#at some point the orphanage just stops calling and asking them to bring him back algjsafhklsdgjfhla

[tokoyamisstuff]

Divine Intervention

Alexander Anderson x f! nurse! Reader

2,9k. words | no warnings | childhood friends to lovers | mutual pining | premise inspired by the 'Angel Dust' Manga

Synopsis: Since catholicism is declining in number, priests are officially able to get married - and Anderson knows just who to ask.

A/N: This is a lil' gift for my old friend @otakutater0724. 💌 Sadly I had no fucking clue where to go with this one, so it's ill paced. But better post it than letting it rot in my drafts, right?

"A wife?!" Anderson leans back in his chair, huffing in irritation at this absurd request. "Are ya' out of yer' goddamn mind?"

Maxwell had his hands neatly folded on the table between them, slowly gliding an official Vatican paper towards his foster father. "It's merely my duty to inform you." The archbishop points towards a specific paragraph, explaining the latest reform. "Besides, this is by far not the first time that the bible has been reinterpreted."

The Judas Priest frowns as he grabs the document, face turning pensive as he read the fancy wording. Basically, it stated that servants of the lord are not only allowed, but highly encouraged to lay down their chastity vows and bring forth a new generation of catholics. Enrico assured him it was a temporary change, maybe for one or two generations, but in these trying times there wasn't another option.

At first the man was downright offended at the suggestion. Cast aside the fact that they were literally changing the Lord's gospel, was he not doing more than enough through funding a whole entire orphanage?!

But then his superior remarked something that made him see this heresy in a whole new light.

"What about...what was her name again...Y/N?"

Anderson almost choked on air at the familiar name, much to his friend's amusement. "What about her, huh?"

"Nothing!" the younger man throws his hands into the air in defense, for a change really only wanting the best for his former mentor. "But if I remember correctly, the two of you have been very close before you started your holy work, right?"

"...you really got no shame, speaking about your elders like that." In his indignation, he crumples the paper and throws it at Maxwell's direction. "I'd curse the man who raised you so terribly, but then I'd only be insulting myself."

"You're free to ignore it. After all, it's a suggestion and not an order" The archbishop shrugs, calling after the hurriedly leaving Paladin. "Just think about it, alright?"

That incorrigible fool Maxwell, how dare he to even address such a topic?!

Anderson was furious beyond belief, and if he wasn't back at the orphanage already he would've certainly itched for some blood. Rushing through the hallways, the staff keeps their heads down as he passes them, knowing it's better to avoid him in such an agitated state.

Initially he had planned to just seek refuge in the security of his room, surrounded by nothing but the - unedited - bible. Yet it seems the Lord had other plans with him, as he was given a sign...quite literally. Being as tall as he is, the priest almost hit his head at the new board hanging from the ceiling, the words 'INFIRMARY' written on them in capital letters.

Oh. Yeah, right, the orphanage now had it's own health ward. Usually the nuns were able to treat minor injuries or illnesses, but these days many children come into his care with more severe or complicated medical conditions. Was about time.

The opening was today? Shit, he completely forgot about it. This was such an important event for you, being designated to become the head nurse. He should know best, since he paid for your whole education after all.

Actually, after his earlier conversation with Maxwell left him so bewildered, he rather wanted to avoid meeting you until he calmed down - but it seems like he has no other choice.

If it's for your sake, he could swallow his concerns and just be there for you on that big day. Can't hurt to stop by and congratulate you either way. So he hastily plucked some flowers from the garden before making his way towards your new office.

As he roams the building, Anderson involuntarily starts reminiscing. Has it really been so many years already? Time sure flies.

It's still surreal to think about the fact that you both had been wanted criminals in the past. He barely remembers any of it, chose to lock those memories into some dark corner of his mind - with the exception of some pleasant ones, mostly revolving around you...his favourite little troublemaker.

The two of you were born into poverty, befriending each other through shared misery and sticking together for survival. He would keep you safe, while you took care of him. Easy as that. It may have started as some kind of arrangement, but your bond soon grew into a wonderful friendship, and eventually - unbeknownst to you both - a mutual crush on the other.

With no real perspective you joined a criminal gang early on. Anderson, with his physical advantage, became one of their most skilled assassins, while you gained your earnings as a smuggler and thief. Together you had caused a lot of mischief, to put it mildly.

But after a mission gone south your childhood friend needed to keep a low profile for a while, since the bosses thought he was the one behind the disappearance of a great amount of heroin. At first his priesthood served as a mere disguise, but he soon found solace in his faith, seeing it as a way to atone for his sins.

The plan was never to abandon you. He was thinking about you every single day, praying for your safety until he'd return. It took him more time than anticipated, mostly due to being trained fighting vampires and other evil spirits, but eventually he managed to secure an important position at the Vatican as their enhanced holy warrior.

Much to his devastation however when he finally came to take you with him, the gang was disbanded due to internal conflict and a lot of arrests. Years he spent searching for you, but all clues led to dead ends.

The last straw was when he had finally tracked down his former leader, and to spite him the man made up a story about your alleged execution years ago. Needless to say this man suffered a violent death at Anderson's hands.

Now that he thinks about it, the priest is sure that he would have never taken on his religious title if he knew you were still out there somewhere.

Yet in the end after a long time of mourning, he decided that it was for the best to fully commit to the church - he never wanted anyone besides you, after all, so there was no reason not to become celibate.

Fate played both of you dirty however, because just shortly after taking his oath, you met again by sheer coincidence. You were trying to rob him during bright daylight, acting like an all coy and helpless damsel. Typical.

You didn't recognize him at first, the timid young boy from back then having grown into a literal beast of a man...Anderson on the other hand could never forget those eyes that made his knees weak whenever you'd look at him a certain way.

When you finally connected the dots, you punched him with as much force as your emotions bestowed on you, grabbing onto the collar of his coat and spitting vile curses at him for leaving you behind just like that.

All those years spent apart and really, it felt like no time had passed at all.

Even long after the misunderstanding had been cleared, Anderson's guilty conscience never ceased. Until this day he'd apologize to you, though you repeatedly assured him you held no grudge. Quite the opposite, even.

The priest had taken you in without hesitation, helping you turn your life around and rebuild at his side. You weren't exactly fond of the church, always saying they were corrupt and that even if god exists, he had failed you. But it was certainly better than living on the streets, and as long as your dear friend was happy, you'd be damned to ridicule his faith.

Most of the nuns hated your guts nonetheless, always saying a heathen like you is a bad influence to the dedicated man, even when you were on your best behavior.

Nonetheless, Father Anderson might've decided to keep his position, but he promised himself to never turn his back on you again. If you'd let him, he'll gladly take care of you for the rest of his life.

As long as you were at his side, he was fine with how things ended up...

...at least until the latest decree, that was.

The possibility alone re-ignited a fire deep inside of him that was diminished by the illusion of your loss, never daring to light it again out of fear to relive the same pain all over again.

But the ember always preserved.

Anderson's initial anger had completely evaporated, making room for a mixture of both dread and excitement when he reached his destination. Peeking through the small glass window in the door, he sees you decorating the place, moving along to a happy song you were chanting. Sweet as always he thought, but you certainly would object. You were never really aware of the effect you had on him, after all.

A smile was tugging on the edge of his lips, allowing himself to observe you for a moment to brace him for the confrontation. You haven't aged a day in his eyes, if anything the years only made you more beautiful to him.

You only took notice of his presence when the door falls into the lock, and immediately your small smirk turns into a barely containable grin. "Without a chaperone again?" you teased and poked his chest. "How unbecoming, Father."

Jokes aside, the Abbess doesn't approve of you two being alone with each other, always saying the devil is the third person in the room. Their precious, sophisticated paladin associating with a savage nobody like you was heresy enough in her eyes, as well as everyone else of the higher-ups.

If only they knew you were literally hanging around in his room on the regular, even sleeping in his bed from time to time, they'd certainly get a stroke...

Not that they were wrong, you did have a habit of persuading him into having some fun for a change. Nothing indecent, really, just harmless pranks to make special memories for the children for example. Like that one time you decorated the entire courtyard for Halloween and emptied their offertory to buy sweets for the orphans.

You would surely be punished again if anyone gets wind of this...

"Alex?" He winced a little hearing his old nickname, never insisting that you called him by his official title. The priest felt his heart threaten to break out of his chest, experiencing a kind of fear he lacked to feel even while fighting literal monsters.

A moment passed without any answer. The man was rooted on spot, staring at you with a bashful expression you knew very well from your younger days. It was always so easy making him flustered, your sweet innocent Alex.

"Darlin', are you alright?" You look up to the much taller man, putting a hand on his cheek which instantly sends a blush up his neck. His face is already bright red as he gently squeezes your shoulders, determination present in his emerald eyes as he blurts out "...marry me."

"Wha-" Stumbling back, you almost hit the desk behind if it wasn't for him wrapping one arm around your waist. "Excuse me?!"

Anderson pins you with a stern expression, taking ahold of your wrist and letting his thumb run across your knuckles. "Ye' heard me just right."

"Did you have too much sacramental wine again?" You raise an eyebrow at him while wriggling out of his hold, but you were effectively trapped between his body and the furniture. "Don't worry, I assure ye' I'm sober." But truth be told, at the same time he never felt so intoxicated in his entire life.

You had a clue what he was implying, the nuns have been talking about nothing else those past few hours. The elders were shocked, to say the least, wanting to stick to the old ways, while the younger ones were absolutely thrilled, already making plans.

But Anderson, a devout and literal saint who was so dead set on his religious ways...for him to even consider something like that was just too absurd to be true.

Maybe you're just dreaming you conclude, pinching yourself, yet that action only made him chuckle with that damn raspy voice of his. You felt embarassed and at the same time too baffled to even react properly, let alone form a verbal response. But he doesn't seem to mind, gifting you a lovestruck expression as he holds your hands into his much taller ones.

"God has granted me this second chance" he murmurs, leading the back of your hand to his lips. "I won't be wasting it this time...if you'll have me, I mean."

"Why-" you let out a shaky breath, the dam you've built so carefully around your feelings for this man giving in way too easily. You had promised yourself to never dare of hoping again, but even after all those years he still held your heart with ease. "I don't understand...why would you of all people want to marry?"

"I...to be honest, I was doting on you ever since we were teenagers" he admits, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. The confession left his heart like a burdening weight, no matter what your answer might be.

Your eyes widened in shock, feeling so many things at once - mostly regret for all those wasted years you could've spent together. He was first to speak again, though, tone as woeful as your heart felt. "I shouldn't have given up on you...Y/N, I'm so sorry."

"C'mon, now don't be all gloomy..." You tried to brighten the mood, squeezing his hands as you mirror his nervous smile. "We've been over this so many times. You weren't at fault."

"Actually, I was..." That statement made you gasp in disbelief, and he suddenly pressed your head against his chest, unable to bear the look in your eyes. "It was really me who stole the heroin from the boss back then."

He feels you claw the fabric of his shirt, only imagining what you must feel right now, but his embrace is relentless. "That was a reckless idea" you grid, feeling anger and betrayal burn in your guts. "Even for your standards."

Anderson chuckled to cover up his hurt. "But I did it for you. For us." His head rests atop of yours now, and you feel him shake ever so slightly. "I never told you how I felt because you deserved so much better than what I had to offer. I wanted to sell the drugs, and with the money we could've built a life somewhere far away...as you said, I should've known better. Wishful thinking, maybe."

"...you're unbelievable." You eventually push him away so he'd look at you, his heart sinking as he detects tears streaming down your cheeks. There were times when you slept under bridges, only having each other to hold on to keep you warm. How did he even get the idea that you needed anything besides him at your side?

"Tell me to leave and that I'll do" he announces calmly, his gaze full of sheer adoration. But you won't have any of this, not again, not anymore. "Oh, don't you dare. As if I'd ever let you leave again after knowing this!"

You fiercely grab the collar of his robe, no resistance in his stance as you pull him in for a kiss. Anderson is taken by surprise, yet dwells in the feeling of finally closing the distance between you he only had himself to blame for.

Looking at you right now, you seemed so unusual shy and giddy, face hiding nuzzled against his chest as you tried containing your joy. Adorable.

"Then it's decided?" He sounds both relieved and anxious, but you instantly plant another, more tender kiss to his jaw. "Of course, you blockhead!" And yet you snivel, unable to let go off of a last ounce of distrust and past hurt. "Please, Alex...you have no idea how long I've loved you...don't leave."

"Never again. I swear." He swallowed harshly at the impact of your words, cursing his own foolishness. "I may not be worth the wait, but I'll promise to make it up to you every single day."

There was no time to lose, not a single second he wanted to waste after leaving decades of longing behind the two of you.

So only a few days later the two of you found yourselves in front of the altar, being married by the archbishop himself in a small ceremony. His words were accompanied by the breaking dawn, a symbol of hope as the raising sun banished away the darkness of the night.

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)" Maxwell spoke, a self-satisfied smile playing on his lips at the thought of having been matchmaker for the two of you. "My congratulations, you may now kiss the bride."

A ray of sunlight hit the tinted glass of the church window, engulfing your white dress in a variety of colors. Anderson lifted your veil, this most divine sight making him whisper a grateful prayer to the lord for providing him with this greatest bliss. One sole tear of happiness escapes his eye before claiming your lips with a fervor unlike anything either of you ever felt, ensuring you that all the obstacles were always meant to lead you to this day.

Whatever laid behind you, now you'd await a brighter future together.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)"

[aeligsido]

OKAY BUT — Anastasia AU.

Harry is, of course, Anya/Anastasia. Dimitri would be Ginny (bc i adore Hinny), and as Vlad we would have Ron, Fred, and George (I would just put Ron but having the twins as conmen is too excellent to pass on). Rasputin is, obviously, Voldemort, and I think his bat associate is probably Peter or Snape (maybe Crouch Jr?). The family member looking for their lost kid is Sirius (and Remus!!!) and Sophie is Hermione (she's Remus' secretary and handles things for him since he's often sick). She also has her love story with Ron bc Romione <3

(although Ron and Hermione with Dimitri and Anya's relationship & Harry counting points works wonderfully well too lmao)

SO!!! The Potters got killed by Voldemort and Sirius just managed to escape with Harry. But they end up being separated in the following chaos and never found each other back :C Harry ends up suppressing his memories bc trauma, and Sirius finds refuge in another country (alternatively I would think it funny if instead of going from Russia to France they went from Britain to Russia lmao).

Once of age, Harry leaves the orphanage he was living in (bonus point if Marge Dursley was the one in charge of said orphanage, for funsies). He ends up meeting the Weasleys, who I imagine are trying to get out of the country to join their eldest brother (I'm going with the idea that their parents are either dead and not able to care for them anymore/help them, and also they're pretty poor and looking for ways to improve their lives). Their latest con is "finding the Potter boy, bringing him to Black, and getting the reward", and they think Harry is perfect for the role. Harry is going along bc he's longing for a family and, well, it won't hurt to try, right?

So they set out together and travel to the country where Sirius currently lives. Insert here montage of bff-ism between Ron and Harry, blossoming romance between Harry and Ginny, general shenanigans, attempted murders from a newly-risen Voldemort (so everything just like in canon).

Meanwhile, Remus thinks about stopping trying to find Harry bc it's just hurting him and Sirius so much at this point, but Sirius is not ready to lose hope yet. They have a mature discussion about it I swear.

During their travels, the Weasleys do notice that Harry is weirdly knowledgeable on the Potters. Not even the big stuff everyone knows, but random little details that even them and their careful researches didn't always catch. They probably have a talk about it at some point, and then put it in the back list of their priorities.

And then there's there! Hermione is the one to meet them at first. She has a list of questions, knows everything there is to know, and has been living with Sirius and Remus since she was a teenager and knows all the stories, so she's rarely caught off guard and can usually seed the potential Harrys pretty well. She also has a nonsense attitude and pretty eyes and Ron is immediately taken and a blubbering mess. Fred makes fun of him, George tries to charm Hermione, they lose track for a few minutes here before it's back to business. And Harry passes the test!! Idk what would be the last question bringing up the memory but what Harry remembers would be, I think, some alternative of Padfoot and Moony. Maybe the question was "how did you call Lord Black and his husband?" and usually people go with "Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus" which is true since Harry did call them that, but also since he was a baby he called them Paddy and Moo-Moo too, and sometimes it still used to come out — and that's what comes when Hermione asks this question, and she's curious. She knows about the Padfoot and Moony nicknames bc, again, she's living with them, and they use it in private and she's been included in their very private circle for a bit now.

So she tells them they passed, and then I think I would diverge a bit more from the movie — Hermione would report everything to Remus, including the nicknames, and he immediately asks to meet them. There's no one outside of Sirius and Remus who know about it, after all, and either it's a sick joke or it's the real Harry (and it wouldn't expose Sirius to something or someone that would hurt him)(which, you know, Sirius doesn't want Remus to expose himself to things or people that could hurt him either, but does Remus listens to him? No!). So they meet or I think more like seeing them from afar, and Remus would recognize Harry anywhere, so he plans a proper meeting for them all.

