arm, leaning forward to kiss her once softly on the lips, tilting his head up to peck her forehead. Lucy leaned into him with a happy little sound, and he had no choice really but to kiss her again, adding the slow stroke of his tongue into the mix this time. 

Lucy laughed against his lips, pulling back with her smile pulling at her cheeks. “Don’t think you’re getting out of eating more than a few bites, Shelby,” she narrowed her eyes at his innocent expression. “I know your tricks. And if you make me finish this whole spread by myself, I will be sick for a week.”

Wetting his lips with a mischievous grin, he turned his head, and promptly ate the carrot dripping with cheese from her fondue fork.

“Oi!”

“What?” he asked, still innocent as a newborn deer, wiping cheese from his lip. “You said that you wanted me to eat.”

“Mm, bastard,” she said with a fond shake of her head. Scooting his chair closer to hers so he could wrap and arm around her shoulders, he dipped a piece of bread into the fondue pot. Twirling it to break off the strings cheese attempting to cling to it, he held it out to her. Lucy bit it off of the fork ravenously, and he tried very hard to ignore the way she left a small streak of bright red lipstick against the gleaming silver of the fork. Definitely not thinking about how she would leave traces of lipstick on other things that she could have in her mouth. 

He swiped a stray bit of melted cheese from the corner of her lips, smiling softly to himself, and kissed her again. 

In the soft, flicking candlelight, they fed each other food from one other’s forks, laughing softly when warm cheese dripped onto chins, talking about everything and nothing in equal measure. They finished off dinner by feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries, and when he kissed her again, her lips were sweet with the lingering juice of them, and he was half tempted to just pick her up then and there and carry her upstairs to bed, leaving the clean up for the morning.

Some of the tension he’d been carrying in his neck and shoulders had dissipated, and he felt lighter; more relaxed and at ease. Perhaps he’d needed a respite from everything more than he’d actually thought. 

Between the two of them, it didn’t take all that long to clean up. Lucy kept glancing at the clock, as if expecting something. It was almost midnight.  

Tommy found himself greatly wishing that they had a working gramophone somewhere in the house. 

Fuck it, he decided, watching her wipe her damp hands on a rag. She laughed when he pulled her into his arms, entwining their fingers with one hand while the other rested on her waist.

“Tommy! I’ll step on your toes…” she warned, even as she giggled and let him sway her. 

“Don’t care,” he mumbled, dropping his lips to her forehead. “Thank you for this,” he murmured into her skin. Lucy leaned back, giving him a fond, mildly amused look. 

With a giggle, she wrapped her arms around his neck, gently pulling his head down until it was closer to hers, their foreheads touching and breaths mingling. “You really don’t remember what day it is, do you?”

He froze, immediate panic washed over him, mind spinning into overdrive, trying to remember any important dates. Her birthday? No, that was at the end of April. Their anniversary? No…

There was a minor ruckus going on outside, people on the streets hooting and hollering in celebration of something. 

Lucy chuckled, pulling him down before he could continue panicking over what important event he’d forgotten about, pressing their mouths firmly against one another. 

He kissed her back, hand cradling the back of her head to his. Her hand slid up, cupping the side of his face while her lips parted against his, allowing his tongue to stroke across hers. She hummed softly against his mouth, smiling into the kiss when he pulled her closer, flush against him. The soft press of the swell of her breasts against his chest, and the warm curve of her hip under one of his hands, had him stirring in his trousers.  

She broke the kiss with a smile, both hands cradling his face, their foreheads touching. Her huge, forest green eyes gazed up at him affectionately. Filled with so much love it almost bowled him over. 

“Happy New Year’s, Tommy.”

He blinked, once, processing. Then, “oh.”

She laughed, kissing him again before he could respond.

“I’m sorry,” he said, the second they had parted. “I didn’t–”

“Oh, shush,” Lucy just giggled. “I almost forgot about it too. I wouldn’t have remembered if Ada didn’t remind me,” she looped both arms around his neck, biting her lip. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

He buried his face–cheeks already warming–into her neck. “Shut up.”

She just laughed again, squeezing him tighter to her. “For the record, I would have done this whether it was New Year’s or not. We needed the break.”

Tommy hummed in agreement, heart fluttering at her thoughtfulness. She was always so good to him. Far better than he ever deserved. 

With his face pressed into her neck, the intoxicating scent of the rose perfume she almost always wore filled his senses. His hands smoothed down her sides before wrapping around her waist, mouth angling to start pressing kisses into the soft skin of her neck. Lucy shivered, arms pulling him closer, head tilting back to give him better access.   

“Happy New Year’s,” he mumbled, once he’d worked his way up to her ear, and though he could not see it, he knew that she was smiling, fingers stroking at the nape of his neck. Raising his head, he kissed her again, taking firm hold of her waist and lifting her up onto his hips. She wrapped her legs around him immediately, this a familiar routine between them. 

Tommy groaned when she nipped playfully at his bottom lip, fingers smoothing through his hair and pleasantly scratching against his scalp.

He carried her over to the couch in the front room, her hands busying themselves pulling open the buttons on her shirt, letting it flutter in a pool of white fabric to the floor. Her bra soon followed, and then he was laying her down on the old, worn sofa, crawling on top of her with his arms braced on either side of her head while they kissed.    

“Let’s ring in the new year, eh?” he husked, taking great pleasure in the way her pupils dilated at the sound of his voice. He kissed her hungrily again, groaning into her mouth at the feel of her bare breasts pressing against his chest. He helped her to devest himself of his upper layers, tossing them to the floor. His cock throbbed in his trousers, growing harder with each passing moment, with each press of their lips or caress of her small hands across his newly revealed skin. 

