#and that no one can ever know what would have happened between them if the circumstances permitted it

[ari-ana-bel-la]

Can you do a Carlos dad were lando swears around his kid and now she won’t stop repeating it and he is trying to get her to stop but Carlos finds out (toddler daughter) if possible

Little Parrot

Carlos loved nothing more than being a father. From the moment Yn was born, he had promised himself that she would always know she was loved, always feel safe, and always be happy. And, of course, he had made it his mission to teach her Spanish so they could have their own secret conversations.

It had started as a joke between him and Rebecca—she had been determined to learn Spanish, but Carlos had made it harder by talking faster and using slang. In the meantime, he whispered little words to their baby girl at night, spoke to her in Spanish every morning, and now, at four years old, Yn was perfectly bilingual.

It was something he took great pride in, especially when Lando—her ever-dedicated godfather—tried (and often failed) to understand their conversations.

Lando had always adored Yn. He was there the day she was born, had cried when he held her for the first time, and spoiled her beyond reason. He tried his hardest to pick up Spanish, just so he wouldn’t be left out when Carlos and Yn had their little chats. But his progress was... questionable.

And now, as the paddock buzzed with activity before a race weekend, Lando had a new mission—one that involved a lot of pleading.

"Come on, just for a few hours!" Lando begged, his hands clasped together as he followed Carlos through the Williams hospitality.

Carlos sighed, adjusting the little pink backpack slung over his shoulder. Yn had demanded she bring her favorite stuffed bunny, a coloring book, and snacks for the day, and he, being the soft-hearted father he was, had agreed.

"Lando, I don’t know," Carlos said, casting a glance at his daughter, who was currently sitting on a chair, happily eating some fruit while kicking her feet.

"Please, please, please," Lando whined. "I swear I’ll take good care of her! She loves me! Right, Yn?"

Yn perked up at the sound of her name and turned to look at Lando with a big smile. "Sí!"

"See!" Lando grinned triumphantly. "She wants to stay with me."

Carlos narrowed his eyes. "You say that now, but last time you almost lost her in the McLaren garage."

"It was one time!" Lando argued. "And she wasn’t lost, she was just—exploring."

Carlos raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine. She wandered off a little," Lando admitted sheepishly. "But I promise, this time, I’ll watch her like a hawk. She won’t leave my side!"

Yn looked between them curiously before tilting her head at her father. "Papá, por favor?" she asked sweetly, blinking her big brown eyes up at him.

Carlos groaned. She knew exactly what she was doing.

"Fine," he relented. "But—" he pointed a firm finger at Lando, "—if anything happens, it’s your fault. And I will make you regret it."

Lando beamed, scooping Yn up in his arms. "Deal!"

Yn giggled as he spun her around, and Carlos exhaled, already wondering if he had made a mistake.

Lando was determined to be the best godfather in the world today.

"Alright, Mini," he said as he set Yn down gently on a chair. "We are gonna have so much fun today."

Yn nodded eagerly, swinging her legs as she held her stuffed bunny close. "What are we doing?"

"First, we have very important jobs," Lando said, crouching down to her level. "We have to inspect my car. Make sure it's all good for the race."

Yn's eyes widened with excitement. "Really?"

"Yep! And since you're my assistant today, that means you get a headset, too!"

Yn gasped. "Like you?"

"Exactly like me."

A few minutes later, Yn was sitting on Lando’s lap in the garage, wearing an oversized headset as she watched the engineers work. She looked absolutely serious, as if she really was his assistant, nodding along as he explained things in the simplest way possible.

"And this is my steering wheel," Lando said, holding it up for her. "It has so many buttons. Want to press one?"

Yn gasped. "Can I?"

"Yeah, but not the important ones," Lando said, pointing at a harmless button. "Try this one."

Yn pressed it with a determined look, and the lights on the steering wheel flickered. She clapped her hands in delight.

"You're a natural!" Lando grinned, ruffling her hair.

For a while, things were going perfectly. Yn was entertained, happy, and sticking to Lando like glue.

Then he messed up.

It happened when he was helping her climb up onto a higher chair. He wasn’t paying attention, knocked his knee against the table, and immediately hissed, "Fuck!"

There was a beat of silence.

Yn blinked up at him. "Fuck," she repeated.

Lando froze.

Oh no.

Oh no no no no.

"Um, no, no, no, we don’t say that," he said quickly, shaking his head.

Yn tilted her head. "But you said it."

"I—I didn’t mean to!" Lando panicked. "It’s a bad word."

Yn nodded seriously. "Fuck is bad word."

"Yes, exactly!"

"Fuck," Yn repeated, nodding like she was learning something important.

Lando slapped a hand over his face. "Oh, shit."

"Shit," Yn said immediately.

Lando nearly choked. "No, no, no, stop!"

But it was too late.

Yn found it hilarious. She giggled, kicking her feet, and started chanting, "Fuck! Shit! Fuck! Shit!"

Lando was screwed.

"Lando," Carlos’ voice cut through the air, dangerously calm.

Lando froze. Slowly, he turned, still holding Yn, who was currently humming to herself.

Carlos stood with his arms crossed, looking unimpressed. "Why is my daughter running around saying fuck and shit?"

Lando gulped. "Uh—"

"Fuck!" Yn chirped happily. "Shit!"

Lando shut his eyes. He was so dead.

Carlos pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lando."

"It was an accident!" Lando blurted. "I swear! I hit my knee, and I didn’t mean to say it, and then she memorized it like a little parrot, and I’ve been trying to get her to stop!"

Carlos sighed, rubbing his face. "Do you know what Rebecca will do if she hears her saying that?"

Lando’s eyes widened in horror. "We can’t let her find out!"

Carlos shook his head, but there was amusement in his eyes now. He turned to his daughter, kneeling in front of her.

"Yn, mi amor," he said gently, "those are bad words, okay? We don’t say them."

Yn pouted. "But Lando says them."

"Lando is dumb," Carlos said, sending a glare his way. "You’re much smarter than him, aren’t you?"

Yn giggled. "Sí!"

Carlos smiled. "Good. So, let’s not say those words anymore, okay?"

Yn nodded, then leaned in to whisper, "But they’re kinda funny."

Carlos sighed.

Lando snorted.

Carlos shot him a look. "Not helping."

Lando held his hands up in surrender. "Look, she’s gonna hear worse when she’s older."

"Not today, she won’t," Carlos muttered. He turned back to his daughter, who was already distracted playing with her bunny.

"Alright, no más palabrotas," Carlos said firmly. ("No more swear words")

Yn giggled. "No más palabrotas."

Carlos kissed the top of her head before glaring at Lando one last time.

"You," he said, pointing at him, "are never babysitting again."

Lando gasped. "That’s not fair!"

Carlos smirked. "Jódete." ("Fuck you")

Lando groaned.

Yn, despite her father’s warning, giggled under her breath. "Jódete"

Carlos sighed.

It was going to be a long day.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♥︎♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Authors Note: Hey loves. I hope you enjoyed reading this story. My requests are always open for you.

-🩷🎀

[anglbunny]

No contact ♡ sae itoshi

Sae breaks no contact and blames you for it. ♡ Smut mdni, hair pulling, manipulation, drinking

You were supposed to be outside right now. Outside being the club. The only reason you weren’t was because of a text from a certain somebody. Somebody you were trying to move on from. 

Sae itoshi. Your ex-boyfriend. 

He had the nerve to text you after he broke your heart 4 months ago and told you never to text him again. And so you did. 

You were too much of a distraction, or so he said. His career would always be the top priority, not you. That was the last thing he said before he walked away. 

The day after, he messaged you with a text that read, ‘Don't message me again. Lose my number’. 

And well, ever since that day, you haven’t seen him, talked to him, or texted him. Just like he wanted. 

So why the fuck was there a message from him at 8:55 PM.

Sae: Hi

The notification itself had you frozen. After 4 fucking months he decides to break no contact. 

You scoff, ignoring the message. You kick your heels off, picking up your phone and dropping a text in the gc that you won’t be coming tonight, last minute plan change. The girls are asking why and what happened but you ignore them. Walking into the kitchen, still dressed up in a mini bodycon dress and a full face of makeup. 

You were so excited for tonight, all dolled up and ready but who knew a single text could kill the entire mood? 

You grabbed a fresh bottle of wine. Uncapping it and pouring yourself a large glass. 

You downed half the glass when another text appeared on your phone.

Sae: I know you can see this.  Sae: you’re ignoring me on purpose  Sae: if i were you, i’d answer right now or who knows what might happen. 

You rolled your eyes, giggling at his empty threats. You were somewhat tipsy now, your face a little flushed and your body half limp on the couch. 

You finished the rest of the glass and poured yourself another. Your eyelids felt heavy until the sound of the doorbell pulled you out of your trance. 

Setting the glass down, you stumbled over to the front door, almost tripping over your heels that were thrown down the hallway. 

You opened the door not even bothering to look through the peephole. 

“Sae?” you mumbled, your eyes half closed. 

“Wow, you’re wasted as fuck” he stepped inside, making you take one back. 

“I… never s-said you could... Enter” your words coming out slurred. He smirked, closing the door behind him, each step he took towards you was another step you took back. 

“And when have I listened to what you have to say? Hm?”

He asked, his fingers coming in contact with your chest and pushing you back until your back softly hit a wall. 

You gasped trying to move away but it was no use. 

“I told you to answer, didn't i? Now look where we’re at” he sighed, he ran his hand over your hair. Taking a handful of it and examining it. 

You nodded, looking down at the ground. He pulled your head back, fisting your hair right at the roots. You shrieked, wrapping your hands around his, your eyes burning. 

“SAE!” you yelled at him, trying to pry his hand away from your hair. 

“You know i hate it when you look away from me,” he said, loosening his grip and grabbing your chin between his index and thumb.

“Tell me. Who are you so dressed up for?” 

“No one” you muttered looking away

“Why’re you so drunk?” 

“Because i’m an adult who can legally drink whenever she wants” You glared at him, while he seemed amused. 

“Why are you here?” you asked him, this time. 

“What’d you want? Weren’t you the one who never wanted to see me again?”

“Baby, that’s the past. Don’t linger on the past. Focus on the present” he said, leaning down to kiss the side of your lips. He wrapped his large hands around the back of your thighs, lifting you and walking towards your bedroom. 

“Fuck!? Sae!! Put me down, asshole!” you yelled, pulling his styled hair, hitting his back, whatever you could. Your legs were wrapped around his torso. His hands under your ass. 

You felt a sudden slap on your ass, making you go silent. You stared at nothing in shock. It was as if a bucket of cold water was dumped on your head.

“Did you just.. Spank me?” 

“Yes and I can do more, so don’t test me” 

He said, dropping you down on the bed. You groaned, sitting up on your elbows. 

He pulled his shirt off over his head. Crawling on top of the bed. His torso in between your thighs and his hands on either side of your waist. 

“Stop thinking. Let me take care of you for tonight, okay?” he whispered against your ear, giving a false sense of trust. 

“I’m drunk..” you said, having nothing left in you to argue with him. 

“Then blame me, baby”

He kissed down your neck, pushing you back down onto the bed. 

“We shouldn’t, sae” 

“Says who?” you really didn’t wanna hook up with your ex. You knew he was manipulating you into thinking it’s okay but it fucking isn’t. He can’t just barge in and say that whatever happened between you and him is in the past and just fuck you. That's not right! 

Your lips quivered, placing your hands on his shoulder as he pulled down your dress. The cold air hitting your nipples was enough to have them going hard. He leaned down, gently blowing on them just to hear you whimper. 

You shut your eyes tightly. Your pussy throbbed, not having enough friction to make you feel good. 

Only the rough fabric of Sae’s jeans rubbed against your damp panties. His bulging boner not doing much with the thick fabric in between. 

“You’ve gotten more sensitive.” he breathed, taking the whole of your tit in his mouth. Rolling the bud between his teeth. 

His hand made his way between his pants, pulling his cock out and rubbing it over your panties. 

Your sweet voice and soft moans only got him harder. It wasn’t fair that he got to touch himself while you were trembling and crying beneath him. 

His other hand cupped your tit, while circling the one that was in his mouth with his tongue. 

He pulled away with a pop. staring down at the lewd expression you were making. 

“You’re making a mess” You shook your head ‘no’, getting a chuckle from sae who pushed your thighs up to your chest. Swallowing hard at the sight of panties drenched in his precum. The light-coloured cloth going transparent. 

He rubbed his fingers over it, moving them to the side. He fisted his cock and lined it up to your entrance. 

“Sae..” you breathed, your voice coming out shaky. 

He nodded, pushing past your puffy lips. Groaning as your walls swallowed him and clenched around his cock. 

“So fucking.. Tight” 

He leaned in, licking your lips. You took the opportunity to wrap your arms around his neck, running a hand through his hair. 

Once you adjusted, he pulled back, slamming back into you. You screamed his name. The neighbors could definitely hear you. He moved at an animalistic pace, like he hasn’t fucked in years.

He kissed down your jaw, leaving dark red hickies all over your neck and chest. 

Your nails scratching down his back and tugging at his hair. He wasn’t showing signs of slowing down. 

Both his hands held down your thighs, keeping them pressed against your chest. 

A thick ring of white formed around his cock. The sound of his cock thrusting inside of you mixed with your screams and his quiet moans of your name followed by cuss words. 

“Fuck. yn” 

He groaned as you clenched around him. Your gummy walls pull his cock in more with each thrust. 

“Close..! Sae, m’ close!” you cried out, pulling him in closer. 

He mumbled something about him being close as well. 

His cock plunged deep inside of you a couple more times before you were cumming around his cock with his name on your tongue. Along with Sae who filled your little pussy up with his warm cum. Staying inside of you so nothing spills out. 

He fell on top, wrapping his arms around your waist. 

You sighed, still throbbing around him. 

“I fucking forgot how good your cunt was. How could i stay away for 4 whole months?” he asked but wasn’t expecting a response. You could feel his smile on your skin.

“I hate you, sae” 

“If you hated me, you wouldn’t have milked my cock dry”

A/n: this got kinda long. sorry, lol. wc: 1.4k

ꨄ︎Anglbunny | Do not copy, steal or translate my work and pngs. you'll be blocked.

[M.list] [Navigation]

[melanchoire]

girl... that one karina pussy drunk drabble of yours got me thinking about how karina would be a loser/do anything in her power for her s.o. like buying whatever things she saw they liked even if its so hard to get, giving her massages or sweets when they are feeling down/having a hard day, cancelling her appointments when she can to be there with them and in the sheets, making them cum until SHE is satisfied with pleasing them

i don’t remember if i ever wrote about pussydrunk karina 😭 but here we gooo

karina is a loser EVEN in a relationship 😭

it’s a little pathetic, really... karina. i see her as that type, you know? i really do. and it’s all about you. everything she does, everything she thinks, everything is filtered through the lens of making you happy. it’s... absorbing

remember that limited edition vinyl you mentioned almost in passing? the one that sold out everywhere and sold for crazy prices on resale sites? yes, she bought it. the look on her face when she handed it to you, pure, unadulterated relief mixed with a desperate hope that you would notice the great effort she put into it. almost embarrassing, honestly. did she think you wouldn’t notice the effort and just think it was pure chance?

and the massages? god, they’re practically ritualistic. you tell her your shoulder is tense after work, and she gets to work right away. showing up at your apartment minutes later, and the second she walks through your front door she is kneading and pressing like her life depends on it. use that fancy oil she knows you like, the one that costs a fortune. it’s not just about just relieving your tension; it’s about proving her worth, showing how much she cares

it’s like a damn honeybee, constantly hovering, gathering sweets and treats whenever you seem a little down. bad day at work? here is your favorite ice cream. headache? she is giving you ibuprofen and cold compresses. it’s sweet, sure, but it’s also… suffocating

the dating thing is the craziest. she has a promising career and a busy schedule. but if you hint that you would like her around, BAM! she cancels all her previous plans, no matter what: the dentist, lunch with her boss, whatever. she will make up some elaborate lie about being sick, just to be there. and it’s not just about being there, right? it’s about what happens when she is there

service top rina 😵‍💫 completely pussydrunk... legs over her shoulders, head between your thighs and face practically buried in your pussy 🫠 somehow pleasing you makes her needy, so she always ends up eating you out in the messiest and sloppiest way possible, her face covered in your juices and moaning shamelessly against your pussy because of your taste and essence, looking up at you with a look full of desire and begging you to please let her continue her assault... even though you’re the one receiving it, she is the one who becomes needy 😭 getting desperate and starting to eat you out in a much more messy way, hugging your thighs and pushing your hips towards her face to the point where she can hardly breathe because of how much she is burying her face between your legs, but karina doesn’t care! she loves to please, her love language

[lazuliita]

Gojo Satoru x F!Reader

━━━━━━━━━★

a/n: It's also on ao3 (@Lazuliita) and belongs to me, and only me!

Summary: Where you and Gojo teach at Tokyo Jujutsu High and are often teased by your students about acting like an "old married couple".

Warnings: None, just pure fluff <3

Words Count: 4.1k

━━━━━━━━━★

The crisp autumn air carried the scent of fallen leaves and the distant echo of students practicing barrier techniques in the forest behind Tokyo Jujutsu High. Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled shadows across the training grounds where the first-year students had gathered for their special lesson. Their animated whispers fell silent as you approached, clipboard in hand, your footsteps deliberate against the packed earth.

"Today we're covering domain expansion theory," you announced, scanning the eager faces of your students. "This is fundamental to understanding how—"

"They're not ready for domain expansion."

The familiar voice cut through the air like a perfectly executed cursed technique. You didn't need to turn around to know who had arrived—the sudden straightening of the students' postures and the excited gleam in their eyes told you everything. Still, you pivoted slowly, keeping your expression carefully neutral as Gojo Satoru sauntered into the clearing, hands tucked casually in his pockets, his signature blindfold in place.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion, Satoru," you replied, the formality you maintained in front of students slipping ever so slightly.

The corners of his mouth quirked upward. "You never do, and yet I always give it."

A few students snickered. You shot them a warning glance before returning your attention to your fellow instructor. "They need to understand the concept before they can hope to achieve it one day."

"Understanding a concept and being prepared to handle it are different things," he countered, closing the distance between you with fluid grace. "Like understanding what fire is versus being ready to wield it."

"Then perhaps you'd like to share your teaching approach?" you challenged, knowing full well what would happen.

As if on cue, Gojo clapped his hands together once, the sound sharp in the clearing. "Alright, pay attention, kids. Domain expansion is when you take your innate domain—your personal reality of cursed energy—and manifest it through barrier techniques, creating an enclosed space where your cursed technique reaches its maximum potential, guaranteeing your attacks will hit."

Blank stares met his explanation. Yuji Itadori's head tilted in confusion, while Megumi Fushiguro's brow furrowed in concentration. Nobara Kugisaki didn't bother hiding her bewilderment, mouth slightly agape.

