#but!! i did eat three (small) meals yesterday!!

[eldritchmochi]

i will say that going on an accidental water fast did great things for my ability to eat solid food again but also its been like four months since i could eat like a regular person so i keep spending too many hours feeling like absolute dogshit before i realize maybe i should eat something because a singular ensure is not enough

[misstycloud]

Love on a loop

What the hell do you do when you can’t seem to break up, no matter what you do?

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You stared blankly at him, a hundred questions ran through your head all at once. On the inside, you were panicking. You had experinced a range of emotions in just a span of a few hours; pain, regret, sadness, anger and great confusion.

All this happened while he, you boyfriend, simply looked at you with an unsure smile. He tilted his head and asked with a slight chuckle, “Are you okay?” When you didn’t answer, he decided to return to his previous question, of which you didn’t respond to either. “Ehm, do you want one egg or two? We only have three right now, but you can have the two, since I feel bad about always eating all the eggs.” He laughed.

You finally decided to speak. Your voice wavered a bit when you inquired, “What are you doing here?”

Your boyfriend paused his happy expression, and frowned. He glanced around as if he didn’t know what to do with himself. “I live here? Or have you gotten a mysterious case of amnesia?” He joked.

“No, you don’t- not anymore.” Your emotions turned to annoyance, and it was evident in your tone how displeased you were with him.

The irritation in your tone gave away that you really were angry at him and that it was not a silly attempt to be funny. What you could be upset about, he had no clue. He searched in his mind for anything he could’ve done to land him in the dog-house, but found it empty. There was nothing he could think of that would start a fight.

Your boyfriend switched off the stove and gave you his full attention. He asked in genuine bewilderment, “Love, is everything alright? Have I done something to make you mad at me- although, considering you liked me yesterday, I frankly can’t imagine how I could’ve fucked up so fast.”

Your mouth fell open. The audacity! “What are you doing? Why are you back here? I don’t get what you’re playing at but it is not funny. I just- what??” You pointed towards the door. “Get out!” You didn’t like to shout, however, this situation demanded some force, whether it was pleasant or not.

It was evident on his face that your yelling had hurt him. That sad, hopeless expression always made you melt in the beginning of your relationship. Everytime you would fight, he would put it on full display and immediately after you’d feel bad and apologise for whatever the fight was about. He stayed quiet as he untied the apron around his waist and hung it on a chair.

“Hey….I don’t know what this is about- seriously, I don’t! But you need to tell me if somethings wrong, I can’t help fixing it otherwise.” He held his arms up in surrender and began approaching you.

“No, don’t come closer, you need to go! Get out.”

“Love, I’m gonna hug you now. Is that okay?” He continued his advance. The way he spoke to you reminded you of someone trying to soothe a frightened animal; yes, you were freaking out- because of him! He was the one acting weird.

You backed up against the wall. “I don’t want your hugs- no, don’t touch me!” You felt a shiver down your spine as the familiar embrace surrounded you.

Your attempts to pull away proved fruitless, his grip was like iron chains. There was no way you could get free. Still, your small tugs continued even after you’d exhausted all of your strength. Your boyfriend stroked you hair, undoubtedly to calm you down. It was meant to be comforting, but the only thing you felt was uneasiness.

This was crazy. You had no idea what was going on. You were absolutely certain that the two of you broke things off for good yesterday.

You’d waited for him to come home that day, which he did, all happy of course; now he was able to see you. You had decided to cook his favourite meal in preparation to soften the blow. It was unlikely it would do anything to help, but it was worth trying anyway. You recalled how his mood turned from happy to totally elated. He chuckled and asked if there was any special occasion(it was, although not in the way he wanted).

You say him down and let him eat himself half-full before you broke the news to him: you were planning on leaving him. He took it surprisingly well compared to the expected reaction. Of course, there was the crying and self-blame, but after that he seemed to accept your decision with a sniffle. He was kind enough to let you have the apartment, he insisted even as you said that there was no need to concern about it yet and you could decide later on. He packed his essentials in a bag and threw the rest of his belongings into boxes and moved out the same evening. Again, you explained he didn’t have to but he said it was fine; he wanted to be out of your hair as fast as possible.

He seemed fine. There was no yelling at you and no big storm that came. So you let him leave(to a friends place, he said) and after a couple drink, you went to bed. The day had stressed you out to the point of exhaustion.

So why was your ex back in your apartment, and why did everything look the same like before, it’s as if yesterday never happened. Because, it did…right?

“It’s alright, sweetie. You’re safe, I’m here to protect you so don’t be scared.” He let go of you just enough to look up at him. “Mind telling me what got you freaked out this morning?”

“Yes: YOU.” Sending him a furious scowl, you said, “You are what’s got me so freaked out. Mind telling me why you are back?”

His expression was mixed with dejection and confusion. “I’m sorry. I really don’t understand what you mean.”

“Don’t play fucking dumb. We broke up. You moved out. Explain why you’re here and why-“ you gestured around the apartment “- did you put up all your things again? We are over, you need to accept that and move on.”

You wouldn’t call yourself a mind reader, however, it was easy to see that your eruption shocked him and sent his mind into a downwards spiral.

He spoke with urgency. “What? Broke up? Why would we do that? I don’t-“ he looked away and inhaled deeply. “I would never leave you.” Staring into your eyes, he asked in a quivering voice, “Are you not happy with me, is that it? Please, make me understand.”

“We already had this conversation-“

“When?” He interuppted you.

“Yesterday!”

He shook his head. “I think I would remember an important conversation like this. Are you sure it wasn’t a dream?”

You gaped at him. “It wasn’t a dream- I would know if it was. It was real and it happened. You are playing me, because what? Because I told you the truth that this is not healthy? This is not what a relationship should be like.”

“How is this not a good relationship? I love you and you love me. Is anything more needed?”

Your boyfriend could seemingly not honestly comprehend your point.

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “A relationship can’t be when two partners are so dependant on each other- like we are. We need other people too, it can’t be just us forever. Like, my friends don’t even bother to invite me to stuff anymore because I’ve always had to say ‘no’ because I’m constantly doing something with you. Can’t you see, I’m spending every waking moment with you? Hell, I barely talk to my family anymore.”

“I’m fine with only being with you. I don’t care about seeing anyone else, you’re all that matter to me. I don’t need other- is it not the same for you?” You noticed the tears brimming his eyes.

Sighing, you let yourself be honest. “No. It’s not enough for me. I’m sorry, but I can’t let my entire life be ruled and centered around you.”

The air was still around you. It was quiet. While you’d previously desired him to shut up, now you found yourself willing to do anything to make him say something. Finally, he spoke.

“Oh, wow. Okay.” His attention was focused on the floor. “I-I’m sorry, Love, I had no idea you felt that way. I didn’t mean for you to- you know.”

“It’s fine. I know you didn’t mean for me to feel bad. And besides, it’s partly my fault too. I can’t put all the blame on you.”

You ex tried attempted a little laugh, it came out forced and not at all smooth like he’d imagined. “I dunno what kind of dream you had, but maybe it was a sign- for us to…move on and stuff- I’m not mad though, I want you to understand that.

“Yeah.”

“Ooof, I guess that it’s also a sign for me to move out?”

You nodded. He was obviously depressed, however, he still tried smiling for you. You supposed he didn’t want you to feel bad. Within two hours he was ready to go. He sure was a fast packer when he wanted to.

Just like in your dream, you told him he didn’t need to move out directly, and similarly, he also said it was no bother. After he went, you breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on your (formerly shared) bed.

It went well, didn’t it? You thought.

He agreed to break up without any fight. It was good. You could relax. You closed your eyes and let sleep come to you.

What you weren’t prepared for was to be awoken by the smell of cooking. You groaned and rolled out of bed. Checking the clock you saw that it was still a little early. You followed the noise to the kitchen.

“Hey, I was just about to wake you up. Do you want one egg or two?”

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This fic didn’t really turn out exactly like I wanted to. Sorry if it seemed a little rushed at the end. Hope it’s still acceptable tho

[anadiasmount]

hey love! could you write a blurb about jude being mad at you and not talking to you and you make it up to him and he knows he cant stay mad so he forgives you and you cry and hes all like "dont cry bby" something super fluffy

hi hi hi!! here you go lovely! 🤍 i think i would cry the minute he starts ignoring me… 😟💔

| masterlist | jude's masterlist

you rolled your eyes and walked away from jude who scrolled through his phone quietly and undisturbed. he had been ignoring you since last night when you had accidentally forgotten to remind him you had plans. they were made super quick so he was left dumb founded when you were out and instead at home with him.

you texted him prior before you left and you guess he had not read that. jude was being cold, ignoring your hugs or attempts of kisses. last night when you got home all he could do was turn and face the door and didn't even utter a good night. you tried to make his favorite cookies but he looked at them and went to training. he hadn't said a word since the day before.

jude was chatty, sometimes you would lose focus on what he was saying because he went from one story to another in a span of seconds. it began to irritate you when he wasn't speaking, not answering texts, calls, and even questions you asked. he simply felt like a stranger.

you got up early to make him breakfast, even a small snack so he could have it after training. filled his training bag with clean clothes and his extra pair of boots, and his water bottle. he didn't even thank you, walking away and into the taxi to the training center.

it bothered you the entire day how distant and immature he was being. jude was the type to check in, so glancing at your phone every minute that passed also didn't help. he should be able to talk it out instead of acting like a jerk. you cursed at him silently in your head, pinching the bridge of your nose before returning back to your tasks.

on the way back home, you picked up his favorite meal from the grocery store, getting all his favorite snacks and drinks he would eat around the house. you got a deck of cards and a new board game to try out. you wanted to make it up to him, any way possible.

jude continued to ignore you throughout the evening, making you start feel uneasy and guilty for a small mistake you committed. part of you also still felt angry because he would even bother to answer anything or the fact he was in his own world making you feel like an outcast. your eyes burned with tears as you heard him walk upstairs, choking back a sob as all you wanted was to be held by him.

jude upstairs was also beginning to feel he dragged it out to much. a feeling in his chest when he remembered how defeated you looked as he came up to your bedroom. he wanted you to feel like he felt yesterday, but he could see it wasn’t the same for you. jude had to resist the urge to tell you about his day, the thank you’s for making him food and cookies, for going above and beyond all day so he could lay attention to you.

a plastic wrapping caught jude’s eyesight after an hour passed. you still hadn’t come up and he was afraid you wouldn’t because of how he acted. he was overreacting he knew it, but also he felt disappointed and upset at the fact you clearly forgot to tell him about your plans till last minute.

“what the?” jude asked himself as he approached the wrapping. he uncovered it being faced with a cartoon drawing similar to those they did at fair of the two of you. next to it was a small minion holding a small box of box of hershey kisses and a hand written note by you.

ilysm my little minion (jude) 🖤

- y/n 💋

he laughed feeling the guilt in his chest as he stared at the three pieces you got him yesterday while you were out. you always thought of him, like jude always thought about you. he grabbed the three items and headed downstairs where he saw you watching a movie, covered with a knitted blanket and laying on your side.

you yawned slowly drifting in and out of sleep, your body feeling as it sinked into the couch and would never come back up. you listened to jude as he paced around, your heart racing when he began approaching you. you continued to stare out into the tv, tears brimming your eyes again as you felt the need to apologize.

jude sat by your legs, looking directly at you not being able to hold it in any longer, “y/n? don’t cry baby…” jude said gently grabbing your arm and helping you pull yourself up into his arms. you let out struggles of scattered breaths and sobs, holding him tightly against your front and on his lap.

jude ran his hand on your back, soothing your choked sobs and whines. “i’m sorry y/n, i was being immature and a jerk when you didn’t deserve it. you made a mistake and i had no right to push and ignore you like i did,” jude apologized first pulling you back so he could wipe away the tears.

“part of me was hurt because i wanted to spend time you and you weren’t here. and you had advised me last minute you were going out. you always tell me a day, a week even a month in advance when you go out, i don’t know why i thought negative thoughts…” jude continued, kiss your hand and rubbing your cheek in comfort.

he watched you finally relax into his embrace, eyes closed and wet due to the tears, lips slightly plump and swollen from crying. “i saw your gift,” jude says happily, watching your glossy eyes lift up as you gave him a small smile. “where should we hang it up?”

“anywhere you want,” you say shrugging still trying to wrap your head if he actually stopped ignoring you. “y/n? you know i love you so much too right? i didn’t ever mean to make you cry, princess…” jude frowned pulling you down to him once again.

“but you did jude. i was so scared and nervous you wouldn’t talk to me because of that! you didn’t say goodbye nor a thanks, i called and you wouldn’t answer, texts straight to read! i was worried sick you wouldnt check in at all!”

jude heard you muffled out, feeling you hold him like you wanted and craved last night. jude peppered kisses onto your collarbone, “forgive me baby. i won’t ever do that again,” jude say between kisses. “ever ever ever again jude… we talk it out that’s how���s things work, okay jude?”

“and i’m sorry too. my head went to a different mind place and idk why i told you last minute when i had know the day before. i’ve been busy with the upcoming charity project it went through my head,” you apologized as well, holding his face between your hands as you placed small kisses on his cheeks, nose and temple. anywhere you had access to, feeling him smile and tug you closer to him.

“and i love you.”

“i know baby, i know. i also saw it on the note next to the minion holding the chocolates,” jude laughed making you giggle loud. “he kinda looked like you,” you joked hearing a small gasp come from jude’s mouth. “take it back!” jude says putting your against the couch and tickling your sides and neck. “never!”

“okay okay i take it back,” you say out of breath after laugh uncontrollably. jude and you never fought or argued, so holding him like this after not being able to felt like a reward. your leaned up and kissed him, sighed in delight as you felt the familiar plump lips with yours. “do i actually look like a minion,” jude said nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“yes yes you do…”

[ak4e7a]

sweet sugar venom — PSH (teaser)

street racer!sunghoon x street racer! reader

"pick me up and take me like a vitamin, 'cause my body's sweet like sugar venom, hell yeah..."

"so alive, i could die, give me some sweet venom..."

cw: i honestly don’t know. mentions of cheating, violence, somewhat illegal street racing. there’s no dark content lol that’s all i’ll say otherwise i might spoil something

smut cw: daddy kink, brat tamer!hoon, brat!reader, unprotected sex, creampie, spanking, spitting, choking, dacryphilia, heavy aftercare <3 ... more tbd

thank you to @karinasbaby for the sexy ass banner ... stella ILYSM my baby doll for life

taglist: open! request to be tagged so you know when i finally drop this 😋

preview under the cut, let's get this show on the road.

“Hey, Y/N! Nice wrap,” Riki says, waving his long arms at you like he’s drowning. The tall, newly-turned 21-year-old bounds towards you before tackling you in a hug that sends you almost crashing into the ground, your hands flying to tug the hem of your skirt down lest your protective younger brother scold you about not dressing for the weather. It’s a cold spring night, as proven by Riki who’s in a loose, knitted navy blue sweater and destroyed light wash jeans.

“Jeez, Riki, I just saw you yesterday, no need to suffocate me,” you grumble affectionately, reaching up to muss his black-and-silver hair before sitting back down on the hood of your car. You’ve been fond of the boy since Jungwon brought him over one day, his first new friend since losing his best friend (and yours, honestly) in a betrayal that still hurts to speak of to this day. Riki clings onto you like you’re his older sister, too, and you reckon it probably has something to do with missing his own sister back home. “You saw me finish the wrap on the car, too.”

“Yeah, yeah, but it looks good even at night! Very professional. Maybe you can wrap the GTR next?” he says, to which you side-eye him, and he adds, “I can pay you.”

“You can pay for my meals every time we go out to eat for the next three months and I’ll call it even.”

He laughs. “Okay, deal. You eat less than Jungwon hyung, anyways.”

“Why are you talking shit about me to my sister again, freak?” your younger brother demands, making his way up to the small crowd that’s starting to form around you, Riki, and Jaeyun. He looks taller today, you think to yourself, and when he comes into full view, you see that he’s riding on the back of an unfamiliar person, a tall man with a sharp jawline and a pretty nose, whose bangs droop over his eyes. He’s wearing a white tank top and jeans, with a black and blue leather racing jacket covering his torso from the chilly Seoul air.

“Well, did I fucking lie?” Riki snaps back, arms crossed. You hide your laugh in the crook of your arm, eyes locking with the man who’s got your brother draped over his broad shoulders like a backpack. He looks at you intensely, in a way that makes you feel like he’s got x-ray vision or something. What’s his deal?

“Whatever, cricket legs.” Jungwon jumps off the man’s back, shaking his hair out of his eyes. You notice that he’s yet again stolen one of your oversized hoodies. “Oh, hyung! This is my sister, by the way. Noona, this is Sunghoon hyung. He’s joining Enigma.”

He’s cute, pretty, even, and you like that. You’ve always preferred pretty boys. And up until about five seconds ago, you would have said that—even though your ex-boyfriend is a cheating bastard who deserves nothing but suffering—he was still the prettiest man you’ve come across.

