#at least mine loved me enough to make sure I had the best life possible and gave us up when she became homeless

[flamingpudding]

Bat dad meet Ghost dad

Several years earlier....

"JAAAAAAZZZZZZZZ!" Danny flew excited through the Ghost Zone with a little kid in his arms rushing past some of his former rogues as he made a B-Line for his sister that happened to be in the Zone too, currently in a deep conversation with Frostbite about something Danny hadn't cared to pay attention to long enough. But right now he had exciting news he really wanted to share with his sister. Even now as adults Danny tented to live out his childishness whenever he could especially when he and his family went into the Ghost Zone.

The Halfa came to a screeching halt as he grined brightly at his sister who looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, slightly amused at her younger brothers giddiness. "What is it Danny?"

"I got a son now!" Danny declared happily holding up a young ghost teen by the armpits into his sisters face.

The 'son' in Danny's hands stared at Jazz blinking owlishly as if the teen boy still needed a moment to catch up with what was going on and Jazz blinked back at the ghost and then at Danny. That was not a child but a teen ghost. Going by the size the kid was probably around 14 or 15 and he looked very much traumatised and Jazz could not tell if that was because of Danny or because of how the teen possible died.

"Danny what did you-" Her brother did not let her finish her question as he started rambling excitedly.

"He is a baby ghost Jazz! Look how young he is! I found him floating around aimlessly, his hunt hasn't even fully formed yet and when i picked him up there was that instant connection! You know the same-"

"Danny."

"I have with Clockwork and Pandora! I instantly knew he was mine! Mine to protect! Mine to guide! When I saw him I swear I just knew, I ghost adopted him the moment I made contact! He is family Jazz-"

"Danny."

"I just know he belongs with us! Look at him and tell me he doesn't have Fenton charms! I am sure Dan and Dani will love him too! He is such a cute little ghost! There is so much I can teach him! I will be the best dad ever to this wonderful little baby ghost! And-"

"Daniel William James Fenton!"

Danny bite his tongue instantly silenced when Jazz pulled out the full name call. Both him and the teen in his arms stared at her a bit shell shocked and in that moment Jazz couldn't help but hide a small amused smile at how similar Danny and the teen in his arms looked when they stared at her.

"Did you explain any of this to him?" She indicated to the teen, who's name she by the way still didn't know. Danny at least had the curtesy to look a little ashamed as Jazz pointed that out and let go of the teen so they could float on their own. She sighed with a fond smile before looking at the teen that looked a bit unsure between her and Danny now.

"What's your name?" She asked them with a friendly and encouraging smile.

"Jason...."

Current time...

Jason was in a little bit of a predicament. Originally he really thought he never would end up in this kind of situation espacially since he didn't think he would patch up things with Bruce any time soon. But we'll here he was...

Life liked proofing him wrong.

Like with he fact that Jason could use a ghost wail in dire situation. And that something like that would naturally call his ghost dad onto the scene since he collapsed after it.

And like with how he woke up in the bat caves med bay with both Danny and Bruce standing over him and glaring at each other. Or at least he thought they were glaring at each other that looked like a pretty annoyed stare in his eyes from Danny and Bruce's jaw was really tense from what was visible and not covered by his cowl.

So all Jason could do was endure at the moment. Aaaaand refuse to make eye contact with any of his present siblings. Mainly Dick because he wasn't sure how to interpret the others' smiles. For a moment Jason wondered if he could hide out in his ghost-dad's castle in the Ghost Zone for a while until whatever storm was brewing with Bruce was over.

There was also a moment in which Jason wondered if there could have been anything done to avoid this... confrontation(?). Before feeling the need to face palm because his Aunt that sort of has been giving him free therapy told him repeatedly that communication was key. He never regretted not listening to her more than he was right now.

To be fair. Communication with Bruce espacially hadn't been his strong suit for a while now before and after his death.

"So you are his Bat-Dad?" Jason did not like the way Danny, his ghost dad was using the word 'dad' right now. Oh good was he trying to challenge Bruce?

"And you are his Ghost-Dad?" Bruce grunted, oh now Jason was sure Bruce was giving Danny a glare, and Danny was getting that protective look in his eyes Jason was all to familiar with from his time as a dead baby ghost.

He groaned loudly sinking lower onto the medbed. Why did these things always have to happen to him? At least he was lucky that his Ghost Aunt and Uncle didn't show up too.

[iamasimperyk]

Jealous -Rafe Cameron

Summary: You are Rafe's younger girlfriend and he introduces you to his family.

Warnings: Age gap, fluff, angst, judgy people, English is not my first language, not proofread

Pairing: Older!Rafe x Younger!Reader

A.N; I honestly don't know what this is. I had an idea but somehow, I couldn't find the right words to make it really work.

Your parents introduced him to you at Midsummers. Rafe Cameron, son of Ward Cameron and new owner of every one of his father's companies. 

The first time his eyes found yours, he knew he had to have you, and you were naive enough to fall for his charm. He was almost ten years older than you, and for the first time in your life, you felt safe. You knew Rafe cared for you, always wanting what was best for you. 

"Don't you think it's too much?" You asked Rafe, wearing a fancy dress he just bought and all kinds of expensive jewellery he gifted you whenever he had the chance. 

Rafe looked at you, all dolled up for him. He loved it, and he loved to show you off, "You look amazing, darling. Everybody will be jealous that I get to call you mine."

Rafe's family decided to throw a party when they learned that Rafe finally found a girlfriend. You were excited to meet everyone since Rafe has met every person in your family.

"I just hope they like me," You smiled up at him, your eyes shining brightly.

He cupped your face with his hands, kissing your forehead, "I am going to marry you one day, no matter what they say."

You didn't say anything, but Rafe knew what you thought. Quickly, you reached up and kissed him before you ran back into the bathroom.

----

When the two of you arrived, everybody stared at you. Rafe wrapped his arm around you and started to introduce you to his family members. 

After an hour of talking, you excused yourself, trying to find the toilet, when you heard a group of women talking about you.

"I mean, is she even legal yet?" One of them laughed.

"I bet she is just with him because he is rich. She will never have to lift a finger since he already owns a fortune." Another one answered, shaking her head.

The whole group let out a laugh, "She will probably be pregnant soon, so he is tied to her and won't leave her again."

You didn't want to hear another of their theories and walked back to Rafe as fast as possible.

When Rafe saw you, his face immediately softened, and he wrapped his arm around your waist once again. One of the things he always did was touch you in some way. He needed to feel you to make sure you are still here.

"Are you okay, love?" Rafe asked as soon as he saw your facial expression.

You nodded, "Of course, I am fine, don't worry."

Rafe turned his attention back to his sister, whom he had previously talked to, "Would you excuse us."

Before she could answer, he pulled you into an empty room, waiting for you to start talking.

You couldn't keep your face straight anymore, and your eyes filled with tears. 

Rafe felt angry, frustrated and helpless as he saw you crying. Someone dared hurt his precious girl. 

"Darling, please tell me what happened," Rafe said, hugging you tightly while stroking your hair.

After a few more minutes, you calmed down and told Rafe about the conversation you listened to.

"Fuck them. They are jealous because they are not as beautiful as you and were at least married twice." He rolled his eyes, still fuming on the inside.

Rafe took you home immediately after your conversation and showed you just how much he loved you. 

Maybe you were younger than him, but you were one of the most mature people he ever met.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Cant help but notice krubus stardew in the requests,,, so if i may,,,

How about a oneshot/headcanons, whichever ya think works better, for a farmer Reader who's roommates with Krobus, and Shane ends up visiting the farm, and accidentally finds Krobus and the reader is trying their best to calm the situation down or smthn? :]

Ofc you dont have to do this!!

Salt anon (have a good day also!!! always lovely to see ya on my dash :] )

YES MY TWO FAVES <3333

Got carried away but I had so many ideas for this one

.......

'I should check the coop. The void chicken could be hungry, and [y/n] may appreciate me stepping up. But...what if a human saw me? Oh Yoba...I hope there's no surprise visitors today..'

As Krobus paced around your cabin, he kept looking outside the window at the snowfall, the coop just within his sights. It was the second day of winter, and all of the animals you've been raising were huddled inside for the season, the hay keeping their bellies full.

But something told him that the void chicken you recently introduced to the farm felt lonely, a misfit among the "normal" chickens. She wasn't too sociable around them, and that worried Krobus.

Of course he, of all people, could understand why.

To this very day, the shadow monster couldn't fathom why you'd take him into your home..when his existence alone scared humanity and could damage your reputation with the town.

What would the villagers think if they learned you're housing a beast who once dwelled in the mines?

Many weren't anywhere near as brave as you were when it comes to venturing deep into shadow monster territory....and the few who had the guts to made it their personal mission to slay as many of his people as possible.

Or at least..what remained of them after the elemental wars.

Surprisingly enough, some of the brutes began visiting your farmland at night, and Krobus would see them hiding in the foliage, behind trees..or even rummaging through your crops, yet never taking anything for themselves.

He wishes he could greet them normally, ask what drew them to the surface, or try to reason that you're a good human who shouldn't be attacked.

Yet in the back of his mind...he feared being branded a traitor for siding with the species that hurt so many of his own people.

What would they do if they noticed his pendant and realized a human gifted it to him?

Surely they would freak out, coerce him into coming back to the mines where it was "safe"...or worse, they'd kill you and make him watch. He couldn't let his presence be known, lest they discovered you were housing him and destroyed the life you built here.

You would think he betrayed you and brought a siege upon your land--after all you've done to shelter him from the cruelty of the world.

Not even Yoba would forgive such a sin.

Even though he felt his connection with his people drifting with each passing week, he was content with his choice to live with you. He wouldn't trade your kindness and generosity for the world.

Plus, you've told him over and over that you knew what you were signing up for. You knew it when you first bought a void egg from him. You knew it when you and the wizard broke up his fight with Dwarf. You knew it when you created a space in your home that suited his environmental needs.

All he could offer you was a stardrop in return, but it was more than enough for you.

Krobus vowed to contribute to the farm's many tasks how ever he could..when it safe for him to step outside of course.

On this cold winter's day, he figured checking out the coop would be a great first step.

He peeked into your bedroom, discovering you to be sound asleep and looking rather peaceful.

Indeed, it was a stark contrast to how battered and bruised you were last night, having returned from the Skull Caverns at midnight. None of his people ventured there, considering the desert climate would be unbearable for them to live in, but while sharing meals he'd listen to your tales of serpents, mummies, and even dinosaurs living down below.

By comparison..the monsters in the mines seemed tamer and were somewhat civilized, and at his request you managed to avoid fighting them if you could.

The beasts you encountered in the Skull Caverns were brutal and unforgiving, and you had no choice but to defend yourself.

This trip in particular took quite a toll on your body, as you had to use a warp totem to get home...and even then, you were limping from sheer exhaustion. So much so Krobus had to assist you up the stairs and into your bed. He ran the the risk of being seen, yet his concern over your health took priority.

Sleep didn't easily come for him, but it only did after he prayed and thanked Yoba for bringing you home.

He didn't like the idea of you pushing yourself to work so early in the morning, so he decided he'll help lighten that load.

Starting with the coop.

Opening the door, he breathed in the crisp winter air, relieved to not see any humans in sight. There was your pet, who was initially frightened by his sudden arrival, but now warmly greeted him as they climbed the steps.

Krobus laughed softly, crouching down to pet them. "Good morning, little one." He whispered. "Enjoying the snow? I like it very much..but I can't say our chicken friends will agree."

He stood and continued on his way to the small building, eager to check up on your animals and see to it that they're fed.

But unbeknownst to him, a human arrived onto your farmland at that same moment, only seeing a dark figure creeping into the coop.

And he just so-happened to be the man who cared for chickens more than life itself.

......

Shane arrived at your farm, holding a small envelope with a letter inside. It contained a recipe for some dessert--not one that he made or discovered, of course, but rather one he tore out of a magazine.

His first thought was of you, knowing you liked gathering fresh produce and made your own meals..compared to him, a lazy bum who microwaves processed garbage in a plastic dish and called it "dinner."

It wasn't much, but it was the least he could do for a friend who pulled him out of such a dark place..

You were taking a shortcut to the sewer when you found him near the cliffs...where he was truly at his lowest. He doesn't remember much of what he said, but you told him that he considered ending his own life, yet changed his mind after you told him some comforting words.

All the strength you've gained down in the mines allowed you to drag him to the hospital, where you stayed by his side the entire night. Even when Harvey assured you he'll be okay, you refused to abandon him.

Shane never thought anybody in this town would care if he just up and disappeared, yet despite his rudeness towards you...you managed to break down his walls and show him that you cared.

And all it took were some peppers, pizza, eggs, and stupid amounts of persistence.

It really hit him that he almost did something he couldn't reverse..and he never wanted you, Jas, or Marnie to see him get that bad again.

So he promised to make some serious changes, see that counselor Harvey recommended to him, and cut back on the hours he spends at the saloon after work.

The last time you both talked, you mentioned Robin upgrading your coop's space, and Shane was thrilled. So he figured he'd come visit and see how the animals were doing in this cold weather.

He was also curious about that "void egg" you got from a merchant...and he wondered who it was if not Marnie.

Obviously he'd feel like a jerk if he came emptyhanded, or awkward if you weren't actually home right now, thus he decided to bring the letter and recipe just in case. A small surprise "gift" for you to come back to later.

As he approached your mailbox, however, he noticed a dark figure opening the door to your coop. He couldn't tell who it was as they quickly went inside, as though afraid of being seen.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep making him see things, but-

"Huh? What kinda tracks are these..?" He looked down, finding footprints in the snow that didn't belong to any human's.

In fact, they seemed to have clawed toes..

Just like a monster's.

At the saloon, you recounted tales of how you've encountered slimes, plant monsters, bats, and even shadow creatures on your farmland at night--as well as your adventures down in the mines with skeletons, ghosts, and more.

Most of the regulars were 99% certain you were drunk, but others believed your stories and were fascinated by them, as you'd show them gems as proof of your excursions. Sebastian in particular was intrigued by the frozen tear you discovered, flattered that you allowed him to keep it.

Shane, on the other hand, merely dismissed your tales with a "buh" and an eyeroll before sipping away at his beer. He was never a strong believer in the supernatural..convinced that only slimes, rock crabs, flies, and bats dwelled in the mines and nothing else.

Living Skeletons? Metal Heads?? Shadow Shamans???

You HAD to be either drunk, on drugs, or both at the same time.

Although he's become more open-minded to your stories since befriending you, he was still skeptical...yet the footprints he was seeing in the snow didn't match up to any animal he knew in the valley.

Whatever it was, it must've figured out that your coop was an all-you-can-eat-buffet.

That thought alone made him break out into a cold sweat, picking up a stone before rushing towards the building. He didn't hear any noise inside, and that made him all the more concerned.

You helped him when he needed it most, and now he'll repay you by defending your chickens...even though he knew nothing about fighting monsters.

Upon opening the door, he was stunned to find a shadowy humanoid creature holding your void chicken in its arms. It had a goopy smile on its face, looking down at the bird-

Before there was a furious shout.

"HEY! Put that chicken down!"

.........

"HEY! Put that chicken down!"

Just as you were tuning into the Oracle's channel on TV, you were startled by the sound of Shane yelling at someone-

Wait..

'What's Shane doing on my farm? And at this hour, too?? I thought he sleeps in all the time..' Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked around the house.

"Krobus? You in here? I may have a visitor."

No response.

You checked the monster's room, and sure enough didn't find him in there.