"You're overcomplicating it again, Satoru," you sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. "Explaining domain expansion as 'the manifestation of one's innate domain through the use of barrier techniques' is technically correct, but completely useless to beginners."

Gojo's perpetual smile widened behind his dark blindfold. "If they can't grasp the fundamentals, they'll never advance beyond mediocrity."

"They need to understand the practical applications before diving into theory," you countered, hands on your hips. "Not everyone comprehends concepts the way you do."

From their vantage point, Yuji nudged Megumi with his elbow. "They're at it again," he whispered, though not quietly enough.

Nobara rolled her eyes dramatically. "Seriously, they're worse than my grandparents, and they've been married for fifty years."

You whipped your head around, fixing them with a pointed glare. "I heard that, Kugisaki."

Gojo's laughter rang out, clear and bright. "She's not wrong, though, is she, [Y/N]?"

Your cheeks warmed despite yourself. "Focus, Satoru. We have a class to teach."

"Fine, fine," he conceded, hands raised in mock surrender. "Show us your simplified approach, then."

You turned back to the students, painfully aware of their curious gazes. "Domain expansion is essentially creating your own reality and forcing your opponent to play by your rules. It's the ultimate expression of your jujutsu—think of it as the difference between fighting in someone else's house versus your own."

As you continued explaining, using metaphors and practical examples, you caught Gojo watching you, his head tilted slightly in that way he did when he was genuinely listening rather than simply waiting for his turn to speak. The familiarity of his posture, the way he leaned against a nearby tree with one foot crossed over the other, sent a wave of memories crashing through your consciousness.

━━━━━━━━━★

Thirteen Years Earlier

The rain had started as a gentle mist during afternoon classes but had transformed into a relentless downpour by evening. You huddled deeper into your uniform jacket, cursing yourself for forgetting an umbrella yet again. The library's warm lights beckoned through the deluge, promising sanctuary among its ancient tomes and worn wooden tables.

Second-year exams loomed on the horizon like a particularly malevolent curse, and while you could hold your own in combat, the theoretical aspects of cursed energy manipulation continued to confound you. Pride had kept you from asking for help, but desperation was a powerful motivator, and with three days until the written exam, you were finally ready to swallow your ego.

The library was nearly empty when you arrived, your hair plastered to your face, uniform damp despite your best efforts to shield yourself. Finding a secluded corner near the restricted section, you spread your textbooks across the table and sank into the familiar routine of highlighting passages you didn't understand—which, to your dismay, turned out to be most of the text.

An hour passed in frustrating silence, broken only by the rhythmic patter of rain against the windows and the occasional turning of pages. The words swam before your eyes, refusing to solidify into coherent concepts. Cursed energy theory wasn't like practical application, where instinct could guide you. This required precision, understanding fundamental principles that seemed to elude you no matter how many times you read the same paragraph.

"You're holding the book upside down, you know."

The voice startled you from your concentration. You looked up to find Gojo Satoru leaning against a bookshelf, his brilliant blue eyes—still uncovered in those days—twinkling with amusement. Unlike you, he appeared perfectly dry, as though the rain wouldn't dare touch him.

"I am not," you huffed, though you quickly double-checked. "What do you want, Satoru?"

He sauntered over, pulling out the chair across from you and sitting down with casual grace. "Just checking on my favorite classmate. Yaga-sensei mentioned you've been struggling with the theory portion."

Your pride stung. "I'm handling it just fine."

"Sure you are," he said, plucking the book from your hands. "That's why you've been staring at the same page for twenty minutes."

You reached for the book, but he held it just beyond your grasp, the movement fluid and precise—a reminder of why he was already considered exceptional even among the prodigies at Jujutsu High. "Give it back, Satoru."

"I will," he said, "after you admit you need help."

"I don't need—"

"Pride is a curse too, you know," he interrupted, his expression suddenly serious, those piercing blue eyes holding yours. "And unlike other curses, this one you inflict on yourself."

You fell silent, studying his face. Despite his arrogance and insufferable attitude, Gojo had never mocked your abilities. In fact, he'd always pushed you harder than anyone else, competed with you in a way he didn't bother to with others. Sometimes, when you landed a particularly good hit during sparring or mastered a difficult technique, you caught something in his expression—something beyond his usual cockiness, something that looked almost like respect.

"Fine," you relented, exhaling slowly. "I could use some... guidance."

His smile returned, genuine this time. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

For the next three hours, Gojo explained concepts you'd struggled with for months, breaking them down into digestible pieces. His intelligence was staggering, but more surprising was his patience. He drew diagrams on scraps of paper, used real-world analogies, and never once made you feel inferior for not understanding immediately. When you finally mastered a particularly complex technique, the pride in his eyes made your heart skip.

"You got it," he said softly. "I knew you would."

"Thank you," you replied, meaning it. "But don't think this means I like you now."

He laughed, leaning back in his chair. "You've always liked me, [Y/N]. You're just too stubborn to admit it."

"In your dreams, Gojo Satoru."

"Frequently," he quipped, and you threw an eraser at him, which he caught effortlessly, twirling it between his fingers like it was second nature.

As you gathered your books to leave, noting with surprise that the rain had finally stopped, he called after you: "Same time tomorrow?"

You paused at the door, fighting a smile. "Maybe."

"I'll be here either way," he replied, and something in his tone made you believe him.

━━━━━━━━━★

Eleven Years Earlier

"This is ridiculous," you muttered, adjusting the ceremonial hakama you'd been instructed to wear for graduation. "We're jujutsu sorcerers, not court nobles from the Heian period."

The women's changing room was abuzz with activity, your fellow graduates fussing over hair and makeup as though they weren't about to enter a profession where looking presentable was decidedly less important than staying alive. You'd opted for simplicity—hair pulled back neatly, minimal makeup, focusing instead on ensuring you could move freely if needed. Old habits died hard, and four years at Jujutsu High had taught you to always be combat-ready.

"[Y/N]-chan, you look so elegant!" One of your classmates gushed, interrupting your internal grumbling. "I bet Gojo-kun will be impressed."

You stiffened. "Why would I care what that arrogant fool thinks?"

The girl exchanged knowing glances with several others nearby. "Oh, come on. Everyone knows you two have... something."

"The only 'something' we have is a mutual desire to surpass each other," you retorted, though the words sounded hollow even to your own ears.

Over the past four years, your relationship with Gojo had evolved into something you couldn't quite define. After those initial study sessions, you'd found yourself seeking his company more often—for training, for academic discussions, and occasionally, though you'd never admit it, simply for the pleasure of his company. He challenged you, infuriated you, and somehow always managed to make you laugh despite yourself.

"Whatever you say," your classmate sang, clearly unconvinced. "But he's been asking everyone if they've seen you this morning."

Your heart performed an annoying little flip. "Probably wants to gloat about graduating at the top of the class."

"Actually," a familiar voice drawled from the doorway, "I wanted to give you this."

Every head swiveled toward Gojo, who leaned against the doorframe with infuriating casualness, completely ignoring the scandalized gasps at his presence in the women's changing area. His ceremonial hakama looked unfairly good on him, emphasizing his tall frame and broad shoulders. His white hair was slightly less chaotic than usual, and his eyes—uncovered for the ceremony—seemed to find yours immediately.

"You're not supposed to be in here," you said, hoping no one noticed the slight tremor in your voice.

"Rules are more like suggestions, don't you think?" He grinned, crossing the room to stand before you, seemingly oblivious to the rapt audience watching your every move. From his sleeve, he produced a small wooden box, intricately carved with symbols you recognized as ancient protection wards. "Open it later," he said, pressing it into your hand.

"What is it?" you asked, curling your fingers around the box, surprised by its weight.

"Something to remind you," he replied cryptically.

"Of what?"

His smile turned softer, more genuine than his usual cocky grin. "That some bonds can't be broken, even when we walk different paths."

Before you could respond, he turned and strolled out, leaving a room full of wide-eyed, giggling graduates in his wake. You carefully tucked the box into your own sleeve, ignoring the barrage of questions from your classmates.

It wasn't until hours later, after the ceremony and formal dinner, that you found a moment alone to open his gift. Inside the wooden box, nestled on a bed of dark blue silk, lay a silver pendant in the shape of a perfect barrier circle, etched with microscopic protection runes around its circumference. When you lifted it, the moonlight caught on an inscription on the back, so small you had to squint to read it:

"Even infinity has a beginning."

You wore it hidden beneath your clothes every day thereafter, never mentioning it to Gojo, though sometimes you caught him looking at the chain around your neck with quiet satisfaction.

━━━━━━━━━★

Eight Years Earlier

"I told you to wait for backup!" Your voice echoed through the abandoned warehouse, anger barely masking the fear that had gripped you since receiving the emergency call. "What were you thinking, taking on a special grade alone?"

Gojo sat propped against a support beam, blood seeping through his hastily applied bandages. Despite his injuries, his trademark smirk remained firmly in place. "I was thinking I could handle it. And I did."

You knelt beside him, medical supplies spilling from your bag as you frantically assessed his wounds. "You call this handling it? You're lucky to be alive."

"Worried about me, [Y/N]?" he teased, though the effect was somewhat diminished by his wince as you cleaned a particularly deep gash on his arm.

"Don't flatter yourself," you muttered, focusing on your task to avoid meeting his eyes. "If you died, I'd have to find someone else to annoy me, and that sounds exhausting."

His chuckle turned into a pained cough. "Admit it. Life would be boring without me."

Your hands stilled for a moment. "Life would be... something," you conceded, voice softer than intended.

In the three years since graduation, your paths had crossed frequently—sometimes by chance, more often by design as you found yourselves assigned to the same missions. You'd both built reputations within the jujutsu world: Gojo as an undefeated prodigy whose power seemed to grow exponentially, you as a strategic expert whose analytical abilities and specialized cursed technique made you indispensable for complex operations.

But for all your professional success, nothing compared to the thrill of working together, the seamless way you anticipated each other's moves, the silent communication that had saved both your lives more times than you could count.

"They're saying I might be the strongest," he said suddenly, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "That I might surpass even the greats of the past."

You continued wrapping his wounds, pretending the statement didn't send a chill down your spine. "And how does that make you feel?"

"Isolated," he admitted, the word hanging between you like a curse itself.

Your eyes met his, and for once, neither of you looked away. In that moment, you saw past the arrogance, past the power, to the burden he carried—the weight of expectations, the knowledge that there would always be distance between him and everyone else.

Everyone except, perhaps, you.

"You're not alone, Satoru," you said quietly, allowing yourself the rare intimacy of his first name without the usual teasing tone. Your hand found his, fingers intertwining almost of their own accord. "Not as long as I'm here."

He squeezed your hand, his usual smirk replaced by something raw and genuine. "Promise?"

"Promise," you whispered, the word feeling like a vow.

Later, as you helped him to the extraction point, his arm heavy across your shoulders, his breath warm against your neck, you realized with startling clarity that somewhere along the way, the line between rivalry and something deeper had blurred beyond recognition.

━━━━━━━━━★

Present Day

"Sensei, are you listening?" Nobara's voice snapped you back to the present.

You blinked, realizing you'd drifted off mid-explanation. "Yes, I was just... considering the best way to demonstrate."

Gojo's head tilted slightly, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Reminiscing, [Y/N]?" he murmured, too quietly for the students to hear.

"Shut up," you whispered back, but there was no heat in it. Your hand unconsciously drifted to the pendant hidden beneath your collar, a habit formed over years.

"I could demonstrate," he offered loudly, addressing the class. "My domain expansion is quite impressive, if I do say so myself."

"Absolutely not," you interjected. "The last time you used Unlimited Void as a demonstration, three students had to be hospitalized."

"Details, details," he waved dismissively. "They recovered... mostly."

The first-years exchanged nervous glances.

"We'll stick to theory for now," you declared firmly. "Practical domain expansion is an advanced technique that requires—"

"Boring," Gojo interrupted, stretching languorously. "Class dismissed. Go practice your barrier techniques."

"Satoru!" you exclaimed as the students scattered, not needing to be told twice. "You can't just end my lesson!"

He pushed his blindfold up just enough to reveal one piercing blue eye, the intensity of his gaze still able to steal your breath after all these years. "I can if I have something better planned."

You crossed your arms. "And what might that be?"

"Dinner," he said simply. "With me."

Your heart stuttered, but you kept your expression neutral. "We have dinner together all the time."

"Not like this," he replied, his voice lower. "Somewhere nice, just the two of us. No talk of students or curses or work."

"The last time we tried that, a curse attacked the restaurant and we ended up destroying half the building," you pointed out, remembering the chaos of that night three months ago—and how, in the aftermath, Gojo had almost said something important before you were interrupted by the arrival of other jujutsu sorcerers.

"I've taken precautions this time," he assured you, stepping closer. "Triple barriers around the entire block. Nothing's getting in or out."

You studied him, searching for the joke, the punchline. "Are you... asking me on a date?"

"I've been asking you on dates for thirteen years," he said, suddenly serious. "You just never noticed."

You opened your mouth to deny it, but memories flooded back—late-night training sessions that somehow turned into stargazing, casual lunches that stretched into hours of conversation, his constant presence in your life through the years, the way he always seemed to find you no matter where your missions took you.

The time he'd appeared unexpectedly in Hokkaido when you were on a solo mission, claiming he was "just passing through" despite the location being nowhere near any of his assignments. The countless times he'd brought you coffee exactly the way you liked it, without you ever having to ask. The way he kept a spare set of your favorite weapons at his apartment "just in case."

"Oh," you managed, feeling like you'd been hit with a particularly strong cursed technique.

Gojo laughed, the sound wrapping around you like a familiar blanket. "For someone so perceptive about cursed energy, you're remarkably oblivious about some things."

"I'm not oblivious," you protested, heat rising to your cheeks. "You're just... confusing."

"Am I?" he asked, stepping closer. "I've never thought I was particularly subtle about how I feel about you."

Your heart hammered in your chest. "Satoru..."

"The students are gone," he murmured, now close enough that you could feel the warmth radiating from him. "You don't have to pretend anymore."

"Pretend what?"

"That you don't care about me as much as I care about you."

You swallowed hard, thirteen years of carefully maintained distance crumbling. "I never said I didn't care."

"Then say what you do feel," he challenged, removing his blindfold completely. The intensity of his gaze made your breath catch.

Years of banter, of rivalry, of friendship, of something deeper flashed through your mind. Every argument, every laugh, every moment you'd shared—it all led to this.

"I feel," you began slowly, "like I've been fighting a losing battle since the day I met you."

His smile softened. "Is that so terrible?"

"Yes," you whispered, "because I'm afraid of what happens if I stop fighting."

Gojo's hand came up to cup your cheek, his touch feather-light. "Let me show you."

The press of his lips against yours was gentle at first, a question. When you answered by leaning into him, the kiss deepened, becoming something urgent and necessary, like breathing after being underwater for too long. His arms encircled your waist, pulling you closer, and you found your hands tangling in his hair, something you'd imagined doing more times than you'd ever admit.

When you finally broke apart, his forehead rested against yours. "Took you long enough," he murmured.

"Me?" you laughed breathlessly. "You're the one who waited thirteen years to kiss me."

"I was giving you time to catch up," he replied with his trademark arrogance, but there was vulnerability in his eyes that made your heart ache. "Besides, some things are worth waiting for."

His thumb traced the chain around your neck, pulling gently until the pendant emerged from beneath your collar. "You still wear it," he observed, something like wonder in his voice.

"Always," you admitted, watching as he turned the silver barrier circle over to reveal the inscription he'd had etched so many years ago.

"Even infinity has a beginning," he read aloud, his eyes finding yours again. "This—us—it's our beginning, [Y/N]. But unlike my technique, there's no end to what we could be together."

You were saved from having to form a coherent response to the most romantic thing Gojo Satoru had ever said by an interruption from across the training grounds.

"Gojo-sensei! [Y/N]-sensei!" Yuji's voice echoed across the clearing. "Are you coming? Principal Yaga wants to see everyone!"

You both turned to see the trio of first-years watching you with varying degrees of shock and delight.

"I KNEW IT!" Nobara crowed, pointing accusingly. "You two ARE together!"

"We're not—" you began automatically, but Gojo's hand found yours, fingers intertwining.

"We are," he said simply, and the certainty in his voice made something warm bloom in your chest.

"About time," Megumi muttered, though a small smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Does this mean you'll stop arguing during class?" Yuji asked hopefully.

Gojo's laugh rang out. "Not a chance."

"Some things never change," you added, unable to keep the smile from your face.

As you walked hand-in-hand toward the school building, with the students racing ahead to undoubtedly spread the news, Gojo leaned down to whisper in your ear.

"You know, for someone who teaches about domains, you've had one around your heart for as long as I've known you."

You glanced up at him, at the man who'd been your rival, your colleague, your friend, and now something more. "Maybe it's time for a new technique, then."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

You smiled, squeezing his hand. "Boundless."

His answering grin was radiant. "I like the sound of that."

━━━━━━━━━★

Six Months Later

"They're staring at us again," you murmured, carefully adjusting the stance of a first-year student attempting a complex barrier technique.

Across the training grounds, Gojo was demonstrating reverse cursed technique to a group of advanced students, his movements fluid and precise. Even without looking, you knew he was smiling. "Let them stare. Gives them something to aspire to."

"Satoru, you're insufferable," you called, loudly enough for him to hear.

"And yet you suffer me gladly," he replied without missing a beat, drawing snickers from the students.

Nobara, who had been practicing nearby, rolled her eyes dramatically. "If you two start making out again, I'm leaving."

"That was ONE time, Kugisaki," you reminded her, feeling your cheeks warm at the memory of Gojo surprising you with a kiss after a particularly successful joint mission, completely forgetting you were in the school courtyard surrounded by students.

"One time too many," Megumi muttered, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward.

Yuji, ever the optimist, beamed at you both. "I think it's nice! Like having parents who actually like each other."

You choked on air. "We are NOT your parents, Itadori."

"Speak for yourself," Gojo called, ruffling Yuji's hair as he passed. "I'm definitely the cool dad."

"If you're the cool dad, what does that make [Y/N]-sensei?" Nobara asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Gojo's smile turned softer as he looked at you. "The one who keeps us all from falling apart."

The sincerity in his voice made your heart skip a beat, even as you maintained your outward composure. Six months of being openly together hadn't diminished the effect he had on you—if anything, it had only grown stronger with each passing day.

Later that evening, as you sat together on the roof of Jujutsu High, sharing a bottle of sake and watching the stars, Gojo's head rested in your lap while you absentmindedly ran your fingers through his hair.

"Do you ever regret it?" he asked suddenly.

"Regret what?"

"This. Us. Making it official after all those years."

