#but at least they're clean kiddos!

[esoterium]

ooooo! hi there!

// so i'm off work for the next two days. then work a day. then off two more! woohoo! listen. i'm excited! that said! i have a couple small family obligations to take care of in the afternoons these next two days but other than that? i plan on being home, here and just chilling/vibing and hanging with whoever. hope you are all safe and snug tonight.

come say hi on discord if you like. writingwhatever is the name. plop some memes from my memes tag: esoteriumemes if ya wanna! or request some memes from a muse in the reply function below. or just ask for me to plop in ya inbox and i'll wing it! idc! i'm just in a good mood. :D

much love to y'all! happy holidays if that's your thing!

ps. spent the night bathing the poor doggos cause i think the little one picked up some fleas off the people at the vet that cut her nails. they don't look like they got to the other two furbabies, thank goodness. so i think i got em early. doing all the bedding right now. thank goodness for dawn on hand and some burt's bees. i think we got it. if not? looks like come tues. it's flea stuff time. since the vet's closed. oof.

[ssahotchnerr]

imagine it being a saturday morning and you're laid in bed trying to catch up on sleep when all of a sudden you wake up because of course its jack and ellie poking you awake. you're groggy and aaron isnt there because he's making them breakfast, as he loves to do, and you can only mumble grumpily about how dont want breakfast, you just want your husband to come back to bed. and so the kids scurry into the kitchen to drag him back and he pulls you into his warm embrace. as you rest your head on his soft tummy and drift in and out of consciousness, you're all piled into the bed, discussing weekend plans and just being a family ❤

(My writing could NEVER be as beautiful or expressive as yours but i hope ive conveyed the concept because we all deserve to feel the warmth these thoughts instill in my heart)

AWWW that is adorable 🥹 the literal dream. fem!reader

muchhh too early, jack and ellie are running into your room, bouncing onto aaron and waking him up first (to be fair, he was already awake, he had heard them coming from down the hall LOL), telling him good morning, telling him what they dreamt about, asking him to c'mon and get up!!!!

you stir at the noise (they're loud), but quickly fall back to sleep - you haven't been sleeping well, have been getting up at the crack of dawn nearly every day, you even fell asleep last night way earlier than usual. aaron knows how exhausted you've been 🥺 so before they can pounce onto you next, he's taking them out (aaron literally caught ellie midway LOL). hehe he's carrying her out sideways as she protests, reaching back towards you, with jack at his heels.

and so aaron starts breakfast <3 as he cooks, they're both crowding around him; jack keeps asking if he can help, so soon enough he's perched on a chair next to aaron so he can easily reach 🫶🏻 ellie isn't as helpful; she brings her toys into the kitchen, which aaron continuously steps on as he navigates around 😭 as she's on the floor and leaves them scattered. hehe he keeps asking her if she's going to play in here, "please play at the table" 😭

and once all is ready, aaron asks them to ask you if you want breakfast, with the instructions of doing so gently, "mom's very tired" 🥺 jack and ellie run back into your bedroom, softly poking you awake. they're close, you can feel their breaths on your face while your eyes remain closed, and you sleepily mumble how you're not hungry, you just want aaron 🥺

so back into the kitchen they go, ellie's pulling on aaron's hand with allll the strength she can muster, attempting to drag him out, telling him that "mommy needs you right right right now🥺🥺🥺"

when aaron slides back into bed 🥺🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 you subconsciously adjust yourself so your head's on his middle, nestling into him and aaron's playing with your hair as you doze, running his fingers through your hair, rubbing your scalp, pressing kisses to the top of your head <3333 you're just so comfy and he's so warm and you could easily stay right there forever. and so could he 🥰

and meanwhile, jack and ellie are sitting on the carpet eating their pancakes. some show is on the tv, they're quietly eating and watching while you and aaron are snuggled up together <3 and once they're done, they pile into bed with you both; you're more awake now - pressing kisses to jack's head, tickling ellie to get her to giggle, and talking about the day ahead 🥹

for example, jack states how he wants to go to the park, ellie chimes in with agreement - but aaron mentions how there's errands to run first, you mention how they both need to clean their rooms (which cause the kiddos to groan LOL), but you lift their spirits by saying you're ending the night at grandpa dave's!!!!!! for a yummy team family dinner <3

and once all is discussed, aaron takes them out again: to give you the time to get up officially (he encourages you to spend at least ten more minutes in bed🥹) and to ready for the day with no interruptions. jack's at the age where he can do so independantly, so aaron gets ellie dressed, and even puts her hair in little pigtails 😭😭 he also cleans up breakfast - this is something he insists on doing whenever he's home 🫵🏻 since it falls on you whenever he's away <3

and once you're done, you keep the kiddos busy as he does the same (some days though, aaron will very quickly join you in the shower while jack and ellie are preoccupied 🤭)

and then your saturday begins 🥰 the first order of business - getting their rooms all tidied up

(and thank you my sweet i'm sobbing!!! 🥹 you conveyed this adorable scene beautifully💓😭 i'm wholeheartedly obsessed this will be on my mind forever)

[ipseitydelrey]

Sei!! I'm obsessed with your writing!

Since your requests are open... I was thinking maybe.... NSFW alphabet with Reid? 👀

aaaa thank you so much !!

nsfw alphabet ☆ spencer reid

ship spencer reid x afab!reader

warnings smut, use of protection (wrap it before you tap it, kiddos!!), p in v penetration (i feel like this goes w/o saying), oral (m and f receiving), hair pulling, mutual masturbation, wet dreams, teasing, sex toys, he’s self-conscious :(, slight mention of what cat adams did (only implied), also he’s bi <3

A = aftercare (what are they like after sex?)

it’s quite possible that spencer loves aftercare more than actual sex. he’s so enthusiastic about taking care of you; he’ll get food and water, run a bath, cuddle, etc.

B = body part (their favourite body part of theirs and of yours)

although he’s pretty self-critical about his looks, he does like his hair. his hairstyle changes frequently so he always appreciates it when you compliment him or you run your fingers through his hair.

spencer probably feels awful that this is his favourite part of your body, but he loves your boobs. no matter the size or shape, he lives resting his head on your chest like it’s a pillow.

C = cum (anything to do with cum)

either in you or in a condom. he doesn’t really like it when it gets everywhere. although, if he does end up cumming anywhere else (like on your stomach or face, etc.), he will definitely try to clean it up quickly.

D = dirty secret (a dirty secret of theirs)

it’s not too much of a secret but it still sort of counts: spencer has wet dreams about you. since you also sleep in the same bed, during those dreams, he would subconsciously rut against your leg and moan in his sleep. so far (at least to your knowledge), this has only happened once because you woke up to him doing it. you both are aware of this fact, but spencer isn’t aware that you know. you haven’t told him because you don’t wanna embarrass the poor guy.

E = experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they're doing?)

with women, very little; not even sex or second base, at most he has made out and gotten his shirt off but that’s it (we’re not including cat adams in this discussion of course). with men though? he’s not a virgin, so he does have some experience.

although if we’re counting what he knows through books and articles, then in theory he would be amazing in bed.

F = favourite position (this goes without saying)

if he’s on top, he loves missionary. the position gives him the opportunity to kiss you while he thrusts into you; he loves the romance and intimacy of it too.

if he’s bottoming, then he likes it when you ride him, especially if you’re facing towards him. he can still kiss you — giving him his much needed intimacy — and he loves to watch the way your chest heaves as you bounce on him. fondling your boobs is an added bonus! another position he loves is when you fuck him with your tits. that one doesn’t need an explanation.

G = goofy (are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc.)

he thinks he’s serious (he’s trying soooo hard, he wants it to be perfect) but he’s unintentionally goofy. usually during sex, he shares little tidbits about the benefits of an orgasm, or how eating pineapple can make cum taste like the fruit…and it’s hilarious. it doesn’t really bring you out of the moment, just makes you laugh.

H = hair (how well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

spencer has a mouth-watering happy trail. much like up north, down south it’s unruly, but can still be classified as well-groomed.

I = intimacy (how are they during the moment, romantic aspect...)

not much can be said, but expect tons of “i love you”s as he cums. he’s a romantic at heart, of course he wants some romance during sex.

J = jack off (masturbation headcanon)

he doesn’t masturbate a lot, maybe once or twice per two weeks at most; that’s if he’s not with you. in your presence is a whole other story. it was a bit awkward jerking off in front of you at first, but over time he’s come to love it (ngl kinda wanna write a drabble for this one).

K = kink (one or more of their kinks)

why do you think he keeps his hair long? it’s just begging to be pulled! seriously, during a makeout session, you got a little curious and your hand trailed to the back of his head and you gave his hair a lil tug. the result? an involuntary moan. and as mentioned before, mutual masturbation is on the table.

L = location (favourite places to have sex)

he believes any sort of sexual intimacy should be confined to the bedroom. he values his privacy and he doesn’t want to risk getting caught in the middle of having sex by anybody.

M = motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

you being smart, especially when you teach him something new (which doesn’t happen often but when it does, he’s so turned on). that’s pretty much it. genuinely loves it when you correct someone else, or if you work with him in the BAU, when you realize something about a particularly hard case that causes a breakthrough.

N = nope (something they wouldn't do, turn offs)

doesn’t want to hurt you in anyway shape or form. it’s likely that later in your relationship, when you trust each other more, you both might experiment with biting or spanking, but that’s as far as he’s willing to go. sensory deprivation (especially with blindfolds) are also a no.

O = oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

he’s so different, yet so similar when both giving and receiving oral; he doesn’t have a preference.

if he’s giving, then he’s giving. at first, he wasn’t too good at it (you had to keep giving him pointers and tell him what you like and don’t like, but he has the basics down), but over time, he does get the hang of it. in short, his tongue has other uses than just rambling about statistics.

if he’s receiving, it is the hottest thing you have seen and heard. he gets so flushed in the cheeks and so sweaty, his hair starts to stick to his forehead as he’s panting. and the noises? the noises he produces makes you want to rut against the bed, the couch, his leg, wherever you can.

P = pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

if he’s bottoming, he does like it when you go fast, especially if he’s pent up (and maybe has been edged for a while too). but if he’s on top, then he loves to go slow. although most of the time, he’ll go whatever pace you want him to go.

Q = quickies (their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

he doesn’t like quickies, especially early in your shared sexual life. he does prefer to take his time and not have any interruptions and the like, but quickies are bound to happen with how many cases there are.

R = risk (are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

this is a man of science we are talking about; of course he’s game to experiment in the bedroom. with his limited experience (especially with women), he doesn’t know exactly what he likes and doesn’t like. but as for risks, almost never. the closest he’ll probably get to fucking in public is in a motel/hotel. he doesn’t want to get caught in such a compromising position.

S = sexts (yes? no? pictures?)

he doesn’t really understand why people would sext when they could just A. say it to their partner directly or B. just call and listen to their voice. he understands why people send nudes even less; he doesn’t want to take pictures of himself in that way, or even risk sending them. the technophobia is real with this man.

T = toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

doesn’t own any, but he isn’t vehemently opposed to using them (either on you or him) if you own some.

U = unfair (how much they like to tease)

spencer doesn’t really like to tease so much as he likes to be teased. it gets him all riled up, especially if you tease him in public. as long as the teasing is masked well, he’s all for it.

V = volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make)

the way this man moans is symphonic, it’s mind boggling. he is loud, his noises can reverberate through the room. he doesn’t just moan, he’s got a whole arsenal of sounds; whimpers, whines, cries, etc.

W = wild card (get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

the first time he got hard in front of you was a complete accident and he was so embarrassed, rapidly spitting out apologies and slight self-deprecating comments. you tried to calm him down - which sort of worked, thankfully - and asked if he wanted help with it. the event didn’t escalate into full-on sex, but hands were enough for him and you both.

X = x-ray (dick size)

like him, his cock isn’t particularly girthy, but it’s long, definitely above average. in fact, it’s long enough that you could still feel the aftershocks of it even when it’s been a day.

Y = yearning (how high is their sex drive? how many rounds can they go for, how long do they last...)

the man is so touch-starved that at this point, any form of intimacy would be near too much for him. so, his sex drive would probably be high, but he would still only be able to go maybe one or two rounds. later in your relationship, he might be able to go longer than that.

Z = zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

spencer is the type of guy to feel sleepy after sex, even if he cane only once. the activity takes a lot out of him, but he would still prioritize you first before himself. after he does his whole aftercare routine, he’s out like a light. this could be different if he has a migraine, in which case he’ll probably be up for a couple more hours (yay insomnia).

[blue-rose-soul]

A post about Alastor turning into a kid prompted a spiraling daydream wherein Husk gets thrown to Earth in the past. Sometime between 1905 and 1912 ish. He's a demon so of course people are fucking terrified of him so he takes off running through the back alleys, hiding in the shadows, and ends up crashing through the window of someone's house trying to stay out of sight. The house was dark so he thought it was empty, so Husk is completely shocked when he brushes himself off and turns to find a very familiar kid staring up at him.

All things considered, kiddo Alastor is ENTIRELY too calm about the giant winged cat monster with four-inch talons and wicked yellow fangs that came barrelling in through his bedroom window. Not that Husk is complaining, since the kid sneaks him some food and a beer. He's less than thrilled when little Alastor suggests he live in the closet as a pet, but at least he has somewhere he can stay out of sight until he figures out how to get back where he belongs...

The first night, Husk is awoken by the sound of furious yells through the door. Glass shattering. A muffled grunt. Slowly he pushes open the closet door to see Alastor huddled against the wall with a large man towering over him, reeking of beer with his fist raised.