But this one, this one in front of you right now, this one takes the cake. He’s got full, thick brows that frame dark almond eyes, and his cheekbones flow into his jawline in a way that makes you think his face has probably stopped traffic at least once in his life. Before you stare at him for way too long, you reach into your purse and pull out one of your mango-flavored Hi-Chews (from your personal stash) to give him. “Hi, Sunghoon. Nice to meet you. Welcome to Enigma.”

He repeats his own version of your greeting a bit too curtly for your liking, but you don’t care either way, he’ll be under your thumb in no time, just like everyone else, just the way you like. Rolling the wrapped cube in his hand, he asks, “What’s this for?”

To which you reply, “Oh, nothing. I just like candy.”

“I feel like ‘like’ is an understatement,” Riki snorts, sticking his hand in your purse for something he can snack on. You sigh and hand him your purse for him to rummage around more freely.

Sunghoon raises an eyebrow at that, but turns to you anyways. “Do you race, too? I don’t want to assume or anything.”

You give him a coy smile, translucent bubblegum-pink-manicured fingernails clicking against the hood of your car as you drum your fingers against it. “Yeah, sometimes. I’m banned from racing right now, though, until the end of the season at least.”

He cocks his head like a curious puppy, blinking slowly at you. Oh, no. He’s cute and probably doesn’t know it, but he’s definitely dressed like he knows he’s hot. “Why’s that?”

Your smile turns into a smug smirk as you answer, “Because I go too fast.”

“Fourth-gen Supra,” he muses, glancing between your bare legs at the titanium Toyota emblem on the hood that you’d had imported from Japan. For some reason, you have to resist the urge to squeeze your thighs together. “Cute.”

“Oh? And what’s your ride?”

“Beamer M8 Comp,” Sunghoon says, an air of nonchalance about the answer like it’s nothing special. It kind of pisses you off.

[arealphrooblem]

Kidnapped by the Boss Part 8

Synopsis: Val is a secretary to the Prime Minister. But when the political summit between the city states goes awry, she finds herself kidnapped by the very boss she tried to protect and nothing is what it seems.

Part one here

Part seven here

Val could tell now Rook’s knocks from those of the servants. He rapped at the door in exactly three staccato beats — almost as a warning rather than an announcement because he would open the door anyway if she didn’t answer it within a few seconds. Thus, she didn’t bother rising from the edge of the bed where she sat.

The door swung open moments later and he leaned against the door frame, arms crossed.

“My king has had breakfast sent for. You’re invited to join but he stresses that it’s optional,” he announced, sounding almost bored.

She snorted. “Is it now? That’s a first.”

Yesterday she spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in her room. The invitation to explore no longer tempted her. She wanted to hide instead. The irony of this was not lost on her. Rook had delivered her dinner, citing that the king was too busy to actually have a sit down meal.

Whether that was true or the king simply didn’t want to deal with her theatrics, Val would never know. Rook stayed long enough to ensure she ate a healthy portion before leaving. He didn’t bother her with small talk, which she was grateful for.

“If you decline, I’m to have it sent to your rooms and babysit your eating habits,” Rook added unhappily.

She almost wanted to make him do it out of sheer spite.

“I’ll come,” she said instead.

She couldn’t hide forever, as tempting as that could be sometimes. And she was tired of feeling afraid.

Rook raised his eyebrows at her, clearly surprised at her answer.

“After you,” he said with a little bow, gesturing past him.

 “Such a gentleman,” she said as she walked past.

“It’s so I can shoot you in the back if you try anything.”

“Of course it is,” she muttered.

By the time they returned to the king’s study, breakfast was already spread out on the table.  What mess she made on the carpet yesterday had disappeared, as if it had never happened. But judging from the cautious smile on Aris’s face, he hadn’t forgotten either.

“Good morning, Val,” he said, pulling her chair out for her. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did,” she replied with a side eye glance at him. As if she wouldn’t recognize his Politician Voice a mile away.

“I slept like shit,” Rook piped up. “Thanks for asking.”

Val choked on a laugh and covered it up in a bite of toast.

“You always sleep poorly,” said Aris. “It’s because you don’t shut both eyes.”

“The last time I slept with both eyes closed, someone nearly shot my hand off.”

“Well that’s what happens when you don’t shut your mouth before going to sleep,” Val added, taking an innocent sip of coffee.

“You’re fucking hilarious,” he snapped.

She smirked. “Thank you.”

“Is this going to be a pattern?” Aris asked, somewhat exasperated.

Val and Rook shrugged in unison and then shot each other wary looks. It was eerie how different they both were and yet could act in unison without a second thought.

Aris gave them both a speculative look. “I see,” he said, before settling his attention back on her.

For the rest of breakfast, they made painfully awkward small talk. Val refused to engage fully, giving Aris terse answers and not contributing anything in between digs at Rook. If he wasn’t such a bastard, she suspected he sniped at her for the distraction. She could almost muster up some gratitude for him.

“And what are your plans today, Val?” Aris asked.

By then they had eaten most of the spread. Rather than answer, she turned to Rook instead.

“Can I talk to him?” she asked.

He gestured to Aris. “Nothing is stopping you.”

“Alone,” she added.

He went still at that, his gaze sharpening, eyes roaming over her features. It felt like getting scanned with a laser.

“My king?” he asked, looking over her head.

“It’s fine, Rook. Meet us in the hallway, if you would.”

Rook slowly stood from his chair, the languid posture disappearing for something dangerous and predatory.

“Only because her right hook sucks,” he added, the joke at odds with a warning look in his eye. Almost like a professional courtesy.

The door shut with a soft click and just like that Val was alone with Aris for the first time since her kidnapping. The last time it happened, he had just been Eugene, her good-hearted, intelligent, disorganized and vaguely infuriating boss. The last time it happened she was chasing him out of his pajamas as he languished at the breakfast table.

That moment felt like years ago.

“Val,” he prompted softly.

She swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat and held up her wrist, the tracker humming every so faintly against her pulse.

“Is this my life now, Eugene?”

He tilted his head, brow furrowed. “Is that what had you so angry yesterday? It’s only temporary.”

“Yeah, I know. I can earn my way off of it if I act like a good little girl and follow the rules. Because if I don’t you put me in time out until I learn my place to be more obedient.”

Bitterness oozed from her tone like venom. She couldn’t have stopped it even if she wanted to.

She didn’t want to.

All night those words looped around her head. The fucking audacity of him.

To his credit, he winced in response. “I — I didn’t mean it to sound so —“

“Condescending?” she offered. “Disrespectful? Infantalizing?” She narrowed her eyes and leaned over the table.  “I had to pick out your socks for you so they would match. I had to remind you of your own birthday. I organized every fund-raising event you ever had and I made sure you didn’t mix up the donors’ names. You were a fucking mess without me and you think you can talk to me like that? After everything you have put me through in the last several days?”

For a long moment, he didn’t respond. In fact, he didn’t even look at her. She knew prolonged eye contact made him uncomfortable sometimes and so she did not let up her laser focus on him until he could meet her gaze again.

“You’re right,” he said simply. “I have no defense, not really.”

“I’m not going to buy your lip service,” she warned. “I know when you’re bullshitting. You say that now, but I have to wonder if you really think so little of me when I’m not calling you out for it. I thought I had your respect.”

She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, biting her cheek down to stop an errant tear. She would not cry in front of him.

A flash of pain crossed his face. “You do have my respect. . . . And my terror. I need to know if I can trust you or not and no way to get an honest answer.”

Her mouth fell open. “You are worried about trusting me? Are you fucking kidding me?”

His fingers tugged at a thick lock of hair — a compulsion driven by sudden discomfort or anxiety.

“I may have lied to you about where I came from, what my goals were, my past lives. But you know things about me no one else does,” he admitted softly. “Not even Rook. You have seen me when I had no mask on. You know my quirks, my mannerisms, my fears, my faults. You can read me like a book. I could be glamored to look like someone else and I bet my entire treasury you would still be able to clock it was me in minutes or less.”

Val had to roll her eyes. “You make me sound like I can read your mind. I was just your assistant, Eugene. I’m not that important in the grand scheme of things, especially since you have literally hundreds of servants at your disposal for the kind of stuff I did for you.”

He let out a bark of harsh laughter. “You have no idea. I was a mess without you. I’m disorganized with a horribly unreliable memory. I can’t focus my full attention on something for more than five seconds at a time. I get overwhelmed at tasks with more than two steps and you have to put a gun to my head to start my own laundry. And yes, I have servants that can take care of some of those things, but no assistant has ever compared to what you could do.”

“Now you’re just kissing my ass,” she said, leaning back with her arms crossed.

And gods help her, it was working, if only a little. Eugene had never been ungrateful when she worked for him, but never had he acknowledged her skills to such a degree.

“I’m being honest,” he countered. “I am in the most crucial and potentially vulnerable part of my plans. And you are the one person who could bring about its downfall. You know the most important leaders in every category. You have their personal contact information, for Gods’ sake. You know exactly who to go first to warn of an invasion, you know exactly how to organize against it, and you have enough information about me and how I think to give them everything they needed to stop me. If you were to escape it would ruin everything.”

He dragged a hand over his face, another tick that showed his worries. Maybe he was on to something.

“You’re so dangerous, in fact, Rook had been nagging at me to execute you since you dove into the car,” he continued. “And in all honesty, it’s the smartest choice to make. But I can’t do it. Not to you.”

“So this is your solution?” She shook the tracker at him. “Imprisonment for crimes that I could do instead of anything I have done?”

He pinned her with his gaze. “Would you stay if I took it off? Or would you leave for home at the first opportunity?”

Of course she would run. She would give anything to be far far away from him and this whole mess. Not that she could.

“You’ve made it impossible for me to go home,” she spat.

This time he leaned over the table, eyes narrowed.

“I didn’t force you into that car, Val. You can blame me for a great many things, but not for that. You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for a choice that you made.”

Val chewed at her lip, unable to argue this and hating it. Her choice was based on her feelings and he wasn’t responsible for either. That was on here alone.

Godsdamnit.

“What would you do if our roles were reversed?” he asked, head tilted. “What other solution is there?”

She snorted. “Have you thought about moving on? It’s been a century. This is the way things are now.”

Aris stood from the table so suddenly it shuddered, the vase of flowers nearly tipping over. She jerked back reflexively as he slammed his hands on the table. Fury sparked in his eyes, more than she had ever seen, running hot enough to make her gaze flinch away.

“They murdered me, Val!” he shouted. “They murdered me and stole my home from me and then they’ve systematically destroyed it for their own gain.”

She had never seen him raise his voice before. His fingers dug into the table cloth, his gaze a brand upon her, as he continued in a softer voice that shook.

“The Coalition is in shambles. You saw it when we worked together. The bribes from lobbyists are what drives laws. Family ties rule the senate and parliaments just as iron clad as a dynasty. The wealth disparity is a chasm while trade stagnates in Three and roads are impassable in Two and we’ve sat through three drinking crises alone in One in my first term alone. You can accept it because you have no conception of what things were like before. But I cannot stand by and accept that this is the way things are now.”

His words finished in a growl, his breaths heavy. Val swallowed, trying to calm her own racing heartbeat. He had never shown any signs of violence in the time she’s known him, but neither did she ever witness a loss of temper like this.

Could she have taken him on in a fight? Maybe. If he didn’t have a gun on him. But not Rook, who waited just outside and undoubtedly heard all of this.

“And you think you can fix all that?” she finally dared to ask.

Because he wasn’t wrong. Which she also hated.

He stood up  and took a few deep, calming breaths, fingers combing his hair back. Putting himself back together as if he had never lost his temper.

“I know that I can,” he said as he sat back down, his voice even again. “Those sorts of problems don’t exist here.”

“That’s because your political infrastructure never really changed,” she pointed out and if he threw another fit, oh fucking well. “You have to change a hundred years of laws and politics to model it after here.”

He nodded. “I am aware. I’m under no delusion that it would be fast or easy. But it can be done. And I will do it. Even if it takes me ten lifetimes.”

“You know, there’s a certain kind of word for someone who starts running a country and then never steps down.”

He rolled his eyes at that.

“I’m going to give you grace for the conclusions you’re drawing out of ignorance and youth. But if you are so concerned about what I’m going to do to our home, then why don’t you help me?”

From prisoner back to assistant? Her suspicions rose like hackles.

“Help you how? Match your socks again?”

“I’m the king. If I were mismatched socks no one would dare comment on it save for Rook. And now you. I’m more interested in your mind. Your organizational skills. Your guidance. Your knowledge and experience.”

“I thought I was young and ignorant.”

She would not be tempted by this, she would not.

“I am going to unite the Coalition back under my rule, Val. It is not a hope but a certainty. You have the choice to watch helplessly from the sidelines or help me create an end result we can all live with.”

“I . . .” A cocktail of complicated feelings twisted and writhed in her gut.

He was right about so many things. But he also knew how to twist the truth with his own ideas. She’d seen him do it countless times, to run circles around lobbyists and constituents and other politicians. It was impossible to know what she could trust.

“I would have to think about it,” she said finally.

He smiled then, a small quirk of his mouth. “You have some time. Now, is there anything else you would like to rightfully scold me for or can I call back in Rook before he has a stroke?”

“I’m done for now.”

“Excellent. And — one more thing, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“What?”

He gave her that crooked smile again. “Call me Aris.”

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[willalove75]

Alcina's New Maid Pt. 16 Lady Dimitrescu x Reader

Summary: Karl Heisenberg comes to visit and things get interesting.

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI

Tags: Light angst, mostly fluff

Notes: Part 16! I'm so sorry this chapter is so late! I struggled writing this more that I have with any other chapter before and idk why. But I hope you all enjoy it regardless💕

Click here for the rest of the series

The next day Cassandra woke you up just as the sun was rising to start training once again. You tried to look at Alcina so she could convince her daughter to let you sleep in a little more but she just laid there with a sleepy smile on her face. Both you and Alcina knew that once Cassandra had her mind set on something there was no talking her out of it.

The two of you worked on the same things you did yesterday. She helped refine your stance and the way your body moved and shifted as you dodged her attacks.

Breakfast came and went and it was back to training. You knew that she meant well and was only trying to help you, but Cassandra was wearing you out. Training went through lunch, the two of you only taking a short break to eat when Zina brought food out to the courtyard.

Not long after that Bela and Daniela showed up and they both sparred with you for awhile. The three girls had three very distinct fighting styles. Cassandra always took the offence, advancing often and quickly. Bela was more calculated. Even though you were training for self-defense she still kept herself at a distance and made you come to her. Daniela was the definition of chaos. She played both offence and defense, advancing and pulling away so you came towards her and retreated often. Her moves were erratic and unhinged and not for a second were you able to predict what she was going to do next. You could tell she was less formally trained than the other two, but from your sparring session alone you knew she was just as lethal.

By the time the dinner bell rang you were starving and exhausted. The four of you shuffled into the dining room where Alcina was already seated.

"How was training girls?" She asked.

"She did really well, improved a lot more than I thought she would." Cassandra says.

"She's better than I thought she was going to be honestly. She almost knocked me off of my feet a couple of times." Bela says as she takes her seat.

"It was SO much fun!" Daniela exclaims.

"Draga?" Alcina asks, looking at you.

"It was good, tiring, but good."

Alcina can see the exhaustion in your face and gives you a small smile.

Dinner was delicious, as per usual. Although they could have put a leather boot on your plate and you would have devoured it without a second thought. The conversation was light, the girls and Alcina talking about how their days went. You stayed quiet for most of the meal just listening; there wasn't anything you had to add to the conversation. That coupled with exhaustion you were happy to not have to participate in doing anything other than eating.

"So after dinner I was thinking I can show you how to get out of a grapple." Cassandra says.

"After dinner?" You say, your eyes darting toward Alcina with a pleading look in them. There's no way you're gonna be able to do more tonight.

"Cassandra I think that's enough for today."

"But-"

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, bug, but I need y/n in good shape for the meeting and I can't have her falling asleep. She needs rest. You can continue the day after tomorrow once your uncle leaves."

Cassandra hangs her head in defeat.

"Fine."

Alcina chuckles at her daughter and looks back over to you with a wink. You give her a small smile as if to say "thank you."

It took everything in you to not crawl up the stairs and flop into bed once dinner was finished. Alcina suggested everyone relax in the library after dinner and as tired as you were you didn't want to miss it. As tempting as your bed was, you managed to avoid passing out on it after you showered and headed to the library.

The girls picked their books and Alcina plucked one off of the shelf after perusing her options for a few minutes. You lazily flipped through a magazine you found laying around while you lounged on the couch.

"No book tonight, draga?" Alcina asks.

"Nah," you toss the magazine onto the coffee table. "I'm too tired to focus on reading."

Alcina sits in her large arm chair and places her reading glasses on the bridge of her nose. Gods she looks hot. You're too tired to try and hide your stare and Alcina smirks.

"Come. Sit with me, draga mea." She says, beckoning you with a slight nod of her head.

