#away their trash. gathered their dishes. tidied up after them

[rubiesintherough]

.

[honorarysimp]

Allegations

series masterlist

day 8

The apartment is quiet, the sun beaming through the large window basking the room in a soft warm glow.

You have your head in Tara’s lap, her fingers delicately running through your hair, your eyes may be closed but you can tell she’s lost in thought.

Tara’s been off since you got back from her meeting your friends last night, not in a bad way, more so in a way like something is nagging at her.

You know it’s got nothing to do with meeting them, they all adored her more than you by the end of the night.

She’s the blunt type, never one to hold her tongue, so you have a pretty good idea what it may be that has her silent for once.

The one thing you both tip toe around.

“You can ask, you know” you murmur quietly, her hand pauses on your crown and then those pretty brown eyes are looking down at you.

“I don’t know what-“

“We don’t bullshit each other, remember?” you say gently, gazing up at her openly, nothing to hide. Even when the flicker of memories in the back of your skull leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

“You know I’ve always been honest with you”.

“I know, that’s why I never asked”.

That makes you sit up, crossing your legs on the couch as you turn to face her, expression twisting with confusion as you mutter “I don’t understand”.

Tara sighs, running her hands down her face, something you’ve noticed she does when she’s too deep in her head and is trying to find a way to covey what she’s feeling.

“I want you to feel safe enough with me to tell me on your own time, not just because I asked”.

You nod slowly, tentatively reaching out and gently grasping her wrists, tugging until she drops them from her face. For a moment you just see her, the curiosity, the confusion, the guilt laced with uncertainty.

“It’s not pretty” you start.

That makes her scoff softly, giving you side eye that makes the corners of your mouth quirk up just the slightest.

“Are you kidding me? After what we went through?”

You hum, bringing her hands up and kissing her knuckles softly before resting them in your lap.

“Alright, I guess… as cliché as it will sound, I’ll start from the beginning”.

New York, 2015

Rhythm. Back then, music was the only thing that moved you, gave you motivation.

Which is why you’re currently attempting to sweep the floor, however the headphones covering your ears blasting Rihanna’s Umbrella has you a bit distracted.

Hence, attempting being a key word.

This apartment is a cozy haven, but it was in need of a thorough cleaning, with a few items scattered about here and there. The living room has a large, soft couch and several throw pillows that begged to be used, along with a few framed photos on the walls and a small coffee table in the center.

The open kitchen was partially visible and had the same clutter as the living room, with dishes in the sink and a few crumbs on the counter. Overall, the place has a homey feel, but is overdue for a good tidying up.

You wish you could whistle, it would just feel right, but instead you’re stuck with mumbling the lyrics under your breath as the chorus hits.

Sweeping what you’d collected into the dustpan is of ill fate, as you stand, and suddenly the music stops. Headphones ripped off your head.

You shriek, dropping the pan, and fully swing the broom in a three-sixty at whoever had attacked you.

Barely ducking your defense tactic, and jumping back up just as quickly to rip it from your hands, is your best friend.

“Are you kidding me? Again?” Anika half scolds, half laughs at you.

You give her a shove, heart racing as you snatch the broom back “are you fucking kidding me dude?! Your privileges are revoked, give me your spare now-“

“Yeah, cry later” Anika swats your hand away and palms your whole face as she walks by into the kitchen, where she proceeds to start gathering trash off the counter “you live in a pigsty, dude, we’ve talked about this”.

“Yeah well I was trying to clean, until someone tried to kill me” you grumble, beginning to sweep up the dirt on the floor again.

Anika just shoots you a look, dumping the trash into the bin before fishing under the sink cabinet for a cleaning bottle “if I wanted you dead you’d be dead”.

You roll your eyes and sweep your pile into the dust pan once more, moving to dump it in the bin “sometimes I wish you’d come by just to see me, not bite my ass for literally every little thing I do”.

“Someone has to” Anika says pointedly as she wipes the counter, “how is douche canoe anyways?”

“The usual”.

“Still in Vegas?”

A shrug, you put the broom up and head for the living room.

Anika tails you.

“Just let me adopt you already-“

You grab a pillow off the couch and launch it at her, a playful smile tugging at your lips “how about you fuck off and help me clean this place up since you’re going to burden me with your presence”.

Anika aims the spray bottle at you, to which you instantly raise your hands.

“Take it back”.

“No thank you mother”.

She sprays you anyways, making you shriek as you launch yourself over the couch, another pillow clutched in your hand like a weapon.

“STOP IT! BEHAVE CHILD”.

All you see as you launch the pillow, is her leg getting taken out just as she tries to round the corner, dropping as she’s knocked off balance.

You’re on the ground with her, clutching your side as you gasp for air from all your laughter.

“RIDE BY YOURSELF IN A TAXI TO SCHOOL TOMORROW, ASSHOLE”.

You both know she doesn’t mean it.

____________________________________________

Quinn greets you at the door, wide smile and practically tackling you into a bear hug before dragging you inside.

This party is in full swing, despite it being only 9pm. The lights are low, the liquor flowing, and the music blaring. The apartment is fairly cramped, with bodies packed together and alcohol cups covering nearly every surface.

There is a mix of kids from different grades, from sophomores to seniors, all of whom seemed to be taking full advantage of the cheap booze and loud music. The air is thick with the scent of alcohol and the sound of excited chatter and laughter, making it clear that this party was off to a rowdy start.

“Jesus Christ how the hell do you expect me to crash this party?” You say with wide eyes, shrinking away as two burly football players shove their way through the crowd, bellowing drunkenly.

“By mooching off the free alcohol” Quinn says as she keeps one arm around your shoulders, “and also saving Ethan from the upperclassmen”.

Right. That’s why you’re here.

One panicked phone call from Ethan about his older brother throwing a rager, pleading to come crash at yours.

You’d only just agreed when you heard him curse and the call had abruptly ended.

After a quick follow-up with Quinn for reassurance, who sounded already tipsy, you were out the door within seconds on your way.

The logical idea was to show up, extract your friends, and get out.

Logical didn’t guarantee ideal.

Richie is a complete douchebag, across the board, and finds far too much amusement watching his older friends pick on his younger brother.

You wonder how he’s popular, but then the moment he comes into view with a joint tucked behind his ear as per usual. You’re reminded why.

It’s a wonder how he manages to hide it from his overbearing law enforcement officer for a father.

That’s where you find Ethan, trying to mold himself into the wall as subtly as possible, as one of Richie’s friends seems to be trying to coax him into taking something.

Now, granted, you aren’t a fighter. Not by a long shot, but you didn’t need physical intimidation.

Only mental.

“Shows over, dancing pony needs to come home now” you say loudly, making a few heads turn to look at you, Richie simply rolls his eyes.

Ethan visibly relaxes, pushing off the wall to walk towards you, only for Richie’s friend to grab his shoulder and flash you an empty smile.

“What’s the rush? Hm? We were just having a little chat-“

“Chat is over, goodbye no name” you cut him off, shooting Ethan a look, he shrugs off the hand on his shoulder just as Quinn comes up next to you.

He scoffs “my name is-“

“Irrelevant”.

That makes a few nearby chuckle, you nudge Ethan ahead of you just as you hear him speak up behind you “hey I’m talking to you bitch-“

“The only bitch here is you, considering how you’re whining like one. So unless you want me to grab my strap and really seal the deal, I suggest you shut the fuck up” you snap sharply, whirling around just as you feel Ethan grab your arm, Quinn laughs gleefully somewhere from behind you.

The no name asshole steps forward, Richie watches in amusement, making no effort to intervene.

Typical.

“Coming from the slut with no parents, I’d kill myself too if you were my daughter-“

You don’t even get the chance to knock his words back down his throat, as Anika suddenly appears, your knight in shining armor as her dainty ring cladded fist connects with his face.

He stumbles back into the table, everyone around you goes ballistic, but all you see is Anika glaring at you.

“I told you to wait for me”.

“I couldn’t-“

She holds up her hand, cutting you off, and then points. Your head drops back and you head in the direction of the door, Ethan leading the bunch.

You’ll blame him for this later, but you can’t wipe the grin off your face as you hear Quinn yelling more insults over her shoulder.

You may be retreating, but you and your crew definitely won that one.

____________________________________________

You’d like to say the words from last night didn’t sting, but they do.

It’s nothing new to you, the scandal was city wide.

At least, what’s known about it. And quite frankly, you don’t want to know more.

You’re content with how things are.

Absent uncle who’s your legal guardian, a bottomless tab at the coffee shop he owns and makes an ungodly amount of money off of.

Parents you never knew, but from your lack of connection with your other family still living and breathing, and your uncles lack of effort.

You basically do whatever you want, and it’s nice.

Family doesn’t mean much to you.

Or at least, it didn’t, until Anika actively decided to take you off the street like some stray dog when you were both ten years old.

You’d hated it, initially, a bit mean to her if anything. But goddamn was she relentless.

And then she finally managed to talk you into coming over to her place for dinner, you had no one to go home to, and it would stop her asking.

So, you’d agreed, the rest is history.

“We’ve got TEN MINUTES-“

“I know, I know! Fuck, it’s in here somewhere” you say as you tear through another box in your uncle’s office, Anika somewhere behind you going through the drawers in his desk.

Not like he’ll care, you’ll have everything back together and in its spot before he even thinks about coming back for another temporary visit.

What are you two both frantically searching for, you may ask?

A limited edition baseball card, Anika’s dad claims it is.

The guy is a huge Yankee’s fan, collects cards for fun. Anika thinks it’s dorky, so naturally you have to go against whatever she says.

He’s described a specific card, how rare it was, and something had tugged at your memory. The same card, you’d seen it somewhere in your uncle’s office at one point, and if it was what you thought it was, you were going to take it and give it to him.

Only he’d packed it away, not knowing what it was, or maybe he just didn’t think it was worth anything. You’ve spent the last two months looking for it.

His birthday dinner is tonight.

“God we should’ve skipped school to do this today, I don’t know what I was thinking-“ you groan, aggressively tossing one of the bags that had fallen out of the top shelf of the closet back where it had dropped.

“It’s in here, if you say it is then it is” Anika says without pausing her ransack through your uncle’s desk.

You let out a pitiful noise, walking towards the desk “yeah well this is the part where I say abracadabra and someone cuts us some fucking slack-“ you then kick the back of the desk, a little harder than necessary.

A click followed by a thump can be heard under the desk, Anika freezes and looks up just as your head turns to meet her gaze.

She then ducks under the desk, making you scramble to peer over it from the other side.

“What kind of James Bond shit is this“ is all you hear before she reappears, you barely have a chance to push yourself back before she’s dropping a medium sized box between the two of you on the desk.

Your brow furrows “where the hell was that thing?”

“You know I was wondering why this desk was so bulky and the cabinets were so small” Anika mutters to herself as you start going through the items in the box.

All of it looks expensive, and organized. A watch in a velvet and glass case, a bottle opener with what you can assume has diamonds embedded in the handle, a little bag of coins probably all rare. A little booklet and -

And then, a tape recorder.

Your brow furrows as you fish the tape recorder out, fiddling with it.

First , why is he hiding a box of expensive items under his desk? And second, why is this piece of junk in with it?

Your thumb traces the faded white lettering across the front, microcassette-corder m-560. And underneath it a piece of tape with a name.

Your biological father’s name.

“Dude no way look!” Anika produces the baseball card from the booklet that had been within the box, but when she sees the look on your face her smile falls “what? What’s is it?”

You press the play button, an audible click, but nothing. You hit the stop button, looking within it, pressing the eject.

An empty tape lies within.

“Talk to me, you’ve got that look on your face” Anika says, using what you’ve deduced as her ‘mom voice’.

You look up, raising the tape recorder so she can read off it.

“It belonged to my dad.”

Anika’s face goes blank, her eyes analyzing you carefully.

Eyes dropping to the tape recorder in your hand, your stomach churns uneasily.

Why did you never ask? Well, you know why, who can you ask when your Uncle is never around? And when you did ask as a kid, he’d punish you by not acknowledging your existence for weeks.

Your fingers curl around the tape recorder, “you know how I think the case was never actually solved?”

A pause, “I do, yeah”.

Theres a beat of silence, and then you’re looking up, something in your eyes. Not justice, not revenge.

A broken child, a lost soul, abandoned if you’re honest with yourself.

But not alone.

“What if the rumors are true?”

Anika’s shoulders tense, swallowing hard as she pins you with a hard look “I don’t think this is a road you should go down, there’s a reason-“

“Why would he have this then? Hm?” You hold up the item for further emphasis, “he practically spits on the ground any time they’re mentioned, the same asshole that locked me in my room for three days just for asking if I could see a picture of them!”

You watch her wince as your anger bubbles, you know it isn’t her fault, it’s not your fault either.

And that makes you furious.

“No one will ever give me answers” you say, and it feels strange addressing something you’ve ignored for as long as you can remember.

Or just maybe, you’re old enough now to understand that your life sucks, you’ve got trauma. And you want to know why.

You see the conflict in her eyes, because she sees just how far gone you are now in your head with this. With how impulsive you tend to be, Anika knows it best to stick by your side to keep you in check than to piss you off and you go about it on your own.

And to be frank, Anika has been waiting for this moment. It was only a matter of time before you wanted answers about what happened to your parents, other than a shitty police report writing it off as ‘accidental deaths’ or ‘possible suicide’.

“Okay. So, what do we do?” Anika says holding your gaze, even when worry chews at her insides for your mental state.

Jaw set, gaze hard, you click the tape recorder shut and head for the door, the faint sound of her scurrying feet on the hardwood floor behind you.

“We go get them”.

____________________________________________

Now, on a normal day, you’re extremely practical.

You’ve always stuck to the facts, because facts are the truth. And the truth is real.

But as Ethan swipes his dad’s badge at the back entrance of the precinct, you’re at least rational enough to admit to yourself this is the worst idea you’ve ever had.

Luckily for you, New York is busy. There’s always something going wrong, which means most everyone in the precinct will be bustling about with business at hand.

You take the back entrance anyways.

All you’d had to do was tell Ethan you needed answers that were long overdue, and that you just wanted to see the police report.

He’d said his dad would refuse, that it’s a ‘closed case’. And then proceeded to flash a copy of the keycard that Richie had made, that Ethan had stolen from him.

You may hate Richie, but right now he’s your third favorite person. Sorry Quinn.

As you walk in through the back end of the building, you notice that there is significantly less foot traffic and activity compared to the front. There’s a rare sight of people milling about, and the area has a slightly more dilapidated feel, with some of the buildings and infrastructure showing signs of wear and tear.

The building has a rugged, industrial feel, and the lack of crowd gives the hallways a more relaxed atmosphere. If you're looking for a slice of the city that's a bit off the beaten path, this is the place to be.

The two crept along the hallway, keeping your footsteps light and movements stealthy. You both duck out of sight and hide behind corners whenever you hear the sound of footsteps or voices approaching, waiting anxiously until the coast was clear before continuing on the way.

Adrenaline peaked, you both move with a heightened sense of awareness, constantly scanning their surroundings for anyone potentially passing through. Every step was taken with care, every movement slow and deliberate, as they navigated the hallway.

“How much further?” You whisper, sticking close to Ethan as you glance over your shoulder.

He may be a quiet kid, but when not under peer pressure, the guy is the definition of whiplash. Which is why he leads you through the building towards the room that held all the physical documentation and evidence on all known cases.

Suddenly, Ethan comes to a halt, you almost crashing into him from behind. Before you can ask, he gestures to the sign on the door that read "Case Files." You both exchange a look, knowing what lies inside might very well rock your world.

Ethan swipes the card and opens the door, ushering you inside “I’ll keep lookout, just be fast okay?”

“Ethan, what? No-“

He shoves you inside and shuts the door, no window leaving you in darkness, at least until the motion lights activate.

You turn, taking in the room. The room was a massive storage space, filled from floor to ceiling with rows upon rows of shelves, each one stacked with countless boxes. The air was thick with the scent of dust and deteriorating cardboard, and the only illumination came from a the flickering lights that hung from the ceiling above.

The shadows cast by the dim light danced menacingly across the boxes, giving the impression that something lurking within them, ready to leap out at any moment. The room gave off the intimidation of a cavernous warehouse, filled with countless secrets and untold stories, waiting to be discovered.

You push onwards, driven by a determination to find answers. You move between the rows of shelves, eyes scanning the row upon row of boxes for a specific year. Your hands glide across the dusty labels on the boxes, searching for the one that would give you the information you sought. You could feel the weight of years of unanswered questions pressing down upon you now more than ever, and your heart races as your fingers trace the numbers, hoping to find the one that held the truth you so desperately sought.

As you searched, you feel a sense of urgency and desperation building within you. You feel the answer just out of your grasp, praying the truth would finally bring closure and some semblance of peace. But the boxes seemed endless, and the years blur together in your mind, making it all the more difficult to find the one you needed. You push past the mental fatigue and frustration, driven by the hope that you were getting closer to what’s sought.

There. Feldman, 2002.

As you finally reach the correct box, you carefully pull it down from the shelf, and feel a moment of hesitation. You pause, fingers gripping the edge of the lid, and a thousand questions swirl through your mind: what will you find inside, and will it be the answers you’ve desperately sought for so long?

You take a deep breath, heart pounding in your chest, and slowly lift the lid. Inside, you find a stack of folders, each labeled with the case number.

As you go through the file, you feel a wave of emotion wash over you, a mix of disbelief, horror, and shock. You can feel their mind reeling as you read the words on the page, gut churning and stomach twisting. It's a murder case, a double homicide on the marital couple, your parents.

The words on the page swirl together as you try to make sense of what you’re reading, but the reality of the situation is hitting you like a freight train, and it's all you can do to keep themselves from collapsing.

As you skim through the pages with shaky hands, you come across a section detailing the status of the case. You can feel a lurch in your stomach as you read that it's still an open case, unsolved after all these years. It was all a lie. All of it.

You continue, feverish now, eyes widening as you read that your father worked in the morgue and falsified a large number of autopsy reports. It's a revelation that rocks you to your core. Feeling a mix of anger and disbelief, you reach into the box and pull out a photo of what you’re safe to assume is your parents, the first time you’re ever actually seeing them. Must’ve fallen out of one of the folders.

The photograph is old and faded, but the image is still clear. The couple's faces staring back at you, and the protagonist is struck by how young they look, how carefree and alive. You struggle to reconcile the image of your parents as innocent victims with the knowledge of your father's sinister actions. It's a moment of overwhelming emotion, a mix of sadness, anger, and disbelief.

As the magnitude of the situation sinks in, you’re overcome with a wave of agony. You feel a deep sense of guilt and pain for not having looked into this sooner, for allowing yourself to be oblivious to the truth for so long. Every second wasted, every moment spent in ignorance weighs heavily on your conscience, and the hurt is almost too much to bear. It's a moment of intense self-reflection, a moment of realization that nothing will ever be the same again.

With a shaking hand, you tuck away the photograph and pull out a tape recorder from your jacket. You take a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves, and click on the recorder. The sound of the device whirring to life fills the room, and you begin to meticulously read off every detail from the files, documenting all the information you can find plausible. As you speak into the recorder, your voice wavers, filled with a mix of emotions.

You detail every aspect of the case, every fact and figure, every piece of information you can glean from the files. You read off the allegations on the chain of events leading up to, the details of the crime scene, and the evidence left behind. You read off the reports, the falsified autopsies, and the names of the witnesses and investigators involved. You even read off the handwritten notes, the comments from the police, and every last detail you can find. The tape recorder whirrs continuously as you speak, capturing every words for future reference.

Suddenly, you hear commotion outside the room, the sound of voices and footsteps approaching. You cut off the tape recorder just as your heart sinks, realizing that time is running out, and you quickly scramble to put everything back into the box. You feel a pang of worry for Ethan on watch, hoping that he had’t been caught. With a sense of urgency, you grab the tape recorder and shove it into your jacket before quickly returning the box to its place on the shelf.

You make your way back to the door and press your ear against it, straining to hear any sounds of movement or voices out in the hallway. But all you hear is silence, a tense stillness that hangs in the air. You feel a rush of anxiety and tension as you stand there, blood pumping. With a deep breath, you slowly crack open the door and poke your head out into the hallway, scanning the surroundings for any sign of trouble.

As you peer around the door, you catch a glimpse of Ethan being led away down the corridor. You only manage to get a brief glimpse of the familiar face leading him away, before the two figures disappear around a corner. The sight fills you with a sense of dread.

Poor Ethan, you owe him everything and he doesn’t even know it.

You make a promise to yourself to make it up to him, probably for the rest of your life, as you start heading back the way you came.

But even as you do, you can’t ignore the weight that now rests in your shoulders.

A double homicide? In two separate locations on the same premises? Execution style?

It’s not until the fresh air hits you when your stomach loses itself, you scramble for the nearest solid object to grab on for our cause as you empty out everything you’d eaten today.

Murdered. No killer caught. No suspect. Well, one suspect, but found innocent on account of being documented out of state when it happened. If someone killed them, why? What for?