Husk doesn't stop to think about the fact that this is a living human who won't respawn like all of the demons he's killed in Hell. One quick slice of his claws and it's over. The drunk bastard is dead. The hid is staring up at Husk, spattered in the man's blood.

Now, Husk doesn't regret putting the mean bastard down, but he knows he can't stay. So he tells Alastor to say a robber broke in and fled out the window when things got violent. Only, Alastor wants to go with Husk. Husk asks about Alastor's mother, and the look on the kid's face says it all. But Husk doesn't need a brat weighing him down and the kid doesn't need to get mixed up with demons so Husk just sweeps out the window, intent on leaving Alastor behind.

Only, Alastor follows him right outside, slicing himself on a piece of broken glass in his desperation not to be left behind. There's a lot of screaming and crying and Husk frantically looking around in case someone's heard before he finally cracks and agrees to take Alastor with him.

Cue the adventures of the alcoholic homeless cat demon and his tiny boss he accidentally kidnadopted as he tries to figure out a way back home while also searching for a safe place he can dump the brat.

Including such shenanigans as:

Husk bundled up in a trench coat, 3 sweaters, 7 scarves, a hat, a pair of mittens, and heavy boots, in Louisiana, IN THE SUMMER, asking around for a job.

Beby Alastor happily playing with Husk's wings (the mental image that convinced me to actually type all this out).

Husk teaching Alastor how to play poker and regretting it when not two games later, the kid is cleaning him out (they're betting bottle caps).

Husk's debut as a street magician, still dressed in aforementioned trench coats and scarves. He hates every moment of it but Alastor loves it, the little menace.

(This was kinda sorta inspired by this post from @nunalastor.)

[auroralwriting]

illicit affairs

chapter three

biker!bucky barnes x stark!reader (turf war au)

tony's mad, bucky's curious, you're questioning where you belong

warnings: violence, language, small age gap (6~ years), angst, arguing, drinking, overall crime and gang stuff, sort of enemies to lovers

series masterlist

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Tony spat as he angrily paced around the room. "Some moron paid off Quill and his gang to not fuck up The Avengers!"

"I knew we should've gone Hydra," Rhodey clicked his tongue as he looked up from scrolling on his phone.

Tony shook his head, "When I find the person who did this, I'll fuck them up myself."

Your brother's words made you increasingly nervous. It was you who paid off Quill. At least he didn't snitch that it was you. It still didn't help your nerves to see how upset Tony was.

"It was a bad idea anyways," Clint interrupted. He quickly retracted his words as Tony grabbed his collar, "Only because we should've done it ourselves!"

Bruce sighed, "We can't do anything too rash, otherwise The Asgardians won't help us."

"He's right," Vision confirmed, "They like peace until they're the ones to disrupt it. The minute we cross any lines, they're out of the picure. Bye-bye, Brooklyn."

"Kiddo, what're you thinking?" Tony called to you. You just noticed how you were picking at your skin.

With a shrug, you answered. "I'm just not a fan of all of this."

"Well they're all lying, pompous, pieces of shit." Tony scoffed. "They deserve all of this."

"But why?" You asked. The silence in the room was so much, you could've heard the dust flying around.

Tony pointed to the door, "Get out. Go home."

"But-"

"No! Go the fuck home," Tony yelled as you grabbed your bag and left the small HQ to head back to your apartment, wondering what you's said to make him that angry.

"What's on your mind, Buck?" Steve asked his friend as the two of them sat in the bar. It was always pretty empty during the day. It was the two of them, a couple in the cafe, and Coulson cleaning up.

Bucky shrugged, "Nothin',"

"I know that look, it's not nothing. Come on, I won't judge you." Steve pushed. "Is it about the Stark girl?"

"I just.. don't know how to place her," Bucky admitted. "Stark's such an ass, but she's just-"

"Sweet?" Steve offered.

Bucky nodded, "Yeah, real fuckin' sweet. I mean, she could've got her ass kicked for us last night. I just don't get why she's bein' so nice when Tony's over there brainwashing her."

"I highly doubt he's doing that," Steve mused. "She wasn't around during the fallout. There's a good chance she doesn't even know what all of this is about, or you." Bucky felt his heart drop just a little when Steve added that last part. Truly, he'd never meant for Howard and Maria to get killed. He didn't know it was them transporting millions of dollars in art, otherwise he would've kept his mouth shut. "She really does seem to have a good brain in that head of hers."

"What are you thinking?" Bucky asked, watching as Steve's face twisted into that look he got when he got some brilliant idea.

Steve shrugged, "Maybe we invite her for drinks as a thank you."

"You think Stark-"

"I don't give a damn what he thinks," Steve cut Bucky off abruptly. "She's not his property. Let's give her a choice."

Bucky gave a soft sigh knowing Steve wasn't going to back off his idea. "Ask the others, let's see what they think."

"Already on it, Buck."

How could Tony just kick you out like that?

What could you have said that was so bad that your own brother would kick you out?

The thoughts spiraled in your mind as you sprawled out on your couch, a long, deep sigh pouring from your lips. It was only six and it felt like the longest day in the world. Not to mention your sub-group chat without Tony was blowing up your phone. You had to mute it to shut them up. All they were rambling about was if The Guardians idea was really the right one.

Clint had texted you as well. He asked if you knew who called off Quill. It was clear by his tone he already knew it was you. Clint always knew the sneaky things you did without Tony knowing. He kept things quiet. You liked Clint the most.

A strong knock shook you from your thoughts. You weren't expecting anyone, unless maybe Clint came over to question you further since you didn't respond to his texts.

You walked up to the door and opened it, shock filling your body when you saw Steve standing there.

"Steve," You breathed, unsure of what else to say.

"Hey, Stark." Steve gave a soft smile. He looked behind you and into your apartment, reminding you to let him in. You opened the door further and scooted out of his way so he could walk in. "Small place," He commented as he looked around.

"Big enough for one person," You countered, a smile playing at your lips. Steve wasn't here for trouble. "I would ask how you know where I live, but.."

Steve chuckled, "Yeah, we've all got our connections." He took a seat at the small bar-stool you had at your counter. "Pretty early to be sitting around at home."

You looked at your clothes, glancing down to realize you were in full sweats. "Yeah, Tony and I got in a disagreement today. Kinda spoiled the mood."

"What about?" Steve asked, genuine curiosity on his face.

"It's always something, I don't even know what this one's about." You sighed as you leaned against your wall. "You here to just chat?"

Steve shook his head, "Go get dressed, you're coming out with us tonight."

"Am I?" You asked curiously. "What for?"

"A thank you," Steve explained, "For the other night with Quill and his buddies."

If it was anyone else, you'd think you were getting played. Steve was different, though. He was genuine, he didn't bullshit with his kindness. Maybe your actions had bought you a one-way ticket to Steve's friendship. If that was even what you wanted. Tony would kill you.

"I'll go get dressed." Fuck what Tony thinks.

Steve waited on the stool as you changed in your room. "Where are we going?" You called out to Steve.

"The Grove," Steve replied, his voice loud so you could hear. "It's where we always go." Second time at The Grove, how exciting. "What do you want to drink? I can let Coulson know ahead of time."

You thought for a moment, "I'll do a cosmopolitan!"

You quickly touched up your makeup and walked out of your room, back to Steve who was waiting patiently. "A cosmopolitan, good choice." Steve smiled. "You all ready?"

"Yeah, let me grab a jacket." You said, looking at the muted news on your tv. "Never mind, it's going to be eighty. I won't need that."

"Especially with alcohol in you," Steve joked, opening your door for you. "My bike's outside, you can just ride with me."

You'd actually only ridden on a bike a small amount. Clint had one, but everyone else in the Syndicates had nice cars. It felt thrilling to be on a bike again. It made you feel even better when Steve handed you a helmet to wear. Thrilling but safe!

The Avengers and yourself were definitely a little bit tipsy at this point.

You were sat right in between Wanda and Natasha, who's head was currently on your shoulder to keep her upright as she laughed so hard she was shaking.

"And then he screamed louder than anyone," Natasha paused to wheeze in a breath. "I've ever heard!"

The table erupted in laugher, all besides Sam, who's face was heated while he scoffed. "It isn't that funny."

"No, it really is." Wanda waved him off as she hiccuped in laughter.

The only person not laughing besides Sam was Bucky. He was just oddly smiling to himself, unable to look up from his lap. Clearly the story had made him amused, but he couldn't look up at you.

"I would give all the money in the world to hear that." You admitted as you sipped your drink.

Natasha sat up quickly, "Here, let me try and replicate it for you." She falsettoed her voice and gave the most feminine, soft screech you'd ever heard, causing everyone to laugh once more.

"It did not sound like that," Sam muttered. "I'm too sober for this shit." He waved down Coulson for another one of his drinks.

"Okay, Stark. Give us something, you basically are surrounded by half-men all day. You have to have some funny story." Wanda asked as she set her attention on you.

You felt uneasy with the spotlight now on you. "Uhm," You hesitated. Honestly, you couldn't remember a time that was really funny. You were never invited to those sorts of hangouts. "I don't know."

"What?" Natasha was still smiling, but it was slightly falling as she shook her head. "You have to have something."

"I actually want to circle back to when Sam tried to flirt with that stripper who immediately tried to make him her toddler's daddy." You hoped the reference would side-track the table, which it immediately did as Wanda and Natasha cackled.

The look on Steve's face was telling; he knew exactly what was going on inside your head, and that was scary. You were quick to notice that was the first time Bucky had laid eyes on you, too. You turned your head to Wanda as she told the story, Sam trying his best to shut her up as she spoke.

Steve's face turned to stone, but inside, he was going over a thousand different thoughts. The first step to his new plan was getting Bucky and yourself acquainted.

"Bucky, do you think you could take Stark home for me?"

[vulpixisananimal]

<You jolt awake. Stars, you thought you'd survive that. It was just one story up, and sure, it was a little glass, but->

(Do you mind?!?!?)

<You roll your eye. No, but Odile did. Ha. Come on, Siffrin. Odile wasn't acting like herself. She was a dangerous enemy- we had to escape.>

(Stars, come on! You had to at least try and see what was going on, right?!?)

<Stop being stupid. Odile knows how to stop us Looping.>

(. . . I-)

<I'm right.>

(Shut up.)

<You sigh and sit up from the Favor Tree. Back here again, strange- oh stars, You hold your head for a moment. Headache, and sick. Your stomach churns, head pounding.>

(Craft exhaustion- stars, this is why, I wanted to-)

<We'll get over it. Just- just, breathe. . .>

(You breathe in, and out.)

(. . . Ack, stars. Why WERE we waking up here again? Wasn't it because of sleep that we make a checkpoint?)

<Perhaps whatever strange logic the Universe has at work counts our little meeting as a sleep. Which doesn't make sense, because->

(Yes I know we weren't asleep. I'm not stupid.)

<Could have fooled me.>

(You grunt, and shake your head. You start walking down to the homestead, seeing Ramos and Mirabelle walking up to meet you.)

(Mira waves to you.) "S-siffrin!! Oh thank Change, are you okay???"

(You laugh half-heartedly.) "Yeah, just a bit dizzy, it's the stage."

"It's. . O-oh!" (Mira perks up a bit at that.) "Oh then! T-then I guess we've, told you everything already?"

"Yup." (You nod.) "I'll try and make this quick. . ."

>>>

(You quietly open up the back door to the Homestead, which lead straight to the kitchen. Mirabelle and Ramos followed behind you, ready for anything. With Isabeau waiting for you up front, and Odile possibly going after you upstairs, getting in the back would be the best idea.)

<Or you could break in a window again.>

(After what you did?!? Not a chance.)

"Hey, wasn't Bonnie cooking here this morning?" (Asks Ramos.)

"O-oh, yes! They were getting along with Jan." (She tried not to bite her nails.) "W-we should, check on them! Make sure they're ok!!"

"Good idea." (You nod, continuing through the kitchen. Nothing too strange, so you continue-)

"I thought the kiddo usually cleans up after themself." (Ramos says, you look back, they're looking at some half finished dishes.)

". . . They do." (You squint. That's not like Bonnie. If they didn't clean up, they'd make sure someone else did.) "Let's hurry."

(You get to the doorway to the common area and stop. You hear some voices.)

"Get him upstairs, we can figure it out there."

(Huh? Oh wait you knew that voice. You pause for a second.)

"I, I don't, why should I trust you?!? I'm fine! I-"

(You didn't recognize that voice. You hear a craft spell of something. You feel Mira lean in a bit close to listen in. She asks,) "What is it?"

"People I met last loop. One of them gets effected." (You listen in again.)

"He'll stay asleep for a bit. I'll take him upstairs."

"I'll make sure everythings safe. Just be quick."

(You hear them walk off. You sigh.) "Stars, maybe talking to Polaris coulda helped but. . ."

"Maybe. . ." (Ramos starts.) ". . . Well, maybe next time I could do something about it? If we're quick to get here?"

(You nod.) "Right, next time. C'mon, lets find Bonbon."

<You're really worried about the Kid, aren't you.>

(You frown as you step out into the common area. Of course you are! You care about Bonnie, and you have to make sure they're okay!!)

<The time could be better spent looking for the star. Then the Kid could be safe.>

(You ignore him. You start looking for anything out of the ordinary. There's a few random dishes left out, Jan wasn't around, those three travelers went upstairs, Isabeau was waiting outside. . . Hmm.)

(Looking up to your friend and ally, Mirabelle looked distracted, probably worried about the rest of your family. Ramos was staring at that sign in your language.)

"It's just a cheesy proverb," (You call over, going back to looking around.)