As you walk up to her, Alcina wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you up into her lap. You drape your legs across her thighs and rest your back against her arm.

"Comfortable?" She asks, looking down at you.

"Mhm." You say, cuddling into her.

Due to the way you're sitting and the height difference your face is pretty much against her boob. Normally this would drive you crazy, sending pulses to your core; but tonight they're your soft pillows.

Alcina lets out a soft purr as she runs her fingers through your damp hair and the soothing noise lulls you into a deep sleep.

When you wake up you're in Alcina's bed. Your eyes adjust to the darkness of the room and you realize it's still nighttime. There's a single light in the room coming from a lit candle on Alcina's vanity where's she seated. The warm light flickers across her, illuminating her porcelain skin and raven hair, highlighting the details on her face. Even though you're too far away to see, you're sure her smile lines and crows feet are bathed beautifully in the light as it dances across her skin. What isn't in the light is cast in a dark shadow. It's mysterious and beautiful, just like her.

Your heartbeat must have given you away because Alcina sets down the papers in her hand and turns to look at you.

"You're awake." She seems surprised.

"That I am. What time is it?"

"It's late, it's the middle of the night."

Alcina stands up and makes her way over to the bed.

"Why are you awake?"

"I work most nights at this hour."

"You do?" You're a little shocked, in all the times you've shared a bed with her not once did you ever feel her leave in the middle of the night.

"Mhm." She hums and sits on the edge of the bed. "The mutation allows me the privilege of needing less sleep than a human. After a few hours of rest I continue working."

"Every night?"

"Every night, save for a few rare occasions where I treat myself to the calm of the night and relax."

"So do you just wait until I fall asleep to leave?" You say, sounding more hurt than you expected.

"No, draga mea." She brushes your hair away from your face. "Most nights I fall asleep with you in my arms and get up later. Others I will lay there and listen to your heartbeat and your breathing for a few hours before I get up and work."

"If I didn't know you so well I'd say that's the creepiest thing I've ever heard." You laugh.

Alcina chuckles and slides under the covers next to you, pulling you into her.

"Well I am certainly glad that you know me then, draga."

With a kiss to your forehead you wrap your arms around her waist and rest your head on her chest. Alcina traces lazy circles across your skin where you shirt rode up on your back and you listen to her heartbeat with a sigh.

"Tired, draga?" She asks.

"No. Just relaxed, happy." Alcina hums in response.

"Good." She says.

As the scent of her perfume envelopes you, you become more aware of your senses. The silky fabric of her nightgown beneath your fingers, her toned muscles that lay underneath her soft skin, the feeling of her chilled fingers dancing across your back. You can hear her heartbeat, strong and steady, accompanied by each breath she takes. The rhythm of your heart steadily increases as you feel her body adjust underneath yours.

Alcina slides down from laying against the headboard and you rest you head in the crook of her neck when she settles. The scent of her perfume is stronger there and it makes you feel like you're floating.

The skin on her neck is soft and tender as you nuzzle against it. The hum she releases in response is nearly a purr and you smile against her skin. As your focus shifts back to her fingers, still tracing circles across your back, you hold Alcina a little tighter.

"My sweet, perfect girl. My beautiful little pet." Alcina whispers into your hair before placing a kiss on your head.

Too entranced to realize it, you place a light, open-mouthed kiss on Alcina's neck. You only realize it when you feel her chest rumble underneath you with a purr and feel the vibration of her voice.

"Draga." She says with a soft yet stern voice.

"Sorry." You say as you remove your lips from her neck.

"No need for apologies." She lifts your chin with a finger and your eyes meet hers. Leaning down, she places a kiss on your lips. When she pulls away she doesn't pull away fully, leaving her lips to brush against yours. "If you continued I don't think I would be able to control myself, is all."

The way her warm breath caressed your face, how her lips grazed yours as she spoke made your brain fuzzy.

"Don't." You whisper.

"Don't?"

"Control yourself. Don't."

Alcina smirks and captures your lips in a passionate kiss. Your heart begins to beat harder and you bring your hand to her face to deepen it. She places her hand over yours and pulls back from the kiss. Turning her head, she places a kiss in the middle of your palm and holds it against her cheek.

You can see it in her eyes: the want, the need, but you also see hesitation and worry.

"What's wrong?" You ask.

"It's not that I don't want to, draga. It's taking all of my self restraint to not pin you down and ravish you right this second." She sighs. "I fear that we might be moving too quickly. We only started rebuilding what we had a few weeks ago. And then you were hurt and-" Shaking her head, she takes a deep breath. "this is too important to rush iubirea mea. I hope you understand."

And you did. You understood perfectly and as disappointed as you were, you knew she was right. It was evident that your bodies were ready but your hearts and minds were still playing catch up.

"I do, Alcina. I do." You say, nuzzling back into her neck.

"Fetița mea dulce. Cât de mult te iubesc." She whispers as she runs her fingers through your hair. (My sweet girl. How I love you so.)

The two of you lay in a comfortable silence. The steady beat of her heart accompanied by the sensation of the lazy circles she's tracing along your skin relaxes you. Alcina lets out a soft sigh and you look up. Following her line of sight you notice she's staring at her vanity with the papers she was looking over scattered across it.

"Do you have to keep working?"

"Unfortunately."

"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course my love." She says, nuzzling into your hair and placing a kiss on your head.

Alcina holds you in her arms until you drift back off into a deep sleep once more. When she's certain you won't wake up she gently lays you down onto the bed and kisses your forehead. She takes a moment to study your face as you sleep. She loves how peaceful you look, how you look like an angel. Her angel. After a minute she makes sure you're tucked in and continues working for a few more hours before joining you in bed once more.

Alcina was only in bed with you for about an hour before you woke up next to her. When you wake up you roll over and meet a stunning pair of golden eyes staring back at you.

"Hi." You say, your voice raspy with sleep.

"Good morning, draga."

"How long have you been awake for?"

"Quite some time."

"When did you come back to bed?"

"Approximately an hour ago."

"I'm surprised you didn't start getting ready for the day already."

"The thought did cross my mind, but laying in bed with you for another hour was much more appealing. Even if I didn't sleep."

A smile crosses your face and you curl into her, burying your face into her hair.

"Waking up next to you is one of my favorite things." You sigh.

"Mine as well, draga mea."

She places a kiss on your shoulder and wraps her arms around you, soaking in the moment before the two of you have to get up and get ready for the day.

After breakfast Alcina heads into her study to do some work before Heisenberg arrives and you hang out in one of the sitting rooms near the dining room and start to read a book Daniela recommended.

Just as the book was beginning to devour your attention the doors to the room swing open and slam against the wall. The commotion startles you and you snap your head towards the direction of the sound.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A rogue maiden?" You sit there speechless as you take in the man before you.

The man is tall, but not nearly as tall as Alcina. He's wearing a grease-stained shirt and pants, a long tan trench coat, circular glasses, and a hat. There's a gigantic hammer that looks like it was put together with scrap metal and gears found in a junkyard slung over his shoulder and he begins to wave it around haphazardly. You can tell that the man is unshaven and by the way he's stomping his muddy shoes across the freshly polished floors, he has little manners. There's a ruggedness to him, very much the opposite of the prim and proper aura that radiates off of Alcina.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He says with a smirk as he walks closer. "Such a pretty little thing-" he reaches up to touch your face and you can see the grime underneath his fingernails and the dirt on his fingers.

"Heisenberg! Get your filthy man hands away from her!" Alcina shouts just before his fingers graze your skin.

He spins around and you have to duck to steer clear of the hammer.

"What?! I didn't even do anything!"

"And for the love of gods watch where you swing that thing!" She snaps.

"Nice to see you too, Godzilla. Oh I've been great, thanks for asking. Yeah the lycans have been doing well on their search for those hunters that keep entering your castle's territory. You're so very welcome for protecting your precious land!" He says sarcastically. "And I was only going to tell this pretty little girl here that she should get her ass back to work before you stick her in a barrel for your next fresh batch of-."

"That is enough." She hisses.

You give Alcina a look and her eyes shift to you and back towards Heisenberg, which doesn't go unnoticed by him. He looks at you and back at Alcina and starts laughing as he turns back towards you.

"Oh I get it now, you're more than just her little maid, aren't ya sweet cheeks? You got yourself a pretty one here Alci, I wonder how long this one is going to last."

Alcina's eyes burn into the back of his head as the anger in them grows. Her fists are clenched tightly at her sides, there's no doubt she's doing everything she can from letting her claws out and taking his head off where he stands.

He sees how Alcina is reacting to his words and you notice him inhale deeply through his nose. He looks between the two of you for a moment before his eyes fall on you once more and you see that they're full of mischief.

"Whenever you get bored of this one, hold off on turning her into your next blend and be a good sister and send her my way-"

He reaches out to touch you again and his words are swiftly cut off when Alcina grabs him by his collar and throws him clear across the room. His back slams into the wall leaving a small crater behind.

Alcina stands in front of you in a protective stance, her claws are out and her chest is heaving with anger.

"I warned you, Heisenberg, do not touch her." She growls.

"What the fuck!" He yells as he picks himself up off of the ground. "What's your fucking problem?!"

He looks up and sees how Alcina is standing in front of you, how she's protecting you. He sees the look in her eyes and it clicks. Once it does he lets out a chuckle that turns into a hysterical laugh.

"I fucking knew it. I could smell you all over her from a mile away Alci." Alcina growls at him. "Oh calm down, the fact that your temper is bigger than you are is astonishing, truly. Don't worry, I won't touch your precious little human."

In an instant his hammer is flying towards him and he catches it in his hand. Your eyes grow wide, you definitely weren't expecting that. Heisenberg walks over to one of the chairs and plops down into it, resting his hammer against the chair and Alcina relaxes enough to retract her claws.

"So does Miranda know about your little," he pauses to think of the right word. "friend, here?" Alcina tenses up as she narrows her eyes at him. "I'll take that as a resounding 'yes.' I'm surprised that bird bitch hasn't taken her as one of her test subjects, especially if she knows of your interest in her. What's your name, kid?"

You look up at Alcina and she nods her head at you and you tell him your name.

"Hah, and you already got her trained? I wonder how many trips to the dungeon that took."

"She has never set foot in there and she never will." Alcina growls before she takes a seat next to you on the couch.

"So, kid, what debts did you have that got you shipped to this hellhole?" He asks you.

Alcina cuts in before you can speak.

"She has no debts and she can leave whenever she chooses."

"HAH!" Heisenberg laughs out loud. "I'll believe that when I see it. Really kid, what's your deal? In all my years I've never heard of someone hanging around here willingly. What's the catch?"

Alcina growls and you slide your hands around one of her fists clenched in her lap. You can just barely hear her breath hitch in her chest before she looks down at you. The anger in her eyes softens and you give her a small smile.

Looking back at Heisenberg, he has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

"Holy shit, I never thought I'd see the day. Someone finally tamed the beast and lived to tell the tale." Alcina rolls her eyes at him. "Now I really gotta know where the hell you came from."

"I grew up here in the village." You say. "She basically rescued me. My aunt and uncle kept me as their maid and had me raise their five children. Then I met her and she brought me here." Looking up at Alcina you see her looking down at you. A smile pulls at the corner of her lips and you can see the adoration in her eyes.

"Yeah, sure." He says and earns another eye roll from Alcina. "You were gonna stick her straight into a barrel after you had your fun with her, weren't you?" Alcina snaps her heard towards him and growls again.

That's the third time he's mentioned that and you have no idea what he's talking about. The confusion on your face must be obvious because he starts laughing again and looks at Alcina.

"She doesn't know, does she?" Alcina tenses up again and gives him a death stare. "Kid, do you know what goes on in the dungeon down there?"

"Heisenberg." She hisses.

"A little." You look between the two of them. Alcina is glaring at him, if looks could kill he'd be dead where he sat. Heisenberg still has a shit-eating grin on his face as he stares back at Alcina.

"Were you ever told why maids suddenly disappear?" His eyes don't leave Alcina who growls at him as a warning.

"I know Miranda experiments on them-"

"Did she ever tell you where the blood wine comes from?"

"I-"

"You are walking into very dangerous territory, brother."

"Did my dear sister ever inform you that she sacrifices her maids and turns them into the wine-"

"ENOUGH." Alcina roars. "That is enough Heisenberg."

"What?! She deserves to know if you were planning on making her next seasons newest-"

"I SAID ENOUGH." She yells, standing up to her full height.

Your mind starts to spiral as they argue. Why didn't she ever tell you that's what she does with her maids? That there was more to their disappearances than just Mother Miranda experimenting on them? Was that her original plan with you? To buy you and turn you into wine? Did she actually care for you in the beginning or was it just to butter you up before she killed you? Everything that happened in the first few weeks of your arrival is suddenly brought into questioning.

Panic starts to wash over you and the walls begin to feel like they're closing in. You try to breathe but your lungs feel constricted. You need to get out of this room, now.

Jumping to your feet you run past Alcina and Heisenberg and out of the room. The girls are just coming down the stairs when they see you run out the front door.

"Damn you, Karl!" Alcina yells before chasing after you.

Once you get outside you bend over and rest your hands on your knees and try to breathe. Your breaths are short and fast and you can't seem to slow it down.

Alcina's footsteps rapidly approach you and you stand up only to realize your hands are trembling and tears are rolling down your cheeks. Before you know it, she's kneeling next to you and rests her hand against your back.

"Shh, draga, breathe with me, okay? Deep breath in."

You try but you can't seem to get the air to fill your lungs.

"I can't." You say.

"Yes you can. Do it with me, easy, breathe in," you manage to take a bit of a deeper breath in. "and out. Good, just like that."

Alcina walks you through a few more breathing exercises and your panic begins to fade. You grab onto her dress and bury your face into her as your tears keep falling. She wraps her arms around you and holds you tight.

"I'm so sorry, draga."

"Why didn't you tell me?" You cry into her.

"I wanted to, I was going to, I promise I was."

"Why didn't you tell me the other day?"

"I was too afraid of overwhelming you. I had told you so much and it was already so much for you to process, I didn't want to add to that. I'm sorry, I should have been the one to tell you, not him."

"Was that your plan, after you brought me here? To just kill me and use my blood for your wine?" You pull back and look into her eyes and see guilt. "That's what you were going to do, wasn't it?" Alcina closes her eyes and a tear runs down her cheek. "Tell me the truth, please Alcina."

Golden eyes meet yours and fill with tears.

"I considered it. I would be lying if I said I didn't. But I promise that was not why I brought you here."

"Then why did you bring me here?"

"Draga, I've already told you-"

"Tell me again, please. I need the whole truth."

Alcina sighs and wipes the tears from your cheeks.

"I brought you here because you deserved better. Because they didn't appreciate you there. Because you are so much more than just a caretaker and a housekeeper. You are so beautiful and thought so low of yourself and I couldn't accept that. At least if you were with me, you would be appreciated the correct way. And I know I've failed at that more than once and I still haven't been able to forgive myself. But you deserved so much better and you were even more wonderful than I ever could have imagined, draga. I never expected to fall in love with you, I just hoped that you would live out your days here and be happy. I never thought you would find your happiness in me. And the only reason I ever considered doing that to you was in case I was wrong about you and you ended up being just another rude, ungrateful girl. But after those first few days, especially when my daughters were bothering you in the library, I knew that wasn't who you were. You were so kind to them, you treated them so well even though they made your job more difficult. I knew I was right about you, but I didn't realize just how incredible you were, draga. I am so sorry."

Alcina wraps her arms around you and holds you close to her. You wrap your arms around her neck and bury your face into her.

"How much more is there that I don't know?"

"Not much, but there are some things."

"Can you tell me?"

"I will my love, I promise. Can we get through this meeting with Miranda first? After that I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Okay. Deal."

You pull away a little and look into her eyes. After you wipe the tear stains from her cheeks she rests her hand on your face and brings you into a deep kiss.

"Te iubesc, draga mea."

"I love you too, Alcina."

You and Alcina sit there for a minute as you soak in being with each other. The anxiety completely fades into the comfort she's brought you and you can feel like you can breathe normally again.

When the two of you part she stands up and dusts off her dress.

"Did you not want him to know about us?" You ask her.

"I was hoping you would never have to meet him because he is the most insufferable creature I've ever come to know. But he loathes Miranda and that alone makes him trustworthy. But since he was able to figure it out, I'm not concerned."

A loud crash comes from inside the castle and Alcina growls as she brings her fingers to the bridge of her nose.

"I don't even want to know what they are getting up to in here." She grumbles. "Come, draga. We should get back inside."

As soon as the door closes behind the two of you, you see something shiny fly through the air in your direction. Alcina quickly steps in front of you and she lets out a loud hiss and the room goes silent. When you walk out from behind Alcina, you see a large steak knife lodged deep into her leg. You freeze in horror for a moment before watching Alcina yank it out and turn her head towards you.

"I'm fine draga, there's no need to worry."