He needed her more than air; more than anything in the entire fucking world. 

Her thighs were already parted for him, spread wide with his body slotted between them. Cradling the side of her head with one hand, he ran the other up her body, cupping one of her full breasts. Lucy hummed, back arching into his hand when he ran his thumb across her nipple before giving it a light pinch, feeling the bud grow harder. Her fingers raked through his hair, down his back, likely leaving very light red scratches in their wake. Then she was squeezing at his biceps, before dropping both hands to run down his chest. Tommy broke their kiss, pulling back just enough to look at her, their foreheads still touching while their breaths mingled. 

Her dark red hair was fanned out across the arm of the couch, curls tousled into a fiery halo around her head. Her fair, freckled cheeks were flushed an adorable rosy pink, full lips parted, swollen and red from his kisses. Big green eyes, the shade of dark moss, stared up at him, pupils dilated so that there was but a sliver of green encircling them.

Tommy stroked her cheek tenderly, fingers brushing along the shape of her cheekbone. She was breathtaking.

Movements slow and deliberate, he kissed her cheek, then her jaw, then down her neck. She sighed, a sweet, heartbeat-skipping sound, and tangled her fingers into his hair. Tommy worked his way along her shoulder, stopping at where the first scar marked her chest, paying specific attention to caressing his lips across it. 

He’d kissed each and every one of her scars, faded in the years that had passed since they’d first been imprinted onto her body, more times than he could count. And he’d do it again and again.

He felt Lucy shiver at the sensation of his mouth on the sensitive flesh, and his arms coiled around her in response, hugging her tighter to him, taking note of her reactions to ensure that she wasn’t growing anxious. Sometimes it happened, bad memories springing up outside of her control. But tonight, she remained relaxed in his arms.

His face shifted lower, lips working their way up the swell of one of her breasts, tongue darting out to circle her nipple when he finally made his way to the apex. His hand continued to tease the other one, and Lucy’s fingers squeezed in his hair in encouragement when he wrapped his lips around her hardened pink nipple and began to suck. 

Her reaction was delicious; a soft moan leaving her lips while her back arched, pushing her chest even more into his face. Her head tipped back, eyes closing, and her legs, strong from years of horseback riding and patrolling the streets of Birmingham, cinched around him. Tommy mused to himself that, if he had to pick a way to die, it would be like this: clutched tight between Lucy Winters’s legs, watching her face contort with pleasure. 

He sucked a moment more on her nipple, particularly enjoying the shudder that went through her whole body when he scraped his teeth against it, then switched sides. Didn’t want the other breast to feel left out, after all. 

Between his legs, his cock throbbed with impatience, growing a little uncomfortable where it was still trapped in the confines of his underwear and trousers. And while he chose to ignore it for the moment, he did resume his descent down her body, mindful to kiss the scars on her stomach as he went. 

Her belt jangled a little as he undid it, loosening it just enough so that he could get at the fastening of her trousers and pull them, along with her knickers, down her legs. She kicked them off, and he caught both her thighs in his palms, hooking them over his shoulders. Licking his lips, he lowered his face to between her legs, smirking at her when he caught her propping herself up onto her elbows to watch him. His nose trailed delicately through the coarse red hair between her legs, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her musk before moving lower.   

Using two fingers, he parted her labia, and licked a stripe up from the bottom of her slit up to her clit. Lucy moaned, thighs twitching a little, and he smirked again, this time just to himself.

She was already good and wet for him, sweet as the strawberries they had eaten earlier. He lapped at her hungrily, eager for everything she had to give him. He let her hand in his hair help steer him as she pleased, guiding the pace and location of his touches. 

When he slowly slipped a finger inside of her, he swallowed hard at the tight squeeze of her walls around him, cock twitching with the hope that it would soon be replacing his finger within her. All it took was a few pumps of his finger and swipes of his tongue on her clit to have her relaxing even more, opening up wider for him with a fresh gush of arousal. Her moans were soft, hips shifting to push closer to his mouth, and he thought that he could listen to her make those pretty sounds forever. 

He added another finger, crooking them slightly so the pads of his fingertips were stroking along the spot inside her that he knew made her voice raise in pitch. And was rewarded with just that, plus a light tremble in the hand still curled in his hair, pushing his face deeper into her pussy. 

Fucking hell, if she suffocated him there, he would die happy.     

Tommy doubled his efforts, purring at how she tightened around him, how her voice broke on a cry of his name, begging him not to stop. 

As if he would ever want to. 

That he still had her, after everything, that she had stayed…it amazed him. She could have just about anyone she wanted, and yet she was still with him. Loyal to a fault. Loving him with every beat of her huge heart. Tommy could not even begin to fathom why she was still with him at all. But he was grateful that she was.

So fucking grateful. 

Lucy came around his fingers with a cry of his name, hips grinding against his mouth, babbling out praises that made his cock throb painfully in his trousers as he drank up all she had to offer, tongue darting out to taste the sweetness rushing from around his fingers. She slumped back against the couch, and when he looked up, he was met with quite the sight: her chest heaving, a light sheen of sweat coating her skin, green eyes staring down at him dazedly. 

With a small smile, he returned to cleaning her up with gentle kitten licks, easily her down carefully from her high, cleaning off his fingers after he gingerly pulled them from her opening. 

“Tommy,” Lucy croaked, the hand that a moment ago had been clenched in his hair stroking the top of his hair, the other reaching out to him. “Tommy, come here.”