Shaking, and sinking to your knees, you begin to wonder how deep this goes. If you stop now, you might have a chance to come back from this.

And live with never knowing the truth? You need to know, especially if it meant what allegations could potentially be the truth.

Legs trembling slightly from exertion, you push yourself up to your feet and steel yourself.

You’re getting answers, one way or another.

____________________________________________

Ethan is on lockdown until further notice, according to Quinn.

Now, you love Quinn, you adore her. But… she is a chatter box and to be blunt, she’ll blabber if she knew the truth.

So you go to Anika, your first and last resort. She’d always be your first choice, if it weren’t for the confirmed ass chewing you get all the way from point A to point B.

But you needed help, and you can’t do it alone.

You use to be a loner, but that was a long time ago, no thanks to her. And you’re reminded why, as Mrs. Kayoko opens the door and smiles so wide you’re sure that a drop of sun had blessed her when she’d been born.

She’s the only motherly figure, not counting Anika herself, that you’ve ever had. Every time you look at her you think of the day you met her, when she was so kind to you, so gentle with you. How the moment you got a taste of that motherly unconditional love, you’d fallen apart.

Weak. Embarrassing. At least, you thought, until she pulled you into her arms without question. Your loyalty has been with them ever since, you’d do anything for the Kayoko family.

They had saved you, after all.

You couldn’t be broken, not with all the love that surrounds you.

Those comforting arms wrap you into a familiar embrace, a gesture that always makes your heart swell, instantly reciprocating.

She scolds you for looking tired, you blame it on school, Anika comes around the corner just as you’re weakly swatting away the older woman’s prying hands at your hair.

“Hey freak show”.

“Limp twizzler” you shoot back, making her turn beet red just like every time.

“Don’t be pissy because you’re shorter than me, let it go”.

You two start going at it, as always, Mrs. Kayoko scolds you as usual and Mr. Kayoko can be heard cackling somewhere from in the kitchen.

The older woman shoos you two away, letting you know dinner will be ready soon, and the moment you’re in Anika’s room you close the door and give her a look.

Her insult, whatever it was - you weren’t listening, cuts short as she catches that look in your eyes.

“Oh my god, are you the reason Ethan is unplugged and off the board right now?”

She really can see right through your bullshit.

“Okay hear me out, it’s not like I stole anything-“

“Stole anything?! What did you do?!”

You hold up the tape recorder, expression serious “my parents didn’t kill themselves”.

Anika’s expression drops, irritation and confusion shifting to utter disbelief.

“I mean, yeah we assumed that but wasn’t it actually-“

“I don’t know” you cut her off, voice quiet, “but I found out my father use to work at a morgue local to here”.

She looks even more horrified, if possible, as she whispers “excuse me?”

“I’m gonna break in, and I need your help-“

A scoff, “yeah I think the fuck not-“

“Quinn will jump on it without question, so either you come with me or she will” you hate giving her an ultimatum, but you need Anika in on this, you can’t keep bouncing around her forever with this.

You’re growing more desperate and it’s showing, you should be more worried about the consequences of your actions, and what all you’re asking your friends of.

But this, it’s important, you can’t stop now when you just started digging.

She holds up for a long moment, but then just slumps slightly as she scowls at you “I’m going to kill you after this”.

“Plausible, and totally acceptable”.

“…well? Don’t hold out, what did you find?”

previous, next

[goth-mami-writer]

JJK one-shot below⬇️⬇️

Soooo. I don't usually post the body of my fics here, but this is one I worked on for a babe of mine. @short-honey-badger

Toji × OC (FemOC is his neighbor) "Dirty Dishes"

Mera used the key under his mat to sneak into his apartment that afternoon after she trotted up their conjoined steps. His Doordash order had been sitting since she'd ran down to the main office to grab her mail. He probably got hung up on the phone again in the car and she knew that he hated cold rice.

She let herself into his apartment, moving aside the empty boxes of takeout by the door that were now stacked into a tower where his trash can was overflowing. Toji was great at what he did, putting bounties on sorcerers and hunting them down, so it made sense that he never had time to clean. But her nose crinkled in disgust every time she was in here. 

On her own accord or not. 

She moved the take out boxes to the side and set the lukewarm rice bowl in the microwave only to find another bowl of cereal that clearly had been sitting for days due to the chunky cornflakes liquefied to the bottom. 

“Are you fucking-? Why is a bowl of cereal-” Mera spat before the smell hit her dead on as it wafted from the microwave, “Oh my GOD!!!” 

She moved the bowl of cereal and didn't care if he came back to find her in his apartment or not, this was no way to live. 

She and Toji would sometimes chat in hallways as they passed each other on the way home. He was always somewhat…civil. He did grunt and roll his eyes a lot but it was something she found friendly. But there wasn't anything else that she could call a close relationship. Besides one incident where she was locked out of her apartment in which Toji spent the entire night with a hairpin and a lockpick to help her back inside. The entire time, she balled herself up by the doorstep, hating her day already without this shit happening but Toji found sympathy and picked the lock before it looked like she might start crying. 

Everything after that night seemed to be somewhat unsaid and unspoken though Mera seemed not to mind. However, Toji picked up on it right away. There were glances and feelings shared between them, though he'd never be the first to admit it. 

She began washing some of his dirty dishes in the sink as she heated up his order of fried rice and then began clearing the trash away from his door. After she began tidying his small breakfast table so he'd at least have a space to eat his rice, she didn't notice the door opening. Toji's face sneered in defense as he crept inside, not knowing who had snuck into his apartment. He didn't think the door was broken into so he wondered who the hell knew about his key. 

He held his short spear over his head, entering the kitchen ready to strike down what he thought to be a very crafty yet unlucky intruder until he saw Mera standing nonchalant at his table. 

“Jesus!” He said after losing a breath, huffing out in relief, “Courtesy text would be nice, dickface! Coulda killed your ass!” 

“Courtesy text?” She scoffed turning around, wondering if he'd even say thank you for all the work that was indeed a courtesy, “Fucker, I've found you on my couch eating my leftovers!” 

“You offered them to me!” 

“Yeah! Like 12 hours before and you left me on read!” 

He rolled his eyes with his nose crimped in defeat before he asked if she ate his Doordash and she presented the now warm take out bowl, explaining that it was just left on his doorstep to get cold and he tossed down the short spear onto the counter top before nearly scooting her aside to begin digging in. 

He placed a hefty spoonful of fried rice in his mouth before asking,

“So ugh…what are you doing?” 

He watched as she began gathering her small cinch bag that she'd brought in, and she asked, not quite understanding what he meant, 

“Ugh… leaving?” 

“Nah- I mean-” Toji said amid a mouthful as he leaned over the counter with his elbows planted on the granite as they spoke, 

“Like what are you doing coming in here and being all nice and shit. Ya ain't my old lady?” 

“Well, I mean- you helped me get my door unlocked. I figured… why not help you out a little?” 

Toji found a curious look on his face that slowly grew into a grin that was painted maliciously across his lips. His scarred mouth curved up, snickering under his breath as he stood straight up to further the point he was about to make. 

Mera narrowed her eyes to his changed demeanor, one that seemed ready for a challenge. He leaned himself infront of the counter where she stood waiting for him to explain the shitty grin he was holding and he said lowly with a rumble in his throat, 

“Helping me out a little…would've been throwing my food in the door or setting it on the counter then dipping. You came in and did this whole song and dance in my nasty ass kitchen. So I'm just wondering….why?” 

Mera face blushed and Toji noticed with an entertained smirk beginning to grow as he knew the answer already just by the demure look on her face now, 

“What are you sweetenin me up for, Mer?”  

“I.. am..not.” Mera grumbled with her mouth tight, trying not to let him see the truth even as it slowly became written across her telling expression. 

“You're not?” Toji teased, now only an inch from her face, peering down to her from his immense height. 

“No-” 

“So-” Toji said after a swipe of his tongue across his bottom lip almost daringly, “If I kissed you on your smart-ass mouth, It’d just be another stupid Tuesday, huh?” 

Meras's heart pounded in her chest with a rhythm she swore the tenants three floors down could hear if they listened. Toji smiled widely with a deviousness, knowing she'd never admit it to his face. But hell, he didn't need a word after a little flustered blush like that. He reached in the front pocket of his sweat pants and presented something swinging in his grip. 

“Went down to the main office, by the way.” He said as he revealed a keyring with two new metal keys jingling from a metal loop, 

“Got you some extra keys so your forgetful ass doesn't get locked out at midnight again.” 

Her face changed away from the flattered redness into complete shock. She never assumed that he'd be the one to actually help her besides that favor of unlocking her door but he actually thought of her this way and it was endearing. Her smile grew a little more sweet instead of frazzled and she reached forward for the keys, 

“Thank you, I appreci-” 

Toji's hand closed around the keys, stopping her mid sentence from retrieving them and she moved her eyes to his. He evilly smiled again but this time with hidden intention. He remained completely silent as his arm moved up, holding the keys just out of her reach and stepped that one inch closer to put them chest to chest now.  

“Come on-” He purred daringly with a wink, “I know ya ain't that damn short.” 

Mera lost a breath, knowing exactly what he was trying to do and she moved, becoming fearless for a moment to match his cocky, teasing attitude that lit her aflame. She stood on her tippy toes, becoming only a breath away from his lips as her fingers reached upward but suddenly as she met his gaze, those keys were the least of her worries. 

Toji felt his smile trembling now with pride and as if he dared her with a glint of his dark gaze, Mera closed her own eyes as they met at the lips. Toji kissed her deeply, holding his free hand to her waist to pull her in with a tender roughness by the small belt loop on her hip. 

Mera eased back down to her resting height away from propping up on her toes and Toji ducked his head down to keep them joined in a kiss that seemed to be climbing. As he tasted her lips, becoming a little caught up in the way she lapped against his mouth bravely now, he tossed the house keys to the tile to free both his hands. 

He placed Mera onto the counter, still wrapped warmly in a deep, sensual kiss and she locked her ankles behind his waist. After a tender bite to her lip, both of them breathed heavily as they shared a glance, knowing they wanted more of each other. 

Toji kissed her again, moving with more intention as he cupped her jaw in his calloused hands that were rough against her skin. His tongue flicked across her lips, tempting her to give him more and softly she moaned beneath her breath and Toji grinned widely to hear her enjoy it.

They parted with heavy, chugging breaths heaving away from their mouths. Toji swallowed in a gulp, feeling the need to fix his waistband after a kiss like that, and he did so slyly. Mera fanned her red face with her hand only for a moment as she gained a breath, stepping down from being sat atop his kitchen island. He reached into the floor, properly handing over her keys, and he asked after clearing his throat, knowing she probably wanted to be nonchalant about what just happened, 

“What ugh- what are you doing later on?” 

“Like-? Tonight?” Mera asked just to be clear, and Toji remarked smartly in a scoff, 

“Yeah, dipstick. I don't mean next week?” 

She rolled her eyes, trying not to let herself laugh at his replies too much knowing it'd just feed into his ego. Her work needed her to cover a shift that night but she'd be home around the normal time. Toji nodded putting his hands into the pocket of his sweatshirt with a shrug, 

“I was askin’ cause…I dunno..I'm not doing anything later and yanno..if you-” 

He stopped mid sentence knowing that his face was warming up with every word further, not to mention he was stuttering. Mera giggled and closed the gap between them to say, hoping he wouldn't mind her finishing his thinking, 

“I don't care if we hang out. But..why don't you come up to my place? Not that I don't love yanno, week old ramen and a mountain of beer cans-” 

“I didn't exactly invite you in here, asshole. So cut me a fucking break.” He mentioned watching Mera start for the door after checking her watch with a chuckle. 

“Hey-” Toji said, hoping to stop her before she left. 

Mera turned, waiting for him to speak with her hand holding the doorknob. Toji gave a short glance to the floor, knowing these words were gonna roll off his tongue like lava but they needed to be said. He shifted his weight uncomfortably and said in a grumble, 

“Thank you…for..coming in here. Cleaning and shit.” 

Mera nodded with a low snicker, knowing that was probably the best she was going to get in terms of a sincere thank-you and she opened his door, mentioning with a wink of her own before leaving, 

‘Don't mention it. Just…thank me later I guess.” 

“Easy there.” Toji said with a wide smile, loving that she was getting a little more spunk. 

She closed the door, knowing she needed to hurry and get ready for her shift at work, but her face was still brightly lit. She would've expected the kiss before the ‘Thank You.’ In a way, she hoped maybe his apartment would stay on the messier side. It seemed to give her a good excuse to sneak in for more time alone with him. But the real thing that was giving her butterflies was thinking of what was going to happen later that night. 

[lesless]

My friend felt overwhelmed by getting things cleaned up so here’s some tips for cleaning & organization for people who are not organized:

Do the biggest job first, you’ll feel accomplished & all the rest will feel easier after that.

Take a break & have a snack. Time it so you don’t get stuck when you stop.

If you have an overwhelming mess, start by breaking the problem into small piles. Then, you can tackle each of the piles more easily. Piles are categories: clean laundry, dirty laundry, trash, papers, electronics, etc.

If the entire home feels like a wreck, start in the bedroom, then do the kitchen. It’s important to have a place to rest & fuel to get things done.

Work top down. After handling piles, I always dust, clean mirrors, wipe surfaces, then handle the floors. This will prevent you from having to redo work!

Keep a “get rid of” bag somewhere out of the way. I have a bag behind my bedroom door which typically stays open, when you come across something that is ill-fitting, not your style, or simply unwanted & in the way, toss it in the bag. This prevents unwanted items from recirculating with minimal effort. Drop it off to donate when it’s full.

Everything should have a home. It’s a lot easier to tidy when you know where things live. If I use it regularly, it’s on the counter or in a top shelf, easy to access & put away. Items used less often can be stored in cabinets or harder to access drawers.

Always go through your closet when you have a lot of laundry to do. Anything in need of wash is something you wear! Then you can evaluate the hanging items with less work.

Bins are your friend, but use with caution! If you’re not the kind of person who wants to fold underwear or socks, or neatly line up stuffed animals, a bin is a great solution. Bins are not great solutions for things like electronics or paperwork, that’s where it gets dangerous. A poorly implemented bin is just a future problem waiting to happen.

Keep things off the floor. Stuff on the floor just makes it harder to clean & tends to be overlooked more easily. Plus, tripping hazard.

If you have trouble staying on top of laundry, get a bin with a lid. When the lid doesn’t close it’s time to do laundry. Also, you can put clothes away while watching a show, makes it less painful.

Make it easy on yourself! You don’t need to suffer through cleaning if you don’t have to. If you’re short get a duster with a long handle, if your sinks & tubs are a pain to clean spring for a magic eraser, if you have a surface that’s textured & a pain to wipe down regularly slap some laminated contact paper on that bitch, if you have knickknacks that get dusty & make you want to avoid cleaning them you can put them in a shadow box (I got mine from goodwill for $7 so I could display my lightbulb collection without going mad). I don’t like touching wet food on dishes, so I got a scrubber with a long handle. Think of what you hate cleaning & ways to make that easier.

If you can, reset even a little before bed. It feels good to wake up to dishes in the sink instead of spread around the house if I was too tired to wash them the night before. I’m more inclined to wash them if they’re already gathered vs making it a two step process.

Dedicate a weekday to tidy. I usually don’t want to tidy on the weekend, so I do a general clean (throw in laundry, dust, sweep, flip laundry, mop/vacuum, put away laundry) on Thursdays.

Be nice to yourself! A lot of friends who are dealing with a mess are unnecessarily mean to themselves about it. The mantra is, “a little is better than none at all” you got this!

Hope this helps!!

[gloriacleaning]

10 Simple Cleaning Tips from Gloria Cleaning to Keep Your Bronx Home Fresh

Keeping your home clean can be tough, but with a few easy tips from Gloria Cleaning, it doesn’t have to be. As a trusted cleaning service in the Bronx, we want to share some simple ways to keep your home looking great. Here are ten easy cleaning tips you can use to make your life easier and your home cleaner.

1. Make a Cleaning Schedule

Set up a cleaning routine to make things manageable. Do small tasks daily, like making the bed and washing dishes. Save bigger jobs, like vacuuming and dusting, for once a week. And don’t forget to do deep cleaning jobs, like washing windows, once a month.

2. Use Good Cleaning Tools

Having the right tools makes cleaning easier. Microfiber cloths work well for dusting and wiping surfaces without leaving streaks. A good vacuum cleaner with different attachments can clean various types of floors and furniture. Also, keep essential cleaners like all-purpose cleaner and disinfectant on hand.

3. Clear the Clutter First

Before you start cleaning, pick up any clutter. Get rid of items you don’t need and organize what’s left. Less clutter means fewer things to clean and makes the whole process quicker and easier.

4. Clean from Top to Bottom

When cleaning a room, start at the top and work your way down. Dust ceiling fans and light fixtures first, then clean furniture, and finish with the floors. This way, any dust that falls will be cleaned up as you go.

5. Don’t Forget High-Touch Spots

Places that are touched often, like doorknobs, light switches, and remote controls, can gather germs. Make sure to wipe these spots with disinfectant regularly to keep your home healthier.

6. Clean Up Messes Right Away

Clean up spills and messes as soon as they happen. It’s easier to handle small messes quickly than to deal with a big mess later. Put things away after you use them to keep your home tidy.

7. Try Natural Cleaners

If you prefer natural cleaning options, you can use ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice. These are effective and safe alternatives to harsh chemicals. For example, vinegar and water can clean glass, and baking soda can help freshen carpets.

8. Keep Your Kitchen Neat

The kitchen can get messy quickly, so clean it regularly. Wipe down countertops, clean appliances, and take out the trash often. Don’t forget to clean the sink and faucet to prevent germs.

9. Refresh Your Bathroom

Bathrooms need regular cleaning to keep them fresh. Use a bathroom cleaner to scrub sinks and tiles, and wash shower curtains or liners regularly. A squeegee on shower doors can help keep them free of water spots and mold.

10. Get Professional Help

Sometimes, you might need a little extra help. That’s where Gloria Cleaning comes in. As a top cleaning service in the Bronx, we offer professional cleaning that fits your needs. Whether you need a deep clean or regular upkeep, our team is here to help. Visit our website Gloria Cleaning to learn more and book your cleaning today!

Conclusion

Keeping your home clean is important for making it a comfortable place to live. With these easy tips from Gloria Cleaning, you can keep your Bronx home looking its best. And if you ever need a hand, we’re just a call away.

[scandinavianfairytale]

Beside you

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Warnings: So. Much. Pinning 🙈 All the fluff 😊 Ivar being attentive 💙

I know you're still online. Read the text as you glanced at the screen that turned on and illuminated your otherwise dark working space. It was Ivar again.

Can you stop spying on me? You replied and rolled your eyes.

I wouldn't have to spy on you if I knew you were making good choices. Ivar rolled his eyes as he texted. He was staring at your window, only a small blue light still on in an otherwise completely black apartment. Suddenly the window opened and your head poked out of it. You looked equally tired, anxious and angry.

"My God, Ivar! Can you go annoy Freydis and leave me alone?!" You screamed down at him. He has been like this for the last 3 days.

"Right. I'm coming up."

"Ivar no, I have a deadline I need to catch." You groaned and put a hand over your head.

"I don't care. I know your code and I'll be up in 2 minutes. If you don't open up, I will start yelling and banging on all your neighbour doors." He replied nonchalantly and before you could say anything else, he was already entering the apartment building. You sighed and closed the window before saving your documents and almost letting out a shriek as you realized in what state the apartment was. Before you could tidy up at least the clothes that were lying everywhere there was a loud knock on the door.

"I know you heard me. And I suggest you open the door in 30 seconds or all hell is breaking loose." You heard Ivar say loudly. You could almost feel the hate the neighbours will feel towards you if you don't get him out of the hallway.

"What do you want, Ivar?" Finally the doors opened and he was met with a very dissatisfied looking friend. He didn't say anything, just marched past you, taking off his shoes and entering the apartment.

"By all means, come in." You rolled your eyes and slammed the doors shut.

"Did you save your work?" Ivar asked and pointed to the computer.

"Yes, but- Ivar no!" You yelled when he slammed the computer shut.

"You can't do that-" You were cut off, when Ivar spun around to face you, marching to you and stopping right before you, grabbing your arms.

"Listen, you've been working at this pace for almost a month - you've barely seen Erik or me or anyone else. And whenever we see you you're looking completely drained and tired or preoccupied because your head never leaves this project. You aren't even sleeping well anymore - the bags under your eyes tell me everything. So I'm done watching you wither away. Go get changed and ready for bed. I'll make us some tea and put on a movie and I'm not leaving until you're sound asleep. Now, move." With his head he motioned to the bathroom and nudged you in the same direction. Even though you grumbled something under your breath you still followed his instructions.

Ivar took a big inhale as he looked around the messy apartment.