Normally he'd freak out and hide beneath your bed if he even caught a glimpse of a human outside. You'd always tell him ahead of time if a friend was coming to visit just so he knew when and how long to stay hidden.

Of course, you never liked having to keep Krobus a secret, yet you understood why he believed that was for the best. He was so, so afraid to go with you even after gifting him the void ghost pendant--a precious amulet from his culture, symbolizing unity and devotion to another.

His worst fear was you being shunned and getting hurt because of him. But you promised to make things work, and so far you've had no problems.

The only other place he'd go besides your cabin was the coop, having grown fond of the animals there and the void chicken you were raising. The winter allowed him to bond with them.

But if he's there right now..and you just heard Shane yell, then-

'Oh fuck.'

Throwing on your boots and jacket, you rushed out the door, damn near slipping on the pathway to the coop.

You opened the door, finding Shane staring down your terrified roommate with anger, ready to throw a stone at who he believed was a monster trying to eat your livestock.

But as he reeled his arm back, he was confused by your hand grabbing his wrist. "Huh?! Hey! Let go!" He grunted.

"Shane, what the hell are you doing?!"

For a moment, he blinked and stared at you as though you had several heads. "What does it look like? I'm....that thing was trying to eat your chickens!" He pointed to Krobus, who was now curled up in the corner, having let go of the void chicken long ago.

"That's one of the monsters you were talking about, right? Don't you have a sword or something that could-?"

"He's not a threat."

Shane froze. "..huh?"

"His name is Krobus. He's a shadow person I met in the sewers." Letting him go, you opted to stand between the two. Krobus immediately got up and latched onto your shirt, hiding behind you for protection.

"The sewers? Jas and Vincent said they saw a monster through the grates, but I thought it was some imaginary friend."

"Well news flash, he's real. And right now he's more scared of you." You huffed. "Now please..put the rock down."

After some hesitance, he complied and dropped the stone. "Fine..sorry. I thought it--he was trying to-"

"I would never harm one of Yoba's precious creatures!" Krobus snapped, despite his voice trembling. "Especially not one that [y/n] so lovingly raised."

"You...understand what I'm saying?" Shane looked astonished.

"Of course.." The shadow monster calmed down a little, but redirected his anger to you. "You..we had an agreement. You promised to tell me if someone was coming."

"I didn't know he was here at all." You frowned. "You could've told me you were checking out the coop."

"But you were so weary from last night, and I thought you'd appreciate sleeping in-!"

"Look..if it helps, I can just leave and pretend none of this ever happened."

Both of you looked at Shane, who was slowly making his way to the door, only for him to stop as you sighed.

There's no way you could hide this now..

"Stay. This isn't something you can "pretend" never happened. Let's all head back to my house and I'll explain everything. Maybe we can come to an understanding without any violence. Whatdya say, boys?"

Shane and Krobus briefly glanced at each other, before silently nodding.

.........

"So basically...you got chased out of your home by Dwarves, had some great war with them, got cozy in the sewers...and [y/n] just...stumbled upon you?"

"Erm..slight correction, the local librarian had a key to the sewers, which [y/n] obtained. And only then they stumbled upon me-"

"After I donated like 60 artifacts to the museum, of course." You added on as you stood by the oven, watching the timer.

For a brief moment, you looked back at the two people sitting awkwardly at the table:

Shane, who was still wondering if the shadow monster sitting across from him was really a monster, a hallucination from his withdrawals, or just..someone in a SUPER convincing costume.

And Krobus, who stared at this scruffy, tired man who desperately needed a shave and a new jacket--the only other human he's spoken to aside from you and Rasmodius.

"Wow..I'd say I need a drink, but um..I'm in recovery right now. So I gotta cut back on those." Shane admitted, scratching awkwardly at his hair. "Do you like living on this farm with [y/n], Krobus?"

"It was...a difficult transition. Something I never expected to happen." He fidgeted with the pendant around his neck. "Our existence..terrifies humans. They attacked us when we came to the surface to make peace, so we stopped and hid back underground. We learned the world wasn't kind to those who were different. But [y/n] showed me that not all of them are like that...and I'm grateful for all they've done for me. I don't regret my choice.."

Then he looked to you, suddenly bashful. "A-As long as they don't regret it, of course..sometimes I feel like all of this is a dream. Or some foolish prank.."

"It's no dream or prank, Krob. I have no regrets becoming your friend." You smiled and patted the monster's head reassuringly, before glancing at Shane. "Just like I don't regret befriending this guy."

"Yeah..I was uh..in a pretty bad place myself." He mumbled, suddenly finding the weather outside more interesting.

"You said your name was "Shane", right?"

He blinked, looking back to Krobus. "Uh yeah?"

"Did you know that means "gift from Yoba"?" His eyes lit up, smiling from ear-to-ear as he clasped his hands together. "You should be proud of it! You are a blessed child of.....um...what's with that look?"

Shane's expression abruptly shifted to one of discomfort, and he couldn't help but shrink back. "Did..I say something wrong? W-Was I out of line?"

"No, no. I probably should've mentioned this sooner, but I'm actually atheist."

"....as in...you don't believe in Yoba?"

Reluctantly, Shane nodded and averted his gaze once more, expecting some kind of lecture or change in his friendly tone that would make this his first and last conversation with him.

Nobody liked it when he mentioned how he stopped believing in Yoba long ago, especially after what happened with Jas' parents and how his life just plummeted into a downward spiral since then. He feels like his name was cruel joke, and he had a pit in his stomach whenever he was reminded of it.

So now he was fully expecting this devout monster to spew something vile and call him a "horrible nonbeliever"-

"Why the guilty face?"

"..wha?" He did a double-take, seeing Krobus' smile return.

"I've observed humans long enough to understand their religious preferences, or lack thereof. We have our beliefs, and you have yours..and that is okay." He reassured. "No need to feel ashamed, Shane."

It took the man a few moments to process his words..before a small smile appeared on his face as well, shoulders less tense than before. "Whew..thanks. Seriously..you're somehow more understanding than all the people in my life." He chuckled dryly.

Krobus was about to respond, when the ding from your kitchen timer made the two pause their conversation, seeing you take something out of the oven.

It was a dessert that had a shimmering purple hue.

"Oh hey..you actually made it?" Shane blinked. "The infamous "Strange Bun"?"

"Yep! It actually looks pretty.." You smiled, setting it on the stove so it could cool down. "I almost don't wanna eat it...but I'm sure we can split it three ways."

"I recognize that dessert." Krobus gasped. "It's considered a delicacy among my people! How I've longed to taste it again....but how did you come to possess its recipe?" He looked to Shane, who simply dug out a crumpled magazine page from his pocket.

"Right here. It looked good, and [y/n] likes cooking stuff and finding the ingredients themselves..so I figured it's something new they could try."

"And it came out fantastic." You chuckled, bringing over plates of the strange bun and sitting down at the table, passing them to your friends. "Dig in, boys."

While Krobus was actively drooling and devouring it with his bare hands, you took a few bites and instantly felt rejuvenated....whereas Shane kept awkwardly poking at it with a fork, eyebrows furrowed.

"You sure this is safe to eat? Like..I'm not gonna keel over, am I?"

"...you're acting like Jas when she doesn't wanna eat her vegetables."

".....shut it." With a grumble, he rolled his eyes before finally taking a couple bites. You and Krobus watched him in anticipation, studying his reaction.

Only to be met with disappointment.

"Eh..I think I'll stick to frozen pizzas, but thanks. Here. It's all yours." He pushed the half-eaten bun towards Krobus, who gleefully finished it up.

"Thank you..this was delightful." The shadow monster swallowed, looking up at you both, frowning slightly. "But I do fear..now that one more person knows of my existence, word may spread to the town and-"

"I won't tell anyone."

"....really?" He looked at Shane, surprised.

"I used to not believe in "shadow people"..I actually thought you guys were just stuff of fiction. But no, you're actually pretty cool. And...I get that feeling of being stuck in a dark place, thinking you're a pest and a burden who has no future to look forward to. It sucks, but [y/n] here..." He paused and gestured to you with a smile. "They pulled me out of that funk, and it seems they'd pulled you out of one, too."

"They have..I-I find this hard to believe, but it seems we have more in common than I first thought." Krobus chuckled softly. "I'm glad we could come to an understanding, and that you embrace my existence, Shane."

"Yeah, uh...glad you can..embrace mine as well." He mumbled, already kicking himself mentally for how weird that sounded. "But tell me..you like caring for chickens, too? I saw that one with the black feathers and red eyes."

"Indeed, that is a void chicken! I've carried their eggs for ages, but the mines weren't suitable enough to raise chicks in. Then [y/n] showed me the coop, and now I know they're in good hands."

"Ah...did you wanna meet Charlie sometime? Or one of my blue chickens?"

"......chickens can be blue?" Krobus had such a starry-eyed look, as though he had just been told the secrets of the universe.

Meanwhile, you were just cleaning the dishes, listening to their conversation delve into chicken care, eggs, and more. And you could only smile, glad to see that your monster roommate was finally warming up to humans.

Only a select few will get to see him, as you didn't wanna compromise his safety...

But for now, Shane is the only one you could trust.

[itsthestutterforme]

Just Try (A Johnny Storm Drabble)

Summary: You and Sue grew up together and Johnny has always been on the sidelines in your mind. Until one day, he gives you a hypothetical.

Notes: GIF is not mine, this is not a beta’d read, mentions of Ari Levinson, allusions to sex

—

“Johnny’s been in his head a lot lately. Have you noticed?” Sue questions, applying her mascara in the vanity mirror next to you while you brushed your lash extensions with a spoolie.

“I mean, he has been more quiet than usual. But I didn’t think much of it. What could Johnny possibly think so hard about?”

“Do you think he’s talking to someone?” You stopped brushing your lashes and looked at her. “Are we talking about the same Johnny Storm?”

She nudges your side with her hip, causing the two of you to chuckle.

“Can you at least try to talk to him? He talks to you more than he does with me.” You leaned against the vanity table and took the mascara wand out of her hand.

“Hey, none of that. There is no sad talk allowed on your birthday.” “I’m not sad. I just.. I know I’m hard on him, but that’s because I want what’s best for him. And now he doesn’t trust me.”

“Of course he trusts you, Sue. You’re his big sister. He just doesn’t want to disappoint you.”

“And I said enough of that,” you set the mascara on the table and pulled her to her feet. “You’ve been playing big sister all day. Now it’s time to let loose and shake some ass.”

A knock on the door brings your attention from the mirror. Johnny leans his body against the door, giving you a quick once over.

He wore a simple black t-shirt and some jeans. But he felt a little underdressed once he saw what you and Sue were wearing.

“The limo’s here,” he states. He spun on his heel to wait by the front door when you called his name.

“How does she look?” You motioned to Sue but his eyes was trained on you.

“Beautiful- she looks beautiful. You better not bring anybody home.” He says, finally shifting his glance from you to Sue.

“As if. That’s something I should be saying to the two of you,” Sue snorts, pushing past him with her coat and purse in hand.

“Hey, I haven’t brought a guy home in a while.” You called after her. Johnny’s gaze fell to the floor at your words.

“Yeah, yeah.” She calls back. You spared yourself one last look in the mirror when you noticed Johnny meeting your gaze through the mirror.

“Everything okay?” You ask slowly, hugging your trench coat close to your chest. You had closed the gap between you.

Despite the fact you were wearing heels, you still had to lean back a little to look him in his eyes.

The scent of your perfume eased his nerves but your gaze combated that eased feeling, making his heart stutter in his chest.

“Johnny?” “Uh, yeah- yes, I’m fine.” “Are you sure?“ he opens his mouth to say something when Sue reenters the room.

“You guys ready?” Sue asks. “Yep, ready when you are.” You answer with a smile. You and Johnny follow Sue to the front door and took the elevator down to the lobby.

His eyes were glued to his phone the entire limo ride to the club, despite the music and Sue opening all of the windows and climbing through the sun roof to shout after a couple shots of tequila. A few people walking on the street wished her a happy birthday.

You had closed your eyes, relishing how the wind kissed your cheeks and smoothed over your silk pressed hair.

The music drowned out and it was just you and the wind. Johnny notices your silence and lifts his gaze to you. Time slowed when he watches your features relax, your head leaning further out the window.

Every night he thinks of what life would be like if he was with you. Not just with you in bed but with you. Loving you.

Things he never gave the time of day was now flooding his mind every chance it gets. Truth was, the thoughts were always there.

He suppressed them.

He turned his attention towards motocross and being a womanizer. But none of that stopped him of seeing you smiling when he would close his eyes at night.

He hasn’t been on his A game in months. He complete disappeared from the media. No instagram posts. No interviews. No special appearances. Nothing.

He felt like a love sick puppy.

He could tell by how limp your neck was that you were falling asleep. He hesitantly reached over the seat and touched your knee, refusing to acknowledge your dress was riding up your thighs.

Your eyes slowly peeled open at the touch, meeting Johnny’s concerned gaze.

“You okay?” He asks. “Oh God. Did I fall asleep?” You sat up straight at the realization. “You did.”

“Please tell me she didn’t notice,” the two of you looked to Sue shouting something about an apartment key through the sunroof. Mostly likely something about Reed.

Then she mumbled something about fuck men, which was definitely about Reed.

“I doubt it,” Johnny states, making the two of you chuckle. “Doesn’t take much to get her drunk, huh?”

“No, I guess not.” You met his gaze again, the warmth of his hand remained on your skin. There that feeling was again, a thrumming under your skin at the connection.

What was happening right now?

“We’re here!” Sue squeals, dropping back down into the limo.

Johnny hand pulls away from you and you cleared your throat, adjusting your dress as Sue opens the car door.

Johnny gets out first to help you and Sue out of the car.

You made an effort to avoid eye contact with Johnny throughout the night. You don’t know what is going on but it’ll stop if you ignore it long enough. Right?

Johnny watches as a man weeds his way through the crowd to where you and Sue were dancing.

He smooths a hand over your waist and you looked over your shoulder at him. He flashed you an award winning smile that immediately made you weak in the knees.

“I’m Ari,” he says into your ear, smiling when you said your name in return.

Johnny’s jaw clenched at the sight, taking a long swig of his beer. Ari drapes his arms over your shoulders, his hips rolling against your backside as he whispers something in your ear to make you laugh.

Why were you laughing with him? He doesn’t know you, Johnny thought to himself.

“Hey Johnny,” a woman greets, sliding into the space next to him. “You here with someone?” She asks, sliding her hands up his clothed chest.

Johnny looked to see if you noticed her touching him, only to see your eyes closed as Ari kissed the side of your neck.

“Fuck it,” Johnny says allowed, cupping the blonde woman’s cheeks before kissing her.

“Gross, get a room you two!” Sue shouted at you and Ari over the music. “And leave you? No way!”

“I’m sure Johnny will take me home.” Sue mediates. The two of you looked over to Johnny who had his tongue down some blonde’s throat.

“Looks like that’s not happening. Let me take you home.” You told her. “No. I’ll call an Uber. It’s okay.”

“I don’t like the idea of leaving you here drunk and alone while you wait for your Uber to get here.”

The two of you continued to bicker until Ari stepped in.

“I can take drop her off if you’d like,” “No, Ari. You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s really no problem. I don’t like the idea of any woman being alone and drunk either. People don’t exactly have the best intentions.” Ari explains.

“And after you drop her off?” You asked, his gaze darkening at your words.

“Well that’s entirely up to you, sweetheart.”