He let her draw him back on top of her, bracing his weight on his elbows to avoid crushing her. Despite her constant assurances, he never had been able to entirely shake the fear that he would accidentally hurt her. She was so tiny; it wouldn’t be hard to do so. 

Her cool fingertips caressed his face, and he couldn’t help but lean into her touch, a sound like a purr rumbling unconsciously from his chest. She always had that effect on him; turning him into practical mushy goo under her hands.

Angling her head up, she kissed him softly. He parted his lips to hers, letting her set the pace as her tongue dipped into his mouth. His cock was throbbing desperately, and the simple action of lightly rubbing his bulge against her was enough to have him gasping into her mouth. 

“More?” he asked, needing to check before pushing things any further. He could always just finish off with his hand if she was too tired to keep going. 

But Lucy nodded vigorously, pulling his mouth back down to hers, hands running down his chest, trailing through the line of hair leading from his navel to dip beneath the waistband of his trousers. 

“Yes.”

He moaned as she cupped him in her hand through the fabric, hips pushing into her hand. It took some fumbling and shifting of his hips to get his belt loosened and shimmy out of his trousers and boxers, and then he was bare against her, Lucy’s small hand immediately wrapping around his swollen erection, his hips thrusting into her palm.  

He was positively aching, cock heavy and thick between his legs. The gentle rub of her hand only soothed the throb of desire a little, his throat suddenly very dry, a shudder running along his spine when she smeared the oozing precum from the tip with her thumb, letting it help slicken her movements. She angled her face to kiss him again, legs hitching up around his waist, and he let her pull him in closer. 

He would have let her absorb him into her entire being, had it been possible.

He stared into her face as she guided him to her entrance, not even bothering to try to hide his desperation for her. He’d never needed to hide what he actually thought or felt when it came to Lucy. Never needed to perform. For some unfathomable reason, she loved him just the way he was. 

“Tom,” she whispered, hand going to his shoulder as the tip of his cock penetrated her. He grunted at the tight wetness, warmth surrounding him as he slowly sheathed himself inside of her. The uneven, shaky gasp she let out once he was seated in her fully had his eyes–he hadn’t even realized he’d closed them–opening to fix on her and check to make sure that she was alright. 

She looked back at him with heavy-lidded eyes in which he saw nothing but desire, pleasure, and love. Her lips were parted with her breaths, and she reached out to cup the side of his face, thumb gently stroking. That, combined with the arm she had wrapped around his shoulder, and her thoughtful actions from earlier in the evening, had his heart suddenly growing tight in his chest, a lump forming in his throat. 

His Lucy always made him feel so loved. Even when he didn’t deserve it.

As if reading his mind, she cocked her head a little, kissing him fully on the lips quickly, then between his brows. 

“Okay?” she asked, thumb still stroking his cheek. Tommy wetted his lips, raising one hand to cover hers where it rested on his face. 

“Yeah,” it came out as a hoarse whisper. She kissed him again, and when they parted, this time, she smiled at him tenderly. 

“I love you,” she murmured, and he almost burst into tears right there in her arms. His heart felt like it might burst with the scope of his love and affection for her.

She really was his favorite person in the world.

“I love you too,” it didn’t feel like enough, when it came to expressing the depth of his feelings for her. They were entangled; one being split into two bodies. He was not sure if he really believed in soulmates; but he did know that she was the love of his life.

Lucy swept a few tendrils of dark hair that had flopped forward out of his eyes, the smile on her face telling him that she knew everything he wanted to say without him needing to utter a word. He kissed her again, this time soft and deep, and started to move slowly within her. 

She moaned sweetly into his mouth, hand squeezing his shoulder as he drew out until only the tip remained inside her, then pushed back in until his balls slapped audibly against her skin.  

He set a steady pace, Lucy’s hips raising to meet his on every thrust. He continued to kiss her, open mouthed and hungry, eagerly consuming each of her lovely sounds while gifting her his own. Aiming himself purposefully, he ensured that each long stroke of his cock was rubbing right against her g-spot, pubic bone gliding against her clit. Lucy’s fingers tightened against his shoulder, likely leaving little crescent marks in their wake. The thought made him groan deeply; the idea of her marking him had always done it for him. 

With one hand, he cupped her breast, teasing and lightly pinching her nipple, and she gasped out, walls tightening around him, and he felt the pleasure shooting through his cock intensify. 

She was soft and sweet under his hands, and when he broke from kissing her for a moment to just look down into her face, his breath caught at the sight of those giant green orbs staring back at him, half lidded with lust, but glimmering affectionately. Her legs tightened around his waist, as if trying to bring him in even closer to her somehow. As if they weren’t already as physically close as it was possible for two people to be. 

Her face shifted on a particularly deep thrust, head tipping back slightly and a sigh leaving her lips. He could feel her walls pulsing around him, clutching around his cock like a vice. And she was so warm and wet, it was making his head feel fuzzy. 

“Close, Tommy,” she warned, even though she didn’t have to; he could read her body like a goddamn book. 

He doubled his efforts, letting go of her breast to reach down and circle his thumb around her clit, just in the way that he knew she liked it. Slow and lazy. She whined, eyes scrunching closed as her face started to be overtaken by pleasure, and he had no choice really but to kiss her.

He felt her walls clamp down around him hard, and then she was coming around him hotly, legs spasming around him, moans coming from somewhere low in her chest. 

Tommy groaned. Few things were as good to him as making Lucy come. Her entire body responded to it, back arching, eyes closing, hands scrabbling for purchase on his back or shoulders, legs tightening and jerking around his hips, cunt squeezing him so tight it felt like she was trying to pull his very soul from him.