And that's when Voldemort would come back!! The kids (Hermione included) are out together, probably for shopping/tourist time, and bam! Oldy Voldy is ambushing them and trying to kill Harry (they hadn't noticed the attempted murders until then, btw). There's a fight, and someone runs to get Lord Black here as fast as possible please and thank you (maybe Fred or George, I think). So Sirius saves the day!! And once Voldemort is finally gone, there are a lot of hugs and tears. Sirius has his godson back, Harry has a family, and maybe the Weasleys will stay in town longer (or even settle down here, who knows?) <3

[melishade]

Number 3 please? I recall reading this post where he's popular with children, especially those at the orphanage. I also remember reading chapter 9 in the fanfic where Optimus helped a little girls after battling Annie. I can imagine that when children first meet him, at first they'll be quite timid, due to him being huge, but they'll eventually gain the courage to touch his face when he kneels down before them and even ride on his shoulders.

This ask game

Oh, this is going to be a cute one!

"Are you...certain this is wise, your majesty?" Optimus asked Historia at the orphanage, electing to keep his holoform on for the situation.

"The orphans have never been able to see above ground," Historia explained, "And they've heard tales of the great metal titan saving the Walls over and over again."

"I suppose that is my point," Optimus continued, "Children who have never seen the sun or even the sky, might have a...negative reaction towards me."

"Are you kidding? Ymir brings her titan form out all the time. They love it!" Historia exclaimed.

"They do," Ymir agreed as she stood next to the Prime, "They crawl over me and use me as a slide.

"Still...," Optimus trailed off.

Ymir narrowed her eyes in suspicion before smirking. "Don't tell me the great Optimus Prime is afraid of children."

"I am concerned that I might hurt them," Optimus clarified, "I have been around humans even before I came to this world, but never this many. And never this small."

"I heard how gentle and kind you were to that little girl after the Stohess battle," Historia recalled.

"And you're always so sickening sweet and caring," Ymir added, "C'mon. Go make the kids happy."

"Hm." Optimus could only hum at that, "I suppose this would provide some sort of enrichment."

"Alright then," Ymir gave a genuine smile while Historia guided the Prime by the hand to the children.

"Hello, everyone!" Historia greeted. The children smiled and laughed and giggled at the sight of her, running up to her to try and hug her while calling for name.

"Okay! Okay!" Historia giggled as she wrestled her way out of their grip, "I have an exciting guest for you to meet!"

Historia gestured to the Prime's holoform, while Ymir stood right behind him. "This is Optimus Prime: the Metal Titan. He took some time out of his day to meet all of you."

The children stared at Optimus with curiosity and skepticism, but the Prime kept his composure. "Hello, everyone. I am Optimus Prime. It is a pleasure to meet all of you."

"You're not metal!" a kid called out, causing Ymir to bust out laughing.

"I suppose I am not right now," Optimus continued, "This is a human form. I use it to interact with others like you."

"Then how tall are you?" another kid asked.

"I suppose I am quite massive," Optimus answered, "I just did not wish to frighten you."

"We want to see your titan form!" the kids began to shout and plead with the Prime as they clamored around him. Optimus was a little flustered at the attention while Ymir was grinning ear to ear.

"Everyone give him room!" Historia got in between them and began to push the kids away, earning groans and whines from them.

"Is that something you really want?" Optimus asked them.

"Yes!"

"Yes, please!"

"You heard them!" Ymir said.

"I will...be right back," Optimus declared before deactivating the holoform, scaring the children for a moment before they questioned where he could have gone. The crowd saw Optimus' alt mode circle from behind a tree before approaching them. He stopped at a safe distance from them before transforming into his bipedal mode. The children watched the metal break down before reshaping into arms, legs, a body, a face, into a full-fledged giant. The Prime elected to keep the battle mask on and kneeled down to make himself look less imposing, but he could still see the children backing away in apprehension. However, it was Ymir who broke the tension.

"Don't worry!" Ymir reassured before leaning back against his pede, "He's completely harmless and docile."

"I heard he took out a bunch of titans," a girl spoke.

"Yeah, like a thousand!" a boy pipped up.

"It was actually a hundred," Historia corrected.

"But you see me leaning against him, and I'm completely fine." Ymir stood up, "I'll kick him for good measure!"

"Ymir, that is unwise," Optimus spoke, but the booming voice startled the children.

"Look, I'm trying to prove you're fine," Ymir retorted.

"Y-you're not going to eat us, are you?" a boy couldn't help but ask.

Optimus lowered his servo to the ground. "I would never harm human life."

Historia felt a tug on her dress and kneeled down to the boy who just spoke. He whispered in her ear, and the woman kindly smiled. She took his hand, and they two walked up together towards Optimus' lowered servo. Historia helped the boy reach out to the servo, mirroring another extended palm like he had. Optimus waited. He waited for the boy to get over his apprehension as he shut his eyes tight and reached out. When he touched the digit of Optimus' servo, the boy's eyes snapped open as he stared at it. He then looked up at Historia, who nodded in reassurance before turning his attention to the Prime who merely nodded. The boy then began to smile as he reached out both hands and hugged the digit.

"You're so warm," the boy spoke in a whisper.

The boy's bravery caused the other children to slowly approach and touch the Prime. Optimus grew tense once they felt comfortable enough to climb onto his body and treat it like a playground. He looked to Historia and Ymir for help, but the couple merely smiled at the sight.

"Does it feel weird holding us like this?" one asked.

"What's it like being so tall?" another asked.

"Your eyes are pretty!" a third complimented.

"Oh, thank you," Optimus said, "And I suppose this height is considered natural for me. I have been around for a long time."

"Are you ticklish?!" someone asked.

"I...do not think so," Optimus answered before noticing one of the children swinging from his digits, "Please be careful!"

Hanji had arrived hours later, and nearly busted out laughing at the sight of a bunch of children crawling all over Optimus while he was trying to be as careful as possible. They wished they had a photograph. This was adorable!

(Okay, so I have another pilot poll ready and someone asked for #13, but the rest are free game)

[themadsquirrel09]

Find you ☆ Chapter 7

👉 Click here to go to chapter 1! 👾

👉 Or read on AO3 🧭

Fandom ☆ South Park

Ships ☆ KenMan ♡ KenEric (Eric Cartman x Kenny McCormick), Clybe (Bebe StevensxClyde Donovan) and Creek (Tweek TweakxCraig Tucker). There might be some glimpses of other ships.

Characters ☆ Kenny McCormick, Eric Cartman, Wendy Testaburger, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski.

Rating ☆ M

Warnings ☆ Swearing, violence, fluffiness, tegridy. They are aged up here. It starts when they are 14, but happens mostly when they are 18, at the last year of school. 

Chapter summary ☆ Kenny tries to keep and eye on the others and some of them also try to care for him.

☆ 827 words ☆

With love: (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:��ﾟ✧ Stan

When I get to the bus stop and see Stan, I curse under my breath.

“No fucking way.” I grab him by the shoulder. “Goth again? Just because of the Wendy thing?”

“What. I’m not.” He smiles, I back down.

“But those clothes…” 

“Oh.” He pulls his Poe themed t-shirt. “I just like it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you know? When I was a kid my mom dressed me how she wanted, or I followed a fad, then I let Wendy choose my clothes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, I guess I’m lazy with that kind of stuff, Kenny. But I’m fine.”

“Sure you are fine, and the eyeliner brings out your eyes,” I say to him, winking, he smiles and grabs the bridge of his nose.

“Thanks Ken-doll.” Stan says, playing along.

Cartman arrives and I get distracted, then Kyle joins us. As the day goes by, I check on both Stan and Wendy when I get the chance; it seems like they are going to be alright. 

But, what about me? Can I keep this going any longer? I think as I face the door of the shitty place I can’t really call home.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

I wake up at dawn and give a sick look to my blood splashed pillow. I text Bebe and drop by her house before going to school. She sees me and lets out a gasp. I feel bad for her, she has promised to keep my secret and uses her makeup to hide the bruises on my face. 

At lunch, Bebe drags Clyde to our table just to be close. That’s nice.

“Kenny? I hate it when you are so damn quiet.” I smile at Cartman.

“I just had a bad night.” And I feel like shit.

“You look like shit,” I escape his gaze; he slides his plate with a half-eaten sandwich in front of me. “Eat. I don’t want it anyway, they put fucking pickles on it.” He is lying, huh? My heart goes faster, I want to slap myself, but instead I let out a soft:

“Thank you, Eric." When the bell rings, I go to the infirmary. 

“Who is the one that makes you up?” Ask the nurse.

“Bebe.”

“She is good. Are you sure you are ok with this?”

“Yes, I don’t want to go to an orphanage; what if they separate us or send us somewhere worse? At least like this I can keep an eye on Karen. I’ll graduate soon, maybe I can land a job and get us out of there.”

“Ok then,” she says sadly, then asks me to rest. I fall asleep on the stretcher and wake up to Eric’s voice.

“It's time to go home, Kenny.” 

“Fuck no.” He takes me in his arms, I let him.

“You carried me to bed the other day, didn’t you?” 

“No, I didn’t.” I wink at him and he grins. We go to the side of the building, where Tweek is. 

“He told me he wanted to talk to you,” Says Cartman as he puts me down.

“Oh shit, it’s a trap!” He gets to hold me before I get away. 

“Relax Kenny, I wouldn’t do that to you,” Of course you would. But since he loosens his grip and Tweek is just chilling, I take his word this one time.

“Are you staying?”

“I can’t. Text me later?”

“Ok.” I sit with Tweek. “Sup?”

“Hey man, sorry to get you like this, lately you are in a rush, in the nursery…”

“Oh.” I sigh out of boredom. “So?”

“Is everything ok?”

“Sure.” What is the point of telling him, anyway? It could be worse and I’ll just add more stress to his life. 

“I just.” He shakes in place as he seems to look for the right words, I see how Eric goes far away. “I think you are a bit stressed. I know a ton of techniques to deal with that.” 

“Tweek.” I flop on his shoulder. “That’s sweet, man. Do you have something easy for me?”

“Try to breathe deep, does it hurt?” My eyes fill with tears, but I hold back. 

“Yeah.” 

“Keep breathing and look around, is there anything you haven’t noticed?”

“There’s a new penis graffiti on that wall.” He laughs.

“That’s good.”

“Really?”

“Yes, just breathe and sort of play to find things you haven’t seen before. Or hear, smell.”

“I smell coffee.” 

“Of course,” he says and shakes the coffee bottle he always carries.

“Thanks.” That gets me to relax, but when I get home and hear the screams coming from inside, I feel my body tensing, my heart pumping. 

I’m so ready to fight. Fuck.

Prev ☆ Next

[e17omm]

I understand I am a few days late so please forgive me. Firstly thank you for defending my opinion even if it came across as aggressive. I did not try to convince you to hate Elysia I just felt like bringing up something that I felt was the biggest factor of Hoyoverse's decline in story telling ability. Unfortunately, it turns out I have a very passionate hatred for Elysia and I let that slip out. I do agree with you about her being very interesting in the first few chapters of Elysian Realm, and I thought she had a lot of potential to be a good antagonist but in chapter 3 she started to get a bit overbearing and then Elysium Everlasting ending up retconning the entire lore of Honkai Impact 3rd from a story about how fate is not real and everybody has control over their lives, a message that really resonated with me, into 'pretty pink lesbian jesus invents fate to save everyone but herself because she is so selfless uwu' and then she refused to die and came back in chapter 34 for literally no reason. Then when hope has returned she gets a counterpart in Honkai Star Rail. Despite this: I do enjoy partaking in healthy conversation about Elysia with people who have different opinions about her because there is something I find really fascinating about her to the point of obsession. How could they make such an interesting character yet fuck her up so badly, yet she is still worshipped by the fandom as a flawless work of fiction? I hate her but genuinely cannot stop thinking about her because I easily could have loved her. Also it is nice how you brought up how people on the opposite side because I cannot even tell you how many times I got death threats for 'elyphobia' and 'disrespecting our goddess' when I was the one who was asked first.

Hey dont worry about it, and thanks for writing such a long as explaining how you feel all in one.

For me, I just consider her as two different characters:

I like ER Elysia. I dont like EE Elysia.

I do also find it incredible not just how they fucked up with EE Elysia's character, but also how she managed to bring down other characters. Like Kevin. For this emotionless wall of a character, seeing his one tear in the manga after learning that his girlfriend/wife died is incredibly powerful. But EE Elysia can ask him to cry on demand. It feels like everyone is warped around listening to EE Elysia and dancing to her whims.

ER Elysia may have not known what personal space is, but at least she had more dynamic with the others with some of them not liking her that much. I just wish her being a "traitor" was actually, you know, real. The fact that not everyone was worshipping her, called her a traitor, yet let her stay? There's a reason I made her being called a traitor in my Snippets AU to be completely justified.

And yeah if you got death threats for disliking her, that's completely unhinged.

THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A READ MORE HERE BUT IT DIDNT WORK

Again, talking more about Elysia in my Snippets AU. I didn't know where else to put it and again, I hate hijacking asks to talk about my works but I just cant stop myself. I did try to fix/change things I didn't like about her in that AU. I wont claim I've made her a totally different character anyone that hates Elysia can now enjoy, but I did my best to remove what I didn't like about her and change things to make her more interesting.

So in Snippets AU, Elysia doesn't actually have the power to just change fate/the Will whenever she wants. That's not how the Herrscher of Origin works in my AU. Her play as "I'm the last Herrscher before the Final Herrscher! Come defeat me!" to unite the Previous Era kinda worked, but that had nothing to do with the next era being able to have Herrschers retain their humanity - that was simply her last desperate act to do something good in the end.

In fact, not only is she not lesbian jesus. She had parents in the PE but they died while she was really young so she can still end up at the orphanage and I dont need to change her story any more. But not only that, but the Current Era has already had its 'Herrscher of Origin'.

As for her being called a traitor, I dont want to just say why, since I love reading the reaction of my readers when they figure things out, but it is VERY understandable why the survivors would call her a traitor.

[hopewriteszstuff]

Allow me to shamelessly post a fic I have wrote, inspired entirely by this post:

Even among the orphans, some were more orphaned than the others.

Little Treasures Orphanage, the only place Navarra and her siblings was able to call home after the death of her parents in a tragic accident, but was she even able to call it home? With everything she is seeing here?

She is almost thirteen, “no one will adopt a teenager”, said the workers,the teachers, and the caregivers. 

“And no one will adopt a lazy, disobedient child.”

So she has been acting as a mother to the younger kids around her, constantly checking up on them, feeding them, taking care of them even more than the caregivers of the Orphanage.

But she… wasn't she a child too? Didn't she deserve to be loved and cared for as well? Didn't she deserve parents? And comfort? A warm hug and a friend? 

Every time she went to her bed, she wrapped the blankets around her frail form and quietly sobbed, and just like that, another day had passed by.

But one day, it all started to change.

===================

Borrowers are known to be small, fragile creatures, creatures that couldn't be seen by anyone or it will endanger their lives.

But some break that rule, some of them shouldn't be seen by anyone, as they were, in themselves, a danger to the lives of others.

And so that was the case with Lumen.

While borrowers stood at an inch or two, he was a staggering seven inches, and as such he often asked himself if he was even a borrower at this point.

The answer that he got from how the borrowers reacted when they saw him was no, he wasn't.

And so Lumen led a solitary life alongside his brother, Arsen.

“Do we really have to stay here?” The younger of the two asked as he lifted himself and held to his cane.

“We have only been here for less than a year. Besides, the kids sleep early, there's plenty of food to eat, and there's no one else except for us”

Lumen replied as he prepared the few things he needed for each time he went borrowing, or more accurately, went hunting.

“Sure, sure, and it's not because you have this stupid idea that these kids are your responsibility and you have to be around to “protect them” or whatever…” 

“I have no idea what you are talking about, why would I care for human children?” Lumen leaned to the walls of their makeshift room that they built underneath the orphanage.

“You literally cried when that last kid got adopted, of course you don't “care about them”, not at all,” 

The older of the pair lifted his finger to say something, but instead went silent, for he couldn't deny that claim.

 “I will see you later…” Lumen sighed and adjusted his long black coat over his thin body, having nothing with him except for a rope made from threads and a makeshift knife.

“Be safe, and don't bring rat meat this time, we had enough of that.”

“We will see what I can get.” 

Lumen then started crawling through walls he knew better than the back of his hands, he could walk through these tunnels and passages blindfolded and he will still know his way through.

Yet something was different today, something that put his task to a halt… The sobs of a little girl.

He stopped at his place as he heard the quiet whimpers, a soft yet painful sound only his sharp senses could pick up, he slowly and carefully peeked from a hole in a broken electrical outlet that the workers never bothered to fix.