Blood pours from her leg for a few seconds before it stops and in that moment you remember her regeneration abilities and let out a breath.

"What did I tell you, especially you, girls, about throwing sharp objects in my castle?!" She yells. "If this were to hit one of my staff, or her," she says, gesturing to you. "you would wish the Black God itself would come and punish you because the wrath I would unleash-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it." Karl says, interrupting her. "Big scary claws, our parts would have to grow us back, we've heard it all before bigfoot, don't get your panties in a twist."

"That almost hit her!"

"I wasn't aiming for her!"

"Then what were you-" She turns around and sees a picture of her taped to the door with knife marks in it.

With a growl Alcina chucks the knife at Karl and it stops right before the tip pierces his chest. He looks down at it in shock for a second before it clatters to the ground.

"Sorry mother." The girls say in unison.

"Can we please get to business now that you've effectively ruined one of my good dresses?" She says.

"Yeah, sure." He says with a shrug.

The six of you head into a larger sitting room and Alcina goes to change. She comes back in a long black dress and pulls you into her lap after she sits on the couch next to you.

"No more trouble in paradise?" Karl says with a smirk.

You roll your eyes at him and Alcina looks down at you with pride before kissing you on the cheek.

"Before we begin, draga, I would like to formally introduce you to Karl Heisenberg, my idiot younger brother and another one of the four lords of the village."

He tips his hat at you and leans back in his chair, crossing one leg so his ankle is resting on top of his knee. He lights up a cigar and blows the smoke up into the air.

"Bela, my book please." Alcina says.

Bela walks over and hands her mother a leather-bound book and a pen. Alcina places them in your lap and kisses you on the head.

"Draga, will you please take notes? It'll be good practice for the meeting, although I fear she won't actually have you take notes-"

"Why the hell is she going to be taking notes at the meeting?" He asks.

"Mother Miranda insisted on it."

"Oh fuck, she knows about her, knows about her?"

"Yes."

"Alcina-"

"I know."

"Fuckin' bird bitch. Do you know what she wants with her?"

"No." She says with a sigh before pulling your head into her chest and kissing the top of it.

"How the hell did Miranda find out?"

Alcina tells him what happened when Mother Miranda arrived and what transpired when you met. When she's finished, Karl smokes his cigar with a pensive look on his face.

"Well, that sucks."

"I will say the same thing to you that I said to Donna. If Mother Miranda does anything, I will stop at nothing to protect her." Her grip around you tightens and you rest your head on her chest to try and calm her.

"And what did Donna say?"

"That her allegiance is with me."

"And Sal?"

"He doesn't know about her. And I don't trust him. He will do anything to be in Mother Miranda's good graces, even if it means going against us."

"No fuckin' shit. At least we don't have to worry about him all that much. He's pretty useless as it is."

Alcina shrugs and runs her fingers through your hair.

"So how do we go about killing the bitch?" He asks with a grin.

"We don't. Karl you know she's too powerful. There is nothing we can do, not yet."

"Well if she wants her we could-"

"I will not be using her as a decoy or pawn in whatever moronic plan you have in that grease-filled head of yours."

"But-"

"No." She says with a growl.

"Fine, fuckin' bitch." He mumbles. "Lets get this over with."

You begin to take notes as Alcina and Karl talk about the hunters his lycans have encountered. He says that they found thirteen of them and his group of seven lycans were able to kill about ten of them. Three of the hunters managed to get away and four of his lycans were killed in the fight. The lycans that were left were beat up enough to not be able to follow where the three went so they retreated back to the factory.

"Then yesterday, they came across another six hunters. All wearing the same symbol as the last group." He pulls out a pendant from his pocket and hands it to Alcina who examines it. "Luckily I sent nine lycans out so none of the hunters managed to get away and all of my lycans came back this time."

"Any prisoners?" She asks.

"Nope."

"Ugh." She groans, rolling her eyes. "How many times do we have to have this conversation-"

"Chill out sasquatch, they tried. One guy was left and my lycans tried to drag him back as prisoner but the guy put a bullet in his head before they were able to get any useful information out of him."

"Well, that's new."

"Yeah, they were pretty surprised."

"So in a week there have been nearly twenty hunters? And three escaped?"

"Yup."

"I don't like this."

"And they were armed to hell too. Massive guns, tons of ammo, they aren't fuckin' around."

"Military grade?"

"You know it."

"I really don't like this. Have you expanded coverage near Donna and Salvatore?"

"Yup, found a few rogue hunters that didn't seem affiliated with these guys and only two that were by each property. But they weren't as close as they are to you."

"How close were they able to get?"

"About four miles out."

"The closest anyone has come in decades has been two miles."

"And I'll do my best to keep it that way. But from the looks of it, they're scouting. No hints of an invasion yet but I think they're planning."

"Do we know where their base is?"

"Haven't located it. Next time my guys find a group of them they're gonna stalk them back to the base."

"Good."

"So what do you wanna do, sis?"

"I need more patrols throughout the entire territory. If they're calculated they may try and strike from multiple angles. Also more guarding Donna and Salvatore's homes as well."

"I can't stretch them too thin, you know how much ground there is to cover for the castles territory alone?"

"I am aware-"

"Oh mom, can we go with Uncle Karl and patrol?!" Cassandra asks.

"Oh yeah! We haven't hunted hunters in so long!" Daniela says.

"Absolutely not."

"But-"

"No. It is too dangerous. You three are not going anywhere near this until we know what we're up against. My word is final."

"I could use the extra-"

Alcina growls at him and he shuts his mouth.

"Once this meeting is over with, and if things here return to normal, I will go out one night and cover some ground and see what I can find."

"Sounds good to me."

"Our priority should be finding their base and taking at least one prisoner alive to question them."

"Glad we can agree on something."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm fuckin' starving! When's lunch?"

Alcina rolls her eyes and looks down at you as you finish up your notes.

"May I?" She asks.

You hand her the notebook and she flips through the notes you've taken. When she gets to the last page she nods with approval.

"How are they?"

"Very impressive, draga. I think you're more than prepared for the meeting, in terms of note taking at least."

"I don't think she'll be takin' many notes there, sis." Karl says.

It throws you off a little when you realize his tone isn't antagonizing like it's been since he walked in. You can feel Alcina deflate a little under you at his words and she holds you tight.

"Hey," you say, looking up at her. Her golden irises meet yours and you stare into them while you cup her face. "everything is going to be fine. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out, okay?"

Alcina nods and rests her forehead against yours as she closes her eyes. Her hand cups your cheek and she brushes her thumb against your skin.

Karl watches as Alcina melts into you. Sure, he's met his sisters other paramours, not that any of them had lasted very long - but right away he could tell this was different. Never in his long life has he seen Alcina act like this with someone. She's always been possessive of her partners but when she ran out after you, well that was new. Now this, watching as you, a tiny human, comforts her, he can barely believe it and it's happening right in front of him.

The lunch bell rings and you and Alcina are pulled from your moment. She sits up straight and adjusts herself, you notice a slight blush forming under her makeup. That and the way Karl is staring at the two of you, this must be new territory for the both of them.

You hop off of her lap and follow the girls into the dining room while Alcina and Karl follow behind.

Everyone takes their seat and Karl goes to put his feet up on the table. Alcina growls at him and he stops halfway through the motion.

"It's truly amazing that you've lived as long as you have without learning any manners." She murmurs.

"Sorry not all of us grew up as stuck-up nobility with etiquette classes and maids to wipe our asses for us. Fuckin' bitch."

"Must you use that language in my house?"

"Can't you mind your own fuckin' business?!"

"Child."

"Bitch."

The girls begin giggling and Alcina glances over at them and only gives them a little bit of a look. Karl diverts his attention to you and he has a mischievous smile on his face.

"So, kid, what in the hell made you attracted to bigfoot over there anyway? You got a size kink or something?"

"KARL." Alcina yells as the girls bust into laughter.

"Come on, I gotta know. I mean, it's gotta be her size, right? There's no way anyone can be attracted to her personality, unless 'massive fucking bitch' is the kind of trait you look for in women." You look between Alcina - who's fuming - and Karl who has that shit-eating grin back on his face.

"Don't dignify him with an answer, draga."

"Oh thank the Black God, I thought you were dyin' Alci. Actin' all sweet back there. But there's the controlling bitch I hate. Glad to see you're back to normal. Do you always let her control you like that?" He asks you.

You know he's just trying to get a rise out of Alcina so you just shrug your shoulders at him and continue eating.

"You really got this one whipped. I should make you a fuckin' collar that says 'Property of the Big Bitch.'"

"But what will your little lycans wear then?" You say.

Alcina looks at you surprised, but pleased. Karl's mouth hangs open for a moment before he laughs out loud.

"She speaks! I thought she was a fuckin' mute."

"I'm not but I wish you were." You quip.

The girls break out into hysterics again and Alcina hides her chuckle behind her wine glass. Karl laughs again and nods his head in approval before devouring everything on his plate.

The rest of lunch went well. Aside from Alcina getting so mad at Karl she threw a chair across the room and threatened him with her claws a few times. You and Karl got into a rhythm of throwing digs at each other and he and the girls told stories of all of the trouble they've gotten into over the years.

When lunch was over you and the girls said your goodbyes to Karl and you helped clear the table. The girls flew away to go play with the new weapons he gave them and Cassandra managed to convince him to make you a dagger.

Alcina escorted Karl to the front door, not trusting him to wander off to find the girls and throw more sharp objects around the castle.

"So, she really did tame the beast, huh?" He says with only a hit of antagonization.

Alcina rolls her eyes at him and he laughs.

"She seems like a good kid."

"She's wonderful."

"Nervous about the meeting with Miranda?"

Alcina sighs.

"Nervous doesn't begin to cover it."

"Donna said she has your back, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, then I got the kids back."

Alcina stops and stares down at him. They've hated each others guts since the moment Karl was given the cadou and really only got along for Miranda's sake and because both of them hate her more than they hate each other. But over the last couple of decades their mutual hatred for Miranda caused them to have more of a older/younger sibling relationship and the hate between the two of them faded. Not all the way, but more than either of them ever would have thought possible.

"Thank you." Alcina says.

"This doesn't mean we're fucking buddies or anything. But I know if anything happens to that kid, you're gonna be a fucking mess. And we need you to keep your shit together because we need you to take down Miranda." He looks up at her and she nods at him. "Plus, I like her and I know Miranda wants her for something and whatever it is, it ain't gonna be good."

"Thank you, Karl."

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me for this."

"Invoice me." She says as she walks away.

Alcina finds you in the sitting room again, now decorated with the crater in the wall from Karl's body, as you continue your book.

"There you are." She says with a smile.

"Here I am!"

Alcina plucks the book from your hand and puts it down on the table next to you. Before you can protest she lifts you into her arms and pulls you in for a tight hug. You wrap your arms around her neck and she sits down on the couch.

"You okay?" You ask.

"Yes, I just needed you close."

You nuzzle into her neck and she hums in response.

"So he was interesting." You say.

"He certainly is something. He didn't lay a finger on you, did he?"

"No, each time he went to touch my face you stopped him. I think he was doing it just to piss you off, honestly."

"I don't doubt that for a moment. He's such a child."

"Does he control metal or something?"

"Yes, he controls the magnetic fields therefore able to control all metals."

"That explains a lot."

"You mean why knives were being throws across my foyer? Yes. It certainly does."

"That scared me. I forgot you have that healing power for a minute and watching you pull that knife out of your leg almost made my heart stop."

"It's nothing to fret over, draga. It'll take much more than your average kitchen knife to do any real damage to me."

"Good." You say as you nuzzle into her again.

"I'm sorry for not being completely honest with you. I know we agreed to rebuild our relationship on trust and honestly, but I was so worried that all of that new information would be too much for you to handle all at once. I know I'm on thin ice, I hope I didn't lose your trust again."

"I do wish you told me, but I understand why you didn't. And I think you're right, I think it would have been too much for me to process all at once. I wish I learned it from you and not him, but that's not your fault. I still trust you Alcina. You aren't on as thin of ice as you think you are."

"I deserve to be."

"You've done so much to regain my trust." You say as you sit up and look her in the eyes. "You've been listening to me, taking things slow, being honest. You've apologized more times than I can count. You don't deserve to be on thin ice. I forgive you, Alcina."

"I don't deserve your forgiveness."

She looks away from you and you bring your hands to her face and guide her back to look into your eyes.

"Hey, stop that. Yes you do."

"I don't understand how you can forgive me after I've committed such atrocities."

"Because I love you. And because I understand why you did what you did. I think you definitely went about it the wrong way, but I get it. Even after everything you did, after learning about the other sides of you, I still love you. And if none of that deterred me from loving you, I don't think anything will. You have to forgive yourself, Alcina."

"I don't know if I can." She says, looking down.

You bring your hand under her chin and bring her gaze back up to yours.

"Yes you can. You just have to allow yourself to do it. At least try, for me?"

"I'll try for you, iubirea mea."

Her lips meet yours and she pulls you in for a soft kiss. She kisses you a few more times and with each kiss her smile grows wider until she's peppering your face with chaste kisses. You start laughing as she turns to pin you down onto the couch and continues to leave lipstick marks all over your face and neck. By the time she releases you from her grasp you're covered in her crimson lipstick and the both of you are sporting wide smiles.

"Oh dear, it looks like I may have made a bit of a mess out of your face." She says with a laugh.

"I can only imagine, there's isn't an inch of my skin that isn't covered in your lipstick is there?"

She takes your chin between her thumb and forefinger and examines your face before placing another big kiss on your jaw.

"Now there isn't." She laughs. "Come draga, lets get you cleaned up."

[imjustasimpxd]

My Angel (Part Three)

➬ Reiner Braun x Fem reader

Part one | Part two | Masterlist | Blog Home | Aot Masterlist

Summary : Reiner was always taught that the devils of Paradis were vicious creatures, but what is he supposed to do when he soon finds himself reluctantly falling for one? Or when he is forced to go back to Marley and leave her altogether?

Word count : Almost 4, 300 words

Warnings : nothing really, reader is upset and isolates herself, Jean comforting reader,

Author’s notes : reblogs are appreciated!! I appreciate all feedback on my writing so that I can know what you guys liked and what you think I should improve on😊

Disclaimer : this is a work of fiction and should in no way, shape, or form, be taken seriously.

Side Note : this fic, and everything else I’ve written on my blog, is mine and only mine. I work very hard on everything I write so do not, under any circumstances, modify, copy, or steal my work.

***Important Note***

Hello my dears, I’m sorry for going on hiatus HAHA, I was super busy with school and work, plus on top of that I had major personal issues that were just too overwhelming to deal with at the time; and I couldn’t even write at all until I got it solved. I was under a lot of stress and was feeling really down about a lot of things in my life so I stopped writing for a little while. But I’m doing better now and I started writing again! So here’s the long awaited chapter three :))) I’m legit just gonna be turning this into a series so stay tuned for more parts! I appreciate your support and patience! <333

“Y/n?” There was a gentle voice at your door, followed by a few quiet knocks against the wood. “Y/n, can I come in?”

Your head slowly lifted from the fetal position you had succumbed to, your vision still blurry with tears as they glanced across your bedroom to the entryway. Barely anything was visible in the dark expanse of your room, except the silhouette of a shadow under your door; a shadow you quickly recognized as Jean’s.

“Yeah, I guess.” You answered his request, quickly lifting your fingers to wipe away the tears littering your skin.

The door then opened slowly, allowing the light from the outside hallway to seep through; its piercing glow caused your eyes to squint after being in the dark for so long. Although, once you began to adjust to the brightness, you were able to make out Jean’s figure entering your room, along with a tray of food he was holding in his hands.

“Hey,” his voice was soft, a tender smile lining his lips as he walked over to your bedside; one of his hands then reached towards your nightstand to turn on the lamp. “There, that’s better. Did you turn nocturnal or something?” He teased, hoping to cheer you up in some small way.

Although, as his eyes glanced toward you, seeing no alleviation in your downcast expression, he realized it was going to take much more than a simple joke to bring you out of this fog you were enclosed in.

“I uh, I noticed you didn’t come down for dinner again.” Jean sighed and spoke with a gentle tone, awkwardly trying to change the subject. “So here, I brought you something.” He quickly stretched his arms outward to show you the tray of food he was holding, hoping it would improve your mood; even by the smallest amount.

You grinned faintly at his gesture. “Thanks, you can set it on my desk. I’ll eat it later.”

Jean’s eyebrows lowered at your words; that wasn’t the answer he was hoping for.

You said the same exact thing when he visited last night, and as he walked over to your desk to set your meal down like you asked, he realized it was foolish of him to believe you.

Already sitting there was the plate he previously brought you yesterday; the same one you promised you wouldn’t allow to go cold.

The food was uneaten, its texture now dry and spoiled after sitting out all night; even the fork he settled beside your plate was in the same exact spot he positioned it in before he left.

A disappointed sigh escaped Jean’s lips as he set the new meal down on your desk, knowing it would go to waste as well.