"Wait, really?" (Ramos turns to you, hand on hip.)

"Really."

"Why."

(You shrug.) "Not every island thing is some omen- Oh, yeah that reminds me, Mira?"

"O-oh?" (Mira looks over to you.)

"Did I ever mention that I found a book in my language in the Dormont library?"

"Oh really??? What was it about?? Was it helpful or anything???" (Her eyes brightened- genuine interest! Yes!!)

"I mean, I got the title," (You stick your tongue out.) "The Cursing of Château Castle, volume 2."

". . . Pfft-" (That makes her giggle.) "Of all the things to be found there!"

"I know right?!?" (You shake your head.) "H-haha, I was so excited, too. Finally able to read it, and lo and behold. . ."

"Hehe, It was just a book from my favorite series!"

"Exactly." (You finish looking around and walk over to her.) "Well, nothing here. Upstairs next?"

(Ramos and Mira nod in agreement. The three of you get back in formation as you lead them upstairs. You make sure to step quietly, listening as you go, not wanting to be caught off guard.)

(You hear some talking, a door opening, then closing. You take a few more steps, and peek over the top of the staircase. There's no one in the hall.)

<What is your goal, Siffrin.>

(To find Bonbon, like I said!)

<Ugh, fine. If you're looking for the kid, why would they be here? Where should you go?>

(The room they were staying in? That's where you think, anyway. You walk through the hall, hand on your dagger, Ramos and Mira right behind you.)

". . . Which room was Bonnies again?"

"O-oh uh, that one, on the left." (Mira replies, pointing to a door further down the hall. You head over to it. Nothing out of the ordinary yet. You put an ear to the door.)

(You could see Mirabelle get more and more fidgety with each second. You wait, still. . . . No, you couldn't hear anyone on the other side. You try the door, locked.)

"Stars."

"I could break it down, probably." (Ramos suggests.)

(You shake your head.) "Too much noise."

"Uhm, what about the outside window?" (Mira asks.)

(You make a face.) "Yeah, that could work. Again."

"Why didn't you go in a window this time?" (Ramos asks.)

(Your face was all the response they needed.)

<It wasn't that bad.>

". . . W-well. . . Where, where else can we check?" (Asks Mira, finger to her chin.)

"I'm. . . Hmm. . ." (You tap your foot.) ". . . Your room, Jans, double check my own room."

"Lets check yours- out of Odile's way, hopefully, and maybe Isa did something." (Ramos suggests. You nod.)

<Your rooms one door down. Right side. You have a key for it in your pocket.>

(How did- Oh, it was YOU who was in charge this morning then?)

<It was. What of it.>

(Unpack that another day. You get to your room, listen at the door for a moment, then unlock it. The three of your slip inside and you lock the door behind you.)

"One bed?!?" (You hear Mirabelle exclaim. Uhoh.)

"Stars, you two really are like a bonded couple." (Ramos jokes, giving you a look.)

"S-shut up! I thought it was going to be two beds!!"

"Suuuuuure." (Ramos rolls their eyes.)

(You tug up the collar of your cloak. Stupid. Dumb. At least they wont remember this. You go over to your pack to check if everything's in order, only to find it isn't.)

"Oh blind it all!" (Your pack had been completely upturned, belongings spread out across the floor. Stars, what on earth was this?!? Null, did you forget to lock up once you woke up?!?)

<No. I made sure to lock the door.>

(Great. Mira came to your side with a sour look.) "Was, anything stolen?"

(You crouch down, sorting through your things.) "No, it doesn't look like it, but. . ."

(Among the items was a lot of scrap paper. You had been noting things down on them. A lot of things. Before you realized your amnesia was partially caused by freeloaders in your head, you had made notes to yourself. A lot of those notes you didn't remember. Each of those notes were laid out neatly, like someone was looking through them.)

"Someone tried getting in here." (Ramos comments, you look over, they were inspecting the window.)

<That window's stuck.>

"But isn't that window stuck?" (You echo.)

"Yep, but. . . Here, here and here, signs of an attempted forced entry. Probably gave up 'cause it would make too much noise."

<Very, very concerning. There is a good chance that was last night.>

(Yeah yeah.) "Who was trying to get in then?"

(Ramos shrugged.) "I dunno. Someone who could scale up to a second story window?"

"But whoever it was, that might be who we're looking for!!" (Mira says, almost excited.) "Oh this is like a murder mystery!!"

"But without the murder." (You hope.) "Stars, what a mess. . ."

"Don't think there's anything else here." (Ramos comments.) "Where to next?"

"I'm not sure. It was around now that Odile showed up last time." (You sit down on your bed.) "She was upstairs, and I opened the door and. . ."

<Quiet down, then.>

(You hold up a hand, and a finger to your lips, and listened.)

(. . . There were a few footsteps outside, from down the hall. There were a few voices, possibly the other traveling group. No-one coming upstairs. . . You hear some light footsteps run past your door, followed by a slower, heavier pair.)

<Going downstairs. Light footsteps are possibly Wren. Possibly Bonnie. Check that out next Loop. Heavier footsteps are either Odile or Vixul. Most likely Odile and Bonnie then, right?>

(Then you should go check on them! Make sure they're alright!)

<No. If Odile is being effected by Mind Craft, which I think she is, then Bonnie is too.>

(You frown. Stars, you hate that he's right. You wait a few moments more before saying in a low whisper.) "That might have been Odile going downstairs."

"R-right." (Mira nods.) "What, w-what's next then, Siffrin?"

"Don't know." (You shrug.) "This was where I died last time."

(You see Mirabelle wince at that. Oh, right, she's still not used to you dying. Eh, it was fine. You think for a moment, where to go next. . .)

"Uh. . ." (Ramos spoke up.) "I, know you can't exactly take a note thought the loops, but, maybe going through daily events could help? Where everyone is and such?"

"Right. . ." (You tap your foot. Where would you even start with that?) "Next loop, though."

"A-alright." (Ramos replies. They look out the window to the rain.)

(There's an awkward silence, and you're not sure what to do right now. Sneak to one of the other rooms? You weren't sure if Odile was still out there waiting for you. You were really sure she was downstairs now, but you didn't know.)

<There is still a lot to think about, Siffrin. For one, why did, assumedly Isabeau, look through your things?>

(Because he's being mind controlled?)

<No, stupid. Think deeper. Why would he be commanded to do that.>

(Why would he- right. Someone is in control, after all. Was it who talked to Ramos and gave them that star? They did seem like prime suspects, and they were interested in their guardian who was from the Island. Were they looking for more about the Island?)

<Good. You're on track. What about people we know are here.>

(Well. . . Jan? Maybe? No that just doesn't seem right-)

<"Doesn't seem right" isn't a good reason.>

(Alright, what about Vixul and her group? Sure, they seemed just as confused about this as you were, but she was a researcher. It would be up her ally.)

<Getting better, keep going.>

(What about that mystery couple who left this morning? We don't know much- well, anything about them.)

<Then that's who you should look into, right?>

(But they left long before any of this Mind Craft started! Who knows if-)

"Crabbing Stars-!"

(The strange mix of curses snaps you back to reality. You turn to Ramos, whos face was pressed against the glass, looking, concerned.)

"W-what's wrong???" (Mira asks, standing up. You stand too, going to the window. Ramos moves to let you look.)

"It's that sadness again." (Says Ramos. As you look out. . . Stars, it was. It was barreling towards the homestead. Looking as mean as last time! Come ON!  Why did this have to happen NOW!!)

"O-oh, oh no-" (Mira grabbed her sword, moving to the door.)

"Mirabelle wait, just a second." (You start.) "If, if we just rush out there, then we could be stuck between, u-uhm-"

(You stop talking at the look Mirabelle gives you. R-right. You, you couldn't just, leave a sadness to run rampant, even if you were looping.)

"N-nevermind."

(You hear a crash from downstairs, and a scream. The three of you race to save the day.)

[little-silly-bear]

How to bond with your stuffies

Hi kiddos! As you know stuffies are my special interests and I loved them since I can remember, my first stuffie was a tiny polar bear and I would never forget him. I thought that maybe I could share how I bond with mine, let me know if you like these tips and if you have more feel free to share it in the comments!

Pick the stuffie that you feel an instant connection with! I used to buy tons of stuffies just for aesthetic or to fill my room with them as a compulsive result of anxiety but when I stopped and I selected those that I felt connected with everything got better. Take it as choosing friends, having less sometimes it's better because you'll have more deep relationship

If you have stuffies that you never play with or don't feel a connection anymore, donate them! They'll be happy to be forever friends with kids that don't have much, kiss them in the head and send them to their mission, they'll be grateful of your kindness!

Now if you have a stuffie that you share a special connection with make a list for them, likes and Dislikes, favorite seasons, favorite foods, their dreams and their story before finding you! This will help you connect with them more and they'll feel seen by you!

Sleep with them for at least a week (I say a week because I rotate my stuffies to not make them jealous) they'll feel safe and important to you! If you don't have space you can make a mini bed next to yours using a shoe box and a blanket!

Understand their purpose! Every stuffie has a purpose, some are here to protect you from bad thoughts, others from nightmares and anxiety, others are here to help you stim, the possibilities are endless! Make a space in your journal with purposes and jobs and organize it with your stuffies! They're happy to help!

Include them in your life! I know that is not always possible but when you can you should try! Watching TV together, walking outside, baking cookies, having breakfast, Cartoons time, Sunday bath time, everything is a good opportunity to bond, they would love to be included give it a try!

Dress them! Sometimes they need to feel pampered too! You can buy some clothes for them or you can add glasses or a friendship bracelet! If you can't do any of these things just cleaning them and then brushing their fur would be an amazing act of love! Taking care of things is how we show love!

That's it for today! I hope you liked this post and if you have more ideas please please pleaseeeee share in the comments so I can use them too!! Have a fantastic day kiddos, I send you a big warm hug!!!

Remember that you CAN like and reblog but you CAN'T repost even with credits or use the tag #mine under this post!

[witch-oftheflowers]

Twins??

AN: ALRIGHT THIS IS IT. THE LAST BABIES- WE GOT TWINS ON THE WAY!

TW: Violence and angst ahead

And thank you to everyone that has enjoyed this series! I'm excited to do this final chapter. It's a long one so enjoy!

Masterlist

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Simon remembered the day well. It was leading up after Los Almas and everything after. And finding out Laswell was zoning in on Makarov recently. It sent him a bit worried, his family and his wife, being high targets on Vladimir's list. He knew it. His wife knew it. They had two exciting kids, both enjoying the childhoods they were having so far.

When he came home. Hearing the little steps as he let a soft groan out. His eldest squeezing her arms around his waist. Her face buried into his stomach, and the flood of blonde hair trailing behind her. Those bright brown eyes gleam up to him as she spoke up

" 'Elcome home papa!" Anna sang the words out. Another thud on his legs as he glanced to the side near his daughter. The sea of brown curls tossed around till he noticed his son beaming with joy at him. A toothy grin as he spoke

"Papí. Papí we missed you-" the toddler sang as he smiled. Softly bouncing on his toes as he snug his face into his dad's side. Both kid were tall honestly. For their ages even, as he engulfed them into hugs. His bags to the side as he didn't care. The black paint smear over his eyes still, he was worned out. But that didn't stop the brute of a man as he carried them into the living.

He caught sight of his small wife cooking away. Even a pie on the counter as he took in the messy kitchen.

"Oi! You gone mad chef on me?" He teased his wife. His voice boom a bit as she flinched at the surprise. Turning around, flour on her tan skin. Her eyes shined as she rushed around the kitchen island. Practically throwing herself into the family pile as she squeal in joy

"Aye por dios! You're home!" She smiled as the kids let out roars of laughs. Getting out their father's grasp as they didn't wanna be buried in their hug.

Anna squeeze out as she pulled her brother from the grips. Both kids laughing as they ran to the couch. A small 'Ewww!' as they let their parents have a lovey dovey moment.

"They're so gross-" Anna said as she gag a bit. Johnny laughing a bit as he mimiced his sister.

But the two didn't care. Enjoying each other as Ximena was kept to date about everything. Even helped with the General Shepherd's situation as she knew something was wrong.

Simon clung to her as he let a sigh out. Getting a whiff of her vanilla shampoo. His large hands manhandled her hips as he held her closer.

"You saved us some 'rouble ya know 'hat?" He teased her slightly as he pressed a firm kiss to her forehead. Pulling back Ximena nods her head as she hums. A bit of love dazed in her eyes as she pressed a firm kiss to his lips. Savoring his taste as she hums.

"Mhm.. at least you're home right?" She whispered as she pinched his cheeks a bit. On her tippy toes as he winced.

"Go clean up. I don't need my kids to know bad hygiene Simon." She demanded as she went back to the kitchen.

Anna and Johnny were settled into the couch enjoying their movie. Simon stole by as he gave them both kisses on the head. Even little head rubs as he snuck to their room. Taking a moment to decompress and be able to be just Simon Riley-

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A week would fly by as they settled back in. Getting used to the domestic aspect of their lives. The lads visiting as they had a big family meal to celebrate their return home.

Ximena was in the garden with the tots as they picked fresh vegetables and fruit for the dinner that night. Anna was helping Johnny as they pulled the carrots out the garden. She smiled as the kiddos got excited with their harvest.

Ximena had Luna, her military pup, with her. As the pup was on high alert lately. A small scream filled Ximena ears as she noticed her daughter held her ear. Luna quickly ran off into the forest that was their backyard.