It was the newest girl to arrive, what was her name again? Navarra.

The relationship that the borrower had with the orphans was complicated, they never saw him or even knew that he existed before.

But he? He knew the children one by one, youngest to oldest, which toys they preferred and which foods they loved and hated. 

He had seen many of them from the nights they were left at the doorstep to the day they were taken by their new parents.

Never once did he interact or intervene with their lives, he shouldn't, he always told himself that. 

So when he heard the human girl cry to herself, alone and so late at night, he was filled with guilt and pity towards her.

What he was going to do was undeniably the stupidest, most dangerous thing he thought of in all of the two-hundred-something years he lived,but what was his other choice? Leave a little lonely girl to cry herself to sleep and never forgive himself for being able to comfort her?

“You alright, little one?” he called, then immediately facepalmed as he committed what is essentially a cardinal sin in the world of borrowers.

Also, Little one? He was the one who's little! The girl is ten times his size! But yet he could only see her as small and fragile, perhaps it was the way she was curled in her bed, hugging her knees and covered in her blanket.

He hoped she wouldn't have heard him but his hopes sank when she looked around her.

“Who's there?”

Her voice came shakey and heavy with her tears, which prompted Lumen even more to continue the conversation, but now he had to think of something since he couldn't just tell her he was a borrower.

“I'm…Your imaginary friend.” Another facepalm,he must have left his brain at home or something.

“My… what?” The poor girl was very confused.

“Your imaginary friend, the angel on your shoulder, your… uhh…Jiminy Cricket, the voice that tells you what's right and what's wrong.”

The girl's large, dark brown eyes blinked in understanding, she let out a soft hum and wiped her tears.

“But… but I think I'm too old for that?”

“You’re never too old for help, child,” He said with a comforting tone. “Why were you crying?”

“I wasn't_ I'm fine, really, nothing happened,” Navarra insisted, even as the tears fell on her freckled cheeks and even as her blanket was soaked with them.

He could see how this would go, and decided to not pry into it. 

“Then I will be on my way, little one, I might talk to you soon, or not.” 

He barely took a step before she called back.

“Wait! Wait.. Can you stay a little longer please? Please?”

A whirlwind of emotions hit him, his heart was fluttering and he couldn't stop it, and yet he also wished she hadn't heard him at all, and now he has to continue in this act.

Was that a good thing? Or a bad thing?

“Sure thing, little one, I'm here as long as you need me.” He found himself sitting down in the gap behind the outlet, still peeking from the holes.

“I’m lonely, I have no friends here, just bullies.”

“My brothers and sisters are too young, they need our mom, and I'm not her.” She sighed, those tears won't stop coming no matter how much she tried.

“I need our mom too,”

“I know, baby,I know you do” he thought as he listened to her, he fidgeted with the rope he was holding, and regretted not taking a cigarette with him.

“What's your name?” The girl asked all of a sudden.

“Who_me? You're asking me?”

“Yes, who else?” 

He contemplated for a moment, should he lie about that too or should he say the truth? 

There was an awkward, deafening silence for both of them.

“Lumen, you can call me Lumen.”

“Lumen,that's a pretty name,” the girl thought to herself.

“Mister Lumen… the kids often bully me, and say bad things about me… I don't want to hurt them like they hurt me… what do I do…”

“Good question, you talked to your teachers about it? And your caregivers?” 

“Yeah, they wouldn't do anything about it, they say it's boys being boys and I should just ignore them.”

“Tell you what, tell me which kids are bullying you…”

Navarra says a few names to her “Jiminy Cricket”, and wipes her tears one last time, she gets her large storm of curly brown hair.

“Thank you for listening to me.”

“Of course, dear, it's the least I can do.”

“But keep it a secret, okay?”

For the next few months, and the months after them, little miracles would happen to Navarra.

She would always find an extra cookie on her bed, in her school bag, on the shelf, it was always a well hidden place.

Whenever someone bullies her,hurts her, or says mean things to her, they would occasionally wake up scared, or they would trip over something, or they would step on something, like a lego.

And every night she wouldn't be crying herself to sleep, she would be instead talking about anything and everything to her new friend, whom she can't see but she can definitely hear and feel.

And Lumen had another reason to live and go on with his immortality.

“So have you ever heard about The Borrowers? That's actually my favorite book! It's about tiny people who like, take things and_”

Lumen choked for a second, but tried to stay calm and cool, she is just talking about her favorite book, surely she won't_

“So are you a borrower? Is that why I can't see you? Because you are actually tiny?”

Well Fu_dge

It's fine,he can absolutely handle this.

“I'm whatever you imagine me to be,speaking of which, what do you imagine I look like?” He couldn't lie, he was genuinely curious.

“Well you… sound old, not really old but… you sound like my dad or something.”

Dad? DAD?! The word was so simple yet it struck his heart, to the point where he found himself putting a hand on his chest, it's been so very long since he was this… alive.

“You kinda speak like him too, I can't really think of anything else for now.”

But it was more than enough for the ancient borrower, it was enough to draw a blood tear from his eyes.

“I'm glad I met you, Mister Lumen, But I wish you were here sooner.”

“I was always here, Little One, I think it's that you needed me now.”

The next few days weren't as pleasant.

As far as Lumen knew,she stopped talking to him all of a sudden.

He paced around in his room, left and right and left and right and_

“Sit the HECK down! You're driving me crazy!” Arsen demanded as he got dizzy from following his brother around.

“Why is she not talking like she used to? What did I do wrong?!”

“Trusting a human in the first place, for one, for all you know she probably found out what you actually are and she is snitching on you.”

“But it went well! Everything was good and right and well!”

“Hey, hey, quit panicking, stop it.” Arsen placed his hand on Lumen’s shoulder.

“I tell you what, try talking to her one more time, tonight, and if she keeps ignoring you, then that's the end of it.” The younger vampire suggested.

“I might try… I might.”

And so on that night,he went to the same outlet he always goes to, with a cigarette in his hand, one that he made by taking a normal sized cigarette, cutting the paper and pouring some of the contents into something he could smoke.

“Still giving me the silent treatment?” He asked into the air with a half joking, half heart-broken tone.

“I just want to know what made you angry with me all of a sudden.”

He looked through the outlet and noticed how she was looking at his direction.

Wait, his direction? 

“Did something happen?”

“...” Her broken expression wasn't a good sign.

“One of the kids snitched at me… Said I'm talking to ghosts… That I'm crazy.”

“The caregivers knew, and they told me to never do it again, or they will put me in an asylum.”

“You're my friend, and I care for you but… but I don't want to be crazy…”

“You're real, right? I'm not crazy, right?!”

The pain and fear in her voice was tearing Lumen into shreds, and he decided that the secret shouldn't stay a secret anymore.

“Let me show you the answer.”

He has checked earlier, as he always does,that the kids were either deep asleep or weren't in the room.

He kicked the outlet and it pathetically fell down to his strength.

Navarra softly gasped as a tiny person crawled out of the outlet and swiftly jumped to the end of her bed.

There stood before her, a man as tall as a pencil and almost as thin, clad in black, with white bandages all across his face, and the most gentle pair of gray eyes she had ever seen.

He smoked a cigarette in one hand, and stood casually as if nothing was weird or wrong about all of this.

“There's your answer.” He said to her as he leaned on the wall.

Navarra blinked, once,twice,then she laughed.

“You're real! I can't believe my eyes! Oh my god oh my god oh my god!” 

Lumen regretted everything that led to this point when the hands of the human reached at the speed of light to grab him, and he wasn't quick enough to react.

So like a sad helpless doll he was picked up in the loving arms of a girl whom he was ready to burn the world for, and perhaps that's why he didn't try to run away from her.

He sighed and allowed himself to be hugged, even if the hug was so strong he heard and felt his bones being rearranged,the cigarette has already fallen from his hand into who knows where.

He also allowed her to pet him as if he was a kitten, even if he was a whole grown up man.

“Did you know? I'm going to be adopted soon! And all of my siblings too!”

“For real?” He asked while trying to adjust himself in the arms of the human girl, not running away, just adjusting.

“Yeah! And that's why I stopped talking to you too… I was scared the kids would snitch on me and tell them I was crazy! But it doesn't matter anymore because you're real and you were there the whole time!”

“I'm happy for you too, Baby.” he calmly patted her, even if he sounded a little out of breath.

She hugged him even tighter, which began to hurt at this point.

“Too tight, little one.” He very gently said, as if not to offend the sweetheart, she was very well intentioned after all.

“Ah, I'm sorry!” Navarra set the borrower back on her bed.

“But that means… I won't see you again…” She frowned, a tear forming in her eye.

“I'm going to miss you so much… Thank you for everything you did to me…I wouldn't have made it without you…”

Lumen smiled at her, but he was just as broken, only now did it hit him that he was a borrower and she is a human, and she deserves a family, a real one.

“You're the bravest kid I have ever seen in my whole life, Navarra, and I know you're going to have a great, wonderful life, with or without me.”

Navarra gave Lumen another gentle hug, and he leaned into the warmth of it.

“Goodnight… and Goodbye…”

“Goodnight, Dear.”

Before they broke the hug, Lumen gave the girl one gentle kiss on her cheek, and caressed it with an almost microscopic hand and with a blood tear in his eye.

“You be good out there, okay? Make me proud of you.”

“I will! I promise!” She stuck out her pinky, and awkwardly he shook it.

“Atta girl.” He waved to her and slowly he climbed downwards, and back to the outlet he came from he went.

Next morning, Navarra met a gentleman and his wife, who agreed to adopt all her siblings with her. 

And along her siblings, two other kids were adopted with her, A grumpy boy who named himself Falcon, and a cheerful girl who called herself Bee.

To this day she often thinks about Lumen and the short yet wonderful time she knew him at.

Lumen took time to recover from the loss, even thought about leaving the Orphanage for good, but realized eventually that he would want to give this experience to other people, he wanted to love and be loved.

Perhaps soon, he would. 

giant, staring down at their tiny friend: *thinking about how oh my god they are so cute and tiny and I could just scoop em up and squish em and mess up their hair and snuggle them super tight and RAAAAHHHHH CUTENESS AGGRESSION MUST SMOTHER AND KISS*

the tiny, unaware of the giant’s thoughts, taking a drag of their cigarette and scratching their stubble, because they are, in fact, a grownass man: so Linda left me

[rosavulpes]

Smiling to himself as he listened to her talk enthusiastically about how her day had been , he'd be lying to himself if he tried to say that the sound of her voice wasn't spurring emotion within him . His eyes felt heavy , the threat of tears present but for now , he'd blink them away and silently thank the Rainbow Arbiter for this moment of joy instead .

It had been some time since he'd first met her onboard the streets of the Xianzhou , unfortunately one of the many children that had been affected by the war between the Abundance & the Hunt . She'd lost her parents , and with her blindness , wandered the streets alone .

He'd made the decision right then and there to take her in to the orphanage he volunteered his time at when not busy with work . Watching over her himself , whenever he could . It had been difficult at first , as she'd only known the cruelty of other children that either couldn't fully understand , the uncaring nature of adults that saw her as a burden , or didn't care to understand her condition .

Thankfully with time , Shun had been able to slowly introduce her to more children , and other people that could understand ... and more importantly empathize with her ... just as he had been able to . He couldn't deny to himself that when he looked into her eyes , he was able to see a younger version of himself looking back at him albeit ... she didn't have an older brother to watch over her as he had ... at least not before . Now ? She most certainly did .

Her well being had initially been one of the main reasons that Shun had been hesitant to ask Master Diviner , Lady Fu Xuan for some time off , as well as to ask the Trailblazer if he could join the Express . Not as a nameless , but as a passenger .

When he'd learned that they their next destination through talks with the Trailblazer and their friends would be Penacony , Shun had realized that it there was a chance that he'd find him there ...

It was a famous planet right ? So maybe he was there , or had passed by it at some point ? If there was a chance that he'd find Ikki there ... or at least a record of him having been there that might finally reveal where he could find his older brother at last . It was a moment Shun dreamed of most nights , reuniting with him .

His face , bruised , cut up , but still smiling with so much strength was ever present in Shun's memories . Shun hoped ... that he'd also get the chance to introduce Ikki to that child as well .

But , it hadn't been until he'd gotten assurances , confidence from his friends that she'd be well cared for in his absence , that they all would be that he'd made the decision to embark on this journey . His goodbyes to her , and the other children he was caring for , even if only temporary , still the most difficult aspect of it all .

Chuckling to himself as waved goodbye to his friend , whom was carrying that child in her arms . Well ... he technically did promise them that he'd be bringing them as many sweets as he could carry home didn't he ? Much to the chagrin of their dentists , and doctors .

Setting down his phone at the table , he'd raise his forearm up to his eyes to wipe away any tears that had indeed formed but hadn't fallen . He'd ended up in the Golden Hour with the Trailblazer , though he'd separated from them as he'd decided to begin his search immediately . Only stopping when he'd received a phone call from home .

He'd found a relatively quiet place to sit to take the call from them . He'd have to remind himself to take pictures as well as gather souvenirs for the children .

Standing once more , securing his phone in his pocket , he'd glance down at his arms for a moment . Normally , his silver chains would be wrapped around them protectively , always at the ready in case he was to be attacked , or accosted by someone with malignant intensions against him . In this dream ? the chains weren't present on his body in this place ... yet he could still feel their light weight on his arms as if they were still there . He could still feel their light movements , their life still bound to his own .

Thankfully , as he'd come to learn , all of Penacony was protected by the Family so there was no reason for dreamers such as himself to worry about enduring harm , or perishing here . Yet for some reason , he tell that his chains were restless for some reason .

" Ikki ... where are you ? "

@aventvrina

[rek1s-headband]

Oh oh! Can we get some hedcanons about cherry adopting a girl who is around miya's age. Like how close would they be and how would others feel about her being his daughter now. Bonus points if uncel Joe and little missy mess with daddy blossom

Xoxo love your work so far, keep it up💙

➯ A/N: This was such an amazing request, I had so much fun writing it! Hope you enjoy :)

Also, i started watching Your Lie in April today, and its AMAZING! So much more than what I was expecting

➯ With a daughter

➯ Characters: Kaoru Sakurayashiki with a young daughter. Reki, Langa and co. are mentioned throughout!

➯ Warnings: none:)

Having a child had never crossed Kaoru’s mind before, but when Joe had teased him about how “you treat Carla better than you would a child!”, the idea kind of stuck with him. And so, he’d spent countless nights awake, wondering to himself if it was something he truly wanted?

He’d pass parks, seeing parents with spewing babies and toddlers throwing tantrums, wondering if he could actually put up with that? But as he passed the shops, he came across a mother and her daughter, who looked around 12. He watched them pass, a grin on the child’s face as she looked into her shopping bag, examining her haul for that day. And so it was settled

He wanted a baby girl he could spoil absolutely rotten

And the search for a child carried on, and this time instead of baby shops and websites, he was browsing the shelves of Claires and other tween clothing stores. It had only occurred to him over a bottle of wine with Joe, as they were discussing if Kaoru was truly ready for something like this. Instead of a crying baby or a messy toddler, he could simply adopt someone a bit older!

It made sense too. For a single parent, an older child seemed much more doable. Of course, he wouldn’t be alone. Joe was always telling him how he’d help out, yknow, if he actually went through with the damn thing.

Not to mention, the older you get, the more difficult it is to get adopted. Babies and young children will get adopted left right and centre, whereas the child he will take home will have been there for a while. Finally, they will have a place to call a home

He spent months trying to get the approval for adoption, and one fateful day he finally got the letter that yes he could go ahead and take one home. He was ecstatic, spending the next few days finding out the location of every orphanage around his area of Japan. He messaged every single one, asking when their next visiting day was

And so it was set: Kaoru would not rest until he had found his perfect little girl

He went through orphanage after orphanage, searching for someone he could call his own. However, none of the children were lighting that paternal flame inside him. It wasn’t their fault of course, they just didn’t click with him, staring at him any time he tried to talk to them. Visit after visit, he’d go to Joe’s, ready to tell him about his recent fail.

It wasn’t until Joe came up to him with a phone number, asking if he’d been to this particular orphanage yet. Apparently they had a few children aged 12 and up, and were available for visit that Saturday. And so there he was, packing a bag and getting ready to travel to the house. This time felt different, somehow. He could feel his palms sweat, as if he could sense he would take one of them home

When he finally made it to the house, he was a nervous wreck. The lady of the house let him in with a smile, telling him the children were in the backyard playing while she bounced a baby on her hip. Cherry winced as the baby gurgled at him, glad he opted for an older child

She led him outside, gesturing at the children who were sprinting around in the vast field, hiding behind trees and bushes. It was clear they were playing a game of hide and seek. He smiled as he scanned over them, but it quickly disappeared when he noticed one little girl sitting on the step, head in her lap while her shoulders gently shook with tears

He walked over to her, bending down with a soft smile. He didn’t know where this sudden calmness came from, but that was his last priority right now. A little gash sat on the girls knee, caked with blood as it trickled down her shin. He frowned, pulling out a tissue to gently wipe it. She jumped, wincing with shock from the fresh wave of pain, and surprise. Kaoru gently wiped at her knee once more before looking up at her to attempt a conversation

“Hello, is your knee alright?” She shook her head frantically, wiping a tear away from her face. A small breathy laugh escaped him as he watched the child stand, gesturing to her leg

“Nope, not at all. I think its broken, if you ask me. All cause of that stupid thing!” She threw her arm out, gesturing to a pink board Kaoru hadn’t noticed before. A skateboard.