You considered the question, thinking back to the thirteen years of dance-around-each-other, the missed opportunities, the nearly-moments. "No," you said finally. "My only regret is that we waited so long."

He sat up, his eyes—uncovered when it was just the two of you—finding yours in the darkness. "We needed that time," he said, surprising you with his thoughtfulness. "To become the people who could handle this."

"Handle what, exactly?" you teased, leaning into him.

"Something boundless," he replied, using your own word from months ago. His hand found the pendant at your throat, a gesture that had become habit for him. "Something even infinity can't contain."

You kissed him then, underneath the endless canopy of stars, surrounded by the soft hum of barrier techniques protecting the school. In that moment, you understood with perfect clarity what your students saw when they looked at you both—not just two powerful jujutsu sorcerers, not just colleagues who bickered like an old married couple, but two people who had found in each other the rarest thing of all: someone who saw them completely and loved them anyway.

"For what it's worth," Gojo murmured against your lips, "I would have waited another thirteen years if I had to."

You smiled, resting your forehead against his. "Fortunately for us both, you didn't have to."

"No," he agreed, pulling you closer. "Some curses are meant to be broken."

And as his domain expansion—Unlimited Void—practiced so many times it had become second nature, shimmered briefly around you both, creating a moment outside of time where nothing existed but the two of you.

━━━━━━━━━★

a/n: Hope you enjoed it! Requests are open! :)

[writingwithciara]

across the hall; part 10 -quinn hughes-

summary: y/n moves in across the hall from quinn and in an emergency, she leaves her five-year old daughter in his care

word count: 1.3k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader

notes: only one more part after this one. thank you guys for coming along on this ride with me 🥰

the conversation never came.

neither of them really cared, however. with christmas happening, they were both suddenly super busy.

and shortly after christmas, was abby's 6th birthday so whenever y/n had free time, it was going into making sure her daughter had the best birthday ever.

by mid-january, everything between them was back to normal with an occasional flutter of feelings from both sides. but they swept it under the rug.

at least, that's what y/n thought.

exactly one week before abby's party, y/n was asked to work a double shift. normally she would hate them but she needed the money if she wanted to give abby the party of her dreams.

by the time she got home, it was well past midnight so she wasn't surprised that the apartment was so quiet. however, she was surprised to see a light on in abby's room. so she ventured down the hallway and stopped in the doorway to take in the sight before her.

quinn and abby were curled up in abby's little bed together. quinn was holding a fairy tale book in his hand while a crown sat atop his head and a feather boa was gently wrapped around his neck. his feet were hanging way off the end of the bed.

y/n pulled out her phone to take a picture. it was something she truly wanted to cherish. she also needed something as proof of the very moment she decided to stop fighting her feelings for him.

~~~~~~~~~~

the day before the birthday party, y/n tried to send money to everyone involved with the process. but each money transfer was declined. everyone claimed they were happy to help out, but y/n had a suspicion something else was going on.

so she called jack. he answered after the 2nd ring.

"hey. what's up?"

"hey. do you know anything about why the caterer, decorator and everyone else involved with abby's party keeps declining any payment from me?"

"i might. what's in it for me if i tell you?"

"the title of abby's absolute favorite uncle?"

"already have it. next."

"actually, i believe she handed that title over to brock before christmas."

"what? i'm gonna have to talk to this evil dictator at her party tomorrow."

"relax, jack. she's 6. she's far from a dictator."

"well, then i'll have to have a little chat with the princess tomorrow."

"yeah you will." y/n smiled. "now, what can you tell me about the payment declines?"

"quinn paid everyone like 2 months ago. i thought you knew."

"what? why would he do that?"

"he didn't want you to stress about it. he wanted to do something nice for you guys."

"he's already doing something nice for us. he's letting us live here with a severely reduced rent for a vancouver apartment."

"well i guess he just really wants you to be happy then. i'm not sure." jack chuckled. "oh. he told me that he got abby that toy she's been talking about for the last few months."

"how did he manage that? it's been sold out basically since it went on the shelves."

"i've said too much. sworn to secrecy." y/n could hear the smirk through the phone, followed by luke's voice. "hey. i gotta go but i will see you and abby in the morning. bye."

"bye jack." y/n hung up and glanced down the hallway towards quinn's bedroom door.

yup. she was definitely in love with him.

~~~~~~~~~~

the next morning, quinn was awake before anyone else so he decided to make breakfast. he asked abby last night what her favorite breakfast food was and she replied bacon. lots of bacon.

so quinn quickly fried up several strips and threw some eggs in the pan. he was in the middle of grating some cheese when he heard a door open. he glanced up just as y/n walked into the kitchen.

"good morning."

"morning." y/n rubbed her eyes and walked over to the counter to grab a mug but quinn stopped her and handed her a warm mug.

"i already made you a mug. hope you like it."

"thank you." she sipped it slowly. "what's the occasion?"

"well it is your daughter's birthday."

"what does that have to do with why you're making me coffee?" she raised an eyebrow and continued to drink the delicious beverage.

"because i'm a nice person." he shrugged and went back to making breakfast. y/n slid onto a stool at the island and glanced at the tv. of course hockey highlights were playing.

"i know you paid for everyone that'll be working the party."

"what do you mean?"

"don't play dumb with me. jack let it spill last night when i asked him. also, i kinda had a feeling when everyone declined the payment."

"i'm sorry. please don't be mad. i just wanted you to not have to stress about it."

"i'm not mad, quinn. i'm just surprised." she looked at him. "i'm paying you back for it, just so you know."

"the hell you are." quinn pointed his spatula at her and chuckled as she slipped a piece of bacon into her mouth. "you will do no such thing."

"quinn, you're too generous. please let me pay it back."

"i can't do that." he shook his head.

"why not? you're already making it easy with the rent. i feel like i'm taking advantage of your kindness."

"you're not. not even close."

"i'm gonna pay you back, whether you like it or not."

"if you want to pay me back, then just keep smiling. that will do just fine."

"quinn." she began to protest but abby walked into the kitchen. "happy birthday, sweetheart."

"happy birthday, princess."

"thank you." abby walked over to the plate of bacon. "is this why you asked me my favorite breakfast food last night?"

"yeah. wanted to make sure you had a great start to your day."

"thank you. i love you!" she squealed and hugged quinn. he picked her up and continued cooking.

"love you too." he smiled and kissed the top of her head. y/n watched the scene in front of her and felt her heart skip a beat.

she was certainly in deep with her roommate.

a few hours later, abby was sitting with jack and luke as they looked around the party. earlier in the week, they had devised a plan to get y/n and quinn together & their plan was about to be put into action.

"be right back." luke nodded towards quinn and walked over to his oldest brother. jack looked over at y/n.

"ready for this, princess?"

"born ready." abby grabbed his hand and walked over to her mom. "mom?"

"hey sweetie. are you enjoying the party?"

"i am. it's the best day of my life. thank you for setting this all up for me."

"i'd love to accept the credit. but it was all quinn. you should thank him."

"will you come with me?"

"sure, honey." y/n set her cup down on the window sill and grabbed abby's hand. she didn't miss the look abby gave jack as they walked over to quinn.

"hey. are you enjoying the party?"

"i love it. thank you, quinn." she hugged his leg then ran back over to jack.

"yeah. thanks again for all of this. i really appreciate it." y/n looked at him. "i truly do. and i don't know how i'm going to repay you for it all. but i'll find a way you'll aceept."

"i already told you all you have to do is keep that beautiful smile and it'll be perfect payment."

y/n surveyed him for a second before she placed a kiss on his cheek. "you are truly an amazing man, quinn hughes."

"i would do anything for you." he looked into her eyes for a brief moment before he decided the needed to tell her how he felt. "and i love you. like, a lot. more than any roommate should."

"well i guess that means it's my turn."

"what do you mean?"

"i have a confession to make." she glanced up at him. "i love you too. definitely way more than a roommate should."

"wait, for real? you're not messing with me?"

"nope. i'm being 100% honest with you." y/n smiled. "and who wouldn't fall in love with you? you've done so much for me and abby and i know i keep saying that i'm gonna pay you back, but we both know you would never accept any payment. so i'm gonna have to think of other ways to do it."

quinn didn't hesitate & he hoped he wasn't reading her signals wrong when he crashed his lips to hers. she kissed him back almost immediately as she wrapped her arms around his neck. everyone surrounding them began cheering and abby ran up to them.

"are you guys finally together?" she asked and looked up at them.

"well, it's up to your mom. i don't want to assume anything."

"don't you think there's something you should ask me first?" y/n smirked, raising an eyebrow in the teasing way she does, causing quinn to chuckle.

"right." he smiled. "do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"i'll have to think about it." y/n smiled.

"but mom!"

"i'm kidding, abby." y/n looked up at quinn. "of course i'd love to be your girlfriend." and they sealed it with a kiss.

"about damn time!" abby threw her hands up and hugged them both.

"jack, did you teach her that phrase?!" quinn glanced at his brother, who just threw up his own hands in surrender. y/n smiled and rested her head on quinn's shoulder.

"moving across the hall from you was the best thing i've ever done."

----------

tags: @alwaysclassyeagle @justagingerliving @marroonwitch @hwalllllllelujah @lovelyhischier

[monstertrucksactually]

Hi! Eons later, an answer for @setmeatopthepyre from the Short & Impactful prompts 💖

“Ah- Tommy,” Buck gasps as Tommy nips his collarbone and uses one hand to press his hip against the mattress. Having the familiar weight on top of him again is beyond surreal. Better than he could have hoped for when he invited Ravi out tonight. It’s the most comfortable he’s felt in months. 

His ex is kissing him like nothing’s changed, like he needs Buck to survive. The feeling is definitely mutual. Except for the nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him this is temporary and not to get his hopes up. He’s always been good in bed and that’s the thing that brought Tommy back. Not Buck, just a distraction from every unspoken thing between them.

“What, baby? What do you want?” Tommy rolls his hips, creating a delicious friction that Buck just wants to chase. 

“I want- nngh- I wanted-” He doesn’t know what he’s looking for. He wants everything, wanted everything before. The sex, deep conversations, arguments about who’s turn it is to do dishes, waking up next to each other. All of it. And right now he’s sure all he’ll be left with is an empty bed in the morning and broken heart. “I want to forget you.”

Tommy freezes, raising his gaze to meet Buck’s. It’s a little ridiculous considering Tommy’s wild curls, mussed from Buck running his fingers through them, relishing the way they felt against his fingertips. 

“You- you want to forget me?” His expression is close to their last night, the night he walked away. Shocked, surprised, incredulous. 

Buck sniffs, swallows back the wave of conflicting emotions that he’s only been able to avoid until now thanks to baking and other distractions. When he finally speaks, his voice is quieter and less confident that he would prefer. 

“Tommy,” he whispers, sweeping his thumb back and forth across Tommy’s cheekbone. “You said from the beginning that you didn’t think I was ready. And you were right. But you were also wrong.”

Tommy furrows his brow. “I don’t understand.”

“You see, I wasn’t ready. Not for you to kiss me, or want to take me to dinner and get to know me more. I wasn’t ready when I realized I wanted everything with you. But once I let it sink in, it all made sense. And I was ready. I wanted to hold your hand, and not necessarily dive into forever, but at least take that next step. Together. Except-”

“I wasn’t ready,” Tommy supplies.

“Why?” Buck pleads, his voice shaky. “Why wasn’t I good enough?” 

“Sweetheart, no.” Tommy brushes his lips against Buck’s forehead, his cheeks, his chin, the tip of his nose. “You- god, Evan. No, you were perfect. It was me, how I only saw heartbreak and fear. The same story I’ve seen played out whenever I finally got brave enough to go after what I wanted. And I just- I knew I couldn’t watch that happen with you, Evan.” He squeezes his eyes shut, like it’s too painful for them to see each other while he says his next words. “I couldn’t let that happen because I knew I wouldn’t survive when you left.” 

“When?” His eyes sting, flooding with the tears he’s been holding back. His heart beats wildly in his chest, angry and confused as to why he still wants the man in front of him to have it. To hold it in his hands and treat it as preciously as he ever has. “Why do you get to decide that? Why do you get to break your own heart - and mine - because you’ve already decided you know how we end? That I’m a- a placeholder for everyone else in your past?”

“Evan, you were never-”

“No,” he interjects. “Don’t- just don’t. Okay? This was a mistake. It’s always a mistake. This is why I wanna forget. I always think I can just do shit without catching feelings and acting like it’s not a big deal. Pretending like I can walk away and it’s fine because it’s a one way thing.”

Tommy snorts, raising an eyebrow. “Now who’s deciding for everyone?”

“Come on. You don’t have to rub it in my face. But tell me I’m wrong. Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t just come here to fuck, have a good time, and leave again.”

“Well,” Tommy inhales deeply, chest pushing against Buck’s like they could merge if he does it hard enough. When he breathes out, their eyes meet again, blue on blue. It’s steady, unwavering. “I was hoping to at least make you breakfast.”

“Be serious.” 

“I am. Look, I know I fucked up. I hurt you before. But maybe…” He trails off for a moment, curling his lips in. “Maybe we can try again. Not necessarily all the way at the beginning. Just- slower this time.”

Buck searches Tommy’s face for signs of uncertainty, or that he’s just being placating and telling him what he thinks he wants to hear. If any of that’s present, though, Buck can’t find it. 

“You think you’re ready this time?” 

“I don’t know when, or how much I’m ready for – and I can’t guarantee I won’t be scared again and fuck up – but I am ready for something. Especially with you.”

“Yeah?” Buck asks, quiet and hesitant.

“Yeah.” He playfully rubs the tip of his nose against Buck’s before resting their foreheads together. Buck greedily breathes him in, taking in the scent of cinnamon and embers, falling leaves and all things inherently Tommy. 

“So,” Tommy tilts his head slightly, murmuring against his lips. “What are you doing Saturday?”

mandatory tags for @diazsdimples and @bidisasterevankinard 😘

[thezombieprostitute]

Tech Tuesday: Syverson

Summary: Syverson suggests a walk after getting some bad news.

Warnings: Anxiety, Pregnancy talk, Stranger danger. Please let me know if I missed any!

A/N: Established relationship. Reader is plus sized female. No other descriptors used.

Previous

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Another negative pregnancy test, another round of hearing your mother's voice telling you your only worth as a woman is having kids. Another memory of your grandmother teaching you that women are either good wives or whores and only good wives have any kind of financial security in this world.

The only reason you were allowed to go to college was because the women of your family expected you to find yourself an educated husband with good prospects. A good man who didn't need the army to pay for his college. Really anyone who wasn't Sy.

Despite you knowing Syverson was a good man, your family didn't like him. You're certain it's because he stood up for you. Even as kids, going into elementary school, he had your back, protecting you from bullies. Whenever your family was hard on you, yelling at you for being too thin-skinned he shot right back at them.

You know, with every fiber of your being, that Sy doesn't think any less of you. That he'd never leave you because of fertility issues. But there'll always be part of you that's certain your inability to get pregnant makes you less than. Makes you not a "real" woman.

When Sy gets home you don't even have to say anything. He can tell from your demeanor, and Lily's closeness, what's happened. He walks over and wraps you up in the gentlest of hugs. Normally, when he gets home, you love his big, energetic bear hugs but today you need this.

He moves you both to the couch and maneuvers you so you're sitting in his lap. His large hands gently rub you while he kisses the top of your head. As ever, he's your anchor preventing you from going too far adrift. Your haven keeping you from getting blown away by the storms raging in your mind.

"I love you, Sy."

"I love you too, Darlin'. Every damn day."

That warrants a half smile from you. When Sy first told you he loved you it struck a nerve, and not in a good way. Your family always said they loved you, but you knew better. The words were empty for you.

Syverson knew your family didn't care for cussing so he decided to differentiate his "I love you" from theirs by always adding a curse word. You've since gotten better about those three little words but Sy would still cuss sometimes to remind you that he meant it.

"I didn't have the energy for making dinner," you confess.

"That's alright," he's quick to reassure. "You wanna order delivery? Oh, how about we do a food court night?"

"That sounds perfect," you smile.

"Then let's start orderin' and get our asses in the truck!"

Food court night was when you and Syverson would drive around, visiting multiple restaurants. You'd get a little something from each place until you'd gathered a smorgasbord of food to take back home to share.

It was also a nice, safe way to get some time out of the apartment. You could stay in the truck with Lily while Sy went in and picked up the food. On your good days you'd go inside yourself to get the goods, beaming as Sy looked so proud of you. On your bad days, he'd be going out and about by himself.

In between restaurants, the two of you start singing together to the radio, laughing when Lily tries to join in. The twilight sky is so pretty. By the time Sy's getting the last bit of dinner, you're smiling, laughing and feeling much better.

Looking into the restaurant your heartstrings tug at the sight of a small family eating together. You want that happiness. Sy deserves that happiness. You want to be the one to give him that.

You'd promised each other, even before he joined the military, that you'd have your own kids and raise them better than the two of you had been. That your kids would always know they were loved, wanted, and enough on their own. That you'd break the cycle.

But you can't do that if you can't have kids.

When Syverson gets back in the truck his smile drops a little a he registers your change in mood. Following your gaze, he sees the little family and understands. His hand goes to your chin and he gently guides your face towards his.

"I know there ain't much I can that ain't already been said. You know I love ya, regardless. You know we got options, including adoption. I'm not gonna ask ya to not be sad. I'm just gonna keep telling you that I fucking love you and you're the best thing to ever happen to a fella like me."

"Thanks, Love. I needed that." You give him a an appreciative kiss. "Now let's get home before Lily starts eating up all the food."

Next

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Tagging: @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory;

@kingliam2019; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82; @ozwriterchick; @ronearoundblindly

[pukefactory]

Alright that's cool, if it isn't that much of a bother could I request Platonic Dandy x Main!F!Reader? Maybe due to constant pestering from some other toons, Dandy joins them on a run himself, leading to Reader taking the shopkeeper position temporarily, to the other toons surprise. Considering how this is probably going to be a one time thing, Reader is selling more rarer items more frequently.

Author’s Note

Reader pronouns were omitted to make this more inclusive—I hope that’s alright. I also avoided mentioning any Toons besides Dandy to leave it up to your imagination for added fun.

- Rush

-ˋˏ ༻ WE’RE OPEN! ༺ ˎˊ

✿ Summary: The Other Toons Convince Dandy To Go On A Run With Them, Leaving You To Man The Shop

✿ Character(s): Dandicus Dancifer (Dandy’s World)

✿ Reader pronouns: Not Specified

✿ Genre: Short Story, SFW

✿ Word Count: 423

✿ Warning(s): None - Completely Safe!

✿ Image Credits: @stxrs-in-my-sky

Dandy had been pestered about it for weeks now.

“Come on, Dandy! Just once!”

“Think of the fun! You never get to run with us!”

“You’re not scared, are you?”