He continued to fuck her through it, prolonging her high while chasing his own. He was intimately aware of just how heavy and full his balls felt, aching to spill inside of her. A twitch went through his cock, and they tightened. Tommy groaned, pace picking up. 

Lucy broke their kiss, peppering her lips across his cheekbone and finding his ear. He shivered at the brush of them against the lobe. 

“Are you going to come for me, Tommy?” she asked sweetly, and his eyes widened. Normally he was the one with more of a proclivity for whispering dirty things into her ear.

“Always so good to me; always take such good care of me,” she continued to croon, voice an octave lower than normal, and he groaned weakly, a tingling starting at the base of his spine. “You feel so good. So big.”

“Ah…” he grunted, body jerking, cock twitching hard at that, then swelling.

“I love you so much…”

He cried out; it might’ve been a curse, might’ve been her name, it was impossible for him to know. Any higher functioning he’d been capable of flew right out of his head, jaw going lax and hips sheathing himself all the way in and stilling as the first pulse of his orgasm rocketed through him. 

His balls tightened with each large load of seed, cock throbbing as it pushed it out of him and into her. He groaned weakly, emptying himself deep inside of her.  

Fucking hell, she always made him come so hard. 

When it was over, he slumped down on top of her, still being mindful to not put the entirety of his weight on her. His arms went around Lucy’s waist, head pillowing itself on her chest, still rising and falling with her heavy breaths. She was stroking at his hair while hugging him to her, a few kisses pressed into the crown of his head. 

Neither of them said anything for a long while. They didn’t need to. Instead, they just basked in the afterglow, warm and comfortable wrapped up in one another. 

Finally, once his eyelids started to grow heavy, Tommy raised himself up slightly. It would do no good to fall asleep here, both for the sake of their backs, and because the likelihood of a family member waltzing in through the front door in the morning and finding them naked on the couch was not out of the realm of possibility. 

Lucy blinked up at him, cheeks still a little rosy, expression sleepy and satisfied. “What?” she asked with a quiet laugh, when he just stared at her.  

“You’re so beautiful,” he said softly, touching her cheek, which flared red under his hand. Her eyes darted down, bashful.

“No…”

“Oi,” he scolded lightly, hooking his fingers under her chin and angling her head up until she looked at him. “You are,” he insisted, leaving no room for argument in his voice, kissing her forehead. “You are.”

“You’re a softy.”

“Mm,” he hummed in mild agreement, pecking her lips. “Don’t tell anyone.”

She just laughed, then shrieked lightly in surprise and joy when he pulled out of her and stood up, bending and scooping her up into his arms bridal style and carrying her towards the stairs and to bed. 

For a moment, nothing outside of the two of them existed. Not the vendetta. Not his family. Not even Birmingham. It was just them. Happy. 

But nothing lasts forever. 

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Thank you for reading! Please consider leaving a comment, reblog, or like. I always appreciate feedback and love getting the opportunity to interact with you and hear your thoughts!

[prettytoxicrevolver]

omg from the holiday list! scenarios with a plot number 8 with sway and dialogue 21 bc i cannot deal that is so cute 🫣

im hoping I did this justice but like.... honestly this fic is so cute. enjoy!!

The first snowfall of the year was consistently your favorite day every single year. You loved the cold, loved the snow covering every inch of nature like a beautiful pure blanket, you loved snow angels and the memories of sledding and building snowmen with your family and hot cups of coco and a million other memories clouded deep in the individual snowflakes of your childhood. 

So, when your daughter experiences her first day off from school because of the snow you’re practically more excited than she is. You’ve been awake since six, curled up in your favorite chair next to the window rotating between watching the snowfall and becoming engrossed in your favorite book. 

It takes Jeremy another hour or so to get up, you listen as your husband stirs from his sleep and sits up to see the light glinting off the snow creating a halo effect around you. You pick your head up out of your book and turn to see the definition of a prince sitting in bed looking at you. Jeremy has one arm up and resting on top of his head, his body half reclined with tired eyes roaming your figure. The blanket on the bed has slipped so most of his chest is showing and the tired but loving smile on his lips has you melting like the snow will in a couple of days. 

“Good morning,” he murmurs in that deep voice reserved just for you. 

“Morning,” you smile widely, a natural reaction around your husband. 

You place your bookmark inside your book before getting up and climbing back into bed with Jeremy. He pulls you into his side and you rest your head on his chest while his fingers trace lazy patterns on your body. 

“Do you have practice today?” 

“No,” he says, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. 

“Should we go wake up Livvy?” you ask, lifting your head so your chin rests on his chest. 

“No I think-” 

Your husband doesn’t get to finish his sentence, the words cut off by your daughter bounding into the room. She climbs up onto the bed and immediately throws herself down in the middle of you two. 

“Dad it’s snowing!” she squeals in excitement, tugging at Jeremy’s hand so he can look out the window. 

Your moment is paused from then on, your daughter dragging Jeremy to the window and eventually downstairs to eat breakfast and out the door for sledding. You join them as they start to make a snowman, grabbing all of the clothes your daughter asks for. She grabs them from you and starts to dress the snowman her and Jeremy have built. 

Jeremy steps back, making his way over to you and sliding an arm around your waist. You look up at him and he leans down to press a kiss to your lips. 

“Y’all having fun?” you ask and he hums in agreement against you. 

“Momma look!” Olivia calls and you turn to see the snowman dressed in a bruins jacket, a bruins baseball hat, stick arms, a carrot nose and a smile made out of rocks. 

“It looks perfect baby.” 

The three of you head inside for dinner and Jeremy offers to put Olivia to bed afterwards. You’re standing in the bathroom brushing your teeth when your husband sneaks in behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing his face into your shoulder. 