And mama mood kicked in as Ximena checked Anna. A small wound to her ear, a clean shot but still-

"Simon!" She cried out as she yank Johnny under her arm. Rushing them inside, her eyes filled with fear as she heard a grown man yelling and Luna's growls behind her.

Simon was simply cleaning the living. But his eyes widen the second he heard the scream and Ximena's voice

"Fuck-" he scurried into the kitchen a gun was safe kept away. As he loaded it and ran out, rushing his small family in.

Ximena let him. Knowing one had to stay with the kids.

Both were crying and freaking out. Ximena had to stay calm as she grabbed the medical kit from the kitchen. Getting to work as she checked Anna for anything else. Her hands held her daughters as she gauzed her ear. Cleaning the wound as she softly sang to the two trying to ease them

The words shook out, trying to remain the trembling fear she had. Someone found their home... Their kids. A one fear they had since day one.

When she finished up the job. Looking to Anna as she had a small frown on her lips. Big blue eyes stared into her mamas as she sniffled a bit

"Did I loose my ear?"

"Aye no.. Mija no. Just a small cut..." She laughed a bit as she rubbed her daughters head bringing her in for a hug. Holding her close as Johnny snuck in and they hugged

"We're ok... We're ok... Alright?" Ximena said as she gave each a kiss on their head. The backdoor opened as Luna trot into the house. Simon behind as she disarmed his gun and locked it away. He looked grim as he held his phone in his hand.

"Lads are coming over now... I contacted Laswell about a clean up and investigation... You're not allowed to be home alone without someone here Xi..." He whispered to her as they stood in the kitchen. His brown eyes bore into hers as he boxed her into the corner.

The kids were put down for a nap in the middle of the day. Especially Anna who was scared afterwards.

Ximena stared up to Simon. Her eyes shook a bit as she nods a bit. Softly she bit her lip as she was thinking.

"I'ma... Need you to go with me tomorrow..."

"For what?"

"I'm renewing my birth control Simon... We don't need to bring more kids into this..." She said as she met his gaze. And honestly he agreed, seeing as one of their worst enemies was seeking their family. And even behind bars he was planning to harm them. It was a simple decision, no more kids till after this was settled.

And that night when the lads came over. The kids got loads of love. Anna was a bit spoiled as she was a tough girl after everything. Johnny was the little brave brother who was with his sister-

And they had a fun family meal. Eventually a small dance party to cheer the kids up.

Anna was dancing with her mum to some Spanish music. The two having fun as the lads were playing a game of cards. Lil Johnny on his papa's lap as he was playing.

Soap laughed a bit as the tot showed his cards

"Anyone got ones?" The little lad said as Johnny and Gaz smiled to him.

"He's playing Go Fish." Gaz said as he ruffled the sea of brown curls in the kid

Price chuckles a bit as he sipped his drink. A firm smile to his face

"Lads we're playing Poker..."

"Little man ain't. We ain't either" Soap said with a grin as he gave the kid an ace card

The tot grabbed the card as he finished his deck

"I win!" He said so innocently as he smiled.

Simon laugh a bit as he put his cards down.

"I lost a long 'ime ago little man..." He said as the table roared with laughs and cheers for the kiddo. It was a simple night to forget the terrible events from earlier.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And honestly they didn't think they'll be here. Hearing those words as Ximena sat in the doctor's office.

"Ximena you're already two months long-"

"I shouldn't be I've been on the pill. I've been injured a few times a month ago I should of known then -"

"Ximena you have a medical degree like me. And you know this like me that it can always be a fault of medication oopps, or you missed a pill or even just a simple antibiotic mixed with the normal pill you take."

"Wait what do you mean by antibiotics?" Simon said as he sat besides his wife. Who honestly looked pale, her eyes were a bit wide as she was trying to stay calm. And her grip on his large hands didn't help him much

"If you take some medications it can cancel out the birth control..." The gynecologist stated as she looked to the two

".. I was on some a few months back ..." She sighs as she remembered now. And how-

She softly swat Simons arm as he flinched at his wife's reaction.

"You couldn't wait one night Simon Riley-"

"I didn't do bloody shit "

"Well you clearly did because we're two months in a pregnancy Simon" she said as she glared at him a bit. He gulped a tad as he rubbed her back. Trying to calm her down as she sighs a bit more.

"Well you two do have options..."

"We don't... Do those options you know that doc..." Ximena said as she softly smiled to her long time doctor she had since Anna.

Simon nods his head as he sighs a bit.

"Yeah... We'll be ok 'hough." He said as he pulled her in for a small side hug. Giving her a squeeze as the doctor smiled to the two.

"Well here's the game plan then." She said as she gave them the details for their appointments to come.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When they got home. Ximena was a bit guilty as she thought they'll be ok. Simon noticed his wife being off.

"hey... It's nothing different. We'll be ok... Just have to be careful is all..." He spoke softly as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

Her shoulders slumped as she buried her face into his chest. Her eyes pooled with tears.

"But they won't be safe... None of them will-"

"Oié. No none of 'hat right now." He firmly tilted her chin up. Making them keep eye contact, his eyes soften a tad seeing her cry

"We'll be ok... 'he lads offered to help... If we get deployed or anything we'll have safe guards in place ok.. if anything changes we'll fix it as we must... I'll inform Laswell too. See if she can help.." he whispered as they stayed in the entrance way.

He engulfed her into a tight hug. Lifting her up a bit as she let a soft giggle out. Her curls swaying around as she clung to him.

"Ok... ok we'll be ok. Aye you do make me worry less.. thank you..." She whispered as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she clung to him. He held her up as he snuggled into her soft hair.

"Mm 'hats what 'm here for...."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As if the universe itself wasn't giving them a hard time. As the new year rolled in, and they were able to enjoy some peace for another few months.

Ximena was five months long now. And the lads were on deployment. They had tighter security around the cottage, Luna was alert constantly now since that day.

Anna was inside as she didn't like going out much. That day changed the usually bubbly child a bit. Johnny would try to cheer his sister up even. But it wouldn't work often sadly.

Ximena was showing a bit. Her clothes getting tighter around her waist. As she opt for Simons clothes.

Her phone rang that day, constantly. She eventually picked up as she noticed several missed calls

Laswell

Ximena left the living as she stood in the hallway. Phone to her ear as Laswell voice rang through.

"Ximena! Thank God you answered." Her voice was a bit worried filled. She ran a hand through her blonde hair as she sighs.

Ximena was confused as she spoke up. Feeling the anxiety on her end

"Kate what happened?"

"Makarov got out."

Ximena froze in her spot as she was thinking.

You're fucken kidding me...

"Kate how long ago?"

"18 hours. I already contacted the boys. I'm already here in the UK. Please get to base with the kids. We'll go from there-"

Ximena was softly panicking. She usually didn't, she had a strong head on her shoulders. But the fact her family was in danger already again. Her feet moved as she packed bags for the kids.

"Ximena please- I know this isn't good timing with you and all."

"Kate you think?!" She burst out but sighs as she didn't wanna let her emotions bubble over

"I'm sorry... Just... Been stressful... Anna hasn't been the same..."

Laswell listened in as she was waiting for the helicopter to land. Her eyes soften as she sympathized with the woman

"Ximena I know the kids are not handling this. And I know you alone can't do it.. come to base. I know we have a temporary safe place for you three here... I gotta go but just hurry." She said as she ended the call.

Ximena placed her phone down as she grabbed the bags and got the kids dressed. Anna stared to her mum as she saw the stress and worry.

"We'll be ok mama. Right? Plus we might get a glimpse of papa." Anna said as she tried to cheer her mum up.

"Maybe.. maybe after all this. But ya know, nothing isn't impossible with this family hm?" She said as she load them all into the Jeep they had. Luna was in the back as she was keeping her ears up. The pitty was excited as she noticed her mum in the car.

Leaving their little home as it was locked up and dark now. Seem weird as if something was gonna happen....

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

How did she get here?

Laswell asked her kindly. As the group stood in the heli shelter. Her hair was rushed up into a ponytail as they heard about General Shepherd's inquisition.

Her eyes shut a bit as she listened to his random rant. Looking away a bit as she stood by Nikolai.

"They always talk much big talk?" He asked her softly as she nods. A small smile to her lips.

"Always..." She whispered as she looked back to the big screen.

"If it isn't Ximena-" General Shepherd's voice boom as he said her name.

She rolled her eyes as Ghost blocked his view.

"She's just here for information. 'Eave her out 'his." He said clear and stern. Glaring behind his mask

"Come on send her back out. He keeps looking into her. Trying to find the woman that rat him out."

"She's not going anywhere. He already got a hold of one kid." Price bumped in as he was firm. His eyes narrowed as he glared at the man.

Gaz and Soap were quiet. But nodding along, this wasn't a thing the lass needed.

"I propose this. Shadows and 141 with Farrah's group. But Ximena would be great for doing Intel we all know that. Those men would be praised for bringing her in." Graves said and butt in.

Fucken Americans

Kate cleared her throat as she ignored the idea.

"And you said General that there was a dam they were thinking about exploding too?"

"There is as well..."

Ghost looked to Soap as he smiled behind his mask.

"Kate I'll send you the details. We'll keep in contact."

Ximena was zoning out as everyone kept talking. Her thoughts drifting off as she looked to the floor.

Nikolai gave her a soft shake. Seeing she wasn't there.

"Come on I'll escort you back." He said as she nods.

Ghost and Soap beamed with their plan..but noticed the lass walking away already.

"Kate why you bring her in?" Ghost asked as he was concerned

"She's... Been off since they came to base. All of them. The little one doesn't get what's happening but he's trying to comfort the two." Her voice was soft as she tapped away on her laptop

"Go talk to her before you and Soap leave. Please." Laswell said as she looked up to the boys.

Ghost was thinking as he sighs and left the area. Quickly on his feet before she climbed into the Jeep.

"Hey." He was huffing as he looked at her in the seat.

"Hi...." She whispered as she leaned over.

"Come back safe.."

"What's wrong...? Kate said."

"You know what's wrong.. just fix it." She said as she looked to him. Her curls swayed in the wind as she sighs.

"Get that man before I go out and do it my self." She said as she pressed a kiss to his masked forehead.

"Go you gotta go protect people. Don't worry about this little woman here, I can handle myself." She said as she smiled a bit.

"Go Ghost I'll be ok..."

"Now I don't wanna go. You pregnant on the field?" He teased her a bit as she giggled.

"I did it before."

"Bloody hell 'm not letting you."

"Ghost go!" She teased him as she shoved him away from her passenger side.

"Fine.. at least I made ya smile." He teased her, pulling up his mask a tad. Popping a kiss to her lips as he quickly vanished as he came.

Nikolai chuckled from the side as he began to drive. A smile to his rugged face as he noticed her smiling

"He's a good man.."

"Always been one..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When they heard about Makarov was on their home turf. It scared Ximena honestly. She helped the units with intel as she was brought back into the tuff of it.

All hands on deck, even her.

The kids stayed with some privates. A Gary Anderson was eager to help the Captain. Even if he didn't know how to entertain kids.

She was quick to assist. Hearing the commotion in the train tunnels. She was worried as the teams split up.

Hearing the fire fights, and the amount of trains that were hacked sadly. Her team on their end blocked new trains going in and out. All the public transportation was shut off for the train systems. Making sure no other civilians were exposed to this.

As she heard the radio chatter. Trying to stop the other trains. It was chaotic in their war room.

Ximena was calm, the best she could. As the sounds of one the bomb ticking away.

Her eyes shut as she heard the boys chatter about it being stopped. Along with the sad sound from Price.

"We have one KIA."

Her heart stopped for a second. Her eyes blinked as she asked for Price

"Price. Repeat that last comm." Her voice shook a bit. The lads on the other end stared to each other as they heard her voice.

"Captain Riley... we have one KIA. Send assistance if able. Our target got away." He was cold as he sighs. Knowing that wasn't gonna help the woman.

"Understood. We've already contacted for public services, the team will give control over after Captain. Let them do as we must." She said as she sighs. Sitting down as she knew none of them would be the same.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Her eyes soften when the Task Force came back. Softly she rushed through the crowd of soldiers as she noticed the lads. Her curls were up still, as she noticed them.

Gaz, Price, Ghost

"Where's Soap...?"

The three stared at her as Ghost came besides her. Trying to pull her in for a hug.

"No no... Where's the lad? Where is here?" She said as her head whipped to the others. Softly she panicked as she noticed Price grim face. He felt guilty as he shook his head.

"He's not coming home Xi..."

She stood there as she slump into Ghost. The man engulfed her in his arms as she sighs. Letting the tears pool and drip as she remained calm.

Gaz sighs as he walked over and gave the lass a hug. Honestly they gave her a group hug as they needed it.

"We came home though... We'll make sure he suffers for what he's done..." Price whispered as she nods.

"I'm going..." She stated softly.

The three pulled back as Ghost stared at her.

"You're not .."

"I am. I'm who he wanted originally. Soap just didn't kill him when he had the chance..." She walked away from them as the boys stared.

Price sighs but softly chuckled as he pat Ghost shoulder.

"She's stubborn...."

"For Johnny... She will be..."Ghost said as he went to follow the woman.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The lads were planning a trip to spread Johnny's ashes.

Before that they got their first ultrasound done.

"Oh look. Two sacks..." Her doctor said as she twirled the wand over her stomach.

Ximena was looking as she knew what she meant.

"Twins??!" She said the words as she squeezed Simons hand tight. The man flinched a tad as he looked at the small screen.

"Bloody hell... Two?" He looked to his wife as she shrugs.

