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leaawrites · 2 months ago

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Packing it up

Josh Jenkinson x fem!reader

Summary: in which, he changed her perception of what love can be.

Warnings: toxic relationship (not cute Josh), slight ooc Josh (too talkative and extroverted but anyway)

Wordcount: 1.4k

I'd like to dedicate this to my fellow Josh girlies, @petalprincessxoxo and @lemosch

Masterlist

Walking down the streets of Manhattan, the streaks of tears were still clearly visible on her face. This would be the last time, she told herself. It should’ve been the last time three times prior to now.

She knew it’d always end in the same position. Inside her new favourite cafe after he already ruined the last one for her. A cup of steaming coffee sitting in front of her face as she waited for the same words to drop from his lies, her reaction was already automatic at this point.

“I’m sorry,” he’d say over and over again. “It was a mistake.” It never was. It stops being a mistake after the third time. “Please forgive me.” And although every atom of her body told her not to, she accepted the warm embrace of his arms every morning after. And she forgave him, over and over and over again.

In a few months she’d need to move to a new city after every coffee shop in New York City was haunted by his shadow lurking for her in the dark spots of her brain.

“Oh, look where you’re going,” a voice said shortly after she collided with a chest right in the middle of the street. Two hands holding her firmly to steady her body and not make her fall to the ground.

Looking up she saw the man she ran into, his eyes filled with concern as he saw her red eyes.

“Are you alright?” He asked, his voice much quieter now.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she brushed him off. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to worry.” He smiled down at her, trying to get the same reaction out of her.

“Do you wanna sit somewhere? You don’t really look well.”

“I already told you, I’m fine,” she tried to protest, but before she could bring arguments into the debate, the guy already pulled her aside into a cafe (out of all places) and sat her down at a table by the window. Still standing he made sure she was steady.

“You can sit down, alright? I won’t fall from my chair like a little child,” Y/n bit back, a bit irritated by his gentle and happy demeanour. Most people in New York would tell her to fuck off if she ran into them and walk off, not making sure if she was alright. It was part of it’s charm in some way.

“Alright, feisty,” he commented back, laughing at her glare towards him. “I’m Josh, by the way. Thought it’d be appropriate to introduce myself since we now sit here together.” He had his hands clasped together in front of his body.

“Y/n,” the girl answered, still not trusting him completely, but he seemed nice enough to not kidnap and kill her. At least, he hoped so.

“Where are you from?” Was her first question, the accent wasn’t from anywhere near and his smile looked kinder than any other in the US.

“Ireland,” he simply answered, looking at the bartender to get her attention.

“Are you all so jolly over there?”

“Are you all so dismissive over here?”

A small smile grazed her lips as he bit back quickly. The tone of his voice beginning to match more of her own.

“Pretty much, yes.”

“What can I get for you today?” The waitress asked bored with a pen and notebook in her hand, waiting for them to answer almost impatiently.

“Just a normal coffee,” the guy - Josh - answered, looking at Y/n to order her own beverage.

“I’ll have the-” New coffee shop, new person, new order, she thought. “I’ll have the Cappuccino.”

The waitress nodded, jotting their order down before turning on her heel and leaving them alone again, turning to her own life again.

“You don’t seem to already be here for long if you still have to ask if we’re all this dismissive. Mostly you can already see it in their faces when walking down the street.”

“Is one of those dismissive people the reason why you’re so upset?”

“I’m not upset,” she defended herself quickly, though the way he looked at her - with dismissive eyes and a clocked eyebrow - meant that he knew that she was lying. Lying never got her anywhere in the past. “I’m not entirely upset because of a such certain person. I’m more upset with myself.”

“Why?”

“Because I let it happen again, and I will crawl back to that person by tonight because I have no one else.”

Josh looked around the room for a second, watching the cars pass by and seemingly thinking about a solution for her problem, although she knew, there would be none. At least not one argumentative enough for her to stop.

“I have a proposition for you,” he stared talking, leaning forward in his chair and looking at her. Intrigued by his offer, she nodded her head as a sign for him to continue. “I’m in a band and if you want to, you can come to our show tonight and forget about that person for a bit, only if you’d want to of course.”

She thought about it for a second, scrunching up her nose and sucking on her upper lip. “Where are you guys playing?”

“Nothing crazy, just the Pier 17 Rooftop.” He shrugged like it was nothing.

“That’s not nothing,” she corrected him. “And probably sold out.”

“I can get you in,” he said.

“Why do you want me there?”

“I think you’re pretty,” he answered, making her blush and look at the wooden table for the first time that day. “And I think whoever treated you like that, to make you so upset, doesn’t deserve you to go back to them. So come with me. Watch us play and if you think we’re worse than whoever you knew before, I’ll leave you to go back to them with another second wasted.”

“I think that’s a deal.”

“Amazing.” Josh smiled at her, his confidence fading now that he had her promise, a shy look creeping up on his face as he looked down at the table and his clasped hands. A comfortable silence settled over them, their table being one of the only one’s which was quiet now. They didn’t pick the conversation up once more when they made eye-contact, neither when their coffee was served.

“How long does the concert of yours go?” she asked, remembering what she did after meeting him once more. What she promised her friends to do.

“Well, it starts at 8, then comes the opening act and we start around 9 normally. So it shouldn’t go longer than 11. Is that a problem for you?” he asked, looking concerned that she would now leave him hanging.

Would she be able to make it? Y/n knew that she would be alright with going to bed at 12 and still wake up early to go to work and she could cancel the usual dinner she had with her friends to calm her down from what he’d done once more. But every time she had done that, she crawled back to him anyway. So would it be a bad thing for her to try a new method? Would it be a bad thing if she tried moving on for once.

“No, it shouldn’t be alright. I still have work tomorrow, but I wouldn’t go to sleep before 12 anyway, so it’s fine.” Looking at the way his eyes lit up when she told him that she would be there made her feel like this could make a new tradition happen. What if she would be able to wake up next to him every morning? Seeing his eyes and soft smile as she cuddled closer to him in the early hours. Hearing the rasp in his voice after he’d just woken up, freeing herself from everything she’d known just to find a version of herself she’d never believed to actually find someday.

“Good,” Josh audibly let out a breath he was holding for the time she was thinking. Smiling at her once more, he let out a chuckle as she smiled at him too, feeling foolish for wanting her there watching him even though he’d just met her. Faith was a ridiculous thing to her ever since she knew what it meant, something wasn’t just meant to be because some invisible string was pulling certain treads.

Still there she was, so close to packing it all up. The simple topic of love being too unbearable for her to even hear from her friends about it. Until he happened.

#josh jenkinson x reader #josh jenkinson #josh jenkinson x you #josh jenkinso x fem!reader #inhaler imagine #inhaler dublin #inhaler one shot #inhaler fanfic #inhaler band #inhaler #packing it up

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annes-andromeda · 8 months ago

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Season 2 of HOTD is almost here and oml, every single goddamn thing I’ve seen regarding not just Team Green, but the plot in general, sounds awful.

We got:

Alicent still trying to make peace with Rha*nyra despite the latter not giving two flying fucks about her and Rha*nyra allowing B&C to happen and not punishing Da*mon. And don’t even get me started on the rumors of that supposed peace treaty in the finale��

Aemond calling his own mother a fool and addressing her by her FIRST NAME. It was literally established that these two have a strong bond but suddenly it’s thrown down the drain. Granted we green fans expected Aemond and Alicent to drift apart after L*ke’s death but not like this bro. Book!Aemond was cruel and awful, but he would never disrespect his mother like that. I honestly pray we get a scene of Criston defending her.

Everything about Helaena. Just. Everything. Her caught in the made-up King’s Landing riot with Alicent that didn’t happen in the book despite the fact that both her and her mother were stated as being beloved by the people. Supposedly rumors of Helaena having a nightmare about Da*mon having s*x with her (ugh just let it be Aegon pls I’m not a shipper but at least it would make sense). And apparently there may even be another riot during Jaehaerys’s funeral. Which again, DID NOT FUCKING HAPPEN.

Rha*nyra wielding a goddamn sword and still being portrayed as Mother Mary herself and being so dutiful and amazing and good🙄. Like, book!Rha*nyra was an awful person, but at least she was entertaining and had an actual personality.

Rumors of Rhaena apparently claiming a dragon that may be Sheepstealer, which means they might give Nettles’s storyline to Rhaena which I hate. Granted it’s just a rumor, but I would actually scream if they erased not just Nettles, but Morning as well.

I’m pretty sure there’s more but those are the main ones I can think of rn

Everything about the new season sounds so bad and I’m honestly thinking of not watching it at this point. Season 1 was bad enough with the villainizing of Team Green and the whitewashing of Team Black, but now they’re just going all out and continuing to climb the ladder of absurdity.

At this point I just feel bad for both Teams tbh. There’s no nuisance, no balanced focus on both sides, no effort to make both sides enjoyable. It’s very obvious that HBO has already chosen a side, and yet they’re still pushing the whole choosing teams agenda.

Only things that look promising are the upgraded wigs and costumes and Da*myra in their breakup era.

#house of the dragon #game of thrones #pro team green #anti team black #anti daemon targaryen #anti rhaenyra targaryen #team green deserved so much better #team green #anti daemyra #hotd critical

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pippytmi · 2 years ago

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For the fake dating thing 11 with whomever you want!

“Do you always get into fist fights on first dates, or am I just lucky?”

There is a bruise already forming on Kara’s jaw, and her hand still has a phantom ache that won’t go away. There might be a touch of blood on the lapel of her shirt, too, but she has been unable to confirm without ready access to a mirror. But it’s this—the firm click of silver six-inch heels against pavement announcing Lena’s arrival—that brings Kara an instant sense of uneasiness.

“It’s kind of in the job description,” Kara shrugs off the rhetorical question. “You know, of being a girlfriend.”

Lena Luthor has an uncanny ability to make Kara feel completely, totally inept in any situation just with a quizzical quirk of an eyebrow and a ruby-red lipsticked frown. Not because she deliberately tries to, but because that’s just the Luthor™ way. Every member of that family seems to have mastered the ability to stare hard enough to make anyone squirm. Even though Kara has known Lena since they were kids—even though they know each other better than anyone else in the world—the effect is the same.

“That might be the most idiotic thing you’ve said all night.” Despite her stoic expression, Lena’s voice is surprisingly soft. “You should have walked away.”

“That would have been worse than not punching Mike Matthews, I think,” Kara says. “Really, I’m ninety-five percent sure I’m supposed to defend your honor, or… whatever the saying is.”

And the strangest thing happens; a glimpse of amusement cracks through Lena’s frown, visible in the ever-so-gentle upturn of the corner of her mouth. “Sorry, did I miss the part where we time traveled a hundred years ago?”

“It’s—you know what I mean,” Kara says. “If I was your real girlfriend everyone would expect me to punch guys in the face for you.”

“Or,” Lena counters, “it might be overkill, since everyone knows you are not inherently a violent person.”

Kara sheepishly tugs at her collar, unable to stop herself from flushing when Lena gazes at her so pointedly. “Does it matter if everyone who meets Mike wants to punch him? Because I’m pretty sure he could make a nun violent.”

“Wow,” Lena says. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say a mean thing about anyone before this.”