That’s when Kaoru realised it: I want this one

Suddenly he felt a new sense of importance, like he had to make a good impression. He walked over to the board, tutting as he looked down at it. “This is what hurt you?” He looked at it with disdain as the little girl nodded her head violently. Kaoru could see how she hurt herself, the thing was massive, especially for someone her age. It looked around the size of a board he would use.

Grinning, he picked up the board. “Well, want to see something cool?” She watched in wonder as kaoru stood on it, pushing off and turning quickly, popping an ollie over a stray toy. The little girl jumped, throwing her arms up as she cheered Kaoru on. He finished with a flourish, coming back to stand beside her. “What did you think?” She was speechless, simply moving her hands, saying scattered “wows” and making various sound effects. Kaoru smiled, certain that he could teach her more.

When he realized visiting time was coming to a close, he proposed the idea to the girl, who’s name he had come to know was Lily: he’d come back next week, and he’d bring his board. He even promised to find her a smaller boar perfect for her to learn on, saying he knew a friend who could make her one. From there he would teach her the basics of skateboarding, even a couple of tricks once she got that down. She was delighted, bouncing up and down and declaring she couldn’t wait, all the energy of someone much younger than her. Kaoru found he couldn’t stop smiling himself either

He made his way back through the house, Lily skipping alongside him. He explained the plan to the Lady, that he would come back next week for another visit. Just as he was about to leave, he turned to the lady to request one final thing from her

“Make sure no one snatches her up from me while I’m gone, yeah?”

Needless to say a bottle of wine was opened at Joe’s that night in celebration of Lily, the potential daughter

And so the weeks turned into months, and Kaoru returned each week with his board and some sweets for her and the other children, teaching her everything she needed to know about skateboarding. After a month or so she could confidently ollie without bailing, and next time he visited she displayed it with delight, watching Kaoru’s face light up with pride.

She had taken a real liking to Kaoru, according to the Lady. She refused to pay any other visitors any notice, declaring they “simply weren’t Kaoru.” This is what finally made him realise that maybe it was time to ask if she’d like to live with him from now on, where she could practice with him every day.

When he asked her, Kaoru could’ve sworn he actually saw stars in her eyes. She simply lit up, throwing herself at Kaoru, tears streaming down her face as she shouted yes, of course she would. she wasn’t the only one crying, Kaoru could barely see from the tears in his own eyes, the lady dabbing at hers with a tissue

Once the paperwork was complete and Lily was his, he felt a weight had been taken off his shoulders. He had packed her a new change of clothes the day he went to collect her, bringing Joe along with him for emotional support. Lily came flying at him the second he got out of his car, wrinkling her nose at Joe

“You never told me you had a boyfriend, Kaoru” she stuck her tongue out at him from over his shoulder while they both tried to convince her that no, they weren’t a couple, before she ran upstairs to get changed. Joe turned to Kaoru, an almost offended look on his face

“Why were you so adamant that we weren’t together??” “I dont need her worrying she’s going home to a Gorrila” “HEY”

Once they all got home, they threw a little party at Joe’s who had closed a little early specially for it. Kaoru didn’t let her out of his sight, making sure she wasn’t uncomfortable with all the new people. Of course, it was only Joe, Shadow, Reki, Langa and Miya, all of whom she would meet eventually, but he still worried in case she got overwhelmed.

She made quick friends with Reki, who was ecstatic from the moment he realised she could skate. The two bonded over it, talking about tricks they’d learned, Reki shouting over at Kaoru because why hadn’t he taught him anything??

Miya was a bit standoffish at first, but when she saw the switch in his hand, the two were instantly bonding over who had better villagers in Animal Crossing, and who had passed more levels in Mario with three stars

As the months went on, Lily really settled into her new life in Okinawa, starting at school in Miyas class. The two were joined at the hip, Miya often coming home to Kaoru’s so they could practice together, or simply study and watch some movies. Reki constantly teased the shit out of the two, talking about how he heard “wedding bells”. This comment earned him a swift whack into the skull from Kaoru, warning him not to tease his little girl

Soon enough Kaoru was making her own skateboard with built-in Carla, who helped her skating improve insanely. As Kaoru said, she was definitely a chip off the old block. Langa and Reki would take her to the skate park with them, helping her land new tricks and would take videos of her to send to Kaoru

Shadow was like a chill uncle to her, bringing her flowers for her room and taking her out to get some clothes and ice cream. Joe was like an uncle too, but a much more untrustworthy one. Would he take her to the park, or would he take her to parts of downtown she definitely shouldn’t have been? Who knows, certainly not Kaoru...

Poor Kaoru can never get a minutes peace. Every second of the day she’s plotting something, waiting for him to let his guard down so she can pounce, scaring the shit out of him. When the others are around its 10x worse, all of them ganging up on him to pull pranks

As well as skateboarding, Kaoru tried to teach her how to do calligraphy. She ended up being awful, blotting the ink and smearing it with her hand. But hey, it was a fun art project that made it onto the fridge

At S, she was watched like a hawk. When Kaoru was competing,the others would be like her bodyguard, making sure no one got within 5 feet of her. She’d watch her dad with wonder, the look of awe never leaving her face since the first day she saw him skate. She can’t wait for the day she can compete, maybe even beating her own dad

The first time Lily called Kaoru “dad” was when he won a race, showing off some amazing skills and winning the insanely close match by a hair. He picked up his board, looking around for Lily. He saw her in the crowd, throwing her arms up and cheering “THATS MY DAD!! LOOK, RIGHT THERE, THATS MY DAD!” When she spotted him, a large grin spread across her face. “Nice job out there dad! You did amazing!! D’you think I can do that one day?”

Everyone was staring at her, she hadn’t even realised she had said anything out of the ordinary. Soon enough Kaoru was lunging at her, picking her up in a hug so she didn’t see the tears quickly forming on his face. With a smile he pulled away, his voice dripping with pride

“Of course you could. You’re my daughter, aren’t you?”

[bbyheedeungie]

Tales of the ring | Orphan! Jay AU Part 1

Pairings: Jay x Reader

Genre: fluff, angst, eventual smut, age gap (4 years)

Warnings: suggestive content, messy timeline

Synopsis: You've spent most of your lives together at a Catholic orphanage in a small town, with Jay being left there as an infant and you volunteering there since you were thirteen years old. Now twenty-three, every child in the orphanage looks up to you as their older sister. Well, except for that one stubborn kid named Jay.

You always tend to his cuts and bruises when he fell down after climbing on trees with his friends, but not after a long hour of bickering.

"Stop climbing trees if you're just gonna fall down!" You scold 9-year old Jay as you rummaged through the first aid kit.

"Just shut up and fix me up, woman." He demands, his arms crossed over his chest. You sigh.

"I'm just worried about you, okay? You could've broken a bone or something!" You reasoned with him. His eyes turns into slits, glaring at you.

"Are you calling me a wimp?" He challenges. Though it never crossed your mind, the thought of calling him a wimp was indeed amusing. You tried to suppress your laughter but it came out as a snort.

"Hey, I'm not a wimp. Drop it." Jay says, almost coming out as a whine. You nod, trying to calm yourself down from wanting to laugh. Cause you know Jay's going to end you if he even hears anything close to a giggle come out from your lips.

_

"Still as wimpy as ever, huh?" You teased him as you disinfected his wounded knees. He was sitting on the couch with you kneeled infront of him, and 16 year old Jay just can't seem to take his eyes off you.

Your lower lip is caught in between your teeth as you concentrated on his cuts, and Jay licks his own lips unconsciously.

At 20 years old, you have grown to be quite a lady, Jay notes. Beautiful, luscious hair that complimented the perfect features of your face, your body slightly plump in some places which gave you that womanly figure, dainty and gentle hands that cared for his wounds, any man would think of you as wife material. And Jay couldn't help but huff in annoyance at the thought of other men wanting you for themselves.

"And you're still as annoying as ever." He mutters before he pinched your cheeks hard, making you yelp in pain and involuntarily putting pressure on the cotton ball you were dipping onto his wound. Soon after, you were both crying from pain.

"How could you." He said in betrayal, clutching his wounded knee.

You always chased after him around the orphanage when he had a fever to make him take his medicine when he refused to drink them, dragging him by the back of his shirt to his room to make him rest.

"You can't just pull a stunt like that when I'm fixing up your cuts you dummy." You glared at him, massaging your reddened cheek.

_

"I don't want to stay in bed, woman. I wanna play outside!" 11-year old Jay huffs in annoyance, kicking off the blanket you've just placed on his body. You sighed and placed it back on him.

"Bold of you to call me a woman after I've just wrestled you at the lobby earlier." 15-year old you chuckled, remembering what you had to go through to make him go back to his room.

"Don't remind me, you were like a freaking hippo back there! Geez." Jay scrunches his nose and turns his back to you.

_

"You insufferable woman." He mutters as you tuck him into his bed. 18-year old Jay was just as irritable as ever, but only when it came to you.

"Yeah yeah." You rolled your eyes at him dismissively as you placed a cold compress to his forehead. He's such a big baby.

"Stop being a jerk for once and learn to take care of yourself, will you?" You scold him, leaning in to fix the position of his pillow. Jay's heartbeat goes nuts, with your body so close above him. He could just grab you by the waist then and there and hold you tight. Your feminine scent was so alluring, filling up his senses, your skin translucent in the moonlight shining through the windows and he even caught a glimpse of your cleavage through your thin, white dress shirt.

Shit, shit, shit. He thinks, fisting his blanket tightly. His cheeks glowed crimson red, but thankfully you thought it was just because of the fever.

_

Rest assured, Jay wasn't all that bad as others make him out to be, and you strongly believe this. You remember that one night, it was your fourteenth birthday but you didn't bother telling anyone. You didn't want to burden the sisters, and your family didn't care much about it either. But Jay did. He cared, and he remembered.

You sat on the roof, your secret hiding place, as you admired the starry sky. But it's not really a secret when Jay knows about it. The ten year old boy climbed up, grunting as he struggled keeping his balance. You flinched at the sound and panicked, but it immediately died down when you saw it was just him. He quietly sat beside you.

Silence took over as you sighed in content, taking in the peaceful evening.

"Happy birthday." Jay said, almost a whisper. Your head turns to him and he immediately looks the other way, refusing to meet your eyes.

"Thank you, Jay." You said in gratitude, not bothering to hide your smile. He still refused to look your way as he held out his fist.

"What is it?" You asked in confusion, furrowing your eyebrows at his closed hand. He sighs, taking your hand in his as he placed something cold and hard on your palm.

"It's for you." He says. You gasped, taking in the shiny object encrusted with tiny jewels that glinted in the moonlight.

"Jay, where did you get this?" You ask him, bewildered.

"The sisters said they found that ring in my pocket when they found me outside the door of the orphanage the night that they took me in. It's my most precious possession. In fact, it's my only possession." He says, laughing lightly as he looked up at the sky.

"Must be an heirloom, maybe you came from a wealthy family! Jay, I can't accept this. This is important to you!" You exclaimed, holding the ring back to him.

You're important to me. He thinks.

"Maybe, but they've left me here haven't they?" He simply shrugs.

"But why give it to me?" You asked, holding the ring close to your chest. Jay rolls his eyes and clicks his tongue.

"Hey, no more questions. I gave it to you as a birthday gift, so you better treasure it. Good night." He says and prepares to climb down, leaving you dumbfounded.

_

At nineteen, Jay was the oldest at the orphanage. He never got adopted, and younger kids would pick on him because of it.

"You never got adopted because your a weirdo."

"They can probably sense that you're useless."

But Jay being Jay, he'd beat them up everytime just because their faces annoy him. And you'd be the one to ask for forgiveness for his sake everytime he got in trouble. You knew him well enough to know that although he'd never admit it out loud, seeing other kids like Jungwon and Sunoo get adopted while he gets left behind hurt him more than it should.

"I'm very sorry for Jay's actions, please don't send him away." You begged to the Mother Superior's feet, and Jay couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Not of you, but of himself for having you go through all this for him.

"Noona, please you don't have to do this." He tells you softly, for once as he tries pulling you up to your feet but you just won't budge.

"I'm sorry Y/N, I know you have grown quite close to Jay for the past ten years. But he is now of legal age he can't just keep hurting minors." The mother superior, which is the head of the orphanage states.

"Jay promises he won't do it again, please." You continue to plead, at this point you were so close at kissing the sister's feet if that'll make them forgive Jay.

"What, when did I promised—." He says and you signal him to shut up. The sisters sigh, and decide to just punish Jay by making him work at the farm for a month. You thank them over and over, tears welling in your eyes.

"Y/N, may I have a word with you. Jay, you may retire to your room." The mother superior instructs. Jay looks at you hesitantly, before leaving.

"Have a seat." She commands you, and you oblige.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" You asked.

"Listen, dear. You're now twenty-three years old, you are at your ripest age of getting married. Not only that, but you're also one of the most beautiful maidens of this town. You can't spend your life at this orphanage forever. Won't you consider settling down soon?" She suggests, and you felt a lump in your throat, your heart feeling unease.

"That's alright, Mother Superior. I'm only twenty-three, I still have a lot to figure out in my life. When a man does take interest in me, I'll decide then." You assure her, and stand up to leave.

The next days, you'd wake up early to prepare breakfast for the kids and for Jay before he heads off to the farm. Jay being the stubborn boy he is, refuses to sit down and have breakfast and so on most days, you'd chase after him to bring him his breakfast and lunch box. He'd purposely walk faster, ignoring your shouts. A smirk never leaving his face.

"Jay! Jay! Wait!" You yelled, chasing your breath as you continued to run after him. But your quick steps were no match for his long strides.

"Jay you freaking dimwit! Haaaaalt!" You yell at the top of your lungs with all your might, and he finally stops in his tracks, turning to look at you.

"Oh, you've been calling for me? Did you need something?" He asks, feigning ignorance that you've been shouting his name for a good fifteen minutes. You huff, stomping towards him angrily. His face smug the whole time.

Others would think you're ready to punch him in the face, but instead you would take his hand and place his boxed meal there. You sigh.

"Take care of yourself, okay? And finish everything I packed for you." You say. Jay simply rolls his eyes and waves a hand at you dismissively.

"Yeah yeah, just don't go missing me too much." He teases, suppressing a smile. You scoffed, punching his shoulder lightly.

"Damn right, I wont." You stuck your tongue at him before waving him goodbye, running back to the orphanage.

As you walked back, you notice a fancy carriage parked in front of the orphanage. Many people were gathered around, gossiping.

"The crown prince has selected candidates to be his wife."

"Now that the queen has passed away, the prince must choose his bride in order to ascend to the throne."

"Oh what a lucky girl she must be."

You slip through the crowd of people, successfully making your way inside.

"Oh here she is now." Mother Superior introduces you to the men in fancy clothing, and you stood their dumbfounded.

"She is a beauty indeed." The men agreed to themselves.

"What exactly is happening?" You whisper to the Mother Superior.

"They came here for you, my child. You have been selected by the prince to become a candidate of being his wife. I've already had your suitcases ready, they will take you to the palace now. And don't worry, I've already informed your parents and they are more than happy and wished you the best."

Everything was happening so fast, it's like everything's been decided for you. And amidst the chaos in your mind, you could only think of one person. Jay.

"What about Jay, I haven't said goodbye—" You pleaded to the old woman to let you see Jay one last time but the footmen has announced your departure to the palace. You choked on your tears as pain burned through your chest, clutching Jay's ring to your chest as you were brought further and further away from the place you called home all your life.

Jay plowed the soil over and over, sweat trickling down his neck and forehead. The sun is high and the heat is a pretty tough companion.

"Jay! Jay!" Jay's friend, Sunghoon called his name, sprinting towards him as if his life depended on it. Sunghoon was one of the orphan kids who got adopted recently, whose home was only a few blocks away from the orphanage. Jay halted his work, placing the tool beside him.

"Haven't seen you in a while, what brings you here?" He raises his eyebrow. Sunghoon holds onto his knees as he catches his breath, before uttering words that shattered Jay's heart into pieces.

"No, it can't be." He refuses to believe it, shaking his head aggressively as tears welled in his eyes. It felt as if he was pierced so deeply in the chest with a dagger, so agonizingly painful.