The Toons were relentless. Every time they passed his shop between rounds, they brought it up again. Dandy’s usual grin twitched, his petals bristling. He was a shopkeeper! The shopkeeper! Who would sell them items if he was out running around like some reckless amateur?

But then, you had chimed in.

“I can watch the shop,” you had said simply, hands on your hips. “You never take breaks, Dandy. Go have fun.”

It was a logical argument, but that didn’t mean Dandy liked it. His petals drooped slightly as he mulled it over, then, with a dramatic sigh, he caved.

“Fine, fine! Just this once! But if anything happens to my shop—”

“I know, I know,” you interrupted, waving him off. “I’ll take good care of it.”

With that, Dandy was off, his usual energetic catchphrases trailing behind him as he joined the Toons on their run. The moment he was out of sight, you turned to the stall, cracking your knuckles.

“Alright. Let’s make some deals.”

When the next round ended, the Toons stumbled back into the shop, expecting the usual selection of mid-tier items at best. Instead, their eyes widened at what was on display.

“Wait… is that…?”

“No way! You’re selling valves?!”

“WHAT?!”

You smiled innocently, stacking another handful of premium goods onto the counter. “Well, Dandy’s not here, and this is probably the only time I’ll run the shop. Might as well go all out, right?”

Toons scrambled for their Tapes, practically throwing them at you in their rush to grab the high-tier items. Some were gleeful, others wary—Dandy never stocked this much rare loot at once. It almost felt… wrong.

When Dandy finally returned, slightly ruffled but buzzing with post-run energy, his expression immediately shifted upon seeing the empty shelves.

“...What happened here?”

You beamed at him. “Great business today! You should run more often.”

His smile twitched. His petals trembled. He scanned the barren shop, then looked at the Toons—who very suddenly avoided eye contact.

A slow, drawn-out exhale. He forced a grin, though his eye twitched ever so slightly.

“Well,” he said, voice tight. “Wasn’t that just… perfect?”

He turned to the Toons. “Enjoy your new gear,” he said, far too cheerfully.

They all flinched.

Dandy clapped his hands together. “Because I’ll be adjusting my prices accordingly next time!”

The groans were immediate. You just laughed.

[yeonmuse]

SYNOPSIS — Park Sunghoon doesn’t usually like involving himself with those at Chaconne academy, but when he finds out his little sister’s music teacher attends and she starts getting a little too close she forces him to let his guard down. Now he’s gotta juggle new people and new emotions entering his life and she’s got to face her past in order to hold tight to him and her future.

ᥫ᭡ f!reader x Park Sunghoon ── 𝒢enre. Uni au. fluff, angst non idol enha. feats. ot7 [reqs are closed] ᝰ.ᐟ 𝓁ibrary 🎻

⍣ ೋ AUTHORS NOTES . Strong angst themes, slow burn but mostly fluff. I’m not sure where this idea had come from considering I have 4 unfinished series out right now but I wrote this in 4 days so lets fucking go i guess??? Includes Choi Yeonjun, Bae Jinyoung, Kim Sunwoo, Jung Wooyoung, Shen Ricky, Xu Jiaqi and Asaya Jurin.

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | ENDING

Sunwoo had been kind enough to let you borrow some of his clothes and stay in his dorm, he didn’t bother asking any questions, knowing that when the time came and you were ready to talk you would. You’d told him you wanted to be alone but even through the hardwood door he could hear how you cried for so long that you eventually tired yourself out and fell asleep on his bed. You ended up sleeping until the next morning, Sunwoo had thought about waking you up for classes but after remembering the state you were in when he’d found you last night he knew you would be grateful for the extra sleep. Which meant when you finally had woken you were left completely alone in his dorm and even though were truly grateful to him for having let you sleep in, part of you was wishing he had stayed too. Without your phone or notebook you had absolutely nothing to do. You got so bored that you sat on the couch for hours just flipping through tv channels and when he finally did return to the dorm he found you sitting on the couch watching old cartoons.

“She finally wakes.’’ he chuckles, throwing his bag onto the counter.

“Thank you for not waking me, and for letting me stay here.’’

“You know I don’t mind having you here yn, but if you are going to stay here longer I will need to know what happened last night.’’ that was the long awaited question from him that you'd completely dreaded speaking on, yet another person you had to tell about your mother. As hard as it was to open up to someone else about her, he was your friend, so you told him everything, completely leaving out the interaction between you and Sunghoon because you weren’t in the mood to hear yet another “i told you so” about Park Sunghoon. By the time you were done you’d left Sunwoo completely hating your mom.

“Do you know if she’s still there? Do the girls know who she is?’’

“I don’t know, I left everything last night, my wallet, my phone. I just can't go back right now Sun, not now, not when she knows it’s my room.”

“I’ll get your phone tomorrow, if you need anything else i'll ask just ask the girls, my roommates should be gone back home for a few days so you can stay here as long as you need while they’re gone.’’

“Thank you Sun, It means a lot.’’ Sunwoo would have done anything for you, you were someone he considered one of his best friends. Someone special to him that he cared for just as much as he cared for himself so of course he’d be the shoulder for you to cry on when you needed. He’d sat with you that entire night binging ghibli movies, something that you were meant to do with Sunghoon, it was supposed to be your new thing, but after last night you were not sure if he or Yoari would ever want to speak to you again.

Eventually the girls did find out that you had been staying at Sunwoos place, after telling them about the night you’d had when you ran away you made them swear not to tell anyone else where you were, not wanting to risk the possibility of your mom knowing where you had been. Though the secret of you being at Sunwoo’s place hadn’t lasted long when jiaqi had accidentally let it slip in front of Yeonjun who’d told Wooyoung, Haknyeon, Jinyoung and eventually Jake and Jay. They’d all been happy to know that you were completely safe and sound with Sunwoo and even though the rest of them had no idea why you’d run away they were just grateful to know you were okay.

Meanwhile Sunghoon had completely shut everyone out other than Jay or Jake, though when either of them would even mention your name he’d pull his headphones over his ears or simply walk away, his emotions from the previous night still weighing heavy on him.

Yoari of course missed you though, as heart broken as she had been at your broken promise she missed seeing your face every day and how you’d praise her playing or tell her how proud you were of her. Without you showing up for classes she was forced to sit and practice with her mother who in her eyes was an awfully dreadful teacher. Of course she loved her mom, but when it came to the love she had for music the two of them never saw eye to eye.

“Okay i can't do this anymore are we really going to act like he’s not acting like an ass right now?’’ Jake stands up from his spot on Sunghoons bed, breaking the silence between the three of them.

“Jake let it go.’’ Jay insisted, knowing that it wasn’t the best idea to pry in what had been going on between you and Sunghoon.

“No, because he’s being fucking stubborn, you turned her away last night now she’s cozying up with Kim Sunwoo.’’ Jake regretted it the moment he’d let the words spill from his lips, what was meant to be a secret had spilled from his mouth so easily.

“You’re no better than Choi Yeonjun.’’ Jay sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What do you mean cozying up?’’

“She's not cozying up to anyone, she just stayed with him a couple of days after the recital.’’ Jay tried his best to clarify, but by the look on Sunghoons face he’d only made things worse. Sunghoons jaw clenched and he remained silent, he wasn’t sure how to feel about the sudden revelation that you’d stayed with Sunwoo the exact same night you missed your date with him, but he knew one thing was for certain and that was that he should have never asked you out to begin with.

-

Since a week had gone by and there had been no sign of your mother you’d eventually returned to your own dorm room, you had still been unsure of whether or not you wanted to tell your dad and step mom about your mother showing up to the school. If he’d known that then you’d be forced to pick up and leave once again, and you couldn’t do that to him, you couldn’t do that to yourself.

You had started just finding your happiness again and finally returned to some sense of normalcy, though it wasn’t entirely normal without your daily visits to the Park house. You now constantly sit staring at your phone for hours waiting for a text, a video, or even a call from Sunghoon, despite knowing it wouldn’t happen. Eventually your phone did light up with a ding, making you scramble to go for it and immediately open your messages. Though you were only disappointed as your eyes skimmed through the message from Mrs. Park herself, a message that stated that you had now been let go with no sort of explaination.

When Jurin and Jiaqi found out they’d been pissed. Knowing that the job and your visits with Yoari was something you often looked forward to, knowing that Yoari was someone close to your own heart. They had been so pissed that while you’d locked yourself in your room and cried yourself to sleep they drove all the way to Sunghoons place just to rip him a new one.

By then Sunghoon had already sent Jay and Jake on their way, wanting to be alone with his thoughts that he was currently completely drowning in. He was completely stranded within the forests of his own mind when he made it halfway up the stairs and was forced to walk back down hearing a knock at the door. He assumed that it had been one of the guys coming back for something they’d forgotten and was caught off guard the moment the door swung open and Jiaqi and Jurin stood on the other side.

“We need to talk.’’

“What is there to talk about?” his words earned a scoff from Jurin who’d already been fed up with him before he had even opened the door.

“Don’t play that game with me Park, you really have some fucking nerve. I should have told her keep away from you the moment she mentioned your name.’’

“Funny you had to warn her about me when she’s the one that's full of it.’’

“Oh you are full of shit Park Sunghoon. All you care about is your fucking self.’’

“I only care about myself? That’s rich coming from you two when your friend is the selfish one. lied to me and my sister so she could fuck around with Kim Sunwoo.’’

“Okay what the fuck are you even talking about?’’

“So now you’re acting like you didn’t know?’’

“Okay are you stupid or do you just enjoy pissing women off?’’ Jiaqi finally inserts herself into the conversation earning an annoyed side eye from Sunghoon.

“If you’d answered your fucking phone when we called you’d know we couldn’t even find her because she ran off the night of the recital.”

“What are you talking about she was here.’’

“She came here looking for you. The night of the recital her-” Jiaqi was quick to shake her head in disapproval at her friend's choice in words. As mad as the two of them had been with Sunghoon, it wasn't their place to discuss the events of that night with him.

“None of that matters, we’re here because you’re being fucking selfish. She got fired because of you.’’

“I didn't even tell my mom about the date in the first place, if she’s fired then it's because she lied to Yoari, not once but twice. If neither of you could tell me why the fuck she was at Kim Sunwoos that night then this conversation is over.’’ slamming the door shut he turns around making his way towards the staircase. Yoari came running down almost immediately after.

“Was that her? Did she come back?’’ her eyes lit up thinking that you’d finally come back, being completely unaware that her mother had already fired you. Truth be told, Sunghoon hadn’t known about it either and he wouldn’t have been if it hadn’t been for Jurin and Jiaqi.

“Just Jake and Jay Yoa.’’ As he watched his sister return to her room with a look of disappointment on her face he couldn't help but dwell on that simple detail, why hadn’t his mother told them?

Sunghoon had waited all night for his mother to return home, and eventually she did when the clock struck twelve and Yoari was fast asleep.

“Hey sweetheart, didn’t think you’d be up at this time.’’ she knocks on his bedroom door and enters with a smile.

“Mm just have a lot on my mind.’’

“Oh? Well, let’s talk about it. It’s been a while since you and I had a one on one chat.’’ She responds a little too enthusiastically as she takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Did you fire yn?’’

“Of course not Sweetheart? What would lead you to think that?’’

“Friends from school came over today, friends of the two of us. Said that you’d fired her today because of me?’’

“Well i did tell you that people we think are special to us may not turn out to be what we expect them to be, the girls probably a liar just like her mother.’’

“What?’’

“I said they may not turn out to be-”

“No what you said after that, about her mother.” Sunghoon wasn’t sure how she had known anything about your mother when she knew for a fact you’d said nothing about her to her in particular.

“Well the lying trait and broken promises trait must come from the mother.’’

“No you said it like- like you knew her. Like she was someone you’d known.’’

“Well I mean I did meet with her yes, but I only wanted to get to know the girls parents.’’

“Then why not her father? What do you mean you met with her mother?’’ Sunghoon had gone from slightly annoyed to completely furious in a matter of seconds. He didn't understand what any of this had to do with her firing you.

“Well, I did have someone look into her and I reached out. Apparently she’d been looking for her for quite some time, her and that father of hers. So I told her that she attended Chaconne along with you and your friends.’’

“What the hell does that have to do with you firing her? You know what that doesn’t even matter right now. That’s exactly why you were asking her those questions the night we went to the movies isn’t it, you didn’t give a shit about getting to know her you wanted information.’’

“Hoon, Language.’’

“Do you know anything about her mother? About what she did or how she treated her and her father?’’ at Sunghoons question, his mother immediately fell silent. She didn’t know, she knew absolutely nothing about the woman other than the fact that she had been looking for you.

“I- Sunghoon it’s her mothe-”

“Don’t. that woman single handedly ruined her entire family. Not to mention the amount of times she’d lied and manipulated both yn and her father and you lead her right back to her.’’

“I- I didn’t know that there was anything wrong with-”

“Yeah and you didn't care did you, all you cared about was getting what you wanted out of the situation whatever that had been.” It was then that something had finally seemed to click in his mind, he’d remembered what Jurin had said before Jaqi had stopped her from talking. “If you’d answered your fucking phone when we called you’d know we couldn’t even find her because she ran away the night of the recital.”

“When did you meet with her?” Sunghoon couldn’t even be bothered with the tears that fell down his mothers face, after all she’d done it to herself.

“What-”

“Her mother when did you meet with her mother”

“T-the night of the recital why?’’ Ignoring his mother calling out his name he’d already grabbed his keys and made his way down the stairs. He realized that he’d made a mistake, a big one.

His mother sat silently in the room suddenly drowning in her own guilt. She had let her own envy and pathetic jealousy get in the way and caused an even larger ripple between her and her kids. All because she had felt incompetent and lacking as a mother she’d involved herself in a young girl's life having known nothing about it. She felt ashamed as a mother knowing she’d allow her selfishness to get the best of her. Instead of being the mother figure that her children once knew her ass she’d acted conniving and sneaky.

Sunghoon felt so much guilt pouring in about the night of the recital and everything he said. About ignoring you and not having said anything to you for a week after, if he had just listened to you and everything you had to say he would have known, He would have forgiven you. If he had just picked up his phone when the others called he would have known that you werent okay.

When he finally did arrive at your dorm he found Sunwoo standing outside preparing to knock, he didn’t know how to feel knowing about the two of you having been close but right now wasn’t the time to let his jealousy get the best of him he just needed to talk to you. The door swung open and rather than pay attention to the guy standing in front of you, your eyes had fallen upon him and he froze almost immediately.

“Yn.’’ Before he could even explain himself Jurin immediately cuts him off.

“What the hell is he doing here.’’

“Fuck, Jurin can you not get involved for two seconds I just want to talk to her.’’

“Am I missing something here?’’ Sunwoo questions, getting completely ignored as Sunghoon watches Jurin shake her head at you in disapproval.

“Give us a minute. Please?’’

Jurin sighs, her and Sunwoo stepping inside and closing the door behind them leaving the two of you alone to talk.

“I- I shouldn’t have said what I said that night. I shouldn’t have shut you out or- I just let my emotions get the best of me and I acted like a dick. I should have let you explain…should have let you talk but I didn’t.’’

“You really have a funny way of acting Sunghoon, you make someone feel special to you and then the moment things go south you immediately shut them out if they don’t act how you want.’’

“Fuck, I know I fucked up yn. You just came here, you came in and you changed everything about myself that I thought I knew, everything I was so sure of and when it all came down to it I blamed you when I got vulnerable and my feelings got complicated.’’

“So you tell me I'm like my mother? You know what she did, you know how- you know how hard it was for me.’’

“I didn’t mean it, any of it, I got annoyed, I got upset, my feelings just got the best of me. You know I’d never intentionally hurt you.’’

“No Sunghoon I don’t know because you never talk, you never tell me how you’re feeling, even the night of the recital you just shut me out.’’

“I didn’t know. I didn’t know what happened that night I didn’t know that she- that your mother came back.’’

“What..? Sunghoon….Sunghoon how do you even know that..?’’ You knew for a fact that the only people aside from Sunghoon that knew about your mother were Jiaqi, Jurin and Sunwoo and you were more than sure that none of them would have said a word about what happened that night to anyone else, so how did he know?

“My mom..”

“Your mom, Sunghoon what does your mom have to do with any of this.’’

“She, she found your mom. She told her where you were the day of Yoari’s recital. All of those questions she was asking that night, about you and your parents…she was just trying to get information out of you.’’

“What..?”

“Yn I didn’t– I didn’t know that she had been doing any of it, I only found out today, she didn’t even tell me or Yoari that she had fired you she-”

“I want you to stay away from me Sunghoon.’’

“Yn”

“Whatever your mother was trying to accomplish, whatever she thought she was doing by bringing my mother here, I hope it was worth it for both of you.’’

“Yn I didn’t know-”

“Just go Sunghoon, tell Ari that i’m sorry I disappointed her.’’ He stood watching your back as you made your way back inside, joining Jurin and Sunwoo and leaving him alone.

Chapter 5

When the others found out what Sunghoon’s mother had done no one really knew what to say to you. Sunghoon had stopped hanging around, leaving Jay and Jake to spend most of their time with you and the others. They all refused to bring up the topic, it had been obvious to them for quite some time now that something was going on between you and Sunghoon, and it was obvious that whatever had been going on between the two of you had completely broken you both but no one dared mention it. Jurin and Jiaqi would try their best to get you out of the dorm on the days you had no classes but most days you stayed locked to the confinement of your room wasting away. It got so bad that eventually the girls decided to do the only thing they knew would raise your spirits, even if it meant you possibly getting upset with them for doing something you’d told them absolutely not to do.

A knock at the door stole your attention from your momentary focus on the bedroom ceiling.

“I’m not going Jurin, I told you both just go without me.’’

“Yn, darling open the door.’’ Having suddenly heard your stepmother's voice and shuffling on the other side of the door followed by your fathers voice sent you into a panic.

“Starfish, let us in.’’

As if you couldn’t believe the two of them had actually been here you stumble out of bed and shuffle to the door swinging it open in surprise to see that they actually stood on the other side. For a while you sat in silence while the two of them prepared the food they’d brought along with them knowing you hadn’t eaten much in the past few days as told by the girls. When you all finally sat down and dug in, the two of them remained just as patient as ever waiting for you to finally speak.

“I told them not to call you guys.’’

“Sweetheart, we're your parents, we don’t care how much you think you can carry on your own, you're still our little girl. This isn’t something you should be carrying all on your own.’’

“She showed up here, of all places she showed up here.’’ the two of them make their way over to you, sandwiching you between themselves as they allowed you to get out your tears

“We know.’’

“Y-you know? They told you?’’

“Sunghoon called sweetheart.’’

“What?’’

“He called right after the girls did and said that you needed us. He told us about everything and apologized even though it wasn’t quite his fault. And we met with your mother before coming here.’’ Your step mother reassures you, smoothing out your hair and wiping the dry tears from your cheeks as she and your father spoke.