“Yeah, well…” Kara grimaces. “Mike Matthews brings it out of me. Or maybe this stuffy party does.” Her hand unconsciously goes back to her jacket, and she has to shrug it off all at once, suddenly feeling constricted in her suit. “I don’t know how you do it.”

Lena must be far more uncomfortable than Kara is, with those high heels and the skintight dress and the overall burden of familial expectations hanging on her shoulders, but she masks it remarkably well. “Practice,” she says—sighs. “And whiskey.”

“Gross,” Kara says, unconsciously crinkling her nose as she works at undoing her tie next. “I’m more of a Capri Sun girl myself.”

A short, stunned laugh emerges before Lena can likely quell it. “Right, how could I forget,” she says, and tilts her head in that curious way she does whenever she has a question she isn’t sure how to ask. But it must pass, because her actual question comes out in the form of: “Is there a reason you’re stripping in full view of the paparazzi?”

“Fan service?” It’s a weak joke, but it makes Lena roll her eyes in that mock-exasperated way that Kara knows would be a laugh out of anyone else. “I just need to cool off, maybe. Then I promise, I’ll be your doting girlfriend for all the cameras again.” She allows a beat before she adds, perhaps unnecessarily, “Without any violence.”

“Yes, I think my mother would very much prefer that.”

Kara laughs, remembering the horrified look on Lillian Luthor’s face with—admittedly—a bit of glee. “Yeah,” she says, “I’m sure she’s thrilled with how tonight is going.”

“Well, she does think it’s all part of a rebellious phase,” Lena muses. “She’s convinced I’m doing this just to spite her.”

Kara has felt the brunt of Lillian’s disapproval back since she first befriended Lena when they were kids, back when they were auditioning for the same movie. Honestly, there is no telling why Lillian has always disliked Kara. Maybe it was because she wasn’t a nepotism baby like all the rest of crowd, or maybe it was because Kara would sneak Lena out of the giant Luthor mansion to go to the movies, or maybe it was because when they were teenagers Kara had wrecked the Porsche (on a dare)...but that disdain has been steadfast ever since they were young, and it’s never once wavered. Everyone knows it. Lena knows it.

Which is why Kara is unable to keep the confusion out of her voice when she says, “Uh. Aren’t you?”

“Aren’t I…what?” Lena repeats, lost.

“Pretending to date me to spite her?” Kara prompts. “You know. Since she hates me?”

Lena’s brow furrows ever-so-slightly. “I didn’t mean dating you,” she says. “I mean dating in general. She thinks it’s a distraction.” She absentmindedly picks at one of the sequins on her dress, a nervous tic that she has never been able to shake. “God, it’s getting cold out here.”

The temperature is just right for Kara, but Lena has always run cold; Kara’s poked fun at her for it once or twice (or for their entire childhood, but who’s keeping track). An unbidden smile, fonder than it has any right to be, inevitably forms. “Well sit down, so you can leech some of my body heat. Besides, you make me tired just looking at you in those heels.”

“Then I’ll be colder,” Lena objects, eyeing the stone of the fountain edge that Kara is currently sitting on. “No way.”

“You’re the most high maintenance fake girlfriend ever,” Kara feigns annoyance. “Here, then. Sit on my lap. And you can put my jacket over your legs.”

It’s hard to exactly tell with the dim lighting of the streetlights, but Lena—blushes? Maybe? And immediately shakes her head. “I’m too heavy.”

“No such thing,” Kara retorts. “I’ll keep stripping if you don’t sit down, Lena. Then your mother will really have a reason to hate me.”

“You are trying to create scandal everywhere you can tonight, aren’t you?” Lena says, but doesn’t move, only crosses her arms and gives Kara an exasperated look. “It would be a hell of a front page.”

“Wow, Lena, if you wanted me naked all you had to do was ask,” Kara says, undoing the first two buttons of her shirt while Lena continues to glare. Then, for fun, she continues up until she hits the top of her bra and Lena’s jaw fully drops in alarm.

“Oh my God, Kara, stop!”

But the ruse works, because as Lena moves forward as if she’s about to button Kara’s shirt back up (or just push her into the fountain), Kara is able to wrap an arm around Lena’s waist and tug her down. Lena yelps in surprise, arms coming up to squeeze around Kara’s neck, and Kara has to hide a grin into the curls that hit her full force in the face.

“Geez, Lena, you’re like an ice cube. Don’t you own a sweater?”

“You asshole,” Lena says, but there is no bite in her voice, only annoyed defeat. “If I get glitter all over you, I’m not going to apologize.”

“I’ll let it slide, this once.” Kara doesn’t mention that there’s nothing in the world that she wouldn’t let Lena get away with. That’s the inevitable truth of being in love with this girl pretty much her whole life—Kara caves first, and she always has. Whether it was what flavor of Gatorade to get from the vending machine, or whether it was who got to sit down in the only remaining chair for a last minute casting call, or whether it was to tag along to Lena’s prom date so the boy wouldn’t try to kiss her, Kara always let Lena call the shots.

Lena exhales; Kara feels the warmth of Lena’s breath against her temple, feels the steady weight of Lena’s body as she shifts on Kara’s lap, feels the rough pattern of Lena’s dress sequins against her fingertips. “You know you’re my best friend, right?” Lena says suddenly.

Those words always make Kara’s heart skip a beat, like they’re right back to being fifteen and nervously holding each other’s sweaty hands while poring over crumpled scripts. “I’d better be,” Kara quips, if only to keep her sappiness at bay, “or I’m returning the BFF necklaces I brought as our first-anniversary gift.”

“I’m serious,” Lena huffs, and her grip around Kara’s neck tightens just a hair. “Will you let me be serious?”

“Okay, okay. One hundred percent seriousness from here on out, I promise.”

For a moment, the only sound is that of cars passing, of the trickle from the water fountain, of the faint music coming from the party. And when Lena speaks at last, it’s quiet. “I know my mom’s not the…easiest person,” she says. “And if pretending to be my girlfriend is going to make you uncomfortable because you have to deal with her, you don’t have to do it.”

“I’ve been dealing with your mother forever, Lena,” Kara says lightly. “She hasn’t been able to scare me off yet, for as much as she’s tried.”

Lena scoffs, but her hand is unmistakably tender as she fiddles with Kara’s shirt collar. “What happened to being serious?”

“I am serious! Do you or do you not remember that time we went to the water park? I swear she cut a hole in my water tube slide. And let’s not even bring up the whole prom incident, because I swear my hip has never been the same since falling out of your window.”

“She didn’t even know that was you.” Lena laughs, and it’s still somewhat hesitant, but just affectionate enough to reflect her feelings about that memory. “That feels like a lifetime ago.”

Kara inhales, shakily, both the sweet scent of Lena’s perfume and some much-needed air. “In a good way or a bad way?”

Lena presses her forehead into Kara’s jaw, her skin still cold enough that it makes Kara sympathetically squeeze her tighter. “Can you just promise to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable?” she asks, and ignores Kara’s question entirely. “Either with my mother, or…just the pretending part with me.”

“I feel plenty comfortable,” Kara tries, but Lena just reiterates,

“Promise me, Kara. I don't want to lose you.”

Something about the urgency in Lena's tone shifts the mood entirely; Kara swallows tightly and nods obligingly. “Okay. I promise. But you have to tell me, too, if anything becomes…I don't know, too much.”

“Fine,” Lena agrees readily.

“No, wait, but listen,” Kara presses. “Being friends is one thing, but dating is another, and—even if it's fake, we're going to have to do couple things. And I don't want it to ruin our friendship.”

“I also don't want to ruin our friendship,” Lena says. “Which is why I brought it up first.”

“Good. Okay. I just wanted to be sure.” Kara awkwardly shifts, all too aware that this might not be the ideal time and place for this conversation. Much less when Lena's still in her lap, clinging to Kara as if afraid to let go. “So on a scale of one to ten, how badly have I messed up the friendship by fighting Mike?”

Lema hums, considering. “That depends on what he said about me.”

“Um, nothing nice,” Kara says haltingly. “I'd rather not repeat it.”

“Then I'll let it slide…this once.” Lena's hands find their way up to Kara's face, fingertips gentle against the bruise on her jaw. “But you are still an idiot.” She thumbs warmly against the apple of Kara's cheek and gazes at Kara from underneath thick mascaraed eyelashes, then whispers, “And you're my favorite.”

“Your favorite idiot?”

“My favorite person.” Suddenly they're seventeen again, and Kara is sitting on Lena's bedroom floor still tugging at her tux because it itches. Suddenly they're seventeen again, and Lena is biting her lip and unable to catch Kara’s eye. Suddenly they’re seventeen again, and Lena is whispering I wanted you to make sure he didn’t kiss me because I want you to be my first kiss.

Kara blinks, mouth opening and closing for a pause, before she has to fall back on a safe feeling—fall right back to humor, so Lena does not comment on the way Kara’s body automatically tenses. “Aw, Lena,” she manages, “that sounded a lot like you like me.”

“I’m just a good actress,” Lena says mock-haughtily, but her eyes are searching as they lock onto Kara’s, expression softening the way no one else ever really sees. To the world she’s always been some cold, aloof superstar, but to Kara she will always be the best friend who wanted her first kiss to be with the person she trusted most in the world.

“Well for the record,” Kara swallows thickly, “you’re my favorite, too.”

There is a split second—a charged, electric second—where Kara swears Lena is going to kiss her. Her eyes are hooded like they’re about to close, and her face sways closer, her hand still resting on Kara’s bruised jaw. But then she sighs, and Kara can feel the distance before she sees it.

“We should go back inside,” Lena says, abruptly stumbling off of Kara's lap. “Sooner or later we'll have to do damage control.”

It takes a beat for Kara to catch up. “Right,” she says, hastening to button up her shirt and follow. “It wouldn't be a Luthor party without damage control.”

“It's the first time you're the cause, though,” Lena throws over her shoulder. “And don't forget your tie!”

“Got it,” Kara calls, undoing her tie entirely and tossing it into the bushes. “Hey, wait up! Come back and hold my hand.”

That makes Lena freeze in place. “What?”

“For—you know, the cameras,” Kara says, shrugging her suit jacket back on. “So we can show a united front.”

Lena gives her an inscrutable look. “You say the weirdest things sometimes,” she says, but she allows Kara to catch up and intertwine their hands together without further complaint.

“How else is everyone supposed to know you're not mad at me?” Kara reminds her. “Or that I'm the best girlfriend you've ever had?”

“I doubt they're going to make that assumption based on hand holding.” But as they climb up the steps to rejoin the gala, the low, golden light illuminates that dimpled smile of Lena's that makes Kara breathless. “What makes you think you're the best, anyway?”

“Just a guess,” Kara says, squeezing Lena's hand as they reach the entrance. “Am I?”

“Let's see if you end tonight without any more fights first,” Lena quips, and while her voice is teasing, her smile grows exponentially tender. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Kara echoes quietly, and allows Lena to lead her right through those double doors knowing that she would follow Lena anywhere.