It’s a pity, had you not wasted it, Sasha would’ve been more than happy to eat at least half of your serving for you; just like she always did.

She used to demand to sit next to you for every meal, because you were the only one who was kind enough to let her steal your food. It started off as just a few bites of course, nothing too covetous, but, as time went by, she started unintentionally stealing almost half your plate.

She’d always apologize thoroughly for it though; she even began buying you a couple sweets from the local shop afterward to make up for it.

Sooner or later, it became a normal routine for you both. She’d eat her portion, as well as half of yours, then later she’d get you something in return. It was a fair trade, and it brought the two of you closer in the process.

Every meal since then was quite entertaining; not to mention loud. It always started with your thunderous laughter after Sasha, once again, scarfed down her food too fast that she ended up coughing. Following that was Connie’s usual “slow down, the food isn’t going anywhere,” comment that would always spark a brainless argument between the two.

Once their fight got more heated than just trivial little jabs, Jean would always step in and order them to cut it out. And every single time, almost like clockwork, Connie would call Jean his permanent nickname of “horse-face” that immediately had the whole table erupting in laughter; especially Eren.

Every meal it was something, and every single time you were doubling over in a convulsing laughter that you couldn’t breathe from. Between Sasha’s coughing, the silly arguments, and the non-stop jokes: the dinner table was always eventful, and your smile was always present.

But now, things had changed.

Ever since the catastrophe that occurred two weeks ago, you stopped attending dinner; and for once, the table was relatively silent.

With only one plate to tackle, Sasha didn’t eat as frantically as she used to. Because of that, Connie’s comments about her speed weren’t made anymore, and Jean didn’t have to play patrol officer and break up any more fights. There weren’t as many jokes for Eren to laugh at, or a noise problem that Mikasa could complain about.

For the first time, the dinner table was quiet, uncomfortably quiet.

Your seat remained vacant for the past two weeks, as did Reiner and Bertholdt’s; but no one needed to ask why, the reason for that was already blatantly clear.

It pained them all to sit at that table without you, to witness the way you isolated yourself, but they knew better than to confront you about it.

There was no point in discussing it, lest they wanted to rehash their grievances for the hundredth time.

So, Jean resorted to bringing your meals directly to you instead; that way you could still get the food you needed without having to interact with anyone before you were ready.

That in itself became a routine of its own: Jean would come to check on you in the early mornings when you’d skipped breakfast, bringing you something light to start your day with; and then at night he repeated the process.

And every single time he came to check up on you, your face wore the same grief-stricken expression as the day before.

Of course, he didn’t exactly expect you to be bursting with joy after what had happened; it was completely normal for you to be upset about it.

Reiner and Bertholdt were their friends after all; their comrades who they fought alongside for years. It was a stab to the heart to be betrayed by them, but, what’s worse is things didn’t stop there either. After the betrayal was the battle, the same battle that wiped out more than half of the military corps, including their trusted commander.

As if the betrayal itself wasn’t already agonizingly painful, the death toll that followed was more than enough reason to feel as dejected as you were right now. It was the bloodiest mission you’d ever encountered before, and the aftermath was beyond heartbreaking, especially since the enemy still managed to escape in the end.

Jean understood why you were isolating yourself; others did too for a little while. And though he wanted to, the reason he never pushed you about rejoining the land of the living was because he knew you were hurting; and the last thing he wanted to do was make things worse for you.

But as his eyes narrowed in on that plate of wasted food you promised him you’d eat, he realized he might’ve been too lenient on you.

You never ate a whole lot of what he would bring you, but you were still getting something, and that was enough for Jean.

Although now that you’d stopped eating altogether, that was officially his last straw.

“What’s the point in telling me you’ll eat later if you never do?” Jean suddenly spoke up, causing you to flinch slightly at the sudden noise.

His voice sounded stiff; almost as if he was frustrated at you. Your head tilted upward to examine the expression across his face, and sure enough, you realized your assumption was correct. His jaw was clenched together tightly, and his eyes stared you down with an irritated glare.

“Well?!” He asked once again, his tone increasing with annoyance as he awaited your response.

“I’m just not hungry right now.” You answered dismissively, as if he was foolish to even be asking such a thing. “I’ll eat when I wake up.” Your words were followed by a subtle roll of your eyes. Your hands then gripped the blanket lying next to you, petulantly yanking it over your shoulders as you plopped down onto your pillow. “Now, goodnight.”

You knew full well that you were acting a bit childish, especially when Jean was only trying to look out for you. But you were too fed up at this point to apologize for your stubbornness.

Every single time you saw anyone it was always the same “look who decided to join us” comment, or worse: a dozen or so questions that you didn’t feel like answering.

Most of them were the usual “how are you feeling?” or “do you want to talk about it?” However, there were always those irritating ones they just had to ask: the ones about Reiner.

As if you even had the mental strength to think about him in the first place, they were still expecting a full report on what you thought about his actions, or what you’d do now that he’s gone.

Their curiosity always seemed to far outweigh their regard for your feelings on the matter; that’s why you resorted to isolation. It quickly became too overwhelming to deal with the bombardment of questions they were ready to unload on you; so, you stayed away, refusing to give them the chance to do so in the first place.

But now Jean was doing the same thing: invading your barracks and asking those bothersome questions you didn’t feel like answering.

Maybe you were just emotional right now, and perhaps being a little too sensitive. Nevertheless, you just wanted him to leave; you just wanted to be left alone.

“Fine then.” You heard Jean scoff. “Just let me know if you need anything.”

You didn’t respond. Instead, you just closed your eyes, nuzzling your face into the blanket as you waited to hear the usual defeated sigh slip past his lips; along with the closing of your bedroom door that would follow soon after.

Just a few more seconds and he’d storm out; surrounding your ears with a jarring echo after he tumultuously slammed that wooden door behind him.

Any second now…

Just one more minute, and then you’d hear it; you were sure of it!

However, the seconds kept creeping by, and there was still no sound to indicate the opening of that door. Rather, an unexpected sound emerged from the silence instead.

You immediately turned around to see what the commotion was about, as well as to find out why he was even still here in the first place.

You didn’t exactly know what you expected to see when you glanced over your shoulder, but watching Jean pull the chair out from under your desk and take a seat was definitely not what you imagined.

“What are you doing??” You groaned in annoyance.

He obviously wasn’t getting the hint that you wanted him to leave, or perhaps he was and just refused to meet your demands.

“Oh? Did you need something?” He asked, as if this was normal, as if you were the one disrupting his peace.

“I thought you were leaving.”

“I never said that.” He leaned back in your chair, extending his legs across the floor; almost like he planned on staying a while.

You stared him down with a glare, but he didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, his gaze was fixated out the window, admiring the moon’s captivating glow from the comfort of your dimly lit bedroom.

“Fine, stay then, I don’t care.” You snapped, laying back down with a dramatic huff; continuing your sulking.

Why was he being so difficult? You just weren’t in the mood to be around anyone? Couldn’t he understand that?

Granted, you hadn’t been in the mood to be social for the past two weeks now, but regardless, why couldn’t he just leave you be? That’s all you wanted.

“It’s not going to change anything you know?

“Huh??” You immediately turned back around, quite displeased at him.

If Jean was going to insist on staying, he could at least have the decency to remain silent so that you could sleep. Evidently, he didn’t agree with that notion.

“It’s not going to change anything.” He repeated.

“No, I heard what you said,” you groaned impatiently, not knowing how much more you could take of this. “But what are you talking about?!”

Jean’s voice was quiet but stern, his eyes soon looked over at you with a sympathetic gaze. “Isolating yourself, starving yourself, everything you’ve been doing for the past two weeks.” He paused momentarily, letting out a gentle sigh before speaking once more. “None of it’s going to bring him back, you know?”

Your eyes widened at Jean’s words, your breathing coming to a halt in your lungs. You immediately looked away from him, avoiding his gaze as you stared at the ceiling; trying to hold back those tears you could feel collecting in your eyes.

Jean was right.

None of your sulking or lack of eating would ever be enough to bring Reiner back; No amount of isolation could change the fact that he was gone.

Reiner had chosen to betray and abandon those who trusted him, those who loved him, and that was all there was to it.

He was clearly never coming back, and even if he did, things would never be the same between the two of you again; or anyone else for that matter.

There was nothing left to do except move on and accept the reality of your situation.

But even so, you still couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Despite the things he’d done, you still loved Reiner, and your heart still longed to be with him.

“I know.” You finally spoke up, “but I wish it would.” A gentle sigh jerked past your lips as you quickly turned back around to face the wall again, clearly not wanting to talk about the subject any longer.

Jean eyes lowered at your response, frustrated that you were shutting down once again; just like you’ve been doing for the past two weeks now.

He quickly slumped against the back of your chair with an enervated sigh, feeling like giving up on his efforts to pull you out of this darkness.

Jean had been trying his best to be gentle with you, to make sure you didn’t feel like he was pressuring you. He’d been patient with your stubbornness, he’d been calm and caring, but you didn’t seem to recognize any of that; all you were concerned about was the agony you allowed to cripple you from the inside, and it hurt to be a witness to it.

It hurt to see the way you were torturing yourself, pretending as if you deserved to be put through this pain. It was almost as if you were acting like this was your fault, like you had done something to deserve this.

But that wasn’t true; and Jean could see now that you’d forgotten that.

None of this was your fault, Reiner was the only one to blame here.

It was cruel of him to put you through this; to make you believe you weren’t good enough to make him stay, that you weren’t special enough to be loved by someone.

What kind of monster does that to a person; a person he loves especially?!

Jean couldn’t understand it, it angered him.

Did you truly believe you deserved to be abandoned? Left unloved?

Was Reiner the one who taught you to think that way? Jean’s blood was beginning to boil at just the thought of that.

It was all so frustrating, so heartbreaking. You weren’t the same person anymore, and Reiner was the cause of it.

Ever since his betrayal, Reiner had taken away a piece of you, the same one that used to laugh so loudly at the dinner table, the same one that contained your beautiful smile.

Your true self was withering away because of the crimes carried out by a man who promised to love you; but Jean refused to let it go without putting up a fight.

He wouldn’t stand by and watch the best part of you fall to pieces just because of some idiot who didn’t realize what he had before he threw it away.

You had to be saved from this, reminded that you didn’t need Reiner to be fulfilled, that you were already enough as you were.

You needed to remember all the good things in life that didn’t include Reiner, all the people that still cared deeply for you; people you seemed to forget about within the span of the past two weeks.

If you were ever going to be able to move on, ever going to heal from this: you needed to let Reiner go.

Jean sighed quietly as he stood up from the chair, attempting to try a different approach in hopes to get through to you.

He had tried everything he could think of without breaking any boundaries, but it got him nowhere. This was now officially his last resort, his final chance to rescue you from this darkness before it consumed you fully; leaving no trace left of the person you used to be.

If this didn’t work, then Jean could at least say he tried everything he possibly could; but hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.

Jean inhaled nervously to prepare himself before he slowly made his way over to your bed; placing a tender hand on your shoulder. “Y/n?” Jean spoke in a quiet voice, trying his best not to make you feel overwhelmed or anxious. “Can you please look at me?”

You didn’t move at first, you didn’t want to.

You were fully aware he was just trying to help, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to open up again without breaking down; and that was the last thing you needed right now.

“Y/n please.” Jean’s voice was desperate and pleading, his hand gently rubbing along your shoulder to, hopefully, coax you into giving in.

You let out a gentle sigh, tempted to just unload everything at once now that the offer was standing. It was hurting to keep everything inside like this; bottling it up and hiding it away as if it didn’t matter, as if you didn’t feel like screaming until your throat became dry and sore.

It was becoming too much to bear; the burden was too heavy to carry on your own anymore, and Jean had obviously noticed.

As usual, he could see right through you; penetrating through every wall you built to conceal your true feelings.

Maybe it was easier to stop fighting him, maybe, you really should just give in.

“I just want to know you’re okay.”

Jean’s voice was kind and sympathetic; the gentle caressing of his hand against your shoulder matching that tender tone he was currently using.

He sounded so desperate, so genuinely worried about you; something you couldn’t just ignore no matter how scared you were to open up again.

“Please…”

He pleaded, and by the tone of his voice you could tell this would be the last time; that this was your last chance to accept his offer of confiding in him before he would give up.

Despite your reservations to it, you knew you couldn’t refuse this time, lest you wanted to sign the contract to submit to your grief eternally.

If you were ever going to recover, ever going to restore that old version of yourself that you missed so much, then you’d have to grab ahold of this opportunity before it slipped away forever.

A gentle sigh rumbled in your throat before your body slowly turned to face Jean, watching the way he retracted his hand from your shoulder as you moved.

“I’m not okay.” You shook your head, eyes welling up with tears already. “And I don’t know how to be okay again.” You spoke with a shaken tone, feeling your lip quiver gently as you stared at him.

Barely ten seconds into speaking and you were already struggling to keep it together; feeling your heart clench in your chest at the recollection of all those bottled up thoughts now resurfacing.

Jean’s expression lowered at the sight of you, as if it was hurting him to watch this.

His body gently kneeled in front of your bed, aligning his eyes with yours as he reached to stroke your shoulder once more. “It’s okay, you don’t have to do this alone, no one expects you to.” He said reassuringly, staring at you with a sympathetic and tender gaze.

“I just-“ A sudden sob appeared at the back of your throat, choking the words you were trying to let escape. “I just don’t understand it. Why did he leave me?” You sniffled gently in between sentences. “Why didn’t he care about me?” A quiet sob slipped past your mouth, much to your dislike.

It was pathetic, embarrassing even; the way you were falling apart over this, not even lasting a good minute before turning into a crying mess.

Your eyes diverted away from Jean, cowering behind the blanket you were now burying your face into; hoping to muffle the sound of your sobs. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean, I just…” Your words came to a halt in your mouth as your emotions quickly took over; preventing you from getting a proper word out. “I’m sorry…” You repeated, clenching your eyes shut in humiliation.

You expected to hear a sigh of annoyance right about now, or perhaps even the shutting of the door. However, your body jolted in surprise when you felt the sudden warmth of a person hugging you gently instead.

Your head quickly lifted from the blanket and your eyes widened to see Jean’s face so close to yours; almost making you blush awkwardly at the proximity.

A comforting smile painted across Jean’s lips when he saw you look up at him. “Sorry if this is weird.” he chuckled nervously and quickly let go of the hug; backing away in case you felt uncomfortable. “You just looked like you needed that.”

Your expression softened as you looked at him, feeling a sense of gratitude filling your heart at the way he was attempting to comfort you; even if it was a little awkward at first. “No, it’s okay.” You quickly shook your head in response, granting him a gentle smile in return; one Jean hadn’t seen in two weeks.

Your body quickly sat up and leaned forward, reaching off the bed to where Jean was kneeling and wrapping your arms around him to continue the hug. “You’re right, I do need this.” You spoke in a soothing tone, letting him know you were okay with what he did a few seconds ago; and that it hadn’t pushed you away.

Jean let out a gentle sigh of relief at your actions, a little flabbergasted at how well you were responding to him. Here he was prepared to face your stubborn and dismissive attitude for the millionth time and yet he was faced with a completely unprecedented outcome.

There were no more spiteful comments or hurtful glares coming his way, just a gentle gaze and a pleasant embrace he never anticipated receiving after the state you were in merely seconds ago.

For the first time in two weeks, it seemed the Y/n he once knew, the Y/n he always secretly harbored feelings for, was finally showing herself again; even if just by the smallest amount.

Jean grinned gently to himself, and his arms quickly wrapped around your back to return the unexpected hug. “We’ve all been worried sick about you, ya know?” Jean spoke softly as he tightened his grip around you, allowing his hand to gently caress your back in the process.

“I know,” You uttered quietly, your voice sounding less unhinged and imbalanced as it was before. “And I’m sorry.”

You sniffled gently, your eyes clenching shut and your arms tightening around Jean’s neck as you leaned against him; wanting to stay in his comforting embrace.

Jean chuckled as he felt the way you clung to him; realizing just how desperate your need for reassurance was. “It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize.” He said as he leaned the side of his head against yours, continuing the subtle tracing of his fingers along your back. “Just please don’t do that again, okay?”

You nodded quickly, feeling the sting of tears pricking against your eyes once more. “I won’t, I promise, I’m really sorry.” You apologized again in an uneasy tone, feeling shameful of the way you’d been acting for the past two weeks.

This whole time Jean had been here trying to help you, but you’d just been too consumed in your own misery that you failed to notice the damage you were causing; the pain you were putting him, as well as everyone else, through by isolating yourself like this.

You’d been rude, selfish even; too hyper fixated on your own agony that you’d become blind to the impairment you were projecting onto everyone else.

You’d hoped it wasn’t too late to turn things around and make amends with the people you’d been neglecting for the past two weeks; and a part of you started to grow fearful that you’d missed your chance by now.

However, by the way Jean held you close and leaned his head tenderly against yours, it was obvious that wasn’t the case.