“She apologized to your father, left him the money she received after selling your old childhood home.’’

“W- when did you?’’

“Before we drove here, Sunghoon and his mother were kind enough to let us talk in their home. listen sweetheart we know that you aren't entirely over what happened then, but she does want to see you, and talk to you. If it’s not something that you’re ready for then we fully understand, but if you think you’re ready then, we’ll be right there with you.’’

You weren’t sure what to think of all of it, so many things had all been thrown at you at once that it all felt surreal. It felt like you were having some outer body experience of a ghost watching the events of her life unfold before her eyes. At first when your parents presented the idea of meeting your mother to you you wanted to completely shut it down and shut her out but then you realized you’d been doing exactly what you had yelled at Sunghoon for doing with you and the others, you had been shutting her out. You and your father had shut her out and sacrificed so much for so long that you’d not even realized you had been neglecting yourself by continuing to run away and avoiding it. You no longer wanted to run, you’d found a place that truly felt like home, amongst a group of people that made you feel loved and accepted for the first time.

You’d taken a long time to think it over eventually deciding that you did want to talk to her, wanted her to know how she scared you back then, how much she’d broken your heart as a child but most of all how hard it was to go through life knowing you’d never had your mother to run to about the things that mattered most in your life. So after having cleaned yourself up and making yourself look presentable you and your parents drove back to the Park residence, the place you’d never thought that you would find yourself stepping into again after the events that had unfolded.

Mrs Park had pulled you aside while Mr. Park and your parents had gone out back to give you some space. The silence between the two of you was absolutely suffocating, you weren’t sure what you were to say to her but thankfully she was the first to speak.

“I wanted to apologize, I crossed a line not only as your boss but as an adult, as the mother of two kids and i’ve never been more ashamed. I realized how close you had been getting with Sunghoon and Yoari, how much she loved you and how further apart I was growing for the post of them and it’s pathetic to say that it made me feel like less of a mother. That was my fault not yours and I shouldn’t have taken that out on you and your family. It’s my fault that they prefer spending time with you since me and their father or never home. You’ve made them both the happiest I've ever seen since you’d started working here and instead of envying that I should have been grateful. I’m dearly sorry yn. I know that an apology cannot make up for any pain i’ve caused but I do hope that you can one day forgive me for involving myself in your family affairs. And if you’d like…only if you want i’d like you to continue teaching Yoari, she really does adore you.’’

You weren’t really sure what to say to her at that moment, she had been right, a simple apology couldn’t make up for years worth of trauma suddenly crashing down on her after two years. As much as she wanted to accept the apology and tell her that she understood she just couldn’t bring herself to speak a single word to her.

“Honey.’’ both your gazes shift to Mr. Park who’d at some point made his way back inside to retrieve his wife.

“She’s here.’’ Once your mom enters the house, joining the three of you in the kitchen Mrs.Parks looks over to you, giving you a nod and an apologetic smile as she goes to join her husband. Your mom didn’t forget to thank the two of them as they went out back to join your parents again.

When your mom finally did look at you she seemed apologetic, conflicted, anxious, but most of all joyful to finally be seeing her little girl. While she inched closer you took two steps back wanting to keep a distance between the two of you.

“You look just like him, your father. You grew up so beautifully.’’ While you remained silent, she took that as an opportunity to continue.

“I remember when you were first born, you looked so much like me but you had your fathers eyes. Everyone used to call you my little mini me.’’ she laughs at the memory, seemingly choking back tears as she watches you yourself force your own tears back.

“Six years, six years of absence. You can’t make up for missing six years of my life with old stories.’’

“Lovebug I was unwell.’’

“No- you don’t get to call me that. You don’t get to miss six years of my life and just come back and be the world's greatest mother. Do you know everything I went through? Everything that dad went through? How many schools I’ve attended or jobs dad had to go through just to keep us out of your mess.’’

“Yn..’’

“I was sixteen, sixteen having to watch dad pick up all the pieces after letting go of the woman he loved. I had to let go of my mother. Do you know how traumatizing it is to watch your own mother completely lose it and refuse help when she spirals out of control? You were supposed to do better. For me. For dad. For yourself.’’ The tears came pouring down your face, betraying your best efforts to force them back.

“Yn I wasn’t well, you know that I wasn’t. It got tiring, dealing with being sick it made me bitter and spiteful. I may have been your mother but I'm also human and I wasn’t perfect, I'm still not. It can be a terrible thing watching the world pass you by when your life is wasting away. Knowing that there are worse people in the world that have all the things they want in the palm of your hands but the good ones have to waste their lives. I became bitter having to spend most of my days inside watching everyone else live their lives not just for them , but for their families. I know that doesn’t make what I put you and your father through any better, but I was clinging on to the last of my sanity in those moments sweetheart.’’

“You were supposed to try harder, for me. It was like I wasn’t important to you.’’ Your mothers heart shattered to pieces watching her only child, her precious daughter break down all because of her own actions.

“Yn you and your father were the most important things in my life, having you was one of my most amazing accomplishments no matter how many milestones in my life that I cross. I loved you and your father more than anything but I needed help, I needed time to get back to a healthy place before I could continue being a wife or a mother. When you and your father left I was alone and lost, It made me fall down an even deeper hole than i’d already been in before losing you and it took years of therapy and getting help to get back to the place I was before I became so bitter.’’

You’d wanted to find some flaw, some lie in the things that she had been saying because everything in you had been screaming not to forgive her. But looking at her and the way she looked at you, the tears that stained her own cheeks you could tell that she was being completely genuine. It was so hard to grab for you, the woman you’d resented yet yearned so much for in your life was standing right before you pouring her heart out after six years. You wanted to let it go, to forgive her and move on with your life as if none of this had ever happened, as if you’d never seen her but you couldn't. As much as you wanted to hold yourself back and hold the grudge against her you couldn’t after all she was your mother. Your mother that had never done anything to harm you or hurt you, your mother that would once sing you to sleep and shower you with kisses when you’d come home from school. Your mother who you knew even then had been growing weaker and weaker when she had first gotten sick, when she’d first started to lose her spark.

When your mom had finally gone it left you with an empty feeling, she was grateful that both you and your dad had given her a chance to apologize face to face, to make up for all the things she’d caused and right her wrongs. But she also knew that if you were fully going to forgive her again, if she wanted to be in your life, she would have to give you time. Having found her way back to you she didn’t care how long it would take or the lengths she’d have to go through for you to need her again.

Once your mom had gone, the adults had finally joined you back in the house. The first thing your father did was press a kiss on your forehead and tell you how proud he was of you for being an adult about the situation. For giving your mom the opportunity to speak and talk to you, and allowing yourself to move on made him realize how much you’d truly grown up.

Having gotten all of your emotions out and partially come to your senses you’d finally realized that the entire time you hadn’t seen Sunghoon nor Yoari come down the stairs at all, not even once. Mrs. Park seemed to have caught you looking around and it wasn’t that hard for you to figure out exactly what you had been looking for.

“He took her to the movies.’’

“H-huh”

“Sunghoon, he took Yoari to the movies. He thought it’d be best to take her out while you and your parents met with your mom.’’

-

Jurin and Jiaqi were startled and confused to say the least as the dorm room door shot open and you came rushing in making a beeline for your door. They’d be even more confused hearing the sound of shuffling and things being thrown around your room until you’d finally come speeding out wearing your outfit and hair from the night of the recital. They were simply left lost as you left them with a simple “i’ll explain later” before rushing to Sunwoos dorm. Sunwoo who had gotten halfway through his bowl of ramen before you came banging on the door asking him to drive you to the theater which he of course did.

Meanwhile Sunghoon couldn’t seem to stop his thoughts from drifting to what could have possibly been going on at home. As much as he wanted to be attentive to the movie that Yoari had seemingly been enjoying, he couldn’t. The only thoughts swarming his head were pertaining to you. Were you okay? Did your parents see you yet? Did you leave after your dad found out about your mom? So many thoughts invading his head that he knew would only remain unanswered.

🏷️ @jwonistic @bubblytaetae @pkjay @heesallure @planetmarlowe @dreeki @butterflywonz @lillotus17 @squiishymeow @river-demon-slayer @sol3chu @st4rryst4r @firstclassjaylee @right-person-wrong-time @riribelle @gaytron3000 @heesunghooney @i03jae @blackhairandbangs @sunooqvrlsx @addictedtohobi @enaile23 @ivyvioletcarson @kristynaaah @starbyeol1512 @tinyteezer @jkslvsnella @brianashiftz @starbyeol1512 @miuwonis @zaycie @hollxe1 @yukiscoffeebreak

[sashaisready]

Feel The Burn: Chapter 9

Lance Tucker x Reader | Destroyer!Chris x Reader

Series Masterlist

Your casual situationship with notorious flirt Lance Tucker comes to a shocking head at a party, fortunately the mysterious stranger you meet that same night is more than happy to help take your mind off it.

Wordcount: approx. 3.3k

(Warnings: panic attacks, some questionable use of physics - hey, fic physics work differently, okay?)

Hi! We're back. I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot (despite the fic-physics) and hope you enjoy reading it too! I promise Chris will return in the next chapter As always, engagement with this story means so much. I love reading your comments/reactions! Thankyooo!

“Don’t you fucking dare!” you point at Lance accusingly as Kat echoes a similar sentiment.

He scoffs again, holding his hands up in a defensive stance as he nears, “hey! I’m not the one who-”

“No! Shut up! Shut up! Shut UP!” you rage, your mortification and anger boiling together as you heckle him and try to ward him off, as if stopping him from coming any closer would magically undo what had just happened.

“Why don’t we take a minu-” Kat fruitlessly attempts to intervene.

“Why are you spying on us? Creeping up on us like that?” you spit with rage as you glare at him, attempting to mask your own embarrassment that you didn’t hear him coming. You should’ve been more careful, checking who’s nearby before disclosing such personal things out in the open.

“I wasn’t creeping!” he says with such incredulous disbelief that it would probably be funny if you weren’t utterly seething. “I was literally coming over to say hi and then I heard you drop a bomb. Not my fault that you girls apparently have no sense of your surroundings – zero survival instincts, by the way…” he shrugs nonchalantly.

You huff, your hands clenched into fists as you shove them into the pockets of your hoody. You know that he has a point, but you’re so mortified to have been caught out that you refuse to lose face.

“It wasn’t a bomb,” you whisper through gritted teeth.

Lance chuckles and shakes his head. “No…right. It’s a whole damn arsenal…”

Kat tries to intervene again, but you stop her. She’s got your back, which you value, but you don’t want her to be mixed up with your drama.

“It’s fine, Kat. I can handle this…” 

“You sure?” she asks anxiously as her eyes flit between you and Lance.

You nod and she takes her cue to leave, shooting you a supportive smile before rushing off into the distance to find Matt and his elusive feathered-friend. It’s just you and Lance now, none of the others are in sight.

You turn your attention back to Lance. “Just drop it. That wasn’t meant for your ears, and you know it,” you tell him forcefully, trying to ignore the heat licking at your cheeks. “It was private”.

He exhales a large breath through his nose and smirks, unperturbed by your warnings. “I’m just looking out for you, Cupcake. Can’t believe you’d be with a guy who…”

“Quit it…” you hiss.

“Who’d-”

“STOP!” you slam your hands over your ears, trying to block him out. He feels like a physical manifestation of all your lingering anxieties around what happened with Chris.

“…who would pass out in bed with you!” he spits out quickly before you can silence him again, throwing his arms up in exasperation. “I mean, fuck, what’s up with that guy?”

You just can’t face him. Not about this.

You feel it again. The same way you did at trivia night. You’re very aware of your own heavy breathing, your thudding heartbeat. There’s a thin layer of sweat forming on your hands, the back of your legs. Mostly it’s the urge to disappear, the panic rising, every cell of your body screaming at you to remove yourself. It consumes you quickly, the adrenaline surging. Danger, danger.

You’re sprinting before you even realise your feet are moving. Miraculously faster than you’ve ever been in your life. Going. Going. Move.

There’s no plan, no planned route. You’re directionless as you fling yourself down the path, veering off into the woods. If you can get away for just a moment, just be by yourself to calm down, then you’ll be okay. You’ll have to be.  

You hear Lance shouting behind you and the clomp of shoes hitting the ground, but it sounds faraway. It doesn’t matter right now.

It’s suddenly darker, the density of the forest blocking out much of the daylight. The trees are tall, almost oppressive in their size. It’s still strangely comforting to be amongst them, they’re like a shield, a hiding place. You feel like one of the small animals who live here, finding solace in their protection.

It happens quickly. You should’ve been more careful; the thick roots and solid patches of leaves at your feet should’ve served as a warning. You’re just too single-minded until it’s too late.

The toe of your shoe makes contact with a protruding tree root which briefly traps your foot underneath. You fumble, too fast and too inelegant to stop and correct yourself. You slip with force and suddenly you’re hurtled forward as the air is knocked out of your lungs, your water bottle flying from your hands becoming lost forever. You’re then flipped onto your back, rolling and rolling as your limbs tangle and you no longer know which way is up and which way is down. Your fingers grab at the dirt fruitlessly as you panic, desperately trying to latch onto something to make you stop.

Finally, you slow down, and everything soon stills. You’re laying flat on your back as you blink dumbly up at the sky and the canopy of trees above you and your breathing evens. You groan as a dull ache sets in, and you quickly try out your arms and legs to make sure nothing is broken. Your extremities throb with the effort, but thankfully there doesn’t seem to be any meaningful damage. The thrum in your side warns you to expect some intense bruising, though.

You sit up, still wired from adrenaline but for a different reason now. You curse yourself for your stupidity, for letting your flight or fight impulse almost kill you. And for what? Because you were uncomfortable in a conversation? Idiot.

There will be time for berating yourself later (lots of it!) but for now, you need to get yourself out of there. You look up at your surroundings, working out how to get back to the others. Mercifully your phone was safe in a zipped up pocket, not that it can do much good anyway – you have zero bars. You glance back up as you fully take in where you are.

“Oh, fuck,” you say out loud.

You’ve fallen into a type of ravine, some sort of small clearing at the base of the hill you fell down. As you survey the drop between the hill and the ground, you’re amazed that you’re not more injured. The hill wall back up to the trail is high and steep, not exactly doable for a not-even-novice climber. The sides are relatively flat, there’s not even much that you’d be able to grip to pull yourself up. It’s almost cliff-like in its size. Well, it’s not. But it seems it at least, from this angle.

It’s steep though. As you stare up at the hill, your mind moving a mile a minute trying to work out a strategy, someone calling your name pulls you from your trance.

You see a flash of familiar red. Lance appears a second later, his feet carefully manoeuvring him down as he comes into view through the trees. You breathe out a huge sigh, relieved to have help…but annoyed that it had to be him. He moves his sunglasses up onto his head as he takes in the scene. You steel yourself for his little gags and his mocking smirk, but as he looks down at you…you see an expression on his face you’ve never seen before. His eyes are wide and his skin looks pale, his mouth crumpled as he frantically looks you up and down.

Is he…worried?

“Are you okay??” he shouts down at you, the slightest wobble in his voice. “I saw you fall…I couldn’t, it was fast…”

You nod, groaning at the effort as you get to your feet and brush some of the dirt and twigs off your body and out of your hair. “Yeah…yeah I’m okay. Nothing broken. Just bruised. A little dazed, too”.

“Did you hit your head at all?”

“No. My body took the brunt,” you stretch your arms, grimacing slightly at the ache.

There is a flash of relief in his eyes as he nods.

His face shifts then, he scoffs and shakes his head furiously. “What the hell were you thinking?” he scolds. “Running off like that, into the woods…you could’ve really hurt yourself.”

You roll your eyes, the last thing you need is a lecture right now. “I’m fine…”

“This isn’t a joke! What if you’d hit your head? What if I wasn’t here?” he’s shouting now, his eyes clouded with anger. “You can’t just take off like that. What if you got lost? What if you were badly injured and couldn’t get up, and nobody could find you? Or if an animal smelt blood and-”

You scoff back at him. “If you weren’t here then it wouldn’t have even happened, I only ran because of you!”

“Oh no you don’t…Don’t blame this one on me!” he yells as he points accusatorily, his expression is furious – madder than you’d ever seen him. Even madder than at the party that night. Lance was normally cool, composed – laughing at confrontation rather than giving into aggression. Your eyebrows raise slightly at his outburst.

“You were the one who was uncomfortable and so suddenly became a track star and disappeared into the forest! That was all you, Cupcake!!”

You know he’s right. Your gut churns at the humiliation. The embarrassment of needing to lean on him, of needing him to help you clean up your mess and fix your problem. You don’t need a reprimand from him or anyone, because whatever he’d say to you…you’d already tell yourself a thousand times worse.

“Fine. I’m a fucking idiot, is that what you want me to say?” you shout up at him exasperatedly. “Is that what you want to hear? Fine. I’m a dumbass. Whatever. Nothing I didn’t already know. Now…are you gonna help me, or what?” you fire back, your voice shaky as you feel tears prick at your eyes.

He softens, exhaling as he runs his hand over his gelled quiff. You see him take a breath as he rubs his eyes. He looks around at the woods, then down at you, slipping off his backpack and his Ray-Bans and placing them in a neat pile on the ground.

You stare back at him, puzzled. “Lance, what are you-”

He doesn’t respond. He just casually unzips his jacket and takes it off, tossing it over one shoulder. You make a point not to look at his perfectly toned arms in the white t-shirt he wears underneath. He steps forward and your realisation of what he plans to do kicks in.

“Hey…Tuck…wait, you don’t have to do this. You don’t…what if you-”

But it falls on deaf ears. He continues to walk, and then suddenly he’s jumping down the side of hill. He leaps from the edge and lands heavily but elegantly onto the forest floor in a squat position to absorb the impact, effortlessly pulling himself back up onto his feet. A world away from how you got here.

Your jaw is agape as you look at him, then back up at the height he just jumped from. He made it look like it was nothing.

“But now you’re stuck, too,” you whisper.

He doesn’t seem to hear that, or ignores it if he did, just extending his hand out to you. You take it hesitantly and he leads you gently to the underside of the hill. He stares up at it thoughtfully, angling his head as he ponders the sight in front of him. It feels strange to be holding his hand once again. It’s been a while since you’d done that. And you’re not sure you ever did it beyond the door of the bedroom.

“I’m not stuck,” he eventually mutters as he pulls his jacket from his shoulder with his free hand, his eyes on the ridge in front of him. “And you’re not a fucking idiot. Never say that again. Never think that again. Contrary to what might you think of me, I never want to hear that, even if I’m right about something. Which I am about this.”. He speaks authoritatively, no-nonsense but not unkind, how you imagine he must speak to his students.