**

The morning after wasn’t anything like you expected. Typical, the morning after consisted of getting dressed and doing the walk of shame out of their apartment.

Except the morning with Ari meant morning sex with you on top, him drilling into you from below.

His arms encircling you so you couldn’t writhe away from him. He wanted you to take every inch.

While you were fucked out on his bed, he made you Belgian waffles and poured you some orange juice.

He offered to drive you home but you strongly insisted against it. Instead you called yourself an Uber to take you home, reminiscing at how Ari knew your body like the back of his hand.

You knew that meant that he was a fuck boy like Johnny was, but that didn’t take away from the fact that he made you feel like you were on Cloud 9.

You bit your lip as you reminisced on Ari’s hips slotted between yours. The smile fell from your face when the Uber driver pulled up to the curb in front of your apartment.

You thanked him before taking your heels in your hands and stepped onto the curb. You unlocked the front door, sighing when you closed it behind you.

“It’s almost noon,” a voice states behind you.

A yelp leaves your lips when you spun around, grabbing the nearest thing you could. You held the umbrella tightly in your hands until you slowly recognized the man in front of you.

“Damn it, Johnny! What the fuck!” “You really should have better security,”

“I had security. No one knows where my spare key is and I have a ring camera,” you explain, setting the umbrella back on the rack.

“A ring camera that would work better if you didn’t mute the notifications,” he retorts. “I’d got annoying after a while, okay. It’s a busy street.”

“What are you doing here, Johnny? Did something happen to Sue?” You added, changing the topic of conversation.

“No, Sue is fine. I thought something happened to you,” “You thought- why?” Your gaze fell to the blanket sprawled out on the couch. “You spent the night here?”

It wasn’t the first time he’s slept over your place. Most of the time it was because he was hung over from the night before and needed a place to sober up. You hadn’t thought much of it until now.

“Yes. I told you I was worried.” “Why?” He disappears into the kitchen and came back with some coffee and ibuprofen. You graciously took the cup of coffee and tossed the two pills on your tongue.

“Something felt off about the guy you were with last night,” he said, watching you take a careful sip of your coffee.

“Right, like you could make such an observation when you’re too busy making out with some blonde chick.”

“Didn’t think you cared much. Considering you let that guy fondle you in the middle of the club.”

“I did not let him fondle me,” you pointed, annoyed with his accusation.

What was this? Why were you bickering like you were.. a couple?

“Look, I don’t care about who you take home. So why do you care about who I take home?”

“I didn’t take her home, alright? She tried to take me back to her place but.. I couldn’t.” “Why not?”

“Let’s just picture something for a second, okay? A hypothetical. Me having a girlfriend. An amazing, smart, independent, long term girlfriend. We go on trips together and do interviews together. And just be happy together.”

“I’m sorry but I’m having trouble figuring out where all this is coming from, Johnny? If you have a crush on someone, just ask them out. You’re Johnny Storm. Talking to woman is as easy as breathing at this point.”

You take another sip of your coffee and Johnny stuffs his hands in his pockets.

“Not this woman. She makes me freeze every time she looks at me. I can’t think straight. It’s like I’m back in grade school all over again.”

“Wow. She really has you in the palm of her hand, huh? Who is she?”

You take a longer sip of your coffee once you felt the coffee had cooled down a bit. You wait for his response but he simply stares at you, waiting for you catch on.

Your face fell when the silence set in the room. “No,” Shaking your head, you step around him and walk into the kitchen.

“Y/N,” he calls after you. “No, Johnny.” You said, lifting your hand not wanting to make eye contact.

“Come on. Is this so far fetched? You know me better than anybody. I know you better than anybody. Definitely better than that guy from last night,”

You rounded the counter top to put some distance between you, sighing in disbelief. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“You are a fuck boy and I have serious commitment issues. Not to mention, you’re my best friend’s little brother. It’s not going to work.”

“Aren’t relationships about work? Wanting to better yourself for someone else?” “Change because of someone else never lasts,”

“Just give me a chance,” he rounds the countertop to near you. He huffs when you backpedal away from him.

“Is this why you’ve been acting different? To get my attention?” “Not exactly. I just made the decision to work on myself and shy away from the optics for now.”

“Don’t you hear how insane that sounds coming out of your mouth? The motocross playboy wants to shy away from the optics.”

“I know it sounds insane.” He takes another step to see if you would move away. When you don’t, he slides into the space next to you, resting his elbows on the counter top.

And I know you feel the same way from the way you looked at me last night,” “I was buzzed so that doesn’t count,”

“Oh yeah?” He starts, encroaching in your space.

Placing a hand on either side of you, bowing his head until he was at eye level with you. The tip of his nose grazed the bridge of yours.

The smell of his cologne enveloped you, forcing you to resist leaning into him.

“And how about now?” He smiles when you lifted your head in defiance, you tense when you feel his leg brush against yours.

You couldn’t make any movements with touching some part of his body.

“I feel absolutely nothing,” “Liar,” he leans in to whisper in your ear.

“It’s lust at best,” you crossed your arms, using your body weight to nudge him away from you. He nods in understanding, smoothing a hand over the back of your head.

He pressed a gentle kiss to your temple. Your eyes fluttered at the gesture, meeting his gaze for the hundredth time since last night.

“Then it looks like I’ll have to convince you otherwise,”

He pulls away from you entirely, crossing through the kitchen back into the living room to put on his shoes. He doesn’t say anything else before he strolled out of your apartment, leaving you in silence.

“What the fuck?” You said aloud, taking your phone into your hands to call Sue.

[sunraies]

rafe request — can you please write about reader getting into an accident after a fight with race and rafe getting worried but make it really really dramatic like car accident life threatening, i wanna cry and feel angst 🫢

I mean this in the nicest way possible. I hope this is angst enough to make you cry. If this doesn't work, watch Daisy Jones and The Six. That made me cry today or the Notebook. We all need a good cry sometimes x

You Can Go Your Own Way

Rafe Cameron x Kook!Reader

Warnings- Angst. Car accident. Argument. mentions of a pregnancy scare. Talks about future. Hospital. Coma

As requested above.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

It wasn't even that big of an argument. At least wasn't meant to be until you told Rafe, you couldn't do it anymore.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He frowned, hurt flooding his eyes that you loved so much.

"I just. We keep going round in circles" You began gathering your things dotted around his room.

"Baby, stop" He tried to gently stop your hands before you moved away from him and continued "Baby, fucking stop!"

"Rafe, it just isn't going to work" You could feel the tears burning in your eyes as they threated to fall.

"It will! I promise" He tried to pull you closer but you resisted, knowing the minute you were in his arms, you would melt.

"Don't make promises you can't keep" You whispered before cutting off his reply "god, Rafe. I love you but we want different things. I'm off to college, and you'll be here, working for Ward."

"I never said I didn't want you to go," He frowned. "All I said was let's get married. "

You looked up to the ceiling before back down at him. "Because of a scare fucking pregnancy, Rafe" You pointed to the test thrown in his bathroom bin, only moments ago "God, your face when you were hoping it was positive. I can't do that. I don't want that. Not right now."

"I know, baby, I know." He ran a hand through his hair, "but I meant it, I would marry you. Not because of a baby but because I fucking love you"

You shook your head and swallowed "I don't want to be some tropy wife. I've seen how it broke my mother. She had so many dreams and I do too. You can't come with me and I can't stay here"

You had always wanted a life bigger than Outerbanks could give you. Collage in New York was that chance. Your heart was torn in two, all because you had fallen in love with Rafe Cameron.

"I love your dreams" Rafe looked like he could cry too. "I want you to live them, baby"

"I can't do that as a married collage student with my husband half way across the country. All I'm asking is that we wait. I can't give you the future you want right now"

"Why wait? It's just a ring. It shows that you are mine." He sighed before your eyes widened. It suddenly twigged, the other reason he had asked you.

"That's it! Fuck Rafe, do you really think that little of me? I'm not going to sleep around!"

"No. No. It's the guys I don't trust" He desperately tried to reach for you as you nodded and picked up the last of your things. "Baby, please"

"I'm not something you can fucking own, Rafe"

You had been together for two years and it was wonderful. Rafe was kind, caring, protective but the one thing that always caused a problem was when the protectiveness turned into possessiveness. A little you could handle, an arm around you at a party, a kiss on temple as you talked to another guy but the fighting, the anger at someone for even looking at you the wrong way, it was too much.

As you stammered your car door and locked it. Rafe ran out to you and hammered on the window. He called out to you, but you drove away, leaving him cursing barefoot in the driveway.

You weren't sure where to go. You couldn't go back home right a way. The moment your mother saw you crying, it would feel too real. Your best friend was most likely in The Cut, and again, if you fall into her arms, it would be too much to bare. You loved her brother so much, it hurt. So you drove into the night to clear your head.

It happened quickly. They say things can change in the blink of an eye. That life is made up of split seconds.

You had been adjusting the volume on the radio as 'Go Your Own Way' by Fleetwood Mac played. It seemed like the sky was crying with you as it began raining heavily.

Your phone lit up with a message distracting you.

Gorgeous 👑 - 'Call me or tell me when you are home safe...'

The rest of the message was cut off.

The name you had given him made you smile at the memory of him finding it. It was a few months into your relationship, even after the years together, you hadn't changed it.

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

"Why gorgeous? And a crown. " He frowned as he stared at your phone

"Because you're my gorgeous king." You kissed his cheek

"That's fucking cheesy as shit" He teased before you grabbed his phone

"Oh yeah, what's yours, then, huh?" You opened it, smiling at his lock screen of you before finding the contact and laughing "Baby with a red heart? And mine was cheesy"

"Shut up" He blushed before pining you down on the bed as you laughed.

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

When you glanced back up at the road, all you could do was gasp as yellow headlights blinded you. You tried to swerve but you just felt the car spin out of control on the wet road before the impact of metal hitting metal, the stretching, the boom of air bags, the smell of burnt rubber and the iron taste of blood.

Every nerve in your body screamed as your head felt heavy. Somehow, you ended upside down. You could hear a strangers voice, muffled like it was under water. A buzzing caught your attention as your phone lay broken on the road. Rafe’s face appearing on the screen, his gorgeous smile, broken and cracked as it showed he was calling. It was the last thing you saw before losing conciseness.

*-*-*-*

"Who the fuck are you?" Rafe asked as a male voice was on the other end of the phone.

"Calm down, son." The officer, on the other end, replied, "I'm officer Warron, now I need you to remain calm for moment."

Rafe dropped to the floor, holding his head as Officer Warron told him you had been involved in a road traffic accident and that you had been transferred to the General on the main land in crucial condition. They had contacted him as your mother had told them too, he needed to know. She couldn't bring herself to do it, and he was the last call on your broken phone.

He got to the hospital as quickly as he could, taking the Druthers as fast as it would possibly go. He almost forgot to pay the taxi before following the instructions your mother had messaged.

"Oh, Rafe!" Your tearful mother embraced him as he entered your room. He gently patted her back as he looked over to you.

You looked so broken and fragile in the bed, hooked up to a million machines. He just stared feeling completely numb.

"I know, it looks scary, but they said the surgeries went well. They put. They put her in an induced coma to, to help the healing." Your mother stumbled over her words. "She can hear you"

All Rafe could do was nod before your mother gave him a sad smile. "I'll give you two a moment," she moved to kiss your cheek before speaking to you. "I'm just going to update your dad, sweetie. Rafe's here. He's here."

They both could have sworn your heart beat raised a little at her words before she left.

Rafe stumbled into the seat next to your bed and shakily took your hand. "Shit, baby. I don't. I don't even know what to say, " He whispered. "I'm so sorry. Fuck..."

He suddenly broke down, his head on your arm as he sobbed. The only sounds filling the room were the beeping of your machines and his broken sniffles.

[lavenderchqn]

𝐶𝛨𝛢𝑃𝑇𝛦𝑅 𝟎𝟐𝟐 — UPON QUOTES (1,9K WORDS) 𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝐿𝐼𝑁𝐸𝑆 — lyney x f!reader smau

𝑆𝑌𝑁𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐼𝑆 —

Second year of university should've been everything you thought of it - more studying with human interaction sprinkled throught... What it definitely wasn't supposed to be was an investigation saga where one of your friends goes missing out of nowhere

𝑃𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑆 — 𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — 𝑁𝐸𝑋𝑇 𝐸𝑃𝐼𝑆𝑂𝐷𝐸

Once Furina and Neuvillette confirm they’ve made it to the cafe, [Y/N] heads out. Although she has asked them to be there as early as possible, she still feels like she's in a rush. If there’s one thing she cannot be… is to be late. Not to mention, her mind is racing with each step. 

At this point, it’s debating whether she was more or less worried when visiting the orphanage. She wants to believe Chevreuse will be helpful. Angelique had been their first known missing person. She has taken her case specifically into her own hands… 

She wants… no, she has to gather as much intel as possible. 

The weather is lovely. Sunny and yet not too warm at the same time. These are perfect conditions for trying to learn further about the case of university students being kidnapped. 

Soon enough she sees the building of the esteemed Café Lutece. The closer she gets there, the more details she sees — people walking their dogs, stray cats scaring off pigeons enjoying some crumbs… And two girls standing close to the entrance.

Oh how glad [Y/N] is that Chevreuse’s profile picture matches her appearance in real life.

“H-Hello…” She walks up to the girls, greeting them politely. 

“Heyy, must be [Y/N]?” Chevreuse puts her hand out to shake the girl’s hand. “Glad to finally have a face to put to the messages.” 

“That’s right.” She smiles slightly. “Nice to meet you.” 

Her attention turns to Chevreuse’s companion. This must be the friend she had been talking about.

“This is Em, a dear wife of mine.” 

Emilie rolls her eyes playfully in response, flicking Chevreuse on the arm. “A friend. I’m your dearest friend, Chevy.” 

Her attention goes back to [Y/N], standing still and confused. “Pay her no mind, she just likes to joke in such ways. I'm Emilie, a biology major.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Emilie.”

“The pleasure is all mine." She retaliates with a smile.

“Damnnn, can’t believe you’d cheat on me like that… In public no less!”

“Oh, shush you!”

Is this how best friends act? Is this how she and Lynette used to act? Surely not… 

“L-Let’s get inside, shall we?” She asks, trying to diffuse the situation. 

The establishment is abnormally quiet at this time of day. Had it been the school year, business would most certainly be booming. [Y/N] can make out Furina and Neuvillette chatting happily at one of the tables. Lovely, at least this makes it easy to choose a table. They exchange a brief glance, reminding each other why they're here.

Well, thank heavens they kept true to their word. Although [Y/N] believes in the sincerity of Chevreuse and Emilie, there’s never too much being careful. The words said by Madame Knave still linger on in her mind. 

“I don’t frequent cafes that often,” Emilie says, looking at the menu, before turning to the other girls. “Could anyone of you recommend something?” 

“A latte or a cappuccino, I guess?” Chevreuse answers.

Emilie doesn’t choose either, staring at the choices with full attention. 

“If you want something lighter,” [Y/N] starts. “A latte would be better — its milk texture is more delicate.” 

“I see… Thank you, Miss [Y/N].” 

With the blonde soon making up her mind, the girls finally put in their order and head to have a seat. They’re near one of the exits —  Charlotte’s preferred spot, right next to a socket. 

Their table is relatively close to the one where her chaperone is sitting… However, when they finally sit down, their awkwardness due to having this be their first meeting begins to show. 

“Sooo…” Chevreuse starts, trying to break the ice. “Why are you interested in Angelique?” 