#prompt was: 'aw that sounded a lot like you like me / im just a good actor'#i rewrote this a million times and finally settled on a childhood friends + celebrity au :)#supercorp #supergirl #i need a fic tag #i miss these two dramatic ''besties'' who just wanna kiss each other on the mouth #lyssa #as always ty for the prompt !! <3

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igglemouse · 5 months ago

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It's only the first trimester but this pregnancy thing is already a bit rough, at least more than I imagined. I never expected it to be easy but I do get tired of having to run to the bathroom. Yeaaa, lets not talk about that!

Instead lets talk about waffles, more specifically, chicken and waffles! My appetite has definitely started to change as I find myself more likely to completely clean a plate but I don't think I've had any specific cravings yet? I mean, right now I'm craving golden waffles and slightly crisp fried chicken drenched in sweet syrup, does that count?

Naturally the scent of waffles wafting waffly through the house is enough to draw Pascal down to the kitchen. I'm pretty sure waffles are his favorite food and the way he lights up before digging into them tells me that I might be right.

He takes a few bites, makes a groan of approval, then turns his attention to me, a bit of concern on his face. "You okay?" He asks with his mouth half full. "You spent a lot of time in the restroom this morning and-"

"Yeaaah, just one of those things I guess?" I say trying to pass it off casually. The constant nausea is common during pregnancy, right? Probably nothing. "It'll be okay!"

"Yeah," he mumbles, getting right back to his meal.

That reminds me, Pascal hasn't really talked much about this whole 'we're going to be parents' thing too much and by too much I mean not really at all? He's told me that he'll be there for the baby and for me and that matters but I do wish he was a little more involved.

I think he saves most of his enthusiasm for mud baths. It's a ritual for him, I think. I can understand why, it can be very relaxing sinking yourself into a puddle of earthy mud and letting the world melt away. I understand he kicks a ball around for a living but it does take a lot out of him. Athletes really push their bodies past limits. It must be a ritual of his at this point.

As for me, I find my own way to unwind. Grooving to Latin pop, the infectious beats fill the room and gets my feet to move but not too much. Sure would hate to trip or something buuut I'm hoping my little one is vibing to the music too!

Doing laundry isn't in any way more fun than dancing but it has to get done. Even if the sun is bearing down on you, making you sweat, and...why doesn't Pascal have a washer and dryer again?

But I wasn't going to spend my entire day under the sun, especially when Sara decided to drop by again. She's been coming over more and more lately, I don't mind, but as I've mentioned before she's a bit nosy. Always asking questions and trying to pry, just a touch annoying actually, but there's something endearing to it? It's almost like little sister energy, if that makes sense? Maybe that's just me wishing I had a little sister.

She does remind me of an old friend I had back home, in Selva. A softer version of her, a less confident version of her, but a version of her all the same. Candela was her name but that's a story for another day.

As soon as we sit down Sara dives right into the topic of Pascal. Completely expected, remember, she's the nosy prying type after all but I decided to turn the tables back on her and ask her about her own love life.

"Umm, remember, I'm not so fortunate," her reply is hesitant and her voice cracks a little, letting me know this is more of a sensitive topic for her.

"Sara, you're way too hard on yourself! I know you've had some luck-"

"What's luck if I'm sitting here single," she interrupts, set on putting herself down I guess.

"Sara, you're young, we all are," I say, wanting to defend her from herself. "It's really not that big of a deal being single. Sometimes, it's better than being stuck with someone that's abusive."

"Yeah...well, for now, I'll live vicariously through your relationship so lets hear about it." The smile on her face is forced but I agree. I don't want to force her to talk about her.

So I tell her about Pascal and me but there really isn't any excitement because there isn't much to go on about? We are just sort of...living together? No big adventures or vacations, nothing overly romantic, we've just been sharing a space and going through life day by day I guess.

"You're going to have to pull him off the pitch long enough for you two to do more together," Sara suggests. It's a good idea. The SPL, which stands for Sims Premier League, has an offseason doesn't it?

After Sara leaves the house feels a little quieter. That's alright because I'll always have ice cream! It's the sort of thing that can bring joy to any evening and so I step right over to the kitchen and pull out my nifty ice cream making machine and make me a bowl of it. because, why not? Feels like a butter pecan kind of day to me and it's feeling like I'll be needing two bowls!

One thing I think I have to consider when it comes to living with Pascal is that I've been doing most of the chores. Whether its scrubbing countertops or washing the dishes or doing laundry out in near 100 degree heat, it's me doing it all and here I am vacuuming so that we're not inhaling dust. Makes me wonder how he was keeping this place clean before me? I'd ask Pascal to do it for tonight but...

The mechanical whir of the treadmill and the pounding of his feet had told me he was busy. I quietly slipped inside of his workout room, which, now that I think about it, looks like it would be better suited for a child but maybe that's a discussion for another day.

I have to squeal out a hello to get his attention and once I do; "Does the offer still stand?" I ask, voice raised to be heard of the rhythm of his workout.

"Huh?" He kinda shouts back, a little out of breath.

"Moving in, does it still stand?" and I shout right back.

"O-oh! Yeah! Of course! Of course it does!" He stammers back and gives me a smile. I'll leave him alone for now I guess.

So yeah, it looks like I've mad my decision or rather, fate has made it for me.

I do have some concerns but that's expected, right? No one is perfect.

Honestly, if I were not pregnant with his child I do not think I would have made this decision but now that I am I want to do everything right. That includes raising a child the usual way. Mother, father, a house, a family, that kind of thing. It's at least worth a try, it's more than what was done for me growing up.

I'll miss this place. I wasn't here for long but that's the story of my life. I don't tend to stay in places for too long. The universe always nudges me on to my next chapter and on to the next episode..

Frida Varela Index ~ Next Episode 6 'Familiar Connections'

#The Sims #The Sims 4 #ts4 #Sims #Sims 4 #sims legacy #my sims #generation 1 #soot #sims of our time #frida varela #pascal alcocer #sara chaves

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guilty-cheese · 10 months ago

Note

Can I get an order of Nami x Transfem reader?

The reader has a lot of self image issues, and Nami helps her to realize how beautiful she really us

Omg yes this is such a great request!

Orange Skies

Nami x Transfem!reader

Warnings: mentions of self-worth issues, angsty

The Going Merry rocked back and forth upon the waves. The wood creaked and sighed as the warm breeze made its way along the deck. The setting Sun cast a vibrant orange along the horizon and illuminated the ship.

Y/N sat against one of Nami’s tangerine trees, her legs pulled against her chest. Her chin was placed on the top of her knees and she soaked up the last of the sun for the day.

“There you are,” came a familiar voice.

Y/N jumped a but before turning to see Nami standing behind her with a blanket in hand.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while now. Sanji said I could find you out here,” she smiled.

“Sanji has a big mouth,” Y/N rolled her eyes and turned back around.

Nami giggled and began to approach Y/N, “You can say that again.”

Y/N pulled her lips up in response to that, “Why were you looking for me anyway?”

Nami sat down next to Y/N, their shoulders touching, “Am I not allowed to know where you are?”

Y/N only hummed in response.

“We’re going to reach an island tomorrow by the way.”

“Cool.”

“Cool? More like that’s awesome Nami! Thank you so much for your amazing skills that got us here!” Nami said with a higher pitched voice.

Y/N chuckled a bit at this, “Of course, how could I be so rude. You are really amazing Nami.”

“See, that wasn’t so hard. Here,” Nami opened up the blanket and wrapped one end around herself while offering the other to Y/N.

Y/N accepted it with a smile and also wrapped it around her self, “Thank you.”

“Of course! Now you better tell me why you have been sulking these past couple of days. It’s concerning me,” Nami said as she looked over at Y/N.

Y/N turned to her, opening her mouth to defend herself but quickly closed it. She turned back to face the horizon not wanting to say anything.

Nami nudged Y/N with her elbow. “C’mon please talk to me Y/N. What’s the point of having another girl on the ship if the other girl won’t talk to her!”

Y/N bit her lip, “That’s the thing, Nami.”

Nami cocked her head, “What?”

Y/N sighed and looked down at her lap, “I don’t know. It’s just that…I..I don’t…nevermind it’s stupid.”

“Hey don’t say that. Talk to me, please. I promise I’m here to help,” Nami placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Y/N looked up at Nami with hopeful eyes, “Are you sure you won’t think of me differently if I tell you.”

“Promise,” Nami smiled.

Y/N drew in a deep breath, “Well you know how I wasn’t born a girl?”

Nami nodded and waited for Y/N to continue.

Y/N looked at her hands, “Sometimes I just feel like I’ll never be good enough, like I’ll never be the perfect woman.”

“How do you mean?” Nami asked sincerely.

“Well, for starters I don’t have the ideal female body. My chest is flat, my waist isn’t tiny, and my body gets really hairy. I don’t feel pretty, especially when we go into the island villages. Everyone looks at me weirdly as if they know. As if they are already rejecting me as a woman. I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough,” Y/N whispered the last part as her face became hot and tears pricked at her eyes. “And all I want is to be able to be seen. To be seen as an equal and like you are seen. I want to be able to wear the clothes you wear and feel pretty and confident. I hate hiding like this.”

Nami paused as she watched Y/N break down. She listened intently to what she said and rubbed her back soothingly.

“I’m sorry, Nami. You don’t deserve these burdens I’m putting into you. Sorry if I’m just complaining.”

“Don’t say that, Y/N! You are not complaining! And don’t apologize for feeling the way you feel. I know I don’t have the same situation as you but I do know what you’re feeling is valid,” Nami paused as she tucked a strand of hair behind Y/N’s ear, “I think you’re pretty. I think you’re as much as a woman as any other woman.”

Y/N looked at her stunned, “You do?”

Nami smiled, “Gosh Y/N, the entire crew does! You see how Sanji fawns over you all the time. You see how Usopp calls you pretty and how Luffy loves complimenting how long your hair is. Hell even Zoro sees how strong and pretty you are.”

Tears fell freely out of Y/N’s eyes.

“Gosh Y/N I wish you could see yourself the way the rest of us do. And if you need help boosting your confidence all you have to do is ask! I’m more than happy to provide you clothes or even go shopping with you to find clothes that you like. That’s all I’ve ever wanted!”

“You mean that, Nami?” Y/N asked, her voice cracked a bit.

“Cross my heart.”

Y/N smiled and threw herself into Nami’s arms. Nami chuckled and wrapped her arms around Y/N running her fingers through her hair.

“If anyone ever tells you differently, you have an entire crew that is willing to beat their ass.”

Y/N laughed.

“I’m serious!” Nami shrieked as she looked down at Y/N.

“Thank you Nami. This means more to me than you could ever imagine.”

Nami smiled lovingly as she cupped Y/N’s cheek and kissed her forehead, “Of course. Now tell me what colors you like to wear.”

Hope you enjoyed!

#one piece #nami x reader #cat burglar nami #one piece nami #nami #op nami #one piece x reader #one piece x you #nami x you #nami x y/n #transfem #transfem reader #Nami x transfem reader

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babyarmybabbles · 5 months ago

Text

Run ARMY! (Meet Part) a1 d4 +155 Words

[Caution: These are not full fics, or even full parts of fics for some, these are part of my writing progress archive!]

Concept: Reader won the opportunity to film a spin off of Run BTS! celebrating the boys return from enlistment, called Run ARMY!, over the course of seven days.