"Okay then." As the water boiled, Ivar picked up the trash and clothes that littered the floor and furniture and gathered all the dirty dishes that you accumulated, before soaking them in dish water.

After the bathroom door opened, the steam was the first that exited, before you made your way to the bedroom. Ivar already made the bed and the projector was already set, the soft whirl of the machine instantly calming you - you always felt like it was a white noise machine your sister used to put her baby to sleep.

"Here you go, chamomile to help calm you down."

"Did you-"

"Yes, lemon and honey were added. Now just lay down and relax."

"What movie are we watching?" You asked as you got situated in the bed, before grabbing the tea cup Ivar offered and inhaled the scent of your favourite tea.

"Collosal." Ivar replied and got in the bed as well.

You laughed and made small comments as the movie progressed, but he could see how sleep was slowly creeping in on you. Your speech got slurry, your eyelids got heavy and your comments stopped making sense, but he could see you wanted to power through it.

"Just...yarn...car." Was the last thing you got out before you fell asleep. Ivar chuckled and took the empty mug from your hands, before shutting off the projector and turning to observe your shallow breathing before settling beside you and falling asleep himself.

Thank you for reading! 🙏💙

The GIF doesn't belong to me - belongs to the amazing creator! 🙏😊

So this is another part of the story that has no head or tail at the moment 😅 I will make a Masterlist when I'm done or when it finally starts making sense and the gaps are filled 😅 but I did switch the narrative a bit - instead of 3rd person POV it's switched to 2nd person POV, hopefully that's okay 😊

[simkhira]

I Have 300+ Gameplay Mods?! & Yes, They All Work Together...

Yes, you read that correctly. I have over 300 gameplay mods / overrides in my game. 340 to be exact. & Yes, they all work just fine together. By that I mean hardly any last exceptions / errors. So if you are looking for ways to spice up your game - here you go, sis:

⭐ = my ultimate faves

PLEASE SEE ALL 300+ LINKS ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE! desktop tumblr won’t let us be great.

BIG DISCLAIMER: Use these mods at your own risk! Just because all 300+ of these mods work for me, does not mean they will work for you. ALSO - when patch day comes, do not refer to this list for the most up-to-date versions of mods… I will only be updating this list when I feel like I need to.

O K A Y

let’s start with... the basics:

MC Command Center ⭐

UI Cheats Extension ⭐

More Columns in CAS ⭐

No Mosaic ⭐

CAS Background

CAS Blob Remover

CAS Immersive Lighting

CAS Tidy Accessories + Details

New Loading Screens

Cube Map Remover ⭐

Into the Light (Lighting Mod)

Out of the Dark (Lighting Mod)

Twinkle Toes (Lighting Mod)

No Fade on Sims and Objects

Build/Buy Camera (Tab Mode) ⭐

Lot Trait Effects Hider

Smaller Plumbob ⭐

& then you need... realistic socialization:

Chat Pack ⭐

Whim Overhaul ⭐

Meaningful Stories ⭐

Personality Please

Better Elders

More Face to Face Conversation

Call Over Sims (Higher Distance)

Call Anytime + Chat Longer on the Phone

Unlisted Phone Numbers ⭐

Low Fun is Boring

Family Matters (Share Big News with Family Members)

Share More News ⭐

Congratulate More

Ask What Happened More

Conversation Tweaks

Chat Standing Still

No Stand Up to Greet

No Rude Intro Animation

No Flirty Animation

Apology Fix (Don’t Apologize if Your’re the Victim)

Angry Walk-style Only When VERY Angry

Less Intrusive Conversations

NPC’s Get Out of My Convo

Autonomous Parenthood Social Interactions

Autonomous Social Interactions

Reduced Idle Chatting

Know Your Coworkers / Classmates ⭐

More Away Actions

More Social Activities

Spend Weekend With

Teach Me the Rumbaism

now let’s talk about... realistic romance:

Chemistry System ⭐

Pillow Talk After Woohoo ⭐

No Shy First Kiss

No Woohoo Dance

Shower Woohoo Tweaks

No Romance for Family

Restricted Romance Interactions

Less Jealousy

Simda Dating App

Can I Come Over?

Date Night Event

Movie Night Event

Set Family Relationships ⭐

Set Extended Family Relationships ⭐

Bathroom Privacy Tweak

Bridal Shower Event

Bachelor(ette) Party Event

Auto Engagement / Wedding Ring ⭐

Vacation Weddings

Sit at Weddings

Better Wedding Presents ⭐

Honeymoon Event

Buy More Gifts from Phone

Ask for Romantic Massage

Realistic Divorce ⭐

Traumatic Divorce for Children

Improved Relationships

No Restaurant Bill When Invited ⭐

Faster Cooking at Restaurants ⭐

Better Food Quality at Restaurants

Finish Eating in Restaurants

Restaurant Guests Overhaul

Restaurant Sit Tweak

(can y’all tell that restaurants annoy me? lmao)

first comes love, then comes... pregnancy / toddler / kids / fur babies:

Ages Behavior Tweaks

Toddlers Spawn at Parks (with Parents)

More Children at Beaches

Pregnancy Overhaul

Rub Your Baby Bump (Small Pregnancy Overhaul)

Determine Baby’s Gender for All ⭐

Ultrasound Scans ⭐

Baby Shower Event

Amazing Birth (Rave About Your Delivery)

Advanced Birth Certificate ⭐

Sibling Care Tweaks

Make Less / Clean Less Mess

Auto Brush Teeth After Puking

Auto Put Activity Crafts into Inventory

Allow Toddlers to go to Services

No Call Out of High Chair

Toddler Power Nap

Better Toddler Milk

Better + Younger Nanny

Call a Babysitter ⭐

Call a Dog Walker

Shorter Dog Walks

Dog Walkers in Other Worlds

Scold All Pets

Sell Grown Up Pets

Pet Food Serving Overhaul

More Efficient Pet Brushing

Kids Can Walk Dogs

Kids Can Order Espresso

Kids Can Ride Bikes

Kids Have More Phone Interactions

Kids Can Cook

Kids Can Do Retail

Kids Can Garden

Kids Can Make Flower Arrangements

Kids Can Make Robots

Kids Can Workout

Kids Can Do Spa Activities

Kids Can Play Guitars

Kids Can Play Ping Pong

Birthday Anytime

Let Friends Age Up ⭐

No Auto Put Away Toys

No Auto Put Away Pet Toys

No Puddles Under Tubs (Toddler Bath)

Has to Pee Walk-style for Kids Only

Better Homework ⭐

Better Grade School ⭐

Better High School ⭐

Preschool for Toddlers ⭐

School Projects are Fun

More School Holidays

25 School Vacation Days

Prom Night Event ⭐

Sleepover Event

Pizza Party Event

Field Trip Event

Family Reunion Event

Pool Party Event

speaking of school... university:

Less Credits for Degree ⭐

University Costs More ⭐

University Holidays Fixed

Higher Scholarships ⭐

Rejection Letter

Harder Distinguished Degree Acceptance ⭐

Degree Required for Promotions

Faster Run to University Class

Teens Jump to University

Choose Your Helmet

Choose Your Roommates ⭐

Roommate Age-Checks

Roommate Significant Other Fix

Roommates No Random Outfit Changing

Roommates No Random Item Spawning in Dorms

Roommates No Spawning Meals

Roommates No Trash

Roommates Sleep All Night

Roommates Less Music

College Org Members Are Uni Students

Faster University Homework ⭐

Faster Tutoring Class

Copy Graduation Photos and Diploma

No Bad Microwave Buffs

No Ghosts on Campus

Sports Fixes

Game Day Event

Graduation Party Event

once you graduate... careers & aspirations:

Plan Career Outfit

Better Work Actions

Enlist in War ⭐

Live in Business

Faster Retail Actions

Faster Record / Edit Videos on Video Station⭐

Higher Acting Gig Payouts & Royalties ⭐

More Realistic Overmax Pay ⭐

Higher Payments for Paintings ⭐

Higher Royalties for Apps/Games ⭐

Higher Royalties for DJ Mixing ⭐

Higher Royalties for Lifestyle Brands ⭐

Higher Royalties for Song Lyrics ⭐

Higher Royalties for Music ⭐

Freelancer Edits are More Successful

Sketchpad No Fees

Campaign Rally Event

Visible Political Position

Watch Political Speeches at Podium

Retirement Party Event

The University Aspiration Pack ⭐

Accomplished Lady Aspiration

Family Aspiration

Grow Up Aspiration

Teacher’s Pet Aspiration

Knowledge Aspiration

Retirement Aspiration

Romance Aspiration

Famous Pastry Chef Aspiration

Twilight Years Aspiration

All-Rounder Aspiration

Programming Genius Aspiration

Travel and Culture Aspiration

Wellness Aspiration

9 to 5 Career Pack ⭐

Night Shift Career Pack ⭐

Part Time Career Pack ⭐

Fitness Career

Health and Beauty Career

Modeling Career

Journalism Career (Adult + Teen)

Trust Fund Career (Adult + Teen)

Welfare Recipient (Adult + Teen)

Saturday Jobs (Teens)

Oceanography Career (Teens)

Private Tutoring Career (Teens)

All Freelancer Careers (Teens)

Tutor (Odd Job)

Woohoo (Odd Job) - lmao

Art Show Event

hahaha... adulting sucks:

Basemental Alcohol ⭐

Happy Hour Event

SNB Realistic Bills ⭐

SNB Banking

Invest in Stocks

Lowered Thermostat Bills

Instant Thermostat ⭐

Auto Wrinkles for Adults

Life Decider 

House Warming Party (No More Fruitcake)

Door Knock Notification ⭐

Island Events Notifications ⭐

No Strangers Knocking at Your Door

Quick Showers / Baths ⭐

Shower + Bladder Reliever (don’t judge me)

Power Nap ⭐

Sleep All Night

Smarter Robot Vacuum

Functional Tide Pods

Clean Your Bedsheets

Auto Put Away Clothes

Auto Start/Dry Clothes

Laundry on Community Lots Costs

No Idle Laundry Animations / Sparkles

Don’t Prep Food Where You Angry Poop ⭐

Don’t Wash Dishes Where You Angry Poop ⭐

Eco Dishwasher

Faster Cooking ⭐

No Auto Set the Table

Ask to Cook, Bake, Grill

BBQ Event

Custom Food + Recipe’s ⭐

Custom Drinks + Recipe’s ⭐

Grannie’s Old Cookbook + Recipe’s ⭐

Bake Cupcakes in Oven

Coolers are Cooling

Advanced Fishing ⭐

Fishing Trip Event

Fish for Crabs, Lobster, & Shrimp

More Seafood Servings

More Snacks in Fridge

More Food at the Bar

More Food in the Cafe

Flea Market Every Sunday

Get to Church

just in case you... get famous:

No Fame Decay ⭐

Celebrities Never Reject Fans

Celebrities are Quarantined in Del Sol Valley ⭐

Get Famous Award Overhaul

Less Celebrity Reactions

Famous Sims Gain Followers Automatically

More Follower’s Resolution for Everyone

Free Staff (Chef, Barista, Bartender, etc.) ⭐

Gardeners and Maids on Weekends

Red Carpet Event

whatever you are... just be happy and healthy:

Fitness Controls ⭐

Balanced Calories ⭐

Go for a Walk

Hiking Increases Herbalism Skill

Power Workouts

Athletic Outfit in Winter ⭐

Healthy Drinks

Improved Meditation Stool

Improved Spa Day Tablet

Improved Yoga Mat ⭐

Craftable Pottery

Less Elder Exhaustion

Less Sickness

Longer Basketball Games

More Fun Stuff

Online Gaming with Headsets

and I can’t forget these... more gameplay mods:

NPC Controller ⭐

Improved Autonomy

Simulation Lag Fix

Simulation Timeline Unclogger

Improved Autonomy During Loading Screens ⭐

No Empty Venues When Arriving ⭐

No Temperature Deaths ⭐

No Death from Murphy Bed

No React to Stranger’s Death

Realistic Death (Mortem) ⭐

Memorial Event

Freezing Sims Don’t Turn Blue ⭐

More Club / Holiday Icons

Make Hidden Holiday Traditions Selectable

Random Holiday Traditions

Wellness Traditions

More Holiday Icons

Less Rain More Sun

Less Snow More Sun

Summer Blow-Out Event

Christmas Eve Event

New Year’s Eve Bash Event

No Ugly Rain Outfits

More Umbrella Variations in World

Open Umbrella on Rainy Days Only

No More Broken Umbrellas

Destroy Leaf Piles ⭐

Dress Code Lot Trait

Gender and More Lot Trait

Preferences Lot Trait

Add Sims to Groups During Events

No Auto Club Gathering ⭐

Flower Arrangements Slower Decay

Take Photo Overhaul (Moschino Stuff) ⭐

Snorkel Everywhere

Don’t Turn NPC’s into Spellcasters

No Role Outfits for Sages

ROM Portal Only for Spellcasters

& you also need these... much-needed overrides:

More Sponge Colors

More Sippy Cup Colors

More Dog Leash Colors

White Ice Skates

Better Food Textures (All of Them) ⭐

Hidden Bassinet ⭐

iPhone X Phone Replacement

Playing Cards Replacement

Military Salute Overhaul

Small Saucer Light ⭐

Working Medicine Cabinet ⭐

Working Alarm Clocks ⭐

Realistic Fighting Animation 

Oasis Springs + Island Living Palm Trees ⭐

special thank you to all of the wonderful mod creators! seriously, I could not play this game without you guys... (no, really.) There are way too many of you guys to name without missing someone... so if you reblog this, all I ask is that you please tag your favorite modders! (& maybe even add your favorite mods?)

[ithinkweallsing]

Happy Birthday Remus

A/N- So I found out last night that it was Lupin’s birthday today (3/10) and that prompted me to bang this out at about 11 pm last night. Kind of a weird post after nothing for a month and kind of a shit post, but here it is, enjoy!

Summary- Remus wanted to forget that it was his birthday, but you and the Marauders had other ideas. 

TW- mentions of food, and slight mentions of alcohol/cursing and self-confidence issues. 

WC- about 2K

____

“Y/n? I got the butter and the sugar, but I don’t know why we need it because I thought we got take-away.”

Remus’ eyes widened at the sight of his friends and family in your small home and he dropped the reusable canvas bag you insisted on using as he closed the door behind him. You stood in the front of everyone else with a slightly nervous smile.

“Surprise! Happy birthday Remus!” everyone shouted.

“We all wanted to celebrate together,” you said.

“Yeah mate, Y/n told us that you were going to do boring old take-away alone for your big 24, and me and ol’ Prongsie here thought, ‘Well that’s just unacceptable, Moony will not be letting his birthday pass quietly,’” Sirius said, giving Remus a glass of something that smelled far too strongly of liquor.

“So, we helped Y/n get you out of the house, and with the help of this bad boy,” James added, swinging his wand around, “we got the place in tip-top shape,” he finished, taking a swig from his own glass.

“I hope you don’t mind, they really wanted to celebrate with you,” You rushed to explain, “and I know that you wanted to keep it small this year but-”

“Thank you, y/n,” Remus cut you off, gently placing his hand in yours with a smile.

“Hey now, don’t forget about the rest of us mate,” James cut in with an indignant huff. Lily quickly swatted his head. “Oi Evans!” he complained, rubbing the back of his head. She responded with a shake of her head and a small, exasperated smile.

“Although there isn’t anything special about 24, I appreciate you doing this for me,” Remus said.

“Happy birthday Remus. Fair warning, they went a little overboard, you know how Sirius is with balloons,” Lily whispered, engulfing him in a hug.  

You smiled and led Remus past your entryway into the living room. His eyes widened at the sight he was presented with.

Forest-green balloons with streamers trailing from them littered the ceiling, with bunches at every doorway and window. There were large bunches of flowers and greenery on the tables and most of the flat surfaces in your home. Light shone from the fire in the fireplace and the strings of lights draped around the room. It made your home look enchanting, like a scene from a fairy-tale. Soft music flowed from seemingly everywhere as his eyes took in the scene around him.

“Wow.”

“Right? Let me tell you those balloons, man. Every single one of them, Y/n showed me how to do it without the charm and I must say, it’s much better the muggle way, and your girl has got a pair of lungs mate,” Sirius said, nudging Remus.

You grinned in response. “Oh please, it wasn’t that bad, Sirius just doesn’t want to admit that he almost fainted 10 minutes into blowing them up”.

Sirius looked at you aghast. “How dare you, I told you that I was having allergies.”

James chuckled. “Sure, just keep telling yourself that mate.”

Everyone laughed and James and Lily started passing out glasses to the others as people started chatting and catching up among themselves.

Life had been hectic, and it’d been too long since everyone had gotten together. Soon the space was filled with voices and laughter as people conversed.

People came up to him with birthday wishes which he accepted graciously. Remus slid one hand around your waist and held you to his side, and his glass in the other. On your hip, he drew soothing circles as you mingled. You leaned into him as you talked with Alice, and him with Frank.

The table was full of various dishes that people brought. You hadn’t wanted Remus to feel awkward opening gifts, so instead you had opted for a potluck style; instead of gifts, people brought food. The mouth-watering smells from the table had you and Remus eagerly filling your plates, complimenting those that brought the delicious food.

“Ugh, I need to get that recipe from Alice, these are to die for,” you said, as you took a bite of roast potatoes with a hum of satisfaction.

Remus agreed, nodding with his mouth full of garlic bread. You couldn’t resist giving him a kiss on the cheek. He looked at you, swallowed and smiled. He started to say, “Y/n, I” when he got interrupted, or rather, distracted by something. You turned to see what caused Remus to stop mid-sentence and couldn’t help bursting out laughing. Sirius and James were half-dancing in the living room. Arms flailing and legs awkwardly bending, James looked like a drowning bird. Sirius jumped around, strangely on-beat with him.

“Oh god, I hope Lily sees this,” you said, laughing and tears running down your face.

Remus roared with laughter, half at their antics and half at your response. “Oh, I don’t think she’ll let either of them forget it for a long time,” he said with a shit-eating grin.

You eventually composed yourselves enough to finish your food and you took both of your plates to the sink to clean later. When you returned, Sirius and James were attempting to force Remus to dance with them.

He looked at them with uncertainty, then downing the rest of his drink, stood to follow them, but not before stepping back to peck your forehead.

“Go, I’m excited to see you dance Rem,” you said with a twinkle in your eye.

He followed James and Sirius to the makeshift dance floor, joining the small group gathered, and you watched fondly from your seat, sipping your drink.

Eventually, Lily and Marlene took you to the kitchen to prepare Remus’ last surprise.

Returning to your previously-occupied seat, Remus glanced around, wondering where you had disappeared to. He took a sip from a fresh drink and looked around for you, coming up empty-handed.

Suddenly, James and Sirius appeared around him again.

Sirius loudly banged the side of his glass with a spoon. “Attention everyone!” he shouted. “We just wanted to thank everyone for coming to Remus’ party and for all your contributions and we wanted everyone to personally help wish him happy birthday with-”

You and Lily came out balancing a massive chocolate cake, with ‘Happy Birthday Remus’ written on it in and 24, tiny, green birthday candles on the top.

James began slowly singing, “Happy birthday to you…”

Everyone joined in. “Happy birthday to you!”

“Happy birthday dear Remus.” He saw you sing softly, with a smile and furrowed brow on your face as you concentrate on moving the cake to the table.

“Happy birthday to you.” The song finishes with you and Lily placing the cake in front of him.

He thought for a second, what could he possibly wish for when everything he needed was standing in front of him, waiting with anticipation for him to blow out his rapidly-melting candles.

I wish that I can remember this, this moment, this family, and this feeling for the rest of my life, he thought to himself. He quickly blew out the candles and everyone cheered.

The cake was cut and passed around and there was a lull in conversation as people grabbed their cake and settled down.

“Y/n you made this?” James asked once everyone was seated on the floor with a piece of cake.

You chuckled at his incredulous look. “Yup, that was me, I can’t cook, but I have perfected this cake and that’s about it.”

Remus sighed in content. “You haven’t made this cake in so long I almost forgot how good it was”.

Gasping, you set your cake down dramatically. “Oh no, that’s a sign of a serious problem here. You’re already forgetting things,” you finished with a playful roll of your eyes.

Everyone laughed at your exchange, and Remus pulled you closer to him. There was a smudge of chocolate icing on the corner of his soft, pink lips and you couldn’t resist kissing the chocolate off.

“My eyes! At least wait until the party is over!” Sirius exclaimed, laughing as you flipped him off in response.

The rest of the night was spent talking, laughing, and enjoying the company of your friends.

At the end of the night, everyone else had left and James, Lily, and Sirius were just finishing saying their goodbyes, putting their coats on, and giving both of you one last tight hug. They ducked out and smiled as the door swung closed behind them.

You and Remus stood in the front hall with his arms wrapped around you as you stayed still in the after-party quiet. At some point, the music had changed to smooth jazz which now enveloped you as you embraced. Neither of you spoke; there was no need to.