"It is true, they took Y/N to the palace to become the prince's bride. It's been the talk of the town all morning." Sunghoon is sad for his friend, knowing his feelings for her all along.

"No! Y/N wouldn't do that, she wouldn't leave just like that. No." Jay cried and ran his way back to the orphanage, leaving his belongings behind.

He enters the orphanage, screaming for your name.

"Noona? Noona! I'm here, I'm here now. Noona? Where are you?" He kept on calling for you, his voice breaking as tears blurred his vision. The sisters tried to calm him down but he shoved their hands away from him.

"No! It can't be, she couldn't have left. Please tell me she didn't leave, please." Jay crumbled as he called your name over and over in agony. He begged for everything to be just some sick joke, a prank you planned to get back at him for always being so mean to you.

"Y/N." He choked out before everything spiraled infront of him and went black.

[zacaraya]

threadedwheels​:

EMBER ROLLED HIS EYES when Zacaraya called his inherited abilities a ‘special talent’. He could hear the teasing in how he spoke, simply keeping his head up as he was circled like some… prey.

“It is rather disrespectful of you to imply I would lie,” Ember kept his tone as neutral as possible, not wanting Zac to know he was becoming rather frustrated and- in all honesty- unsettled by the beastman. “This is an ability that has been passed down through generations of my family ever since the Fates themselves first offered their services many, many years ago. I would not insult them by lying.”

All the same though, Ember was aware of his situation. Until he found an upper hand, Zacaraya had many cards in his hand.

…unless he discovered a secret of his past to hold over him. He was rarely so cruel, but something about this man’s attitude irritated him to no end.

“You want your past to be read? Understood.”

He took a deep breath, pushing down any feelings of irritation or fear he had ruminating until he was able to focus on the threads that connected everyone. As his eyes shifted to golden orbs, he focused on the thread leaving Zac’s… before losing it.

Again.

Thread. Zac. Past.

Nothing.

Again.

He felt something drip out of his nose, bringing his hand up to stop any blood from dripping onto the ground. Still, he pushed, knowing he was coming upon something.

Thread…. Zacaraya…. past.

It all clicked into place. While he couldn’t see every bit of the memory, he felt… a sharp pain on the right side of his head, right where an ear would rest if he was Zac. Screams bubbling up in his throat that no one heard, being held against something as a group of kids older and bigger carved a piece of his ear off.

He could almost hear their jeering, their insults, the bullying faced by someone who hadn’t learned that the world was cruel, at least not until he was abandoned.

Then… the pain was gone, replaced by someone gently petting him. He recoiled, at first, but realized that for once in his life, he wasn’t about to be hurt.

“…That piece of your ear didn’t get lost from an accident, right? Some kids… well, can get violent. You never trusted anyone with your ear again or let yourself call for help. They didn’t come to stop your ear from being cut off then, why would they help now?” He said as he came back from Zac’s memories, blinking his eyes a few times until the blurred strings went away, “But then a little girl pet you, no attempts to harm you. It… was confusing. Took you a long time to realize you could enjoy it. That some people wouldn’t be as bad as the kids from your orphanage.”

As he spoke, he went through his pockets, hoping for a napkin or something as the nose bleed began to drip onto his shirt. 

“Before you ask- no, I don’t feel bad for you, I still have no idea who you are, and also if I pass out do not call the nurse. He does not appreciate my presence.”

The Diasomnia’s eyes turned vividly golden, which in all honestly, creeped Zacaraya out a little. He made a sour-lemon face without intending to when blood began to drip from his nose. The room was silent, awkwardly so, whilst Ember concentrated. The person receiving the prophecy just had to stand there awkwardly and observe whilst Ember quite clearly pushed himself.

“Look,” he began, after a brief minute or so of nothing happening. “If you can’t do it, there’s no point in hurting yourself. Just give u-”

Ember interrupted him.

“…That piece of your ear didn’t get lost from an accident, right?"

Zacaraya's eyes widened ever so slightly in shock, but not enough to give Ember an edge... if that was even what he was looking for.

The ear, the older kids, the little girl... The orphanage.

Zacaraya's features suddenly went dark, and before Ember could even finish his last sentence, the lion would grab his neat little green Diasomnia waistcoat and push him up against one of the large windows (if he could). The warm glow of the sunset engulfed them both as Zacaraya growled.

"You shut your mouth," he warned, sharp eyes glaring into Ember's. If word got out about this, especially that he liked his ears being petted after so long of glaring at whoever even so much as a thought of touching them, he would be the laughingstock of Savanaclaw. He could hear the teasing now...

He had worked on his reputation so much, he couldn't afford for it to be blown apart now.

"You will not speak of that to anyone, you hear me? Or it won't just be my ear that loses a chunk out of it..."

[babyboibucky]

Charming (Part 2 of Charm)

Pairing: TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky has everything planned out for his date with you.

Word Count: 2,566

Warnings: No TFATWS spoilers here, Bucky being charming (hence the title) is a warning in itself

A/N: Ahhh you guys, thank you for all the love for Charm! I didn’t expect for that oneshot to receive so much love from everyone. Can’t thank y’all enough!!! For those who haven’t read it yet, make sure to do so before reading this!

Charm (Part 1) || MAIN MASTERLIST

Bucky nervously waited outside of your apartment building. He made sure to plan really well for this date, he didn’t want to mess up. He really liked talking to you and he wanted you to enjoy this day.

“Okay, I’m ready!” You announced as you stepped out of the building, jogging downstairs to approach him.

You looked excited, Bucky noticed. Okay, that’s good. He’s off to a good start. He found himself smiling at you, admiring this light and bright aura that radiated off of you. He could use a little light in his life and it might be too soon for Bucky to even consider it, but you seemed like the perfect girl to him.

“Hi.” Bucky greeted. “You look beautiful.” He said, eyeing you from head to toe.

Bucky’s confidence grew when your cheeks turned pink at his compliment. You thanked him and let your eyes fall to his left arm, making Bucky instantly regret his decision to forego the gloves. He should’ve worn his jacket on top of his blue henley. All his worries though eventually dissipated when you reassured him.

“Glad you aren’t wearing your gloves, it looked really uncomfortable.” You told him genuinely.

Bucky shyly let out a chuckle, “Yeah.”

“So, to the park?” You asked excitedly.

Bucky made a face, “Actually, I thought of changing our plans a bit. Hope that’s alright?” He asked hopefully.

You narrowed your eyes at him as you nodded, “Hmm, that sounds interesting. Alright then, what do you got?”

Embarrassment filled Bucky’s entire being when he whipped out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket. He glanced at you and watched your expression as he unfolded it, revealing it to be the size of a bond paper where he had written down his agenda for the day.

“Oh wow, that’s...very interesting.” You pointed out but with no malice. In fact, you were impressed.

Who would’ve thought that guys nowadays came to a date prepared? But then again, Bucky wasn’t from this time but truly appreciated how old-fashioned he still was.

Bucky rubbed his neck, “I made an itinerary but saying that out loud, it actually sounds terrible.”

“Not at all!” You were quick to defend. “I like a well-planned day. I’m not really the spontaneous type so this really works well for me.” You chuckled.

Bucky bit his lip to stop himself from smiling too wide. It seemed like the date would go pretty well, he hoped it’d last the entire day though. He couldn’t help but worry that something might happen that would throw you off. Or that he might end up saying things that you’d find offensive.

“What’s first on the itinerary?” You asked.

-

“I got a strike!” You squealed in excitement and pumped your first in the air.

Bucky took you to a bowling place and honestly, he didn’t expect for you to be so excited about it. He felt silly for outdoing himself for this first date. In fact, he researched about dating in the modern day the moment he got home after meeting you. The tips were very different, some of which he wasn’t comfortable doing. So instead of adjusting to the present, Bucky stayed true to himself.

He was going to do it his own way, no matter how traditional it seemed. This led him to writing down his ideas on a piece of paper and planning everything out properly.

“Looks like I won.” You smirked, seeing the scores flash on the television hanging on the ceiling. “Did you go easy on me? Tell me the truth, Bucky.” You warned as you looked at him suspiciously.

Bucky chortled and shook his head, “I didn’t. It’s been decades since the last time I did this so I got pretty rusty at it.” He explained.

“You ready to grab something to eat?” He asked, checking the time and seeing that it was close to three in the afternoon.

You nodded enthusiastically, “I’m starving! I mean, beating a super soldier at bowling can be really exhausting.” You teased.

Bucky smiled, “Great, but can we stop by somewhere first?”

-

Bucky felt proud at himself when he saw the astonished look in your face.

“Oh my god, is this...?” You asked, eyeing the car that Bucky drove out of a car rental shop.

“A 1942 Pontiac Torpedo.” Bucky boasted before stepping out of the car and leading you towards the front seat.

Bucky waited for you to slip in, your expression still that of utter disbelief, before closing the door and walking around to ride back inside.

“And it’s the convertible one.” He said proudly and laughed at your reaction when he brought down the roof.

“I have no words for this, Bucky. This is amazing!” You exclaimed, running your hands on the compartment and just taking in the beautiful interiors of the vintage car.

Bucky watched you with a soft look in his eyes. He felt kind of selfish for gloating at the fact that this date only proved to himself that he still is James Buchanan Barnes. Despite decades of torture and brainwashing as the Winter Soldier, he still had pieces of himself left.

But seeing you so giddy at the date that he poured so much effort in? Maybe he wasn’t so selfish after all.

“And where will you be taking us next for you to rent this lovely vehicle? I honestly don’t know what to expect after this. I’m just...I love it!” You laughed, unable to hide your excitement.

“We’re having burgers and milkshakes.” Bucky announced.

-

Bucky wanted you to experience what it was like dating in his time, so it was only right that he took you to a diner. But it wasn’t just the regular one, he took you to a drive-in diner where waitresses even wore roller derby skates.

“You just keep on outdoing yourself, Bucky. I’m speechless!” You laughed.

The waitress rolled by your car and took your orders. After she left, there was finally a moment of peace which allowed you and Bucky to have an actual conversation.

“Did you often hang out in one of these places then?” You asked.

Bucky smiled at the memories, “Yeah, used to take Steve with me. He always ended up getting mad whenever he realized that it was a set-up for a double date.”

You hummed in amusement. “You seemed really popular with the ladies, huh?”

Bucky chuckled timidly before letting out a sigh. He turned to you curiously and creased his forehead, “Why didn’t you tell me you knew who I was?” He finally asked.

You seemed surprised at his question but your features softened up almost immediately. Shrugging as if it was no big deal, you told him that you really didn’t feel the need to do so.

“Would it change anything if I told you I knew who you were?” You curiously asked.

Bucky thought for a brief moment, “I probably would’ve excused myself and left.”

“That’s what I thought.” You said. “You seemed comfortable then, I didn’t want to overwhelm you by bringing it up. Besides, I really don’t care about it. I mean, I had fun talking to you and that’s all that matters to me. Superhero or not, I do enjoy your company.”

Bucky snickered, “I don’t think superhero is the right word.”

“You’ll be surprised that a lot of people call you that.” You said, placing a hand on Bucky’s arm, squeezing it to offer him comfort.

Bucky loosened up at your touch and kept his gaze lingering on how your fingers were wrapped around his arm.

“There’s this one kid at the orphanage I volunteer at,” you said, letting go of Bucky’s arm as you adjusted your position in the car so you could turn to him. Bucky almost missed the warmth from your hand on his skin.

“I asked them to draw someone they looked up to and this is his work.” You said, bringing out your phone to show Bucky a photo of the drawing.

Bucky’s breath hitched when you handed him your phone, revealing that the kid drew a man with long brown hair and a metal arm. He used black and gold to color the metal arm, not silver. It didn’t even have the red star on it. When Bucky looked up at you, he saw the most genuine smile he had ever seen.

“I asked him why he chose you and he said that he liked how Captain America’s best friend fought alongside him. For a kid his age, he knew a lot about your history too. He’s a huge fan.” You laughed.

Bucky’s eyes almost brimmed with tears. He was unable to believe that a kid would look up to him, consider him a superhero. All this time he had been seeing himself as a villain still, the bad guy. Someone who would have a hard time redeeming himself. You made him think twice about it, that maybe he had been too harsh on himself.

“You should come with me to the orphanage some time. The kids will love you, Bucky. It’s not that hard to do so.” You said softly, lifting your hand up to fix a strand of Bucky’s hair that was out of place.

It was a beautiful moment between the two of you. Bucky felt vulnerable but safe, like you’d keep him safe. Not from danger but from his very own destructive thoughts. Whenever he loses control of his mind, whenever it wanders into the darkest parts of his past, Bucky tends to self-destruct. And he almost wandered there but you were quick to pull him back to the surface.

“What are you thinking of?” You asked when you noticed that Bucky was just staring at you.

Bucky’s gaze fell onto your lips and then back at your eyes, “Thinking about whether I should just go for it now.”

“Go for what?” You blinked.

Bucky slowly leaned in but was immediately startled when the waitress arrived with your orders.

-

After the diner, Bucky drove to the park where the two of you walked around while talking about well, anything. He learned more about you and this time, he didn’t have to lie about anything whenever you asked him. In fact, Bucky got really comfortable opening up about his life in the 40’s, he even talked about his family.

The two of you talked more until the sun set and the next thing you knew was that Bucky brought you to a drive-in theater and bought pizza to cap off the date.

-

It was a little past ten in the evening when Bucky drove you home. He opened the car door for you and nervously fidgeted with the piece of paper in his back pocket.

“So did you tick off everything on the itinerary?” You asked.

Bucky let out the fakest laugh because no, he hasn’t ticked off everything on his list. There was one more thing that he planned to do at the very end of the date. He had been confident about it, especially after how much you enjoyed the date in its entirety. But, now standing outside your apartment building and staring at you nervously, he wasn’t sure whether he had enough courage to pull this off.

“I uhh...well...” Bucky stammered. “Did you enjoy?” He asked again, just to be sure.

“I am offended that you had to ask because I thought my face was unable to hide at how much I did!” You laughed.

“Thank you for giving me the 1940s experience. I love it. I really do, it’s...it’s been a while since I last went on a date that I really enjoyed.” You shyly admitted, biting your lip and looking up at Bucky through your lashes.

Bucky’s breath got caught in his throat as he gazed down at you. You looked really beautiful, no matter how simple you looked. He wanted to take you out to another date, maybe tomorrow. Or the next day perhaps, actually, Bucky wanted to be with you every single day.

You were so kind and bubbly, you offered so much light to his darkness. He loved how your hopeful attitude rubbed off on him, he badly needed it. And he loved how you made him feel...himself. He was just Bucky Barnes, a guy navigating through the modern times and finding his place in this world. And it would seem like an easy task with you by his side.

“Well, I guess this is it.” You said. “Thanks again, Bucky. I really did enjoy.”

Bucky was surprised when you stepped closer to him for a hug. Feeling your arms wrap around his waist and your hair brush against his chin gave him the boost of confidence he needed to finally check off the last on his date itinerary.

By the time he convinced himself to do it, you already stepped back and bid Bucky good night.

Bucky proved to himself the other night that he still has his charm from back then. And tonight, he was going to prove that his charm was going to sweep you off of your feet.

“Wait, one last thing.” Bucky said, reaching out for your wrist.

He tugged you forward making you squeal, and then wrapped his metal arm around your waist before swooping you down for a kiss.

Bucky wasn’t sure how you would react to his kiss but he could no longer hold himself back. It could either make or break his friendship with you, but Bucky just had to. And it wasn’t just to prove something to himself, he’d been wanting to kiss you all throughout the day. He would have already, at the diner, if only the waitress didn’t interrupt his little moment with you.

He almost panicked when your lips remained still, but it all went away when he felt your hands wrap around his shoulders before finally kissing him back. Bucky’s lips curled into a smile against yours as he slowly straightened, bringing you back up before pulling away.

You panted against his lips, your hands sliding down to rest on Bucky’s chest as his landed on your hips.

“Was that...was that a part of your list?” You breathlessly asked.

“Yes. Almost went for it at the diner but I guess the universe wanted for me to stick to the schedule.” He grinned.

You threw your head back in laughter, “So that’s what you meant by that!”

Bucky laughed in agreement and held your face in his metal hand, noticing how you weren’t thrown off. Instead, you turned your face to even press a kiss on his palm.

“Was I too fast? Kissing you on the first date?” He asked, caressing your face.

You shook your head, “You did wait until the end of the date to do so, I guess your timing was just right.”

“And...how was it?” Bucky meekly asked, almost afraid that he might have sucked given that this was his first kiss in decades.

Smiling, you leaned in again to give him a quick peck on the lips. A reassurance, something to melt Bucky’s worries away.

“What can I say? James Bucky Barnes, you are one charming man.”

Now, Bucky was a hundred percent sure that he still has it in him. And he made a mental note to boast to Yori how his first date with you went.