The question shouldn’t surprise [Y/N] at all, and yet it does. She had rehearsed all the possibilities of this conversation multiple times. Should she answer truthfully or bend it a little?

“We’ve shared classes together.” 

“Did you work on any projects together?” Emilie inquires further, clearly sceptical of this being the sole reason. “I don’t wish to sound unkind, however, it does feel unnatural for such sudden interest in another person.” 

[Y/N] gulps in nerves. This shouldn’t be happening. She’s a journalist for fucks’ sake. She’s supposed to be in charge of the conversation to gather as much as possible.

“To be completely honest—“ Her voice gets reduced to whispers as she leans over the table. The staff of the cafe doesn't have to know.

The bell rings, as the doors next to [Y/N] swing open. Another customer has entered the building, shutting the journalism major completely out. Can’t be going around spewing such important news when somebody’s right next to you.

It seems like life is completely against [Y/N] at this exact moment. One of the waitresses is here to bring the girls their coffee. 

“Your order is ready. Hope you enjoy!” She turns around noticing the new customer. “Oh! Good morning, professor. You’re later than usual!” 

“Traffic, nothing else— Also.” The seemingly older male starts. “I’m no professor, just a mere assistant.”

[Y/N] shakes her head, getting her thoughts back to what they were gonna talk about.

“Dear me... sorry about that you two.” She tries to give a smile, struggling to get herself in order. 

Her body feels weird. She hasn’t taken a sip of the drink yet, so there’s no way it would get spiked. Has Charlotte’s ‘bad-vibes’ radar been passed onto her? 

“Don’t worry, take your time.” By the way, Emilie is speaking, she must understand something. In all seriousness, back in their texts, both girls mentioned topics serious enough to be said eye-to-eye. 

“The thing… is quite complicated…” 

“No wonder.” Chevreuse comments. “Something minuscule as wanting to ask about projects wouldn’t be as nerve-racking, would it?”

“Here’s your order sir, I hope you have a nice day.” 

“Likewise.” The male replies as he leaves the building. With that, it seems the cafe has returned to its homey atmosphere.

“Okay.” [Y/N] sighs, before lowering her voice to a whisper again. “I’m pretty convinced Angelique has been kidnapped.” 

Chevreuse and Emilie look at each other, confused.

“What do you mean?” A questioning tone replies.

“A friend of mine went missing around 3 weeks ago.” 

“How does it have any connection to Angel, though?” 

[Y/N]’s trekking through thin ice floes. She remembers every detail Charlotte managed to find about Angelique... and how it connects to Lynette's case.

“Angelique has been a writer for the Fontinalia Group, right?” 

“Em, was she? I don’t remember.” 

“That's right, she was.” Emilie’s shushed voice replies. “Didn’t talk much about her work there.” 

“A friend of mine was invited to join in the middle of April… And there are two other girls with connections to the troupe also gone.” 

The more Chevreuse and Emilie learn, the more concerned they get.  

“Did you go to the police?” 

“We did. The case has been moved to a different district. We haven’t heard a word ever since submitting it.” 

“Chevreuse… do you think?” The blonde leans down to take something from her bag. 

“Oh god, not fucking thatttt…” Chevreuse muffles back. 

It takes Emilie quite a time to locate whatever she was looking for… and it seems to be… a stack of papers? 

“What’s that about?” [Y/N] asks, noting the papers are in a ziplock bag. 

“In the middle of the semester, this was slid under our dorm's door.” 

“Can I look?” 

“Be our guest… just be careful—“ 

As soon as [Y/N] opens the bag, the room gets filled with an overwhelming scent of a male’s perfume. Holy fuck, that’s quite intense. 

“Oh god…” The girls all cough a bit from its sheer amount. 

[Y/N] slowly unwraps the paper noting its great quality. Whoever was in charge of that most certainly knew their stuff. 

“And she was mine, she was mine, the key was in my first, my fist was in my pocket…” She starts reading the letter out loud — her tone still shushed. “… she was mine.” 

She gives a questioning look to the girls opposite her. Why would they feel like it’s related?

“When did this get delivered to you? It must've been after Angelique's case has been brought up.” She asks. 

“Many people from the administrative office came to ask us about Angel in late April.” Chevreuse answers, her eyes on the letter. “Em, do you remember?” 

“This letter arrived in early May. Surely you remember me looking into this scent. It’s just… mind-numbing.”

“Oh right… Yeah, that sure was a journey…” 

“Emilie, have you found anything?” 

The girl shakes her head. “I’ve come to the conclusion, that it’s a mixture of different colognes. Quite difficult to pinpoint something noteworthy, unfortunately.” 

[Y/N] furrows her brow, the implications of the letter weighing heavily on her. The words she just read resonate with a chilling undercurrent. “What does it mean by ‘she was mine’? This sounds more like obsession than affection.” On the other hand, if she were to go by predictions of the perpetrator to be well informed in arts… it could be a quote from a book. 

“I'm no poet, yet it most certainly reads as somebody being fixated on other’s being… rather than being affectionate to them.” Emilie’s expression is equally serious. 

 “Could also be somebody who considers affections as the same as fixation.” Chevreuse comments, sighing… But the look [Y/N] gives the girl… She has figured it out.

“Oh— Oh god…” 

She stands abruptly, bumping into the table in the process. Nerves overtake her body. Her legs are jittering, giving out a little.

Chevreuse and Emilie are scattering out of their seats trying to help to keep her steady. Even though they haven’t known Angelique long, and they’ve known [Y/N] for even less… both of them can tell her emotions are real. 

“Let’s get you to sit again.” Chevreuse leads her back onto the chair. “Have you figured out what the text means?” 

“… Lolita. It’s a quote from the book.” 

More time passes before Emilie and Chevreuse feel comfortable to leave [Y/N] on her own. She even rejects their gracious offer to drive her back to the dorms, since they’d be heading the same way.

The only thing she asks for is to exchange phone numbers. Even though they might not about Lynette’s situation still… having more people on your side makes it safer whenever something eventually goes wrong.

Furina and Neuvillette, despite observing the situation did not interfere at any point during their conversation… thus their job had been switched to notifying the rest of the group what has been going on… at least partially. 

Soon after the girls say their byes, they also leave the shop. Their job has been completed, regardless if they were necessary there in the first place. 

And [Y/N]? Well, she’s been keeping close to the small cafe, trying to contact the orphanage to share what she has learned… Whoever is behind Angelique’s, and by proxy Lynette’s kidnapping is either a sick person… 

… Or directly related to them. 

“Please, please just answer…” She says, looking at her phone deflated. She does not want to disturb anybody around her. Surely the caretaker of the House of Hearth wouldn’t be petty to leave her high and dry just because of a minor disagreement. Well, even if she did — [Y/N] does her utmost to convince her mind otherwise.

Soon, her call finally gets answered. 

“Hello?” They say. That… Is most certainly not Madame Knave… This is… 

“—Lyney?!”

The line cuts off instantly. 

𝑇𝐴𝐺𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — OPEN

@state-of-grac3 @santaluna @meigalaxy @romyoia

@meurtreofcrows @charles-braindump @floweringanna @moonjellyfishie @vavrin @lovelypadisarah

date of posting — september 28th 2024

[st4rwon]

dates with skz

hyung line, hurt comfort(in minho’s), lots and lots of fluff, mentions of food, pet names

bangchan 방찬

full day dates

either planned extremely well or he just shows up to your house and is like “lets go on a date”

always get you flowers (had never failed to bring them single time)

loves to bring you to places that are special to him

“channie you know you didn’t have to do all of this for a date” you said looking over and your handsome boyfriend that sat next to you. “i know but I wanted to show you how special you are to me” he answered clasping your hands together. you stared at the stars in the sky, it was just you and chan stargazing together. “thank you for all of this, you never fail to put a smile on my face. i love you chan” he mumbled a small “i love you too” before pulling your face towards his so he could give you a kiss.

minho 민호

likes indoor dates, but will still go on outdoor ones

if it’s an indoor date he’ll get your favorite take out and set up something for you both to do

(watch a movie, play games, etc)

will definitely end in you and minho cuddling with soonie, doongie, and dori

“hey babe?” minho said getting your attention “yeah?” “do you ever find these dates…boring? i mean most people usually go out, but we tend to stay in because of me…” you fully turned your body towards him, the sounds from the movie still playing behind you “minho of course i don’t find these dates boring, i love all the time we spent together and even if it’s not a extremely thought out formal date i appreciate the effort you put in trying to make it as fun as possible. plus i get to see soonie, doongie, and dori, how could it possibly be boring” minho shuffled close to you and gave you a small hug “yeah your right” he chuckled “..does that mean you only come here for my cats” he said jokingly “yeah of course what did you think” he playfully shoved you but in his head all he could think was ‘i wonder what i did to deserve a girl like her’

changbin 창빈

goes out with you at least once a week

cannot live without seeing you

it’ll alternate between you two, one week

you plan the date and the next week he does

recalls things that you’ve talked about and plans accordingly

the MOST romantic

“binnie you didn’t have to go all out” you say after he had taken you to one of your favorite places, he had also gotten you your favorite food and flowers “my baby deserves the best of the best!” he exclaims pulling you closer to his body. “i guess i’m gonna have to one up you next week then” you chuckled changbin stayed silent but continued to hold you body, and you just stayed like that for a little bit. “c’mon let me walk you home” he said finally breaking the embrace, though he had the brightest smile on his face. “my boyfriend is such a gentleman” “only for you babe” he said pulling his head down to kiss your forehead.

hyunjin 현진

Extremely romantic pt. 2

loves bringing you to fancy dinner places

showers you with love and complements everything you do

“how can someone looks so cute just by sitting there? i’m so glad your mine”

HIS EXACT WORDS

dates always last longer than expected because he can’t leave you

“hyun you gotta go home, you have work tomorrow” you said pouting at your boyfriend, he had taken you on an amazing date and made sure you had the time of your life. “but i don’t wanna leave youu” he said holding you tight in an embrace. “alright” you said giving in “we can go on a small walk around the neighborhood, but then you gotta go home, I don’t want you to not get enough sleep because of me” hyunjin smiled brightly and took your hand, going on the normal route the two of you took. “did i tell you how pretty you are today?” he says pressing a kiss to your cheek “yes baby, multiple times” you said giggling “just gotta make sure you know it” you hide you face, his words making you blush in seconds “jinnie your gonna be the death of me”

please don’t spam like posts, repost, translate, or use my work without my permission. all work is fictional and only used for entertainment purposes. © azurez 2023

[thesafecafe]

Eat Me: Feb Filth Fest day 7

CW + Disclaimer: 18+, MDNI, accidental aphrodisiac usage/ingestion, overstimulation, Husband! Yeosang, multiple orgasms, ab riding (brief), choking with a belt, fem! reader, pet names (mama, baby girl, doll, etc.), oral (mostly fem rec), unprotected sex (don’t), possessive sex, body worship, making out, heightened senses (smell, taste, etc.), cream pie, Yeosang and the mc are freaks, (this is also partially inspired by an idea I had a while back), smut under the cut, enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I do not believe that the members of Ateez would act in this way in real life, nor is this meant to be a reflection or guide to their real personalities. This is a fictional depiction for entertainment purposes.

Words: 1,738

“Are you sure those are safe to eat? Seonghwa looked a bit eager giving them to us, like, too eager.” You watched as your husband, Yeosang, took out a box of sweets from the fridge. “Well, he said the other members enjoyed them a lot, and he wanted us to relax and have a nice time together while we’re on vacation. He’s just being nice.” You didn’t doubt that Seonghwa would genuinely want you to enjoy your vacation, but the way he looked when he  handed Yeosang the box was enough to put you on guard. Like he was expecting something. “He wanted us to eat them then, I’m sure. He all but said so when he was hovering over them.” You huffed as Yeosang sat next to you, flicking your nose. 

“Oh just hush and have a cookie, would you? It’s not like it’s poison.” Yeosang sassed you, pushing a heart shaped cookie into your mouth. You made a noise in protest, but decided to take a bite of it at least.As you tasted the soft cookie and delicate frosting, you quickly found yourself wanting more. Before you knew it, the cookie was gone, and you were reaching for another. Yeosang laughed at you, extending the box in your direction. “I guess it’s a good thing that the cookies say ‘eat me’ on the front. You’re going to eat them all, hey!” He snatched the box back, seeing that you’d taken at least five more. “The rest are mine!” 

You giggled at his indignant protests, sitting back in your seat. Soon, the both of you had finished off the box, relaxing into your afternoon activities. Yeosang read a book, while you typed away on your laptop, a comfortable silence overtaking you, and the little box of cookies was momentarily forgotten. You’d forgotten all about your previous worry, believing that it would be a peaceful afternoon.

___________________________

One hour was all it took for everything to come crashing down. You were laying back  in your recliner, minding your business, when you started to feel hot. It was odd, since you only had on a cropped hoodie and shorts. It was steadily getting hotter, and you were starting to become hyper aware of things. Has the light  in the kitchen always been so bright? And has the scent of Yeosang’s soap always been so strong? You were almost willing to ignore the new sensation, if not for the intense ache in between your legs. You shifted your hips, trying to ease the sudden throbbing in your core, but the more you moved, the more you felt yourself spilling into your shorts.

Yeosang was faring no better across from you. Trying to read his book in peace, he too felt hot and bothered. He could hear the slick sounds of your movements as you tried to adjust yourself comfortably. He caught himself glacing at you over the pages of the book subtly, trying not to make it harder on himself. But as he looked at your thighs shifting, he felt a hunger, a need  to be inside you, to taste your skin as he filled you up in the best way possible. He was debating on how to approach the topic, when you called his name.

“Yeosang?” Your voice came out smaller than you intended, but you didn’t mind. Yeosang lowered his book to his lap, looking at you over his glasses. “Yes my love?” You beckoned for him to come to you, and he obeyed, kneeling by your legs. “Is… is something the matter, love?” Yeosang swallowed thickly, nervously fixing his glasses. His hands came to rest on your thighs, and you lost it. Grabbing Yeosang’s shirt, you quickly pulled him up into the chair, bringing his lips to yours. He let out a small cry of surprise as your lips collided, his glasses flying off. You kissed him fervently, and he kissed you back, gripping onto your waist.

You reached for his shirt, helping him to shrug out of it. He latched onto the side of your neck, leaving open mouthed kisses down to your throat. His hand slid down to your shorts, tugging at the material. You pushed him away from you for a moment, pulling off your shorts. Yeosang cussed under his breath. You were dripping, your arousal leaking out of you and sliding down your legs. “Fuck, you’re soaking, doll. Come here.” Yeosang pulled you close, kissing you once more before pushing you down into the seat again. He kneeled before you, putting your legs over his shoulders. Pulling you close to his mouth, he parted your lips with his tongue. Licking from your hole to your clit, he sucked on it harshly. You moaned, gripping the arms of your recliner as his tongue twisted around your clit. 

Moving down to your entrance, Yeosang pushed his tongue into you, reveling in the feeling of your walls spasming against his tongue. He swirled his tongue, pushing it back and forth, and side to side. His fingers rubbed at your clit, and as your moans got louder, he knew you were close. Pulling his tongue out, he brought it slowly back up to your pearl. He did his favorite tongue trick. Your orgasm washed over you, and Yeosang caught most of it on his tongue, lapping up the mess he made. Catching your breath, you looked down at him watching as he licked his lips clean. He stood up, pulling you with him. He pulled you quickly towards your shared bedroom, the both of you unable to keep your hands to yourself on the way. You barely made it into the hallway before he was pressing you against the wall.