“Is she asleep?” you ask around a mouthful of toothpaste. 

“Out like a light,” he promises. 

He kisses your cheek before letting go and brushing his own teeth. The two of you talk for a bit before heading to bed, Jeremy holding you close while you drift to sleep. 

When you wake up, there’s a tugging on your arm and a quiet voice in your ear. Your eyes snap open realizing it’s your daughter and she has tears in her eyes as she looks at you. 

“Livvy baby, what's wrong?” you ask, sitting up in bed and dragging her into your lap. 

You pull her close, one hand cupping her head to your chest while the other fumbles for the lamp. Once it’s on, your free hand nudges Jeremy until he’s awake before you’re back to focusing your full attention on your daughter. 

“Dad read me a story about a snowman walking around town at night and stealing Christmas presents,” she chokes out, crying hysterically in your arms and you cast a glance at Jeremy who has nothing but regret on his face. 

“It’s not real baby, snowman can’t move,” you promise and your ever defiant daughter sits up in your lap and shakes her head. 

“Yes they can! I saw ours moving when I looked outside!” 

You sigh quietly before carefully maneuvering out of bed and carrying Olivia to the window and pointing outside. 

“They’re not moving baby,” you tell her but she’s still unsure. 

“What about the other snowmen?” 

So, that’s how you, Jeremy, and Olivia end up in the middle of the streets while it’s still snowing, taking a stroll to show her that snowmen don’t actually move or do anything at night. She gazes at them with fear in her eyes at first, but after seeing two or three, she’s moved on to being in awe of the Christmas lights decorating each house. 

The snow has started up again as you walk, and Jeremy pulls you close against him, a soft smile on his lips. 

“You got some snow,” he starts to say, brushing it off your hair and you smile up at him. 

“You look pretty covered in snow,” he starts to say and even after all these years you blush at his words. “Guess that’s why they’re called snow angels.” 

“Oh,” you drag out, dramatically bumping your head onto his chest. “You’re so cheesy.” 

“You love it,” he smirks. 

“I really do,” you respond and his smile widens. 

“Let’s get my girls home, yeah?”

[drvirgus]

The Idol who cant Smile

Minji X Fem! Reader

Description: You are the oldest Member of New Jeans, but Fans Never saw you Smile once. Why don't you Smile? Who's the Person that can bring back a smile to your Face?

Chapter 8:

My eyes were fixed on the camera, scanning through the comments. Minji was right beside me, and we were sitting on her bed with our backs against the wall. Nobody was supposed to know that Minji and I had pushed our single beds together to make a double bed.

Minji rested her head on my shoulder. If she wasn't here, I honestly had no idea what I would be doing during this live session. I had started without her and had been staring at the camera for five minutes, not knowing what to do. So, I asked the Bunnies (fans) to send in some questions, as I was truly clueless.

However, that turned out to be a mistake. The flood of questions seemed endless. Even when Minji joined me and started reading the comments, all she could find were more questions. She looked at me with a puzzled expression. Of course, I explained the situation, which made her laugh. But her smile faded briefly when she noticed Yuna's message.

The comments and shippers went into a frenzy. I read through all the questions, and my eyebrows raised in surprise.

Are you dating Yuna? Do you like women? Minji looks jealous. Yuna and Y/n are flirting. Y/n is for the girls.

I glanced at Minji briefly and then back at the camera. Suddenly, Minji's hand landed on my thigh, but I was determined not to show any reaction. I took a deep breath and replied, "Well, the only question I'll answer is that I'm not dating Yuna." As I said this, I felt Minji's hand inching higher up my leg.

My leg twitched involuntarily at her touch, and I cleared my throat. "Minji-ah, do you want to say something too?" I asked, moving away from her slightly. Her hand fell onto the mattress as she glanced at the camera, reading a few more comments.

Minji is jealous. Minji and Y/n are a couple. They are so cute together. Minji, you're an angel!!!

Minji grinned and said, "Saranghae, Bunnies," making a half heart with her hand. I understood and completed the heart with one hand. Her broad smile made me smile too.

The door suddenly opened, and I saw Danielle entering our room. Her eyes widened as she noticed our beds pushed together. "Why are your be-" she started to say, but Minji interrupted her by calling her name. Dani came over and sat beside me.

She handed Minji and me peeled carrots, and I accepted mine gratefully, starting to eat. Dani had positioned herself right between us. I didn't mind it at all this time, as Minji just couldn't keep her hands to herself. Thankfully, she paid attention to the cameras.

Dani started talking about random things, and Minji and I joined in. Mostly, I just listened. I noticed one of the comments that made me chuckle because it was spot on.

Y/n's lives always end up with everyone in her room. Who's next?

As if that comment triggered her instincts, Hanni walked into the room and flopped down on top of me. "Since when do you have a double bed?" she asked after a brief silence. Minji's and my eyes widened, and I nervously started laughing. However, Minji seemed to relax completely.

"You know... after that incident with the intruder... I honestly got a bit scared. That's why Unnie sleeps right next to me," Minji explained, pretending to be embarrassed. My breath caught as I glanced at Minji, but I maintained my normal expression.

Minji was a really good liar...

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

"Baby," I murmured softly. I felt her arms around me, and her legs were positioned between mine. I sighed once more, "Baby," I said again. This time, I received a soft hum in response. Taking a deep breath, I added, "Your phone is ringing," in a hushed tone. My eyes remained closed.

I heard Minji shaking her head, pressing her head further into her pillow while her chin still rested on top of mine. She made a disapproving sound, "That's not my phone," she whispered, clearly annoyed by the ringing. Irritated by the noise, I reluctantly opened my eyes.