-

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Some tags aren’t walking ugh I’m so sorry to all those that tumblr failed to tag!

[innaminitus]

Gingerbreads

Pairing: George x reader x Fred

Request: WEASLEY TWINS CHRISTMAS SMUT YES PLEAASE where they both like the reader but like make a deal that it’s either both of them for her or none of them? THANK YOU

Warnings: smut, no twincest

Word count: 2671

A/N: BIG NOTE: if you are not okay with this kind of fic, you are free to not read it. there is plenty of similar fics all over tumblr, you can avoid them, too.

first fic from my Christmas at Hogwarts series! Feel free to send requests!

The hallways were filled with candles and glittery chains, on every corner there was a Christmas tree, decorated with all kinds of ornaments, gingerbreads and dried oranges, filling the air with the specific scent of holidays.

Disgusting.

You hated the so called ‘holiday spirit’ and basically everything that involved anything associated with Christmas. It wasn’t your fault, really. You remembered times when you actually quite liked Christmas. Not much of it you remembered, though, since you were just a small child when it all fell apart. It was Christmas, after all, when your father murdered your mother right in front of you. Cinnamon and oranges only made you anxious now.

Suddenly someone bumped into you from behind.

“Hey, Portkey!” The Weasley twins blocked your view and both walked backwards in order to see you.

“Stop calling me that…” You furrowed at the nickname, but couldn’t help but to smile.

You got the nickname after the circumstances in which you met the twins.

You were scrubbing the cauldrons in Snape’s office as your detention when the door opened and Filch jumped on his chair in which he has been snoring for at least half an hour now. Snape stormed through the door, dragging two boys by their collars. You saw them before, the famous Weasley twins, the jokers of Hogwarts.

“Messrs. Weasley will help Miss Y/L/N clean the cauldrons. I expect them to be clean enough to see my own reflection.”

“Of course, professor!” Filch nodded his head. “I’ll make sure they will!”

But despite what he said, right after Snape left Filch sat back on his chair and started snoring once again. Fred or George laughed at him and grabbed one of the sponges you were using to clean one of the cauldrons from something thick and sticky.

“I’m Fred” one of them said “and this is George.” He pointed at his twin who cringed at the sight of dirty cauldrons.

“I’m Y/N,” you murmured without taking your eyes off a particularly dirty place.

“And how did you end up here?”

You smirked and looked up.

“I turned Filch’s mop into a portkey. He ended up on the roof every time he touched it.”

They both laughed at your words.

“Brillaint!” said George. At least you thought it was George. “We gave the whole first year Fainting Fancies.”

“Only to test them, of course.”

“But Granger ruined the fun.”

You stopped scrubbing for a second and looked at them with dismay.

“What on earth are Fainting Fancies?” you asked, not sure if you actually want to know the answer.

“Ah!” Fred straightened, obviously very proud of himself. “Our invention! We are working on sweets that make you ill.”

“Sweets that make me ill?” You raised your eyebrow.

“Exactly. You take one and have, in example, instant fever. Perfect before an exam you forgot about.”

“You guys are really something else.”

It was in the middle of September. You have become quite inseparable ever since, the jokes and hours of detention really brought you together.

“Ready to leave for Christmas?” asked Fred, almost tripping over an old rug.

You dragged his arm and forced him to walk next to you, afraid he might actually fall next time. George also joined your side.

“I’m not leaving. I always spend Christmas here.”

“Well, actually that makes sense. I wouldn’t like to spend Christmas with a Slytherin either,” Fred laughed, but George stormed him with sight. “What?”

You only talked to George about what happened to your family. One night you were changing the lenses in telescopes in Astronomy Tower, so instead of stars they would show a giant eye of a person who would use them and ended up looking at the night sky filled with dark clouds. You were talking about everything and nothing, and from word to word you ended up confessing it to him. How your father killed your mother, because she wouldn’t join him as a Death Eater. How you run away through the back door of your house and, swallowing tears, stormed to your neighbors. How the Aurors would take your father to the Azkaban and leave you at an orphanage. How no one would adopt you.

“It’s just… Celebrating Christmas in an orphanage is never fun. I much prefer it here than there.”

Fred’s smile fainted. “I’m- I’m sorry, Y/N, I had no idea.”

“That’s fine.” You waved your hand at him. “You couldn’t know.”

He looked at his twin, they exchanged looks that seemed to say more than any word could.

“Alright, that’s it,” George said. “You have to come with us for Christmas.”

You shook your head with a faint smile. “It’s alright, boys. I’m fine on my own, really.”

“Well, we’re not.” Fred stopped, blocking your way up the corridor. “That’s it, you’re coming with us. I already told mom you would.”

You furrowed. “No, you didn’t.”

“But I will, so you better go pack yourself.”

You sighed. Would it really be so bad? Would you go down memory lane and get fifteen panic attacks by the time you step through the door of their home or would you finally soothe the horror you’ve been living in for past twelve years? There was only one way to find out.

“Alright. I’ll go.”

***

You were nervous during the whole train ride, and now you felt as if you were about to jump from your own skin because of anxiety. With the rest of the Weasley siblings and, of course, the one and only Harry Potter you were waiting outside the King’s Cross station for Mr. Weasley, who was going to pick you up. In a car, they said. You couldn’t possibly imagine how exactly you would fit in a car with all the baggage, but magic surprised you way too many times for you to still question everything. This time it was no different – although Mr. Weasley parked a simple black car, he supposedly got from the Ministry (it had something to do with Potter, but you didn’t ask too many questions) inside it was as big as a van. Every single one of you could fit inside, and you still had plenty of room left. They all chattered and laughed during the way, but you were too stressed to even listen to them. You regretted your decision already. You should be at Hogwarts, in your dorm room, alone, reading a book and drinking unholy amount of hot chocolate with marshmallows. The elves would always bring you some food and this perfect beverage since you never joined the rest of the students which stayed as well. But it was too late now.

The car stopped before an old, weirdly crooked house which looked like a patchwork blanket you had when you were little. Somehow it made you feel warm inside.

You got out right after Ginny, with your bag in hand, unsure what to do. You locked your eyes on flying lights around the roof of the house. Could it be fairies? Or just enchanted string of plain lights?

All of the sudden you felt heavy arm around your shoulders. “Hey, Portkey, you alright?” Fred asked, his sight following yours. “Yeah, I know it’s not much, but–“

“It’s perfect,” you interrupted, smiling.

His face brightened and you noticed sparkles in his eyes. Pretty.

“Go on, lovebirds!” Ginny waved at you and you noticed that it was now only you and Fred standing outside. You blushed suddenly and hurried inside.

“Oh, hello, dear!” Mrs. Weasley smiled at you and grabbed your arms, squeezing them lightly. A big warm smile bloomed on her face. “You must be Y/N! How lovely to finally meet you, I’m so glad you’ll spend holidays with us!”

“Thank you for having me.” You smiled back. This woman just greeted you like an old family friend, not an orphan she sees for the first time in her life. It was… oddly nice.

***

You were sitting on a sofa, your knees under your chin, staring blindly at the yule tree, your sight blurred to the point where you only saw points of colorful light. The dinner was wonderful. Mrs. Weasley asked George in a letter what your favorite food was, and of course made it just for you. She also made sure there was no scent of gingerbread spice. It was just a little too much for you.

“You’re not asleep?” Someone’s voice interrupted your mindless procrastinating.

You blinked and turned your head to look at George walking down the stairs.

“Not yet… I’m a little overwhelmed. Don’t mind me.”

He sat next to you. The sofa was quite small, that’s why you put your legs down, and now his thigh was touching yours.

“I know my mum can be… intense. To say the least, but she means well.”

“I know that, and she’s lovely, really, it’s just… I don’t know. A lot to process for me. I haven’t had real Christmas since I was a kid. And you are all trying to make me feel welcome…” You turned your head from him, suddenly ashamed. “I feel like I don’t deserve any of it.”

A second passed, then another, and you felt his warm fingers under your chin. He gently turned your face back to him.

“You deserve everything, Y/N.” He moved so close to you that for a second you were sure he was going to kiss you, but he hesitated mere millimeters from your lips. Hotness flushed your cheeks. He smelled like pine tree and suddenly you decided it was now your favorite scent. You waited for a second that felt like an hour, and slightly moved away in the same moment he moved forward. A small gasp escaped your lips, he leaned even more, undaunted, and kissed you gently. No tongue, not even opened mouth, just lips touching lips. It was a long kiss, though, and when he moved away you felt uncomfortable chill on your mouth.

“George–“

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t–“

“No,” you interrupted. “Do it again. Please.”

You didn’t have to tell him twice. His hand landed on the back of your neck, he pulled you to him, and butterflies erupted in your stomach. Enough with the gentleness, he was needy, as if he’s been waiting for your lips his whole life. His other hand was on your thigh, he was turning you more towards him as his tongue slid into your mouth.

“Well, well, well.”

You parted immediately, somehow ashamed. Fred slowly walked down the stairs, a hint of smile on his face. “What do we have here?” He stood before you, hands crossed. “I thought we had a deal, Georgie.” Wait, what? “It’s either both of us or none of us.”

You blinked once, then twice, but couldn’t understand the situation. You looked at George, hoping that maybe he would make it clearer.

“I know, I know,” he sighed “but I couldn’t help myself.”

Your heart missed a beat, but not in a pleasant way. Were they… making a bet?

“Can any of you tell me what the hell are you talking about?” you asked, lovely moment from just a mere minute ago long gone.

George rubbed the back of his head and exchanged looks with Fred. They were doing it again, communicating without words.

He sighed. “We– we both like you, okay? And we agreed that none of us will be with you… unless the other one would also be involved.”

You swallowed hard. Did he mean… to be with them both? At the same time? It seemed crazy but… you liked them, too. They were both handsome, obviously. Would it be so bad?

“Okay,” you said, the steadiness of your voice surprising you. “We can– we can try.”

They seemed as surprised as you were, looking at each other once more.

Fred was the first to speak, after he cleared his throat. “Then maybe… let’s go to our room?”

You nodded and followed him up the stairs, feeling the warmth of George’s body behind you.

It was oddly arousing. You had to be quiet, to not wake anyone. You knew you’d have to be quiet later when… When what exactly? Were you going to have sex? Or was it just your hope?

You entered the twins’ room, bathed in moonlight. It smelled like pine here as well…

Suddenly a hand was on the back of your neck, Fred’s tongue first, a split second before his needy lips landed on yours. You didn’t think, you didn’t wait, you gave back every kiss, your tongue next to his. While his fingers were tangled in your hair another set of hands played with skin under the hem of your shirt, bolder with each passing moment. He traced the curves of your body, shamelessly traveled up, and up, his soft fingers caressed the side of your breasts only to finally land on your hardened nipples. You moaned in Fred’s mouth at which he bit your lower lip.

“You like how he touches you, huh?” His voice no more than a whisper, sent shivers down your body. “Wait till I touch you.”

George rolled your nipples in between his fingers, but soon his hands were gone, because Fred lifted you up. They seemed to have one mind, what one thought the other acted. George sat on one of the beds, Fred seated you between his brother’s legs. His fingers hooked on your pajama pants and your panties, but before he took them off he took a look at you, one eyebrow raised in silent question. You could go back now, they wouldn’t blame you. Only… you didn’t exactly want to go back. You lifted your hips, your answer just as silent as his. He grinned and slid your clothes down your legs. George gripped your shirt and soon it was also gone, but you weren’t cold. You had two bodies to warm yourself and you were gladly going to use them.

George’s soft lips traced the curve of your neck while Fred was watching your arousal grow under his brother’s touch. His hands slowly parted your thighs, showing your already pulsating pussy. His twin’s fingers were kneading your breasts and mercilessly pinching your nipples while his mouth landed on yours, kissing you passionately.

He caught you by surprise, really. Almost making you jump when you felt warm tongue spreading your folds, surprise quickly turning to pleasure when Fred’s tongue started to, gently at first, play with your dripping pussy. Oh, but he was impatient. Soon you were a moaning as he was sucking on your clit and slowly pushing one finger inside of you. George wasn’t planning on being any worse than his brother – his skillful fingers could probably make you come just by playing with your nipples and soon you were biting your lips almost till they bled, only to not moan their names.

The pleasure was unbelievable. Feeling of two bodies against you, flicks of Fred’s tongue and moves of George’s fingers and his lips on yours – it was all too much to bear, too much for one person to experience. And you found yourself lost in this pleasure when Fred joined another finger deep in your pussy. Your muscles clenched on him, he started sucking on your clit, George’s fingers pinched hard and all of the sudden you were almost knocked out by the most intensive orgasm you’re ever had.

They gave you a moment to come down from the high and slowly started to undress when you suddenly heard a knock on the door.

“Can you wrap it up?” You heard Ginny’s whisper. “Mom asked me twice already where you are, Y/N, I’m running out of excuses.”

You got all red and slapped your hand over your mouth, looking at the twins who tried very hard not to laugh. Fred handed you your clothes and George leaned to your ear “We’ll finish it tomorrow.” A shiver went down your spine. Well, now you’ve had new Christmas memory to hold onto.

[abbynx]

Being Sorlato’s child + Being babysat by La squadra

A/N: Soooo, this is a direct sequel from the one-shot “Encounter” if you haven’t read it yet, feel free to browse it here 

Genre: Fluff, platonic, wholesome headcanons

- After the encounter, the couple found themselves thinking about it all the time, how different they acted to a child at the face of danger, and how afraid they were and how quick they were to act upon instinct and save you. There was certainly something the couple felt in their chest they can’t fathom but somehow liked the pleasant feeling. 

- One time Sorbet was found lounging around the La Squadra headquarters with a pamphlet regarding parenting whilst waiting for the meeting. When asked why he was reading that he nonchalantly replies that the thing was lying around and decided to read it because, “Why not?” One knows not to question him any further, so they let him be. 

- Gelato was found longingly staring at parents with their kids on the playground whilst on a mission and again, no one dared to speak a word of it. He didn’t leave even if the mission was over, until Sorbet was called in and had to physically drag him away. 

- They both knew it was getting out of hand because all they can think of now was wanting to raise a child of their own but they knew their circumstance were the least ideal to put a child in. For crying out loud, they kill people for a living and they didn’t really want to subject a child into this mess of their’s. 

- “God, is this what baby fever feels like?” 

- The couple has discussed about this, over and over than they can recall. When Gelato would suddenly mention, “You know, if we were to have a son I think that you can teach him how to ride a bike. That’d be sweet to watch to be honest.” or Sorbet saying, “If we were to have a daughter, I get to threaten her boyfriend to bring her back home before dinner.” 

- Once again, they were out to go on their once a week date all to their selves and decided to go to the same restaurant they had to stop in to save the child. And on their way their, what are the odds, the aforementioned child coming up to them and greeting them. 

“Ciao signore Sorbet! Signore Gelato!” 

W-was this a sign??? 

 "Ahh, Y/N!" Gelato was practically enthusiastic, he can just pick you up, but of course, he has to bind himself down. 

 "Out in the middle of the night again, I see." Sorbet points out. 

 "Aheh, yes sir..." You sheepishly responded. "But I really have to do everything if I want to graduate elementary with high marks." 

 - After a brief chat, weather, school and whatnot, once again you went on with your merry little way. After that, it was back for longing and yearning for the couple. 

 - The rest of La Squadra noticed this, but didn't knew how to help; until Melone picked up on the signs the couple were exuding: Sorbet reading the parenting pamphlet, Gelato longingly gazing towards parents bonding with their children, the two of them talking away about 'If we were to have a child...'— why, Melone's diagnosis: Baby fever. 

 - Melone somehow came up with an elaborate scheme involving an orphanage, did a couple of research. Due to some... Fortunate moment, somehow, someway, the figure running the same orphanage you resided in has made quite the list of enemies all his years. 

 "Melone you know that you can just tell them it's okay for them to adopt the child, right???" Risotto looks up from the detailed, complex document sent in by Babyface's user. 

 - Yes, it was stupidly complicated and a lot of work compared to just simply signing papers and adopting the child. The paperwork would be, again, stupidly complicated, but at least it doesn't involve bloodshed. It's not like the couple shied away from shedding blood but that wasn't the point. 

 - Capo Risotto had to consider their circumstances to adopt a child. Like I said, the dilemma was killing them and simply can't act out of selfishness and adopt a child just because they wanted to, it wasn't the same as a adopting a pet.

 - Cue the four hour meeting with the couple, discussing about what they can do and what they cannot do. Risotto was most certainly happy for the two of them to be adopting a child of their own, taking care of them and along of those lines but again, the fact they are a part of a crime syndicate and there were a lot of things they discussed about. 

 - After that, everything was settled and got started with the process of adopting the child. They didn't have to chose, they already had their eyes set on a specific kid; Y/N L/N, age eleven, abandoned by their parents when they were born, who adores reading and loves (insert food) and— what? They've done their research!