Minutes, hours, later you reluctantly pulled away from him to begin cleaning up from the party. You cleared discarded plates and glasses, stacking them and with a wave of your wand as they began to wash themselves and organize neatly on the drainboard. Remus joined you and you worked in comfortable silence. There actually wasn’t much to do because Lily had insisted on doing most of towards the end of the night.

“Lily put that trash bag away, it can wait until later.”

“Y/n, I’m just going to do a quick sweep and pick up some of the rubbish for the bin.”

“I see that, and I told you to put it down. I’ll do it after the party, come on, lets go join the boys.”

She reluctantly put the bag away but waved her wand on the way out for the leftovers to tidy themselves and settle in the fridge.

Shortly after, you and Remus settled on the couch together, watching the dying fire. You cuddled into his side.

He tilted your head up to look at you. His gaze was adoring and soft.

“Thank you, Y/n, for this,” he murmured. “It wasn’t what I was expecting but I am so grateful that you did it.”

You smiled at him softly. “Of course, Rem - I hope you liked it. I know that you don’t like celebrating your birthday but-” You take a deep breath. “You deserve this and so much more. You deserve to enjoy and look forward to your birthday and celebrate with your friends, with me.”

You paused for a moment, just taking him in. The slight scars across the nose dusted with freckles. His piercing eyes that could never decide on one color to be. “I love you so much Rem, and I can’t wait for more birthdays and Christmas’ and everything in between with you,” you continued earnestly, eyes full of hope and love.

He looked at you with tears shining in his eyes. “I love you too y/n. You have given me more than I think I deserve.”

“I-”

“Please let me finish,” he said, cutting your protest short. He paused before saying, “Because of you, I have learned how to love and that I am worthy of your love, or any love. I don’t promise that I’ll believe it every day, but you make me want to try. You make me want to try and be more than what I think of myself on the full moon and you make me want to believe that I am more.” He took a deep breath and looked at you wearily, as if he were worried about how you would respond.

You didn’t want him to worry. There was nothing for him to worry about. Instead of responding, you wrapped your arms around his waist and crushed him to you, forcing the love that you felt into him without words. He returned the embrace just as tight, willing the same thing.

It truly was a happy birthday, Remus thought to himself.

_____

Taglist- @snapefiction @newa0810 @probably-peeves

[rpmemes-galore]

a few people wanted to know the story, so enjoy.  fair warning, its a long, rough read, with a buncha triggers possible throughout.   but hey, hey, enjoy, i guess?  will probs end up deleting this later today and gonna work on memes.  hope y’all are doing okay, take care. 

My relationship with my older brother has always been really... rocky. Without going into too much potentially triggering detail, he hurt me a lot when I was younger, so there's a lot of fear surrounding him. Saying that now as the reason for why I could never stand up to him for this.

A few years ago, my family decided that someone should move into our late grandparents home to look after the place, and I immediately volunteered. I loved that home, that farm. There were a ton of good memories there, and I was so excited when my family agreed. But, then my health took a downward turn and it was decided I couldn't live alone due to safety reasons. Enter, my older brother. He was in his late twenties at the time, and parents wanted him to finally move out, so they said he was going to come live with me there to keep an eye on me in case something happened. I wasn't happy about it, but he was the only one who could, and the only way I'd get to live at my late grandparent's place, so I agreed to it.

Right from the start, things were not great. He didn't help unbox anything except for his own belongings... No kitchen stuff, no bathroom stuff, just his clothes and computer. As it was just me doing it, and with my fragile health at the time, it was taking me a long while to get it all done. And that's when my aunt thought it was a great idea to start doing weekly visits, i.e. inspections of the place. She got pissed when she saw things still boxed up after a week of being there, but told me she was willing to look past it if it got put away soon.

I busted my butt getting everything put away, then. But I was contending with other issues at that point. He'd started messing up the house. I would wake up to find garbage and crumbs across the kitchen counters and table, dirty dishes dropped wherever he was closest to, and his dirty laundry dropped on the living room floor. His room started getting bad, as well. From about a month of being there, it started to stink. I went in a few times and there would be dishes with rotting food on his dresser. The floor was covered in a layer of food wrappers and other garbage. Dirty laundry was thrown everywhere. His game discs, which we'll come back to later, would be laying unprotected on the floor.

It just got worse from there. At the start, he'd tidy up a little bit after himself. If I asked politely enough, he'd throw garbage away or bring his dishes out of the room... only if I asked him. Three months in. That changed. He started getting snippy at me, slamming and locking his door if I asked him to do anything around the house. His messes were getting worse, and it was just me trying to play catch-up everyday. It got to the point my morning routine was wake up, head out to the kitchen while picking up any dirty laundry / garbage on the way, gather up dirty dishes from around the room and put them on the counter to wash, wash a few of them just to get a headstart, wipe crumbs off all counters and table, wash the rest of the dishes (I still don't understand how he could use so many in a single night), sweep floors if the crumb situation was bad enough. All this before I'd allow myself to have anything to eat or drink, due to sheer panic of my aunt stopping by unannounced again and seeing the place in this state.

My brother was working a very part time job at the time and, as soon as he left for his shift, I would pounce on his room. I'd haul out armfuls (plural) of dirty dishes which I'd then hurry to wash, I'd carry out at least one full, heavy duty garbage bag of trash. I would try to make his bed after brushing off the crumbs. All this in the few hours I had before he'd get back home. And he would always get incredibly pissed at me for it, which I understand. I know it was an invasion of privacy and, if not for the aunt, I wouldn't have done it... But the state of his room was going to get us both evicted, so I felt justified doing it.

It went on this way for a year and half. During that time, he made me bring his game discs in to get them fixed, had me pay for them, and never paid me back. I wound up in the emergency room on three separate occasions, all due to working myself to the point of over-exhaustion and aggravating already pre-existing health problems. Once, when I was away for a few days, he'd turned my room into a storage room. Ie, he threw all his laundry and belongings on my bedroom floor because he didn't want to deal with them. I wound up having to sort through it and pick it all up. He moved the landline phone into his room, essentially cutting off my contact to the outside world behind a locked door as my cellphone barely had any service there. He took food money from me, against my will, to buy his own... Would eat part of it and let the rest rot in the fridge until I cleaned it out. (important note, I have a lot of dietary restrictions. So it's not like I could just snack on it or share it with him. I just had to deal with him basically stealing my food money, then wasting it on food I couldn't even eat.) He would lock himself in his room anytime the aunt came by, making me have to face her wrath on my own, because I had no lock on my door, and I wasn't allowed to put one on. He would barge into my room uninvited, but get pissed if I went into his. He would expect me to play video games with him and throw a fit if I said no, even after I explained that I had too much cleaning to do and, if he really wanted me to play with him, he would have to lend a hand so it would be done quicker and I might have energy to play. He never did. He wouldn't empty out our cat's wet food and would just let it go moldy if I wasn't there for a few days... and would 'forget' to refill her water.

The only jobs he was expected to do around the house were emptying the cat litter for our one cat and vacuuming, both things I physically couldn't do because of severe asthma. And once a week, he was supposed to bring laundry over to our parents place to wash, as we didn't have a washer or dryer. I remember him vacuuming once the whole time we were there. He rarely emptied the cat litter, which meant I would wind up having to do it once in a while and just suffer through a serious asthma attack afterwards. He also rarely brought the laundry over. I wasn't able to drive, so I would wind up having to ask my mom to bring it over with her when she visited. Three jobs. He hardly ever did any of them, but still expected the house to be clean when our aunt stopped by and would be upset if it wasn't. He just didn't want to have a hand in getting it that way.

On the subject of other family, I tried reaching out. My parents would visit on occasion. They both knew how bad it got, they'd seen it at the worst. I'd even called my mom in a full crying panic more than once, when the aunt called in the morning to say she she'd be there in an hour... And the house wasn't clean. Mom had to come over and help me speed clean it, with me working through a full-blown panic attack, scared I wouldn't have it "clean enough" by the time the aunt got there. Mom is also the one who drove me into the ER. She knew how bad it was, but he was her golden child. The "can do no wrong" child, and I was always the problem. She would tell me I was making it out worse than it was, that it wasn't that bad, that it wasn't his fault he was messy, that I should just deal with it and clean up after him. Dad would at least seem sorry for me. He'd tell me he wished my brother would clean up after himself, but that there was nothing he could do. Aunt just didn't want to hear my excuses. She would yell at me for the state of the place, after I'd worked myself half to death cleaning already. She blamed me for it, threatened to kick us out over every tiny thing wrong. Made passive aggressive comments. Took pictures and said she would show them to the rest of our relatives so they'd know how we were destroying the house, ect.

A year and a half of this. I lost a dangerous amount of weight. I hardly slept, hardly ate, anxiety spiked so badly I was having panic attacks at least once a week, especially toward the weekend when I knew the aunt was coming. All of my days were devoted to cleaning up after him. I dropped hobbies just to wash dishes or pick up his garbage. I even pulled an all-nighter just trying to make the house look presentable... After I'd been in the hospital and spent a few days at my parents place recuperating, so you can imagine the state of the house.

Toward the year and a half mark, I met my now husband. When we decided he should come spend the weekend, I was both happy and terrified. I worked myself to the point of passing out to make the place look decent. I asked my brother to help, told him we would be having company, and was met with a slamming door in my face while he went back to his video games. Now husband came up, we had a great time and chose to make it a weekly thing.

It was about a month into that when I went away for the weekend with my then bf. At this point, he kind of knew how bad it could get and just wanted to get me out of there for a few days. He'd even given my brother a piece of his mind for not emptying the cat litter and making me do it, because of my asthma. So brother hated him. Told me to break up with bf for being "rude" to him. Even called my mom to complain about it and it I got chewed out by my mom for "letting" my bf at the time talk to my brother that way. I was beyond sick of brothers bullcrap. I was exhausted. Had been in the ER just recently because of him, again, and needed to get away. Bf took me up to a cabin and we spent the weekend there, had an amazing time. And brought me home. From the second I stepped back into the farmhouse, I wanted to cry. It was an absolute disaster, like the brother had gone out of his way to destroy the place. So much garbage, laundry, dishes, ect. I said goodbye to the bf, who was horrified and reluctant to leave... And I started trying to make a dent in the horror show that was the house. It didn't take long for me to breakdown. When I called the bf that night to make sure he'd gotten home safe, I told him how bad it was. And he invited me to move in with him. I jumped at that chance for more reasons than one.

Brother took immediate issue with this. He threw a fit when I told him. Straight up told me I was being selfish, that I didn't appreciate all he did for me, that how dare I leave, how could I DARE to move in with someone who talked to him that way!! I just packed up a few of my things and went with the bf. Just like that. I was out.

It was three months before I went back to grab a few more of my things. In that time, brother had gotten an eviction notice from our aunt and was having to move back in with the parents. And I don't blame her one bit. Let me paint a picture for you of what I saw when I walked in the house: he'd run out of room for garbage on the counter and table, it was stacked too high, so.. he'd opened the oven, pulled the racks out and was piling garbage up on them, instead. Guess what the only place that didn't have garbage was... The pristine garbage can. The living room floor was covered in his dirty laundry. He had run out of clean dishes and resorted to using Tupperware lids as plates, with the dirty dishes covering the entire counter by the sink or stacked in his room. Speaking of, I caught a glance inside his room. The smell was worst in there. I could tell there was food in there from the time I left... Didn't try to take a step inside, obviously, not that there was a place to step. Keep in mind, this is AFTER the aunt had visited and demanded he cleaned up. She'd seen it this way, blew her top, and he still didn't give a crap. I, on the other hand, panicked. Call it ingrained at this point, but I started frantically cleaning. It was only my bf who stopped me. Had to actually grab my hands and hug me to get me to stop, with me hyperventilating and close to a panic attack. We got my things and got the hell out of there. But not before I noticed my brother seemed upset that I hadn't cleaned up while I was there.

Brother's living back with our parents and has trashed his room there. He's still pissy at me for calling him out on the way he treated me, and thinks I'm still required to be nice to him because mom says I should... and that he did absolutely nothing wrong with the way he behaved. He's also still holding a grudge against my hubby for him having the utter gall to tell him to be an adult and clean up after himself. Mom still denies it was bad (even though she's dealing with it now) or that I have anything residual from that time, despite the fact I told her that I get panicky and shaky when the place I'm living, now, gets even slightly untidy.

For me, I'm happier than I've ever been. I'm essentially no contact with my brother and limited contact with my mom. Just got married. Living with someone who loves me and actually helps with housework, even without being asked! Still dealing with the trauma of living in a place that felt THAT stressful and unsafe, but working on it. Not holding out much hope of brother realizing how entitled he was / is, but eh. He's not worth the time thinking about him.

[oxhaven]

Let Me Love You / hybrid!au - Jimin

1. 2. | Jungkook | Taehyung | Hoseok | Yoongi | Seokjin

The bell jingled behind you as the door closed, putting you out into the cold, rainy night. A drawled out sigh escaped past your lips as you held out the small umbrella and pushed it open hearing the small droplets hit down on it. Once again you were walking home by yourself, on your way to an empty apartment with no one to welcome you back. 

You plopped your feet into puddles with every slow step, in no rush to get to an empty and dark apartment. You decided to take a break from drinking and clubbing per request of your co-worker and friend, who once again denied your offer to pay for her drinks if she came with you. You battled with yourself on wanting company or wanting to be left alone, wanting to be held and comforted. Wanting to be loved. 

Or maybe declare war on men. 

Your last failed relationship wasn’t something you were hung up about because of the guy, it was that you were beginning to think the problem was you. Were you that unloveable? It always goes good in the beginning and then somewhere in the middle you ignore the red flags all the way to the end where he cheats on you or tells you he’s not emotionally available. You were starting to believe that asking for romantic love was too much to ask for. No matter how much love you put into you, you shamefully wanted to share how much you loved yourself with someone else. You wanted to fall in love with someone and share worlds with. You wanted all these things, slowly losing the grasp and accepting it as something you couldn’t obtain. 

You watch the traffic lights change colors for an empty street as you walk on the sidewalk path towards home. The fear of walking alone at night left you long ago when you grew used to it, seeing the difference in the amount of people there were depending if it was a weekday or weekend. No one was out to bother you, nothing but empty cars on empty streets. Empty alleyways except for the stench of trash barrels and a wet dog sitting beside-

You stopped in your tracks with your feet plopping in water and eyebrows knit together. You slowly turned your body to the side, looking back at the person sitting down in the corner of the alley. He had his knees pulled up to his chest, a jacket that stood no chance against the rain soaked against his body. You could see his bangs underneath the hoodie plastered against his forehead, the strands wet and dripping with water. It was a pitiful sight, although he didn’t seem to be shivering or whimpering for help. 

You could have kept walking, acknowledging the possibilities that this guy could be a psychopath or a serial killer. Make it home without risking yourself in danger and get in your warm bed. Usually you took these things into account but for some reason none of those thoughts popped up in your head. You were only holding out your umbrella to him, shielding him from the rest of the rain as his head finally peered up with dark eyes staring into your green ones. 

You could hear the rain continue to come down, you could feel the cold onslaught of it on your back as you leaned over. No matter how much you tried in that moment you couldn’t think of yourself or think of anything else except what you thought of him as a smile grew on your face.

“You’re soaked.”

*

You pushed your body on the door when you got it unlocked, huffing out with effort as the bottom of the door scraped on the floorboard. You reached over to the side and switched on a light, then a couple more until you got the right one dimming the hallway with light. 

“Home sweet home..” you announced with a relieved breath, turning around to make sure your stranger was still behind you. He peered over your shoulder into your home until your hand on his wrist was dragging him in and closing the door behind. 

“Don’t be shy! It’s warm in here and I have plenty of food. Let me just heat up a pot really quick. You like ramyun?” You dropped your bag by the coat rack after hanging up your raincoat, slipping out of your boots and ushered him to do the same. You hurried to the kitchen telling him to follow as well, going straight to your cabinets and pulling out your usual pot when you made noodles. You thanked the heavens you deep cleaned and tidied your place for this, going through a checklist in your head just to double sure you didn’t have to be embarrassed about anything. You heard his feet drag into the kitchen as you stood up, looking over your shoulder and seeing him still in his wet jacket and shoes as you tried not to grimace. You didn’t let it get to you, immediately thinking he was just shy and went to turn on the stove and fill the pot with water. 

“My name’s Dahyun, what’s yours?” You introduced yourself, putting the pot on the stove before turning around and yelping out with how close he suddenly was. You didn’t get a clear look at his face with his hair in it and the hoodie still pulled over to hide it, only catching sight of his hands cupping your face. 

“It can be whatever you want sweetheart.” He breathed, surprise making your body freeze over. His breath didn’t smell bad at all like you thought, and finally hearing his voice was like honey on your eardrums. You caught yourself as he was pulling your face closer to his, getting a peek at pink plush lips before you were stiffening in his hold and shaking your head. 

“Woah! No! You don’t have to do that- I didn’t bring you here for that.”

He stopped his advancements and the both of you stood there as if you were on pause. You didn’t push him away, allowing his warm hands to stay on your cheek as you swallowed. “Your clothes are soaked and you’ll get sick if you stay in them.” 

It took him a moment before he let you go, pulling away and stepping back as his hand came over his head. You blinked with wide eyes as he pulled back his hood, pushing his wet hair back and giving you a good look at his face. 

And the floppy ears at the top of his head. 

They were a deep brown, clashing with his black hair but nonetheless adorable as they twitched about trying to get water off. Before you reached out on impulse to touch them you realized that this wasn’t just a stranger you brought into your home but a hybrid, which led to other questions. Did he belong to someone? Was he a stray? Did he run away from his home? 

The questions that lingered in your mind only worried you more before you shook them off when you were clear about your answer.

“You can stay here tonight. It’s warm, much better than outside.” You assured him before grabbing his wrist again and leading him to the bathroom. You readied a towel and got out an extra loofah, setting them to the side and pulling the hybrid in. “Take a nice hot shower and I’ll have some pj’s ready when you get out. With a nice hot bowl of ramyun.” 

He nodded his head to you before you smiled gleefully and closed the door behind, setting out to get the noodles boiling before searching for some extra clothes. Luckily you always had oversized shirts and boxer briefs stashed away that you personally liked to wear for the comfort they brought. You pulled out the garments and hurried back to the bathroom, opening the door quietly and peeking in. He was already in the shower thankfully, setting the fresh clothes next to the towel before gathering his discarded clothes off the floor. You made quick work to throw them in the washer machine with some detergent before heading back to the kitchen and finishing the noodles for two. 

He came out just as you set two piping bowls down the table, finally getting a good look at the pup you welcomed into your home. His hair was wet but this time by a shower, his body dried and in the pajamas you gave him to wear. They were just as baggy on him as they were you but he looked comfortable and clean, smelling delightful in your shampoo and body wash. You ushered him to the table, pushing his bowl towards him that had extra helpings of the noodles and kimchi. He sat down in the creaky stool chair and dug in with the chopsticks, the sound of his slurping filling the kitchen. You couldn’t help the smile on your face as you watched, hurrying to pick up your own and dig in when he peeked up at you. You both ate silently, not letting the awkwardness bother you as you finished your bowls clean, leaving nothing behind. You deposited the dishes in the sink to worry about in the morning, making your way to the living room and making sure the pup followed behind. You already had a pillow and cover ready for him, the bed being a little too weird and soon to offer up. He climbed in without your encouragement, seeing how tired his body was as he relaxed into the cushion. You could see the sleep on his eyelids wanting to welcome him, straining to keep awake as he watched you bent down. 

“You can stay, as long as you like. If you want.” You blurted, finally saying what you wanted. This was all a bit sudden, and this could be taken in a lot of different ways but most of all you wanted to help someone in need. That was the Dahyun thing to do, and you wanted to at least put it out there someone wanted to help him. His tired eyes stared at you, tired blinks you counted up to three before you glimpsed at the small smirk forming on his face. 

“My name’s Jimin.” 

It was your turn to blink before your mouth formed an ‘o’ and a smile spread over your face. You nodded your head and introduced yourself again before saying goodnight, heading off to your bedroom with hopes of what tomorrow would bring. 

*

It brought pain. 

You stood in your living room, staring at the spot where your tv and devices used to be counting up the amount of money lost with each item. The pup had stolen the electronics in your house and whatever he considered valuable, as you found the couch empty the early morning you woke up. Luckily he didn’t sneak into your room where your wallet and computer were, at least you could keep those to yourself. As much as you should be hurting, you weren’t surprised. Hybrid or human, men were still trash. 

You dragged yourself back to bed, not bothering to look for the thief or attempt to rebuy what was stolen. You didn’t have it in you to report him or ask around, just hoping it brought him a little spending money as you will yourself to go back to sleep. This was expected as much, you were a fool. A pitiful, naive fool. Fuck good intentions, you will never do another good thing for any being anymore. You dreamt about becoming an asshole version of yourself, even daydreamed about it when you woke up and went about your day all the way to readying for work. All the way down to the bar, promising yourself you would never lend a helping hand to anyone ever again. Even as you entered through the door and greeted your friend Nari and the new co-worker named Chaesol, you were readying yourself to announce you were turning over a new leaf. A new leaf that only brought pain as the sole customer at the bar turned around, familiar dark eyes giving you their attention as a sly grin spread across his face and his brown tail wagged.