To my shock, I quickly recoiled and scooted backward. My head bumped into Minji's face, causing her to cry out in pain. My eyes widened as I saw the four members standing there. Hyein held the phone, ready to capture the scene, while Danielle held the box from which the unmistakable tune of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" played.

My eyes widened further as I quickly pulled the blanket over my body. Minji, beside me, clutched her nose in pain. Her eyes fluttered open, and she too realized the situation. She automatically pulled me closer, gripping the blanket tightly to cover us both.

Haerin's eyes widened, "Are you... naked?" she asked, and all eyes turned to me again. Danielle gasped, "Wait... Y/n just called Minji 'Baby'," she said, and Hyein clenched the blanket tightly. My eyes widened immediately.

I squeaked in alarm, "St-Stop, Hyein!" I almost shouted, causing Hyein to release the blanket. Her eyes widened further, "Are you... both really naked?" she asked once more. My entire face turned red because of this awkward situation.

"Could you... step outside for a moment?" Minji asked, and one by one, they all left our room with wide eyes. Almost immediately, I got up from the bed and put on fresh underwear. My face was still completely red. "You... didn't lock the room?" I asked as I glanced at Minji.

I noticed her still holding her nose. Worriedly, I knelt on the bed and gently removed her hand from her nose. I couldn't see anything really wrong with it. "I'm sorry... I just got scared," I apologized, feeling guilty. I was now wearing only my underwear and a long oversized T-shirt that I found on the floor.

I felt Minji's hands on my hips, and she pulled me back onto her lap. I squeaked in surprise. Minji sat up, and her eyes met mine. "Kiss it better... It hurts soooo much," she said, her voice almost whining. My face was still red from the earlier situation, but I did as Minji asked.

My hands cupped her face, and I placed my lips gently on her nose. I smiled slightly, "Better?" I asked, and I heard Minji humming in response. Her eyes remained closed, and a smile adorned her lips. Her arms wrapped around my waist.

"No," she replied, making me smile even more. I kissed her on the nose again, "And now?" I asked softly, my hand at the back of her neck. She slowly opened her eyes and looked straight into mine. My breath caught as I noticed that Minji was still naked. "You know... my lips hurt a little too," she said, a smile on her lips.

I chuckled. My heart rate increased as I pressed my lips to hers again. Minji immediately responded to the kiss. Her hands, as they often did, slipped under my shirt, which I was still wearing. Her breathing was calm, and her lips were as soft as always. I relaxed in her arms, nearly losing myself in the long, lingering kiss.

That was until someone knocked on the door. I snapped out of my trance, quickly stood up, and put on a pair of shorts I had worn during the previous live stream. I left the room immediately.

My eyes widened as I saw Hanni standing in front of me with her arms crossed. I bowed nervously and walked past her. She followed me into the kitchen. I tried to ignore the younger girl as I prepared a cup of coffee.

Hanni didn't say anything the entire time. She simply stared at me, giving me an intense look. I felt as if Haerin was watching me. I eventually took my coffee cup and poured in some milk along with two sweetener tablets. With my cup in hand, I made my way to the living room where the others were seated. Hanni followed me closely.

As casually as possible, I sat down next to Minji. Her hand rested on the backrest, and I initially tried to maintain some distance, but Minji was the one who scooted closer to me. That brought a smile to my face. I took a small sip of my coffee.

"So? What exactly is going on, and why wasn't I informed earlier?" Hanni asked. Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Minji and me. I swallowed hard, "It's... nothing special," I lied skillfully. However, I wasn't particularly good at lying, and I looked down into my cup before taking another sip.

Minji grinned in response, knowing I was trying to deceive. She seemed to enjoy making me nervous and shy in some way. I mean, with all that she did to me and... I cleared my throat and focused back on the conversation.

"Oh, really? Then why are you wearing Minji's clothes?" Hyein asked, raising an eyebrow. My eyes widened as I looked at the top I was wearing. I sighed slightly and looked at each of them. Danielle seemed confused by the seriousness of the situation, probably wondering why everyone was taking this so seriously and not reacting with happiness.

"Okay... Minji and I... So, uhhh, we might have started a relationship with each other," I confessed, visibly nervous. My heart rate quickened. I turned my head to Minji, "Say something too," I said, giving her a playful pat on the thigh. Minji simply laughed, "You're doing just fine," she replied.

Danielle was the first to squeal in delight and congratulate us. Hyein followed suit, while Haerin remained silent, continuing to observe us.

"No. Just no... How long has this been going on?" Hanni asked, her forehead furrowing in anger, which surprised me. I swallowed, "About... 2-3 months?" I answered, and Minji looked at me, "2 months and 28 days," she provided a precise number. My eyes widened in surprise, and my face turned completely red.

I placed my hand on her thigh as an apology. Minji, however, simply chuckled at the gesture, "It's okay. I know you forget even your own birthday," she said, clearly amused. This made me smile again. I then turned back to Hanni.

"Almost 3 months... you've been lying to us for so long? What are we to you? I thought we were a family! I thought..." Hanni said, visibly angry. She then turned her head to Dani and Hyein, "How can you not care? They've been lying to us... They've been hiding their relationship!" she added, pointing at Minji and me with her hand.

I swallowed. She seemed genuinely hurt. "Bro," Minji started, but Hanni shook her head, saying, "Don't call me 'Bro.' Apparently, all of this is just business... I'm not your 'Bro,'" Hanni replied, her voice much quieter now. She felt genuinely betrayed. I stood up from the couch, but Hanni still had a furrowed brow.