 - The couple was just beyond elated!

 - Through the process of adopting you they learned you were six 

 - Now that fact was uncovered, they were now more concerned and pissed why the orphanage would neglect a first grader and let them return from school at eight in the evening. And the fact that they met you under the circumstance of danger, pretending to be the couple's kid in desperation. 

 - Needless to say, a lot of things are going to change in your life, especially at the aspect of your security. They are a part of those people you should fear at night, admittedly gelato has almost pulled a gun on you that fateful night out of sheer jealousy, and didn't even register the fact you were barely half Sorbet's height.

 - First and foremost, you won't be staying in school longer than six thirty, as the couple takes turn on picking you up. They understand and adore the fact you're a hardworking kid thriving to have a scholarship in college despite being a literal first grader, but being a little kid walking alone in the middle of an evening is frightfully concerning. And in those times wherein either sorbet or Gelato picks you up, they'd buy you treats you want but not enough to spoil your appetite for dinner. 

- You did not hesitate to address them the way you addressed them that one fateful night when they tucked you in your new room for the very first time.. Gelato cried after that and Sorbet had to hold him to his chest to clam him down. Ugh, you were so effortless at making the two of them so soft. 

 - They're underpaid, not broke, so the couple spoils you in an overwhelming rate, the entirety of La Squadra were beginning to get concerned. Proscuitto scolded the two that they might spoil you rotten, but they reassured them you weren't. 

 - Speaking of La Squadra, the couple considered them as their family. Sorbet and Gelato did not hesitate to introduce you to them not as La Squadra, but as your uncles.

 - All of them were touched that Sorbet and Gelato want them to be a part of their child's life, that one of them would often volunteer to watch over you if the two were away. The couple were not going to introduce you to them as assassins and took advantage of your gullible nature as a young child. they don't intend to hide it as a secret from you. Perhaps someday they'll tell you their line of career, but six was not the right age to do so. 

 - Which brings us to their circumstances, the fact that they're assassins and how it is not an ideal career for people who has an attachment outside of their jobs. They were extremely careful in terms of that, wanting to protect and prevent others from using you against the couple. Well, now there's now a fate worse than death if ever that happens. 

 - With new responsibilities, Risotto understood them and gave them less jobs in order to take care and watch over you. But there were times where the two were both absent, prompting one of La Squadra to babysit you.

- Melone, Formaggio and Proscuitto are top picks for babysitting duties! but, of course, there are disadvantages. Melone is... Melone. Formaggio can and will act as a kid rather than an adult. And Proscuitto, well, he can be a bit too domineering. So yes, they are A-tier babysitters, nonetheless. 

 - B-tier babysitters would be Illuso, Pesci, and Ghiaccio. Illuso can be a bit too dismissive, Pesci will be too anxious and overprotective-- like in an extreme rate, and Ghiaccio... Hide your copy of Merchant of Venice, and you'll live another day. 

 - S-tier would be Risotto, except the fact that he is always busy. He is good with kids and he can guarantee their safety, I mean, need I say more?

 - Under no circumstances, are they allowed to swear around you. The couple already had restricted their foul language around you, and they expect the others to do so as well. Ghiaccio is highkey sweating when you started saying bullshit whenever you're frustrated. He profusely begged you not to day that again in exchange for ice cream. 

“Bullshit!” Ghiaccio’s heart skipped a beat after hearing your small voice whisper-shout on the dinner table as you attempted to solve a rather difficult math problem. 

 - Your relationship with them was well. They were protective of you, love you and support you. They're very affectionate, but not in an overwhelming amount... Well, at least they try to hold back but all they want to do is to spend time with their baby and love them unconditionally, as they should. 

 - Padre Gelato is more of a fun dad, very playful and energetic. He likes lifting you up to his hip before gently nuzzling his nose against yours. Dad jokes subconsciously slips from his mouth, be careful. He does a lot of cool tricks with his butterfly knife, twirling the sharp blade around while you stare in awe, whilst Papa Sorbet was more concerned that he'll accidentally cut himself, or that you might try the trick unsupervised. Needless to say, Padre was responsible enough to keep his knife in his pocket at all times to prevent that. 

“When will you teach me how to do that, Papa?” 

“When your old enough, N/N.” 

 - Papa Sorbet is a bit more reserved, but certainly not distant. He will not hesitate to kill someone who tries to hurt you. So he's the perfect person to serve as your teacher, as he helps you with school work and help you learn other practical things: cooking, baking, doing laundry by hand (which product is more effective to get blood off clothes), self-defense, etc. 

“So if there’s a stranger following you, what do you do?”

“Cling to the nearest person I see and pretend that I know them?”

 - They both tuck you into bed after reading you a bed time story, though it only lasted until you were nine because you insisted you were already grown up (cue, Gelato hiding his face on Sorbet's chest because his baby is all grown up--), but some things don't change because by bed time, they just check up on you even if they won't tuck you in to sleep.

 - Extremely supportive and encouraging. Like, they're basically the gasoline you pour on fire to intensify the fire of your passion. Like, they'll cheer you on sport games and competitions, tries their best to attend recitals, etc, etc. Though sometimes one is missing due to missions, sometimes both, but in the end of the day, you were confident that they would have loved it. 

 - Unbeknownst to you, at the end of the competition, a certain figure will come behind you and lock you on a headlock before harshly rubbing their knuckle atop your head. Uncle Formaggio can be a mean sometimes. So yes, if ever the couple is absent from your competitions, one of your uncles would volunteer to go. 

“‘Sup, little sport?” 

“Uncle Formaggio, my hair--!”

 - The first time you celebrated your birthday with your new parents was your seventh. They wanted to throw a goshdarn ball, but you insisted to keep the party amongst yourself. Just you, your papa and padre, and your  seven weird uncles. You were already a big family, and you were happy with that.

[tenthgrove]

Hello, I just saw that you opened your request. I'm the one who ended up writing a whole prompt! Imagine this for each member from La Squadra: they had an one-night stand with a random woman, she accidentally got pregnant and decided to have the baby without telling them. After a while, the woman got ill and passed away, but not without before sending her child with their father (let's imagine she has the direction of their hideout even if it's ooc, or she knew where they hang out). So, one day someone knocks the door and introduces themselves as the kid of one of the members/if it's too young, someone left them on the door with a explainatory note... How do you think each member would react by discovering that they have a child and they're supposed to take care of them from now? You can make each kid with different ages if you want, it would be funny to see Prosciutto or Ghiaccio dealing with a rebellious teenage son or Risotto trying to take care of a toddler, but I guess not all of them would want to keep their children. Sorry if it's a lot, haha.

La Squadra did a Diavolo

La Squadra x Reader, Platonic/Familial, SFW

A/N: your idea about mixing up the ages got me thinking, and I ended up using randomisers for the children’s ages (though I did consciously change some of them) and genders. It added a fun bit of chance to this prompt.

Formaggio, with an 8 year old daughter

The whole thing feels surreal to him. There's a little girl on his doorstep calling herself his daughter and by all evidence, it's true. He doesn't really know how to feel about it at first. On one hand it's kind of cool he had a kid all this time and you're clearly a lovely girl, but on the other hand, what the fuck? Still, not being the practical sort, his sense of sentiment far outweighs any question of how he's actually going to look after a child, so without much deliberation, Formaggio agrees to let you stay.

Formaggio isn't too experienced with kids but he doesn't exactly dislike them either, so he figures he knows what to do. At your age you can at least do the basics of looking after yourself, so he isn't too worried. The only problem is that if you ask him to cook for you or help clean your room, his eyes go very wide. He never quite picked up those skills himself, he's afraid, so you're going to have to ask someone else for that one.

The good news is that Formaggio is a very easy-going, fun sort of dad, who is a natural at playing with you and lets you do what you want when he can't be around. He quickly gets used to showing affection to you, letting you cuddle up to him on the sofa in front of the squad and even carrying you around once in a while. He gives amazing piggy back rides.

The bad news (or more good news, depending on how you are) is that you have to leave school. Risotto says that at your age you can't be trusted not to tell anyone your new family is a bunch of assassins, and taking you to and from school each day would be too much of a hassle. Nonetheless, you're welcome to continue your education from home, though Formaggio will hardly push you if you don't keep up with it. Melone is much better on that front.

Despite the risk, Formaggio can't bring himself to force you to lose all your friends, so he lets you keep meeting with them. Furthermore, he knows a few guys in other squads who have kids about your age, so he's happy to introduce you to them if you want a friend you can be more honest about your home life with. Formaggio might not have a clue what he's doing, but he's doing pretty good.

Illuso, with a 3 year old daughter

He's been fearing this day would come for years. A small child knocking on the door of the hideout, holding a note in hand addressed to him, just as a shady looking car drives away. Yeah, Illuso remembers your mother pretty well and he remembers the distinct lack of precautions they took during their encounter. Now, the consequences of his actions are here at his house, and Risotto is currently standing in the doorway of the office looking ready to give him the biggest dressing-down of his life.

After his tongue-lashing, Illuso frantically agrees to take responsibility for what he's done and see to it that you're well cared for, and begins the task of looking for relatives who might take you. Unfortunately, none of your mother's family can be traced, and Illuso can't exactly call up his own right now. Leaving you on the door of an orphanage isn't an option because you're old enough to say where you've come from, so it looks like for the time being, Illuso is stuck with you.

Initially, Illuso is not thrilled. He pawns you off on Melone, Sorbet and Gelato whenever possible and tries to live his life as before. But increasingly, he can't help finding himself visiting your room whenever he's stressed or has had a bad mission. There's something so pure about gently stroking your hair as you sleep. He can't help but feel... attachment, as he rubs his thumb against your tiny palm.

From then on, Illuso starts to make a point of spending more time with you. You're at the age where you just want to touch and explore everything you're given, so letting you make a mess with his makeup and beauty creams is an easy way for him to observe and learn about you. He even starts doing the more practical things like washing and feeding you every so often.

Eventually, Illuso becomes an actual father to you. He loves you as a father should and puts his time into making you happy. Illuso is glad he didn't give you away, as you've opened his eyes to so many things. For the first time in many years, he feels human. He feels redeemable.

Prosciutto, with a 13 year old son

As you tell him your story Prosciutto racks his brains. He didn't have many one-night-stands in his youth but the ones he did have were so far back he barely remembers them, so your mother's name doesn't immediately ring any bells. If it weren't for the striking resemblance between you, Prosciutto probably would have thrown you out for a liar there and then. But as you are, it's clear you're being honest. He lets you in.

After a short interrogation by Risotto to make certain you aren't acting on behalf of some third party looking to infiltrate the squad, it's agreed you can stay, so long as you keep quiet about it to your friends. At your age you can largely look after yourself and all you really needed was a roof over your head, so there's no problem with you moving into the spare room as long as you stay out of the others' way.

Education isn't much of an issue either, since you're likely well settled in your current school and can get yourself there and back. Just whatever you do, don't go telling anyone you live with a bunch of gangsters now. Prosciutto means it, you could seriously put yourself in danger if you do that.

Much to your father's ire, you end up befriending several members of the squad, especially the younger ones like Melone, Ghiaccio and Pesci who have some generational overlap with how you were raised. Prosciutto would rather you didn't do this but at the end of the day, he can't really stop you. God forbid you call him an old boomer again.

Your relationship is overall positive- Prosciutto makes a point of taking you on outings when he has the time, and giving you parental advice when you need it. However that doesn't stop you from making fun of his stuffy, old habits, and playing the moral high ground in regards to his work.

On that note, the problem comes when you develop an interest in the squad's work. It's only inevitable, given how pervasive the topic is in conversations around the house, and the fact you're more than old enough to know what a gang is, but the day you first ask him about it is no less welcome. What's scary is that you're about the same age as Passione's youngest recruits and, well, if you ended up joining them because of him, Prosciutto might never forgive himself.

Pesci, with a 6 month old son

He knew it had been a mistake. Not long after his 18th birthday he'd given in to the squad's pestering about his virginity and finally gotten rid of it just to shut them up. Now he's ridden with guilt. Not only did the poor woman get pregnant because of him but now she's died. He can't help but wonder, the letter attached to the basket you came in was very vague after all, was your mother's death at all related to your birth? If so, Pesci doesn't know how he'll forgive himself.

Pesci immediately panics and stumbles into his Fra's bedroom crying louder than you are. Prosciutto remains calm, advising him to first make sure this actually is his baby through Melone, in case this is somebody trying to trick him, and to then think through his options rationally. As far as Prosciutto sees it, he has two. He can either see to it that you're taken in by a caring, reliable individual, or he can keep you for himself. Surprisingly, Prosciutto's actually okay with the second one, since in his eyes duty to one's family is absolute.

Pesci stammers a bit and asks if he can wait a few days to make his mind up, which Prosciutto permits. But it isn't long at all until Pesci is far too attached to you to ever let you go, and it becomes clear you'll be staying for the long-run. Risotto is hardly happy about this but agrees with Prosciutto's sentiment of family, so he doesn't try to insist you be sent away.

Pesci is an incredibly loving father. He'll dash from the other side of the house at a moment's notice if he hears you crying. That said, being so young himself it's inevitable he requires some help with raising you. Sorbet and Gelato chip in quite regularly, as does Melone when Pesci is desperate enough to fall on using him. Prosciutto helps out too, being your uncle, and occasionally you've even had Risotto answer your cries.

La Squadra can only hope their situation improves somehow in the coming years, since Pesci has no idea how he's going to deal with an older child in a house full of assassins. At very least, being so young it's a long time before he has to worry about things like school. For now, what's important is that you are loved very dearly. Pesci has discovered a new protective streak in himself, something he discovers every time he looks in your eyes.

Melone, with a 4 year old son

When you arrived you were frightened and confused. You struggled to babble out the story you were told to tell as the strange men crowded around you in the front room of the house. Then, a bizarre looking man with purple hair pushed to the front of the crowd, insisting he knew what to do in a situation like this. He carried you somewhere quiet, and gently asked you to repeat your story again. You told him you were looking for your father, Melone.

Melone is elated. He's always wanted a child, but getting into a relationship stable enough to produce one has never been an option with the life he lives. Now the happy accident he never new he had has come home to him! Carrying you back to the living room, Melone introduces you as his son and announces to the team that he will be keeping you.

This is met with some protest. Not only are you of the age where you'll need constant supervision, but quite frankly, nobody trusts Melone to take care of a kid. Melone refutes their accusations harshly, making it absolutely clear he will not be giving you up without a fight. Finally, Risotto surrenders, on the terms that if he catches any signs of abuse or neglect, he will see to it personally that you are re-homed elsewhere.

Melone's parenting style is relatively laid-back. He believes parents should be a 'safe base' from which children should explore the world, coming back when they need advice but ultimately following their own whims within reason. He encourages you to play as you wish and does not stop you from bonding with the rest of the squad. Finding supervision for you while he's on missions proves to be a non-issue, since his stand's massive range means he can often do most of a mission's work at home.

When the time comes to educate you, Melone decides against the risks of enrolling you in school. He is an amazing teacher and can teach you everything you'd need in half the hours of a typical curriculum. Beyond the essentials of literacy and simple maths, Melone largely encourages you to follow you own interests rather than stick to some boring, arbitrary list of useless things a normal curriculum for some reason expects you to learn.

That said, he knows the importance of making friends, so he frequently takes you out to meet with neighbourhood children. All-in-all, the squad is surprised at his sensible parenting choices, and the happy child you are turning out to be.

Ghiaccio, with a 2 year old son

It's almost comedic the lengths Ghiaccio goes to to avoid the problem. As the others crowd around you in Melone's lap, Ghiaccio cowers in the corner insisting that you absolutely cannot be his. It's very obvious you are, of course. You look almost exactly like him, and have a cry to match. You've even inherited the same, mild visual impairments that earned him his glasses. There's no getting away from the truth.

After accepting the truth, Ghiaccio takes you away to his room to 'clear his head' before deciding where to send you in the morning, but when morning comes, that deliberation time quickly turns into a few more days, then a month, then never. It's clear Ghiaccio's become attached to you, and he cannot bring himself to give you away.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have the foggiest clue in hell how to look after a toddler. He has a hard enough time understanding what it is adults want from him, let alone small children. There are times he even considers giving you away again, but they never last long enough for him to go through with it. Bit by bit, he slowly learns how to be a father.

Melone is his primary co-parent. As cautious as Ghiaccio is about letting him around his baby, it soon becomes clear Melone can understand your needs far better than he can. The pair have many sessions together teaching Ghiaccio how to do things like wash you or cook your food. It's honestly a massive help, and probably the main reason Ghiaccio doesn't completely melt down within a month of having you.

These issues aside, Ghiaccio is a person who is very genuine in his affections. He would break the shins of anyone who even looked at you threateningly, and every fibre of his being wants you to be happy. He even learns to control his temper, as he knows from experience just how damaging an angry parent can be for a child. He's going to give you a better childhood than what his parents gave him, and that's a promise.