"we'll they're twins, not identical but fraternal. They have the two different sacks, so two different sperms then. You two have strong babies it seems." She joked a bit as Simon stared at the screen

"I didn't know we could have 'wins..." He whispered as he softly smiled. Looking to his wife as Ximena she softly hums.

"It's like a gift ain't it?" She whispered as she looked to Simon.

"I'll let you two have a moment and we'll continue alright?" Doc said as she left the two alone for a second.

"A gift? What you mean by 'hat?" He asked her as he rubbed his hand over hers. Softly soothing her as she looked over to him

"Like Johnny wanted us to have twins..." She whispered as she leaned into him. Her eyes shut as she was thinking about their life.

He sighs as he nods his head, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Mm maybe. Does sound like a joke he'll make. Give us 'wins, 'wice the work." He joked a bit as he closed his eyes. Trying to ease his feelings and concerns.

"You'll be ok while we're gone?" He whispered as he rubbed her hand again.

"Mhm I'ma have to be..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As the last month dwindled. Ximena was home constantly, her stomach peak underneath Simon's shirt.

She radiated a happy glow around her. And just a day to their caesarean date. She felt a soft nervousness as she was scared Simon at anytime would be called for deployment.

Her eyes soften as she saw her husband coming in alone. Dropping off their tots with her parents for the weekend. He looked really irritable-

She softly shook her head as she smiled. Thinking her hormones were all over the place. Her eyes crinkled as he came over, wrapping his strong arms around her stomach.

"I love you..." He whispered a bit as he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. Her curls swayed around her as she hums.

"I love you too....Are we all ready for tomorrow?" She whispered as she leaned into him a bit. Her hair swaying as she pressed her swollen stomach into his. A soft chuckle left his lips as he rest a large palm over her stomach.

"Mhm... All set; extra clothes, babies wear, I got your comfy nightgown too." He spoke as he pinched her cheeks lightly.

"Ya old lady." He teased her as she swat his arm a bit

"Im not old, it's just nice during the baby year and labor, hush it." She jabbed his chest slightly as she smiled to him.

"I'm just excited to get this over with...." She humed the words as she rested into him. His hands resting on her back, pulling her in for a tight hug

" 'Een 'hrough to much 'his year..." He whispered into her hair. Softly playing with it to ease her anxiety. His eyes flutter shut as he got a whiff of her scent. Vanilla with a hint of dirt.

Her eyes flutter shut as she hums. Letting him cradle her against him

The two has a small meal. Especially since she couldn't eat after midnight. As they crawled into bed, her eyes shut softly. Snuggling into Simon, onto her side as the baby bump snug into his side.

Her leg was thrown over his waist. Her arms clinging around his free arm. She felt her chest ache as she knew her body was ready for the pregnancy to be over

Simon let her be, his eyes shut as he dozed off. Letting his wife ease next to him. He just hoped they'll be ok.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As they checked into the hospital. Getting into their private room.

Ximena was in her hospital gown. Sitting on the bed as she whines softly. Her head resting on his shoulder as he sat besides her. His large hand resting on her knee, rubbing soft circles on her skin.

"Mmm it's ok dove... 'M right 'ere..." He whispered.

The nurses came in and assisted the two. Getting the lass down as the very English nurses helped her. Got her in a hair net along with Simon.

Made the nurses laugh a bit seeing the large man in scrubs and a hair net.

" 'His not my style...." He stated as he gave Ximena one more kiss before they rolled her off.

Letting him follow and watch as they started the C-section on his sleepy wife. Who decided to take a nap during the procedure.

But once the first cries filled the room. Ximena's eyes flutter awake as she smiled to Simon.

"Hi.. our lasses are 'ere..." He whispered to her softly. The nurses showed them both one of the girls

Her dark tan skin like their mother's. Curly curly brown hair on her head. And her wails of being born as the nurse took her to check her health

As they pulled the next one. She was so quiet, her hands squished into fist as she was resting in the nurse arms.

As the twins were pulled away and given their shots. Along with tears ran on them. They wheeled the four of them to the room. Letting them have a moment together.

Ximena held both twins in her arms. Softly humming. She was thinking, ignoring the searing pain in her stomach. And the way she just wanted to nap after a intense procedure.

Simons stepped out as he called his wife's mum. Letting them know the twins were healthy and born. And a visitation was on the table for the family in a couple of days.

Ximena was lost in thought. Loving the twins as she observed the little details. Their cute noses, the adorable yawns they gave out, the way they snuggled in her arms-

She didn't hear the hospital door opening. Or the sobs from the nurses outside. Kinda surprising Simon didn't hear it either-

Steps echo in the quiet room as the man came over. A smirk on his face as he stood besides the hospital bed

"look at you..."

Ximena's eyes widen as she slowly glanced up. Seeing the one man she's been working so hard to hide from. Her brown orbs shook as she clung the girls closer to her.

"You need to get out ..."

"No I don't. Your husband isn't here to protect you..." Vladimir said as he sat on her bed. Giving her covered leg a pat. Showing off his power in the moment

"I just wanted to visit my favorite person.... Congratulations to the twins..." He mocked as he saw her clinging to the babes

His eyes eyed her over. Trying to stay calm and his demeanor shifted. His hand touched over hers as he whispered

"You're lucky I won't do a thing now. But just know.. I can always get my hands on you or your family..." Vlad spoke as he smiled to her warmly. Getting back to his feet as he fixed the suit he don often.

"Till next time..." He said as he left her hospital bed.

Moments later. Simon burst in as he huffed, the nurses were killed. Along with multiple people in the hospital.

Just to send a message.

The two knew. Their lives were never gonna be the same.

Especially since after Ximena was released from the hospital a week later.

And they swiftly took her in for interrogation. Why?

Ximena was a spy. That's what they were told...

[nekohime19]

Mini Mac # 32 : Monkey day off

For once Wukong isn't the one fighting the demons

Despite having the ability to do so, Wukong rarely shrinked himself. He never thought about it to be honest. Being tall was more practical as a whole but he had to admit that being shrinked had its advantages, for example he could be groomed by Macaque. The great sage leaned on the lil guy chest, a pleased smile on his face, tail swaying in delight. They were both on Ao Lie horse head, savoring the fresh winds of spring. Macaque was always very diligent in his grooming. He picked every strand of fur and smoothed it twice, removing dirt, twigs and bugs hidden within the bushy hair.

Wukong loved feeling Macaque's claws dive in his scalp, it made his skin tingles just right. Plus he was always pretty after, and if he was lucky Macaque would weave more braid in his luscious mane. They convinced Sanzang to not shave it (as per Buddhism demand), a lil white lie about how monkeys needed their mane to keep sickness at bay. Wukong was convinced that Sanzang saw right through their lie but pretended otherwise. The sage was grateful for that.

The pilgrims reached a river too large to be crossed. The villagers were kind enough to let them stay in their homes. Like always, their benefactor was frightened by the pilgrims appearances and fled the moment they saw him.

“How rude.” Huffed Wukong as he settled on a table, he was still shrinked and didn't felt like returning to his orignal size.

“Plus I made you all pretty, they don't know what they're talking about.” Mumbled Macaque as he finished his grooming. Wukong brightened at being called pretty by Macaque, his tail thumped on the table.

“They just didn't expect to see you.” Sighed Sanzang. The young monk went to see their benefactor, old Chen, and explained the situation. Afterward all the pilgrims were served food.

“Don't eat so much Piglet! You're gonna starve the whole village.” Laughed Wukong when he saw how much food Bajie was inhaling.

“You may not know, elder brother, but a monk half-feed is worse than a monk dead.” Replied Bajie with a fake wiseness. Wukong huffed and rolled his eyes, he then threw his thumb-size bowl to Bajie and roared of laughter once it hit the pig's forehead.

“You little!” Grumbled Bajie as he rose and chased after Wukong. The great sage shrieked and ran away from the angry pig.

“Don't break anything!” Called Sanzang with a sigh.

“At least they're energetic.” Nodded Wujing as he cleaned Bajie’s mess.

“Children.” Snorted Macaque, he then looked forward and smiled in disbelief. “Ao Lie, I don't know how you did it but you got a dumbing on your head.”

“Oops, my bad.” Laughed the dragon-horse as he took the dumbling on his head and threw it in his mouth.

Once Bajie stopped chasing after Wukong, the pilgrims learned of a demon, the King of Numinous Power, demanding children as sacrifice in exchange of wind and rain. Wukong cracked his knuckles once he heard that.

“Guess it's time to get back to my orignal size.” But Macaque stopped him before he could even try.

“No. You're always the one defeating demons, let Bajie and Wujing take charge for once.” Stopped Macaque.

“Yeah, we don't need you monkey brain.” Huffed Bajie with crossed arms.

“We got this Elder brother.” Reassured Wujing with a grin. They both left the house after this. It felt a bit odd for Wukong, he was usually always the one to fight.

“Hey kiddo, can you take a bowl and fill it with warm water?” Kindly asked Macaque, Sanzang nodded and did as told. Macaque put scented herbs and lotion in the water then he turned towards Wukong. “Here, you can take a bath. You need a day off after all.”

Wukong flushed a bit at the idea but he couldn't deny Macaque. He removed most of his clothes (except his loin cloth) and entered the bowl of warm water. He sighed of bliss once he was inside. Macaque went besides him and began to knead his shoulders. The sage let out a lil yelp of surprise before melting in the black-furred monkey hands. Slowly, the golden-furred monkey became a puddle of purrs and happy chirps. Sanzang and Ao Lie watched the peculiar scene of both tiny monkeys relaxing with soft smiles, it was cute.

Some time after this, both Wujing and Bajie got back defeated.

“Ah, did you come here to seek this old monkey wisdom?” Snickered Wukong as Macaque was sharpening his claws.

“Don't let it get to your head, you pampered monkey.” Mumbled Bajie.

“We don't know how to defeat the King of Numinous Power.” Admitted Wujing with a pout.

“Well I have a saying for cases like this : when you don't what to do, go to Guanyin.” Answered Wukong, he was still lounging in his bowl of warm water, being pampered by Macaque.

In the end, Guanyin resolved the situation, the demon turning out to be her escaped goldfish.

“Ah! That was a great day.” Laughed Wukong as he returned to his original size, he felt incredibly revigored. Macaque was right. He needed more days off.

“It's unfair! We spend the day fighting and you spend the day being pampered.” Groaned Bajie.

“Not my fault you don't have an amazing best friend who takes care of you like me.” Cooed Wukong as he lifted Macaque to his face and rubbed his face against the tiny monkey. Macaque was dwarfed in Wukong's fluffy cheek.

“Ew, monkey love.” Replied Bajie with a grossed out face.

+ cut scenes

Guanyin : I wonder where my goldfish is? Well it's just a goldfish, not like it can cause troubles 🤷

King of Numinous Power : And now I demand your children as sacrifices! In exchange I'll give you wind and rain! 😈

 

Bajie and Wujing : bodhisattvas we need your help!! 😭

Guanyin : Oh it's not monkey today? Then who am I going to taste this new tea flavor on? 🤔

 

Fun fact : Wukong goes so much to Guanyin for help, she started testing tea on him. She likes to make tea and Wukong got a strong stomach.

Ch1 / Previous /Next

[supernaturallyedsheeran]

Summer Sweat Pt2

Summer Sweat Pt2

CHAPTER 2: Pain

SYNOPSIS: Continuing from Chapter 1, the Demon has advanced to you.

PAIRING: Reader x Dean

WARNING: Pain

CHARACTERS: Reader, Dean, Sam, no name Demons

FANDOM: Supernatural

"SAM!" Dean was thrown to the floor and you were now vulnerable to the man huffing towards you slowly, with black eyes.

"Dean!" The Demon seems to have forgotten that he was there for the boys. A sharp pain took your breath, you didn't even see it happen. You grasp at your stomach and feel warm, wet, something. A bright light takes over the room as Dean stabs the Demon in the back, killing it instantly.

Two bodies dropped, as Sam won his fight, throwing the front door shut and securing the room.

"Hey hey, hey." You feel Dean's arms around your waist, your legs feel light as you lose control of your body, sinking into Dean as he lowers you to the ground.

"C'mon kiddo you're good, you're all good, just a scratch." His words are reassuring, but the waiver in his voice puts a question in your mind. You lay on the floor between Dean's legs, your shirt drenching more and more with warm wetness. You finally look down, to see the crimson red, staining your shirt.

"That doesn't look like a scratch." You shakily laugh, inhaling slower.

"Sammy." Dean looks up to Sam, tears coming down his cheeks, as Sam crouches around you, with a worried smile on his face; you get a last look at Dean, as the room swirls into black.

LATER

Dean puts pressure on your stomach, you wince awake into the bed Dean placed you on, he winces too. "I'm sorry." He whispers, pressing his forehead to yours.

He kisses your head, pushing hair from your face.

"Sammy?" He turns to Sam, who's on the phone with a dispatcher.

"Yes, the Moss Motel off Highway 32. She's awake now. Thank you." He hangs up the phone and runs his hands through his hair. Exhaling and looking down at the mess the Demons left….Both of which were shoved hastily into a closet.

"They're on their way. I'm gonna.... put this stuff away." Sam says, as he sighs again and starts grabbing pieces of the door, and the guns strewn about.

Dean looks back at you, taking a seat on the bed and putting his hand on your cheek. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought you into this." His eyes look dark, sad and angry. You can see him fighting back tears.

"It's not your fault. I knew this was a risk and it's a risk I take, wanting to be with you." You can feel a pulse in your stomach, as you struggle to get the words out.