Your legs wrapped around his waist, and his hands were on your hips as he kissed you. Using his arms, he helped you move against his abdomen, flexing his abs as your core slid against him. He sucked along the base of your throat, and you cried out as he found your sweet spot. “Please Sangie, please, I need you in me, please.” You begged pathetically as he pressed you harder against the wall. Reluctantly, he pulled his face from your neck, his eyes dark with lust. Pulling you away from the wall, he carried you into the bedroom, carefully setting you on the bed. He took a step back, observing you. “Take off your top. Bra too.” He watched as you took them off, baring yourself to him completely, before reaching down to his belt  It was your turn to watch as his ring clad fingers undid his belt, swiftly taking it off and pushing down his pants. 

Stepping towards the bed again, Yeosang beckoned you over. Knowing exactly what he wanted, you crawled over to him. Siting up on your knees, you tugged his underwear down, and he stepped out of them, leaving him completely bare. His impressive length hung heavy between his legs, thick, veiny, and proud. Leaning forward, you sucked the tip between your lips, slowly swirling your tongue around it. Yeosang groaned, spurring you on. Taking him in your hand, you moved from the tip, gliding your tongue over his skin, licking up and down his length until it glistened. Pushing you back onto the bed, Yeosang spread your legs, settling between them.

Still holding onto his belt, he wrapped it around your wrists, before sliding into you. You moaned as he stretched you out, never getting completely used to the way he practically split you open. “You ready baby girl?” Yeosang’s voice was gentle as he addressed you, the look in his eyes making your breath hitch. Nodding, you gave him the okay to move. His eyes darkened once more, and he pulled his hips back, before slamming them into yours. You cried out as he continued, his hips relentless as he brought you towards your end. Yeosang kissed along you neck as he pounded you into the bed.

“Such a good girl for me. You take me so well doll, so perfect for me. My perfect doll, only I get to feel you like this, yeah?” He praised you as he marked your neck, your whimpers and moans serving as encouragement for him. “Always making me feel so good, baby, so pretty and warm, just for me.” Your walls spasmed around him, and Yeosang knew you were close. His free hand found your clit, applying pressure as he rubbed at it, bringing you to your second orgasm of the night.  You moaned so loudly, you were sure you’d get noise complaints from the neighbors, but you felt too good to care. But as you were coming down, you realized that your husband  hadn’t stopped yet, not even through your second release.

Your walls convulsed at the feeling of overstimulation, slight pain mixing with pleasure. As the feeling became too much, you tried to  get away, pushing yourself towards the headboard. Yeosang was having none of it, pulling you back by your legs. “Don’t try to run from me, mama,” he panted, “we’re just getting started.” He stuck out his tongue, focusing as he continued to drill his hips into yours, mercilessly fucking you into the bed. Your third release of the night had you gripping the sheets, crying out his name. “That’s right doll, let everyone know who’s making you feel this good.” Yeosang came not long after you, his warmth spilling into you. Pulling himself back, Yeosang carefully pulled out of you, before flipping you over.

“Arch your back for me doll.” Yeosang took the belt from your wrist, waiting for you to get adjusted before he slid his length back into you, deeper this time. Yeosang held back from groaning, preferring this position most of all. His pace was more brutal this time, and his hands held your hips so tightly, there would definitely be marks the next day. Wrapping the belt tightly  around your neck, Yeosang pulled you up, your back flat against his chest.

One hand held the belt tightly, partially restricting your air flow, as the other came down to toy with your clit once again. Your vision started to blur as you were on the brink of your fourth release of the night. “So so good, pl-please, don’t stop!” Your words were slurred, but Yeosang got the message loud and clear. “Oh don’t worry baby. There’s plenty more where that came from.”

___________

@minhyuuk, ​@hijeongguk @mintmoose64, @treasure-hwa, @atinyszn, @hwalysm, @k-drizzle​, @doom-fics

[rainbow-nerdss]

Fic Writing review 2023!

I was tagged by: @just-my-latest-hyperfixation @aidaronan @exhuastedpigeon @jamespearce9-1-1 @theotherbuckley @aspecbuddie @thewolvesof1998 @daffi-990 (And possibly others, i may have missed one or two, sorry if i did!)

I can't believe 2023 is over, honestly. This year has had some ups and downs for sure but overall I'm so proud of what I've achieved. I started the year mainly writing Stranger Things fics, and while I still love that fandom and all of the wonderful people I met there, my inspiration for writing it was beginning to fade.

And along came 9-1-1. I am so happy with where I've ended up, and for all the new friends I've made since I found this show back in April!

Here's an overview of my year in fic:

Words posted to ao3: 235,060

Words written: 250,465

Works posted: 38

Fandoms posted for: 3 (Stranger Things, 9-1-1, MCU/Captain America)

Specifics and tags are under the cut!

Longest fic:

Crawling on Back to You 109k words, 30 chapters Stranger Things, Steve/Eddie, Rated E

Shortest fic:

Keep on Walkin' and don't look back 521 words Stranger Things, Steve/Eddie, Rated T

Top 5 by kudos:

1. Right in front of your eyes

9-1-1, Buddie, 15k

He and Chris, and Buck. They work, they’re a unit. Why should it matter that he’s single? Buck is watching him, like he’s reading every thought on his face. “You’re already planning to lie about the date. Why don’t you just tell her you met someone yourself?” Eddie shrugs and tilts his head to the side, squinting in thought. “She won’t set me up on dates if she thinks I’ve got someone,” he muses. “But she’ll want to meet whoever it is.” “So... Introduce them?” Or: Buck offers to fake-date Eddie so Pepa will stop setting him up on dates.

2. Pinky Promise

9-1-1, Buddie, 1k

Christopher Diaz doesn't mind that his dad's dating someone new. He's not dumb, he knows there's someone. The way his dad has been smiling lately, the way Chris catches him staring at his coffee, daydreaming like he isn't a grown man. The sleepovers Chris is suddenly allowed to go to on almost a weekly basis. Chris is happy for him, really he is. He’s just not planning to let himself get attached to whoever it turns out to be, just in case. He doesn't need a step-parent, because he has Dad, and he has Buck, and that’s enough. Whoever his dad dates, well. They'll probably leave, eventually. Chris doesn’t need to worry about them. Or: Eddie and Buck come to Chris with some news, and he doesn't take it very well at all.

3. Peek-A-Boo

Stranger Things, Steddie, 1k

Eddie tried not to stare. He really tried. He didn't notice at first, too preoccupied with the tub of pringles he'd been making his way through while talking about Corroded Coffin's last gig. Sure, he'd noticed the shorts. The ridiculous amount of leg Steve was showing, the way they hugged his ass, but it wasn't until Steve moved, lifted one foot to rest on the cushion, knees spread, that Eddie noticed another feature of the shorts. Or: Steve puts on a bit of an accidental show.

4. Definition

9-1-1, Buddie, 2k

It keeps happening, time and time again. People get it wrong. Whatever people say, it feels wrong and they don't know how to set the record straight, until Chris takes it into his own hands. or: 5 times people get Buck's role in Chris's life wrong, and 1 time they set the record straight

5. take my hand (knot your fingers through mine)

9-1-1, Buddie, 4k, written with @pock-o-pea

At least Buck’s okay. He’s outside, safe, doing his job. Buck’s okay, which means no matter what happens inside this van, If the crushing weight of the fridge takes him before Buck can get to him, if the van pancakes or flips or any number of likely disasters occur, if Eddie dies in here, alone, and in pain, then… He thinks of Mallory, of Jo. How they’d called out for each other. His eyes shut briefly as Mallory’s words echo in his head. “She’s not my daughter. Jo’s mother was my best friend… she saved me so many times.” Or: what 6x18 could've been

2023 Events I've participated in: AUgust, Fandom Trumps Hate

Current works in progress:

The bodyguard fic (somebody to someone) -One chapter posted, 3 more written and (almost) ready to post!

Steve time travelling in the upside down (of moments and unmoments (of time lost)) -One posted, two more in the drafts 😁

The break-up fic (you were my town) - Two posted, the third almost ready to post

Season 7 fic: 10 chapters, currently being edited to post

and then a bunch of isolated oneshots I've yet to figure out an ending for: 5+1 times Eddie sees buck with kids that aren't his, friends with benefits, secret relationship, Teacher!Buck, Buckley siblings kiss of death, Buck in the stairs (just started this one last night!)

Goals for 2024:

I want to finish posting all of the WIPs which are already on ao3, post my s7 fic before March 14, keep working on all the WIPs I have in my docs and of course write more and keep sharing!

Most of all I want to keep participating in this wonderful fandom I've found on here, I have had *such* a good time over the past year in fandom 🥰🥰

No pressure tags (sorry if you've already done this and I missed it!)

@hellwrites @the-emdash @wildlife4life @disasterbuckdiaz @loserdiaz @jeeyuns @callmenewbie @911-on-abc @bittersweet-in-boston @kwills91 @trenchcoatsandtimetravel @spotsandsocks @devirnis @housewifebuck @lover-of-mine @gayhoediaz @mojowitchcraft @wikiangela @steadfastsaturnsrings @sunflowerdiaiz @cardamomsage @velvetjinx

Also tagging anyone else who might want to look back at the year and I've accidentally missed!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

[keelt9]

Chapter 9

Fog

Masterlist

It's Friday night and I sit in the steps from the main door letting the breeze help to clear my mind. “Here.” Camille offers me an ice lemonade. 

“Thanks.” She sits next to me, grabbing her cup of ice tea, clearly enjoying the same view that made us Riley and I fall in love of this place.

“Me? Thanks to you Y/N, we retain you here all week with the move, taking care of Henry, fixing, painting, etc.” I smile to the horizon, the memories of me and Riley doing the same years ago brings me comfort.

“It’s my pleasure and you know that.” She remains silent.

“For months Jack thought we would never see you again.” I put my head down. “Not because we blame you, but he thought it was hard for you to see us. When you appeared at our door, something that was absent in his eyes came back. The night before we moved, he said that; you coming back in some way to our life, is like keeping the promise he made to Riley.” 

I look at her, the confusion in my eyes makes her keep talking. “Riley makes us promise that if for some reason something happens to him, Jack will make sure that you never feel alone.” 

I remember talking to Riley about the years I felt alone when I started my path for being in the navy and he swore to me that while he is around, I never have to be lonely.

I put my hand in my chest rubbing it, just when Jack got out of the house and sat next to us. “And now we promise the same, you are always going to have someone in the world.” 

“I hate to cry in front of you.” I tell them, cleaning my face. “Thanks, I’m really thankful, I hope you have a bright life here, Riley wishes that for you.” Jack put his hand over mine and then Camille. 

“Whatever life takes you Y/N, we hope the same, and you promise Henry; visit us from time to time.” I smile and nod, crying like a little baby.

When I arrived home Wednesday night, my parents had a letter for me. The admirals called for me Tuesday at 12:00 hours, it’s time.

“Everything is going to be fine.” My mother says while holding me. “You are the best.” 

I look at my father and he is smiling at me. “The #1.” He raises his finger so I can see it before joining the hug.

I call Jill hoping she is already in Fighterown, she answers me that actually all the team arrive a couple of days ago and left for visit their families, but she calls them for they giving me their support, I was expecting intensely calls but no, Monday night they drag me out of my house to the runaway.

“Are you nervous?” Justice asks me, I cross my legs and laugh. 

“Very.” But they just scoff, I think we understand the risk where I am. “But, here, I want you to make me a promise, if it’s possible.” All nods. “Never let anyone put you down without giving your best, whatever the veridic is, I always look out for every one of you.” They nod looking at each other. “Even for you Shooter, you have a huge job, being in my place it’s hard.” All laugh and Shooter pushes me. 

I asked all of them and my parents remained silent about the appointment and the fact I was already in Marimar. The least thing I need is people looking at me with concern and pity for a whole week. I focus on painting the parts of the house I miss before leaving, keeping my mind and hands busy.

“Painting till the exhaustion won’t change the decision they already take.” Dad tells me from the window of the kitchen. “Y/N.” I refuse to stop painting. 

“It’s enough.” I crash in the grass letting all the air I’ve contained come out. “You already did your best, be back or not won’t change all the years you serve, whatever that comes, you are going to face it like you always do, with your head up high and the confidence you are going to give your best.” 

I see him, he has that soft look on his face. “Get rest, tomorrow is an important day.”

That night was the most stressing in my life, I keep rolling and rolling in the bed, I stand a couple of times and layback but when the tiredness takes of my body I get some sleep, in the morning I put my uniform and get ready, I barely touch my breakfast and when my father leaves, he just hugs me and smile at me. At 11:00 I say goodbye to my mother.

“Honey.” She calls me from the hallway. “I’m so proud of you, never forget that.” I smiled at her but inside I felt bombs in my stomach and my head.

I wait as calmly as I can outside of the big room, in the hallway I see all my team but no dagger was there, I don’t ask about it because that will make me more nervous, so I just focus on one thing, all the time I have been in the sky.

“Lieutenant Kazansky.” A man calls me to get in, I turn and watch them with thumbs up and smiling before entering, whatever happens inside I want to see familiar faces.

The feeling I start to have when I get in isn't the one I want to remember at that moment. I listen to them but I don’t hear them; they tell me my ups and downs, my failures and my success, but my mind is having flashbacks.

“Lieutenant Riley Miller died in action....” My hands are sweating. “After analyzing all the reports and actions….” My heart is pumping so fast that it feels like someone is bombing it. “…There’s no reason….” I have my head straight and looking at all the people in front of me but at the same time my vision is so blurry. “…Lieutenant Y/N Kazansky has any kind of responsibility or guilt in the death of Lieutenant Riley Miller.” 

After the verdict I hoped to find some kind of solace or at least felt a little bit less miserable, but it was the confirmation of something I already know. I can’t save Riley no matter what.

The sound of the squeak of one chair against the ground, brings me back to the present.

“May I ask you a question, Lieutenant?” Rear admiral Jhonson asks me, seeing me straight to my eyes, whatever it was I already experienced all the judging face years ago. “You have an impeccable record, you can easily leave with honor the navy, why come back?” 

“Well…For 2 years that question keeps rounding my mind and actually I don’t think I have a reasonable answer or one that you want to hear.” He crosses his hands over the table. “I’m not chasing a ghost if is something that concerns you, it’s just since I was so young, I always dream be up there, the excitement I experiment be in the sky and the comfort that give me help to my country…if you want a simple answer, I want back because that dream isn’t over yet.” 

Maybe it’s my sentimentalism but I can see a little side smile followed by him sitting straight one more time, he watches Cyclone who nodded to him, that was the approval he needs.

“Lieutenant Y/N Kazansky after exposure and analyze all the results and observations of the multiple tests and exercises, also the reviews of the officers in charge to evaluate you….” I take a deep breath. “We conclude reestablishing your status and being an active element of the navy.” Is really hard holding back the smile and the tears. 

“Welcome back Lieutenant Kazansky.” Rear admiral Jhonson says, after a couple of seconds all the officers and admirals stand and lift the room congratulating me for being back. But I watch to my left side where my father is standing watching me with proud eyes and nod his head before leaving the room with the others.

“Sky” I see Cyclone speaking from the door. “We see you tomorrow.” I smile at him, but he sees the hallway. “But just for today, celebrate.” 

When the door was about to close all my team rushed to get in. “Well?” Tom asks and everyone's eyes are watching my face with attention. 