Part one | Part two | Masterlist | Blog Home | Aot Masterlist

(I’M LEGIT TURNING THIS INTO A ACTUAL SERIES NOW, OOPSIES) More parts to come soon! :)))

Taglist: @thebadbatch @nervouslad @ah-finally @usagikookiejams @setangel @unwindwithme @milkysuck @realglittereater @cyberdollface @glactict3a @elachapelle1357 @bucky-lents @diavoloslove @be-lla-vie @maaralo @buckysgirl01 @venomfantasies @desiiisstuff @novahaitani @jadasz @viiiik

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[arlana-likes-to-write]

Second Chance - Chapter 7

Master list

Warning: affects of chemotherapy treatment, lack of appetite, fatigue, body aches

Note: a lot of this chapter is based on my own personal experience with the disease. As I've learned chemotherapy effects everyone very differently. The type of chemo the reader is on is based on her type of cancer but the treatment plan may not be 100% accurate.

Relationships: Yelena x Reader, Avengers x Reader (Platonic), Wanda x reader (Platonic), Tony x daughter!reader, Pepper x daughter!reader

Word Count: 2.9k

“Breakfast smells wonderful darling,” Vision said, with a quick kiss to Wanda’s temple. Eating wasn’t something the android needed to do, he gathered energy from the mind stone. Sometimes, she would see him try a small bite of food to understand the appeal of it.

“Thank you,” she said. Even though he didn’t eat, he would always compliment her on it. She knew she didn’t have to cook for the team, everyone had their individual space and the ability to cook their food. But it was Wanda’s way to bring everyone together and to ensure everyone was eating. She grew up in a war-torn country where food wasn’t the easiest to come by. Three meals a day was a luxury. She knew what it felt like to be hungry and as long as she was around, no one would know that feeling.

As the common area began to fill with the sound of silverware against plates and the chatter of the plans for the day, Wanda smiled. Her family. She never thought she’d be here. With the death of her brother, her time at the RAFT, and 5 years of her life taken from her, she felt undeserving of a happy family. Her eyes fell on Yelena, Kate, and America. The trio were laughing about something but she was surprised you weren’t with them. She frowned, setting down her cup of coffee, and excused herself.

The AI must have sensed her urgency because the elevator wasted no time getting her to your floor. She knocked a few times on your door but it remained shut. She opened the door and saw your kitchen empty. Walking towards the direction of your bedroom, she saw you in bed still fast asleep. She knew you overdid it yesterday. Quietly, she walked to the side of your bed and sat in the space. “Sweetheart,” she gently rubbed your back. “Can you wake up for me?” It took a moment but you groaned and your eyes blinked open. “Good morning,” she said. “Breakfast is ready, do you want me to bring you some?” You shook your head.

“Not hungry,” you mumbled, closing your eyes. That worried Wanda. You barely ate dinner and she doubted you ate anything when you met your floor mates. “Why don’t I go get you a protein shake?” You were already falling asleep when Wanda left your room and went into the kitchen. She saw a box of strawberry Ensure that was mission one. Grabbing a bottle and a sleeve of crackers, she walked back into your room. You were in the same position she left you. However, when she set the food on your nightstand and sat back down on your bed, your eyes fluttered open. “I brought you an ensure and some crackers. Can you promise you’ll try to drink some of it?” You nodded.

“Promise,” you mumbled, eyes closing again.

“Let FRIDAY know if you need anything, okay?” You hummed that you understood. Wanda sighed and left your room, gently closing the door behind her. While she walked back to the common area, she was lost in thought of the possibility today you not getting better.

“How is she?” Vision asked when she returned to her spot with Vision, Natasha, and Bucky.

“How did-?” She cut herself off. It was the mind stone. It gave him life and her powers but also a deep connection between the pair. Wanda sighed, glancing at the Young Avengers who were now entertaining Morgan. “She’s not doing well. She barely could keep her eyes open and she wasn’t hungry.” Natasha took a sip of her coffee.

“We should tell Pepper and Tony, they’ll want to know.” She kept her hands wrapped around the mug as she stared into the dark liquid. Wanda kept her powers from venturing into the Black Widow’s thoughts. Instead, Bucky gently hit his shoulder against hers.

“What’s on your mind, doll?” He asked. The Black Widow sighed, setting her mug on the counter.

“I just hope one of us is a match,” she said. “Not sure what will happen to this tower if she doesn’t pull through.” Wanda wondered if the Russian developed the ability to read minds as those were the same thoughts and fears running through her mind.

“Miss. Easton is a remarkable young lady,” Vision said. “She will pull through.”

“Yes she is,” Wanda confirmed. “But the body can only go through so much.” She saw a brief moment in your mind when you touched her powers. There were a lot of light and happy moments that you held onto tight but there were emotions inside you that Wanda knew too well. Guilt. Anger. Sadness. A small dash of loneliness. The witch was worried those emotions were going to win.

*

With Wanda’s update regarding how you were feeling and a much-needed break, Pepper told Tony she could go check on you. She was hoping that a little more sleep was all you needed and you would be back to your normal self. Tony hid it well but the news Wanda told them worried him. Unfortunately, when Pepper entered your room, you were still asleep in bed and the food Wanda left you remained untouched. The CEO sighed and sat on your bed. “Hey honey,” Pepper softly spoke. “Wakey, wakey” you groaned and flopped onto your back. Your eyes blinked open and you rubbed sleep out of them, keeping our arm across your eyes.

“Hi,” you whispered. Pepper smiled.

“How are you?” You shrugged.

“I’m okay,” the CEO took your arm off your face and gave you a pointed look. You sighed. “I’ve been better.” Pepper chuckled.

“You need to eat and drink something.”

“I did eat,” she glared down at you.

“Both items Wanda left you are unopened,” you frowned. “You have to eat something, sweetheart. Your old man is starting to worry.” You giggled but nodded and sat up. “What do you want?”

“Ensure and my water bottle,” Pepper grabbed the two bottles and handed them to you. You took a few slow sips of your water then opened the ensure. Your nose scrunched as you brought it to your lips. A shiver went down your spine as took two big gulps and struggled to swallow it. You shook your head and put the cap on the bottle. “I won’t be able to keep down anymore.” You said, taking a few more sips of your water.

“You did a great job, honey,” she praised and placed your water bottle back on the nightstand. “Try the crackers in a little bit and I’ll put the rest of this in the fridge.”

“Thank you, Pepper,” you lay back down. “And tell Tony I’m fine,” your eyes started to close. “This is normal.”

“Normal?” She questioned. You hummed, nodding your head.

“Double dosage,” you yawned. “Kicks my ass every time.” ‘Did she just say it happens every time?’ Pepper thought. If you were affected this badly by your normal treatment, how was Plan B gonna affect you? She wasn’t sure if Tony or Morgan or even herself could handle it if your condition got worse.

The CEO was snapped out of her thoughts by your quiet snores. The CEO sighed, stood up, and gently ran her hand over your head. “You’ll overcome this,” she said, kissing your forehead. “You can’t come into our lives, turn it upside down, then leave.”

*

“I want Y/n to have dinner with us,” Morgan pouted, moving her barely-touched spaghetti into the bowl. It was tradition for the family of three to have dinner together on their floor. But Morgan refused to eat until you were there, putting on a little hungry strike.

“We told you, little miss, that she isn’t feeling well,” Pepper said. The girl huffed, throwing her fork down and crossing her arms.

“But she was fine yesterday. I don’t understand. She said her doctor made sure she was healthy,” Tony sighed, whipping his mouth with a napkin. “Why did she lie?”

“She didn’t lie, pumpkin, sometimes we have days where we feel good and other days not so much,” her pout remained. “Do you remember when you got sick last year? You felt better and played with Lila and Nathaniel all day but the next day you felt all sicky again.” He explained. His youngest slowly nodded.

“The same thing is happening to Y/n,” Pepper added.

“How about this, you eat your dinner and I’ll go check on her and no you can’t come,” he said quickly, shutting down the idea that he saw turning in her head. “Eat your food, squirt,” he kissed the top of her head. “Your mother worked hard on it.”

“Give her a hug for me,” Morgan spun around in her chair. “And, and tell her I want another story. And I want to play fair princesses and-”

“Dinner. Eat,” he cut off his daughter before her rambling got too out of hand.

As Tony took the elevator to your floor, his heart started to beat against his chest. He was nervous. What if you didn’t want to see him and turned him away? What if he messed this up and you no longer wanted him to be in your life? Sighing, he opened the door to your small apartment and ventured towards your bedroom. He was surprised to see you sitting up in your bed with a sketchbook. You smiled. “I was wondering when you’d be down to check on me,” the billionaire chuckled and sat down by your feet. Your knees were bent so he couldn’t see what you were drawing.

“Can I see?” He pointed to the sketchbook. You bit the end of your pencil as you thought about it.

“Sure but it’s not at all finished so don’t judge it too hard,” you handed it to him. He stared at the outline of Morgan while she was playing with some of her toys. “I know it’s not great but -”

“No,” Tony said. “It’s great. You are incredibly talented,” he handed you back the sketchbook. “You drew the pictures that are hung up in your living room.” You nodded, earrings a part of the drawing to redo it.

“Yeah, National Geographic used some of my drawings for an article,” you smiled. “I have the edition somewhere. I’ll show it to you.” He remembered reading about your love for drawing in one of Jessica’s letters. She bought you one of those deluxe art sets with paints and crayons for Christmas. Out of all the toys you received that year, the art set was your most played with gift. Tony imagined spending time with you in his lap as you drew him blueprints for new inventions. Maybe it could happen when you were feeling better. “I’m okay, Tony,” you said, closing your sketchbook. “Just part of the process.”

“Well I’m here because Princess Morgan has a message,” you sat up straighter at the mention of the younger girl.

“Oh and what does her majesty say?” Tony chuckled at your serious tone. “This is not a laughing matter, what does the princess request?” Even you couldn’t keep a straight face and let out a few giggles.

“The princess declares she wants to play fair princesses, another story, and,” he paused. The next request was complicated but he knew FRIDAY would inform his 4-year-old that he didn’t tell you everything. You raised a questioning eyebrow. “And she wants me to give you a hug.”

“Oh,” you squeaked, not expecting it but you recovered and smiled. “Are you going to give me a hug?”

“Do you want a hug?” He countered. You titled your head.

“Yeah, I think I’d like one,” To say Tony was shocked was an understatement. You wanted a hug. A hug from your father that wasn’t in your life but now was. Tony stood up and held out his arms. You hesitated, placed your sketchbook on the nightstand, and hugged him. The billionaire wrapped his around you and felt you let out a shaky breath. He couldn’t help himself and rested his chin on the top of your head.

“You’re a fighter, squirt,” he whispered. “You’re gonna get through this.” You ended the hug, eyes glossy from tears but you refused to let them fall. Instead, you let out another breath and chuckled.

“Squirt?” You questioned. Tony shrugged.

“Testing out nicknames for you, how do you like it?” You scrunched your nose.

“It’s okay. Let me know if you come up with something else.” He chuckled.

“Understood,” he kissed your forehead. “Come get me if you need anything.”

“I will,” you whispered.”

*

You watched him leave your room and when you heard the door closed you slumped back into bed. Tears prickled at the corner of your eyes as you still felt his arms around you. He smelt like spaghetti and coffee, and he was so warm. You wished he was still hugging you but it made you miss your mom even more. The way she also smelt of coffee from long days at the courthouse that she tried to mask with her floral perfume. With a sigh, you stood up and made your way to the kitchen, your sketchbook in your hand. You knew you weren’t going to be able to keep the ensure down so that left you limited options. Yogurt, no. Oatmeal, no. Applesauce, maybe. You grabbed a small apple sauce, and vanilla protein powder, and sat down at the island. You put about 2 tablespoons of the powder into the apple sauce and mix it up.

Starring at the spoonful, you contemplated your life choices and ate it. Yup, it was not good; tasted like metal even when you were using a plastic spoon. But you managed to eat all of it. Once you cleaned up, you decided to move onto the couch. With a Disney movie on and your sketchbook on your lap, it was a nice change of scenery. You took a break from the drawing you started of Morgan and began a new one. It was the picture you took of the Blonde Black Widow from your outing together.

You couldn’t help it but this image plagued your mind. You thought about it constantly not just the image but her. Her warmth. Her smile. Her sense of humor. Everything about her made your heart skip and stomach drop. Oh, you were in trouble.

*

It was morning when your door opened again. You slept on the couch, too tired and achy to move back to your room. You smirked when you saw America and Kate. “I feel like I need to lock that door,” you said. “Everyone just keeps coming in.” America giggled.

“Well, we come barring gifts.” She said, walking over to the couch with her girlfriend. They sat down around the table and you slide off the couch to join them on the floor. America set a board game on the table called A Ticket to Ride and Kate began to take out snacks from plastic bags. Pretzels, crackers, and a few breakfast options. She set an electrolyte drink in front of you.

“What are you guys doing?” You asked.

“We thought we could keep you company since you aren’t feeling well,” Kate said. “We can leave if you want us to.” You shook your head.

“No, this is great,” you said. “So, how do we play?”

*

“Did she eat anything?” Tony asked the couple when they walked out of the elevator. Kate shook her head.

“She drank an electrolyte drink we got her but nothing.” So with Kate and America’s attempt to get you to eat something not going to plan, Tony found himself in med bay with Helen on a video chat with Dr. Carpenter.

“When was the last time she ate?” Your doctor asked, leaning forward in his office chair.

“FRIDAY, can you give us a list of everything she’s eaten in the past few days?” Tony asked the AI. The AI was quiet for a second as it collected all the data.

“Miss. Eaton’s last full meal was breakfast the day after her chemotherapy appointment,” which was almost 48 hours ago. “Since then she’s had half of an ensure, some crackers, and apple sauce with protein powder,” Tony watched the man think, head moving side to side.

“Okay, if she doesn’t eat tonight we’ll hook her up at an IV- hydration fluids and a low dosage of steroids,” he turned to his computer. “I’ll prescribe her some steroids that she’ll need to take before her next treatment. Can you weigh her before you start?” Helen nodded.

“We’ll get her all set up here,” she said.

“Before we go, I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to us,” Tony said. “But is she like this after every treatment?” Lucas sighed, placing his chin in his hands.

“I am going to tell you something about your daughter, Tony,” he started. “When her mother died, she cut everyone out of her life. If she didn’t send me a postcard every once in a while, I would have no idea if she was alive,” the billionaire frowned at that. “So, she’s used to dealing with everything on her own.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Because I don’t know,” he admitted. “Even as her doctor and friend, she told me the bare minimum of how she feels. Like I said, she’s very stubborn and it may be her downfall.”

_

Taglist: @likemick, @averagetmblrusser, @wandaromamoff69, @simpforyelenabelova, @cd-4848,

[brooooswriting]

Sam and Tara know you aren’t eating properly. You last ate only dinner during Tuesday. It is now Saturday, and they decide to ask if you are ok, to hear that you relapsed.

Can reader be dating Tara.

Wreck

Tara carpenter x reader (Romantic), Sam Carpenter x reader (platonic)

Tw: anorexia, ed

If you have problems like these, please talk to somebody. You’re loved and needed.

“We should talk to her” Sam mumbled to Tara as they sat at the kitchen table during dinner time. They had plates full of food in front of them, food that you cooked. Your plate sat opposite to Tara, empty. There has barely been any food on it as you claimed that you already ate a lot during cooking. They believed you the first few times, you did cook for over 2 hours but when they noticed your constant dizziness they started to watch you while cooking. To no surprise, you didn’t eat during cooking.

Suddenly, a lot of things started make more sense. You were really moody lately, snapping at everybody for small coincidences, you were constantly tired, had lost a lot of weight, you were dizzy and you had a lot of trouble concentrating. The only really calorie intake you had was from the alcohol on the party at Friday Tara figured which made her shiver.

“When’s the last time we saw her eat?” Sam asked her sister, scared of the answer. Truth be told, she was vary if you in the beginning but you were quick to make her like you. You were the nicest 17 year old she’s ever met and the fact that you were starving yourself broke her terribly. She couldn’t imagine how Tara must feel.

“I think Tuesday, we had breakfast for our anniversary. After that, she avoided every meal she normally had with us. I-I just thought she was stressed, I thought that that was the reason she lost weight” Tara rambled on. She didn’t know how to deal with this, she loved you more than she loved anything else. Ever. You were the only person that could make her talk after the first attack, and she hated the fact that she wasn’t there for you at the moment. Her face was covered in tears, she didn’t notice that she started crying. Only when a tear landed on her hand.

Sam didn’t have the heart to tell Tara that she heard you throw up directly after “dinner” yesterday but she decided that there was no avoiding it. “She threw up yesterday. After she ate the three spoons of plain rice, I heard her when I got my hoodie. I tried to deny it but there’s no use” she told Tara with a heavy heart.