"Take it easy." he smiles back to you, a weight lifted off his shoulders. "My floss stitches won't hold if you move too much." That's why there was a stinging pain. No doubt Dean used whiskey to clean the bullet hole and then used mint floss to stitch you up. You roll your eyes and wince again at another tinge of pain. Dean laughs but the smile vanishes as soon as he sees your still in pain. He gets up from the bed with his hands on his head, then letting his face fall into his hands, wiping the dirt and blood from his face. "Can't I have a moment of peace!?" He shouts. "I just want one day where I can drink a damn beer, and be with my woman." You hear the ambulance in the distance coming closer. Your eyes flutter as you feel a wave of calm flow over you. You exhale and sink into the bed, feeling it wrap around you. "I'm here, I'm here." You hear Dean say as you fall back into unconsciousness. You know you're safe....at least for today.

[parental-figure]

Masc Toddler Regression with Ghostbusters!! ☆_☆

Keep in mind, this is my first try at headcanons of these folks, I thought it'd be a good thing to do after my inactivity! Tell me if I need to fix anything! This was a request from the kiddo @thechaoticaraonist, enjoy everyone!

they made a treehouse just for you! no ghosts allowed!! its full of pillows and blankets. You have at least one piece of their merch if you miss them too in there!

they make sure that at least one of them stick around if you're regressed, and if they really need all of them for a really bad infestation, they have a baby camera in case of anything urgent.

they panic so much whenever you get close to their equipment, "WOAH HEY PAL, KIDDO! be careful with the gear, ya wouldn't want an early halloween, would you?" booping you and bringing you back to playtime

your nickname when you're little is "ghostbuster jr", and they use it like its an official title. all the time. their friends think its hilarious but also commit to the bit.

your favorite toy is a mini ectomobile that you carry around with you when regressed, and heaven forbid you lose it because even the mightiest containers of ghouls and spirits tremble at the time that happened. never again.

slimer loves bath time with you! he jumps in and draws on your face and hands with bath markers while you play with a toy boat being driven by a rubber ducky and placing it on his head gleefully. its a lot of fun for all parties (and you both get clean, a win-win) (eeexcept for whoever is helping you clean up, they're getting a handful of water on their clothes...oops!)

all in all, you feel safe and cared for in the hands of them, and slimer is a good playmate!

[morganalatina21]

Manipulating Death: Chapter Five

Series Summary: When Harry discovers he has a twin sister that was hiding for years, he wants to know all about her, specially about her ability to bring people back to life.

A/n: as promised, first out of 3 in less than 24h...

(Also, english isn’t my first language so I’m sorry in advance lol)

Chapter One Two Three Fourth | Masterlist

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

She saw a large house with a beautiful garden separating it from the street, small black metal gate at the beginning of the path.

A large orange cat was pacing back and forth into a big bush, his tail up in the air and ears fluttering to the sides. His green eyes barely look in her direction as she made her way to the front door.

Opening it and stepping inside, she saw the happy family that lived there.

Well, part of it actually.

A small boy was sitting in front of a small coffee table at the living room, showing his three uncles the 200 pieces puzzle he just finished the night before. Two of them were kneeling down in his sides to watch as he explained every character present on the print, the other one sat at a chair and smiled at the boy.

From the kitchen, a tall man came with shoes that could only fit the kid.

"Hey Harry, let's doorbell ditch the neighborhood with your uncles?" He asked and threw the pair of shoes to his son.

The two sitting down with him celebrated and started getting up, hyping the experience.

"You guys are almost 40!" Harry mocked, however tying up the sneakers to join them.

"After 25 you start counting backwards, no one told you that kiddo?" The long-haired man asked, racing the shorter one to the door. They past her, not even noticing the girl.

"Uncle Moony isn't coming?"

"Someone needs to be our alibi, son." He answered, cleaning his glasses and offering the boy a hand, to which he took immediately.

"What's an alibi?"

From the same place the man came, a figure with bright red hair appeared, smiling gently and looked at the only one left.

"I swear to God if James teaches my son about committing crimes I'm gonna lose it."

"To be fair, he's going to Hogwarts in a few years so I'm sure he wants to give his son everything he knew about getting away with things." He replied, reclining softly.

"Getting away? You guys were on detention at least once a month when we were there." She questioned, sighing and sitting on the couch.

He shrugged, tired smile on his face. "You ever think about having another child?"

She held her breath and watched the woman, supposedly her mother, think about the question, lips twitching.

"I don't know. I love Harry profusely, but I don't think I can ever go through this again." Lily replied, patting her skirt and taking cat hair out of it. "Besides, two seem like a lot of trouble. Don't want another mini James running around making me go mad. But why do you ask?"

"Sirius and I have been talking about adoption for quite some time, and we visited this orphanage nearby. There are this twins there, I absolutely loved them." He whispered, looking at the door, hoping to see one of his friends barg in.

"Remus, that's awesome!" She complimented. "But to be honest, I wouldn't have twins. They're just a lot of work and they'll tire you in no time. Just see what Molly's been going through with her twins."

"Yeah maybe you're right."

At this point, she couldn't even breathe. The room was spinning and her ears were ringing like crazy, legs feeling numb. It felt like someone had just punched her throat, struggling to keep the tears from touching the cheek.

The doorbells in the distance from the three marauders and the kid punched her in the head, growing and increasing as time went by.

The girl woke up shaking, moving the shirt away from her throat to make sure nothing was stopping her from breathing.

That nightmare. Again.

It was a current dream, thinking her parents -no, scratch that-, that everyone's life would be better without her.

By far wasn't her worst nightmare, however it pinched right her insecurity.

Regulus twitched, feeling she wasn't there anymore. His hands ran through her waist and she sat on the bed to look at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, raspy and groggy, moving her hair away. She looked at him with teary eyes and buried her face on his neck.

He immediately hugged her, running his fingers through the exposed skin, lying down again and bringing her along.

"Which one was it this time?"

"The house without me." She simply responded. The man had basically an encyclopedia of her nightmares inside his head.

They were living together and he only saw her, for three years now, Regulus knew basically every single piece of her life.

"Come on, you saw their reactions." He said, stroking her hair. "You really think they'd want a life without you?"

It made sense, she had to admit. However her mind was in such a dark place she could only think how it would be way better if her soul never even came to this world.

"Look at me." He asked, stroking her hair. The girl only buried her face even more into his chest.

"Please?"

Sighing deeply, she raised her head a little, staring into his eyes.

"You made my world a thousand times better." Regulus whispered to her face. "I'd still be in so much pain if it weren't for you. Don't let your mind go there. For me."

Spending time like this, breathing deeply in and out, starting to calm herself down, the hand in her hair and those eyes certainly helped. Lying there, she felt at ease.

Like she was floating with her eyes closed in a calm river, having no idea where it'd lead but didn't wanted to know. The water would be filling her ears, stopping the sounds from the outside world to bother her imense peace.

Peace.

That's exactly what she felt.

A small smile took the form of her lips and Regulus mirrored her.

If she was floating on a calm river, this is the time something would cause a light wave, it would make her lift a little and a cold on her belly when falling back, tingling inside her.

Oh, she thought.

Oh, she panicked.

God, no.

This was the last thing she needed right now.

That part was when she realized she had no fucking clue how to swim, and started panicking, wanting to reach shore once again before drowning.

Noticing how her smile faltered, he tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”

“I- uh- nothing. I just- huh- realized I forgot to feed the possessors last night, I’m gonna do it now, just in case.” She said, fumbling to get up.

“Didn’t you give them pie yesterday?”

“Yeah but, you know, there’s a new one, they’ll start to feel weird, it’s better to make sure.” Continued to lie, brushing her hair with her fingers to keep her hands busy and not letting him see she was shaking. “I’ll be back!”

“Y/n is-” But she left before he could finish. “Five in the morning.”

Basically running down the stairs, she sighed deeply. 

This wasn’t happening, no, absolutely not. This couldn’t be happening.

Of all the people in the world? Well, she didn’t knew a lot of people, mostly like ten or twelve and they were all really old.

But the guy she had saved? To be fair, their pain made them get really closer.

But right now? War is banging at your door, how longer do you want to wait?

But why him? Why Regulus? Why not?

Shaking her head and stopping her inner conversation, she cut a big piece of pie he made the day before and stomped her way to the basement once again.

“Oh Merlin’s sake, why me?” She grunted, sitting on the floor with two candles throwing light at the entire place. “And why him?”

The possessor only looked at her, bright red eyes of different sizes staring and following her every movement. A few of them, bigger and harder to be domed were on big metal cages with enchantments surrounding them.

She didn’t fear they’d attack her, not at all, but Regulus she wasn’t sure. After all, he shouldn’t be alive. 

Others, smaller and gentler, would often be out of the cages, especially those who possessed animals, it wasn’t the same “fun” as possessing humans.

Humans were confusing, filled with emotions who often would go against instincts, it was more feelings for them to digest and explore. And right now, she was the perfect mix of them: anger, sadness and confusion.

There was only a small ray of sunshine, of happiness, but it wasn’t enough.

“I mean, he knew my parents, probably my father made fun of him at some point, everyone knows James Potter wasn’t a saint.” She talked, chewing on the pie. “Hum, this is amazing. I see why I’m in love with him.”

She gasped for herself, choking on the food.

“No!” Said, between swallowing. “I’m not in love with him. Plus, Regulus is like twenty or something. He wouldn’t want this fifteen kid with him. It’s better if I just... ignore it, and it will go away. It will past and I can forget all of this.”

The door to the basement opened up and she jumped, thinking it would be said person, however she was met with her brother’s figure carefully stepping down.

“Harry! What are you doing here?”

He left the stairs, looking around to the amount of red eyes looking at him. They reminded him of Voldemort’s eyes, but even those had something beyond them, some spark, the man’s eyes were just... void.

“I heard you on the stairs.” He said calmly. “Thought you were making breakfast but I didn’t find you in the kitchen so I took a wild guess.”

“And it worked!” She giggled. “Usually Reggie makes breakfast while I’m down here training and learning. He should be out of bed in a couple minutes and we can eat.”

“Some of them are bigger than others.” Harry mentioned, looking up her shoulder.

“Yeah, it depends on the person, the kind of death, how long that person was dead, if they accepted it, these type of things.” Y/n explained. “See that one right there?” She pointed at the only big one without bars locking him up. “It came out of Regulus. He knew his death was coming and it took him quite some time to die, and more than ten years later he didn’t accepted.”

Harry stared at the monster, that’s what it looked like. A giant cloudy figure who was tall enough with its paws lightly curved to be on his chest’s size. If his sister wasn’t speaking to him in such light tone, he’d be freezed.

“That’s their intention.” She said, smiling gently. “They want to paralyze you and understand all of your fears, deepest feelings and how ready you are to die. It’s exactly what they do.”

“This big guy in particular gave me a hell of a headache to capture it.” She went on, caressing the top of the creature like one caresses a puppy. “He escaped the house, I was too busy with Regulus I couldn’t go after him. Long story short, we had to move because in just a few days everyone knew what happened and they wanted answers that we couldn’t provide.”

“Did he... kill... anyone?”

“Well, not quite.” She made a weird face, a mix of cringe and sarcasm. “He sure scared a lot of people and sent them to the hospital, that I won’t deny. But he needed someone with as much trouble on the head as Regulus Black, and we were living in a small town were people’s biggest trouble was a pumpkin contest.”

He laughed at that, kind of sounded like where he lived, how aunt Petunia were always so worried abou the farm market and how she wanted to win the best pie in town.

But they probably lived very far apart, something like a possessor walking freely down the street could never go unnoticed his aunt’s long neck and his uncle’s big ears.

“Where did you lived all these years?” He asked, sitting on the floor and crossing his legs. Her life felt like a thousand times more interesting than his.

“After I left Abby’s house I went west, so I visited Wales, probably jumped to Ireland, I’m pretty sure I saw some leprechauns in my life.” She told, still caressing the possessor’s head, who was now asleep in her lap. “But after I saved Regulus we basically just lived around here. After Voldemort’s return we sealed the house even more and I started training these bad boys to attack if someone invaded;”

So that’s what he meant yesterday with “special moves” if anything happened, the boy thought.

“Where exactly are we?”

“In the very North of London, almost Scotland. There’s a beach just a few minutes away if you want to know.” Hearing the bumps upside her head, she smiled. “I guess it’s breakfast time.”

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

Next Chapter

Taglist (lmk if i forgot anyone): @intoanothermind @moonysupremacy01 @maraudersarelifee @elleraelockwood @darkenwolfie @hopesf @lukewearingbeanies @azuredgalaxies @klazina-couch-potato @goldensunshineshit @kaverichauhan @venomsvl @mrs-billyrussooo @mikadorbs @iavenderh6ze @wizardsgrace @reblog-princess @dittos-blog-dylanobrien @roroswitherose @s-we-e-t-t-ea

[bearcubstory]

Hiii, cans I possibly request some Caregiver Glenn Rhee Headcannons???