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Four

Read it on AO3: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Four

When Adrien woke up, everything smelled fresh and clean, like fabric softener and laundry detergent.

He was warm and dry, and the bed, the covers, and his pyjamas were all comfortable and soft.

He’d been holding his cat plushie, Chat Noir the Third, when he’d fallen asleep, and C3 was still tucked under Adrien’s arm, fur fuzzy against Adrien’s skin.

It was comforting. In a way, it reminded him of Plagg and how they would sometimes snuggle.

Adrien rolled over onto his back and hugged C3 closer.

Grief and joy mingled in Adrien’s chest as he stared up at the clean, white ceiling.

The morning sun was pouring in through Adrien’s windows in a cheerful, inviting way that Adrien had never experienced in his old room with his old windows.

He was safe. He had a home—a real home this time.

It had been eleven years since he had last had a true home…since he’d lost his mother and the mansion had become silent, cold, and empty.

But now Adrien was home and safe and wanted.

He buried his face in C3’s fur, remembering what Luka had told him the previous day: Luka had bought C3 for Adrien so that he would remember he was loved.

It had been a long time since Adrien was last loved, and the prospect of getting something like that back was overwhelming.

He set C3 aside so that he wouldn’t get him dirty as he cried.

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he was crying, if it were happiness or sadness or stress, but it felt good to get the emotions out.

When he was done, he sat up, cleaned his face with the tissues on the nightstand, and got out of bed, ready to do his best with the second chance he’d been given.

It felt amazing to get dressed in new, clean clothes with the knowledge that he could throw them in the laundry whenever he felt like it at no charge and that he didn’t have to sleep in them or wear them for multiple days at a time.

It was really nice to have a spacious, private bathroom with a door that locked where he didn’t have to worry about the sanitation.

Well…Luka’s bathroom was currently a mess with toothpaste and shaving cream smudges on the counter and mirror and grooming products left spread out all over the place. Used towels were scattered, crumpled on the floor, and the medicine cabinet was left open.

But Adrien wasn’t necessarily worried, unlike he had been when using other bathrooms where he didn’t even want to think about what kind of germs were growing on surfaces.

Once dressed, Adrien went to Luka’s door and listened for signs that his roommate was awake.

The apartment was still, and Adrien didn’t see any light peeking out from underneath the door, so he assumed that Luka was still sleeping and, instead, made his way to the kitchen.

It was a war zone that had been subsequently ravaged by flood, famine, and pestilence.

It was hard to believe that things could go to ruin in as few as six days, but Adrien was seeing the evidence with his own eyes. Luka was the comparatively neat and tidy Couffaine, but The Breakup had obviously laid him very low indeed.

Dishes were piled high in the sink and crusted with days-old food debris, so Adrien rinsed and scrubbed to the best of his ability before loading them all up in the dishwasher.

Hardly anything in the fridge was worth salvaging.

Adrien got out trash bags from under the sink and started checking dates. He sniffed the items that still resembled food and summarily tossed the ones that were more petri dish than pasta.

He cleared off the counters, sorting the refuse from the misplaced possessions and raided the cabinet below the sink for cleaning supplies.

Once the kitchen was spotless, he expanded his efforts to the living room, picking up the dirty clothes, junk food wrappers, and takeaway containers.

He located the mop, broom, and vacuum cleaner in the coat closet and set about sweeping, reasoning that he would vacuum the rug once Luka was awake so that he didn’t disturb him.

With the living room looking presentable, he gathered up the rubbish, dirty clothes, and items needing to be returned to their respective homes, putting each grouping in their own location to be dealt with later. He then moved on to the bathroom.

By the time he was done tidying and scrubbing, it was midmorning, and he was starting to get kind of hungry. When he’d woken up, he’d still been full from the ridiculous amount of food he’d eaten the day before, but after burning so many calories cleaning, his body was getting ready to eat again.

Luka still hadn’t emerged from his room, so Adrien left a note on the blank page of a sketchbook he had found while cleaning to let Luka know that he hadn’t run away. He was just grocery shopping.

He tore another empty page out of the sketchbook so that he could write up a list of the things he needed from the store.

There was a Monoprix just up the street from the apartment, so it took him less than an hour to walk there, shop, and make it back home again.

He picked up a croissant from the bakery section to snack on as he cooked breakfast but noted that it paled in comparison to what he remembered of those from Tom and Sabine’s.

Adrien was beginning to think that Luka was dead as he plated the food. It was almost noon, and Adrien hadn’t heard a peep.

Luka had looked exhausted the previous day, and he’d mentioned not sleeping well since The Breakup, so maybe he was just catching up on sleep, but Adrien had enough experience with depression to know that it was time to step in and drag his flatmate out of bed.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response.

Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob and discovered it was unlocked.

“Luka, I’m going to be really mad if you’re actually dead,” Adrien grumbled, hesitantly pushing the door open. “Luka?”

Adrien blinked as he got his first glimpse at the inside of Luka’s bedroom.

It was even worse than the rest of the apartment, and that was saying something. Garbage and dirty clothes were strewn everywhere, and the floor was like a minefield of filth.

“Oh, Luka,” Adrien cooed, carefully making his way across the room to the bed. “You’re really hurting, aren’t you?”

Luka snored softly, deaf to Adrien’s sympathy.

“Orpheus.” Adrien kept his voice quiet as he gently shook Luka’s shoulder, not wanting to startle his friend. “Luka? Hey. Wake up.”

Luka drew in a long breath, and his eyes slowly blinked open.

He stared up at Adrien in a daze.

“Angel,” he whispered, reaching out to stroke Adrien’s cheek.

Adrien was torn between enjoying the attention immensely and feeling guilty about it because Luka was obviously still out of it.

“You are not awake,” Adrien chuckled, carefully removing Luka’s palm from his face. “Earth to Luka. Come in, Luka.”

Luka gave a jolt as he blinked and his eyes came into focus. “Oh my gosh. Adrien. Sorry. Hi. What’s wrong? Did you need something?”

“It’s breakfast time. Get up,” Adrien teased, tugging on Luka’s arm lightly.

Luka cursed under his breath. “I am so sorry. Give me just a minute and I’ll go to the grocery store and then make you some breakfast.”

Adrien snorted in laughter. “No need. It is I who have made you breakfast. Come eat before it gets cold.”

Luka blinked at Adrien. “You what?”

“I made omuraisu,” Adrien explained with a pleased smile.

“You what?” Luka repeated, wondering if his ears were failing him.

His Adrien didn’t cook.

“I’m twenty-four,” Adrien enunciated. “I make my own breakfast. Now, get up or I’m seriously climbing in bed with you and pushing you out.”

“…You made breakfast?” Luka echoed in disbelief as he followed Adrien toward the door.

“Yep,” Adrien confirmed with a pop to the p. “I’ve worked in a lot of kitchens these past few years. The chefs taught me some things.”

They stepped out into the living room, and Luka had to do a doubletake. “Faeries came during the night and cleaned the apartment.”

Adrien cracked up. “I mean…it’s not like this is the first time someone’s ever called me a faerie, but…I prefer the term ‘knight in leather armor’.”

Luka gawked at Adrien. “You cleaned the apartment?”

His Adrien wouldn’t know what to do with a broom if his life depended on it…unless he needed to use the broom as a weapon. His Adrien had that covered, but to use a broom for its intended purpose…

Adrien came to a stop in the kitchen, pushing one of the plates of omuraisu towards Luka.

“Surprise,” he announced softly, a sad expression in his eyes that made him look older than Luka had ever remembered. “I’m a functional, responsible adult now too.”

“Yeah,” Luka breathed, looking at Adrien with new eyes. “You went and grew up on me, didn’t you?”

He pulled Adrien into a tight hug, and Adrien squeezed back.

“I had to get it together pretty quickly,” Adrien confessed bitterly. “I cook, clean, do laundry… I even scrub toilets now.”

Luka pulled back, looking mortified. “Please tell me you didn’t clean the bathroom.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Adrien assured.

Luka dropped his forehead to Adrien’s shoulder and let out an animalistic groan. “I am so, so sorry. I swear I was going to clean everything today.”

“I know. I believed you when you kept telling me so last night,” Adrien informed. “It was just that you were completely wiped out, and I saw an opportunity to be helpful.”

Adrien took Luka’s face in his hands and tipped it up to look him in the eye. “This isn’t like before when I’d sneak out and come visit you when I was upset. I may still be a mess, but you’re a wreck too at the moment, and, now, I’m able to help and support you too.”

“Don’t sound so pleased about me being a disaster,” Luka chuckled, horrified and amused all at once.

“I promise I’m not. I’m just glad that I can finally do something for you after all you’ve done for me.” Adrien gave Luka a sincere smile and then stepped back to focus on his food. “Eat your breakfast already.”

Luka sighed, resigning himself to this alternate universe where his Adrien was fully capable of taking care of himself.

“Thank you,” he stressed, digging into the omuraisu. “…Geez, this is good!”

Adrien smirked around his fork. “Told you so.”

“What else can you make?” Luka wondered through a mouthful of rice and egg.

“I specialize in ethnic food,” Adrien preened. “I do desserts passably too, so maybe tomorrow I can make tiramisu and chickpea coconut cashew curry.”

Luka bit his tongue to stop himself from confessing his eternal love to Adrien because it was way too soon after The Breakup to be developing feelings for anyone. Besides, Adrien was vulnerable; Luka would be taking advantage of Adrien’s dependency on him if he made any kind of move.

He never wanted Adrien to feel pressured into anything for fear of winding up back on the street again.

Instead of the declaration of love, Luka smiled gratefully. “I’m really, really glad you came back into my life yesterday.”

Adrien paused, looking taken aback for a moment, his fork pausing halfway to his mouth. “You like curry that much?”

“It’s not just about the curry,” Luka chuckled. “Thank you for all of this.”

“Sure.” Adrien returned the smile with a grin full of pride. “I’m not even done yet. I still have your room to clean.”

“No,” Luka groaned. “I can clean my own room.”

“I’m sure you can, but I’m going to help you,” Adrien informed in a tone that told Luka he would not be backing down. “You can tell me what you don’t want me touching, but I can at least help sort the trash from the dirty clothes from the dishes from the stuff that just needs to be put away.”

“I will consider letting you help,” Luka conceded through gritted teeth.

“Perfect!” Adrien chirped cheerily. “…So, I didn’t start any laundry yet because I wasn’t sure what your preferences were, but this evening after we sort through the stuff in your room, you can tell me how you want your laundry done, and I can work on that while you hide your dirty magazines or whatever.”

Luka rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure that Adrien remembered that Luka was demi and didn’t experience sexual attraction unless he had a strong emotional connection with someone and, therefore, had no need for dirty magazines. They’d talked a lot about sexuality when Adrien was sixteen/seventeen and trying to figure things out. Adrien didn’t have trusted adults to talk to, and Luka was actually really honored that Adrien had come to him.

“I will consider letting you help with laundry,” Luka repeated with a shake of his head.

“Great. So…status update,” Adrien prattled right along, leaning his forearms on the counter as he consumed his omuraisu. “I gathered all the trash and piled it up in bags by the door because I didn’t know what the building’s trash collection procedure was.”

“We can take it down to the dumpster on our way out the door to band practice,” Luka replied.

“Cool.” Adrien nodded, taking in the information. “I also piled all the clothing articles in two heaps over by the couch….” He hesitated, biting his bottom lip. “…Not all of the clothes are yours. I can wash them and fold them up in a trash bag so you don’t have to see them, if you’d like.”

Luka winced. “…I don’t know right now. Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” Adrien rushed to assure. “I’ll just go ahead and do that, and then you can deal with them whenever you’re ready.”

“I really hope there wasn’t anything too embarrassing,” Luka groaned.

Adrien grimaced. “You both have impeccable taste in underwear?”

“I want to die,” Luka replied with an ironic smile.

“It seriously wasn’t a big deal,” Adrien stressed. “…Though, I wasn’t able to determine as easily what was yours as far as possessions go, so I just lined them up neatly against the wall out of the way. I hope that was okay? You don’t have to go through them anytime soon. They can just wait until you’re ready.”

Luka reached out and rested a hand on Adrien’s bicep. “Thank you.”

Adrien placed his hand over Luka’s and smiled. “What are friends for?”

“For times like this,” Luka hummed, feeling blessed.

There was a beat, and then Adrien went back to his status update. “I cleaned out the fridge and went shopping for the essentials, but we’ll need to shop again tonight or tomorrow for the rest of the week. Also, I bought a cheap rice cooker. I hope that’s okay. I had a rice cooker up until a few months ago, and I used to cook all kinds of things in it. I can do a lot with a rice cooker.”

Luka grinned, watching Adrien fondly as he animatedly recounted his rice cooker culinary adventures.

Adrien had slipped so easily into Luka’s life, making himself indispensable in less than twenty-four hours. It left Luka wondering what he’d been doing without Adrien for the past four years.

 “Émile!” Josie cried, sprinting across the bar and enveloping Adrien in a fierce hug.

Luka, smiling fondly, stepped around them and went over to get the things he’d left with Jacob the previous day from the bassist. “Glad to know I mean nothing to you, Josie.”

Josie ignored Luka, focusing all of her enthusiasm on Adrien. “Look at you! You clean up nice, Kid! Look at your little baby face! You are the cutest thing. I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Josie,” Adrien chuckled, hugging her back with genuine affection.

Luka couldn’t stop grinning because Adrien was adorable. He got attached to people so quickly.

Jacob looked back and forth between Luka and Adrien and quirked an eyebrow quizzically. “You two came together?” he whispered so only Luka would hear.

“He’s actually my roommate now,” Luka confessed, wanting to get this conversation over sooner rather than later.

Jacob’s eyes bugged out. “Dude. You work fast,” he hissed. “You’re already shacked up?”

“No.” Luka winced. “It’s not like that. It’s completely platonic. He just needed a place to stay.”

Jacob nodded, not believing that for a second. “Right.”

“Émile!” Marc greeted, leaving his guitar propped against his keyboard on stage to go give Adrien a hug. “Hey, Kiddo. I did get your text with your phone number. Sorry I didn’t text back. I read it right away, but I was in the middle of burning food, and I completely forgot.”

“No worries,” Adrien assured, returning the hug and absolutely loving it. “So long as you got the message.”

Luka promptly shoved down the little niggling of jealousy that sprouted up at seeing Adrien being affectionate with another guy.

Josie quickly distracted him as she came over and hung off of his shoulder. “You don’t look like crap today.”

“Thank you?” Luka frowned, trying to decide whether to be insulted.

“He said Émile needed a place to stay, so he moved in with him yesterday,” Jacob reported, looking at Josie expectantly.

Josie’s eyes went wide. “Wow. Very opportunist. You get any yet?”

Luka swatted her away. “It’s platonic. I just broke up with The Girl, guys. I am not jumping into anything for a very long time.”

“Are you trying to say that my baby brother isn’t good enough for you to seduce?” Josie snorted, doing a very good job of actually looking offended.

Luka threw his hands up in frustration. “You know, I was having a good day until I had to deal with you two clowns.”

“Émile!” Jacob waved as Adrien and Marc came over to join them. “Sup, Kid?” He opened his arms for a hug which Adrien readily gave.

“Hey, Jacob.” Adrien smiled nervously as he pulled back, reaching up to rub at his neck. “I actually have something I need to tell everyone.”

The band’s expressions suddenly went serious.

“What’s up, Émile?” Josie prompted gently.

Adrien took a deep breath. “That isn’t actually my real name.”

Luka’s eyes widened, and he reached out to rest a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “You sure you’re ready to do this now?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah. They’ve shown me nothing but kindness. I don’t want to lie to them.”

“Is your real name ‘Adrien’?” Marc inquired.

Everyone looked to him in surprise.

Adrien blinked. “You knew?”

Josie and Jacob turned to Marc with twin frowns.

“How’d you know that?” Jacob demanded.

Marc shook his head. “I wasn’t sure. I just thought you kind of looked like the billboards I used to see all the time.”

“Billboards?” Josie echoed, arching an eyebrow.

“My name is really Adrien,” Adrien confessed. “Adrien Agreste.”

Jacob blinked. “That…sounds familiar?”

“I used to be a model,” Adrien elaborated. “Especially about ten years ago my face was on everything. You couldn’t get away from the advertisements if you tried…. I’m also known more notoriously as Gabriel Agreste’s son,” Adrien informed, gaze directed intently down at his shoes. “You know. Papillon.”

Jacob promptly pushed Luka out of the way and wrapped his arms around Adrien, announcing, “Just so you all know, this is mine now.”

“I don’t think so,” Josie huffed, coming to join the puppy pile. “I saw him first, but if I get caught when I sneak into jail to assassinate his father, you’d sure as hell better take care of him for me.”

She turned to Adrien (who looked very, very confused).

“You’re adopted,” she declared, her voice just on the right side of calm even as it came out clipped and furious. “There’s no way you’re actually related to that slimewad. He akumatized my little sister when she was being bullied, and there is no way you’re related to him. Besides, like I keep saying, we are officially adopting you now.”

Marc reached out a hand to rest on Adrien’s shoulder. “We’re here for you. Promise.”

“People…don’t usually react like that,” Adrien hiccupped. “They usually want nothing to do with me when they find out who I am.”

“People suck,” Jacob reported. “Obviously, they didn’t put much effort into finding out who you really are because, if they had, they would have discovered that you’re a precious baby who deserves to be loved and protected.”

Adrien turned to Luka with a watery smile. “You pick good people.”

Luka grinned. “I picked you, didn’t I?”

The whole group besides Adrien groaned.

Adrien only smiled.

“…So why ‘Émile Dupain’?” Josie inquired as they slowly pulled away.

“‘Émile’ is actually my second name,” Adrien explained. “I was named after my mom.”

Everyone nodded, making cooing, “that’s so sweet” noises.

“‘Dupain’ I stole from a friend,” he confessed with a blush that made Luka narrow his eyes. “It was the most common surname out of all of my friends, so… Plus, it was like taking a little piece of home with me while I roamed around.”

They all cooed again.

“Wait. Hold up.” Jacob turned and pointed to Luka just as the conversation was about to shift. “He’s not surprised about any of this. Did you tell him already yesterday?”

Adrien bit his lip, smiling guiltily. “I’ve known Luka for about a decade now, actually. I didn’t recognize him yesterday until we were outside on the street, though. He still had blue hair when I last saw him.”

“Man, I dated him when he had the blue hair,” Jacob sighed, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have let him go so easily if I had known the black hair upgrade was coming.”

“Hey,” Luka grumbled. “I looked good with blue hair. It went with my eyes.”

“I actually think the black offsets your eyes better,” Adrien hummed thoughtfully. “The black makes the blue pop. I like it like this.”

Luka’s brain broke. “O-Oh? You think so?”

Marc put a hand over his mouth, holding in a laugh. “He’s never going to dye his hair again.”

Josie opened her mouth to quip, but then she caught the soft, warm, gooey way Luka was looking at Adrien.

She sucked in a sharp breath. “Holy crap! He’s Adrien!”

Adrien gave a start, suddenly very worried. “Uh…yes? I thought…that was okay?”

She waved her arms, shooing away his concerns. “No. The thing with your father is fine. I meant that you’re Adrien. Luka’s Adrien!”

Jacob’s jaw dropped. “He’s The Boy!?”

Adrien looked to Luka for reassurance, quite obviously anxious at something he had no way of understanding.

Luka grimaced and wrapped a comforting arm around Adrien’s shoulders. “Yes,” he said pointedly. “He’s the dear friend I’ve mentioned many times to you.”

Jacob scoffed under his breath at that.

Marc decided to stay out of it.

“I really was worried about you while you were away,” Luka explained to Adrien. “I may have been a little preoccupied.”

Slowly, Adrien began to nod, thinking he understood. “Sorry again for worrying you.”

“He survived,” Marc assured, beckoning Adrien over to the stage. “He was a real mess for a while, though.”

Josie hung back, giving Luka a skeptical look. “You moved in with The Boy a week after breaking up with The Girl?”

Luka shrugged helplessly. “It’s platonic.”

“You make questionable life decisions,” Jacob snorted. “You’re screwed.”

“He’s going to wish he were,” Josie sighed. “Does your sister know that you’ve set yourself up for total emotional annihilation by platonically moving in with The Boy a week after your breakup with The Girl?”

“Adrien isn’t ready to tell people he’s back in Paris yet, so don’t you dare say anything to Juleka,” Luka growled protectively, getting his friends’ attention.

They shared a look and then held their hands up in surrender.

“We’re just worried about you, Dude,” Jacob clarified sympathetically.