You just nod silently, watching him with a confused awe as he lets go of you and takes a jacket sleeve in each of his hands. He shakes the garment out a little before throwing it up into the air, still holding onto the edges. It catches on a loose root a few feet above, and he wriggles it, as if testing something. It stays looped over.

He releases one hand and pats his back. “Okay. Jump on,” he orders.

You laugh, assuming this is one of his jokes.

He looks back over his shoulder at you, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Oh…” you utter. “Wait, you’re serious?”

He nods as if that is obvious. “Sure. Let’s go. Piggyback o’clock”.

“Lance…I can’t, you can’t carry me all the way up there…” you babble in disbelief.

“Don’t tell me what I can or can’t do. You have any idea how much I can bench press?” he jeers. “Get over yourself”.

“You’re gonna mess up your back! Just go up yourself and get help. The park ranger staff or something. I can wait here…”

“No”.

“Yes!”

“Cupcake…”

“Tuck!”

“Jesus Christ, get your ass up on my fuckin’ back right now or I’ll drag you up there if I have to!” he spits.

“No!”

You fold your arms defiantly and take a step away from him.

He pauses for a second and you think he might be finally listening to you…before he reaches out and grabs your arm, pulling you towards him and lugging you over his shoulder so you’re dangling upside down.

“For fuck’s sake!” you squeal, “alright, alright you fucking lunatic…FINE! Don’t manhandle me, alright?”

Seemingly satisfied, he nods and gently places you back on the ground. He pats his back again, gesturing you to hop up.

You roll your eyes but obey, placing your hands on his shoulders as you pull yourself up onto his back. You wrap your legs around his waist and sigh.

“You comfy back there?” he peers back almost mockingly.

“No”.

“Good. Now, hold on real tight. I’m not doing this twice if you fall off”.

You stay quiet, sitting in your stubbornness like a naughty kid. You’re so close to him you can smell his cologne, the product in his hair. Your nose could burrow into his neck. You look away, keeping your eyes up on the hill.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he says suddenly out of the blue. “I was just…worried about you. I saw you fall. I was just…scared I guess…scared that you wouldn’t be okay.”

You ignore the lump in your throat, ignore the jarring shift in his tone.

“It’s fine,” you mumble quietly. “I’m sorry I didn’t seem very grateful you came to help…I was just stressed. And maybe also scared”.

He nods. “And look, about Chris…”

You cringe. “Can we not talk about it right now, please? Or maybe ever? Just especially not when you’re wearing me like a backpack. One thing at a time…”

He doesn’t seem satisfied, but he nods regardless. You have a feeling this won’t be the last you hear of it.

You hold him tightly as he begins to move. The forced proximity is strange. A few months ago, this would’ve been comfortable, an extension of the many ways you used to touch one another. Now it’s strange, foreign. You barely shake hands these days and now you’re clinging onto him like a koala, your arms wrapped around his shoulders, your legs coiled over his waist. It’s somehow simultaneously intimate yet sterile, as if your bodies don’t quite know how to be together – despite the fact that you used to slot together like puzzle pieces.

It’s impressive to watch him though, you can’t deny it. He uses the jacket to help him vault the two of you upwards, throwing it over roots and rocks to steady himself as he climbs, his feet kicking footholds into the dirt as he goes. He goes slowly, a little bit at a time. No need to rush. You marvel in silence as he steadily lifts the two of you closer and closer to the top. You can hear the labour in his breathing, feel the slight tremor in his arms, but he doesn’t complain – doesn’t stop.

“You’re doing great,” you whisper, your mouth by his ear. It seems like the least you can do, offer support and spur him on. You don’t know how else to help. But you feel like you need to do something. It’s your fault he’s doing this, after all. You try not to show him how nervous you are, how you know it would all be over if he slips, but he can probably feel your thundering heartbeat on his shoulder blade anyway.

At one point he loses his footing slightly and you gasp as he stumbles. He quickly regains himself and you find yourself clinging to him even tighter, your fingers like metal as they grip and dig into his flesh.

“It’s okay,” he cooes quietly between heavy breaths, “we’re okay”.

You exhale a breath you didn’t know you were holding, and your fingers ease up on their assault. You apologise for most likely leaving a mark.

With a final push he eventually gets to the top, grunting as he pulls his torso over the edge. You roll off him as quickly as you can onto the ledge, grabbing his arms and helping to tug him over to safety. He’s exhausted, his face crimson, his shirt drenched with sweat. He lays there for a moment panting, your guilt floods you. You grab his backpack from the pile with his sunglasses and quickly unzip it to give him his water bottle. He guzzles it greedily as you flop backwards, relief flowing through you as you look over the road to the trail. You’re safe, even if your heart is beating a mile a minute.

He saved you.

“Lance…thank-you. You didn’t have to do that,” you crawl over and sit next to him. “You should’ve just called the ranger…”

“What…? It was…nothing. Don’t be…so…dram…atic…” he dismisses croakily, each word a monumental effort.

“Are you okay? That was…a lot…I mean, is your back…?” you ask anxiously. You’d never forgive yourself if you caused him an injury that stopped him working and doing what he loves.

“I’ll…be fine…” he waves a hand flippantly.

It feels like you should stop interrogating him with questions when talking is such an exertion for him now, so you stay quiet.

Your eyes are drawn to red again and you realise his Team USA jacket is still laying at the edge of the hill. You pick it up and nearly gasp, it’s battered and torn, the combined weight of you both evident in the frayed stitches and the rips in the fabric. The once bright white details are stained brown from the dirt, husks of dead leaves embedded in the fibres. It’s ruined beyond repair.

“Lance, your jacket…I’m sorry…I know you loved it…”

He glances up at the trashed jacket and shrugs, the Lance Tucker smirk threatens at the side of his mouth.

“Baby…don’t worry, I’ve got twenty more of ‘em hung up in my closet”.

To your surprise, you laugh. It falls out of your mouth on its own volition.

And he laughs.

And suddenly you’re both hysterical, a much-needed catharsis after your treacherous climb. Your eyes are streaming, your sides aching from something over than the bruises. You don’t think about the fact you potentially nearly died, twice, or what Lance knows about Chris, or the fighting. You just laugh.

And laugh.

🥇

[itsnesss]

Hii I have a request for sensei wolf. So at the beginning of season 6 pt 2, johnny (readers dad) and wolf are arguing over that piece of steak in the show, and the reader comes up and stops johnny from doing something stupid, and eventually the reader and wolf like sit down for dinner and start talking about different things and like at the end could u possibly do like wolf and reader kissing and johnny ends up seeing it? Sorry if it's so detailed but I appreciate it!

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐤 | sensei wolf × fem!reader

summary | johnny and wolf argue over steak, and you step in to stop the fight. later, you and wolf share a kiss, but johnny catches you

warnings | lawrence!reader, tension, arguing, mild violence (verbal), kissing, family conflict

wordcount | 1.0 k

author's note | it would help me a lot if you liked, commented and reposted so that more people read what I write and don't forget to follow me, thanks ᡣ𐭩

The noise in the hotel buffet surrounds you as you walk between tables, looking for something to eat. The atmosphere is full of voices, laughter, and clinking dishes. You stop when you see that your father, Johnny, is arguing with a man who looks just as tall as he is imposing. It’s easy to tell that something is about to explode.

Your eyes focus on the center of the argument. The last two pieces of steak are on the man’s plate, which he holds with a confident attitude. Johnny, with his usual defiant posture, points at the pieces of meat.

"Hey, buddy! One per customer!" Johnny shouts, crossing his arms while glaring at the scene.

The man turns around with a calm smile, showing no discomfort. "Excuse me?" he responds, as if he doesn't understand the problem.

"You took the last two steaks," Johnny says in a rougher voice than usual, stepping dangerously closer to him.

The man, despite the tense situation, responds without losing his composure. "I’m bringing one to a friend," he explains, moving the plate a little toward his side. "And if not, I have the right to take as many as I want."

Johnny isn’t willing to back down. "Oh yeah? And I have the right to stop you," he responds, his tone making it clear that he won’t back off easily.

The situation is about to escalate into a fight. The air tenses, and everything around you seems to fade as you watch your father, as stubborn as ever, challenge a man who clearly isn’t afraid to face him. You know that if you don’t do something, things could spiral out of control.

You step toward them, taking a deep breath, looking for a way to calm the situation before it gets out of hand. When you get close to your father, you place a hand on his arm, gently pushing him back.

"Johnny, stop," you say, your voice firm but calm. You don’t want things to get out of control.

Johnny looks at you in surprise, almost not understanding what just happened. "What’s the problem? It’s just meat!" he responds, but his hard gaze is still fixed on the man, who is now paying attention to you.

"It’s not worth it," you insist, keeping your tone controlled. "This isn’t the time for this."

Your father grumbles, but finally, it seems like he decides to relent. He takes a step back, still visibly annoyed, but says nothing more. The tension in the air begins to ease, but you still don’t know if the situation is truly resolved.

The man looks at you for a moment, evaluating the situation. His expression is calm, almost as if he hasn’t been disturbed in the slightest. He turns to you with a slight smile. "I apologize for the confusion," he says in a relaxed tone. "I didn’t mean to cause any trouble."

You feel a bit relieved, but also intrigued by the calm that emanates from him. "It’s fine," you respond, smiling slightly. "Johnny can be a bit… protective sometimes."

Wolf, as you later learn his name to be, laughs softly. "I’ve noticed," he says. "I don’t think I’m his favorite person right now."

The conversation shifts to more neutral topics. As Johnny walks away reluctantly, you stay with Wolf, who now watches you with a gentler expression now that the confrontation is over. There’s something about his demeanor that is intriguing, something about his calm that makes you feel a sort of curiosity.

You both decide to sit down at a nearby table. At first, the topic remains trivial, like the upcoming tournament and tensions between dojos, but soon, the conversation becomes more personal. You talk about life, goals, and the little moments that define people. Even though you don’t know each other, somehow everything feels very natural.

Wolf has that carefree attitude, but there’s an intensity in his words that you can’t ignore. It’s as if, in his presence, every conversation feels deeper, more real. You find yourself at ease, relaxed, and without realizing it, hours go by.

Little by little, the words grow closer. The distance between you two diminishes without you noticing. The conversation softens, and the connection feels almost imperceptible, yet palpable. And yet, there’s something more in the air. A change you can’t identify right away.

At some point, after a long conversation about various topics, you realize just how close you are to him. You both share a glance, and it’s as if everything around you disappears. The soft music, the voices in the distance, everything seems to fade. And in that moment, Wolf leans in toward you, and without warning, his lips meet yours in a kiss.

It’s brief, unexpected, but intense. A spark jumps between you two, one you didn’t know existed but now seems to consume everything around you. When you part, the air feels heavy, charged with a new tension, one that makes you wonder what just happened.

Before you can react fully, you hear a familiar voice.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

You turn quickly, and there’s Johnny, standing at the door of the buffet, his eyes wide as saucers, completely stunned. His surprise is evident, and his face reflects a mixture of fury and confusion.

"Johnny…" you murmur, your voice nervous, not knowing what to say. The weight in your chest grows as discomfort takes over you.

Wolf, without losing his calm, slowly leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. "It’s not what it looks like," he says in a quiet tone, almost teasingly, as if this whole thing is just a game.

Johnny takes a step forward, his face turning red with anger. "What do you mean, it’s not what it looks like? You’re kissing my daughter!" His voice rises, and you know that right now, things are getting much more complicated.

You try to step toward Johnny, but the weight of the situation holds you back. "Johnny, calm down," you say, even though you know it won’t be easy. "It’s not what you think."

[fivewantscoffee]

Unpopular opinion: There's absolutely no way Five didn't love Grace. Look at his face when he's forced to hurt her in s3. He looks so tired and pained. Before he snaps her neck, he stops for second and tells her "nothing personal". She was his mother, and one of the first times he saw her after 45 years he was forced to kill her.

I think some in the fandom have mistaken the lack of Grace and Five content as a lack of love between them. Of course he loved her! She raised him and his beloved siblings since they were babies. They all call her 'mom' so why should Five be any exception? Finding your blog has been amazing, love to see someone who gets it.

Aaa, thank you for your kind words!!

I didn't actually know this was an unpopular opinion. It's so obvious to me that Five loves Grace.

How couldn't he? She was likely one of the only comforts of his childhood. It's not so far fetched to think that he would grow attached even if, as a kid, I believe he wouldn't want to acknowledge or admit it.

Then the apocalypse happens... and well... it's too late to tell Grace he loves her now. Too late to wish that he'd been nicer to her, been a better son.

... Because so what if she loves him because she was programmed to?

She's still the person who raised him, who took care of him after missions, who nursed him back to health when he was sick. She cared about him, more than Reginald ever did, so what does it matter if she's made of metal and wiring, instead of flesh and blood? What difference is there, if the outcome is the same?

Maybe it's something he'd only admit to himself in the apocalypse, after losing her forces him to face it, but it's still real.

I think maybe because Five keeps his feelings close to his chest, (and because he's bad at expressing them), he can be brusque and come off as uncaring, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care. If there's one thing we know for sure about Five, it's that he loves his family. Stopping the apocalypse was never about saving the world. It was, and always has been, about saving his family.

He's just bad at expressing his feelings/how much he cares in words. Then again, between growing up at the Academy and spending the next 45 years in complete isolation, is it really a wonder? It might be a minor miracle he isn't worse at socialising, actually...

Anyway, just because Five doesn't say he loves Grace doesn't mean he doesn't imo.

[leet911]

Us the series still has 2 episodes left to prove me wrong, but I'm willing to go out on a limb here and say that I don't think Us is a romantic drama. It's a family drama that happens to feature a wlw couple as the main characters.

I have seen posts praising the pure trusting love that Pam/Rak have. And other posts saying that nothing ever happens in their relationship, and all the big revelations that should be dramatic end up being nothing because they don't end in big outbursts or meaningful consequences. I don't think either of those perspectives are wrong, I just think they are approaching the show from different directions.

My theory is that the core plot of Us is the family drama. What Rak & Kawi have going on in their immediate family with their parents, and then extended to the half-siblings — most prominently featuring Nene of course — that's the actual story. The love story between Pam and Rak is incidental to that. And I think they're cute together too, but this explains why the heavily marketed plot points (e.g. "I'm in love with my brother's girlfriend") turn out to not be that impactful to the story. This isn't a show about Pam & Rak's relationship at the end of the day. It's a show about Rak's family, and maybe Pam becomes part of that, and Pam has her own family issues to deal with (and what family means to her). But again, a show about family that happens to include a wlw main couple.

If you're looking for classic romantic drama, I think this show isn't it. And there's nothing wrong with that. People are allowed to like different things.

I feel I get asked for GL recommendations sometimes (even if I don't consider myself an expert, or even particularly well versed), and one of the most common requests are for series "with plot". And I think the truth is, you have to be able to define what "plot" means to you. I would argue that Us "has plot", in the sense that Pam & Rak's relationship is not the focus, the family drama is, but the question is whether or not you want to watch a family drama? As far as romantic stakes go, from the very first episode of Us, it's clear Pam/Rak are in love and there are the barest of excuses to keep them apart. I'm enjoying Us regardless.

In contrast, the other series that comes to mind when people think about "plot" is Petrichor. But that one is arguably a cop show about a serial killer, and even if it features a wlw couple also, I'm not interested in serial killer shows anymore. So I enjoyed Petrichor far less. But that's just me.

I guess what I'm saying is to stop putting so much stock in other people's opinions. Other people (even GL fans) can like or dislike different things from you. The only way to know if you like a show is to watch it. The gif sets lie, no matter how pretty they are, those are cherry picked moments. Trailers lie. They are also cherry picked. And in my experience, translated synopses for Asian series (especially niche ones, such as wlw stuff tends to be) are just terrible at giving you any indication of what a show is actually about. So take a chance and watch a show, figure out what you like.

I don't care if people don't like the same things that I do. I'm just going to yell about blorbo from my shows on tumblr.com regardless.

[lightlycareless]

I was thinking about what would happen if like Y/N or Naoya somehow turned into like a younger version of themself for a day and the other has to look after them. I think it’d be especially cute if the younger version only had memories up to that age. Like all I can imagine is little Naoya all shy with grown Y/N not realizing that’s his future wife or maybe little Y/N feeling a little intimidated by adult Naoya or maybe even overwhelmed since he probably dotes on her too much lol

UHHHH THIS IS SO CUTE????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Also, I had to rewrite this various times because I wasn't sure how to begin!! Like I had the idea, but I just couldn't translate it into words; but, here it is! Which I hope will be to your enjoyment :>

Warnings: fluff. you and naoya turn into kids but in different occasions. who knows if they happened in the same timeline lol. there's also references to other works which I will link once I update the masterlist. :') but you're always welcomed to search in my prompts tag.

Happy reading!

On one hand, we have a young Naoya that at first, doesn’t believe there’s a girl like you walking around the estate. And secondly, that the two eventually marry… in the future? Your relationship is somewhat explained to him; whatever he could understand it anyways…

But it still doesn’t make it any better.

It’s just—impossible! There’s no way he’d ever be with a girl that… that is so rude like you! Improper of the Zen’in standard!

Yet, makes him feel all warm up inside whenever you prepare his favorite miso soup, make sure that he’s well-dressed if the weather is too cold…or checking up on him between your duties, simply to see if he’s alright, if he’s getting adjusted to this temporary situation while reassuring him a solution will be found.

Something that was unusually done, without an ulterior motive, that is. Which instinctively draws him closer and closer to you.

And that’s without even considering your affinity for the same hobbies as him! Like watching anime, reading manga… Naoya couldn’t keep to himself anymore, he needed to know more of his supposed wife.

“How do you know all that?!” He exclaims, surprised by your vast knowledge in all his favorite series.

“Well, I had someone to guide me. An excellent teacher, actually.”

“Really?! Who???” Naoya breathes, growingly slightly jealous at the notion of someone else gaining your attention—guess that has always been the same.

“It’s you, silly.” You giggle, gently patting his head and making him blush. “You’re very passionate about these things whenever talking about them, how could I just ignore you?”

If the previous situations weren’t enough to warrant his complete devotion, this was. Because from that point forward he begins to follow you everywhere, but no longer with the intention of scrutinizing you—no; or learn more about the future the two shared, but rather, with the desire to impress you!

Naoya needed to hear more of lovely laughter, your warm compliments, and your bright grin whenever bringing you gifts—like those flowers he somehow knew were your favorite though you never told him (not in this age), but yet made sense for a pretty girl like you.

“I’m also a really good sorcerer, you know? I can protect you if you’re ever in danger!” Naoya proudly states, unwittingly making you laugh. “It’s true! There’s no one stronger than me!”

“Oh, I know you’re the strongest.”

“…And the most handsome one too.” He quietly adds, you smile.

“Perhaps, but you’re undoubtedly cute right now.” You then pinch his cheek, flaring his face even further before giving you a dejected pout, in disagreement of your words. “Ah, there’s no need to get upset—being cute is just as good!”