“She threw up?” Tara chocked down a sob, she was scared and angry and sad and disappointed. “We should talk to her, now” she sighed out and wiped her face. The brunette opened her phone camera to check her face, her eyes were swollen and red, there were still tear stains on her cheeks and her nose was running.

“Clean yourself up first okay? It’s hard but we have to stay strong for her” Sam told her and both of them went to clean themselves up.

“Ready?” The older woman asked, knowing the answer. Nobody could ever be ready for a discussion like this but there was no way around it so they had to suck it up. Tara gave her a timid nod and knocked on the door waiting for a come in.

When the come in came, they found you sitting on a yoga mat doing sit-ups. “How can I help you?” You asked out of breath, acting as if everything was alright. There was a moment of silence where both of them just stared at you. Your sport bra was showing of most of your body, your rips were showing and your chest bones were pretty visible, it looked unhealthy. The way they stared at you made you uncomfortable causing you to grab your shirt from the bed and tug it onto your body.

“We gotta talk, come here please baby” Tara mumbled as she sat on your bed and petted the space between her and Sam. You looked between them, something was off you figured.

“Look, im kinda in the middle of something right-“ you stopped yourself when you was the look on Tara’s face. She looked so sad and hurt that you couldn’t bring yourself to keep talking. Instead you stood up and sat down between the siblings, careful that your body wouldn’t touch either of them.

“We noticed that your behavior has been… off lately. You’re barely eating y/n” Sam started, her voice was soft and held a lot of comfort. Tara grabbed your hand, squeezing it thingy, hoping to give you comfort too.

“We also heard you throw up after eating Love” Tara said and then there was silence. You were staring off into the nothingness while the siblings exchanged a quick look. “What’s going on inside that pretty head of yours?” Normally you would have laughed about a sentence like that but you didn’t quite feel like laughing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” you still didn’t look at either of them. You were scared of their reaction, scared that they were going to hate you or be disappointed of you.

“Y/n, I can see your rips, all of them. I haven’t really seen you eat since Tuesday, it’s Saturday” Sam said and just as you were about to deny your stomach growled, a clear sign of hunger. A sigh escaped the older woman, “I’m going to get you something to eat” she told you and started to stand up.

“NO. I don’t want anything” you quickly said, slightly panicked which caused Sam to stop in her tracks.

“No, go get her something” Tara decided as she wrapped you up in her arms. You struggled, trying to get out of her hold, trying to get away from her but it was no use. No matter how much you pushed at her chest she didn’t budge. You were to exhausted to bring up any more strength. “Honey, you can’t even push me away. You’re exhausted. Whatever was going on has to stop alright? What happened?” She asked you, her hand rubbing up and down your back. Even through the shirt she could feel your spine.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” you mumbled into your girlfriend, an obvious lie. She sighed and pulled you even closer, placing a careful kiss at the top of your head. Her hands moved to grab your waist but she hör herself from doing it. Scared of how it’d feel.

“You gotta tell me what happened. Please baby” she sounded so sad that you broke. You started to cry and sob into her, pulling her closer to you. In her arms everything felt like it was alright.

“I-I didn’t fit into the sweater you brought me last anniversary. I mean, I did fit into it. But it was tight, way tighter than before. I’ve gotten fat, I didn’t wanna embarrass you” you explained through tears and sniffles making it hard to understand you bug she still did. And suddenly everything made sense, or atleast a bit.

“The blue one?” She asked and you nodded. She sighed suddenly feeling guilty. “Y/n, my love, I washed it wrong. It was the night before our anniversary this year, I accidentally washed it to hot which caused it to shrink. It had nothing to do with you baby. I promise. But even if, you’d still be beautiful if you had gained weight. Because you’re the most beautiful person ever. Nothing could ever change that” she told you, her eyes told you that she was telling the truth. That she meant every word she said.

“It shrank?” You asked through tears slightly laughing. Tara nodded with a small smile which turned bigger when you sighed in relief, your tears becoming less.

“Here” Sam mumbled as sat down with a banana and some nuts in hand, she didn’t want to upset your stomach after not eating for a while. She had listened to your conversation from the door and while she was relieved that the trigger was now figured out she still knew that this wasn’t going to be over this quick. “We should still talk about therapy” she said into the room, to no one particular.

You immediately tensed in Tara’s arms but the way she carefully kissed your head reassured you and made you relax again. “We will talk about that tomorrow” she decided as you carefully are your banana.

It felt good to eat, it felt right at the moment. You knew that in a couple of minutes or hours you were going to feel guilty but you also knew that Sam and Tara would be there to make you feel alright again. “Thank you” you told them as you finished eating. “For everything” you added as you gave Sam a small smile and a hug. The woman pulled you into her chest and kissed the top of your head in such a loving way that you could cry again.

“I’ll leave you two alone now. Call if you need anything” she told you as she parted from you, saying goodnight to her sister before leaving the room. You and Tara left alone.

“Let’s get ready for bed alright?” She said and you nodded before disappearing to take a shower and brush your teeth. In that time Tara changed her cloths and when you were done in the bathroom you changed while she brushed her teeth.

But when Tara reappeared in the bedroom you stood in front of the mirror without a shirt, looking at yourself. She was quick to come up behind you and hug you close to her body. She kept whispering words and phrases like ‘you’re beautiful’ and ‘I love you the way you are’ into your ear until you finally tested your eyes away from your reflection to turn around in her arms. “I love you” you mumbled and kissed her deeply. In that moment Everything just felt right and you nearly forgot about the whole eating thing.

“Let’s Go to bed” you laid in bed, cuddled into Tara that night and you felt loved and beautiful for the first time in a while. Sure, there was still a lot to be figured out but you knew that Sam and Tara would always have your back, no matter what or when.

[dangerously-human]

I hate this. I am hungry, I know that. I barely ate all day yesterday at the Ren Faire, so I actually even felt hungry for the first time in a while today, and was thinking the whole drive home from church how nice that was and mentally going through my fridge and cabinets for things I could actually manage to eat. And then I actually get home and look at that food and it makes me gag. Of course it's nice to not feel hungry all the time and have it easy to keep up with more reasonable portions. But I don't like that the trade is apparently never feeling hungry and feeling sick when I eat even very small portions. I know this won't last forever, it's only been three weeks, and as my body adjusts to this medication, I'll reestablish a better relationship with food. I know that if this actually works for my ADHD, it is worth the trade even if I never did find a balanced appetite. (After all, with proper executive functioning, I could totally plan and keep up with meals even without the desire to eat.) I also know that even though it's been hard to eat, I am still getting technically enough food most days. But I'm still crying about it being hard today. It's a very stupid thing to be upset about but I think I'm allowed.

(I suppose it's also worth acknowledging that I'm pretty sure the tears are spillover from something else, my failed attempt at lunch just happened to be the final catalyst. I don't know what my problem is at present but somehow my heart was broken by the time I left church today.)

[stuffing-seattle]

Bunni’s Stuffing pt. 1

Bunni was nervous, and he saw this as she squirmed in the passenger seat. “What is it, baby?” He asked her. She pouted because she didn’t know exactly how to put it into words. She was nervous, but the good kind of nervous. Excited nervous, the way you get when you are in line for a roller coaster. “I asked you a question.” He said, a color of sharp discipline in his voice. “I don’t know where you are taking me, Daddy.” This was. A half-truth. She knew what she had done, and was sure they were on the way for him to deliver punishment. “Do you remember Daddy’s lunch in the fridge?”

“No.” She fibbed. He scoffed. “I bet you are it too fast to remember.” He scolded, eyeing her swollen tummy peaking out from her character-themed tank top. Bunni blushed and tried to pull the top further down to hide her belly, but it was no use. Even on an empty tummy, her naval now sat exposed by the shirt, and the rabbit that had once adjourned the chest looked more like a panda bear, due to the stretching. “Whether you remember or not,” Daddy’s words cut into her thoughts like a knife. “I had to go to work with no lunch yesterday. That must mean I’m not feeding you enough, so I wanted to make sure you got your fill.” There was a sadistic edge to his voice, and Bunni gulped as they pulled into the parking lot of the towns cheapest all-you-can-eat buffet.

As they stepped out of the car, he got to drink in her full figure. When they had first met she was a petite little thing. Rail-thin and no tits or ass to speak of. Bunni was a glutton for punishment though, and always found excuse after excuse to act up. Her Daddy, of course had to discipline her, and his constant discipline was apparent for the whole world to see now. Her Daddy’s dominance sat around her waist in a a beach ball sized slab of fat. Her thighs had pudged up and her tits and ass had simply exploded from the results of her bad behavior. This was evidenced by her ass cheeks comfortably hanging halfway out of her many-sized too small shorts, and the fact that her tits looked like a popped can of Pillsbury grands in virtually any top shelf wore.he had to restrain himself from bending her over in that parking lot and putting a baby in her right then and there. *Patience* He told himself. *That part comes later*

She could feel the stares of the other patrons as they entered the buffet. White hot shame rushed to her cheeks as she knew they were all thinking what a pig she was. An equally white hot sensation travelled from her over-plump belly and in between her thighs. God she couldn’t wait for her punishment. “Sit down.” Daddy commanded. She obeyed. “Now, you are going to sit here and eat every single plate I bring you. Hear me? Every. Single. One.” Bunni smirked at him, trying not to betray the fact that she was absolutely sopping wet under the table just at his words. “And what if I don’t?” She asked smugly. He didn’t answer. He only left to collect plates. Fuck. He didn’t take the bait. She knew that meant he was serious and not here to play games.

Daddy was not gone long, but even so, Bunni’s belly began to gurgle and groan. She laid a hand on her belly and tried to shush it. Just then, Daddy returned. He had a plate of every cut of fried chicken, three slices of pizza, and a half rack of ribs. “I heard your greedy belly gurgling from across the restaurant.” He teased. “This should be a good start.” She gulped at the word *start* but dutifully dug in to begin her meal.

She tore through the chicken like an animal, and finished off the pizzas in short order. It was only by the time reached the ribs that she began to slow down. Already her mouth was covered in grease, and the ghosts of fullness were beginning to press at her belly, though it still did not show through all her extra padding. “You need a bib little girl.” Daddy said to her. She stuck her tongue out at him. “Not too full to be sassy, I see. Well then I’m off for round two. I expect those ribs to be finished off by the time I get back.”

“Finish those ribs before I get back.” She mocked. She saw a twinge of annoyance in Daddy’s eyes, but still he said nothing and left to other more food. As soon as he was gone she dropped the act and rubbed her full tummy. He was going to absolutely destroy her later, and she just hoped she was able to cash the check that her smart ass kept writing.

Either way she got back to work and went at the ribs. Daddy had not gotten her any utensils, almost certainly as another small punishment. So he gnawed at the ribs, getting barbecue sauce and chunks of meat all over her mouth and dripping onto her ample chest. She had just taken her last bite when Daddy returned with her second round of food. This time a mountain of mashed potatoes, a roll of sushi, and two hamburgers with fries. As if reading her mind, he also brought with him two tall glasses of soda. “This is it?” She smiled weakly. “Not by a long shot baby girl. Now dig in.”

She tried not to let on how much that comment both shook her and made her legs quiver. Instead she drowned her feelings in the closest glass of soda. In less than ten seconds, she had guzzled down the drink. Lost for a moment in the ecstasy of the stuffing, and basking in her bloated belly, she forgot where she was for a moment. *BWWWOOOORRRRPPP* Bunni opened her eyes in horror as she realized that the whole restaurant had gone silent and everyone was looking at her with quizzical expressions. She apologized meekly, and Daddy smirked at her.

“You really want this whole restaurant to know how much of a hopeless pig you are, don’t you?” He said. She blushed even harder and the fire forming in her belly was getting harder to ignore. “Why don’t you go get my next course and make yourself useful?” She snapped in a bratty tone. “Hope your eyes aren’t bigger than your stomach he said ominously, as he sauntered off to find more food. Finally she was alone with her food. She tucked in and lost herself to the pleasure and pain of stuffing her gut. Was this the mashed potatoes? The sushi? She was eating too fast to taste and it tasted too good to care. Before Daddy returned she had crammed every last bite of food into her overgrown tummy and polished off her soda to boot. She reclined back in her chair and groaned, this time managing to stifle a second burp. Her belly groaned and burbled audibly. It was as tight as a drum and she couldn’t even put a hand on it to soothe it without it sending a painful quiver through her midsection. Fuck, she had over done it so bad. And she had asked for another helping, what was she thinking? She was done for. As these thoughts swirled through her almost comatose mind, Daddy returned.

When he returned it was with two large slices of cake and a small mountain of ice cream. Bunni whimpered audibly at the thought of having to stuff it all inside her. She might really blow up. “You’ve been such a good girl for me, I thought you could use dessert.” Daddy said. Bunni still sat slumped in the booth and weakly opened her mouth, but all she could muster was a sick “Ooorrrp”. Daddy could see that she was slipping into a food coma, and for a moment wondered if he had gone too far. He had one way to check. “I’m very proud of you, baby girl, you’ve been doing so so good. Can you finish all of this for Daddy?” Jesus he knew how to push her buttons. The praise managed to short circuit her brain, and the pain in her belly seemed to melt away. She sat up as straight as her belly would allow, and began to dig in. Daddy could see that it was taking all her concentration to keep the food down, so he just watched, enraptured by her gluttony. She finished off the ice cream and the first slice of cake. But once the time came for the final slice, it seemed as if Bunni’s hands were filled with lead. She couldn’t even bring herself to pick them up. She moaned which transformed into a burp halfway through.

“I can’t do it, Daddy.” She whined, tears welling up in her eyes. “You have to.” Daddy said gently. “You’ve been misbehaving too much lately, and it wouldn’t exactly be a punishment if it was pleasant would it.”

“Please my tummy’s gonna *uuuurrrp* pop.” She begged. Daddy was unwavering. “You have to finish baby girl. That was the deal. But I’ll help you finish this last piece.” He picked up the last slice of cake and held it in front of her mouth. Bunni clamped it tightly shut. “Open.” Daddy commanded. Bunni shook her head even as her cheeks ballooned out from another burp trying to force its way out. “Open or I’ll make you open.” He repeated. Once again, Bunni shook her head. “Fine.” Said Daddy. “But I tried to warn you.”

Daddy took his free hand and layed it on top of Bunni’s massively swollen tummy. Usually, it looked like a wad of raw pizza dough hanging around her waist, rather formless and blob like, but still sticking out. At this point though, it looked and felt as if she had swallowed a bowling ball. She could be mistaken for being 8 months pregnant from the stretch marks that were already starting to form near her back. She was so tightly packed with food, that the skin around her naval was beginning to turn pink even through her dark skin from all the pressure. This belly was a bomb just waiting to blow. So Daddy did what he had to do.

He placed his hand over her belly button, and gave it a jiggle. So many feelings washed over Bunni at the same moment. The disturbance of her belly caused a massive air bubble to come loose and travel up her throat. The feeling of Daddy’s hand on her bare skin after all this teasing with the food and his words felt like bolts of lightening traveling directly from her belly to her pussy. The monstrous burp that erupted from her caused her a sort of sexy embarrassment that she was only half-conscious of due to her almost comatose state. As soon as the burp was done, Daddy shoved the last piece of cake fully into her mouth, and the way it felt expanding in her throat felt like a cock. As it traveled down she could physically feel the cake stretch and warp her tummy, finding any last available space left. Each swallow that landed in her gut she could trace where it was coming to lie in her horribly overpacked tummy.

All of these feeling combined were simply too much for her little food-impaired brain to handle and she had one of the largest orgasms of her life. There were several earth shattering contractions of her cunt. The first one soaked her panties. The second one soaked her shorts. The third one left her dripping and drooling into the tile floor below them. It was a good thing she had cake shoved down her throat or she would have let out an ear piercing scream.

Daddy saw Bunni quivering and shaking and was at first afraid she was having a seizure, until he heard the splashing on the floor, and smelled the unmistakable smell of her cum. He looked under the table at the small puddle forming below her and looked back at her in awe.

She was beautiful. Her mouth and tits were absolutely smeared in food. It looked as if she had been hit with a water gun of icecream and sauces. Her belly was taut and red, and visibly quivered under the excessive pressure it was holding. Even to Daddy, across the table, it audibly gurgled and groaned in an angry way. Bunni’s pants were ruined. Somewhere in the mayhem her button had popped off, and her belly had surged forward, pushing the zipper down. On top of that, her pants were soaked and she looked like she had pissed herself.

“Are you ok?” Daddy whispered, legitimately concerned. Bunni was slumped in the back of the booth, eyes glazed over, looking at nothing in particularly, and her mouth hanging limply open. All she could muster was a tiny “Burrrrrrrp,” that sounded like air being let out of a tire. “We gotta get you out of here, baby girl.” Said Daddy.