“I’m back.”

All scream and high five with the other before hugging me and congratulating me. “We have an appointment tonight ladies and gentlemen.” Justice says making everyone giggle.

When I left the base, everyone makes me promise I’ll be in Hard Deck at night, I’m not going to lie I was expecting some kind of miracle where the dagger team found me in the parking lot and I give them the good news but it’s useless they couldn’t arrive, I just hope everyone be safe.

At home my mom and Penny prepare a little celebration. Dad, Maverick, and Hondo ask for permission in the base, Amalia comes when she gets out of school and rushes to be there, all congratulate me and wish me the best. When my parents and I remain in the house, they hug me and tell me how proud they are of me.

“Riley must be really proud of you honey.” My mom says grabbing my face. 

“Really proud.” My dad grabs my hand. “You did well Sky, you did really well.”

In the night I change my uniform for a black sundress. I know before going and celebrating with the team I have an important stop to do.

Jack decided Riley must be buried here in Miramar where he made his dream come true, after the funeral I never came back to his grave. It was so painful to stand in the front line with Jack, Camille, and baby Henry, people watching us and giving us words of consolation that day; I promise him I just came back when I have really big and good news. With the sun hiding I stand in front of him one more time.

“Hey, you, I’m not bringing you flowers if that’s what you expect.” Riley always made fun of me about the fact I hate the act of giving and receiving flowers. “But I bring you this.” I put in front of his grave a pinwheel with a flower shape, I kneel in the ground. “I’ll be back with the team, it won’t be easy, it won’t be the same without you annoying me in the back, but I’ll work hard to be a better version of me, of the girl you protect until the end.” 

I put my hand over his name. “Thank you so much Riley, I promise I’ll keep me safe as much as I can and everyone who flies with me.” I stop for a moment because the knot in my throat is making me lose my voice. “And like Henry says, we always meet up there.” A cry escaped from my mouth. “I am making the changes you and I talk about; your family is fine, and I always keep an eye on them like you do with me, they already called me for the news.” I scoff. “My ears are still numb because of their scream when I told them I got back.” 

I hear an airplane flying above us. “Be happy wherever you are, and always talk to me when I get lost.” I stand and shake the ground of my knees. “I love you so much.” I spin the pinwheel before I go.

[plothooksinc]

hi! if you're still answering questions...I think you mentioned you found a life partner without dating. as a person who is thinking they might be asexual but might still want a life partner... I was just curious about how that happened for you. (please feel free to ignore if this is too personal!)

Ah, man. First, no, it's not too personal! I just delayed long enough to check in with my housemate to make sure he didn't mind me talking about this.

But for us it just- sort of happened naturally. I've known my housemate for 27 years at this point and we met when he was a customer at the RPG store I ran. Then at some point I joined a game of his and then he joined a game of mine and we started talking as more than customer-manager? And then he joined the people I took home with me at night (I hated going home to an empty house so I was constantly bringing guys home with me lmao, I don't know WHAT my neighbours thought but they were legit only coming over to hang out and play more games) and then I realised he literally lived on my route home and I started knocking on his window at 2am on my way home from work and hanging out with him there for a bit, and then we went from friendly acquaintances to actual friends, and then "that friend I will ring when I'm having a bad day, pls come over and bring me something to eat" and then he wanted to move out of home and I could no longer afford living on my own and had bounced around homeless a bit and so we rented a house together. Which was rough as hell to begin with because I do not play nice with people in my living space and so I nearly moved OUT again, but by the nature of struggling to run a business and having no money we ended up living together long enough we got used to each other's rough edges and then. Then we just KEPT living together. And a lot of life happened and we just got used to living with each other, and we've always been just friends-- I mean when we first moved in, I was still dating! We didn't even know asexuality was a thing back then. (Or at least I didn't, he might have. It didn't come up. For me, I was still engaged in "fake it until you make it???" which is the fun game of the asexual when you don't realise you're asexual.) But over time it became-- well, still friends but kind of like married friends, because we just knew each other too well and could balance each other out. When I finally was introduced to the concept of asexuality (I was 35 by that point jeez) I was so relieved I just settled right into the concept of living with my best friend for the rest of eternity. And he's also ace (or Chris Hemsworth-sexual as he puts it) and we're just... comfortable together. And know each other's minds to a very startling degree, the amount we're in sync is hilarious sometimes. Last year we bought a house together, so that cements we're just gonna live together forever. I kept this as brief as possible because you would not believe how many times I wanted to go off on tangents about the kind of incredibly decent man I live with. I have no sexual attraction or desire for intimacy of any kind, but I love him all the same. He's like a best friend/brother/something other. And... there was no plan to it, it all happened naturally. Which is probably not helpful to you I'm afraid-- we didn't plan to avoid dating and go straight to life partnering, it just happened. But all I can say is to wish you well, anon, and to also say: aces and aros tend to gather together. When I realised I was ace, I discovered a great many of my friends were also ace, because... like recognises like, I guess. And that means that if you're ace, the chances you're just gonna gravitate naturally to other aces and have a chance of just progressing into something warm and long term with one of them is a lot greater than zero. I hope for all the best for you. ♥

[mrs-johansson]

Chapter 5: Avengers: Age of Ultron - Two Ghosts

Part 7:

As soon as we stepped foot into her room, she locked the door and captured her lips with mine. It was our first kiss in a while and I wanted to melt into her and stay lips to lips forever.

She took a few steps, not letting go of my lips until my back met the wall. “We’re not supposed to do this,” I mumbled against her lips, trying to breathe at the same time. “I know…”

But we kept going. Clothes were flying left and right, keeping it as quiet as possible. And we didn’t stop till the sun started rising.

***

I quietly slipped out of bed, praying to god that I wouldn’t wake Natasha. And thanks to my spy skills I didn’t wake her up.

Quickly exited the room and went to the kids’ room to check on them and when I saw them still asleep, I closed the door and went downstairs.

Made myself a big cup of coffee and sat outside on the deck. It was a very peaceful morning, the view was amazing.

Gosh, what have we done? It’s gonna be a mess for both of us. And even though I don’t really like Bruce at the moment I still feel bad for him. I don’t know their status but still.

“You’re up early,” heard the familiar voice and I turned to see Steve walking outside. “Uh… I couldn’t sleep,” I shuffled in my seat, knowing we were supposed to share a room for the night and he was definitely to say something.

“I’m not even gonna ask, you have bruises all around your neck,” he sat down and I wanted to bury myself. I pulled the blanket up my neck and wished to disappear. “At least you were quiet, I give you a point for that,” he said and I laughed out of embarrassment. “What am I doing with my life…” I hid my face in my hands. “It’s hard to move on. I can’t even imagine what it’s like moving on from Natasha. And I’ve seen the whole thing, you struggle really hard,” said Steve. “Yeah, no kidding,” I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

“Sometimes I feel like there’s still hope…” I said just above a whisper. “Hope in us. Magically someday all our problems will be solved and we’ll be happy,” I stared at the forest that was close by. “Maybe there is hope. I don’t think you should give up,” I glanced at Steve and he had a small smile on his face. “Especially if you still love her.”

***

“Mama’s gonna be home before you know it,” I held Katarina in my arms. “I will miss you,” she signed. “I’ll be back before you know it,” kissed around her cute face and she giggled. My heart aches every time I have to leave but as long as she’s in good hands, I’m not worried. “Can I hold her a bit?” The sudden question made me look up. Natasha was standing beside us, her hands behind her back, waiting for the response. “Sure,” I handed her Katarina and walked off to talk to Laura.

“If you need anything call me. I left you the number of my doctor friend, she’s probably the best in the country. I also promised the kids that they will spend a weekend with me after we get back.” I rumbled and she chuckled but pulled me in a hug. “Take care of each other,” she whispered and I hugged her close. “Always.”

“Okay, guys, we’re leaving,” Dad walked in and we all said our goodbyes. “Mama loves you,” gave one last kiss to Katarina’s head and ran after the others.

***

We ignored each other throughout the whole journey. She didn’t look at me, I didn’t look at her.

“Y/n get ready for landing,” Cao spoke up, putting his helmet on. I checked my guns and knife one last time and made sure my boots were tight enough. “Make sure to get Cho,” Natasha said and I just glanced at her.

Steve and I were quick to get to the lab and what we saw was not what we were hoping for. “Dr. Cho,” Steve ran to the injured woman’s side. “He's uploading himself into the body,” she struggled to say this. “Where?” I asked while Steve was trying to hold pressure on her wounds. “The real power is inside the Cradle. The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle,” Cho said, holding onto dear life. “First we have to find it.” “Go.”

“Did you guys copy that?” I asked, trying my best to keep Cho alive. “We did.” “Steve, get me something I could sterilize her wound with, alcohol or something,” I said and he ran around to find something. “He will get away, go!” Helen told firmly. “But you-“ “Go!”

Steve and I ran outside, looking for Ultron. “There. It's a truck from the lab. Right above you, Cap. On the loop by the bridge. It's them. I got three with the Cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver,” said Clint. “Negative! If that truck crashes, the gem could level the city. We need to draw out Ultron,” As Steve finished his sentence I jumped onto the truck, him following behind.

Steve was quick to edge to the back door and then it flew open, making him get in between the door and the side of the truck. I started burning a hole into the top while Steve somehow was now on the almost broken-down door. “Well, he's definitely unhappy! We’re gonna try and keep him that way,” he said. “You're not a match for him, Cap,” Clint got into the conversation and I had to laugh. “If you think about it, Ultron is kinda my brother,” I added and heard Clint scoff. “Especially then, not a match.” “Thanks, Barton.”

The next thing I knew, Steve was sent back into another car. “Oh fuck that,” I looked at the hole and simply just jumped off the truck to fly behind it. “Well, hello,” I said as Ultron and I were face to face. “What now?!” He asked and sent a power blast my way but I was quick to block it. He wasted no time and flew right at me, making me lose my balance and fly back a couple of feet.

Steve successfully got back on the truck and Ultron got out too. “You know what's in that Cradle? The power to make real change and that terrifies you,” he said. “I wouldn't call it a comfort,” Steve told the robot and threw his shield at him, sending him back.

I was there in a second to punch him right in the back. The three of us were fighting for a while, but it seemed to bring us no good. “Stop it!” Ultron yelled as the shield got stuck in his chest. He took it out with no hesitation and tossed it away.

Natasha was already on the way with a bike and we were still trying to hold off Ultron. “I'm always picking up after you boys,” heard Natasha over comms. “Hey, don’t include me,” I said as I punched Ultron. “They're heading under the overpass, I've got no shot,” Clint spoke. “Which way?” Asked Natasha. “Hard right... Now.” She threw back the shield and I was the one to catch it, and quickly knocked Ultron away.

Steve and I were on the train now, trying to keep Ultron away from Natasha and the Cradle. Then suddenly a quick punch made Ultron stumble and as he was about to move away, the railings on the train got in his way, surrounded with red power. I looked around and saw the twins. “Please. Don't do this,” Ultron said, looking at the girl. “What choice do we have?” She asked, with a heavy accent in her voice.

Ultron flew off and I wasted no time jumping out of the train. “I lost him! He's headed your way!” Steve spoke. “I’m in flying pursuit,” I said into my comms. “Nat, we gotta go,” said Clint.

Ultron was sending blasts at me as I was chasing after him. I saw the Cradle drop into the Quinjet and as I took my eyes off from Ultron for one second, a blast came straight at me.

I lost consciousness for a minute but quickly recovered as I realized that I was falling towards the ground. It took every fiber in my body to hover just above the ground. “Gosh, we lost him again…” I fell on my knees, taking deep breaths as my whole life flashed in front of my eyes. “At least we have the Cradle, right?” I chuckled dryly which then turned into coughing. “Do you have eyes on Nat?” Heard Clint’s voice. “What?” I was on my feet in a second. “We’ve lost Nat. She was still in the truck.” “If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!” Steve shouted through comms. “Do you have eyes on Nat?” Clint pressured. “Go!”

***

“How can we lose her?” I shouted. “Ultron probably took her,” Steve said. “Yeah, no shit Steve!” I spread my arms. “We will find her,” he stood up. “What if she’s already dead, huh? What then?” I asked. “I’m gonna melt that robot to the fucking ground with my bare hands.”

***

“Anything on Nat?” Asked Bruce as Dad and I walked in. “What do you think?” I asked with a straight face. “Haven't heard. But she's alive, or Ultron'd be rubbing our faces in it,” Dad explained. “This is sealed tight,” jumped off the Cradle, Clint. “We're going to need to access the program, break it down from within,” Bruce stepped up. “Hm. Any chance Natasha might leave you a message, outside the internet, old school spy stuff?” Asked Dad. “There's some nets I can cast. Yeah, alright. I'll find her.” “I’ll help.”

“I gave her a vest with a GPS, I don’t think she wore it though,” I sat down in front of my computer. “You could check at least,” he said and I opened the tracking program. And saw where the vest was. “Is that… that’s Sokovia,” Clint pointed at the screen. “She’s wearing it.” I'm not going to lie, I blushed. Even though it’s a pretty high-tech vest, it was still me who gave it to her. “We should send her a message,” said Clint and started connecting things on the machine. We made sure to stay off the radar and we managed to do so thankfully. “Tell her we know where she is, just… stay alive,” I mumbled the last part and left the room.

“This framework is not compatible,” said Dad as he was going through some files. “The genetic coding tower's at ninety-seven percent. You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes,” Bruce looked at the cradle.

“I’m gonna say this once,” walked in Steve, behind him the twins. Wow, he has a marshmallow heart after all. “How about nonce?” Dad chimed in. “Shut it down!” “Nope, not gonna happen,” walked down Dad from the console. “You don’t know what you’re doing,” Steve pressed. “And you do? She’s not in your head?” Bruce spoke up. “I know you’re angry,” said the Maximoff girl. “Angry?” I stood up. She looked at me with a questioning look. “Wow… That’s what you think we are? Angry?” I scoffed and took a couple more steps towards her. “I did nothing to you,” she said. “Nothing? You think hurting my family is nothing? One more of this little trick of yours and I’ll melt your brain, you understand?” She tilted her head up and clenched her jaw. “Y/n, after everything that’s happened-“ Steve tried to make me step back from the girl. “That’s nothing compared to what’s coming!” Dad said firmly. “You don’t know what’s in there! The creature-“ Started the Maximoff girl but the next second all we could see was her brother standing next to the cradle with its cables. “No, no. Go on. You were saying?” He looked so amused with his action. “I could choke the life out of you right now,” I sighed and found the closest chair to sit on. Then the glass floor was shot out from under and he fell through the ground. “We have to fix that now, thanks Clint,” I spread my arms and looked at my dad who was rushing around, trying to fix the cradle. Steve was quick to try and stop him and threw his shield so he would destroy some equipment. The Iron Man glove flew through the newly broken window and Dad sent Steve back flying a couple of feet away. Bruce secured Wanda and Clint got a gun, edging up the stairs. Not gonna lie I was not in the mood to participate. I just wanted to get Natasha out and then take a vacation somewhere sunny. But guess what?! The Avengers never stop fighting. Even if it’s with each other.

Up next came Thor sliding into the room, eyes set on the cradle, the hammer almost breaking from the grip he had on it. The next thing we knew Thor shocked the whole system and the cradle opened.

A red kind of… human looking but also a robot looking… thing? person? I don’t know. Flew to the edge of the cradle. We all stood around, jaws on the floor, hoping we wouldn't die in the next second.