“No, as the great heir of the Zen’in I can’t be cute, I have to be handsome!” he protests. “Heir’s have to be strong and intimidating, command fear with every step I take!”

“And you’ll do just that, in due time. There’s no rush to get there.” You explain, shuffling the top of his hair. “Everybody is doing their best to get a solution for your situation, so why don’t you enjoy being a kid again? Not everyone gets a second chance like this one.”

“Because I don’t want to, I want—” he suddenly goes quiet, as if slowly accepting his face. Or perhaps still making amends with it.

“What is it?” you worriedly ask, leaning closer to him. “Is everything alright?”

“…Will you wait for me, then?” Naoya says, making you blink. “To when I grow up and become stronger, capable of protecting you and making you happy?”

You’re taken aback by his sudden declaration, a striking contrast from the unwittingly arrogant child that never missed a chance to show off and impress you… now doubting his own capabilities.

But you could see it in his eyes, even then, what you always suspected of him became true: Naoya longed to love, and to be loved. To feel important, cherished. That his life was more than just fulfilling his family’s expectations and obtaining power.

He wished to be part of something greater, and that proved to be a family with you.

A part of you aches knowing that, if you hadn’t met him, his destiny would’ve been vastly different. Stings understanding his childhood had been nothing short of lonely.

But what you weren’t able to do then, you’re capable of now. Given a chance to mend those pains, give him a sample of what’s to come…

Reassuring him that life indeed, gets better.

“Yeah, I’ll wait for you. So, do your best until you become just that!” you cheer, offering him your pinky finger as the definitive sign of dedication, which he intertwines with his own soon after. “But don’t keep me waiting too long, we still have lots of things to do together once you’re grown up, ok?”

“I promise!”

When Naoya eventually returns to his normal self, you expected everything to go right back to how it was. But much to your shock, he’s unusually… shyer. As if ashamed that you got to see the only part he wished to keep a secret from you.

Yet, his actions would soon disprove your assumptions, revealing that the truth behind his demure actions were nothing less that appreciation, gratefulness at your unwavering commitment to take care of him, even when he was nothing less than a wimpy child—a stage in his life only God knows how much he needed that. To be cherished.

Makes him realize how truly blessed he is to have met you, and share his existence with yours.

Even on his last day on earth, he’ll never forget that.

You, on the other hand, are the complete opposite—at least in the very beginning.

When Naoya was nothing short of a reserved, shy piece of work, you went ahead and portrayed a striking contrast: enthusiastic to know all about this cool, somewhat handsome man that diligent took care of you.

Sure, you were a bit confused (frightened) as to why you were surrounded by people you didn’t know since you essentially lived at the Zen’in estate by that point, but after managing to calm you down by the presence of your family and a quick rundown of what happened to you, you were nothing but glued to Naoya, always excited to know what he’ll do that day, what cool technique he’ll perform during training…

Or, of course, what sweets he’ll bring for you to taste. Mochi are your all-time favorite hands down, but you’re always open for other suggestions.

“Do you like these?” Naoya would ask even though the answer was quite obvious in the way you gobbled all the treats one after another, yet he still wished to know.

“Yes! I love them!” you nod fervently, grabbing another sweet, unwrapping it, and moving it into your mouth. “They’re my favorite!”

“More than taro mochi?” He teases.

“No, that’s impossible. Taro is the best flavor in the whole world. Maybe Ube too.” You state confidently, in such adorable way he couldn’t help himself from laughing. And naturally, making you blush. “What…?”

“Nothing, guess it’s good to know that you’ve always been this way.”  Naoya admits.

“How?” you ask back, tilting your head.

“Like… you.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“It’s perfect.” He smiles before winking. “But I’m sure you already knew that, little princess.”

“N—no…” you quietly answer, looking away in hopes of calming your thundering heart, but of course, that would prove impossible for the following days because as soon as he uttered those words, they were imprinted into your mind… leading you astray.

From a giddy, playful girl, you soon turned into a blushing mess whenever he was around, now quietly admiring him from afar instead of eagerly approaching as you always did. As if you’ve grown self-concious…

And this sudden change obviously caused Naoya to worry; fretting if perhaps he had done something to bother you, if not worse…

But all those worries disappeared the moment you finally gathered all the courage to ask him what has kept your thoughts busy these past few days: about the relationship you two seemed to have beforehand.

Eyes glistening with curiosity as you eagerly awaited his response, revealing to him the hopeless in love child he always suspected you to be, far beyond the Gengar-loving, mochi enthusiast everyone knew.

“How did we meet?”

“At school, Jujutsu High.”

“What did you think of me?”

“That you were pretty.”

“And what did I think of you?”

“…That I was bold.”

“Did you like me??”

“Of course, I still do.”

“Did I like you too?”

“Not at fir—yes.”

“How did you ask me to be your girlfriend?! Oh, did you bring me flowers and chocolates?!”

“Actually, it was you who asked me to be your boyfriend.”

“Huh??? I thought you were supposed to do that!”

And Naoya wanted to, but your eagerness and fear of losing him made you move first. Now that he reflects on it, it’s quite endearing.

“It’s a moment I hold dear to my heart.” He confesses. “And I know you did too.”

You blush.

“…And where did we go for our first date? Was it Disneyland?!”

“Not quite, we went to the mall first.” Or technically, the fair. You frown.

“What?” He chuckles. “It was a nice date.”

“I always wanted my first date to be at Disney…”

“I did take you for Valentine’s day, though.” Naoya says, fondly recalling the way you… appeared to have fainted at his revelation. Luckily, you remained conscious throughout your whole visit at the park to make it memorable. “And we’ve gone many times after, too. I always took you whenever you wanted.”

“Really?” you breathe, stars in your eyes. “Did you really do that for me?”

Oh, if you only knew how far he’d go for you.

“I even bought you that giant Gengar you’ve always wanted. Got you all the gaming consoles you can think of, with the newest videogames too.” He goes on, each and every word making your smile wider and wider. “And naturally, all the sweets you can eat. But not too many, or it’ll be bad for you. I’d say there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

Yet, when he expected another question to follow suit, just as you’ve bombarded him these past few minutes, he’s welcomed by silence. A prominent saddened pout on your face as you seem to be… disappointed by his words. Or maybe the limits he’s had to place to your sugary addiction?

“Now, Y/N; it’s necessary for your health—”

“No, it’s not that.” You interrupt, shaking your head, before going eerily quiet yet again.

“Is everything alright, Y/N?” Naoya asks, worried at this point. “Does something hurt?”

“…I don’t want to be like this anymore.” You eventually confess, revealing the tears beginning to form at the corners of your eyes; it’s a sight that has his breath hitching to his throat, tightening his heart.

“Y/N—”

 “I want to grow up!”

“You will, we’re already looking into it, remember? There’s no need to stress about it.” Naoya attempts to reassure you, carefully wiping away the tears in your eyes that simply keep on flowing. “Just hang on for a little longer, I promise this will be over sooner than you expect.”

“But—but what if it doesn’t? What if I stay like this forever?!” you sob, causing something in Naoya’s heart to tighten. “I won’t be able to live all those pretty things again!!”

“Then I’ll just have to find whoever did this to you and turn into a kid myself.” His sudden words earn him a quizzical look from you, which he presses on with a smile. “That way we can experience all those things together again, like it was the first time.”

“Na—Naoya…”

“I promised we’d always be together, through thick and thin. Even if we turn into kids, or 100 years old.” Naoya continues. “So don’t cry, little princess. As long as you have me around, everything will be alright.”

The culprit is soon found after that, and you, with the work of talented sorcerers, return to normal.

However, as in both instances, you kept these new memories as a child—alongside a sentiment of nostalgia that hindered you from doinganything else that wasn’t being close to Naoya.

Such was your determination that it actually pushed you to do one of the things you least enjoyed, which was seeking him when busy, heading straight into the training grounds where you knew him to be at this hour—ignorant of who else was there—to pour your affection in a tight embrace and sweet kiss.

A demonstration that he doesn’t reject, though he is startled by it. Upon noticing your longing, Naoya promptly dismisses the rest of his entourage, before captivating you into his arms and deepening your gesture.

“What is the meaning of this?” He breathes, slightly flustered as he debates whether to lean in for another kiss or let you talk. Naoya choses the latter, he asked for an answer, after all.

“Do I need one?” you respond, a smirk appearing on his lips as you rest your face against his chest, pulling him impossibly closer to you. “…I just wanted to thank you for… taking care of me—No. For everything.”

“It’s my pleasure.” And duty, he once swore. “And I’ll do it again, if you want me to.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.” You give him a breathy laughter, looking up into his eyes. Remaining so, still, attentive to the gaze you fell in love with, before assessing your feelings yet again—your undeniable truth. “I love you.”

And Naoya smiles in response, placing a kiss on your forehead as he gives you the confirmation of what you already knew; for all eternity so.

“I love you too.”

This just made the two fall more in love with the other; also, when your kids eventually come along you can easily say "hey, they act like you!" and Naoya will no longer be able to deny it 🤣

As stated in the beginning, this was very sweet 🥺 Thank you so much for filling my life with a little bit of fluff—it's always necessary during these harsh times. Now I want to write domestic fluff jfc. Look what you have done... lmao 🤣

Anyways, thank you so much for sending me this ask!! I truly enjoyed writing it.

Now, take care and hope to see you soon!!!

[blackcoldcrackedheart]

So Josh and Eddie need to have a talk with Maddie

He had reached his final straw with Maddie when he saw the text message from Maddie.

'What sort of gay guy doesn't like the bachelor???'

Normally he would joke back with Maddie, but he knew the context of what had happened.

Because Buck had told him.

And it was his Josh's final straw with Maddie.

He opened up his contact list and clicked on the call button under the one contact he thought he would never have to talk to again.

"Josh?" Eddie sounded rightfully confused, there was rustling background noises. "Is everything okay?"

Josh sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and readying himself for the most asinine conversation he could ever half. "We need to talk, are you busy?"

Another rustling noise and a soft thud noise like a door was closing. "Yeah," Eddie replied, sounding curious but still worried. "What's up?"

-

The plan was originally that Sophia would be coming back to LA with their abuela since Pepa was recovering from surgery, and between Pepa's daughters and the grandkids. More reinforcement was needed.

But Eddie had been able to cajole his parents into letting him take Sophie's place.

So just a week and a half after his call with Josh. Eddie was back in LA. He hadn't told anyone he would be coming back.

Mainly because he and Josh needed to have a chat with Maddie.

They were outside her house. They knew she was home since Josh had "casually" asked Maddie what her plans were for today via text. Chim was on shift, so Maddie had Jee and the two would be home for most of the late afternoon.

So here they were.

"You ready?" Eddie asked as they walked towards the door.

"Oh, more than ready." Josh answered, his expression and voice steely as he cracked his neck and knuckles.

The door opened, Maddie looking at Josh with a questionable surprise, "Josh?" She saw Eddie right behind him next, "Eddie? What are you doing back in LA?" She opened the door wider for them and let them in, looking excited as she hugged Eddie. "Does Buck know you're back? Did he forget you were coming back today or something?" She asked with a wry grin; she led the men to the kitchen.

"No." Eddie shoved his hands in pockets, he didn't want to beat around the bush for this talk. "I didn't tell anyone I was coming back because I wasn’t planning on coming back."

Maddie frowned, "Okaaaay." She said slowly as she got out a pitcher of iced tea and glass cups, "Did you just get urge to come back because you missed Buck?" She teased, her eyes lightning up with something that Eddie assumed was joy or hope.

He couldn't help but make a face

He looked at Josh.

"That’s what we want to talk about with you." Josh started, "Maddie, you know that I adore you, but you've got to stop being so damn homophobic about Buck and Tommy."

Maddie flinched back, shaking her head as though she misheard Josh. "Excuse me?"

Josh took a deep breath in and out, "Ever since Buck started dating Tommy, you've been weird about them. About Buck. Even after they broke up, you've been. I don't know, flippant?" He crossed his arms, "At first I thought, she's Buck big sister, she's just being overprotective but the more I heard from Buck and heard you talking about him and Tommy and him and Eddie, the more I realized: you never took Buck's relationship with Tommy seriously."

Maddie’s jaw dropped at that. Clearly annoyed, she snapped back. "Can you blame me?"

That had Josh and Eddie looking at her in a new light.

Maddie instantly recoiled at her tone and their expression. "I-I didn't mean it like that." She gestured between Josh and herself. "Clearly!"

Josh raised a brow, shifting his stance back and forth. He couldn't help but be taken back and hurt by that. He didn't care that his tone came out colder than expected, "Could have fooled me."

Maddie pouted, her shoulders slumping as she tried to reason that, "It's just- it was so random for him to be with Tommy. Like yeah, sure, they were cute and all that, but I thought he would realize that maybe he picked the wrong guy and realize the guy that he really was…." She gestured her head towards Eddie.

"The straight best friend who has no interest in dating his bi best friend?" Eddie finished her half sentence, looking at her in disbelief. "Maddie, be serious. When have I ever been known to have any romantic feelings for Buck or any guy for that matter?"

"Maybe not any guy, but for Buck? Come on, you made him your son's guardian for God's sakes. Who would make their "best friend" their kid's guardian if they didn't have romantic feelings for them?"

Josh pointed at her, "Your husband made Hen the guardian for your kids."

Maddie faltered at that, "We picked Hen and Karen, that's different."

Josh rolled his eyes, "You might have picked Hen and Karen, but Chimney picked Hen. That's how he started that conversation, and I was there for it. He thought of his best friend when deciding who to choose to be the guardian of his child. It happens."

Eddie raised his brows at that, nodding in agreement.

"But you two are always together. I mean, he even cooks dinner for you and Chris." She paused for dramatics as she pointed at Eddie, "And he's dropped literally everything to go babysit for you."

Eddie sighed into his hands, "Buck and I spend as much time together as Chimney and Hen do. We're best friends. The man will cook for anyone too if he's asked. Also, yes. I go to him for help when I need to have someone babysit Christopher and most times when I ask him it's because I'm on a date with a woman."

"Which has never worked out for you, Eddie. Do you know why that is?" Maddie asked, becoming awfully serious now.

Eddie frowned, crossing his arms now. "Uh, yes. Do you know why that is?"

Maddie licked her lips, standing up straighter and she placed her hands on the counter. "Have you ever heard of repression?"

Josh let out a long loud sigh as he tilted his head back. He pressed at his temples, already feeling the signs of a headache coming on. "Have you ever heard of bullshit?"

That got Eddie to cackle, but Maddie looked insulted. "How do you know he's not repressing his sexuality?"

"Why would I even think that? Because he's struck out with women more times than the Dodgers at a home game?"

"Good one." Eddie complimented him, biting back a smile.

"Screw you, I watch sports too." Josh nearly snarled. "Maddie, he's a straight guy dating in LA. He's not repressing his sexuality, he's just horrible at dating because this city sucks."

Eddie rolled his head back and forth on that, trying to decide if he should take offense.

"His longest relationship since coming to the city has been with Buck." Maddie reasoned, she looked at Eddie, "He's been your constant person since you got here. That means something."

Eddie had never thought that Maddie believed this. Any of it. They hardly talked. And he knew better than to believe that Buck was telling her this stuff.

"You're right." Eddie admitted, feigning defeat. "Buck has been a constant fixture in my life since I came to L.A." He took a step closer to kitchen island. "Do you know why I came to L.A?"

Maddie's hopeful smug expression melted off once she picked up the edge and bitingly condescending tone in Eddie's voice. "No."

"Shannon." Eddie said simply. "Shannon. As in my wife." He waited a bit, needing to calm down. A part of him wanted to believe that Maddie meant well. That she just wanted her brother to be happy.

But in reality, she wasn't. She was doing the complete opposite.

"She was in LA and when the choice came to work in Chicago or LA, I took LA because I wanted to have the chance to work on our relationship. And I know that we were not perfect. Far from it. But she's the woman I will forever be in love with, Maddie. You want to know why none of my other relationships haven't worked? It's not because I'm in love with your brother or because I'm repressing my sexuality." He scoffed, "I never got over losing Shannon. Losing our relationship, losing her did a number on me. I don't know if I ever will ever be over her because I've been mad at her and myself for years now." He hated how he had to open himself up like this in front of Maddie and Josh. He had barely hung out with them before while living in L.A. and now here he was having to expose himself because his best friend's sister didn't understand their friendship. "Buck knows that. He's been the one person who I could tell that too and understand that I will constantly need to work on myself because I'm still dealing with the trauma of losing her."

"But you saw how he took to you leaving. He was hurt!"

Josh snorted, "I don't think he was more or less hurt than when Tommy broke up with him. I still have enough pumpkin loaves in my fridge to feed me for the next two years."

"He was still upset though!"

Eddie tried to bite back his laugh, but he failed. "Yeah, because your brother doesn't like changes. You know that, Maddie. What I know about you two? Neither of you have ever really had a stable life."

"Add to that Buck's boyfriend breaks up with him and then his best friend decides to move to a different state, of course Buck would be upset." Josh added with a pointed glare at Maddie. "Being upset about changes is normal. Being upset that your best friend is leaving, someone who you've known and worked with for years, is completely normal." Josh emphasized.

Maddie rolled her eyes; she dropped her hands to her sides in frustration. "Of course, I know that!" She rubbed her forehead. "It's just…. let’s be honest Eddie. He's taken care of you. He's cooked for you, watched your kid. He's even taken Christopher to the zoo and doctor’s appointments like how many times? You can't deny he's not Christopher's other dad. With all the doting he does for you two, it’s like you three were playing house. Like he was the wife in training." She joked, smiling to herself as she thought back when she saw Buck with Eddie and Christopher.

"Jesus Christ."

"Seriously?"

"Maddie," now Eddie was pissed, "I know that Buck has done those things for me and Christopher. But do not get it twisted; Christopher only had one parent. He has only one dad." Eddie pointed to himself, "Me." He watched her deflate at that, almost looking disappointed that Eddie wasn't agreeing with her ludicrous belief. "Shannon is dead. So, there's no chance of Christopher even getting a step-dad at this point." He told her seriously.

"Also, Buck isn't a woman. He's not going to become Eddie's new wife even if Eddie was queer." Josh pointedly reminded Maddie. He looked hurt now; it was harsh to hear Maddie say such outlandish homophobic thoughts. "Two men can care for each other without it being romantic."

"I know that." Maddie snapped. "But you clearly haven't seen how much Buck misses him." She gestured towards a very tired Eddie. "He's so lonely now."

Josh frowned at her. Not mad, but worried. He leaned over the island, clearly trying to get his bearings together before he spoke. "Maddie, he was lonely before Eddie even mentioned moving. He was lonely because his boyfriend left him." He took his phone out and showed the screen of text messages between him and Buck after Tommy had dumped him. "He was lonely because the one person he wanted to keep left. It had nothing to do with Eddie and it still doesn't. Buck doesn't do well with people leaving."