Word Count: 1,250

Notes: Our first official addition! I wanted to do additions in intervals of 1,000, but I'm on the fence of just completely rewriting this entire fic. I'm really unhappy with it and it's fighting me at every turn. I think I focused too much on the little things between point A and B and establishing Reader's voice and character. Might keep like the first bit of the Arrival part and a couple bits here and there. I'll sit on it. Marked the addition with []

Took Inspirations from Run ARMY! series on Tik Tok by _yamanika_ and Guess The Bias! by HelloMyAlien7 on Ao3

Warnings: Reader is p anxious lol. Sort of panic attack? Anxiety attack? idk man. Just anxious Reader.

Masterlist Link <3 | Prev Part Link c: | Next Part Link :D

By the time the SUV is pulling into the underground parking garage to meet the band in you’re sweating buckets. Not literally, thank the stars, but you feel near to it. Hannuel smiles kindly at you from the driver’s seat, obviously able to see your nerves. You’re pretty sure a satellite could see your nerves right now.

“You’ll be fine.” She soothes as the car descends. “The boys are super nice, and they’re excited to meet you. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” You suck in a deep breath in response and let it out. It doesn’t help much.

“I’m more nervous about ARMY not liking me than BTS not liking me.” You admit with a nervous laugh, consciously switching to twisting your rings around so you don't pick at your nails in your anxiety. Having bloody fingers while meeting your favorite group would not be a good look. “Also they intimidate me.” You add quietly.

You hear Hannuel stifle a snicker and your head shoots up to glare at her in affront. She’s supposed to support you, not laugh at you! She must see your mulish stare in the rear-view, because she quickly defends herself.

“Sorry, sorry! I’m not laughing at you, I promise. It’s just that they’re so silly sometimes, it’s hard to find them intimidating after having known them.” You easily concede the point to her. You'd seen enough behind the scenes content to get that impression. It’s a bit soothing to hear from an actual staff member though. “They’re the sweetest, really,” Hannuel continues, “You’ve genuinely got nothing to worry about. They’ll take care of you.”

You groan and let your head thump against the seat. “That’s part of the problem!” You complain, “It’s my first time on this side of a camera, it’s my first time meeting BTS, it’s my first time being in Korea, It’s just a lot! What if ARMY sees me fumbling and the boys helping me and decide they hate me? I can’t be hated by ARMY! I’d die!” You dramatically slump sideways, coincidentally timed with a turn that scootches you that much farther over.

Score one for dramatics.

Hannuel laughs gently at you, and you continue somewhat more seriously from your slumped position. “I mean, ARMY is basically my home. I don’t know what I’d do if they hated me.” You murmur into the leather cushion.

Hannuel hums musingly at you and the two of you lapse into silence for a moment.

“Well,” She starts, “First of all, you probably already know that you can never please everyone.” You nod miserably, aware that she could no longer see you. Both your therapist and your friends had told you as much many times. She continues, “But ARMY loves to see the boys interact with other ARMY. It’s another way they get to know them and feel connected. If you ask me, you’ll have more people projecting onto you than judging you. Not that they won’t judge, but” She shrugs, “People always do.”

You slowly sit up and shoot an admiring look at the woman. “Woah,” you mumble, “How are you so wise?”

Hannuel barks out a surprised laugh. “Life experience, mostly.” She replies amusedly.

You settle back into your seat and finally notice that Hannuel had stopped the car before what you assume to be the final turn before the boys would be in view. You feel a rush of gratefulness for her.

You hadn’t known her very long, but Hannuel had already been an incredible help and a very soothing presence to you. You should buy her something nice before you leave if you get the chance. See if you can send a gift basket through Hybe for her if you don't.

She starts the car rolling forward again as you reappear in the rear-view mirror, fully over your momentary theatrics. You take another deep breath and let it out again. It helps more this time.

“It’s not like my socials are public or anything either," You soothe yourself aloud, "And my friends already know me, they’re just excited. Everyone else is secondary.”

“Exactly” Hannuel affirms. You startle just a bit and then try to pretend you hadn’t forgotten she could hear you. Luckily, she’s too busy driving the car to notice. “Like I said, you’ll be just fine.”

Unfortunately for Hannuel’s encouraging words, you’d finally rolled close enough for you to spot seven men standing near 3 other SUVs just ahead and you were suddenly incapable of hearing anything anymore.

Static fills your brain as you study them. You register the casual clothes, watch them nudge each other excitedly as they notice your vehicle, even note the camera crew nearby, but not a single thought makes it past the haze of panic. Distantly, you wonder if this is what an adrenaline rush feels like. You suddenly can’t remember.

Your heartbeat thuds in your ears as the car comes to a gentle stop.

You absently bring one hand up to the pulse point under your jaw to measure your pulse and raise the other to your chest to make sure you’re still breathing. Hannuel is repeating instructions for your benefit in the front seat, but you simply cannot engage your brain enough to listen. All too soon she's exiting the car. You manage to tear your hands away from their comforting positions as she comes around and opens your door for you.

Hannuel helps you down as you duck out of the car and gives you a brief sympathetic smile as she takes your trembling hand.

Excited exclamations meet your arrival and you hastily paste confidence over your every mannerism as you lift both hands to wave back with equal excitement. Hannuel is the only one close enough to be able to see your hands continuing to shake, or note the fact that you stop breathing as you approach BTS.

You hope your smile isn't too tight and that you look appropriately excited. Hopefully whatever the cameras are seeing right now can be explained by excitement and reasonable nerves. You'll take your near panic-attack to the nearest private space, thanks.

["Hello! Oh my goodness, hi!" You release your held breath and end up attempting a sort of half-bow-half-handshake combo with RM that looks and feels incredibly awkward.

You’re mentally screaming apologies to him and despairing your lack of social graces as you move to greet the next member, one Kim Seokjin. You're not sure you can recover from this. You may just have to perish right here right now.

Blessedly, the man takes the lead for the interaction, opening his arms for a hug. You hesitate for a moment, double checking that he was giving you permission to hug him, before gratefully diving into the embrace.

The hug is a standard, friendly thing. Just a bit of a lean in and affectionate tap-tap-taps to eachothers upper back. It relaxes you immensely.

It helps that he more passes you to the next member down the line than let's you completely reset for a new interaction. No chance of awkwardness in pre-established patterns.

In this manner, you gain a hug from most of the other members as well. Yoongi is the only one who declines, offering a handshake that goes much more smoothly than your initial one with RM.

Once you're done with greetings, the PD introduces you, prompting you to wave and bow at them. You're sure it looks awkward because you feel awkward, but at least it gets done. ]

#bts fic #bts x reader #bangtan fic #bangtan x reader #bts fanfic #w.i.p #w.i.p fic #baby writes #run army! au

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jj-maybanks-daughter · 5 months ago

Text

Panic

Y/n came home from school and stormed off to her room. john b let jj maybank, her dad know how’s she’s been off. jj found his lighter in her room, after she tried to use it for sh. jj found out when she had a panic attack.

warnings

sh, panic attacks, cursing, terrible writing

“hey kid,” your uncle jb said as you slumped through the door dropping all of your school stuff as soon as you came in.

you walked right past him to your bedroom and shut the door, loudly.

“damn, somebody’s in a mood,” he joked with her, he got no response. he repeated what he just said, but to himself.

a bout thirty minutes went by, your body was aching to feel something. you didn’t care what it was, but it needed something.

sh was like a drug to y/n. nobody knew about it, she made sure to keep it secretive, even though she knew the pogues could help. it’s like a comfort thing, something she can control, unlike the million things that she can’t.

she opened her door quiet enough for john b not to notice, she had gotten pretty good at that. she tiptoed into the kitchen, where she knew her dads lighter would be.

she snatched it, and went as carefully back to her room as she did coming out. she sighed of relief, needing this all day.

she slumped on her floor, leaning against the wall behind her, and pulled her pants down, to reach the spot she always hit.

she did it on tge middle part of her thighs, convinced no one would do it. she started to light it, but it didn’t work. she tried around 15 times more, before having a meltdown.

other pov

“hey, john b have you seen my lighter?” jj asked as he walked through the sliding door.

“nah, where was it”

“kitchen table.”

“i saw y/n walk in there, maybe she’s seen it.”

y/n didn’t know john b saw her.

a few seconds later, they heard a wail, coming from your room. not of pain, but of frustration. “FUCK” came after it

“jeez, what’s wrong with her?” jj asked, wondering if john b knew.

“man, i ask myself the same question everyday when she comes home from school.”

“bro what-“ jj said giving him a confused look. “bro why didn’t you tell me, something could be wrong.” jj started running to his daughters room.

“y/n, can i come in?” he started twisting the handle, but it was locked. “kid, let me in” he yelled into the door. he grabbed a pin from the floor to pick it when she opened the door.

“what.” y/n said with an attitude, peeking open the door.

“what happened, kid?” he asked looking concerned.

she had to come up with a quick lie. “i um… stubbed my toe.”

“well ok…l” he replied “have you seen my lighter?”

jj opened the door to see what was happening in her room. he saw the lighter on her dresser and barged in.

“what. the. HELL. is my lighter doing in your room.”

“jeez dad get out of my room!” she pushed him but he didn’t even stumble.

“i’m not asking again, y/n.” he said, trying to keep his cool.

“it doesn’t matter it’s out anyway. she replied shoving him out of the room, rolling her eyes. he planted his feet and made sure his daughter couldn’t push him out.

“y/n” he said sternly, “i’m not leaving until you tell me.”

“fine then i’ll leave.” she walked out and sat on the couch in the living room. “stop following me, GOD!”

“watch your attitude young lady” john b said to her, defending his best friend.

she started shaking and she had a hard time breathing. “woah kid what’s wrong” john b asked. jj caught her and brought her to the floor, so she wouldn’t fall.

“what’s happening?” john b asked.

“panic attack, this happens a lot.” he rubbed her back and helped her catch her breath. “your ok, breath.” he counted in and out, a breathing exercise you do a lot.

he noticed the burn marks on her legs, his heart broke for her, but he wouldn’t say abyrhing about it now when she’s already in a bad state.

y/n collected herself, knowing that her dad saw the burns on her legs, she pulled her shorts back over it.

“hey kid…what’s going on?” jj said in a loving voice.

“it’s just…” y/n started crying. “i don’t know im just stressed.” she said burying her head into her dads shoulder as he rubbed her back.

“we’re going to get you help, ok? i don’t want you doing this to yourself, babe. there’s other ways to deal with it. i wish you came to me before.” he said trying to keep strong but he couldn’t help but feel guilty for her actions.

“ok… im sorry”

“its ok, babe.” he said as john b joined their hug on the floor as she cried.

“i don’t know why” she sobbed

“i know baby, its ok” he said

the next jj called a therapist, and let her skip school. she started going and felt better.

her aunts and uncles were happy to see their baby girl back to her normal self.

#jj maybank x daughter reader #jj maybank fanfic #outer banks fanfiction

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chaoticm0therfvcker · 9 months ago

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A Golden Halloween (CRK modern AU)

Summary: it’s Halloween at the Golden Cheese household, and things are a bit chaotic, due to a new addition to the family. Despite all the chaos and frustration, that doesn’t stop an adorable moment from taking place

A/N: in the modern au of a friend of mine, there’s a hc that golden cheese is ace/aro. Based on the other characters from the golden cheese update, I headcanon that golden cheese adopted burnt cheese, mozzarella, and fettuccine. Hope you enjoy!