Luka sighed, all the hot air coming out of him. “I’m kind of worried about me too,” he confessed.

[saundraswriting]

Need Some TLC Chapter 8: Reminiscing.

SUMMARY: You're forced to sleep, during which Bucky clean your apartment and thinks back through your friendship.

WARNING: possible trigger for SH via overworking. 

NOTES: Sorry it has been so long. This chapter has been a draft since September. Available on Ao3 here as well. 

Masterlist // Ao3 // Previous

Bucky returned to the game and his friends. He knew he had a goofy smile on his face, but did nothing to squash it. You were safe and asleep in his bed, his friends were near and relaxing. No one was in danger or hurt. He was able to breathe a little easier.

"She's down for the count. I'm glad she's off. She needs a break." Bucky told Steve, who nodded in agreement.

You are so whipped; carrying her like a blushing bride, tucking your girl in." Sam teased.

"Nope. You won't get to me. I am quite aware of how I act around her." Bucky turned his his nose up at Sam's teasing causing the others to chuckle.

"Let's finish our game and leave. Bucky's got a sick girlfriend to care for." Clint said, the others agreed.

They wrapped up the game of Trivial Pursuit and cleared the last of lunch. As they left, Natasha and Sam passed along their praise to Bucky for taking proper care of you.

Steve and Bucky cleaned up their mess from their friends. Bucky gathered your things and looked at Steve on the couch. "I'm going to unpack her stuff and clean up the apartment. Maybe do some laundry. She needs to rest and she won't do that if her place is messy." Bucky told him. Steve only waved settling deeper into the couch. Bucky knew that even though it seemed like Steve was resting, he was as alert as ever. "Thanks, Steve. I should be back soon." Bucky left, and using your keys entered your apartment.

You place was a disaster. There was a sink full of dirty dishes, the counter had some and the top of the stove housed some dirty pans. Your trash obviously hadn't been taken out in a few days judging by the smell. Your bathroom floor was overran by dirty scrubs that were so filthy, they could have stood up and walked away. The was a handful of towels mixed in. Your living room had a smattering of empty food wrappers and meal replacement shake bottles. You couch had become a blanket breeding ground and seemed to have become your temporary base of operations. You apartment normally very tidy reflected your lack of time to clean and your recent days spent at the hospital.

Bucky had known since you walked through his door, he was coming over to clean your apartment. You worked 60-70 hour work weeks and when he could he would come over and make you dinner. He either kept you company or supplied a extra set of hands for the days you were really tired or busy. He originally helped you as a way to repay you for all the thing you knowingly and unknowingly helped him with but over time it changed from he should help you to he wanted to help you. He wanted to help you anyway he could, to make you smile, to keep you healthy and happy.

He first decided a load of laundry was the start point. He grabbed your scrubs and threw them all in, adding your extra laundry sanitizer to help with germs and the softener the way you like it. He peeked into your room and saw the perfectly made bed. 'How many times has she come home and collapsed on the couch to get up a few hours later and do it all again?' He kept cleaning, scrubbing the bathroom until it gleamed. He moved on to sweeping and mopping while some of the dishes soaked. He stayed on top of the laundry, he hung your scrubs and replaced the throws that littered your furniture. He was washing the dishes when one of your novelty mugs caught his attention. The was a crack in the handle and the sight of it made him smile.

Steve and Bucky were on their to the compound, the first floor of their building practically empty, talking to themselves. When they saw you it was too late, you were carrying boxes and definitely weren't able to see them. In the aftermath of the crash, Bucky helped you to your feet while Steve fixed your boxes. Nothing was broken except the mug, the handle cracked clean off.

" Ma'am! Are you alright? Anything hurt? Are you dizzy?" Bucky questioned. You shook your head, shrinking in on yourself a bit.

"Ma'am, all you belongings are fine. Nothing broke pardon your mug. I will gladly repair it for you."

You didn't answer him, looking at the ground. Steve and Bucky shared a glance and looked back at you. You seemed to be frozen then you looked up thawing instantly. "Captain Rogers? Sargent Barnes?" You gasped. "I am so sorry. Are you injured?" You lurched forward, hands millimeters from their bodies, wanting to assess for injuries.

They laughed and shook their heads. They tried to be unintimidating, seeing as how nervous you were. "Ma'am, a slight run in like this didn't even phase us. You were the one who ended up on the ground." Steve said.

"I am fine. A little sad my favorite mug is broken." You sighed, handling the pieces affectionately. "Oh, my name is Y/F/N Y/L/N. I am moving into apartment 5B." You stuck out your hand. Steve and Bucky shared a look. That was there floor. The building had two or three apartments per floor.

"Welcome to the building. I'm Bucky Barnes. This is Steve Rogers."

"Nice to properly meet you both. I am a general care nurse at Mercy Hospital. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to knock." You grinned up at the two Avengers before gathering your boxes.

"Please let us help. Can't let you do this all on your own." Steve offered. You shook your head moving to the elevator.

"First, I am strong independent woman. Second, you were obviously o your way to somewhere. Third, 'can't let me? You should know by now, Captain, that is not how you speak to a woman. Fourth I refuse to allow Captain America and The Winter Solider carry my boxes, that is a little too degrading for me." You were just about to step into the elevator. Thanks anyways, boys. Have a good day." You tossed over your shoulder. Steve and Bucky stared at your back before sharing another glance.

Steve blocked the elevator doors with his arm. He darted forward and took the boxes from you. Bucky flashed a grin, turning towards the door leading to the parking garage. "Ma'am, I'm Captain America, yes. And I wasn't really asking."

"Oh? Does the rest of the world know how much of a punk you are?" You asked.

The memory pulled a laugh out of Bucky at you sink. The was the first of many moments the three of you shared.

The day had continued. The three of you had gotten everything out of the moving van. Once done you shoved them out the door telling them to go to work, you had to return the van. When Steve and Bucky got home, they could hear muffled shouting and swearing, you hadn't waited for them to come back before moving furniture.

"Y/N, open the door please." Steve said with a sigh. He knew now he would have to keep an eye on his new neighbor seeing as she was impatient. You wretched the door open, hair sticking to your face and neck, face red with exertion and a plate of brownies in your hands.

Brownies that you thrust at Steve. "Here is payment for helping me today. I am sure the extra calories will be burned off quickly." You shut the door right in their faces.

Bucky and Steve were stunned silent outside your door. They could hear you yelling at yourself quieter than before. "No, they won't join you for dinner, you dumbass. Anyone else would have helped you move in." You were pacing, almost stomping. You threw the door open and took the plate of brownies back. "You can't have these until after dinner. Dinner I would like you ta have with me. In return for all your help." You had a smile on your face even though your hands were shaking.

In one sentence you had caught Bucky's whole undivided attention. He was infatuated with your sass and strength and complete disregard for his and Steve's day jobs.

Bucky blinked back into awareness. He had finished all of your dishes while reminiscing about the day you met. That first day had set the trend for the rest of your friendship. You treated them like normal people, there were a few times you seemed to freeze because of their looks or bulk but most of the time you refused to tolerate their bullshit but you were there for them when needed. You helped keep them grounded when the anxiety and stress and nightmares locked them in their heads and apartment. Bucky liked taking care of you, he liked having a friend that depended on him and appreciated him not for his enhancements but for himself. He liked returning your easy affection and acts of service. He continued to clean your apartment, folding your clothes and putting them on your clean bed. He was straightening up the living room again, fiddling with the throws thinking of the first time you had let him in.

He had just gotten back from a mission. Another group with a badly put together doomsday plot, you had just gotten back from a 3-11 shift. You hadn't seen either of them in a while, your schedules not matching up so you were excited to see Bucky. Bucky was alone, Steve wanting to stay at the Compound to finish up the paperwork and work off the last of the tension. You had forced him into your place with the promise of pizza and his pick of documentary. That was the moment Bucky fell in love with you. You didn't mind that he had the habit of being quiet and sullen. You didn't mind that Steve wasn't there, you were okay with just Bucky. You let him in, you were warm and soft and inviting. He fell asleep on your couch. The next morning Bucky woke up with a pillow and blanket, a big platter of cookies with a note on it.

Taking care of you when you were sick with a cold was the least he could do after everything you did to help him with recovery. You helped him see the benefits of therapy, even helping him through the rougher spots. Sometimes Bucky thought he was closer to you in ways than Steve. Steve didn't know about the late nights spent on your couch learning everything he could about the strange and sometimes intimidating future he found himself in. Steve didn't know how much you soothed him on the bad days, even the thought of you made him smile when he was stuck in his head.

He took one last look around and deemed your apartment clean enough, he turned all the lights off and grabbed your trash to take to the community trash room and headed back upstairs to begin dinner for the three of you.

"I would say it smells good but we both know I can't smell anything." You voice interrupted him. Bucky turned a large grin showing his teeth and dimples lighting up his face. Your breath caught in your throat. Academically you had noticed Bucky's attractiveness. You spent days...weeks pushing down the thoughts and feelings Bucky initiated and it worked for a while. Worked until Bucky started noticing you. At the beginning you had worked regular hours and were doing well but as time passed, needs at the hospital grew and you went from well to good to ok. Bucky began putting the numbers together-the little sleep, the long hours, lost weight, decreased appetite-realizing your lack of self care.

Healthcare was not an easy field, it took a toll on you mentally and physically. You stopped taking care of you to take care of others and after so long it was hard to stop. You had begun the insane hours six months ago, your supervisor promising it wouldn't be long, there was a few graduate nurses due to start soon. You ignored the signs of a depressive episode, lack of attention, apathy, disregard of personal needs-thinking it was just burn out. You decided the best option would be to work through it, get on the other side of the staff issue and take a vacation and be done with it but the staff is still short and now you were sick and needed Bucky to take care of you like a child.

He spent so much time trying to help you with your issues after he worked through his own. His recent help and attention did nothing to help ease you affection for him, you couldn't say anything though. e rarely let people into his circle, he spent too long giving himself willingly or unwilling to other people for you to even ask him for anything. You just enjoyed being close enough to be there for him to lean on, you wanted to help him shoulder his burdens like he did you. 'Bucky Barnes is too good.' You thought.

"Y/N! You're up. Good! Sleep alright? You didn't sleep very long." Bucky said. He gave you a quick look over, seeing you with messy hair while wearing his clothes brightened his smile even more.

"Yeah, I did. I got a little hot so I thought it would be a good time to get up and see what was happening. How was the rest of your team bonding?" You asked.

"I am working on dinner." Bucky told you. You walked over to where his was working only to nudged away. "Aw, hell no, sweets. You are sick. I ain't getting your germs all over my food. Even if I can't catch it. Also you are my guest, so sit down." You took the hint and sat at the table, leaning on your hand.

"I am a guest at your place while I am here. So I can't be of use? But at my place, you have free reign?" You straighten up, glaring at Bucky's back. "You say I am your best girl and you help me all the time, but I can't help you?" Your bravado shrank a little. You felt your eyes grow wet.

"My sweet girl. I'd love nothing more for you to be over everyday. I want you to get better before anything else. I am helping you know. You have already helped me. You just existing helps me every single day. That is why you are my best girl. Always." Bucky pulled you into a tight hug, he could feel you trembling. "Everything is fine. Things were never not fine. I am not yelling at you. I just want you healthy. I also want you to have a place where you can relax. If that means I do chores at your place or you don't do chores at my place then so be it. I don't want you working so hard." Bucky's voice was low and rumbled in your ear where it was pressed to his chest, soothing your frayed nerves.

"Sorry Bucky, I get emotional when I am sick. Doesn't help I've been stuck in my head the last few days." You took a deep breath, calming down even more.

"Baby doll, never apologize to me for how you are feeling. Your feeling are always valid no matter the reason. I like knowing what is going on in that pretty little head of yours at all times. Now, instead of sitting here in the kitchen uncomfortable, got sit on the couch."

"I am only going because I want to pick out a movie, not because you told me to." You tried to sit on the couch but missed the mark turning it into a tired flop.

"You are always so stubborn. Just sit and rest. You have today and tomorrow and the next day off. Let me pamper you. You work too long." Bucky turned back to dinner.

"I know. Work's been so hard lately and my mental health has been deteriorating. I know I can't keep this pace up forever. I also know that I depend on you too much, but I am trying. I am just...so tired you know?" You couldn't face Bucky instead talking to the remote used to control the F.R.I.D.A.Y implemented media library.

"It is okay to be tired. It is okay to ask for help and depend on others. It is okay to put yourself first sometimes." Bucky told you. You stayed silent, thinking over what he said.

"Did you learn that from your therapist?" You joked fiddling with the remote.

"No, I learned that from you." You jerked your head up to see Bucky looking at you. "You taught me that." He reiterated. His blue eyes shone with sincerity. "Now, pick something to watch." He tried to lighten the mood.

Steve came through the door at that moment. "Sorry Buck, I told you that I would stay here but I was needed at the Compound. How's it going?" Steve asked you.

"Good. I am going to take more meds after dinner, and I slept a bit. I was getting the movie of the night started. Wanna get comfy and join me?" Steve agreed and went to do just that. You cued up the movie and waited.

After a bit, Steve came back and Bucky handed you your meds and a plate of food. "Here you go. Make sure to drink all that gatorade."

"Yes, mom." You said sarcastically.

Bucky sighed heavily. "Don't joke. Between you and Steve I am surprised I haven't grown feathers and the ability to cluck."

"I don't know Buck, you do tend to cluck quite a bit." Steve teased him. Bucky glared at him with no heat, moving to take his food away. "No! I'm sorry. Don't be mean." You laughed at their antics.

Dinner passed with jokes and laughter and ended with Bucky tucking your sleeping form back into his bed. He tried to leave but you had ahold of his shirt. "Stay, please." You said, tightening your grip.

"Okay, hun. I'll stay. Let me get changed." You snuggled deeper under the covers while he got changed. Bucky crawled in with you, you turned over squeezing close. He watched over you as your breaths got slower and more regular. You shifted a bit mumbling under your breath. "Love" you Bucky." Before dropping fully into sleep. Bucky smiled with a "I love you too." before doing the same.

*******************************************************************************************

So what did you think? Thank you so much for hanging around as long as you have! I appreciate all your support. 

[bittersweetmelxdy]

Can I get the mlqc boys comforting mc after a fight with family:/ P.S. reading your stuff always makes me feel better when I need a pick me up so thank you for your writing

Dear thank you so much, and because you said you read these as a pick me up, I’ll admit I moved you up the request in the line up ;) Hope you like it x

Victor:

Victor has always had a good relationship with both of his parents, as shown through the times you had seen him with his Dad, and the fact that he still calls his mother to tell her what he’s been up to in his life.

The two of you were spending a quiet evening together at his place, Victor was currently cooking in the kitchen and you sat at the island keeping him company and you both passed the time with light banter and gentle teasing, until you heard your phone ring. It was your aunt, requesting a video call, your breath hitched in your throat, you bit your lip and excused yourself from the kitchen, giving Victor a fake smile at his furrowed brows.

However, you didn’t close the door fully, and Victor’s house is pretty echo-y, so although Victor didn’t mean to eavesdrop (he had been raised with manners) he couldn’t help but hear what your aunt was telling you (read screaming at you). His fists tightened hearing the insults your aunt threw at you, and how you meekly took everything with little to no protest.  

Finally, the call was over, and Victor’s heart started to break as he heard your sniffles and your very quiet “Come on, calm down, you can’t let Victor see this.” you repeated this to yourself over and over, interspersed with sniffles, and Victor had to physically restrain himself from going to you.

Once you remerged in the kitchen, despite the brave face you were putting on, Victor could clearly see your red-rimmed eyes, and rosy nose. He wasted no time in turning off the stove, completely abandoning the meal he was preparing for the two of you, crossing the room in quick strides before folding you into his arms. You struggled to break from his hold and, Victor just locked his arms in place and hushed you.

“Dummy, you’re hurt, just let it out and rely on me.” and you broke down, the tears cascading down your cheeks, and soaking Victor’s shirt. Victor only stood there, rocking you back and forth gently as he gently patted your hair.

Pulling back, he ruffled your hair affectionately and then steered you back into the living room, parking you on the couch. As you opened your mouth to protest, Victor placed a finger on your lips to halt you, and then returned to the kitchen, deciding to abandon dinner, he reached into the fridge and pulled out a medium sized dish filled with tiramisu, and after obtaining two spoons, he returned to your side.  

He smiled slightly as he saw you had wrapped a blanket around your back, and at seeing him you held up a side to let him in, and your glassy eyes, still flooded with tears, sparked at little at the sight of him. Victor climbed in next to you, and you snuggled into his chest the blanket cocooning the two of you together. He handed you a spoon, and you dug in, the sugary dessert soothing some of your emotional pain.  

Victor didn’t ask you, and for a while the two of you just sat in relative silence as you indulged yourself in tiramisu. However, after an hour, you finally opened your mouth and started to tell Victor about your aunt. She had looked after you after your father had passed away and you had stayed with her until you went to university. Throughout high school it felt like no matter what you did, you never lived up to her expectations for you (and you ended up using the piano as an escape).  

Victor sat and listened, not saying a word until you had finally got everything off your chest that you needed to tell him. He just rubbed your shoulder in comfort and when you were finally done, he drew you in close and pressed a firm kiss to your temple.

“I’m sorry for unloading this on you Victor.” you were still sniffling slightly.

“Idiot.” Victor just drew you in tighter, swinging your legs over his lap for a more comfortable position, “I’m your boyfriend, you’re supposed to tell me these things.”  

These words earned him a soft giggle from you, gratifying him that you were beginning to return to your former self. You wrapped your arms around his waist and rested your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes in comfort. After around 15 minutes Victor chanced a look at you and smiled wryly at how you had fallen asleep in his arms.

“Huh,” Victor rested kissed your forehead and then rested his head atop yours, “I love you just the way you are dummy.”

Lucien:

You had your window open, and Lucien just happened to have his open too, sue him, so he just happened to hear your strained conversation with your family. Although he couldn’t hear what they were saying to you, as it was a regular phone call, he could clearly hear the distress in both your words and tone.

You heard movement from next door, as you hung up the phone, and you walked to the balcony, wiping stray tears from your eyes, to see if Lucien was there as you didn’t want to be alone right now, but just as you reached the balcony and leaned out to call over to him, you heard the front door close, and with it your heart dropped.  

You sank to the floor, wrapping your arms around your knees, and continued to sob, the hand clutching your phone tightened around it, the feeling of loneliness spreading through your body and your chest tightened, and you struggled to breathe. However, you paused slightly hearing a firm knock on your door.

Wiping the tears from your eyes, you shuffled over to the front door, opening the door hesitantly you sniffed as a plastic bag was shook lightly in your face. You tilted your head confused, until it was lowered and the handsome face of your boyfriend was revealed.

Not wasting a single second, Lucien stepped into your apartment, and once he had closed the front door, he swept you clean off your feet. Holding you bridal style, Lucien cradled you carefully to his chest, as he walked further into the apartment and then sat you both on the couch. He swung the plastic bag into your lap, and you excitedly opened it finding various small tubs of your favourite ice cream flavours, and cans of your favourite teas and soft drinks.

You looked up at Lucien, about to voice your gratitude but Lucien shook his head, smiling gently as he watched your eyes become shiny with tears. He then pulled out one of the tubs of ice-cream, and handed it to you. Whilst you dug into the ice-cream, Lucien opened one of the cans, and the two of you sat in relative silence indulging in your sadness.

However, after a while you lowered your third ice-cream into your lap and to Lucien’s surprise, you started to sniff, tears rolling down your cheeks. He was a little lost but just drew you closer towards his chest, and rubbed his hand in circular motions on your back. You nuzzled your nose into his neck and continued to sniff.

“Thanks Lucien, I... I really needed this.” you smiled up at him, your bright eyes sparkling despite the tears still gathered in the corners of your eyes. Lucien kissed your forehead and relished in the fluttering of your eyelashes at the sign of affection.

“Silly girl, you’re supposed to tell me all your problems, and I promise we’ll fix them all together.” His soft voice whispered into your ear.  

You giggled, at how much Lucien was looking after you, and you gathered a small amount of ice-cream on the little plastic spoon provided in the tub, and brought it up to Lucien’s lips. Lucien furrowed his brows but when you bumped the spoon lightly on his lips, he gathered your meaning and allowed you to feed him to the sweet treat.  

You then alternating feeding yourself and him, and without prompting you decided to tell Lucien about the phone call and the subsequent context of it. Lucien offered short words so you knew he was giving you his complete attention, but he let you tell your story at your own pace, without interruption.

You then wrapped your arms around his neck your breath hitching, and Lucien hushed you as you tried to stop yourself from hyperventilating. He patted your back and hushed you gently, coaching you in breathing exercises until you were calm and breathing regularly. Having never been able to tell someone the full extent of the discord in your family, unloading it all in front of Lucien was an extremely cathartic experience for you, and Lucien’s heart softened knowing that you trusted him enough to tell him all this.