🐻 i sure can write glenn hcs! sorry these are so late guys, i hope they're okay :) i love glenn very much <3

🧟‍♂️ carer!glenn headcanons

🧢 quietly thoughtful and very observant towards his kiddo. when he spots the signs that you may be slipping, he pulls you aside from the rest of the group to check on you

🧢 glenn lets his regressor wear his cap from the early seasons! like rick does with carl and his sheriff hat :") *i swear there was like an egg cracked in it by maggie. so if the cap is clean-ish then u can wear it 😭

🧢 he likes the petnames daddy and dada, but they take a while for him to get used to! they make his heart feel warm though. i think he either likes 'appa' a lot, or it reminds him of his dad, so he has an aversion to it (too many sad memories)

🧢 since enid is somewhat glenn and maggies kid- at least, they look out for her- she is like a sister figure to you and babysits you if glenn and maggie are busy and you're regressed

🧢 in alexandria and if they have the supplies for it, he will make you homemade pizza rolls or pizza bites! they're one of the only things he can cook well, since he worked in the kitchens for a bit whilst he was a delivery driver at his previous job

🧢 he plays video games with his little in alexandria, if you're big enough/enjoy games! if not, you watch glenn and enid play, and very occassionally maggie (she kinda sucks at them)

🧢 gets up to silly shenanigans with his kiddo then stands there sheepishly when maggie catches him endorsing their regressor's zoomies

[xxxcryptidxxx]

hii ! could you do regressor alhaitham headcanons if possible ? thank you !

I won't lie, this took way longer to write than I wanted it to. I had half a mind to make this a Palestinian awareness post since I headcanon Alhaitham as at least partially Palestinian, but I don't want to scare or upset any kiddos, so that can be a post for a later date. Anyways, thank you for the request!

Alhaitham AgeRe Headcanons

Alhaitham is a flip!

—Alhaitham is a flip with no lean!

—Alhaitham's regression age is 0-4, toddler kiddo!

—Alhaitham's primary caregiver(s) are Kaveh, Tighnari, and on occasions, Cyno!

—Alhaitham is completely nonverbal when in Littlespace, only "speaking" in babbles or coos, which can make him frustrated when he's trying to say what he needs.

—Alhaitham cries a surprising amount, especially when his caregiver is away for too long. He has separation anxiety.

—Alhaitham's favorite toy is a little bangle cat plushie Kaveh got him, Alhaitham named her Bima (Bee-ma) and he's very particular about how people say her name.

—Alhaitham is the type to try and suppress his regression, claiming his either too busy or that he doesn't "need" to regress. This often backfires horribly and then one of Alhaitham's caregivers—most often times Kaveh—now has a fussy, clingy, overwhelmed toddler to care for.

—Alhaitham has a sage green pacifier with gold detailing, he picked it so it'd be easier to hide in the folds of his clothes.

—As stated earlier, Alhaitham cries a surprising amount, it's most likely because he doesn't let himself cry or really feel any emotions while big, so little Alhaitham feels everything. It often tires the poor thing out and he winds up taking an impromptu nap.

—Due to Alhaitham's nonverbal nature, Alhaitham uses sign language when in older headspaces, when super little he'll point at who or what he wants and babble softly, as if asking as politely as he can in his current headspace.

—Alhaitham's primary littles are Kaveh, Tighnari, and Cyno! Alhaitham babysat Wanderer once or twice as well at Nahida's request.

—Alhaitham will never admit it aloud, but he absolutely loves when his littles ask for uppies, he wastes no time in scooping up his kiddo and bouncing them slightly, Alhaitham isn't good with words, so knowing he's soothing his littles makes him happy.

—Alhaitham is a shameless caretaker, if one of his littles slip in public Alhaitham can and will drop everything to keep his babies okay, even if that inadvertently draws attention to him.

—one of the only times Alhaitham will share his noise canceling headphones. Especially Tighnari due to his hypersensitive ears. Alhaitham hates loud noises, but he hates when his littles are scared more.

—Alhaitham gives me girl dad vibes, I know all of his littles are male but just...that's a girl dad I just know it.

—Alhaitham tries to scold bad behavior, but the second his littles cry Alhaitham feels like the worst father and wants to backpedal even though he knows that won't teach his kiddos anything.

—Alhaitham doesn't really care what his kiddos call him. He's a big brother today? Great. He's dad now? Perfect. Alhaitham doesn't really care, as long as his kiddos are happy.

—Alhaitham will let his littles sleep in his bed if anyone has a nightmare, Alhaitham is surprisingly very soothing even when half asleep, his littles are his top priority.

—Alhaitham always has spare everything on hand, diapers, pacifiers, toys, a thermometer, he's got everything. The best Dada when it comes to scrapped knees or bruises, he doesn't get over the top with concern, but he doesn't just completely blow off any concern. Alhaitham will clean and bandage the injury, kiss his littles head, and tell them they're okay now. Simple without freaking out over a paper cut.

[merrock]

HUMP DAY ACTIVITY REMINDERS

Good morning, Merrockites! Rather than cram all of this into June's mod post, I thought with 48 hours to go before our next check, I would make a separate post to go over some activity reminders. (Bonus: I've included some advice/tips for those struggling a bit under the cut, as well.)

We will be having a big activity check on Friday that will check for the following things:

each character has made at least two in-character interactions in one week's time (must be two different threads).

each character is interacting with two different writers in the group in the span of a two week period.

every writer has replied to at least one open starter in a month's time (should be applicable this month -- we have some new ones if you haven't yet!).

I would like to go into June fresh, which means we are going to drop all existing strikes and give everyone a clean slate -- but that also means moving forward, we will reach out to you if we notice a lot of strikes accumulating, just to see how we can help you out. As always, the check schedule can be found here.

A moment of full transparency: I set up checks on Thursdays, most of the time. It's my "work day" on main, anyway, and allows me to take my time to double check blogs and see where people are with activity, and then double check Friday and remove those who logged in during that last little bit. If you wake up Friday morning with a notification that you are on check but your blog is not on check, there's a very good chance you were on the original draft of check and were active in that last 24 hour period, and Tumblr is just glitching. You are only on check if your blog is listed, promise.

I've stressed a lot lately about how groups are only successful if everyone does their part, and that they only really work if we keep in mind that we all rely on one another to keep activity up and things going. This is true! But I wanted to maybe try and offer some advice / tips / things that help me out with activity, for anyone who has asked lately, or might be struggling.

trackers are a handy tool! you can set one up in a google doc, in notepad, on a literal notepad, whatever you want. it helps you keep track of what threads you have, who owes who, what writers you're writing with, etc. for me, it's a fabulous way to keep a visual of whether or not i am able to meet all of my activity goals re: writers and two threads per week. but remember: trackers are for you and your eyes, they don't need to be someone else's responsibility!

working in order is helpful for you & your writing partners. i know, i know, muse is stronger for some threads (and that's okay, as long as all of your stuff is being worked on regularly alongside them), but -- either you or your partner are going to lose muse for other threads that are sitting for longer periods of time while you're working on the same ones repeatedly, you know? try to work on things oldest to newest when you can, to avoid that. use time stamps! say "oh, i need to get to all these threads from last week / three days ago / yesterday!" to keep 'em going.

if you play multiple characters, keep them equally active. whether it's setting a goal of doing five replies on each of them at a time, doing a certain time's worth, whatever works for you! it's important to remember that all of your kiddos should be treated equally, and try to balance activity across all of them, so they're all an equal part of merrock. it's like... you know, they're your babies. they all get the same portion of macaroni and cheese at the dinner table.

i one hundred thousand million percent would rather see you just be active and having fun and cementing a sort of presence for yourself in the group, participating in events and enjoying your time in merrock than watch anyone stress out about being "caught up" on replies. it is way less important to me that you are 100% caught up, done, everything replied to than seeing that you are replying to new starters regularly, making an effort to reach out to others ooc, trying your best to maintain steady activity. promise.

The reason that I say all of these things, and try to offer advice and help and encourage people to be more cognizant with activity is simple: people rely on you in a group setting. Pushing off a reply for another week, only doing replies on certain characters, dropping threads, even sitting on finished threads that someone's waiting on all could be the difference between someone ending up on check or not -- that one reply could mean that they don't have a second writer for the two week period, or they were desperately waiting for your response to even meet the one week goal.

Some of these things might help you. Some of them might not! People work in different ways, and that's more than okay! But since I've had some people ask for help, or mention struggling lately, I thought that heading into the summer, it would be a good day to offer advice and try. xx

[callsignspark]

bumping into each other. mary and bradley

anon! you are so galaxy-brained for knowing that I wanted someone to send this one to me.

you'll be in my heart

pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mariella “M&M” Vertucci (fem!OC)

warnings: 18+ minors DNI, fluffy with the tiniest bit of angst, this is set before they're together but they're already friends, also you don’t need to read Mar[r]y Me to read and understand this but you should anyway, also for your reference this takes place between part 2 and part 3/3.5 of the main storyline!

word count: 3.7k

note: happy Friday everyone! please enjoy this one which is dedicated to @gretagerwigsmuse who gave me this idea eons ago but I couldn't find a place for it in the main story!

The Bronco is peaceful and quiet. Or it had been until Bradley started humming along to some 90’s country song, half mumbling the words like a bad duet with the woman singing about the Fourth of July. It had been the week from hell, and this passenger seat was the last place she wanted to be.

“Will you shut up?! God, you’re so annoying!”

“You don’t like Martina McBride, kiddo?”

“You don’t like Martina McBride?” She mocks him, making her voice high-pitched and whiny. “I don’t care who it is, just stop singing!”

She watches him sigh, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn white. “Listen, I know this isn’t how you want to spend your Friday night, but please remember that this is a punishment for me, too. And given your options, I’m the lesser of two evils.”

“Oh! Please explain how you are my best option tonight.”

“If you had to go with Mav, you would be sitting around Wood’s house listening to the stories of their glory days while they get drunk! About how they used to pull women and all the dangerous maneuvers they did! So I think going to the grocery store and spending the night at my place is a much better option! At least I won’t tell you that you can’t go on your phone or watch a movie! And I’m certainly not going to make you listen to my best combat stories!”

She folds her arms and sinks down in the seat, muttering, “That’s because most of them are still classified.”

“Well! Yeah! But even if I could talk about it, I still wouldn’t make you listen to the time Phoenix, and I managed to-”

“Oh, Bradley, please!”

“I’m just kidding, Amelia! Geez!” He laughs, making the turn into the grocery store parking lot. “What did you do to piss your mom off anyway?”

“It’s so stupid! I forgot to clean the bathroom when I was supposed to.”

“Kiddo…”

“Okay! Okay! She may have told me to do it like five times, and I forgot until we were about to have Aunt Sarah over for dinner. But I had a big test on Wednesday, so I asked Mav to do it, and he didn’t do it either!”

Bradley parks, reaching into the backseat to grab a few of the reusable bags strewn on the floor.

“Why do you have so many reusable bags everywhere?”

“I- uh-” Amelia’s eyes narrow when he fumbles around, stuttering over his words for no reason. “My friend won them in a raffle and gave some to me because there were so many.”

“Your friend?” She deadpans, knowing he’s hiding something. He doesn’t have friends outside of the Daggers.

“Mmhm. Yup.” His head bobs like a puppet on a string, furthering her suspicions until it hits her.

So she waits until he’s about halfway out the door, hoping he gets so flustered he’ll trip. “This friend wouldn’t happen to be that pretty friend of yours that you have a crush on, would it?”

“How do you know about Mary?” He doesn’t trip, but when he pops his head back in the car, his face is a combination of shocked and scared.

“Her name is Mary?! That’s pretty! Do you have a picture of her?” Amelia bounces out of the car, slamming it behind her.

“Amelia…”

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to close it that hard! But can I please see her? Please? You know Mav doesn’t know how to work Facebook, and Mom wouldn’t tell me her name so I could look her up!”

He sighs as he grabs a cart from the corral, rubbing his forehead in frustration. “Only if you promise to not like any photos or do anything weird like friend request her.”

“Can we have pizza for dinner?”

She giggles in his face as Bradley blinks at her. “Only if you verbally promise me that you’re not going to be weird.”

“Promise. Now gimme!” Amelia snatches the phone as soon as he offers it, eyes glued to the profile of the woman her step-brother-god-son-in-law has a crush on.

“I’m being outmaneuvered by a teenager…” She hears him mutter under his breath before he tugs her close to the cart. “Hey! We’re in a parking lot; please pay attention so you don’t get run over! I’m not spending the night in the emergency room.”

“Sorry, Bradley.” She grabs his elbow and lets him guide her inside, her attention on the phone but knowing he’ll keep her safe.

He parks her and the cart in front of the bakery counter, getting a loaf of sourdough sliced before finally asking the question she can feel him holding back.

“So, what do you think of her?”

Amelia looks up, a snarky remark ready to fly when she sees his face. She hasn’t seen him this nervous and twitchy since the two of them were left to their own devices in Mav’s hangar after that mission a few years ago.

Holy shit, he really likes this girl.

“She’s really pretty, Bradley. She seems funny. I thought you said her name was Mary?”

“That’s her nickname; her full name is Mariella. Isn’t that pretty?”

“It is pretty.” You absolute simp. “Why haven’t you asked her out yet?”

He grimaces, directing them towards the bagged lettuce and tucking his phone away. “It’s a bit complicated. For starters, I don’t know if she’s interested. Which normally wouldn’t be a huge concern for me, but we have the same friend group, so I don’t want to make it awkward.”

She nods, appreciating how he never treats her like a dumb kid and explains things to her. “That seems like a very fixable problem.”

“It is, theoretically, but it gets a bit more complicated because we do work together, and she’s not Navy, so I’m not sure what the fraternization rules are.”

“Why don’t you just ask Mav? Don’t get that peach; look at that big bruise on it. Isn’t it part of his job to know those rules? And he could probably give you some advice.”

Bradley sets the bruised fruit to the side, choosing a better-looking one. “You want me to ask the man who is an enormous gossip and took over thirty years to get his shit together with your mom?”

Amelia blinks at him. “You should ask Warlock. He’d probably be better.”

“I think I’ll avoid talking to any of the admirals about it until there’s something to talk about. Alright, to the cereal aisle. Yes, you can push; just be careful.”