Being a mother was hard.

Especially being the mother of three adopted kids, two of which have been in the system long enough to have some serious emotional baggage. Nonetheless, Golden Cheese was willing to do what she could to take care of these kids.

It was the night of Halloween, a time of excitement and costumes and candy and lots of spooky fun. Golden Cheese had been through it for several years, but this year was a bit different. It was different because about a year ago, Golden Cheese adopted her youngest daughter; Fettuccine.

Fettuccine’s adoption was a little bit different than Golden’s other children, Burnt Cheese and Mozzarella. While Burnt Cheese and Mozzarella were already emotionally damaged teenagers by the time they were adopted, they had a relatively easy time warming up to Golden Cheese as soon as they saw how much she cared for them, including how much money she was willing to invest into their food, clothing, and hobbies.

Fettuccine however, was different.

She was such a timid little girl, hiding behind just about anyone taller than her and only saying a few words at a time. When Golden Cheese met her for the first time, she could see that she was very isolated, struggling with social situations. Messy yellow hair was tied into pigtails with orange and green bows, and her arms and hands sported a mess of bandages and medical tape. While Golden filled out the paperwork to take her home, the social worker explained Fettuccine’s situation.

“I’m not sure what she went through before she got here, but it was definitely not safe for a little kid,” the social worker explained, “poor kid was so small for her age, and would hide wherever she could. In cabinets, behind couches, and if she couldn’t find a place to hide, she would resort to kicking, scratching and crying. She hates having her hair brushed, and she’s pretty accident prone from how quickly she dives into hiding spots.”

“I promise I’ll do whatever I can to take care of her,” Golden Cheese replied, “I know it can be hard to deal with a situation like this.”

The first six months was one of the hardest times of Golden’s motherhood. As the social worker had warned, Fettuccine cookie hid in her room a lot, and whenever Golden had to bathe her or brush her hair, Fettuccine would do whatever she could to defend herself, whether that was scratching, screaming, kicking, or even the occasional bite.

Luckily, Fettuccine started to slightly warm up to Golden Cheese, and as she grew more attached, one of Fettuccine’s favorite hiding spots was underneath Golden’s shirt.

Once Fettuccine warmed up to Golden Cheese, she was surprisingly quick to warm up to Burnt Cheese and Mozzarella as well. However, communication was still an issue. Despite her age, Fettuccine only knew a couple of words and short phrases, her favorite ones being “scared” and “I want snack”.

And now, this was an exciting day for her, as it was her very first Halloween. She was dressed up as a cute little mummy, and Golden Cheese was dressed up as a goddess from a video game she played often, ready to take Fettuccine trick or treating.

Currently, they were in front of a nearby house where several kids were walking up to collect candy to add to their stash.

Once they had walked up the driveway together, Golden Cheese knelt down to face Fettuccine cookie, putting a comforting hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“Okay kiddo, you’re gonna knock on the door and yell ‘trick or treat’. After a minute, someone should open the door and give you candy. They might ask you what your costume is, and if they do you’re gonna say ‘I’m a mummy’ okay?”

Fettuccine nodded and smiled, clutching her little plastic jack-o-lantern. “Okay mommy.”

Fettuccine padded up to the door and knocked on it with her tiny fist, yelling “Trick or treat!” As loudly as she could. Soon after, the door opened, and an older lady answered the door.

“Hey there kiddo,” she started, “what are you dressed up as?”

“I’m a mummy!” Fettuccine announced excitedly. After a moment, her smile faded. “You… scared?”

The woman chuckled lightheartedly. “Not at all! Your costume is just the cutest. Here, take as much candy as you want.” Offering the bowl to Fettuccine.

Fettuccine’s eyes lit up with excitement and she took two fistfuls of candy, dumping them into her little plastic jack-o-lantern. “Thank you!”

“Have a good night, happy Halloween!” The woman replied, waving goodbye to Golden Cheese and Fettuccine.

After that, Golden and Fettuccine visited as many houses in the neighborhood as they could, Fettuccine excitedly accepting candy from each house until her legs grew tired. By the end of their little adventure, Fettuccine had collected a mountain of candy, so much so that Golden Cheese had to put some in the extra bag she brought in case Fettuccine ran out of room in her bucket.

Once they had returned home, Fettuccine was very proud of her earnings from the night, and Golden Cheese couldn’t be prouder of how brave her daughter was that night, interacting with so many people and learning new phrases she had never used previously.

For the rest of the night, Fettuccine, Golden Cheese, Burnt Cheese, and Mozzarella all sat together in the living room, eating candy and watching the Halloween specials from all of Fettuccine’s favorite cartoons until Fettuccine drifted off to sleep in Golden’s lap. In that moment, Golden knew that despite all the obstacles that she had faced while taking care of Fettuccine, it was all worth the struggle, and she couldn’t wait to see what was to come of this little family of hers.

Taglist: @janayuga @katsunemillennium

#cookie run kingdom #cookie run #crk #crk modern au #golden cheese cookie #burnt cheese cookie #mozzarella cookie #halloween #trick or treat

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ruth-writes · 2 months ago

Text

What's My Age Again?: Chapter 5

I decided on a name! The hashtag is gonna be whatismyageagain so it won't get mixed up with the song

Alex's POV

Content warnings: mentions of self harm and abuse

I scanned through the apartment listings as Professor Andrews droned on and on. I’d already had five viewings in the past few days and felt pretty good about the last two, but I wouldn’t stop anxiously setting up more until I’d signed a contract with someone. I was so engrossed, it took me a few seconds to realize everyone had started packing their things. Was class already over? Fuck.

“Do you want my notes from today, too?” Riley asked, glancing over at my empty google doc.

“Yes, please. Thank you so, so much,” I replied gratefully.

“It’s really not a big deal,” they said. “I’m taking the notes anyways. By the way, I’m meeting Billie and Aaliyah for lunch, do you want to come?”

“I don’t know, I’m kind of busy,” I replied automatically. I had two viewings this afternoon, had to pick Jamie up from school, and now I had to revise Riley’s notes.

“Oh, come on. You have to eat something either way,” Riley argued as we started filing out of the lecture hall.

They had a point there, especially since I’d already skipped breakfast. I wondered if Riley was being so insistent because my stomach had been growling loud enough to create aggravating background noise to the already boring lecture. Plus, it would be nice to see Aaliyah again, so I let Riley lead me to one of the two taco trucks on campus.

“Alex!” Aaliyah called when she saw us. She gave me an enthusiastic hug, the spikes on her necklace poking into my chest.

“Hey!” I said, hugging her back and praying she couldn’t hear my hear thumping loudly.

Billie seemed happy enough to see me as well, at least that’s what I got from the quick side hug we gave each other. I scanned the menu as I got in line behind them, slightly regretting setting myself up for eating one of the messiest foods ever in front of Aaliyah.

“How’ve you been?” Billie asked me. “I haven’t seen you since… well, you know.”

“Fine, I guess. I’ve been pretty busy figuring everything out,” I replied, trying to be vague and honest at the same time.

“Well, if you need anything, let us know,” Riley chimed in. They all agreed, making me smile. I got the feeling they truly meant it.

“How was Andrews?” Aaliyah asked, thankfully changing the subject.

Riley rolled their eyes. “I have never in my life met a person who can take interesting subjects and make them that boring. I’m pretty sure Alex fell asleep.”

“Okay, rude,” I defended myself. “I didn’t remember a thing, but I was awake.”

“Whatever.”

We made more small talk, finding a picnic table. Thankfully, we were all a complete mess while eating our tacos, which made me feel better.

“Oh, God,” Billie groaned, looking over my shoulder. “Heads up, wannabe jock coming over.”

I turned around to see Sam strutting towards us. “Hey, Alex!” He then eyed Billie, who uncomfortably pulled her jacket closed to cover her chest. “Damn, Bille. That top sure looks good on you.”

“Dude, what do you want?” Aaliyah snapped, getting up to place herself protectively in front of Billie.

Sam took a step back. “Whoa, sorry. I just came over to talk to my friend Alex here.” Damn it, why did he have to pull me into this? He clapped my back unnecessarily hard. “How’ve you been, buddy? I haven’t seen you since you moved out without telling me.”

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at me expectantly. I cleared my throat. “Look, Sam, I think that maybe you should leave. You’re being kind of weird, you know?” I didn’t speak with half the confidence Aaliyah had, but of course Sam listened to me more than her. He left, mumbling something about how no one could take a compliment these days, and Aaliyah returned to the bench after she was satisfied that he was far enough away.

“I can’t believe- oh, shit!” Riley swore as their taco ripped at the bottom, spilling chunks of tomato and beans onto the table. Aaliyah grabbed one of her extra napkins and started cleaning it up. Once they’d managed to get the tinfoil to hold their salvageable taco remnants, Riley started again. “I can’t believe you had to live with that asshole.”

It took me a second to realize they were talking to me. “Oh, it wasn’t too bad. He’s annoying, but he kind of grows on you after a while.”

Billie raised an eyebrow. “I hope he didn’t grow on you too much.”

“No!” I frantically tried to correct my mistake. “I know he’s an asshole. I didn’t mean that I like him or anything, just that I learned to live with him.” I eyed Aaliyah, trying to figure out if my comment took me out of her good graces. It seemed like a fragile thing with her, where a single misstep could have you falling out. She smiled at me while rolling up the napkins, making me relax.

“You don’t have much of a choice with dorms, do you?” Riley pointed out.

“Yeah, what’s your roommate like?” I asked, hoping to turn the conversation away from me and Sam.

“They’re fine. We don’t talk much,” Riley answered. “The only thing I hate is their fucking awful alarm.”

“I keep telling you to just-“ Aaliyah tried to cut in, but Riley interrupted her.

“Yeah, yeah, talk to them about it. I don’t want to upset the ecosystem, okay? You’ll get it once you get a roommate someday.”

The last part seemed kind of pointed. I suddenly felt uncomfortable as I watched Aaliyah stew in silence with a look that said she still thought she was right. I assumed this was how it felt to be at a friend’s house when they got into a fight with their parents.

Billie and Riley both ignored her look in a way that felt like it was a common routine for them. Instead, Riley asked, “Does anyone want to go out tonight?”

Aaliyah shook her head and declined. I did the same, so Riley and Billie started talking about where to go. I zoned out of their conversation, locking eyes with Aaliyah, who seemed to be doing the same. We sent each other awkward glances until Billie and Aaliyah’s phones chimed at the same time. They checked them and groaned.

“Jenny?” Riley asked sympathetically, and Aaliyah nodded.

“Who’s Jenny?” I asked curiously.

“Our boss,” Aaliyah explained. “We don’t like her.”

That much was apparent from their expressions. “From the dance studio?” I remembered.

They both nodded bud didn’t elaborate, just typed a few words and put their phones a way again.

After checking the time, I got up and announced, “I think I’m gonna go to the library.”

They looked surprised but started waving me goodbye.

“Hey, I’m helping organize this thing on campus tomorrow,” Aaliyah stopped me before I could leave. “You should come, I can text you the details.”