He stood up and put one of Bunni’s arms around his shoulder. He hefted her to her feet, and the jostling elicited a roar from her belly, and a barrage of burps from Bunni. Luckily they had been there so long that they were the only two left in the place other than the employees, who were doing all they could to give the noisy couple a wide berth. Daddy helped Bunni waddle her way to the car, her one free hand trying in vain to rub and soothe her churning belly. Once Daddy had her strapped in he said, “You did so good today baby, I’m proud of you.” He gave her stuffed gut a small pat. “BRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!” Bunni moaned after the explosive release of gas Daddy had dislodged barreled out of her throat. “I just hope you are ready for the rest of your punishment at home.”

Bunni looked at him, horrified. “What?” Said Daddy. “You didn’t think I’d let you off that easy did you? After all the back talk you gave me today? And basically shouting out to the whole restaurant what a slutty pig you are?” Daddy scoffed. “No one came to the buffet today to see a whale beach themselves, but they got a show anyway.” Bunni could only rub her poor overworked tummy and try to keep everything where it was. She hoped her next punishment wouldn’t be too severe.

[b0n3s-is-gay]

I'd love a Darry Curtis x Reader where the reader finds out she's pregnant and she tells Darry and later the gang.

Maybe set after they're married and Pony's about to start college?

Le gasp! That is a great idea! (I got caught up in a lot of school and a bit of insanity, excuse my lateness)

Surprise Shorty!

Tags: Married life, mentions of Baby Fever, Darry being a softy for babies, Darry Curtis x Wife reader, Fluff, Alive Johnny and Dally AU!, set in the future.

Synopsis: Having a moment alone and her least favorite aunt, Aunt Flo, being late. You decide to take a pregnancy test after weeks of Darry trying to get you knocked up.

A/n: I'm not good at this, head empty moment. Sorry- I also did my research on these pregnancy tests, they're weird.

(Credit for the lovely banner goes to @cafekitsune )

I sighed as I leaned against the counter, the 2 hour mark coming up for the pregnancy test. I hadn't even consulted Darry when I bought the stupid thing but I needed to know because I had already missed my period. The damn test took so long but it would be worth it. Beep, beep, beep.... My small baking timer chirped. I grabbed the time and turned it off before turning to look at the little box, hoping to see the brown circle on a yellow background. I said a silent prayer to whatever was up there before I looked at the mirror. It was right there, the brown circle telling me that I was carrying for two. "Well... Darry did it." I hummed as I kept looking at the mirrored box. I sighed and grabbed the box, walking it to our shared room so I could put it on our bed before I started dinner. I fixed the room up before walking to the kitchen. After two hours, I had a nice dinner enough to feed an army. I knew who would be here, first to last. It was always Two-bit first because he worked around a bit. Then Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally; they always traveled in a group after what happened with Bob. Sodapop, Steve, and Darry would be home last because Darry always picked up the two best friends from their jobs. Just as I started to put the dinner rolls in the oven, the train of people started coming in all in the order I predicted. Two-bit came in, said hello, grabbed a beer, and walked to the living room to watch Mickey. When I started the french onion soup, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally walked in. Pony gave me a hug, Johnny nodded his head softly, and Dally waved hello before joining Tow-bit in the living room. When I pulled the dinner rolls out of the oven, the final three walked in. Sodapop nodded tiredly, Steve grabbed a beer and smiled, and Darry came up behind me and gave me a kiss. He squeezed my hips before walking to our room to get changed out of his work clothes. I simply smiled and waited for him to find the test sitting on our bed as I got everyone served. "Darling, what's this?" Darry asked as he walked into the kitchen holding the pregnancy test in his hand, confused since it was a newer model of a pregnancy test. I shrugged, handed him a bowl of hot soup with a dinner roll, and kissed him. "Show it to Pony or Sodapop, they'll know what it is Pumpkin." I laughed as I sat down at the dinner table with the rest of the gang, smiling as I watched Darry with a grin while eating my own soup. Sodapop and Pony looked up from their separate conversations. Darry set the box on the table before sitting next to me to eat a hot meal. Dally, Sodapop, Ponyboy, and Two-bit all focused on the test; you could've heard a spoon drop. I sipped on my water before I heard Soda speak in a nonchalant tone. "So... am I gettin' a niece or a nephew?" Darry choked for a moment and coughed before speaking up. "Come again?" Darry asked as he looked at Sodapop, confused about what he just said. Soda shrugged before Pony spoke up, laughing before explaining. "Darry, that's one of 'em new at home pregnancy tests. It's sold at drug stores and I think I saw a few at the DX yesterday." Darry looked over at me shocked. I shrugged again and kept eating my dinner, knowing he'll need a minute.

[copperbadge]

I'm here! Well, I mean, I've been here for several hours at this point, but I've reached my lodgings and settled in. I hung up the next few days' worth of clothes, put my toiletries in the bathroom, took a shower, and am now running today's (which are also yesterday's) clothes through the small washer-dryer. We'll see if it actually dries them; if not at least I'm not doing this the hour before packing for Paris.

Went to Sainsbury's. You guys are not gonna believe the shit I found, but it's going to have to wait until my phone charges.

There have been a few hiccups on the road; the main one is that due to a complicated series of events, I have two USB ports I can charge all my gear from when I really could use four, and I'm not sure if I'll even have those two available once I leave London. I'm just going to have to be a little measured with my power use until I have more intel. In any case, most trains these days seem to have USB ports, so I'll just plug in whenever I can. As long as the phone stays charged I should be fine, and I can charge it like four times on my backup battery before the backup bites it.

Overall, despite Heathrow being a nightmare, it was a pleasant day -- I checked my luggage at the Tate Modern, did a loop of it, then went off to Pick & Cheese, the conveyor belt restaurant. I wanted one of everything but I know me, so I limited myself to three plates, which was enough to fill me up, although I imagine I'm going to have a snack before bed. (Hence Sainsbury's.) It was really, really good cheese and pairings, but I'm sure part of it was also that I hadn't had a real meal in roughly eighteen hours. The dinner they served on the flight was absolutely inedible; I had three or four protein/granola bars and a cup of Chobani, but that was pretty much it. It's fine -- Adderall is an appetite suppressant and normally it doesn't affect me because I'm home all day and like to eat, but actual hunger isn't an issue and as long as I make sure I get some calories in my face every few hours, blood sugar wasn't either. This is why I brought a literal dozen protein bars.

Still nice to sit somewhere and eat what amounted to a big plate of protein and sugar.

Everyone I've interacted with has been super nice, too -- people don't know how to walk on the sidewalk, which my midwestern-transplant soul found almost actively rude, but I chalked it up to tourists the same way we do back home. All the "staff" I've dealt with -- airport attendants, train officials, waitstaff, museum staff, the guy at Sainsbury's -- have been super nice. It reminds me that some cities actually want to be tourist cities, unlike Chicago, which begrudgingly admits we need tourists but really would rather they all die horribly. There's being a good customer service staffer and then there's actually being a nice person and I think most of the folks I dealt with are the latter.

Tomorrow I go to the British Museum, and I'm kind of glad that mudlarking fell through, because I feel like I definitely am going to need the morning to do a little recovering from all the walking. I'm going to ice my feet tonight and that should help.

So yes, here I am, in the new time zone, plotting a heist getting ready for tomorrow. I've successfully taken several different trains and a bus, and I know at least two of my payment cards work overseas plus my phone, so all of the major problems I anticipated are non-problems in the end.

I'm hoping tomorrow morning to go back over my posts and add anything that's needed and maybe post a few more photos from today, but we'll see. I have no idea what time I'll wake up tomorrow if I go to bed in the next half hour. Exciting to find out!

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (11/12/2024) Episode: Prank Day Potluck

“This potluck is such a delight” Luigi lied, wishing he had stuck to the plates he had prepared himself earlier. He didn’t want to hurt his friend’s feelings, especially when he knew the issue was less their dishes and more his very high culinary expectations.

Skye was glad no one was asking him about his meal. The bangers and mash Isra had made had looked quite tasty, but something about the combination of greasy sausage and fluffy potato really weren’t doing his tummy any favors.

Once everyone was finished eating, they broke into small groups to catch up with each other and enjoy some fun in the sun.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Skye told Bruce as he and Elyse sat with the other kids, “My dad said you got hurt pretty bad at the trials.”

“Tales of my downfall were greatly exaggerated” the teen quickly replied. Elyse, who shared classes with Bruce at Copperdale and had seen him hobbling around after he’d been cleared by his doctor to return rolled her eyes but didn’t comment.

“Anyway” Bruce continued “the trials were stupid, but I heard a wild story there. Did you know that stargazing can get you abducted? This guy I met heard it from a guy whose cousin works at the science lab.” Skye listened, rapt. Who knew using a telescope could be so dangerous!?

“I can’t believe Skye is almost a teenager!” Noemi lamented to her girlfriends “I swear some days it seems like only yesterday I was waddling around the university, feeling as big as a house, wishing the desks were bigger and my classes were closer together!”

Breanne laughed. “The teen years will fly by too, believe me. It seems like only yesterday my oldest girl Bailey was dating the captain of the chess team, and now she’s married and expecting her second little one.” “Congratulations!” the others chorused.

“So, do you want to host Skye’s birthday party at our place again?” Isra asked. “Thanks” Noemi replied “but Luigi and I are planning to take him on one last trip with just the three of us. Once he ages up, I’m not sure when we’ll get to see him again without making an appointment with Elyse first.” Isra chuckled “So you say, yet I seem to recall both our kids spent all morning at your house!”

“Sheesh, someone needs to lay off the garlic noodles!” Beau complained, holding his nose while waving his hand in Luigi’s direction.

“What!? That wasn’t me!” Luigi protested before his friend started laughing uproariously “Gotcha!” “Argh, I should have known! I’ll get you back for that, just you wait” Luigi told him as the men enjoyed a game of cards.

“Hey, when will you have that Cyberworld item from the Expansion Pack ready for us try out?” Rhys asked, tactfully changing the subject. “I can’t wait to battle myself in the game!” Beau agreed, adding with a grin: “and I can’t wait to have another way to kick both your butts! Seriously man, let’s test it!”

“Soon” Luigi promised “we’re still working out some kinks in the interface. Creating a virtual world within a virtual world turned out to be significantly more difficult than it seemed; but I just know its going to be awesome when we get it right.”

“Thanks for agreeing to help with the motion capture and voice your NPCs.” he continued, before turning back to Beau “I think the new candle making hobby is going to go over well too. I don’t know how Breanne does it all day, my fingers were sore for hours after my visit!”

“My wife is a pro” Beau smiled proudly “only noobs like your highness get singed every 5 minutes!” he laughed “Honestly though, thank you for thinking of her. She was thrilled to participate and having the official hobby lot in the game be modeled after her shop was very flattering.”

After a few more hours talking, pranking, and enjoying some snorkeling and deep-sea diving in the waters surrounding the bungalow Luigi and his family said their goodbyes and headed home, happy to have spent a wonderful day enjoying one of their favorite holidays with some of their favorite sims.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[macabrelinguine]

You sat in the room you hated, checking the clock. Five minutes. You were hungry, pretty damn near starving, actually. But you didn’t want the door to your room to open. You didn’t want the food she provided under the guise of care. You scoffed. The only thing she cared about was her meal. You didn’t think you could bleed so much until you came here. Three minutes.

You flopped backwards onto your bed, closing your eyes. Thinking of a time before you were little more than a good source. But all you could think of was her smile, her laugh, her entrancing eyes. How her words seemed to flow like water over ice. That same ice could be seen in her gaze in your more recent memories.

You refusing her food, pushing her away when she sat with her. The memories continued as the ice in her eyes seemed to prick you as you held her gaze. Then, in all the memories, she would grab you by your wrist, the back of your neck, your waist. She’d pull you closer with surprising force and-

You opened your eyes. You knew what happened next and you didn’t want to re-live it. You checked the clock.

No. It couldn’t be that time already-

The door clicked open, and in she stepped.

“Hello, love.”

“Jane” you said, not raising your head to look at her. It was a small act of rebellion, but not one that went unnoticed. She strode over to you, grabbing your jaw and wrenching it upward. You hissed a breath between your teeth.

“Look at me when I talk to you.” You stared at her for a second before nodding.

She smiled.

“Good.” You mustered a weak smile as she continued. “It’s time to eat, my love.” You stiffened.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You have to eat. I can’t eat unless I know you’re safe and you won’t pass out.”

“I-“

“Don’t you want me to be happy, love?” You sat stunned for a moment.

“No! You- you tricked me, you kidnapped me, and you suck my blood!” She just stared at you for a second, and you braced yourself to dodge her, but she didn’t move.

“Eat.”

“But-“

“My dear,” she hissed at you, “I’m being lenient with you. Now eat the fucking food.”

you ate the food. A dinner of tofu, spinach, and lentils. Iron rich foods. You glanced up at Jane, pleadingly. She spoke.

“Remember when we first met? You were so cute. I always knew I wanted this. Well, not you being so stubborn. But that can be fixed.” She moved towards you and your heart pounded in your throat.

She smirked at you.

“Don’t be so scared love, I’m not ready to eat quite yet.” You tried to slow your quickening heartbeat as she continued. “Anyway, I always knew I wanted you with me, here. Just for me.” She grinned, sighing. She was very close to you now, and you would’ve felt the warmth of her body if she wasn’t ice-cold as her eyes.

“Alright. Now I’m hungry.” You stiffened.

“Jane, wait-“ you were stopped as she put a finger to your lips.

“Shh, it won’t take long. It won’t hurt too much, you know that. Well, maybe a little extra, for not eating yesterday.” She laughed, exposing her fangs.

“Now, where should I start?” You tried to keep your heart rate steady as she traced a finger along your wrist.

“Here?” she moved her hand to your forearm.

“Maybe here?” You knew she feel how fast your heart was pumping, how scared you were. “Hmm, I think…here!” She said, landing her finger on a vein in your neck. Your heart beat ever faster as she positioned you on her lap, gently moved your head to the side to expose your neck, and bit.

you tried not to move, the faster this was over the better. Jane finished up and put a bandage on your neck.

“That didn’t hurt too much, did it love?”

It had. It was all you could do to keep the tears in your eyes and off of your face. But you cleared your throat and answered

“No.”

She rested her head on your shoulder, relaxing. You stiffened, not used to her touch. She started speaking to you.

“What’s so bad about this life, my love? What makes you put up such a fight?”

She moved so you were face to face.

“Why can’t you just listen? Would that be so hard?” Her voice was soft, but her words felt like knives. She tilted your head up with a single finger, continuing her speech.

“I hate having to hurt you, my love. I try to be patient with you…but-“ She grabbed your wrist and pulled you closer, whispering in your ear.

“Sometimes you’re just insufferable.”

[raychleadele]

Lately I’ve been really craving greens. Just absolutely slamming salads, putting them in wraps, on my morning egg toast, wilted into my pasta. Mixed greens everywhere. Spinach and arugula my beloveds. Also tried watercress for the first time and found that delightful. Loving my leafy greens. Figured there must be something in them, a vitamin or other nutrient, that my body really needs, because I’ve been going through them like crazy.

Relatedly, I recently paid an in person visit to the grocery store. I usually order for pickup to save on time, but this day I wasn’t able to for some reason. I was buying canned clams to make my late grandpa’s clam chowder. It’s a traditional Christmas/New Year’s season meal for me, I had to have it.

And when I picked up my can of clams, I became entranced by how many different canned fishes there were on the shelves. Sometimes I buy tuna, but I’d never touched most of them. And I know I was shopping hungry and when you shop hungry everything sounds good, but on that day the canned fish sounded really good. I thought “Idk, maybe I could be the kind of person who likes canned sardines.”

Then I snapped out of it and realized how hungry I was, and thought how insane it is for me to crave unfamiliar canned fish when I hardly eat the familiar variety I do buy, and reassured myself I’d get a meal when I got home, and I walked away without ransacking the shelf of canned fish.

But then I did it again at the fish counter at the Asian market a week later. I stood there for a full ten minutes, studying the dozens of whole fish they had that I’d never tried before, thinking maybe this would be the day I’d finally try filleting a fish for the first time, before deciding there weren’t any in my price range that looked fresh enough (I am in the only triple landlocked state of course), and walking away with no fish.

Then I saw that post here about someone who slammed three cans of fish and then learned they have lots of nutrients that help with seasonal depression. And I remembered how I’ve been slamming so many salads. And I thought huh, maybe my body is trying to tell me something about fish.

Then one of my favorite food YouTubers uploaded a video all about how people eat canned fish around the world and I said OKAY! CLEARLY I NEED TO BUY THE FISH!

So when I ordered groceries yesterday to prepare for the coming blizzard, I ordered canned fish. Specifically, I got one can of sardines, one can of anchovies, and one can of smoked oysters.

Today I cracked open the can of sardines for lunch. I taste tested a small piece and it was delicious! So I toasted an English muffin, spread it with some cream cheese, topped it with some thin sliced red onion and my beloved mixed greens, and added some sardines on top. Drizzled the top with some of the sardine oil and had an open faced sandwich. It was messy, because the minute I tried to bite into it all my toppings fell off, but it was delicious.

So anyway, I guess I am the kind of person who enjoys canned sardines now.