She heads out of the produce section, smiling that he knows her so well. “Hey, what did you do to make Mom mad? She didn’t tell me, just that I was spending the night with you.”

“I mowed over her new rose bush because Mav didn’t put up the little fence around it before I started.”

“We both got in trouble because of Mav. Why isn’t he being punished?”

“Don’t worry, if I know your mom like I think I know your mom, he’s definitely in trouble.” He rolls his eyes and puts a box of Cheerios in the cart. “Okay, pick out a fun cereal for me.”

“Fruity pebbles, duh. Now, onto chips!”

Amelia takes off, not running but still moving too fast for a grocery store at 5:30 on a Friday evening. She rounds the corner for the chip aisle and runs into a woman carrying a basket.

“I’m sorry!” She blurts it out over the woman telling her it’s okay, so flustered and embarrassed that she almost hit a stranger with their half-full cart.

Wait, isn’t that-

“Amelia! You gotta watch out! This is what I was talking about when we were driving last weekend!”

“You’re letting her drive? She looks a little young, Bradley.”

“Mary?”

Amelia watches in amazement as her normally calm and collected pseudo-brother starts blushing. Her head whips towards the stranger, who is no longer a stranger.

“Mary?!” She asks excitedly; the kind woman she almost ran over is Bradley’s crush!

And she’s even prettier in person!

Amelia admires the freckles dotting her cheeks and the cute earrings being shown off with her hair pulled back in a claw clip.

“Mary!” She says her own name, throwing her hands out in a ta-da move.

Oh, she is funny!

“Hi, I’m Amelia, his step-sister-by-marriage-twice-removed.” She shakes Mary’s hand, beaming when the older woman laughs at her joke. “Thank you. Bradley never thinks that’s funny.”

“That’s because it’s not.” Amelia turns around and sticks her tongue out at him, where he’s leaning against their cart. “Amelia is Penny’s daughter, which makes her not related to me at all but still occasionally my responsibility.”

“He says that like it’s some burden for him, like we’re not gonna eat pizza and gossip until he falls asleep on the couch at 8:30, with a World War II documentary on the TV.”

“You are just as funny as I thought you’d be.”

“You know me?”

“Of course I do! Your mom has told me all about you! Plus, you’re hanging on Mav’s wall, and Bradley’s got a photo of you on his desk.” Amelia watches Mary smile, crinkles appearing by her eyes, and she feels her heart warm.

She didn’t know that Mav and Bradley had photos of her in their offices. Her own dad doesn’t even have a photo of her. He has photos of his new family, though, she thinks bitterly before tucking the thought away.

“What photo do you have up?” She turns and demands.

Bradley rolls his eyes, straightening up from the cart. “It’s that photo of the four of us at your eighth-grade graduation last year.”

“It’s right next to the Dagger Squad official photo. It’s very sweet.” Mary adds.

“Oh, well, that’s Bradley. So sweet.”

“Knock it off or no more driving lessons.”

She wants to tell him to stop flexing; she can practically see him straining to make his arms look as big as possible. But she can’t take the risk of no dessert after dinner.

“You shouldn’t be teaching me to drive yet anyway. I’m only 14.”

“You’re almost 15! Besides, Mav was teaching me to drive at your age. It’s fine.”

“Fifteen isn’t even old enough to get your permit.”

“Behave, or I’m taking your phone away like Penny told me to.”

“Yes, Dad.” She exaggerates the name, knowing it annoys him.

Bradley slaps a hand over his eyes. “Please stop doing that. People are going to think I’m actually your dad.”

“Well, I mean, you are old enough to be my dad. You’re like, what, 53 now?”

Bradley makes incredulous eye contact with Mary, who has been watching the entire interaction with her hand over her mouth to muffle a laugh. “I’m 36, you little shit, and if you were my kid, I would have been 22 when you were born, Amelia.”

“People have kids younger than that,” Mary interjects, unable to stop the laugh at Bradley’s betrayed face.

“See! Mary gets it!”

“Mary is the same age as me, so she knows that having kids that young is possible but probably not a super great idea.”

“Actually, I’m 33, so I’m younger than you.”

“Oh my god, am I older than everyone?”

Amelia bounces over to the cart, patting Bradley’s shoulder where he’s dramatically resting his head against the handle. “No, don’t worry, Grandpa. Mav is still older than you.”

He peers up at her, a smirk spreading across his face. “No ice cream.”

Mary laughs at Amelia’s devastated face. “Well, I should get going. I don’t want to keep you guys.”

“No! Don’t go! Walk with us! Bradley is so boring; I wasn’t kidding about the World War II documentary.”

“Oh no, thank you, Amelia, but I couldn’t.”

“Yeah, you can.” Bradley clears some space at the end of the cart. “Here, put your basket in there, and we’ll finish out together.”

Amelia watches Mary hesitate, a silent conversation passing between the adults before she sets her basket in the cart. “Thank you, that was getting heavy. Where are you guys off to next?”

The trio continues making their way through the store, Amelia switching between riding on the end of the cart and walking behind the adults.

A scuffle catches her attention, and Amelia looks up from her phone to find Mary and Bradley smooshed together, Bradley’s arm wrapped around her waist as he presses her against the cart from where they bumped into each other.

“Oh, hey, sorry about that. You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Mary giggles, her cheeks turning pink. “We sure are graceful, aren’t we?”

“I think we could walk on stage at the ballet and fit right in.”

Oh my god. Is this his way of flirting?

Mary laughs at the joke, reaching down to put a can of tomatoes in her basket but making no effort to move away from his chest.

Oh wow, she’s into it. Weird.

“So what are you doing for dinner? Amelia Bedelia back there conned me into agreeing to pizza.”

“That’s not true, he bribed me.”

“Actually, you blackmailed me.”

“I’m making chicken parmesan,” Mary answers, grabbing a box of angel hair pasta. “Dani and I are having a girl’s night; apparently, the baby has been craving my mom’s secret chicken parm recipe.”

“What’s the secret?” Amelia hops back onto the cart, smiling as Bradley glares at her.

“You promise not to tell anyone?” Mary conspiratorially bumps shoulders with Bradley as they both agree. “Well… you have to use homemade tomato sauce, made the Vertucci family way. And when you bread the chicken, you add shredded parmesan to the breadcrumbs. It gives it extra flavor, and the cheese makes it nice and crispy when you finish it in the oven.”

“That sounds so good! I love Italian food.”

“Did you know that chicken parm is actually an Italian-American food? You won’t find it on the menus in Italy.”

“Really?” Bradley asks, paying close attention to her.

“Yeah! There’s some dishes that are kinda similar. Like melanzane alla parmigiana - made with eggplant - or carne pizzaiola, which is traditionally made with beef. But most restaurants in Italy have a menu that’s closer to the Italian peasant recipes that I grew up eating.”

“What are peasant recipes?” Amelia questions, unfamiliar with the term.

“They’re just recipes that peasants or the regular people would make. They’re very simple and made with ingredients that are easy and cheap to buy. My family didn’t have a lot of money when they came over from Italy and the Great Depression, so those are the kind of meals my grandparents grew up eating. And they’re still delicious, so they made things like pastina or pasta mollicata for us growing up.”

“What's your favorite?”

Mary lights up at the question from Bradley, her smile getting bigger. “Pasta e piselli, which is just pasta and peas. But it’s so good and filling and comforting.”

“Do you make it a lot?”

“I don’t actually, Amelia, even though it’s very easy to make. It’s one of those recipes I break out for a special dinner or when I need a pick-me-up meal.”

“Special dinner? You ever make it for a date?” Bradley asks as they turn into the last aisle.

Mary visibly flounders. “Uh- I- No. I haven’t made it for a date.”

“Why not? Amelia, what kind of ice cream do you want?”

“Chocolate chip cookie dough, please.” She answers, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the two adults, a bad feeling creeping up her neck.

“Well, honestly, it’s a special recipe to me - it’s my Nonna’s recipe. So, I wouldn’t make it for someone until I knew they were in it for the long haul.”

“Oh, that’s smart! You said it was easy to make. Would you mind sharing the recipe with me? I’ve been looking for a quality recipe that’s not too hard to make for an occasion like that.”

Amelia’s stomach drops as she watches Mary’s face fall.

Bradley! Get your head out of the ice cream cooler and pay attention! You’re making her sad!

She realizes that the situation is quickly devolving and pivots the conversation.

“Hey, Mary?”

“Yeah, sweetie?” The older woman pulls her eyes from Bradley’s back, which she’d been staring at dejectedly.

“You made those brownies Mav brought home a couple weeks ago, right?” She smiles when Mary nods. “Do you know how to make red velvet?”

“I do. Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s my birthday next month, and I want red velvet cupcakes for my party. Could I order them from you?”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Those brownies were amazing, and Bradley still talks about that strawberry shortcake you made.”

Mary’s eyebrows shoot up to her hairline, eyes flicking to a sheepish Bradley.

“That lemon pound cake did things to me.”

“Okay, ignoring the weirdo. Do you think you could make them?”

“Of course! I’ll talk to your mom next week and figure out the details, okay?”

“Thank you!” Amelia jumps off the cart to hug Mary, sticking her tongue out at Bradley as she does. “My favorite color is red.”

“Noted.” Mary taps the end of her nose. “We should probably head for the checkout; I have a pregnant lady waiting at home that I need to feed.”

Nodding in agreement, Bradley pulls Amelia toward a cashier line while Mary grabs her basket and heads for the self-checkout.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Oh, I’m just gonna do self-checkout so I can get going. But I’ll see you on Monday.”

Bradley cocks his head like a confused puppy. “Are you sure? If you wait with us, I’ll carry your bags to the car for you.”

“That’s sweet, but I’ve got it. Been doing this all by myself for years now! Enjoy your pizza, guys!” She waves, her smile not as big as it had been ten minutes ago.

The duo watches her from their place in line, impressed with how quickly she scans and packs her reusable bags, ones that match those sitting in their cart. It’s not long before she’s loading up her arms and flashing a quick smile at them as she leaves, which they return.

“I feel like I did something wrong.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Amelia scoffs. “Whatever makes you think that? How she ran away from us as quickly as possible? Or the fact that she was faking her smile for the last 15 minutes?”

“She was faking it? Why?”

“You’re not seriously asking me that right now.”

It’s their turn to checkout, so Bradley doesn’t get a chance to defend himself until they’re walking through the parking lot to the Bronco.

“Okay, want to tell me what I did wrong?”

“You didn’t ask her out. And she definitely would have said yes if you did.”

“I hinted at it!”

“No, you didn’t! You made it sound like you were asking for her grandma’s recipe - that’s very special to her - so you could make it for some other woman! There was no point at which you hinted at that woman being her!”

He claps a hand over his face. “Holy shit…”

“Now he gets it! Ladies and gentlemen, Bradley Rooster Bradshaw! One of the Navy’s finest! Let's give him a big round of applause!” Amelia mockingly claps after she tucks the cart back into the corral.

“Alright, that’s enough, smartass; get in.”

“In the cart? In the Bronco? You need to start being more specific with your questions.” She sasses as she climbs into the passenger seat.

Bradley doesn’t move once he gets in; just sits there staring out the windshield. “Do you think I fucked it up?”

“No.” She smiles at him when he whips his head in her direction. “Just ask her out to something small, like coffee or something. Then you can work your way up and ask her to dinner, but you make dinner. Maybe even the pasta and pea thing she was talking about. I’m sure there’s recipes online.”

“You’re pretty smart for someone so young.”

“Thanks, I get it from my mom. My dad is the worst.”

Bradley chuckles as he turns the car on. “She is a smart lady. You know, my mom would have liked you a lot.”

Amelia freezes, half-way buckled. “Really?”

“Oh yeah, you have the same sense of humor as her. She’d think you’re a riot.”

“You never talk about her.”

“It’s hard to talk about her.” He swallows hard, fiddling with the radio until he lands on a station playing old music. “I miss her so much. It’s gotten a little easier over the years, but there’s so few people left that actually knew her, it’s tough. Especially because I keep losing those people, too.”

They sit in silence for a few minutes until Bradley turns the radio up. “She loved this song.”

She listens, trying to place the song. “This is the Tarzan song.”

“It is the Tarzan song.” He laughs, his throat thick. “She loved Genesis and Phil Collins, but You’ll Be In My Heart was her favorite. We listened to it a lot towards the end.”

Amelia unbuckles, throwing herself across the bench seat to hug him. She surprises him; she can tell from the way he tenses for a second before hugging her back. She tries not to cry, but she can feel a few tears build up, upset that Bradley doesn’t have his mom or his dad anymore. That he’s lived longer without them than he lived with them.

“Oh, Ames. It’s okay.” He rubs her back when he hears her sniffle.

“It’s not fair!”

“I know, kiddo. But it happened, and at least she’s not in pain anymore.” He pulls back, wiping a tear off her cheek. “Hey, has Mav ever told you about the time me and my mom pulled a Halloween prank on him?”

“No.” She wipes her face. “Will you tell me more about her? I want to know more about your mom.”

“I’ll do you one better. We’ll watch embarrassing home videos while we eat pizza; how’s that sound? Good?”

Amelia nods, buckling back up. “Can we get Hawaiian pizza, please?”

“Course we can. So about this Halloween prank, it’s 1997, and the movie Anaconda had come out that year.”

“Mav hates snakes.”

“Yes, Mav does hate snakes. Which is why we…”

And Bradley pulls out of the parking lot and heads for the pizza joint, making his little sister laugh over the story of how it was discovered that Mav’s screams could reach a soprano octave.

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