He then suggested the two of you spend the rest of the evening having an at-home date, and you heartily agreed. You then hopped up, and excitedly twirled into the kitchen already coming up with a menu for the two of you to cook together. Lucien, seeing your mood had significantly picked up, laughed quietly as he stood up, picked up your trash and then followed you into the kitchen glad you were much happier now than earlier.

Kiro:

You smiled dusting the coffee table, humming a tune to yourself as you tidied up the apartment before Kiro appeared to whisk you off on another grand adventure. Kiro had texted you earlier saying ‘Miss Chips, I’ve got the day off, so clear your schedule’. You giggled remembering the text, that was then followed with another filled with hearts and kissing emojis, and continued to straighten up the apartment. Before you heard a knock at the door, thinking it was Kiro, you grabbed your handbag and jacket, before heading to the door excitedly.  

The smile dropped from your face as your aunt, uncle and your cousin pushed past you, entering the apartment. You bit your lip and downcast your eyes, praying that Kiro didn’t appear whilst they were there. It wasn’t that you didn’t love your family, it’s just that this specific aunt and uncle were extremely disproving of you in general, and constantly compared you to their daughter, and she made it worse by her attitude looking down her nose at you.  

They looked around your apartment in disgust, and you were glad you at least cleaned the apartment before they arrived. You sat down, forming fists against your knees and simply sat with your head down, and listened as they proceeded to talk you down for 30 minutes. You shrank into yourself, and when they finally felt they had said everything they needed to say, they left, leaving you with the hurricane they left behind.  

It was just your luck that you heard the sound of a key turning in the lock, and then the face of your personal ball of sunshine poked in.  

“Alright Miss Chips, ready for our adven- hey, you okay there?” Kiro had started off his usual upbeat tone, but seeing your hunched form on the sofa he paused completely. He was quick to take off his shoes, hat and sunglasses, before padding softly over to you.  

You truly didn’t mean to but you flinched as you felt Kiro’s hand land on your shoulder, but bless his heart this didn’t drive him away but caused him to wrap his arm around your shoulders and lowered himself onto the sofa, he watched as you didn’t even react.  

Not liking to see his Miss Chips like this, Kiro’s eyes sparked with mischief and then he proceeded to smother you in affection, placing kisses all over your face in a ticklish fashion whilst his arms locked around you, preventing a quick escape.  

“There’s no escape, Superhero Kiro is here to save Miss Chips from the sadness monster.” Kiro was rewarded with a tinkling sound of your giggles to you struggled in vain to escape him, you continued to giggle as you turned around and threw your arms around his neck.

“I’ve caught you now Superhero Kiro, what will you do now!” you announced, and Kiro, feeling your figure start to tremble, returned the embrace and held you tightly.

“Miss Chips?” his voice was very soft, “how about we have our adventure inside today? Let me take care of you.” and in response you trembled more violently and started to cry.

Kiro continued to soothe you, singing softly to you as he rocked you from side to side, giving you your own personal serenade. When he felt that you were much calmer, he gently detangled you from him, interlacing your fingers and holding them between the two of you.  

“Are you okay? Tell me and let your own personal superhero deal with this.” Kiro winked at you, and you took a deep breathe before telling Kiro about the visit that had happened beforehand. Whenever he noticed you were struggling with the story, Kiro would ask you a question to show you that he cared and was willing to wait as long as need be for you to tell him your story.

When you were done, you ducked your head in shame that you had broken down in front of Kiro, but he also ducked his head, locking eyes with you and then he nuzzled his nose against yours. You smiled slightly, and Kiro proceeded to congratulate you earnestly on your bravery to tell him everything. Your smile grew at the praise and Kiro pulled you back into his chest, lying the two of you down of the couch, and you rubbed your face into the crook of his neck.  

Kiro chuckled, before shutting his eyes, “Let’s take a nap Miss Chips, naps fix everything.” you hummed in agreement wholeheartedly, and the two of you fell asleep with you locked in the safety of Kiro’s embrace.

Gavin:

Of all the boys, Gavin understands a rocky patch with family the best, after the tragic incident with his mother, the subsequent treatment of his father, and his now strained relationship with his brother. Gavin understood the importance of family, but also understood that sometimes family ties were strained.

So, when he received a phone call with you, late at night when he knew you had gone to a family dinner, he was a little confused. However, he picked up right away, being still at the precinct just about to finish his work shift and put down his paperwork remaining silent as he waited for you to respond to his greeting. A couple seconds passed by, and Gavin’s brows furrowed in confusion before he heard you gasp through the receiver.  

Choking through your tears, you tried to pretend you were okay asking Gavin about his day before his cut through your questions with a stern voice, “Where are you now Love, I’ll come get you.” you continued to brush him off, and muttering under his breath for you to forgive him, he tried again in a much harsher tone, a tone he mostly used at work and not if he could help it with you, “Where are you?”.  

You halted completely and Gavin started to wonder if he made the wrong decision, but you sniffled before giving Gavin the address of the local park. He told you to stay put, grabbing his jacket, and he would be there in 20 minutes. Quickly clocking out of his shift, he left the precinct and made his way to Sparky, putting on his helmet, starting the ignition and driving as fast as legally possible to the address you had given him.

Arriving at the park, Gavin found you sitting on the park bench and he was thankful that you sat in a well-lit area of the park where there was still decent foot traffic despite the hour. The second thing he noticed was the short sleeves of your top, even though it was still quite chilly in the evenings. Taking off his jacket he approached you gently, and to announce himself he wrapped you in his jacket and his arms, leaning over the back of the bench. You stiffened for a moment but once you recognised his clean scent and the jacket on your shoulders, you relaxed and placed your hand atop him forearm.

“You aren’t cold?” Gavin asked, releasing you, much to your protest, and sitting next to you on the bench, as he watched you shake your head softly, still not quite looking at him.  

He waited calmly for you to lift your eyes to his, but when he was certain you were actively avoiding his eyeline, he sighed deeply, “So... what did your family say to upset you?”, you head whipped up, startled and you watched Gavin’s side profile with wide eyes wondering how he had figured it out. He smiled wryly over at you, glad that you were finally looking at him, and that was the only answer you needed.

Turning your gaze back to the fists you made on your knees, you told Gavin all about the family dinner, trying and failing to keep to bitter tone out of your voice, and a few tears spilled from your eyes and dripped onto your hands. When you finally finished your recount of the evening, a warm hand covered your chilled one, a delightful shiver running up your back at the sensation.  

Gavin squeezed your hand, before you turned it over, and he grasped it firmly in his, your eyes travelled up his arm and when they finally landed on his face he smiled gently at you, before pulling you to your feet. He then helped feed your arms though his coat sleeves, nodding once you were bundled up to his likely, and he then led you back to Sparky, which was parked in a remote area of the park.

“Do you know what makes me feel better when I’m sad?” Gavin asked, and from the twinkle in his eye, you had a sneaking suspicion you knew. 

Squeezing his hand playfully, you let out a sharp intake of breath as Gavin yanked you hard so tumbled into his chest, and with one hand in yours and the other around your waist, the wind whipped around you before you were suddenly airborne.

Despite you having flown with Gavin many times before, the feeling of weightlessness as you took to the skies never failed to take your breath away, and Gavin revelled in how each and every time you flew, you would grip him a little tighter. As you became steady, you smiled, watching the lights of the city twinkle below you and the stars above shine above and around you.  

After a few minutes Gavin nuzzled his nose against yours, “You okay now Love?” and at your ascent, he then lowered you down into the ground. Once your feet were firmly settled on the ground, Gavin hummed a short tune softly, and proceeded to slow dance with you in the empty park.  

“Gavin...?” you spoke quietly as he handed you your helmet, and helped you strap it safely on your head.

Gavin hummed in response, “Thanks you really are my hero.” you admitted, wrapping your arms tightly around his waist from your seat behind him on Sparky, and nuzzled your helmeted head between his shoulder blades.

Gavin patted your hands in reply, “No trouble, you’re my family so let me protect you.”

[absolute-barbarism]

I’d really appreciate a short fic about, like, A n B were barely even friends but had known each other for a while. When A came down with a terrible flu and there wasn’t a frd of A available to be around and look after them. B was called to take this job half because they were told that A was really sick and half because B had always, a big, secret crush on A. Meanwhile they knew A was that kind of person who found it’s difficult to simply accept the help, the embarrassment was being expected..

i may have gotten carried away with this one

“You’re really going to A’s?” C asked in disbelief.

“Yeah,” B replied, packing their briefcase up for the day. “Someone’s got to bring them the latest manuscript. I don’t think they want to be behind when they come back to work.”

“You’re too kind for your own good, kid,” C leaned back in their chair with a grin and shook their head, scoffing. “Well. You’d better bring a bodyguard with you, then. You know how A can be.”

“I’ll...keep that in mind. Thank you,” B mumbled. “But really, I’m only going to hand over the ‘script and leave.”

It was a lie. After ringing A’s doorbell, B stood in front of their room and observed the sparsely decorated hall of their apartment while their heart beat out of their chest. They had no intention of bringing any more work to A while they were sick. It was overworking that had gotten them ill in the first place.

Word around the water cooler was that A had caught that flu bug that was going around, but although they and B weren’t really friends outside of work, B knew A long enough to know the sheer strength of their immune system. Three years of witnessing the bags under A’s eyes, the skipped lunch breaks, the endless hours of overtime, and not so much of a cold came of it. For them to have succumb to the flu, B surmised, they would have had to have been under even more severe amounts of pressure than normal.

B hadn’t realized they were staring sadly down at their shoes until the door opened. Instead of the greeting they practiced in their head a hundred times on the way, they let out a small, unready squeak.

“What are you doing here?”

A’s voice was soft. B felt their cheeks rush with heat. It was the flu, they told themselves, that probably damaged A’s throat and changed their voice a bit. They were partially right.

“I came to bring you this week’s manuscript. Er--No, wait--”

“You have the manuscript?”

“Uh--No, actually I don’t. I, uh...thought I did.”

“You thought you did?”

“No. I mean, yes, there is a manuscript, but I don’t have it with me.”

“So you...didn’t bring it?”

“Not exactly. I mean--” B cleared their throat awkwardly. A stared at them, not sure how to react. “I just came by to make sure you’re okay. If that’s, uh, okay.”

“Ah...” B thought A was making some sound of understanding, but as they leaned their forehead against the cool of the door frame, B noticed that they were just dizzy.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to confuse you--”

“No, it’s all right. Come in. I need to sit down.”

B entered their dingy one-bedroom without a word. It was only then that they noticed the savage toll A’s flu had taken on both them and their surroundings.

Sweat and the odor of unwashed dishes and laundry hung in the air over a floor B couldn’t even see under scattered blankets and garbage. Closer to A’s bed, B found themselves wading through a pool of papers, which they recognized as documents and drafts from their job. Under any other circumstances, B would be elated and nervous to be entering A’s residence for the first time. But like this, they could only feel pity. And slight disgust.

Without the strength to sit upright, A let their head dip over their knees, tangles of sheen-slick hair clinging to edges of their face.

“You can lie down,” B offered, then felt a wave of humiliation telling A they had the permission to lie down in their own home. “You probably should.”

A was surprisingly compliant. They closed their eyes, and for a split second B thought they had actually fallen asleep then and there when they murmured something B had to strain to hear.

“I’m perfectly fine. Is that all you wanted?”

It was B’s turn to stare at them.

“No offense,” they started, “...Okay, full offense. You’re room is filthy and you look like death.”

“‘Preciate it.”

“When’s the last time you ate anything?”

A let out a long, congested sigh. “This morning.”

“How many hours ago?”

“Two?”

“A, it’s 5:30. Do you even know what day it is?”

“It’s...a weekday.”

“Let me make you something to eat.”

To B’s advantage, A was too weak to argue. They turned their back to B and lazily pulled their sheets up over their shoulder, settling with a dissatisfied “mmph” when it slid back down to their bicep.

Just like that, they were out. And just like that B was left standing in the middle of A’s room with no clue what they’d gotten themselves into, and no clue what they should do next. It would be intrusive to go through A’s things, but A had kind of given the okay to do so when they agreed on B making something to eat, hadn’t they? Nodding their head without an ounce of self-confidence, B threw open A’s kitchenette cabinets.

They found nothing. Scratch that, they found ten packs of cup-noodles, but that was less than nothing. B took a step back, stumped. No ingredients, sparse cooking utensils...A was such a collected and commanding person at work, the kind you could go to with any problem and get the right answer. Learning that they kept their home no better than a college student was both surprising and exciting to B. They wondered how many other people got to know this about A. Then again, B doubted anyone else would consider it a privilege the same way they did.

There was just enough in A’s refrigerator for B to scrounge together something basic. As they waited for a pot of water to boil, they unthinkingly began to tidy up the garbage into trash bags, and the laundry at least into one hamper instead of all over the floor. They reached for one of A’s scattered papers and thought for a moment; even wracked with the flu, it was clear A was continuing to work themselves to death. B frowned as they gathered each paper into a neat little pile, then safely stowed them out of sight into one of A’s desk drawers, taking care not to peep at anything inside.

It took twenty minutes, but B had finally succeeded in cleaning up to a livable degree and preparing a small meal. There was just something nice about doing all of this for A, though they knew it wasn’t necessary at all. They went to wake A up, and found them with a rather pitiable expression.

A was sweating like rain, their chest rising and falling with intense labor as they tossed and turned. B didn’t have to feel to know their skin was burning to the touch; from their pallor alone, they looked to be on fire.

“Hey,” B whispered, shaking A’s shoulder. “Hey. Can you drink some water for me?”

A obliged as if on auto-pilot, blindly taking the water bottle B held out to them and guzzling it down. It took several moments for them to open their eyes, and when they did, they needed several more to process their surroundings.

“What did you do?” they choked, coughing feebly into their pillow. B felt a surge of anxiety; they really had gone too far after all, they should have just minded their business. Cleaning up someone else’s room was no doubt a weird thing to do.

“I just...thought I’d pick up a little. T-That’s all.”

“...You didn’t have to.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I wasn’t scolding you.” A sat up on their elbow, tiredly rubbing their eyes. They still felt like shit, but the disappearance of all that clutter had lifted their spirits a generous amount. It didn’t seem like B noticed that however, so they ruffled their hair with a sigh. “Lift your worrywart little head. I should be sorry for troubling you this much.”

“It’s no trouble, really,” B said. “Oh--food. Here,” They offered up an unspecial little bowl of rice with egg and green onion, and a pair of chopsticks. A took it graciously, soothed by the warmth of the ceramic. “You didn’t have a lot, so...”

“I know,” A sighed. “I wish I could tell you I don’t always live like this.”

“I wish you could too.”

A snorted. B was a shy kid, which was to be expected of their junior, but their dry humor was spot-on. Though A couldn’t taste anything thanks to their sinuses trying to drown them, it satiated them better than any meal they could recently remember. They handed the bowl back to B, who went to set it down in the sink. A noticed that the sink as well was empty--B had gone so far as to do their dishes for them. If their head wasn’t in such a fog, they would be amazed.

“You know, if you took a hot shower, it might make you feel better.”

“You’re not gonna help me bathe too.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Just messing with you.” A pinched the bridge of their nose, rolling the idea around in their head. They actually weren’t sure they could stand that long, but it had been days. Their sheets were starting to cling to their skin. “All right then. You going home?”

Damn it. B cursed themselves for their misstep. Of course, they did really want A to take a shower for their own health, but they couldn’t very well sit around in A’s place while they did. There was no reason to. 

They just...didn’t want to leave them like this.

“Y...Yeah. I should probably eat dinner myself, so...”

“Thank you. For everything,” A said. “I feel like the others have made me out to be some sort of deadline-obsessed demon.”

“Not at all,” B said, replaying in their mind what C told them in before they had left.

“But you came all this way for my sake. I really do appreciate it.”

B quietly nodded their head, flushed with modesty. Having A’s approval--no, their genuine gratitude was overwhelming.

“You promise you’ll be okay if I go?”

“Better than before you got here.”

“Alright,” B began to gather their things. “Um...Try to rest if you can, okay? And call me if you need anything. You have my LINE, so...”

“I’ll text you tomorrow to let you know how I am. Just keep this between you and me though, if you don’t mind.”

B nodded. They were just about to head out the door when A called out to them one more time, stopping them in their tracks.

“B?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, alright?”

B smiled, a gentle, warm smile free of his anxieties from before.They looked back at A, taking a step out the door.

“I will.”

[tisfan]

May I take Your Coat?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25288321 For @livewire28 

Bucky is a selkie, headed into the human world to find a potential mate. He has no intention of staying very long... until he does.

Wanda is closing up the tiki bar for the night and wishes this last-minute customer would hurry up and go... until she doesn't.

Inspired by several tumblr posts I’ve seen where the human offers the coat back after knocking it down, or whatever.

Bucky flopped up on shore, scratching his belly over the sand and wending his way up to the rocks. There was a cave there, long since used for such purpose. Human things were stored there, neat and tidy. If he was lucky, the rain barrel would be full and he could take a bit of a bath.

Long gone were the days that a half-dressed, scruffy stranger could walk into a seaside town and not immediately be run out by the local coppers. There were standards. He couldn’t look like a vagabond. 

Humans were weird.

Bucky made his way to the cave and then shrugged out of his coat.

It always took him a moment to find his land legs again, and he was glad enough that there weren’t people looking at him. Not even his own kind.

The cave was cool, and well laid out, the earthen floor long since cleared of stone and debris, flat and firm under his feet. A few human style chairs were set around a flat surface. Tabul, Bucky thought was the word, or close enough.

The rain barrel was full and he drew a few buckets into the tub to wash the salt smell from his skin, to scrub out his hair. Things they didn’t really worry about during their day to day lives.

He checked the gift box; trophies from past loves and gifts for new courted mates. Never stolen. Selkies weren’t thieves. Take one, leave one.

A fine string of black pearls, intermixed with a rose pearl every five beads. That should be well enough. Human women preferred jewelry, men preferred weapons. Or gold. There was some of that in the chest, too.

Bucky took his own offering, a handful of pirate treasure that he’d gotten from one of the wrecks nearby. The sea was hard on things from the land, aside from treasure. Eventually, someone would come, check the box. Gather up that which could be crafted. Everyone contributed because the system benefited everyone.

If you wanted a child, or a mate, you went through the cave.

Bucky found clothes there, sealed in a zip locked bag. He knew about those, too. Plastic. It filled the ocean, no matter how much the selkies tried to gather it up and toss it back on the shore. But it kept clothing dry and free from dirt and stains while waiting for someone else to be able to use it.

He dressed. Finger combed out his hair, gently untangling the strands. He looked well enough to pass for a local, he guessed.

Slinging his coat over his arm, Bucky put on loose-fitting shoes -- he hated shoes, all selkie hated shoes, but the humans got mad if you weren’t wearing them.

Stupid human rules.

But it was the only way to be sure.

If a selkie mated with another selkie, they could birth seal pups, which was tolerable, or a selkie, which was ideal. Or a human child, which was not ideal at all. 

Humans no longer looked at a child left on the beach or the docks as a blessing. The child would end up in the human foster care, sometimes adopted out, sometimes neglected, but often taken far away from the sea, too far for their parent to find them, so they would never know… until some years, or even generations later, when they had their own child.

Who might be a selkie.

But any selkie who took a human as their mate, the child would be selkie.

For the women, it was easier; come ashore, spend a few days with a relatively tolerable human, come home and have the baby. The only time that went wrong was if the human found and stole the selkie’s coat.

For men-- 

Well, there were a few options. Selkies weren’t thieves.

But the cost of a child was high; the cost of living a half-life among humans was high.

Many selkie men chose to raise a child not of their blood, help provide for a child with a selkie mate, adopt the offspring.

It wasn’t a bad plan, not really.

But Bucky wanted his own child.

Was that too much to ask?

*

Wanda sighed as the man walked into her bar. There was no dress code, aside from yes, please wear clothes. It was a beach bar, tiki themed and tacky, but it meant no one expected the floor to be swept. It was almost closing time, though, and she’d already shooed the rest of the locals and tourists out.

“It’s already last call,” she said. “I can get you one drink, and anything that’s left cooked in the kitchen, but that’s all.”

“That will be well enough,” the man said, and he was beautiful, really. Dark, windswept hair that looked like he’d been swimming most of the day. Blue eyes, cleft chin. Cheekbones that would worry the TSA, they were that sharp.

The clothes, not so much. A tourist tee from one of the shops up on the strip and ugly shorts with pineapples on them. Sandals, which wasn’t typical. But he carried a brown silk sport coat tucked over his arm. Gorgeous, almost golden. Glittery, reflecting back the light from the imitation tiki torches. The shop owner didn’t like smoke from real torches, so they had ugly fake electric things. And light up palm trees. It was tacky as shit.

Which meant, at least, her customer mostly matched the decor.