Was I imagining the giggles Billie and Riley seemed to be having trouble suppressing? “Sure, I’ll try,” I told her, even though I already knew there was a slim chance of me being able to make it.

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

Jamie and I had established a routine when I picked him up.

“How was your day?” I would ask in the most casual way I could.

He’d shrug his shoulders and say, “Fine.”

“Did you meet anyone nice?”

Shrug.

“Are you hungry?”

Shrug.

“Do you have any homework?”

Shrug and sometimes a “yeah”.

It was getting hard for me to keep a straight face during it. Any information I had on his feelings was mostly guesswork, but if they were anything like mine, we were heading towards impending disaster. We’d go home, he’d take a snack from the kitchen and shut himself in his room until it was time for dinner. In the beginning, I’d thought it was good to give him space, but now I wasn’t sure. I’d sit on the couch, trying to think of something to say to him while my nails dug deeper and deeper into my skin. Sometimes they were stained red when I pulled them away.

Today, as we were driving along the already familiar route, my knuckles white as I gripped the steering wheel as tightly as I could to get through the excruciating silence, a car in front of us suddenly stopped.

“Fuck!” I shouted as I slammed my foot onto the brakes, coming to a stop just before I hit their taillights. “Jesus Christ, what the fuck?” I turned to Jamie to ask if he was okay, but the words got stuck in my throat. He’d grabbed the handle in his panic, causing his long sleeves to fall, revealing cuts on his forearms that were all too similar to mine.

He immediately pulled them back once he saw me looking and turned his face to the window. I let him, allowing the silence to envelop us until we got to the Airbnb. As he immediately headed towards his room, panic started to swell inside of me.

“Jamie,” I blurted out, causing him to turn to me. I swallowed.

“What?” he asked snappishly when I simply stared at him, already impatiently retreating. Whatever I was going to say, I had to do it now.

“I thought you could help with dinner tonight,” I told him.

He didn’t look happy. “Do I have to?”

“Yes,” I said more forcefully, a twinge of annoyance rising in my chest. “You live here, too. It wouldn’t hurt for you to start pulling some weight.”

He looked as taken aback by the sentence as I was, but it had its effect. “Whatever,” he muttered. “Let me know when you need me.” With that, he shut the door behind him.

I had him help me cut the veggies, which meant we were sitting across from each other at the dining table that doubled as the only workspace in the small kitchen. It reminded me of the few times Mom and John would go on trips and leave us alone. It would allow us rare occasions of moving freely throughout the house, and some of my favorite memories of us cooking actual good food were created then. I hadn’t known a thing about flavors or spices, but Google was a good teacher.

“Do you know how much longer we’re gonna stay here?” Jamie asked finally.

“We’ll see,” I told him. “I’m supposed to get an answer from a few places tomorrow.”

“Are they further away from school?” he asked.

“Some are, but you’ll be able to take the bus.” Not having to drive him every day was gonna take a shit ton off my plate. “Are you excited?” I prodded gently.

He shrugged. “It’ll just be nice to have a more permanent place, you know?”

I did. I couldn’t wait to have my own room again. “If you want, you can start looking for furniture,” I suggested. “You’ll need a new bed and stuff.”

He brightened. “I can pick stuff out myself?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, as long as it’s cheap. We can go through Ebay together.”

He looked kind of awed. “I thought we’d be driving back to Chicago to get the rest of our stuff,” he admitted.

I shook my head. “No. We’d need a bigger car, and we can just use the gas money for new furniture. Besides,” I added the last part darkly, “I don’t ever want to go back there.”

He was silent, then said in a small voice, “Yeah, me neither.”

I grabbed the last carrot, cutting off the ends before quartering it into four long pieces. “Do you feel better now that you’re here?” I tried, hoping he wouldn’t shut me out.

He finished cutting his pepper and started filling the pieces into the large bowl I’d placed between us. “I guess. I’m glad I’m here, with you.” It was the first time he’d said that, or anything particularly nice, since we’d gotten here, and it made my lips tug into a smile. “I miss Holden, though. He made school a lot easier.”

Holden. Guilt tugged at me as I thought of the way I’d treated him at the hospital. It was becoming clear that he’d been there for Jamie where I’d failed. “Have you talked to him?”

Jamie nodded. He didn’t have any veggies left, so he pulled a knee to his chest and watched me cut. “Yeah, we text every day.”

I didn’t know much about relationships, but that didn’t seem like the healthiest way to handle a breakup. “Have you made any friends at school?”

“Not really,” he admitted, confirming my fears.

The words tumbled out of me before I could think them through. “You know, I have some friends who work at a dance studio. Maybe they could set up a trial class if you want to check it out.”

He frowned. “You have friends?”

Ouch. “Yes, I have friends. What did I say about being mean?”

He actually looked apologetic. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just… surprised. You’ve never had friends before.”

I decided to ignore the comment. “Do you want to try it out or not?”

He hesitated. “Like, an actual dance studio? Isn’t that gonna cost money?”

“Don’t worry about that,” I dismissed. I’d pick up fifty extra shifts per week if it meant Jamie getting out of his room.

His hesitant smile grew wider. “Okay, sure.”

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

The thing Aaliyah organizing turned out to be a protest about something to do with housing. I saw her immediately, standing in front of the maybe fifty people and shouting into a megaphone.

When she saw me, she handed the megaphone to the curly-haired person next to her and jogged over. “You came!” She threw her arms around me.

“Of course!” It hadn’t been entirely by choice, as the protest was in front of the building I’d just had my English lecture in.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.” She dragged me towards the crowd and started telling me names, none of which I remembered. None of them mattered anyway, because soon I was just following her and doing my best to blend into the crowd by copying the slogans everyone was shouting. Aaliyah was the opposite, routinely taking the megaphone again and starting her own chants.

When it was over, everyone started to disperse, some taking the signs with them. I doubted the protest had made much of a difference besides bothering a few students.

“What did you think?” Aaliyah asked me as we were leaving.

“I don’t know,” I replied truthfully. “I’ve never been to a protest before.”

“Really?” She seemed surprised, which made me feel somewhat embarrassed.

“Yeah, I’ve never really had the time,” I defended myself.

She was still skeptical. “Well, I think people should always make time for politics. This stuff directly affects you, you know. Like, we were protesting for lower rent, and you’re looking for an apartment right now.”

I knew that. I wasn’t dumb. “Well, what happens now?” I challenged her.

“What do you mean?” Her jewelry clacked as she looked up at me.

“I mean, you all came here, made some noise, and now you’re leaving.” I motioned to the now empty space, free of any sign that the protest had ever been there. “How does that change anything? Politicians and landlords won’t care, they’ll just ignore you.”

“Okay, I’ll admit this wasn’t necessarily the most affective thing I’ve ever done,” she relented. “Peaceful protests never are. But we’re organizing, which means we can set up other things. Like, we do mutual aid for unhoused people. And we’re raising awareness.”

I didn’t know what mutual aid meant exactly, but it did sound more meaningful. “That makes sense, I guess.”

She grinned. “How do you feel about discussing this more over coffee?”

“I don’t really drink coffee,” I admitted. “And I have to go to work. It’s probably not very busy now, though. You can come and hang out if you want.”

She agreed, which made it a lot harder to focus as she smiled at me from across the counter, sipping on her hot chocolate. It turned out she wasn’t much of a coffee person, either.”

“Excuse me, are you dumb? My son wants a cookie, just give him one,” a lady was yelling at me.

“Ma’am, as I said, we don’t sell cookies,” I explained again in my overly friendly customer service voice. “I can offer you muffins and a variety of sandwiches.”

“He doesn’t want a muffin, he wants a cookie,” she snapped. “Honestly, this generation knows nothing about good customer service. What kind of café doesn’t sell cookies?”

I shared a ‘what the fuck’ glance with Aaliyah, who surprised me by coming to my rescue. “Lady, he already told you they don’t sell them. Just go somewhere else. There’s like, three more cafés on this block.”

If looks could kill, Aaliyah would have been incinerated on the spot. The woman huffed and marched out the door, dragging her poor son with her. I sighed, wishing some billionaire would invent a substance to inject into people’s brains at birth to make them be polite. Forget government surveillance, customer service workers need chip technology more.

“Thanks,” I said to Aaliyah, walking over to her. We were now the only ones in the small space. Most customers ordered to go rather than sitting on an uncomfortable chair in the dimly lit room.

“No problem. Do you get people like her a lot?” she asked.

I grimaced. “Unfortunately.”

“How much are they paying you again?”

I still wasn’t used to her bluntness. “Uh, minimum wage,” I answered uncomfortably.

“Is that what your coworkers are earning, too?”

“I actually don’t know,” I admitted.

“You should ask around,” she said matter-of-factly. “Not asking is how they rip you off.”

“Yeah, maybe I will,” I lied. I’d only been here a few months, I didn’t want to start rocking the boat. “By the way, how much do classes at your studio cost? They didn’t say anything on the website.” I braced myself for what was probably gonna be a number way out of my budget.

She let out a sigh of annoyance. “Yeah, Jenny thinks writing the prices will scare away potential students.” Okay, so they were definitely high enough for me to forget about it. My heart wrenched at having to explain that one to Jamie. Maybe I could- “Are you asking for your brother? ‘Cause I have an employee discount I get to use for one person. I could use it for him.”

I blinked, surprised at her offer. She definitely wasn’t joking, and she said it so casually I didn’t know how to react. “Really? That’s so nice, but you don’t have to do that. If you can only use it for one person-”

“Alex, it’s fine. Really.” She said it with a gentle smile that made her brown eyes light up. “I wouldn’t be offering if it wasn’t fine.”

That was probably true. In the short time I’d known Aaliyah, I’d come to understand that she was an incredibly honest person. “Okay, if you’re sure. How much would it be with the discount, then?”

She hesitated. “Um, well, how much can you afford?” she asked uncertainly.

I frowned. “What does that have to do with it?”

She took a long sip of her hot chocolate before answering. “I’m just trying to figure out what class would work,” she said when she finally set her cup down.

“Oh.” I was still a little confused but chuckled when she looked up at me. “You have some hot chocolate in your face.”

Her eyebrows scrunched together in the cutest way possible. “Where?”

“It’s like, on your upper lip.”

She dabbed at it with a napkin. “Gone?”

“…yeah.”

She frowned again. “Why did you hesitate?”

“I didn’t!”

“Yes, you did,” she accused. “Is it really gone?”

“Yes,” I promised. “I just wasn’t entirely sure.”

She studied me for a moment, then got out her phone and looked in the selfie camera. When she was satisfied, I was telling the truth, she put it away. “What were we talking about?”

“Class prices,” I supplied. “I think I could afford like… ten dollars a class?” Shame rolled over me as I told her the small number, but lying about what you could afford only tended to get you into worse positions. “I mean, that’s what I have right now. If I picked up some extra shifts, that would get me higher. Maybe to like, thirty.”

She was back to being matter-of-fact. “No, you don’t have to do that. There’s a contemporary class on Wednesdays that could be ten with the discount.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised. “How much is it usually?”

“Forty bucks. The discount is pretty high since I teach the class.”

“Wow. That would be great, obviously. Thank you so much.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m just glad I could help.” She smiled at me again, then moved her hand forwards so her fingertips were brushing with mine, making my heart lurch.