And then the creature just launched himself at Thor who threw him across another glass wall. I don’t even know why I’m trying to keep this place in one shape.

He just hovered in front of the windows, looking at the skyline of New York. A bluish suit formed itself around his body and he turned around, slowly flying towards us, before lowering to the ground. “I’m sorry, that was… odd. Thank you,” he looked at Thor. “Thor, you helped create this?” Steve stepped up. “The main thing again, Rogers?” I glanced at him.

“I’ve had a vision,” Thor started. “A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center is that,” he pointed at the gem, lighting up the poor guy’s forehead. To be bald and have a bright yellow gem in the middle of your forehead… so unlucky. “What? The gem?” “It’s the Mind Stone. It’s one of the six-“ “Infinity Stones,” I finished his sentence. “I’ve read about them. The greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.” “Where do you read these?” Asked Clint, kind of jealous that I know information he doesn’t. “Asgardian books. I thought it was a myth until now…” I walked closer to the newborn man and observed the gem. “Then why would you bring it to…” “Because Stark is right.” “That’s a problem,” I mumbled as I looked at the man like he was an alien. Okay, not a great example.

We started packing shortly after we discussed Vision's intentions. Yeah, his name is Vision now.

“You’re awfully quiet,” said Clint as he picked his arrows. “I just want to find her… Alive,” I shut the gun storage. “We will.” “I don’t want to tell my daughter that she has lost another person in her life,” I buckled my holster and put on a vest. “Y/n,” Clint put a hand on my shoulder. “We will get her, safe and sound. Besides… you think she wouldn’t fight till her last breath?”

[lasersheith]

I need to get some feelings out about the US elections and related stuff and it's gonna be heavy. Back story first.

In 2022 I developed a severe neurological disorder. I was having daily migraines, losing my vision, having very strange and unsettling episodes I later learned were a type of seizure, and a whole host of other, largely less severe symptoms. I couldn't look at computer screens or direct sunlight or sometimes even have any light bulbs on in my house. Noise was excruciating to the point where I would sometimes vomit if my dogs barked too long or too loudly. It was miserable. I really thought I wanted to die instead of living like that.

A little over a year of monthly (or more) appointments and scans and medicines and specialists, my last resort was brain surgery. Thankfully it was largely very successful and my symptoms are so much less severe and I'm on a lot fewer medications now and there's no evidence my vision damage was permanent.

The week before surgery I wrote letters to my now husband and my best friend in case I didn't make it through the surgery or something went wrong post op. I've been suicidal before, in my teens and early 20s, and even got to the point where I'd written notes for people but this was so different. I'm still not really sure why it had such a profound effect on me but it did.

As I was writing what might have been the last words of mine they'd ever have to the two people I love most in this world I didn't feel the need to apologize for anything, or reassure them they did enough, or put any sadness into those letters. I told them how much I love them and why and thanked them for being the amazing people they are. I told them I wanted them to remember me fondly but to let me go and to live the rest of their lives knowing all I ever wanted was them to be as happy and loved as possible. Something about that process fundamentally changed me.

Moving on to the current time, the current shit sandwich we all have on our plates. So many people I know are feeling so hopeless and so defeated and several people have confided in me that they don't know if they want to be alive anymore and I don't know how to help.

It's not that I don't think things are going to be bad. I agree that they're going to be terrible and we all have a lot of work ahead of us and not all of us will make it out but I desperately want to be one of the ones who does. I really really want to live. I want to grow old with my husband. I want to finish all the stupid diy projects I have cluttering my basement. I want to read good books and eat good food and meet good people and enjoy all of the good things that life has to offer as long as I can.

But you can't just say to a loved one who is terrified and devastated and suicidal "hey cheer up, our rights are probably going to get taken away and our food is probably going to get even less regulated and we might not have weather tracking information anymore but at least we can make some really delicious cheesecake that probably won't give us e. coli at least for another couple of years" like that's not helpful at all.

But I also can't meet them at the despair because even if my food is poison and the weather is catastrophic and I don't have legal personhood I still want to live. I don't know. It's hard. Everything is hard. I just wish I knew what to say to other people who are hurting right now.

It feels very dissonant in my head. I am worried. I am angry. I am sad. It doesn't feel like there's much hope. But I'm hopeful anyway. I want to be here anyway. I want to help anyone I can in any way I can anyway.

Maybe I'll live to eat these words but even that doesn't bother me much as long as I'll be alive.

[hello-nichya-here]

Inspired by a fic on AO3- Only Love on Offer (not mine but it’s a work of art)

Diverges at the bedroom scene:

“You really don’t understand me at all do you?”

Azula was confused and opened her mouth to respond, when Zuko decided to throw caution to the wind and kissed her.

Shes’s stunned speechless for a long moment and he is nervous waiting for her to respond, when she takes a step forward and hesitantly presses her lips against his.

This progresses to a sweet first time, it’s a little painful for Azula but Zuko is so gentle with her and takes it on himself to please her as much as he possibly can. Afterwords they’re cuddling, neither really believing what they just did.

“How long have you…?”

“Always really. But I didn’t figure it out until a couple weeks before I was banished.”

“And you- even after-“

“Always LaLa.”

Flash forward and the two of them haven’t slept apart in days/weeks, not always sex but always in love. They use secret passages in order to make sure no one finds out, Zuko tells her about the spirit water and the assassin he hired to try and make sure the job was done. She leans on him, finally having someone who loves her and isn’t afraid to make sure she knows it.

Then two things happen:

Ozai decides it’s time to find a his daughter a husband, and Azula misses her period.

They have to move fast, Zuko is not going to let Ozai burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground, take his sister-lover away from him, or be a threat to their baby. Azula is totally willing to kill Ozai, but for plot reasons they decide to go with the help the Avatar route.

When Zuko goes to the Gaang he admits that he’d already been having doubts, but ultimately finding out his lover was pregnant, and due to it being both out of wedlock and the nature of their relationship, the only way for them to be together would be if he was Fire Lord.

They all come up with their own theories as to who the mystery woman is and general consensus is that she was either not Fire Nation or a servant.

Despite Zuko’s assurances that at the very least Azula was on his side and wouldn’t go against them with him there, they still go to the palace to make a claim for Fire Lord and Katara is ready for a fight.

Azula has had the palace evacuated and fired most of her maids so her pregnancy stayed a secret, she’s now Fire Lord and to everyone’s surprise but Zuko’s warmly welcomes her brother home. As she’s the Fire Lord no one can argue with her. She admits that she doesn’t want to be Fire Lord, that all she wants is to live her life as she pleased with whom she chose, and has the stunned Fire Sages crown Zuko. The second the coronation is done he hugs her, Katara is wary but relieved that everything has gone so well and is happy to see the two of them so happy for each other.

They take things inside and Zuko asks how Azula is doing and she smiles says they’re both fine and puts his hand on her bump. At this point Katara puts the pieces together and is completely disgusted, but Azula points out this is the least terrible thing the royal family had ever done, and the two of them were still the best option the world had.

Things are a nightmare of post war dealings and the wedding winds up being ‘quiet’ by royal standards- only the ambassadors and the entire royal court attended. Aang managed to get the rest of the Gaang to show up in support (he’s the only one who out and out does not care about the incest).

Iron is completely against the relationship, he doesn’t try to hide that fact, he’s polite enough to attend the wedding and keep his mouth shut during it, but loudly says at every other opportunity that he doesn’t think it’s a good idea nor does he approve.

That all changes the second an ecstatic Zuko, practically vibrating with excitement as he holds his newborn daughter, sets Izumi into his arms.

“This is grandpa my little turtleduck.”

After that he is completely on board and their staunchest defender. He spends the rest of his life happily drinking tea surrounded by his many grandbabies.

It is a work of art indeed, and once again, WHY does the zucest community just not post their stuff? Thank you for sharing it, anon.

Also, I think it'd be pretty in character for Azula to not kill her dad even if she ever grows to feel he deserves it. I even imagine Zuko not being able to go through with it. They were both so dependent on him emotionally and for validation for so long, it makes sense that even if they grew to not want him in their lives at all, and maybe had some pretty ugly confrontations with him too, they still wouldn't feel right about killing him.

[creativepawsworld]

Everything But You - Part 7

Pairing = Cillian Murphy x OC

Summary = It time for Brie to defend her All Ireland Championship. Aoife takes matters into her own hands when it comes to Cillian. 

Warnings = Language, Grammar, 90s Cillian, Insults...

Word Count = 2747

Note = I cannot apologise enough for the lateness of this chapter! I have made it slightly longer than the past chapter to apologise. Hope you all enjoy and it helps with the Monday Blues I know I have. 

I felt myself overcome with nerves as I stood with my back to the main dance floor. I was resting my back against one of the walls by the long corridor, reserved solely for the dancers.

I was currently listening to a mixed tape Billy had made me for my 18th birthday, filled with kick-ass, female, empowering women. Pat Benatar's – Love is a Battlefield -flooded through the soft headphones as I tried to control my nerves.

I was asked to return to the All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championships as the current Champion. But despite the amount I had practised throughout the weeks, I didn't feel up to the standard I should have been.

Muttering along to the words, I glanced down at the black, tightly wound pin curled wig with a long, drawn-out sigh.

Things had become a lot more difficult in my life since joining college. Everything I had known about others and myself had drastically changed in a space of a few months. I had found myself chasing after a guy I had no chance with.

On days like today, I found myself missing the communication I would receive from Andrew. He was a shitty boyfriend, but he was someone I could message and he would respond instantly - distracting me from my thoughts while I waited to compete.

Although thinking back, it would have been nice for him to show up to these competitions at least once.

Biting the sides of my lips I considered going out into the stands where I did have support. My father was here, but he was constantly taking phone calls – appearing and then disappearing to hear whoever was on the other end.  

He had a huge court case defending a well-known businessman tomorrow but it was to be kept quiet. The hearing had already been brought forward to try and avoid the media circus that ensued as soon as the story of his arrest leaked.

Something about the world loved a good embezzlement case, especially against the rich.

Then there was my best friend Aoife, she managed to make the journey but not with my father and me. No, she travelled with her boyfriend Calvin, who as nice as he appeared to be – I didn't trust.

I didn't buy into his story that Andrew had been following the band to see me act. Andrew barely had time for me when we were together. There was no way he would travel up and down Ireland to watch a band I knew he didn't like just to see me. He didn't care that much, no matter how wounded his pride might be.

As for Billy, he developed the stomach flu from Marion. The pair were vomiting all week and the last thing I needed was for them to give it to me, so I warned them to stay as far as possible.

"Why are you hiding out here?" Aoife chuckled, rounding the corner. Her bright eyes stared into mine, a supportive smile on her face as I pushed the headphones around my neck. "You are going to sweat off your fake tan and makeup if you don't relax." She scolded, blotting my face gently with a clean tissue.  

"Yeah well… I don't…" I struggled over my words before finally admitting my true feelings. "I don't think I am ready, I haven't been putting in the work I used to."

"Because you are studying for a law degree Brie, it's not easy keeping the two things going. You might have to look at choosing which is more important if this is how it's going to impact you."

"You don't think I can do both?"

"I'm sure you can but what about your other extra curriculum activities?" She trailed off, biting at her bottom lip. "Like a certain blue-eyed lead guitarist."

"Cillian and I are just friends." I rolled my eyes, turning away from her to check the time on my watch. I still had thirty minutes before I had to perform.

"I've seen the looks you give him, I'm not stupid."

After the night at the bar, our relationship had well and truly been fractured. I felt so stupid sleeping with him again. Yes we had both agreed it was 'just sex' but I had feelings, I was human and I felt something he didn't. At least not for me.

During the last few weeks in class, I moved seats to get my head together. I had to move to the other side of the classroom, just to get away for him. It was hard to do, seeing the hurt in his eyes when he noticed almost killed me. But he wasn't lonely for long, Emer was more than quick to jump in and take my spot.

Anytime he tried to talk to me, I had an excuse ready. I was due to meet someone in the library to go over our case study or Billy needed my help with his latest fashion project.

I simply felt like I couldn't be around him.

"It was a stress reliever"

It soon became obvious to my friends what was going on. Although they got the clip notes version from Billy, after our night in the bar they didn't buy for one second that I was okay.

They knew sex wasn't just sex for me.

"Right. A stress reliever that has you in your feels Brie what were you thinking?" Aoife asked with a sad smile, her hand coming up to gently squeeze my shoulder. "You have to talk to him, this isn't healthy for either of you."

"He doesn't care for me. He is only after getting his next…fuck. He wants a carefree life, with no responsibilities. He has told me several times."

"It might have been what he wanted but he surely didn't get that." Aoife laughed, folding her arms over her chest. "He feels…"

"I can't deal with this right now Eefs. Can we drop it?" I asked pulling the headphones from around my neck, wrapping them around my Walkman and stuffing it into my bag.

"I don't think we can."

"Why not?" I huffed out. Not giving the woman in front of me my full attention, I took the black wig into my hands, fondling the edges before pulling it over my naturally brown hair which was already pinned into place.

"Because I may have told him what today was and how important it was for you and he kind of showed up." She spoke so fast that it took me a few seconds to catch up on her words.

"Why would you do that?" I spat turning to face her, the wig almost falling from my head since I didn't have any clips to hold it in place.

"Well, he is our friend as well as yours. You can't expect us to go to all these concerts and not make connections Brie. The guys in the band are top fellas." Aoife scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Besides he wants to support you. Which is more than Andrew ever did."

"Why do you keep doing this? Bringing him around when I don't want to be anywhere near him." I growled, reaching up to place the black wig on my head properly once more.

"You have been different since you stopped spending time with him. You've been uptight, tense and honestly so fucking difficult to be around. You both need to sort out your shit and get it together." She scolded bending down and taking my purse of clips into her hands.

"I, I haven't been that bad."

"You've been unbearable" She chuckled, taking a handful of clips and placing some in her mouth before starting to pin the wig into place. "We still love you but please talk to him." She nodded, adding a few more clips. Her eyes cast off to the side with a slight nod.

Looking over my shoulder, Cillian stood awkwardly by the bleachers, a sad smile on his face as he looked in our direction. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, Aoife gently brushed her hand off, handing me the remaining clips before walking past Cillian, brushing a hand against his shoulder as she turned the corner.

"I can leave if you want?" Cillian breathed out the minute he reached me. The dark circles under his eyes are prominent as he stands before me. It was obvious, he wasn't sleeping well.

"No, I don't want that." I sighed, bouncing back and forth between the balls of my feet and my heels. "Thank you for coming, I know I've been a bitch the last few weeks, but I…"

"I deserved it." Cillian stopped me mid-sentence, one of his hands coming up to brush the longer pieces of his hair back away from his eyes. "I should have never invited Emer to that gig, I knew it was a bad idea but I went and did it anyway."

"No, no you should have invited her. You like her. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. It is just sex between us after all." I shrugged, the words felt like they were burning my tongue as they left my mouth. "How are things for you both? I hope I didn't ruin anything."

"Nothing to ruin." Cillian quickly corrected a soft pout on his lips. "Emer's a lovely girl but she isn't who I want. She isn't for me."

"Oh, oh okay. I didn't know, sorry. But she is out there somewhere Cill, you'll meet her one day." I encouraged, unsure of where the words came from. The thought of Cillian with someone else felt like a hard punch in the gut.

"I've already met her, I just keep fucking things up with her." He responded, a cheeky twinkle returning to his blue eyes, drawing me to him. There was something magical about those eyes.