She wished she didn’t have to work the night shift -- she was always cranky during the evening -- but school was in the morning. One of these days, she was just going to collapse. Trying to do two full time gigs, and her side-hustle where she consulted for people doing gardening and helped them lay out and select plants. She barely got any time to breathe. Certainly relaxing was all the way out of the question.

Which didn’t make her the best host to a customer coming in to eat a plate of cold fries and drink a beer.

“Long day in the sun?”

“Something like that,” the man said, sitting down at the bar, moving gingerly. He didn’t look sunburned. Maybe he was just sore. Too much swimming.

“Well, we’re closing soon, so you enjoy your food. Yell if you need something, but I gotta start clean up. I was supposed to have help today, but both the other girls called out,” she said.

“Is there anything I can do to assist?”

Wanda didn’t quite scoff. Like a tourist would want to help do the dishes or put the stools up. “It’s just basic stuff. Put the seats up on the table, rake the floor for trash, empty--”

The man got up, drained his beer, and Wanda half expected him to leave without paying, saying he was going to leave a bad review and would be back to talk to the manager, because honestly that was what she was used to. Tourists were people with money, and most of the time, they were entitled pricks.

Instead, he wiped his mouth on the back of his arm, and then-- got to work putting up the stools.

“Thank you,” Wanda said. She probably shouldn’t let him help; Thaddeus Ross, her boss, would not be pleased with her if something happened to the man. Or even if he complained-- or if someone else complained. But she was so tired, really, what could it hurt, just this once? “My name’s Wanda.”

“Bucky,” the man said.

“Thanks, Bucky,” she said. “If you can do that, I’ll get the kitchen shut down, then take out the trash.”

“Will do, Wanda,” he said, and he stressed her name, like a caress.

She suppressed a shiver, headed into the kitchen. She didn’t have time or energy to worry about some guy.

Loaded the dishes into the industrial washer and started it. Sometimes she wished she had one of those at home. Once the dishes were in the rack, it took about four minutes to clean them. She had to be careful unloading because the dishes would be hot as hell, but it was nice.

And then she’d look at the space it needed and the cost and decide if she needed a plate in four minutes, she could just wash it in the sink.

By the time Wanda came back out to wipe down the bar, Bucky had put all the chairs up except the one he had been using, stacked all the trash bags by the door, and was raking the floor to get up all the random cigarette butts, spare change, and cruft that gathered around the tiki bar.

“Wow,” she said. “Nice job.” She took his plate back into the kitchen and left it by the washer. There was no point unloading the whole thing to wash one plate. Opening shift could get it tomorrow. “Here--” she snagged his jacket, flipped up the last stool, and then offered it to him. “Thanks for your help.”

Bucky reached out his hand tentatively for the jacket, as if he were shocked that she’d touched it. Or given it back. Or something. She couldn’t help petting it. The material was so soft.

But when he reached for it, his fingers brushing the fabric, a jolt of heat, of desire, of-- something passed from her to him and back.

“You-- want to go to one of the all night pancake houses up the way and buy a girl a cup of coffee?” her mouth said before her brain engaged. She never asked anyone on a date, even if she was interested. 

“Yes,” Bucky said, and his voice was husky and seductive. “I would like that very much, I think.”

[irrelevantwriter]

Dinner For One, Dessert For Two

Pairing: Chief Jim Hopper x Female Reader/You

Rating: Explicit, NSFW

Warnings: Language, pettiness of the highest form, poor seduction skills by the reader, unprotected vaginal sex, mentions of bodily fluids, female ejaculation, power/title kink, grumpy Hopper

Word Count: 3.6K 

Summary: You make good on your promise to get Jim back, but you may have taken it a bit too far.

A/N: Gather round! It’s a sequel to Noise Complaint. I got inspired to follow this one up and it went a lot fluffier than I imagined, but I’m here for it. I’m working on some more dom!Hopper stuff so I guess I needed a break from the tension ;) ;). I would advise reading Noise Complaint before this one because there is some context needed in order to understand this one. I hope you guys like it and let me know what you think. Enjoy and share with your friends!

Sidenote: Apparently I’m a real whore for the Hopper-denim combo. No ragrats.

*Read Noise Complaint Here

*Masterlist in bio.

**********************

“You wanna actually get some of those chips in your mouth and not on your shirt, Magnum?”

 Jim’s head turned to you on the couch, his eyes squinting at your teasing. He looked down at his crumb-laden shirt and brushed the food off in one swoop. He was pouting in his recliner, stewing in silence at your earlier idea of revenge.

 After your little incident back at the station, you’d skipped out on lunch, too embarrassed to stay and eat. You came home and unpacked your things, all the while thinking of how you could get Jim back. You’d left his office in a hurry, a threat falling from your lips of what was to come. You hadn’t had any idea what that could mean until El had arrived home with Max in tow.

 The girls were excited to see you back from your trip, both of them insisting Jim was even more of a grump in your absence. You’d laughed and caught up with them, while also pulling out the small gifts you’d brought back for them while you’d been away. The girls had gotten close over the summer and you’d been pleased with the transition, happy to see El connecting with another girl. They’d been wanting to have a sleepover at Max’s, as had become the usual these days. You agreed and realized the situation worked to your advantage.

 A plan began to form.

So you’d helped El pack a bag and gave her some cash for the arcade with the promise that she would call tonight before they went to bed. The girls took off in a fit of giggles, no doubt rushing to meet the boys.

 With them gone, you tidied up and decided to cook dinner. You decided to add insult to injury and make Jim’s favorite: sirloin steak with mashed potatoes, green beans, and corn bread. But you’d only make one steak. You knew he’d be upset, pissed that you’d go so far as to not feed him, but then you thought back on the humiliation you felt and you surged ahead.

 When six-thirty finally came, you’d just sat down to eat when you heard the squeal of tires on the grovel outside. Jim was home.

 Loud footsteps clamored up the steps, his heavy gait making you smile briefly. You really did love the man.

 The door swung open as his form took up so much of the small cabin. He eyed you carefully, but as soon as his nose caught whiff of the delicious aromas from the kitchen, he smiled. He obviously thought everything had been forgiven. He was wrong.

 “Hey baby, something smells amazing.” He praised as he walked towards you seated at the small dining table.

 You looked up at him briefly before continuing your task of cutting your steak. You heard Jim sigh, realizing he still had some groveling to do. The man had no idea.

 He didn’t say anything else until he moved to the kitchen and readied himself to make a plate. He would only find the sides without the main dish, a true tragedy in his eyes. You heard him moving dishes around and opening then closing the fridge, then the oven. The microwave was next. Nothing. You even saw him check the trash. You smirked at that.

 “Babe,” He finally called. He was behind you, no doubt still searching for his dinner. You only hummed in response as you chewed on a piece of seasoned meat.

 “Where’s my steak?” His tone was gentle and polite, already aware that he was treading on thin ice.

 You swallowed and took a long pull from your beer before answering. “Only made one.” You quipped simply, silverware clattering against the dish as you ate.

 You could feel the heat of his stare at the back of your neck and it wasn’t bred from desire. This was annoyance mixed with anger. You knew Jim well enough to know that he’d be steaming mad at the idea of you purposefully skimping him of his dinner.

 “Why did you do that?” The aggravation was apparent in his question, but you could still hear the control he struggled to maintain. Again your lip quirked up into a victorious smirk.

 “I don’t know. Didn’t feel like cooking two.” You tortured him by giving a response he’d gotten so used to hearing from El as a budding teenager…I don’t know. He hated those words. And you used that hate against him.

 Jim sighed once again, though it was harsher than before. “Didn’t feel like it?” He parroted back irritably.

 “I’m not your chef, Jim. I was traveling today, and then I came home and cleaned up. I’m tired.” You bit back, not bothering to hide the annoyance in your voice either. You hadn’t meant to say those things, but they were true and you were slowly becoming more furious at the thought of him being so furious with you. Unfair you knew, but it was happening all the same.

 “Yeah, you’re right.” He amended, though he still sounded agitated. You heard him moving around as he made himself a plate. He went to grab a beer from the fridge, but soon realized you’d taken the last cold one and instead had to settle for a warm can that sat on the counter. The new case of beer had yet to be refrigerated and normally, being the thoughtful partner that you were, you’d have them in the icebox all cool and crisp for Jim after work. But not today.

 He sat down with a heaviness and grunt that let you know he was feeling the sting of your actions. You could feel his icy glare on you as you inhaled your food, licking your fingers to drive the point home to him. He cracked open his beer and attempted to eat the mashed potatoes and green beans. The food was still food, and it was fucking delicious if you did say so yourself. So Jim wasn’t losing out completely. He’d live.

 “Where’s El?” He finally asked, fork scraping up more of the buttered green beans.

 “She went to Max’s for a sleepover. She said she’d call later tonight.”

 “Hmm,” He hummed in acknowledgment. He’d become used to the idea of his daughter being gone from his watchful eye, though she still had to check-in regularly to appease his overprotectiveness.

 The remainder of your dinner was spent in silence. You ate, feeling appropriately satiated from you dinner while Jim looked on longingly. He had two helpings of sides, trying to supplement the loss of his hearty steak. He’d also had another warm beer after cursing himself for not putting the case in the fridge. You’d finished before him, cleaning your dishes and putting away any food that remained while he still sat at the table. The air of the cabin was tense, a lot more tense than you’d anticipated. But again you forged ahead, intent to teach Jim a lesson.

 It was what brought you to your current position, curled up on the couch while watching Magnum P.I. You’d poked fun of Jim’s angry eating, tired of sitting in heated silence. It’d only been two hours since dinner, but Jim was going full throttle on a bag of chips and jar of salsa. The vegetables did little to satisfy his hunger. You’d already showered and changed for bed, your sleep attire an old flannel shirt of your brooding boyfriend’s.

 You pulled at an errant piece of fuzz on your long socks, your feet having gotten cold an hour earlier. Jim had been throwing glares at the television all night, making it hard for you to concentrate on the shows.

 You belatedly admitted that things probably got out of hand. You hadn’t meant for the rigidity to bleed into the rest of the night. But both of you were stubborn, and you were both paying for it. When Jim didn’t respond or lash out at your teasing, you knew you had to take a different approach.

 Before you could, the phone rang from the table beside him. He reached over and answered it gruffly, brows still furrowed in petulance.

 You watched as his face instantly softened and his voice smoothed out considerably, the changes quickly giving you an idea of who he was talking to. You studied him closely, feeling the warmth in your chest expand at hearing him laugh while talking to his daughter. The interaction, like most between the two, made your love for the man swell. As well as your arousal.

 “Yeah, she’s here.” Jim looked at you, eyes back to sending glares. You met his gaze and smiled when he continued. “I’ll tell her. Love you too. Night.”

 “El said she loved you and goodnight.”

 Your heart soared at the words, the emotion always catching you off guard.

 He hung up the phone with a loud clatter, his actions harsh and aggressive. That was one of the things that had initially attracted you to him…his brutish ways. It was surprisingly refreshing and endearing. The idea sounded backwards, but it worked because at the core Jim was a kind and gentle soul. And his ability to make you feel like a woman was something you hadn’t found in any other partner. The man made you feel loved, appreciated. Which was why you were realizing that this whole thing was stupid.

 You stood from your spot on the couch as Jim closed the bag of chips and moved them and the salsa to the side table. He brushed off the crumbs again, the gesture making you smile. You discreetly undid another button on your (his) shirt and then stretched, arms reaching to the ceiling as the hem of said shirt rose on your thighs. You could feel his gaze on you instantly. It was still a glare, but an interested one.

 You stepped towards him, making it seem as if you were going to pass him and head to the bedroom. You stopped near his reclined legs, fingers idly caressing his own socked feet. He’d changed into jeans and a short sleeved khaki shirt. You loved seeing him in his uniform, but there was also something about seeing him so dressed down and casual with you. And the tight-fitting jeans didn’t hurt either.

 “You want dessert?” You asked softly, eyebrow arched in a silent truce.

 He eyed suspiciously, not trusting your suggestion. “Did you make some for yourself?” He bit back with a scoff.

 You grinned at his juvenile response, but continued on. “Ice cream. Strawberry. Your favorite.” You offered enticingly. He shifted in his chair when you licked your lips and ran a fingertip up the sole of his foot. Confusion was plastered on his features, your sudden mood change making him pause. He was obviously waiting for a catch. There wasn’t one.

 “Sure?” He extended the word so that it sounded more like a question than an answer, but you accepted it and went to the kitchen.

 On the television, Miami Vice started to play. You smiled to yourself at the thought of El watching her beloved show at Max’s. You suspected she had a crush on Don Johnson, though you definitely couldn’t blame her.

 You scooped the sticky pink dessert into one bowl instead of two and fished out a spoon from the drawer. You walked back to Jim, who was still looking bewildered in front of the TV. You stole a quick bite of the cold treat, eyes holding Jim’s as you did. A large drop didn’t make it past your lips and instead landed between your breasts.

 Bullseye.

 You made a show of sighing at your own incompetence and pushed the two halves of the shirt aside, exposing the center of your chest. Your nipples were still shielded from view, but the illusion was there. You swiped at the ice cream with your finger and pulled the digit into your mouth, sucking the appendage clean. You kept your gaze on Jim the entire time, inwardly cheering at the way he gulped and moved his hips against the chair.

 You scooped another bite into your mouth but kept the spoon held between your lips. You were really playing up the whole oral fixation thing. It appeared to be working. Jim’s eyes were centered there, his own lips hanging slightly agape. His face was still scrunched in bewilderment, but the tell-tale signs of arousal were already there.

 You shoveled more ice cream on the spoon and held it out to him. “Want some?” You asked as innocently as you could muster.

 He cleared his throat, blue orbs observing you like the cop that he was. “You didn’t get a bowl?”

 “Nope.”

 “Why?”

 “Because I didn’t want one.”

 “But you’re eating mine?”

 You sighed, not liking that your new plan of seduction wasn’t working against Jim’s incessant questions.

 “Do me a favor.” You tried, hoping this new direction would move things along. You sat the bowl next to the chips, freeing your hands.

 “What?” He asked skeptically. He was looking at you as if you were about to punch him right in the dick. You tried hard not to laugh at the thought.

 “Shut up.”

 You didn’t give him a chance to reply before you’d crawled into his lap, nearly sending the chair backwards. You settled your crotch into his lap and pressed down, done with the games. Jim’s hands instinctually went to your hips, his grip firm. He was caught off guard, mouth moving but nothing coming out. You attacked his lips with your own, hands curling into his shirt. He responded to your kiss, mouth opening and tongue welcoming as you let him taste his favorite flavor on you.

 You pulled away when breathing became an issue, but attached yourself to his neck. You rubbed yourself against his lap, a wildness over taking you. Something had done it for you. Or maybe it was a combination of things. Jim’s coolness towards you, his love for his daughter, his love for you, his undomesticated nature. Or hell…maybe it was just the goddamn jeans. Either way, you wanted him to fuck you.

 “What’re you doing?” He asked breathlessly, hands massaging your ass hungrily as he struggled to keep up.

 “Trying to fuck you.” You replied, slightly exasperated by his refusal to go along with your actions.

 You rubbed yourself against him again, emphasizing your intentions. His hands tried to halt your hips, but you licked at his neck, knowing what that did to him.

 “Weren’t you mad at me like, an hour ago?” He questioned through gritted teeth, eyes closed in overwhelming lust.

 You pulled back, hands going to the button and zipper of his jeans. You had the denim unfastened in record speed. You pulled him out, the thickness of him always taking you by surprise. He was solid and warm, the flesh practically pulsing in your hand.

 “Are you complaining, Chief?” You whispered against his lips. Jim had a real kink with being called Chief. You happened to get off on indulging that for him. It was a win-win for you both.

 “Fuck, no.”

 His lips seized yours, the passion finally taking over. His hands tore at your shirt, the buttons flying off in response. He devoured you. Just like you’d wanted. You shifted to your knees, angling yourself over his cock. You rocked against him, letting him feel how badly you needed him. He slid against you easily, his head catching on your clit with every upstroke. He dug his fingers into your ass and bit at your nipple. You took that as your cue and seated yourself on him.

 “Mmmm, yes…” You hummed out, your body instantly recognizing the intruder and welcoming them in. Your walls molded around his cock, encouraging him in further.

 Jim thrust up harshly, not giving you a chance to get comfortable. You whimpered, but set a quick pace. You bounced on his cock, the old recliner squeaking beneath you. His hands aided your movements, his mouth connecting to your breasts. It was animalistic…the needy desire making you forget about previous times together filled with love. This was about fucking. This was about getting off. This was about fucking and getting off to Jim Hopper.

 “Shit…squeeze me, baby.” He demanded as a calloused finger began teasing your clit.

 You did as he requested, squeezing your internal muscles around him. His eyes practically crossed at the action, your body sucking him in without mercy.

 “Goddamn, that feels good.” He groaned, head thrown back in ecstasy.

 You tried hard to keep your rhythm, raising your hips so that he was almost all the way out before slamming back down again. Jim leaned back further into the chair, his reclined position allowing you to maneuver better. You propped yourself on his chest, swallowing his cock with ravenous greed. The slight difference in angle made you tense, his cock hitting deep and aggressive.

 “I’m gonna cum.” You whimpered, pushing your chest into his waiting mouth and hands. You could feel that foreign tingle start to radiate throughout your entire body, the sensation one you’d only felt a few times before. Jim could feel it too because he encouraged it, ready for what was going to happen.

 “Get me all wet, baby. Lemme feel it.”

 You whined as his finger became more forceful on your clit, pulling the orgasm from you. Your limbs locked up as you dug your nails into his scalp, the tide beginning to take you under. Your eyes squeezed shut as warmth flooded Jim’s cock, your pussy releasing like a valve that’d been locked under too much pressure. You slid against him easier, the bout of moisture making him almost slip from your depths. Your release coated both of you, running between your bodies to collect on Jim’s denim.

 You sailed into the clouds, all sense of the solid world gone. It was a high that had you coming back for more, the fix never satiating the constant craving that lived inside of you. You imagined it was your deep love for the man that made it feel so powerful and all-consuming. Nothing had ever matched in intensity. Nothing ever would.

 You’d barely recovered from your aftershocks before he was chasing his own end. He took the reigns as he fucked up into you, the sound of his cock impaling your sodden opening sounding crude and pornographic in the otherwise silent cabin. He held you above him as he thrust into you wildly, face contorted into crushing determination. He was spilling himself into you before you’d caught your breath, his motions nearly knocking the wind out of you.

 “Fuck…”

 Jim anchored you to him, giving you little choice in the matter as he filled you. His release mixed with yours, creating an elixir you were far too addicted to. Your whole body felt warm, your limbs tingled, your mind went blank. The only thing you could focus on was the man beneath you. The man who's touch seared your body. The man who could read your body like a roadmap, predicting turns before they’d even occurred.

 The air settled around you, your bodies slipping into a lethargy that never failed to pull you both under. You both struggled to settle your hearts and breathing, the post coitus adrenaline entrapping you and him in its grasp. The silence that surrounded you suddenly felt too pressing and you knew you had amends to make.

 “I’m sorry.” You mumbled against his chest, your ear catching the vibrations of his fast-beating heart.

 “For what?” He asked, hands stroking your back. The open shirt had shifted down your body, only hanging on at your elbows.

 You shivered at his touch, burrowing further into his warmth and sturdiness. You still had him sheathed inside of you, his cock softening but refusing to slip out.

 “Dinner. I didn’t mean for it to go that far.”

 He chuckled under you, your body moving with his. The sound made you smile, your insides feeling warm for an entirely different reason.

 “S’okay. I deserved it. I wasn’t very understanding about this afternoon.”

 You inhaled his scent: faded cologne, cigarettes, and something that was just Jim. Your fingers caressed his chest, playing with the open collar of his shirt.

 “Flo was completely unbothered, by the way. Says she’s old enough to have heard worse.” He continued, his comment making you giggle.

 “Still mortifying. She probably thinks we’re a couple of horny teenagers.”

 “Well, aren’t we?” He asked with a laugh, arms extended to showcase your current situation.

 You met his eyes, chin propped on his chest. You smoothed down his mustache, butterflies swarming your stomach at the way he kissed your fingertips.

 “I love you.”

 His face softened and his eyes warmed into yours, the statement pleasing him immensely. Jim was a stranger to feelings and he was working on being better. You liked to remind him just how good they could be. Declaring your love was a good place to start.

 “I love you.” He mirrored back, his hand caressing your cheek with genuine affection.

 Your eyes caught the half-melted bowl of ice cream on the table and reached for it, bodies still intimately connected. You held a spoonful of frozen strawberry to his lips, amused at the way his eyes crinkled at the sides when he smiled.

 “Truce?” You asked hopefully, dangling the ice cream at his lips.

 He leaned forward and took the offered spoon, remnants of strawberry sticking to his whiskers. He patted your ass, taking the opportunity to cop a squeeze as you wiggled on top of him. 

You caught his lips, tasting the stickiness there. He winked down at you when you pulled away, his hands continuing to wander.

 “Truce.”