I looked at the younger girl. "We're a family, Hanni. I've seen it that way for a long time. I'm sorry we didn't tell you, or any of you. I was scared. I had to come to terms with the fact that Minji and I are now in a relationship. Keeping it a secret from you was hell... I really wanted to tell you. But if anyone notices, it's not just my and Minji's careers that will be over, but yours too," I explained as best I could.

Hanni hesitated visibly. She still had that angry expression on her face, but her arms were no longer crossed. "So... are you forgiving me? Minji's not at fault here, I asked her to keep it a secret," I said. My head tilted slightly, "Come on... are you that angry with your Unnie, Bro?" I asked, and now Hanni looked at me in shock.

That was the first time I called her 'Bro.' Hanni blinked a few times, "Ugh, that's cringy. Don't call me 'Bro'; it's better left as something between Minji and me," Hanni replied, which made me laugh a bit. "Well... how about using my name then? You can leave out the 'Unnie,'" I suggested, and now all of them were looking at me.

Hanni smiled again, saying, "Okay, Y/n," and extended her hand towards me. "Now, for the fruity details... Have you two really done it?" she asked after I took her hand and gave it a brief shake, as if we were making a deal. My eyes widened with embarrassment, and my heart raced. My face flushed with red.

"Oh yeah, I'd like to know that too," Danielle chimed in. She had a wide grin on her face, leaning her elbows on the coffee table as she sat on the floor once again.

[living-lucid-dream]

Blind Pico AU (part 5!)

Part One

Previous

Next

Girlfriend arrives at Pico's apartment the next morning with a limo (and driver) in tow, as Pico has a follow-up appointment with his surgeon. When she knocks on the door, Boyfriend opens it. He motions for her to be quiet and points to the couch, where Pico is still asleep.

They take a minute to admire how cute Pico looks while he's sleeping. Then Boyfriend's cell phone rings. Not wanting to wake Pico prematurely, he quickly steps into the hallway outside the apartment to answer the call. It's Daddy Dearest, calling to congratulate Boyfriend on the success of his single.

Dearest tries to tell him about download numbers and sales, but Boyfriend can't really follow much of it. Then he says something that Boyfriend does comprehend: "It's an even bigger hit than the Mearest single that came out around the same time. And I will flay your ass alive if you EVER repeat that to my wife."

Boyfriend can hardly believe what Dearest is telling him. A bigger hit than Mearest? He'd always known he was damn good at what he did, but to outperform a mega pop star on his first single is almost too much to believe, even for him.

Then Dearest says something even better: "The record label wants to sign you for a full album. They're offering the most obscene advance payment I've ever seen, but we'll see if I can squeeze a little more out of them, eh?"

Boyfriend tells Dearest he doesn't care about the money, that he'd do the album for free if it meant getting his rapping career off the ground. Dearest is absolutely appalled by this idea: "No you will NOT do that, how stupid ARE you, boy?"

Boyfriend clarifies that he's not actually going to do the album for free and that he'll gladly accept whatever deal Dearest makes with the record label. This response mollifies Dearest somewhat, as he replies: "You bet your obnoxious little ass you will. Now don't you worry about anything but cranking out more hits. We're going to make you a star!"

While Boyfriend is busy on the phone, Pico begins to stir. At first Girlfriend thinks he looks even cuter because he's clearly reacting to a dream--but then he begins to moan and thrash around hard enough to almost fall off the couch. Girlfriend quickly realizes that he's having a nightmare and moves to wake him up.

Pico jolts awake with a yelp, then groans, pushes Girlfriend out of his way, and starts staggering toward the bathroom. Once he makes it there, he promptly crashes to his knees in front of the toilet and throws up.

Girlfriend rushes to help him. Putting a hand on his back, she cries out, "Oh my god are you OK?"

Pico still feels shaky, but he wipes his mouth and croaks, "Yeah. I'm fine. Nightmare fucked me up is all." After a prolonged pause, he sheepishly says, "Uh...can you help me up?"

Girlfriend gives him a hand and asks him if he's sure he's OK. Pico begins to bristle under Girlfriend's concern. He assures her that he is indeed OK and begins to brush his teeth.

At this moment, Boyfriend returns from his phone call. Even though he's excited from all of the good news, he realizes something must be wrong when he sees Girlfriend hovering over Pico in the bathroom.

Girlfriend fills him in on what happened. Boyfriend haltingly asks Pico if the nightmare was about the assault. Pico tells him that it probably was related but that there wasn't anything "useful" in the dream.

To change the subject, Pico asks Boyfriend who was calling him so early. Boyfriend tells them about his conversation with Dearest and the mood instantly lifts. The trio leaves Pico's apartment riding on the high of this good news.

In the limo on the way to Pico's appointment, Boyfriend notes that Pico has a text from Darnell. ("Bruh, are you OK? Have you seen this shit?") He opens the "Carrot Top" file and is met with a short, soundless video depicting various portions of the assault on Pico. There are several shots of drain cleaner being poured into Pico's eyes, followed by multiple shots of him being hit with a bat or being stomped. The video then cuts to him with his clothes bunched around the zip ties binding his wrists and ankles while something that appears to be urine splashes on him. It ends with a shot of him still mostly naked lying in the bottom of a dumpster, broken and unconscious.

Pico can hear Boyfriend gagging and Girlfriend beginning to cry. He asks them what's wrong. They can barely bring themselves to tell him even a sanitized version of what the video contains. Girlfriend remarks that it looks like a snuff film with Pico as the star.