"Why do you do that?" I whispered, taking a baby step forward towards him. Cillian followed in my lead, stepping forward until he was a few centimetres away from me. I could feel the body heat radiating from him.

"I'm a twat."

Nodding my head, my eyes travelled from his, down towards his lips before they returned to his eyes which now held a knowing look, the infamous cocky smirk growing on his face.

"Nice wig," Cillian smirked, his left hand coming up from his side to caress my cheek.

Leaning into his touch, I felt a calmness washing over my once anxious-ridden body, my heartbeat quickened when I noticed his tongue dart out from his lips to moisten them before his head began its descent towards my lips.

"Wait, are you sure about this?" I asked stopping the kiss from happening. He was mere inches from my lips, I could feel his breath brushing against my face. "What happened to living without responsibility? Letting go and being carefree?"

"I want to let go of Everything but You." He whispered, lips ghosting over my lips.

Pushing myself forward, I pushed my lips against his, allowing him to take the lead. Within seconds our tongues began to fight for dominance, I felt Cillian's fingers try and run through my wig but it was too tightly bound.

Pulling away with a laugh, he shook his head – hands still trying to penetrate the synthetic material. Reaching up, I brushed my thumb across his lips trying my hardest to remove the red lipstick that had transferred.

Smiling down at me, he leaned back down capturing my lips in one of the sweetest kisses I had ever experienced in my life. It was soft, and delicate like if he pushed too hard I would break but it had an overwhelming feeling of want rushing through my veins.

"For fuck sake couldn't you wait until after you performed to suck face?" Aoife's voice suddenly appeared next to me with a growl.

Pulling away from Cillian, my cheeks flushed red as she took my chin into her hand, pulling it in her direction to assess the damage.

"Can you fix it?" I asked as she moved my head in all directions under the awful corridor lighting, getting a good view of all angles.

"It's not that bad actually." Aoife nodded with a smile, tossing me a wink before looking over at Cillian. "Red lipstick is certainly not your colour." She laughed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a clean tissue, handing it over.

*****

Throughout my performance, my eyes would fall on Cillian. He stood next to Aoife who stood next to my father, the three of them watched on with proud looks on their faces before erupting into the loudest cheers in the place when I had finished.

Taking the bottle of water Aoife had outstretched in her hands, I scurried over to them – grateful the whole thing was over. Inhaling through my nose, I allowed her to pull me into a hug, whispering in my ear how good I was before passing me off to my father.

"Your mother would be so proud of you Brie." He grinned, pulling me tightly against his chest. Upon pulling away his hands gripped onto my shoulders holding me in place as he cast an eye over towards Cillian who was engrossed in a conversation with Aoife and Calvin. "Does he treat you right?"

"Excuse me?... What?... Cillian and I are just friends." I laughed awkwardly with a shake of my head, my vision dropping to my feet.

"Ahhhh right, friends." My father trailed off with a playful eyeroll. "Your mother and I were just friends when I came to her first show as well." He laughed, gently pushing against my shoulder.

"Stop" I whined, drawing Cillian's attention towards me and my father.  I instantly panicked when I noticed him make his way over towards us. My father had no filter, he would say it how it was – embarrassing not only me but also Cillian.

"You were brilliant" Cillian announced, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder as soon as he reached me. "Hello, Sir."

"Mr Murphy." My father nodded in response, looking between the two of us before excusing himself. Cillian and I stood next to each other, in an awkward yet comforting silence.

"Do you…" "How is…" Cillian and I started at the same time, both stopping after the second word with a laugh. "You go first." I allowed, gesturing towards him with my hand.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to grab something to eat after you win?" He asked, the cocky smile growing on his face, reaching his eyes. "But you have to wear the wig."

"Such an ass." I chuckled playfully slapping my hand against his chest. "I would love to but my dad's my lift home, if I left with you I would have no way home."

"A date?" I processed, eyes widening at the words. We never had a date before. Cillian never even mention the possibility of it happening, then again our entire relationship was based on friendship and sex.

My words confused him. Shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, he glanced over to the side thinking over what I had just said.

"So you don't want to go on a date with me?" He asked turning back around for clarification. "Have I fucked this up again?"

"Yeah?" Cillian squinted, eyebrows falling causing frown lines to form on his forehead. "Look if that's not…"

"No, I would love to." I almost screamed out, forgetting where I was. "I mean, yeah we can go on a date. That would be nice."

"Nice recovery." Cillian joked, a deep shade of red filling my already pink-blushed cheeks.

"But wait what about getting home?"

"I'm sure we can miss one day of college Brie…" Cillian rolled his eyes, taking one hand from his pocket to take my hand into his, his thumb gently gliding over my knuckles. "But if it's such a big deal I have my father's car parked out front."

"You drive?" I asked with a louder gasp than I would have liked.

"No, I fly." He chuckled, his face pulled straight as he shook his head in my direction. "Of course, I drive, I just don't have a car."

"How did I not know that?" I questioned tilting my head to the side, a soft smile gracing my face.

Taglist

"You were more interested in getting into my pants than finding anything out about me."

Part 8

@stars-of-scorpio @lovemissyhoneybee @peakyscillian​ @cillmequick​ @forgottenpeakywriter​ @lyarr24  @brummiereader

[paigenoelchas-blog]

Feels Like Home

26: Snowed In

Jake's POV:

I wake up to her in my arms and can't help but smile.  We are entangled in each other and I am the happiest that I can remember being.

I can not believe that this woman, full of light and life, can love me and wants to be with me.  I do believe that we are made for each other, but my insecurities still cause me to deny reality.  There is still a small part of me that can't believe that she loves me.  I can't believe that I might get to live out my days with MC.   It isn't that I deserve it. I absolutely do not.  The choices of my past have caused grief and heartache.  I have not done anything to reach this happy place.  It has been her kind words, her concern for me, and her willingness to fight with and for me that has saved me.  She has taught me how to love and how to be more human. But the fates, or God, or chance have put her in my life.  

I don't want to wake her.  She looks so peaceful, but I am brimming with energy and can hardly wait for her lips to meet mine again.  It isn't that we haven't reconnected many times during the night, but I have waited so long for her, it is never enough.  I want to run my fingers through her hair and kiss her beautiful lips, touch her silky skin, and let my fingers travel to the once-forbidden places that are now exclusive to me.  There will be plenty of time for that, I know.  I should try to sneak out of bed and make her coffee, maybe heat up some of the cinnamon rolls that are in the refrigerator.  I should get up and start the fire, make sure the world is inviting and comfortable when her eyes open.  I should start a bath for her and slowly wake her with the gentlest of kisses, letting her know that I cherish her and that she deserves all of the best the universe has to offer.  

But I am afraid when she wakes the magic of the night will be over and that it won't ever feel like this again, like the first time that a dream comes true, like the first moment that you realize and not just hope that there is a happy ending for you.  I am too selfish to let this moment go.

Unable to commit to what to do and happy right where I am, I lay in silence and take in her scent.  There is no part of her that isn't intoxicating to me. I notice the silence, she isn't making the sounds that I have grown to love.  Her face is full of a smile that I can't deny and her face holds no tension.  I thought that she couldn't be any more beautiful but I was wrong.  Her cheeks have a slight blush as if somehow she knows that I am watching her.  Red and swollen, her lips bear the memories of last night.  Her hair is wrapped around her bare shoulders and looks like pure silk.  Damn it.  I can't wait.  I am going to wake her and I am going to show her all of the ways... 

 That silence. It is more than just the normal sounds that come from living outside of the city. Why is it so quiet?  I know I live in the woods, but I can't hear the birds singing or hear the trees moving in the breeze. I can't hear the train rolling by or the occasional dog barking,

My curiosity pulls me slowly out of bed.  I slide out from under her and move across the room to the window almost tripping on all of the flowers and candles that I had set up.  Cursing under my breath, I am pretty sure I hear her giggle, but when I look in her direction her eyes are still closed. Peeking through a crack in the curtains, I see nothing but white.  The sky is still dumping snow and the air is swirling with snowflakes that can't decide where to land. How is it possible that we have slept, and not slept, through an entire storm?  

I have so many things to do now before I can return to her.  I need to check on the car, find out about road conditions... Do I have internet? Do we have power?  I am thankful that I chopped all of that wood in the fall, at least we will have a fire and food and each other.  I look over and she is staring at me, a smile mixed with concern.

"Jake, what is the matter?" she asks, her voice still holding on to its sultry tone from the night before.

"Nothing is the matter, love.  Everything is perfect," I say as I walk across the room and climb in beside her, my arms wrapping quickly around her like a magnet drawn to its source.  I kiss her cheek and she snuggles back into me a sigh of contentment escaping her lips.  I lay there with her in my arms, enjoying the warmth and the love I feel.  She starts to stretch.  "Do you notice how quiet it is?" I ask.

She works her body around until she can meet my eyes, my arms rest on her hips and she bears the weight of her body on one elbow.  She is all, everything, and all matter. 

"I guess it is quiet, but it is still early.  I haven't heard from the train in a while, though.  What is going on?" She replied without concern only curiosity. 

"Nothing bad," I run my finger slowly up her side.  I see her shiver and I pull the covers up over her body. "It appears that we have had a bit of a storm last night."

"And we had no idea that was happening?"  She says, jumping out of bed to look through the very same spot that I had been. "Baby, that wasn't a bit of a storm, and it is still going so we haven't missed the whole thing. I can't believe we didn't know what was happening."

"We were a bit distracted, Sugar knees,"   I say trying to get her to laugh at the absurdity of the name.

I see a smirk appear from the corner of her mouth "We were distracted, weren't we, Captain Hottie Pants."  I laugh, see her run, and jump on the bed beside me.  Her arms fling around my neck and she attacks me with kisses.  I return them for a moment and then push away a little.  " I would love to continue this, but I have some things that need to be taken care of so you can be safe and warm."

She pouted, "I can think of other ways things that need to be taken care of.  I can think of many ways that I can be kept warm."

"Woman, how am I supposed to say no?  How am I supposed to do all of the things  that need to be done?" I am fighting off a laugh her pout is adorable.

"I am one of those things," she whines.  She leans in and nibbles on one of my ears.  She lowers her voice into a sexy rumble. Breathing into my ear, she whispers, "Do me first, " and then snickers at her own lame plea, realizing that it was more cheesy than sexy.

I run my finger through her hair and hold her gaze.  "It would be my pleasure to do you first."She slaps my arm in mock offense. I grab her hand and place soft kisses on each finger. My hands move to her lower back and my lips move to her mouth and, once again, the storm outside disappears.

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

Mahri's POV:

He had decided to get out of bed before I had, telling me to go back to sleep since we really hadn't gotten much last night.  Before I opened my eyes, I missed his warmth.  I hadn't shared a bed with him many times, but I couldn't help it.   Last night changed so many things in my mind.  I didn't want to wake up without him anymore.

Slightly dramatic, I sighed and opened my eyes finding a note on the pillow next to mine.  

Good morning, Beautiful.  I wish you were waking up in my arms, but I have many things to do.  It won't take long.  There is no hot water for the shower, but I can heat up a bath for you later.  The percolator is on with coffee for you.  I have started a fire.  Cuddle up and get warm.  I love you more than words can say.  --Captain Hottie Pants. :)

I chuckle, placing the note back on the pillow. Heading to the bathroom, I wash up as best as I can and throw on one of his shirts.  It somehow maintains his cedar and sage smell through his detergent.  The smell is comforting and makes me remember his embrace and the smile at the thought of him can't be wiped from my face.  I am happy, though happy isn't the best word to describe it.  Satisfied isn't the right word either. Content, yes, but so much more than that as well.  Maybe someday I will find the right word for this feeling, this type of soul-searing contentment.

Coffee in hand, I walk to the window and peek out. I can't see anything but white. Snow is piled up on the windows and lurks in the doors. The sky is a crisp blue and layered with fog and flurries of snow that attempts to release themselves from the branches.  The ground is laced with ice.  We hadn't expected any of this, but I can't exactly say we had been watching the weather channel.  We had been lost in thoughts of each other even before we were physically distracted by each other. 

Realizing how cold he will be when he returns to the cabin I grab a pot and light the pilot light to begin making his chocolate milk. He teases me about having a sweet tooth, but he could eat chocolate all day and night and never be satisfied. I find some cocoa powder and sugar and add them to the milk. Stirring the pot and throwing in vanilla and a little nutmeg, I let my thoughts wander to last night and all of the months that have been building up to this moment. A smile creeps across my face.

Then I look at my watch. He had been gone an ungodly amount of time given the weather conditions.

"Good news," He said, flinging open the door, stumbling inside, and removing the seven layers of clothes he was wearing to brave the weather.  I can't help but be drawn to the sight of him. He has no idea how good-looking he is, no idea how irresistible he is.

"What is it?" I said, meeting him at the door with a cup of hot cocoa. I begin rubbing his arms, trying to get his circulation going. He is staring at me. I can't imagine what I have done.

He takes a few sips, savoring the warmth, then he sits the cup down on the table next to me, grabbing my hands in his.  They are freezing cold.  I pull them to my lips and blow on them.

"First, can you greet me like this every time I enter the room?" I look down and I notice that the shirt that I am wearing, his shirt, has slipped off one of my shoulders giving him ample view of my cleavage. I hadn't realized how big it is.  He leans down, kisses my neck, and moves to the shoulder exposed there, causing me to giggle.  Then, pulling back, he softly smiles at me, and our eyes deepen quickly before he looks away, He places his hands on my hips, needing the touch as much as I do. "Second, thanks for the cocoa, it is cold out there, and third, the good news is that there is so much snow, I don't think we are leaving for a few days. Also, good news, I managed to drag the tree and your bag through the snow so our plans don't have to be foiled. The twinkle lights may not work as the power is out, but we have other ornaments.  We have no internet, but I think there is an old radio somewhere around here that can keep us informed on the storm.  I have plenty of food and a warm fire, and the added benefit is that we are alone and..." he says without skipping a beat. His sapphire eyes raise up to look at mine. Every time I look at them I am lost in their depths. His arms are now wrapped tightly around my hips. He pulls me close.  Too close for me to resist him for long.

"Whatever are we to do?" I say in my best damsel in distress voice while placing the back of my hand on my forehead in a feigned expression.

His smile is broad and his eyes are full of all kinds of wonderful ideas. "I can think of one or two things that we have recently added to our repertoire of approved activities that could keep us occupied." His voice is deep and raspy. He chuckles under his breath and his cheeks redden ever so slightly as his hand slips under my shirt.

I laugh, knowing that his formal voice is a nervous habit. I love that I still make him a little nervous. I  secretly hope this will always be the case.

"Oh, you think that's funny?" He says, raising one eyebrow.

Lifting his shirt over my head, he begins to tickle me but stops and instead picks me up and spins me around as I wrap my legs around his waist, knowing where this is headed.

"No, I think you are adorable and kind, and handsome and...I would rather be here with you than anywhere else." I respond.  He stops my words with his lips as he carries me back to the bedroom.

I can still smell the peonies and the orange blossoms and us.  I can see the tangle of sheets that stay as a reminder of our rendevous.  My eyes land on the note and I consider the way this man takes care of me, the way that he loves me, and the person he is. I want to know him more each day.  I want to breathe his air, see his sky, and drink him in.  I don't care if our time is spent playing games or reading or sitting in front of the fire.  Being in his presence is the place I want to be.  I am greedy and need more of him.  I am grateful for this storm and the chance that it gives us to have more time together.

Everything I need is in this cabin and I don't mind for a second that the world is shut out for the next few days.