"Abandonment issues galore." Eddie mumbled under his breath.

"And you think I should support him and Tommy getting back together? After he left Buck like that?"

"Didn't you leave Chimney?" Josh asked, the malice in his voice clear as day.

The kitchen became all too quiet that Eddie swore he could hear a humming bird on the roof. He looked down uncomfortably at the floor. He wanted to slowly back out of the kitchen but opted to take a long sip of his drink.

"How could you say that? I just had Jee, I was going through-"

"Not that time, the other times." Josh corrected, "You left Chimney like three times Maddie, I'm not gonna count when you had postpartum. But you did leave before that and I have to go back to the fact that you and Buck have never had a stable life and now both of you deal with that in different ways. You run."

"And Buck clings." Eddie finished, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he knew that about Buck and Maddie. How Buck would settle if meant never being left alone and how Maddie would run.

"And I get that another big part of that is Doug." Josh added, "But Buck isn't you. And Tommy isn't Doug, or Chimney. If anything, he's you, Maddie."

Maddie scoffed at that, "What are you even-"

"Tommy left, just like you did." Josh clarified, nodding at her direction.

"So, Buck shouldn't be with a runner. Eddie wouldn't ever leave him; he loves Buck like-"

"Maddie." Eddie cut her off sternly, "I did leave Buck." he reminded her, "To Texas, because that's where my son is, that's where I need to be." he explained to her slowly, "And I’ve left Buck before. He and I haven't had a perfect friendship."

"He's also a bad friend." Josh interrupted, shrugging as Eddie gave him a look that clearly translated to "Really?". "But we can talk about that another time." Josh smiled, patting Eddie on the shoulder.

"The point is, I do love Buck- but it's platonic. Brotherly. He's never going to be the person that I will see a future with because despite what you've convinced yourself to think Maddie, I'm not in love with Buck and I'm straight." he let out a chuckle, "Hell, if it wasn't for the fact that Chimney was clearly into you from the start, I would have asked you out when I helped you move into your place."

Maddie was taken aback by that, she shook her head, trying to make sense of the day she and Eddie had met. "Really?"

"Yup."

Josh rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his drink, that would have been one hell of a couple to have dealt with. "Maddie, the point is. Buck is in love with Tommy and Tommy is in love with Buck. They want to be together and yeah, both men have their issues, but they want to be together."

Josh could tell that Maddie was fighting to accept the truth, "But don't you think that Buck should be alone for a while? Make some new friends maybe?"

"Maddie." Josh stressed; it was becoming personal now. "No one wants to be alone. Having friends? That's great. It's needed. But friends have their own lives too. They go home at the end of the day; Buck could make a dozen new friends but he's still going to end up alone at the end of the night." He shook his head in disappointment, finding friends was easy in LA, hooking up? Easier, maybe. Finding a person to have a relationship in any part of the country was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. "What you said about Buck dotting on Eddie? Buck does that a lot; he dots on the people who he loves. He'll show up for them, day or night. We all know that. But Tommy dotes on Buck." He let out a laugh as he remembered when Buck would message him, Hen, and Karen in their group text; how excited he was when Tommy would cook him dinner, or their movie nights together, how he would joke and send them pictures of a random LAFD helicopter in the sky with the following text "My boyfriend is so cool!". "Tommy clearly loves your brother, enough that he wore a suit to bury a corpse, enough that he dropped everything to go to Buck when he was upset about Bobby having a heart attack. Do you not trust that Buck knows what he's doing when he chooses Tommy?" he asked her honestly.

"It's-It's not that. It's just…I don't know. I thought that if he realized he was into men, it would be Eddie that he chose. I just thought Tommy was just, not a serious option when he has had Eddie the whole time by him." Maddie tried to reason, her demeanor cracking at Eddie and Josh's tired and disapproving glances.

Josh shook his head, head running his fingers through his hair. "You definitely shipped Kurt and Finn, didn't you?" he mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

"Never mind." He groaned, "The point is Eddie is not an option."

"And never going to be one, just to make that clear." Eddie added on.

"But doesn't it make sense for Buck to be in love with someone who he's been together and known for years? Rather then just some random guy he met at work?"

"I was a random guy Buck met at work." Eddie pointed out, clearly irritated.

Before Eddie could snap back further, Josh interrupted him. "Maddie, you know who Buck's known longer than Eddie? Has done the same thing for them as he's done for Eddie too? I mean, he's shown up for this person. Baby sat their kids. Saved them countless times at work. Hell, he even made sure that that person had to work Christmas day, that their kid was there at the station so that they could spend Christmas together."

Maddie looked confused, her eyes shifting from Josh to Eddie to Josh again. "You're just describing Eddie and him."

"No." Josh stressed out, "I'm describing Hen and Buck. They’ve known each other longer and Hen has been there for Buck just as much as Buck has been there for her."

"Hen's married though." Maddie reminded him in a sing-along voice.

"And if she wasn't?"

Maddie snorted. "She would still be a lesbian so it wouldn't work, obviously."

"Exactly." Eddie confirmed.

Maddie paused, the reality of the situation hitting her hard as she tried to reason again.

"Maddie," Josh started, pushing his drink aside, "Don't you want Buck to be happy?"

"Of course I do. He's my baby brother."

"And maybe that's really the problem then. He's not a baby, Maddie. He's a 33-year-old man who wants to be with the man he loves and have his sister support."

Maddie threw her hands up in frustration, "Would you take him and Tommy seriously if he was your baby brother? Buck is getting serious with the first guy he dated; he hasn't even explored what's really out there."

Eddie flinched at that; he knew Buck's history. The guy had explored LA quite enough.

"I know the situation is different, but remind me. How many guys did you date before you and Chimney got together?" Josh asked.

Eddie watched Maddie reel at that, her brows furrowing and lips pouted as she replied in a steely voice right back. "That's different."

"It is, but in some ways it's not. I mean, you were with one guy from what you've told me and you went from him to Chimney. You didn't really give your chance to explore LA's dating scene, did you?" Josh asked, "Did you settle for Chimney?"

"No!"

"So why did you pick him as your boyfriend?"

"Because I love him! He's a great guy, you know that! I've never had someone like that for me before. Chimney's been there for me, he's been patient with me. He's the one, why would I have looked for someone else when I wanted him from the start?" Maddie asked, she touched her wedding ring gingerly as she looked at Josh.

"Bingo." he told her gently.

Maddie opened her mouth to say something, her eyes widened as she realized the truth and closed her mouth. She started to rub her belly.

"You know Maddie, for someone who's mentioned how your parents always dismissed or second-guessed Buck's feelings growing up, you're doing a hell of job replicating that." Josh told her, he looked straight at her, his chin held high as if he was daring her to argue back about this. "When was the last time he spoke to them, hmm?" He knew it was a low blow, but he didn’t care. Nor did he care enough or had the patience to wait for her to answer, he knew she wouldn't by the way her eyes were getting glossy and how her cheeks were starting to turn blotchy. He tapped at the counter, fed up and tired with his so-called friend. "Thanks for the drink." Josh turned around and left.

Eddie looked back at Josh's retreating back and then at Maddie, "Call Buck." he told her, he didn't care to wait for a reply from her as followed Josh out of the house.

Josh was already standing by his car, leaning against it and looking pissed still.

Eddie let out a low whistle, "You went for the jugular there."

Josh sighed, "She'll get over it."

Eddie nodded; he shoved his hands into his pockets again, he wasn’t sure what he could say that was supportive enough. "Wanna get a drink?"

"God, yes."

-

Buck and Tommy had hardly been home from their respective shifts for an hour before a knock came from their door.

"You expecting anyone?" Buck asked as he set down his mug of coffee on the living room table.

"No." Tommy stood up and followed Buck to the door, expecting the worst since it was barely 9 am.

"Maddie?" Buck stepped aside as he let her in, "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Maddie waved him off, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Nothing happened, I'm okay, so is the baby and Jee and Chimney." she tried to smile as she rubbed her protruding belly. "I just needed to come over here and apologize."

"Apologize?" Buck echoed, "For what?"

Maddie's mouth twitched down, she looked at Tommy and then at Buck. "I-I haven’t been the most supportive sister. I know that I've been dismissive about you and Tommy, how you feel about him." She clarified. She wiped away a tear, she noticed how uncomfortable Tommy looked and how sullen Buck became.

Maddie felt her heart break as she realized that Josh and Eddie were right.

She was hurting her brother and his boyfriend now.

She wasn't being any better than her parents when it came to how they treated Buck.

"It's not that I don't trust your judgement or ability to make choices, Buck, or even that I don't trust your relationship. I- I just thought that you were just delaying the inevitable while you were dating Tommy, that you were just waiting for Eddie to realize that-"

"You know that's never going to happen, Maddie. Eddie's straight and I have never felt that way for him." Buck cut her off curtly.

"I know, I know." Maddie rushed to answer when she realized Buck was getting annoyed, she saw how Tommy clenching his jaw tightly. "I think I was just trying to make sense of things because this was something I missed. I wasn't there for you for a long time, Buck, and I know that that was my fault, but I thought that for something this big- that you would have told me sooner or I don’t know, I would have seen it sooner. You’re becoming serious over someone, a guy for that matter." She quickly tried to explain herself once she realized Buck was starting to look defensive, "I mean- you have had this life and I don't think I’ve ever forgiven myself or accepted that you had it and made it on your own and now you have this boyfriend now and you're serious about him….I don't know, it's a lot. I just never expected my baby brother to really grow up I guess."

"I haven't been a baby for a long time, Maddie." Buck sniffed, stepping back from her as Tommy stepped closer to him to touch his hips momentarily

"I know. I know." she sniffed and wiped away more tears. "I-that's my fault." she admitted. "I never believed in you and him, and I know I’ve been coming off as…mean." she struggled to look at Tommy fully now, she gulped audibly, "I-I should have taken the time to know you. I should have been supportive from the start, and I wasn't. I didn't want to admit that you make Buck happy. I'm sorry." She looked at Buck again, "I'm so sorry, I want you to be happy. I really do and if Tommy makes you happy, then that's all that matters."

Buck nodded, wiping away his own tears as he took Tommy's hand in his. "You mean that?"

"Yes." Maddie sniffed, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "I love you, Evan. Whatever makes you happy, I'll be better at being supportive, I promise." she stuck out her pinky finger.

Buck let out a tearful laugh, as he pushed her hand aside and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm so sorry, Buck." she repeated, crying into his chest.

"I know. Thank you, Maddie."

She pulled away slightly from Buck and looked at Tommy, "Get in here." she laughed as she pulled Tommy into the hold, getting Tommy to finally smile and Buck to laugh along as well.

Buck was the first to pull away from the group hug. "Hey, do you want some breakfast? It's French toast." he told her, nudging his head in the direction of the living room, where Maddie noticed two plates of half-eaten French toast, eggs, and fruit.

"You made French toast after a shift?" she asked him.

Buck smiled at her and then looked over at a smug looking Tommy. "You think I'm gonna let him cook after a 48? Please." Tommy joked, he pointed to the kitchen, "Want a plate?" He offered.

Maddie nodded, rubbing her belly thoughtfully. "I would love some French toast, Tommy." she followed him into the kitchen, she looked back at Buck who gave her a relieved smile.

"Hey," Buck heard Maddie say to Tommy as they made their way into the kitchen, "Maybe one day I could show you my special occasion meatloaf, it's Buck's favorite dish when he's feeling down."

"I would love that, Maddie."

Buck clutched his heart playfully as he heard his sister and his boyfriend start to talk, he picked up their plates from the living room table and went into the kitchen to join them.

[anotheroceanid]

because you're my writing inspiration, i've decided to pester you with questions about it! >:) if you don't mind ❤️

what's your creative process look like? what normally comes first to you, the idea for a plot, specific moments, vibes/themes, world building, etc.?

what type of character is your favorite to write? what's your favorite relationship dynamic to write?

how do decide a character needs to die? (like a named, known-by-the-audience character, not Red Shirt #3 lol)

favorite type of comment to receive? don't say "any comment" >:) longer, more WTHB-centered questions:

WTHB is shaping up to be a very long story juggling a lot of characters that spans YEARS(i'm obsessed with it—so excited), how do you even begin to break down and organize the story beats for something this big? do you picture it like a series of movies or novels? like tv show episodes? or does it truly just all come together as one massive plot arc in your mind? summing such a large work down into one concise summary sounds daunting

any advice on writing romance? Percy and Apollo have barely appeared together in flashbacks even, most of their love story has been off-screen, but you make them so compelling! i feel their yearning in my soul T-T

i find this question hard to ask for some reason. WTHB!Percy is a mother currently being held hostage, do you ever worry that people will think she's been relegated to a damsel in distress or just "the mom" character?

This will be a long answer but I got soooo excited with this ask

Soooo

1. Yk how people categorise themselves as plotters and pantsers? I think I’m a plantser 😅

Like, my first “inspiration” can be anything (I’ve literally dreamed with things that then became stories), so when I get some idea banging on my head I start to imagine how it’d look like as a story, so I set the tone I want before I write anything.

From then, I start imagining important scenes that will drive the plot. One of the first scenes I imagined for WTHB (once I had defined who the kids would be, because I spent a lot of time making up kid ocs until I ended up with the triplets, with Luke being the only one I was decided from the start) was the boys being taken scene, then Hector meeting Jason, then a few scenes between Annabeth and Milo that didn’t happen yet.

So, like I said, I am a plantser, which means I do plot (a lot) but I still like to keep some things open so I can change if I figure something out while I’m writing.

What I do, I set the main plots and it’s narrators (if there is more than one), since I’m using WTHB as an example, rk we have these

The Greek Arc (Annabeth & Milo)

The Roman Arc (Jason & Hector)

Percy’s Arc

Apollo’s Arc (which is also the god’s arc)

So, these arcs affect each other. What character A does in Place 1 can affect Character B in place 2 and vice versa, so even if these characters aren’t interacting directly, they still cause things to happens in each others lives.

This is relevant because rk almost all characters of WTHB are separated geographically, but their stories are interconnected.

What I like to do, is write each characters arc but using a mind map, so I make a linear mapping using some structure (heroine arc, hero arc, seven plot structure, you can pick whatever you want, I usually use heroine’s arc even for men).

You can use obsidian, miro, or even draw it at hand.

But the mind map give you a visual way to develop your plot, so you can see when each plot point takes place. And the thing is, not always the characters are synchronised, so I organise it in a way that events happening more or less at the same time are aligned, and if some event from A affects B I draw a line connecting them or even explain what happened.

I don’t have my laptop with me rk, but it is more or less like this:

This way, you can figure out the main events of the story without having to write EVERYTHING that will happen. If you need to change something, you know more or less how it’ll affect every characters.

I also make a timeline of events (this because I’m dealing with a lot of worldbuilding, so I better know when things happened even if I’m not using it directly on the story). I also, sometimes, write down some topics like I live in that world and I’m giving myself a class about those events.

Another thing I like to do, is organising the chapters even before I write them. I use scrivener to write, but you can do it on obsidian to (I use scrivener for worldbuilding only). Each character have a different number of chapters, it depends on the arc. Like, Percy and Apollo are the only narrators of their arcs, but both the Greek and Roman arc have two narrators, so the narrators share the amount of chapters.

This is it, then I write. If needed, I go back and re-do something. I’m always re-reading the chapters I already posted, because sometimes I forget a few details.

Sometimes I draw to inspire myself to write, this helps too 😂 and vice versa. I think the hardest part is when you’re dealing with a large geographical space, and your characters are all scattered, specially when they have to move around and you have to make math so it makes sense, specially when it’s not your own country 🤒

2. I like writing the “colateral effect” characters. Like, using WTHB as an example again. I love writing Percy, Apollo, the triplets, ofc I do. I love them. But there’s something so enjoyable about writing Annabeth and Jason because, while they did a not of horrible things, they were thrown in that mess and they’re just dealing with it.

3. 😵😵😵 Okay, harsh. But usually, since I keep going back and forth and imagining different outcomes, so I play with killing characters. Then I consider the impact of their deaths to the other characters and to the story as a whole.

4. As you can see, I love talking. So I loooveee comments I have to answer topic by topic. But I still appreciate all of them, it’s just that I like interacting 😅

5. I kind of answered this one in the first topic, but I make myself a lot of content where I can check my own work. And yeah, I imagine as a show 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️ as a novel 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️ as an animation 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️ as a Bollywood movie 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️ as a broadway musical 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️ as a lot of things.

But nope, even though now I can’t tell the whole arc as block of text if needed, I think that’s counterproductive to me. So I work with mind maps, I use the actual map to have an idea where the characters are and where they’re going, I make sheets sometimes, and ofc, the timeline (I mean, I always say that, but the timeline of the story ain’t linear, so things are happening in different times for different characters, and I need to know 😂)

6. Actually romance is actually hard to me, I just focus in creating a meaningful connection between the characters through their similarities and their differences. I’m a sucker for friends to lovers, so I try showing how character A and B learn things from each other, and appreciate each other beyond a physical sphere. Idk if that makes much sense, but this is it. And to antagonise it, their own faults (in the case of Percy and Apollo, both have terrible self esteem and are always expecting the worst to happen, which lead them to jump into conclusions waaaay to fast).

7. The “damsel in distress” or “just the mom” character usually carries a lot of “why is this female characters who’s obvious in a vulnerable situation don’t get out” that comes from a misogynistic point of view. It’s always the double standard: male characters are manipulated, female characters take dumb decisions, male characters are, among other things, fathers, female characters are mothers, sisters and/or lovers.

So like, I try being truthful to the character because IK this sort of interpretation will exist either way. Ik that Percy, despite being in that state, isn’t reduced to none of those. While she may be way to believing of Gaea, she doesn’t jump into the conclusion Orion and Medea are good people just because Gaea had them on their side. She’s in a place where she have to deal with the circumstances that she had, not with the circumstances that were ideal. From her standpoint, she doesn’t have any other allies.

And yeah, her main focus right now are her three sons, but is she meant to say “yup, not my problem” when they get kidnapped? Like, in canon, Percy was ready to die for his friends and etc. fem Percy too, and now she’s ready to die for her sons. It’s a very male Kronides x Female kronides situation. Demeter? Obsessive, awful mom who wouldn’t let Persephone do anything. Hades? Well, he was in love. Hera? Crazy women. Zeus? Oh, he’s just a man of his time.

So like, maybe some people think she’s falling into mom or damsel in distress trope? Maybe. But there’s nothing I can do about it. I just enjoy my time writing, because it’s not as if any of those people are paying me to write the character arc THEY want to see.

Btw, thanks for this ask. Hopefully it made sense, because I know I tend to talk a little more than necessary 😆