Pico goes quiet for several minutes, trying not to freak out. Finally, he says, "Can you see who was doing it?" They tell him no, that the video was edited so that the assailants are always just out of frame so there's no way to identify them. Then he says, "Darnell sent that to me?"

They say yes, but Girlfriend is quick to clarify that Darnell seemed to be concerned about it. They ask if he wants to call Darnell and ask where he found the video, but Pico says he'll do it later. Then, because it's clear that Boyfriend and Girlfriend are still very distraught, he tells them he's sorry they had to see it. Boyfriend tells him not to apologize and that they're just glad Pico is safe with them now.

They arrive at the doctor's office. Boyfriend and Girlfriend come inside with Pico. The doctor says that Pico's incision looks good and takes out the staples (though he forbids Pico from doing any strenuous activity OR lifting anything more than 10 pounds for another four weeks, which makes Pico squawk). He asks Boyfriend how full the drains have been and then takes those out, too. The X-rays of his arm look good, and the doctor listens to his chest (the doctor explains that sometimes people can get pneumonia after breaking ribs as badly as Pico's were, but everything sounds fine).

Then Pico makes the mistake of asking if there's anything that can be done about his sight. The doctor's tone becomes apologetic as he explains that there may have been a chance at recovering some of his eyesight if he'd been treated immediately after the chemicals were introduced to his eyes...but he wasn't found for several hours after it happened. By the time he got to the hospital, the damage was so severe they were lucky to have avoided having to entirely remove his eyes.

The doctor goes on to suggest that Pico join a support group to help him deal with being newly blind. He also reiterates that Pico should consider enrolling in orientation and mobility classes. Pico flatly refuses both of these suggestions and the trio leaves the office.

In the limo, Girlfriend asks Pico why he's so set against the "how-to-be-blind" classes--it sounds like they would really help! Pico tells him he understands that but "Doing that would mean that this really is permanent and real. I'm just...not ready for that yet." Boyfriend tells him that's kind of a stupid reason (Pico acknowledges that it is), but then he says that he (and Girlfriend) will stand by him no matter what he decides to do.

Boyfriend and Girlfriend then tell Pico that they had a surprise for him that might cheer him up: a picnic date at the park! At first Pico thinks that he doesn't feel like doing anything but just going home, but Girlfriend and Boyfriend are so excited that he eventually can't help but say yes.

The date starts off well, with the three of them finding a nice picnic table and enjoying a delicious spread that their chauffeur picked up for them during Pico's appointment. A small group of people recognize Boyfriend and (politely) ask him for his autograph, which he happily provides. Pico feels a swell of pride for Boyfriend when he hears how starstruck these fans sound.

Between the fresh air, the excellent food, and Girlfriend and Boyfriend's silly antics (and occasional flirting with each other and with him), Pico finds his mood improving...until another person recognizes somebody of their party.

They are about to return to the limo when a guy says, "Holy shit, it's Carrot Top!"

At first Pico thinks the guy is making fun of his hair color. He's about to tell the guy to get stuffed when the man says, "Yo, Carrot Top! My friends and I have a bet whether or not your shit was real. Lemme see those eyes so I can tell them they're full of bull!"

Pico is utterly mortified to realize that the man is talking about the video of his assault. Boyfriend and Girlfriend immediately jump to his defense with a jumble of swearing, threats, and something that makes the man let out a scream that would put the most famous soprano singer to shame. Then they escort Pico back to the limo.

During the ride home, Girlfriend notices that Pico has received several more texts from Darnell and a few from Nene. One from Nene notes that "Carrot Top" is "totally blowing up the dark web right now." Most of the texts are in the vein of "WHAT HAPPENED?" and "ARE YOU EVEN ALIVE?" and the tone becomes progressively worried and frantic as they build up.

After hearing all the texts from his friends, Pico decides it's unlikely that Darnell or Nene had anything to do with what happened to him. He asks Boyfriend and Girlfriend help him write texts to both of them letting them know he is OK and telling them that they can come over to his place tomorrow.

Later that evening, Girlfriend returns to her home to find the house in full party mode with music (mostly Mearest or Dearest's songs) blaring, and people dancing, drinking, or (in some cases) doing drugs. She shoulders her way in, past handfuls of her parents' friends and finds her mom.

Mearest is in high spirits and explains that they are celebrating the viral status of her new music video--which is doing better than both her single and Boyfriend's single combined! Girlfriend gives her a lackluster congratulations and Mearest asks her if she's alright.

Girlfriend explains about the "Carrot Top" video. She says that the worst part of all is that "all these people are watching it" before telling Mearest about the happening in the park.

Mearest giggles in response, then says, "Sorry, honey, I'm just so thrilled about my video release I can't help it!" She then acknowledges that it must have been terrible to see such a dreadful thing and reassures Girlfriend that she does not want her to hurt. She also asks Girlfriend if they've gotten any idea who was behind the attack.

Girlfriend tells her no; they don't have any leads. Mearest suggests that maybe it was a family member of one of Pico's previous marks or a rival hit man. Then she directs Girlfriend to the non-alcoholic beverages and tells her not to worry about all that right now; tonight is a night for celebration!

Girlfriend half-heartedly accepts a Shirley Temple (non-alcoholic) and melts into the crowd.

~

Quite the emotional roller coaster, eh? There is quite a bit more to come, though it may be a couple of days before I post the next part. I've imagined the ending and some of the events that need to happen to get there...but this is the first time I'm actually writing this AU down in any real capacity. There are a couple of things I need to tighten up for the timing of everything to be right--but don't worry! The entire purpose of this is to get the AU out of my head in whatever capacity I can, so rest assured that it WILL be posted through completion!