We were interrupted by the bell ringing as a string of students walked in. I went over to serve them, falling back into my customer service routine. It went on for the next forty-five minutes, barely giving me time to even glance at Aaliyah as more and more students filed in. Only one customer was from a different demographic- an older lady with a dog. Aaliyah watched me silently at first, then eventually got out her laptop.

“What are you working on?” I asked after the last customer left, wiping down the counter to clean up their messes. She lifted her laptop so I could wipe there, too.

“Just an info post about the protest for Instagram,” she answered as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She looked around. “Is everyone gone?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty quiet during class times,” I explained. “They usually come in waves during the breaks.”

“Oh. That’s sounds pretty nifty. It must be nice having it be so predictable.”

“I guess. It gets kind of boring sometimes.”

“Maybe I could visit you more often, then,” she said with a small smile.

I felt my cheeks warm. “Yeah, that would be cool.”

She propped an elbow on the counter, resting her chin on her hand. “How have you been, anyway? The stuff with your brother must have been pretty stressful. What’s his name again? Jamie, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. It is, but it’s nothing I’m not used to. I always knew this was gonna happen.”

She looked uneasy. “You knew he’d end up in the hospital?”

“I knew he’d have to come live with me,” I clarified. “I didn’t see the hospital coming. I really fucked that one up.” I bit my lip to keep a straight face.

“You can’t blame yourself,” she said gently. “You didn’t put him there.”

I swallowed. I knew she was trying to help, but she didn’t have any idea what she was talking about. “I just wish I’d been paying more attention,” I explained with a lump in my throat. “I shouldn’t have misjudged the situation the way I did.”

“The situation with your dad?”

“With Jamie’s dad. We’re half-brothers, technically, but I haven’t seen my dad since I was three. He lives in California with my brother.”

“Oh yeah, I remember. The one paying for your tuition, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

She switched her head to her other hand. “So, were you always taking care of Jamie? ‘Cause you said you were used to it.”

It was probably too early in our relationship to trauma dump this much, but since she was asking, I said, “Yeah, pretty much. He was an accident, and for some goddamn reason they decided to keep him even though they already hated having me around. But I don’t resent him or anything. I love him more than anything.” I could already feel the guilt rising and grabbed a napkin to wipe at the tears forming in my eyes. “Oh God, sorry. This is embarrassing.”

“It’s not!” she said immediately. “It’s fucking normal, especially with what you’re going through.” I expected her to add something about how men not crying had something to do with the patriarchy, but she seemed to realize this wasn’t the time for a sociology lesson.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me. I’m just telling the truth.”

I laughed. “Yeah, but I don’t mean just that. Thanks for everything. You barely know me, but you drove me half the way to Chicago, now you’re giving me the discount…” I grabbed another napkin to stop even more tears, but it was hopeless. They were falling uncontrollably now.

She smiled. “Well, the drive was an emergency. I wasn’t gonna let you drive drunk.”

She held my hand for a bit, then walked behind the counter to hug me. She was a good hugger, her arms wrapping tightly around my chest without making me feel suffocated.

“I’m probably getting tears in your hair,” I apologized once I could somewhat talk again.

“Don’t worry about it.”

I glanced at the clock, realizing it would be pretty embarrassing if a customer came in now. “I should probably go freshen up a bit before the next rush,” I told her, extracting myself from the hug.

“Are you sure you’re okay to keep working?”

“I mean, I don’t have much of a choice,” I pointed out.

“Fair enough,” she relented, though she didn’t look happy about letting me go.

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canirove · 2 years ago

Text

Best friends… forever? | Chapter 5

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"You didn't have to come pick me up from training. I could have called a taxi or ask Bernardo to do it."

"I know, but I wanted to do it myself and make sure you made it home safe and sound."

"Thank you bff" Rúben says, kissing Mila’s cheek.

"Anything for you, big head" she replies.

"It isn't that big" he laughs. "But maybe its size is what saved me from having it open in half."

"Do not joke about that."

On Sunday's game he was hit on the head by a rival and had to leave the pitch. Even though it hadn’t been anything serious, the doctors advised him to take it slow and to not drive for a week.

"Oh, Rúben!" someone says as the lift's doors open. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Sasha. Thank you for asking."

Sasha. Jack Grealish's girlfriend. They live in the same building as Mila and Rúben, and for some reason, she doesn't like Mila.

"I think she doesn't like you because Jack is constantly flirting with you" Rúben said when she told him about it.

"He flirts with everyone" Mila replied. "But she shouldn't have to worry. If it was just Jack and I left in the world and the future of the human race depended on us, we would go extinct."

"You are so dramatic" Rúben laughed.

"It is the truth" she shrugged.

"How is that pretty head of yours?" Sasha says while caressing Rúben's cheek. That isn’t the place where he was hit.

"It's fine, it doesn't hurt or anything."

"Good" she says, her hand now moving to his chest. Why does she need to be so touchy with him? "The team needs his best defender.”

"I think John would disagree with that."

"Nonsense" she giggles, her hand still on his chest.

"We should probably get going, you need to rest" Mila says, starting to get annoyed.

"Oh, I hadn't seen you there" Sasha says, giving her a fake smile. "Are you his nurse or something?"

"I actually am, so if you don't mind..." Mila says, the temptation to slap her hand and make her move it from Rúben’s chest being very high. Very, high.

"Yes, of course" she says, finally moving her hand but now placing it on his arm, giving it a little squeeze. "Get well soon, Rúben."

"Thank you, Sasha" he says with a smile, totally unaware of what she is doing.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Come on, spit it.”

“What?” Mila says when they make it to their apartment.

“You are clearly mad about something, so come on, tell me what it is.”

“I am not mad” she chuckles.

“You are pouting. You only do that without noticing when you are sleeping or when you are mad about something” Rúben says.

“I pout when I’m sleeping?”

“You do, yes.” And he has always found it very cute.

“Whatever. I’m not mad, I’m just… slightly pissed.”

“About what?” Rúben says, sitting down on the sofa.

“Is not a what” she says, sitting down next to him. “It’s a who.”

“Oh… Sasha.”

“Exactly” Mila says. “She has a boyfriend. One that is constantly cheating on her and that she isn’t dumping for some odd reason, but he is her boyfriend. And even though I would love to see her giving him some of his own medicine, she should go touch someone else, not you.”

“Jealous?” Rúben asks with a smile.

“Of course not!” Mila says, hitting him on the chest. “See? I can touch you whenever I want.”

“And often as you want” Rúben thinks to himself.

“But you are Jack’s teammate. Imagine that someone sees you, takes some photos and sends them to The Sun or the Daily Mail. Pep has enough dramas on his plate already, he doesn’t need more!”

“Are you worrying about City now? You?” he chuckles.

“I worry about you and your career, and that makes me worry about City too.”

“Despite wanting us to lose all our games.”

“Yes. It is complicated. And it could get even more complicated if Sasha doesn’t keep her hands to herself.”

“You know she only does it to bother you, don’t you?” Rúben says, not being able to help himself and putting a lock of hair behind Mila’s ear, making her… blush? Nah, it can’t be.

“I know why she does it. But maybe next time you could stop her instead of just smiling and being your usual polite self.”

“Next time she touches me, I’ll stop her.”

“Promise?” Mila asks him.

“I promise” Rúben says.

#ruben dias #ruben dias fanfic #ruben dias imagine #football fanfic #football imagine

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theflowerofthecommonwealth · 2 years ago

Text

Power Armor Punch Part Fifty Seven

(I swear the Kiss the Girl song from The Little Mermaid has been in my head for three days because of this. The crab with the Caribbean accent won’t leave me alone send help)

Masterlist

Teshteal: What? I didn’t even realize I had feelings for you until now. *frowns, remembering her supposed age* I’m not sure about that age gap but with how the Institute programs gen 3 synths… What age did they program you to be?

Joyce: (Quickly adding in) “I mean I’m four as in how long I’ve been sentient! I’m around my mid twenties if we are talking about programming! I’m not an actual toddler or a kid, just have less normal life experience…”

Gardio: *comes in and heads to Lucille’s room. Doesn’t notice the two laying on the couch*

Donovan: (Went straight to patching up the wall around the farm with the scrap they have stored in the shed)

Teshteal: *lets out a small sigh of relief. He hasn’t changed mentally since he got thawed out other than handling his trauma better. That took up the better part of a century. Survival took up the rest* I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that- jumping to 3rd base I mean. *smiles at her* Right now I’m just happy to be held. *pauses to study her face and eyes*

Gardio: *climbs up* Lucille? Sweetheart, would you be willing to help build up defenses around the lighthou-

Lucille: *already bolting down the stairs with excitement* See you outside!

Gardio: *blinks and looks around the room, noting it’s much warmer than before* She’s been busy up here.

Joyce: (Has soft and delicate features that are untouched and unblemished by the Wasteland. As Donny would call her she’s a sun-kissed blessed angel who’s just as angelic and sweet as one, which is why he rather keep her away from violence until she can properly defend herself) “Sure, I’m fine with that even if it’s platonic.” (Leans in a little more, still having not moved her leg)

Teshteal: *taken aback by her angelic features* I… don’t want it to be. *blushes at the admission. He briefly thinks about pecking her on the lips just to see what would happen but decides against it*

Donovan: (Hauling out planks of steel and his tool kit, cursing when he remembers there is still work to do in the animal pen. Ma is probably taking over his chores in there right now, and she has other things to do herself)

Lucille: *already down there with all the scrap she picked up* What do you need? I can build turrets, walls? Robots?

Donovan: (Perks up at Lucille’s sudden entrance) “Oh, hello there. Haven’t seen you in awhile.” (Rubs his hands together) “Uh, anything right now really. I’m worried those Trappers or mirelurks surrounding us will try to move in…”

Joyce: (Also blushing an adorable pink color, her emerald green eyes looking Teshteals features over closely for the first time as well) “Me neither…” (Shyly shuffles even closer, strengthening her gentle embrace)

Teshteal: *blushing a bit more at the tighter hold. His nose is slightly crooked and his chin and jaw a little angular. He almost looks like a tired rogueish devil. Not one likely to be seen with the likes of the angelic Joyce. Leans in so his face is close to hers. Perhaps he will go in for a kiss*

Lucille: *already constructing a couple of turrets. She sets them down facing the woods when she’s through. She works pretty fast* Looks like I’ll have just enough scrap to build a robot workbench and an Assault Sentry bot with some decent armor and weapons. *to Donovan* You have any cow skulls?