Risotto, with a 6 year old daughter

Well, perhaps this ought to have been expected. In his early 20s Risotto was really far less careful than he ought to be in regards to his encounters, so he probably had this coming. You are at a difficult age, old enough to understand your father is a criminal but young enough to still need his care. If he takes you in, there will be many challenges. And yet he cannot bring himself to turn you away. Looking at you he feels... obligation.

In the early days he tries his best to shelter you. He keeps you in his room and tells the others not to talk to you. But that's no way for you to live, and he knows it. Eventually, he swallows his fears and lets you explore your new home, even taking you out to the park a few minutes each day so you can run around. He talks to Melone about continuing your education, and asks Sorbet and Gelato if they'd let the spare room next to them be turned into a bedroom for you. He's going to make sure he raises you right.

Risotto may be quiet and introverted, but do not mistake that for emotionally distant. He does not underestimate his vital role in your emotional well-being, and is quick to pick up on when you are feeling sad or lonely. He makes sure to pick you up in his arms and ask what's wrong when that happens.

Though he didn't know her well, he mourns your mother with you, and is very watchful for the signs of attachment issues that may result from losing a parent at such a tender age. Being all you have left, Risotto gains a new instinct of self-preservation. For the first time in years, his life has meaning.

In terms of bonding, he prefers calm activities that allow him to passively observe your interests, such as watching movies or reading you books. When he's working in his office and doesn't need his camera on, he's happy for you to sit in his lap as long as you're quiet. He would ask if you don't read what's on his screen, though, at least not while you're so young. He'll give you a better explanation of what he's doing some day, but not just yet.

Sorbet and Gelato, with a 12 year old daughter

First of all, let's make clear that regardless of which one is biologically your father, they both feel equal responsibility for you. No doubt they were both present for your conception anyway, so as far as they're concerned, if one of them has a secret kid from a hookup, they both have a secret kid from a hookup.

Having always wanted children, they are happy when you appear on the doorstep and introduce yourself as their daughter. Though they don't say it out loud to avoid upsetting you, they kind of wish your mum had kicked it sooner so they could have raised you from a younger age, but they're more than happy to make do with what they've got. There's no hesitation in welcoming you to live with them permanently, and anyone who has a problem with this isn't brave enough to say it.

Right from the get-go they are very permitting parents, awarding you a generous helping of their cash each week and having a rule list that pretty much starts and ends with "don't talk to the police." Despite your age they don't expect you to be independent, and are happy to cook for you and help you out with other things when you ask. It seems parenthood was made for them.

Despite all this, there is one problem in your relationship that is making things difficult. That of your fathers' work. You're 12 years old and you aren't stupid. You know they kill for a living and you know they enjoy it. When you stumble into the bathroom at 1am to find them covered in blood and laughing together, there's no making excuses. No matter how good they are with you, this is going to make you afraid of them.

Sorbet and Gelato are incredibly stringent in solving these early issues. After all these years they've finally got the family they wanted, and they aren't going to let it slip away from their own cruelty. They are honest with you about their occupation, since they want you to know you can trust them, and make absolutely clear it won't affect their care for you. You are welcome to ask questions and receive honest answers, but other than that Sorbet and Gelato will make a point of not accidentally causing you to witness something you shouldn't.

With them, you are welcome to continue your old life in terms of school and friends. They want to spend time with you, but they don't want to overtake your existence completely. When you are up for it, they are keen to take you on outings that interest you so you can spend time together as a family. They hope you know how happy you make them.

[dear-mrs-otome]

As someone who can’t read Japanese, could you please spoil Faust’s route? I’m really curious!

I can, sorry this took me awhile to get all down!

I’ll give you a summary of Faust’s route below the cut, so for those zooming past BE WARNED. SPOILERS FOLLOW.

SPOILERS AHOY!

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HAVE THE WHOLE ROUTE SPOILED IN DETAIL???

I MEAN IT - A GIANT WALL OF TEXT EXISTS BEHIND THIS CUT, ALL SPOILERS…

Faust’s route begins as all of the ‘Act 2’ routes do - just as MC is attempting to return home after her month vacation in the past, the door to the Louvre appears to malfunction and she’s forced to remain in the 19th century until Comte can figure out what is going on.

Life carries on much as usual for her, as she tries to keep her spirits up, when one day in town she stumbles across a church on the edges, presided over by a kindly priest (Faust) who seems impressed by her generosity towards a poor woman he’s given medicine to whose son is suffering from a mysterious epidemic that’s begun circulating the city. One night she attends a party with Comte when a critter of some sort steals her hair ornament. Chasing after it, she winds up in a graveyard, where to her horror she sees a figure digging up a fresh grave. She tries to run, is caught by said figure (Faust), and bitten until she faints. (First CG)

She wakes up in the church from earlier and the kind priest who claims he was merely a Good Samaritan seems willing to help her get home. Soon though it comes to light that she is the woman staying with Comte, and Faust drops his ‘nice’ mask and reveals himself as a vampire - biting her once more to observe the effects and proclaiming he will abduct her to be his new guinea pig, curious about her as a person both from the future and who has been living with vampires.

Waking up in Vlad’s castle now, she meets the Terrible Trio and struggles to deal with her situation now - Faust feeds on her for the purposes of observation again, and she goes on a hunger strike briefly, defiant and unwilling to accept being captive. Only when Faust threatens the other residents of the mansion does she reluctantly settle down, and they butt heads over their wildly different philosophies on life - Faust’s mission to grant humans eternal life, her proclaiming God gives us only that which we can handle, and Faust’s disagreement.

To prove his point he begins bringing her to the church with him disguised as a nun, where she witnesses firsthand the cruelties of fate in ways her 21st century self had never encountered before - children orphaned senselessly, people coming for confession bearing the crushing weight of guilt over their own poverty and misfortune. She begins to realize how she may have been wrong, but she and Faust continue to disagree over their different viewpoints. MC still believes that hope is real and necessary, whereas Faust is a committed cynic.

She slowly comes to lose her fear of the other residents of the castle as well, as they are nothing but kind and welcoming to her, though she still is unsure of what to make of everything and remains defiant.

The arguments between her and Faust come to a head when the son of the woman MC met that very first day outside the church comes around, seeking Faust’s blessing to send him on to the next life and refusing the medicine and help offered him. Faust reacts harshly to the man’s willingness to quietly acquiesce to his fate, to MC’s horror, and when she asks him if he has nothing of hope left Faust assures her it’s long gone. When she spots Napoleon and Sebastian later, she dithers for a bit but eventually tries to call out to them, only to have Faust intercept. Still unsettled from their argument earlier, he reiterates to her that she belongs to him and bites her on the church altar, as if to prove that bad things happen to good people no matter what.

Things are strained between them after that, not helped by MC’s increasing suspicions that the strange rumors of ‘resurrections’ going on around the city in the wake of the disease are somehow Faust’s work - an accusation that clearly wounds Faust upon hearing. She meets a young university student, Alex, who desperately wants to be Faust’s assistant and is studying the epidemic. Days pass as they continue working at the church and the orphanage, until one day the disease strikes even there - and finding Faust’s medication is running out, over his protests and concerns MC volunteers to help him make more, the two of them working day and night together to develop and manufacture enough to save the children.

They’re successful, save for one girl Lina who is still very sick that they bring back to the castle to finish nursing to health. They succeed, but afterwards MC falls ill with the same sickness and collapses...only marginally coherent of a desperate Faust doing all he can to save her life. (2nd CG)

She has time and evidence to rethink some of her assumptions about Faust, realizing that despite his best efforts to crush whatever heart and kindness he has it remains. There’s more to him than just icy logic. And when she asks him about his past he finally tells her some of it - that he was abandoned as a baby, raised in an orphanage by a kindly nun, and that when she fell ill he sold himself into slavery to provide her with money for medicine. It made no difference in the long run though, the woman still died...and Faust remains the cynic when they discuss hope and happiness and how MC still clings to these things.

Rumors abound about Faust’s miraculous work stopping the epidemic at the orphanage, as things return mostly to ‘normal’ for them both, working at the church and such. They’re each grappling with changing feelings for each other, Faust suffering his first bout of bloodlust, when one morning Faust collapses in agony bleeding from his mouth horrifically, falling unconscious for days.

Everyone at the castle is fretting, Faust growing weaker and weaker, as Vlad explains his theory that Faust has altered the timeline too much by stopping the plague at the orphanage and the universe is attempting to set things to right again by erasing him from existence. He claims the same thing has happened to him before when he tries to change world events too drastically - the difference being that as a pureblood he can’t die. Faust, however, can. 

He proposes traveling back in time and attempting to nudge humans here and there, make tiny alterations to the timeline to achieve the same goal of saving the children without the backlash falling on Faust, and MC insists on going along - realizing now that she’s faced with his death, she can’t bear the thought of losing him.

Going through the door in the castle with Vlad, she ends up first back at the mansion shortly after her own disappearance (where she assures Comte she’s doing well, thereby explaining why the mansion wasn’t losing their minds this entire time) and recruiting Comte’s help fiddling with the timeline. Upon the next passage she’s ripped from Vlad and dumped far in the past - where she witnesses firsthand little Johann’s heart and faith breaking upon the death of his beloved mother-figure nun, and then the natural disaster that crushed a town he frequented as a young man. This was the moment that solidified for Faust his determination to fight against God and Fate with all he had, and kicked off his obsession with discovering eternal life. (3rd CG)

After one more timey-wimey meeting with the Past!Faust at the point when they were nursing little Lina, where she offers him some much-needed words of encouragement, MC finally finds herself in the recent-enough past to travel around Paris with Vlad and encourage people to be more aware of the spreading plague. She even urges Alex to be more wary, prompting him to start developing his own medication from notes he’d taken from Faust.

Back in the ‘proper’ time, their efforts seem to perhaps have paid off...they return to find Faust gone, and after searching frantically around the city they find the orphanage has been set aflame on the strength of rumors that the plague spread from there. (As if the universe has manufactured some new tragedy instead for it, she realizes) Faust had gone into the blaze to save the last child, but comes out horrifically burnt and near death.

They take him to the church, where things appear dire...but Faust admits to finally seeing hope and accepting this outcome, just glad that something good has come of it all. MC refuses to accept his death though, and after Faust nearly dies again she cuts herself and he eventually revives. After he recovers, Faust corners her into confessing her feelings for him and admitting his own in return, before they finally consummate their love.

MC returns to the mansion as she had promised Past!Comte she would, happy to see all her friends again. A few days pass before Faust and Charles come to collect her, setting off an amusing set of interactions between the Mansion Boys and the Dastardly Duo, but it culminates in a scene where Faust thanks Comte humbly for his assistance with the timelines and for his consideration of MC. The couple then has a late-night conversation at the church where they’re both working again about the future of their relationship.

In Faust’s dramatic end, he asks MC to accompany him as he returns back to the place of that town that was destroyed, Faust making peace with his feelings surrounding the situation and reiterating his love for MC and how she’s helped him to see hope - before he asks her to help him with a different sort of ‘eternal life’, AKA having babies with him.

In Faust’s romantic end, he explains a bit about what motivates him to take on the role of a priest, and then he takes MC back to the castle where he intends to make love to her - saying that he can’t ever lose her but can’t stomach the thought of anyone other than himself ever biting her so he will have to work all that much harder to achieve his dream of eternal life so that they can continue to thumb their noses at God and Fate for all time together.

------

Even long as this is I’m clearly glossing over things - it’s a very busy route! And it’s complicated by the time travel stuff, which thankfully doesn’t get TOO complicated. If anyone’s interested in hearing my thoughts on Faust himself I’m happy to share, just let me know...I think he’s a fascinating complex character that definitely won’t be for everyone, but I am happy he exists in the IkeVamp cast and glad for this route.

[promenadewithme]

Congratulations on your followers! I am so happy for you, because your writing is absolutely lovely!

May I request a romantic x fem reader (she/her) with the song I'm Yours - Jason Mraz with either Azriel, Nikolai, or Isaac Lahey please? The choice of character is up to you (I couldn't decide so surprise me please haha!)

Thank you 💜💜💜

Thank you so much, Rosie!! I really hope you like it!

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x fem! reader

Song: I’m Yours - Jason Mraz

Warnings: Spoilers for the grisha trilogy, fluff, swearing, pining, awkward Nikolai

Word Count: 902

Tell me if you want to be on my tag list!

I’m Yours

Nikolai always had something to say, but everytime he saw you, he was rendered speechless. He thought you were the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. The king was visiting his friends at their orphanage, as he sometimes did, when he saw you for the first time. 

“Nikolai!” said Alina, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Pardon?” he asked looking between the two of you. Alina gave an awkward laugh and repeated what she had just said.

“This is (y/n) (y/l/n), my friend from Keramzin. She helps us here quite a lot!” he looked back at you, who had an outstretched hand for him to shake. ‘Before the cool done run out, I’ll be giving it my bestest’ thought Nikolai as he regained his composure, bringing his lips to your hand and kissing your knuckles.

“It’s a pleasure making your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure is all mine, moi tsar.”

“Nikolai, though I’ve been known to answer ‘sweetheart’ and ‘handsome’” he corrected, grinning at the last part.  

“Are you flirting with me?” you asked, a confused look on your face.

“Is it working? If not, that was just plan A.” he answered, smirking.

“What’s plan B?” you questioned and Mal walked in, putting his arms around Alina.

“To take you hostage, of course.” Alina slapped him on the arm, but you laughed.

“I can’t tell if you’re kidding or not.” said Mal in a humorous tone.

“Of course I’m not, let me just get the rope and we’ll be out of here.” he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Can you not be sarcastic for once?” Mal asked with a smirk.

“I apologise, but I’m afraid I cannot. You see, sarcasm comes out of my mouth like stupidity comes out of yours.” Mal snickered. You laughed again and Nikolai got even more confident, he liked seeing you laugh.

He remembered the stories Alina told him about you, remembered how he thought you were a good person, funny too, and he liked you even more now. 

He visited more frequently after that, always looking for you. You were very good with the kids and always helped around, he just stared at you in wonder with everything you did.

You were putting tea on the kettle when a little girl came running in your direction, tear stained face and one pigtail loose.

“(y/n)” she sniffed “the boys pulled out my pigtail and said I looked ugly.” your face softened as you looked at the little girl. You crouched down to her height, wiping away her tears.

“Do not listen to them, they are assholes.” the girl giggled at the swear word. “Want me to braid your hair? Or to beat them up?” she laughed again.

“Can you do one of those pretty braids you were wearing the other day?” she asked shyly.

“Of course, sweetie! Come on.” you guided the little girl outside, where you sat on the grass, let her hair down and started braiding it. Nikolai was still paralysed, looking at you in awe.

“You like her!” Alina exclaimed with a smile, he didn’t deny it, only looked at her with a sheepish smile. "I have never seen you speechless before her, you look like a little puppy in love. Though I do have to warn you, telling a girl you are going to kidnap her isn’t the way into her heart.” he laughed at that.

“Just because my charms didn’t work on you, doesn’t mean they won’t work on her.” 

“Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that, Nikolai.” said Mal, laughing.

“Well, I reckon it’s again my turn to win some or learn some.” Nikolai said, shrugging.

“By all means, go ahead!” replied Alina pointing in your direction, you were still braiding the little girl’s hair in a complicated bun. He straightened his shoulders and walked in your direction. 

“Hello!” he said, a little too loud, and cringed.

“Hello, moi tsar.”

“I told you, call me Nikolai.” 

“Alright, Nikolai.” as soon as he heard his name fall from your mouth, he grinned. The thing is, he kept grinning and staring at you. You finished the braid and the girl kissed your cheeks, thanking you, and left with a smile.

You stood up and met Nikolai’s gaze. He didn’t know what to say, every time he opened his mouth to say something, it didn’t sound right in his head. He never liked moments of silence, especially not awkward ones, so he decided to speak what was on his mind.

“Alright, I’m just going to come out and say it. I’m not usually like this, I always know what to say, but you... You do something to me, you leave me tongue tied, something I’ve never been before. Truth is, I tried to be chill, but you’re so hot that I melted.” you hid a laugh as you heard Mal and Alina wheezing at what Nikolai had just said.

Alina looked at Mal and said “We have to stop this, I think he actually likes her, we have to help.” he nodded and looked back at the two of you.

“Tea’s ready!” Mal exclaimed. 

You looked over at Nikolai, smiling softly and said “We should go.” 

The pair of you walked into the house and Nikolai thought ‘I really like this girl... I’ll make you mine, (y/n), and nothing’s gonna stop me but divine intervention.’ You smiled at him as you sat down at the table and he couldn’t help but think ‘Saints, I’m yours.’

Translations:

☆ moi tsar = my king

Nikolai tag list: @agentsofsheilds

General tag list: @power-of-words23