Donovan: (Taken aback at how quickly she can work) “Uh… No we don’t. Our animals do not pass very often…”

Joyce: (Thinks he’s very handsome, both his outwards looks and his true heart. In fact, she started to catch feelings he minute she realized that he slayed those mutants to keep the little girl safe along with her group. Then his kindness at the brunch table further fueled this followed by his help outside… Maybe she wasn’t kidding earlier when she said she’d kiss him)

Teshteal: *gently cups her cheek and very lightly kisses her, only pausing at the realization of how soft her lips are compared to his slightly damaged rough ones. Almost wants to apologize- it must feel like sand paper to her*

Joyce: (Makes a squeak of both surprise and joy, carefully putting a hand on the back of Teshteals head to bring him in while she closes her eyes. She feels her face flush more and her heart beat faster, butterflies fluttering in her stomach)

Lucille: Hm. *digs through her stash of stuff and finds half of a brahmin skull in her bag* This will do. *sets to work on the robot work station and the robot themselves*

Donovan: “We’ve got an old Mr Handy in the shed who’s been broken down for some time, a mirelurk got a hold on him and none of us could figure out how to repair him…”

Lucille: Oh? If his components are still good I might be able to use them. *managed to get the robot work station up in the corner of the yard. She rushes to the shed and drags the Mr. Handy out*

Donovan: (Watches her do so, then decides to run to check on Ma to fill her in on whats going on)

Teshteal: *eyes widen at her forwardness in keeping him from pulling away. He shuts his eyes and kisses her just a little less softly but still tenderly*

Joyce: (Pulls back after a few seconds into their shared kiss, smiling shyly as she presses her forehead against his then pulls back again to gaze into his eyes)

Teshteal: *a little awestruck. His pupils have turned to saucers* I haven’t kissed anyone like that before… *whispers to himself as he gets lost in her emerald eyes* It’s possible to be tenderly kissed…?

Gardio: *snuck outside. Wanted to leave the two alone* How- *sees Lucille’s already building the new robot* Oh. Please remember to take breaks.

Lucille: *absently* Yes, Dad.

Ma: (Just finished milking the cows and is filling the milk gallons to bring inside)

Donovan: (Opens the barn door and rushes over when he sees this) “Here Mama, allow me.”

Ma: (Chuckles tiredly and smiles at her son) “Oh, what a gentleman…”

Donovan: (Picks up the jugs) “I’ll take it from here, you can head on back inside.”

Joyce: (Giggles cutely at the gremlin, gazing back into his eyes) “It apparently is! Wow, that was lovely….” (Strawberry pink now with all the blushing)

Teshteal: *oblivious to both Ma and Donovan returning to the house. Too distracted by what happened.* Then you won’t mind if I… *cups her cheek again as he goes in for another kiss*

Lucille: *programming the station to build a the new bot out of the Mr. Handy and the scrap it required for it, still once she finishes, she starts building up the walls as the automoton is built*

Joyce: (Hums a sweet note as she runs her fingers through Teshteals hair with the hand she has on the back of his head, putting her other arm around his shoulder)

Donovan: (Came in through the kitchen side door with Ma so he can’t see the two sharing a moment, not that he would interrupt or say anything. He sets down all the milk on the table with a tired huff then leaves to finish the farm chores)

Ma: (Gets to work putting away the fresh milk and setting it so they can extract the cream from it later, planning to check on Jas and Nick when she is done as the blood pack should’ve been long off finished by now. Perhaps Nick had already switched the bags while she was away)

Nick: *managed to do so with much coaxing*

Jasmine: (Not happy about it but she didn’t physically fight her Dad, just complained to him a lot while tugging on his shirt)

Teshteal: *kissing her a little deeper this time with just a bit more passion. He keeps his hand on her cheek with other still wrapped around her but slipped down to her side. His tail lightly drapes over both of their legs, flicking like a cat’s out of excitement*

Joyce: (Closes her eyes again while she caresses Teshteal’s shoulder and neck, thinking that his tail flicking is adorable just like the rest of him. She feels like she’s living in a real life love song right now, it feels so unreal and magical)

Teshteal: *savoring the comfortable pace and the fact they can stop if they feel like it. It’s not like in the vault where he had no control over the situation. He pulls back when he feels like he’s about to go overboard with it. Gently smiles at the angel laying with him. Jokingly but kindly* Why can’t I get enough of you? Is this some kind of sorcery?

Lucille: *smiles at the walls and the couple of extra turrets surrounding the light house* Maybe I should go scrap hunting. Add some turrrets along the walls. Make it impossible for trappers and mirelurks to get in. *grins*

Gardio: Maybe you should take a break? You’ve been working pretty hard, kid.

Lucille: They’re depending on me to bolster their defenses. I can’t stop now.

Gardio: Lucille. You’ll work yourself into the ground you’ve barely rested a day-

Lucille: Resting is what gets people killed out here.

Gardio: Well I’m sure overworking is another. Please take a break. I’m begging you.

Jasmine: (Crying out of frustration like a small child would when they can’t get their way. She understands how immature and babyish she’s being, but she can’t help it. The other way to express herself is to physically fight, and she’s too tired for that so being teary it is)

Ma: (Finishes up with storing the milk and heads off to the med room, getting a glimpse at her daughter on the sofa whom she smiles to herself at. Young love is the sweetest thing, she’s happy for them. She quickly slips into the med room and approaches Nick) “And how are we doing in here?”

Nick: Got down at least 2 blood bags since you left. She’s not too pleased but I’ll take that over anything at the moment.

Ma: (Approaches and kneels down, examining the girl) “Hm, she’s looking much less pale already.” (Takes her wrist so she can examine the IV)

Jasmine: (Whines and tries to pull her arm away)

Ma: (Keeps a grip on the teens arm) “Everything seems to be fine here.” (Looks back up at Jas, wiping the tears off her cheeks) “She’s still crying, has she taken anymore water?”

Nick: Not yet. Might be best to get a refill. *nods at the empty baby bottle*

Ma: “Of course.” (Takes the baby bottle and leaves the room to refill it in the kitchen. She tiptoes her way past the lovebirds and fills the bottle with cool water before quickly returning) “Here you are.”

Jasmine: (Hides her face away in Nicks shirt when Ma returns, whimpering in protest at the baby bottle that keeps being given to her)

Joyce: (Softly giggles, her voice sweet as honey) “I’m not sure, it’s like that song I love, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Vallie.” (Runs her hands through his hair again) “I think we’re living in a fairytale, and to think we had no idea just yesterday…”

Teshteal: Up until you, my life has been a horror novel. *gives her a quick peck on the nose*

Joyce: (Eyes sparkle even more at the kiss as she twirls her fingers through his hair) “Aw. Though it’s sad to say that it’s not an exaggeration, huh?”

Teshteal: *sad chuckle* Not at all. Though, I will be honest, we’ve moved into this whole dating thing pretty fast. I’ve heard it takes a bit sometimes before things like this click. We barely know each other. *smiles despite this admission, stroking her cheek tenderly* Maybe my agility accounts for relationships too? *shrugs with a laugh*

Joyce: (Thinks about it for a moment) “Well, I am not going anywhere far anytime soon, so we have time to get to know each other even if you only visit from time to time.” (Closes her eyes and leans into his touch) “We can take it slow and steady, maybe take a step back if needed until we get to know each other better. Save the dating step for a later time.” (Smiles at him while she opens her eyes once more to gaze at him) “I don’t regret the kiss though….”

Teshteal: I can’t recall. Isn’t the purpose of dating to do that- get to know one another before things get serious? We don’t have to stop that part but we can slow down some if that’s better for us. *kind smile* Nice people are hard to come by these days and I don’t want to ruin this.

Gardio: *following Lucille around the yard as she reinforces the walls*

Lucille: Why are you following me, Dad?

Gardio: Because I’m concerned. Why are you really throwing yourself so heavily into this?

Lucille: It’s the best I can do to actually protect people. I build.

Gardio: And if it fails?

Lucille: I rebuild it but stronger.

Gardio: *sighs. He knows this isn’t why she really does it. She’s coping with something* Please take a break-

Lucille: I can’t! If I do, then people will die!

Gardio: These people can defend themselves- they’re not helpless.

Lucille: *tears up and whirls around to face her dad* Nate could defend himself but he had no one to help him when he needed it most-! *covers her mouth when she realizes what she just said*

Gardio: *softly* That’s what this is about… Come here… *pulls Lucille into a hug*

Lucille: *starts to cry* I couldn’t protect him or Shawn-!

Gardio: Ssh… *rubs her back*

Joyce: (She was trying to give him an easy way out if he wanted to bail without hurting her feelings) “You’re right, it’s hard to come by genuine people nowadays. People who actually have a well placed soul and heart.” (Gently strokes his cheek) “I feel like I already know where your true character is built upon, and that’s in a good place.” (Takes in a deep breath as she draws her hand back) “But… You’re aware that I’m a synth, right? I’m not human or formally human…” (Scoots back slightly) “I won’t be mad if you don’t want to continue for any reason, cross my heart….”

Teshteal: *blinks at her admission of being a Synth* Why would that matter to someone like me, a guy with a tail and horns who hasn’t aged a day? *traces her jaw lightly* You’re still very human to me. More so than I could possibly be. *tail swishes sadly at the thought. Then, he shakes his head and smiles at her as he closes a little bit of the gap she made to kiss her nose again reassuringly* I want to continue this. Do you, Joyce? *looking longingly into her eyes with golden cat like ones, his pupils dilated to show the affection he’s feeling for her*

Joyce: (Puts her hand on the back of his head again. Despite having pulled back she never removed her leg from being over his) “Yes. I do want to try this new relationship with you.” (Smiles as she gazes right back at the little gremlin man, rubbing his arm. She means it when she says that she sees the kindness in his heart)

Teshteal: *blushes at the tender physical gesture. He finds himself pressing his body just a little closer to hers as he leans in for another kiss. His heart races as one hand clasps her shoulder and the other her cheek*

Joyce: (Giggles again and goes in for the kiss too, carefully running her fingers through his messy hair while avoiding his horns as her soft pink lips meet his. She doesn’t mind that his lips are tougher than hers, it’s not noticeable when she feels this giddy and fluttery)

Ma: (Leaves the med room after giving Nick the baby bottle, heading to the laundry room to pick up the clothes she is currently mending. She passes by the two on the sofa again, striding right by without giving much of a glance. Although it does remind her that she needs to take Teshteals measurements so she can start working on a new detectives coat for him)

Donovan: (Enters the kitchen and places the newly collected basket of eggs onto the kitchen counter, heaving a heavy tired sigh as she rinses off his hands and gets himself some ice cold water)

Teshteal: *kisses very passionately this time. He tries to hold himself back from kissing her too hard. Keeps telling himself to not move too fast or get too intimate in the way he kisses her. The hand on her shoulder slips down to press just in the shoulder area above her chest*

Donovan: (Quickly leaves the house again as he needs to clean out the barn and coops while the animals are let out for the day)

Joyce: (Puts her other arm around his shoulder, ruffling his hair again. Never once did she ever feel this way about a guy, never did she feel so secure and content with their relationship. She feels like she’s known Teshteal for much longer than she actually has, there’s this strong and unique bond between them that’s hard to replicate. Maybe it’s because they both shared similar situations in the past, being under the hand of someone else)

Teshteal: *pulls back when he feels like he’s losing control* I feel like I’m going mad. *brief kiss* In a good way. In a good but terrifying way. *another brief kiss* I want to kiss you so hard it might actually hurt you. *and another* I care about you too much.

Gardio: *led Lucille in to the kitchen to get some water*

Nick: *managed to get Jas to take the bottle*

Jasmine: (Slowly drinking the bottle after a few mewls of protest, now fighting against the sleepiness that’s taking over. But she can’t sleep, she doesn’t want to)

Ma: (Working on mending everyone’s clothes, starting with the biggest rips and tears in the each of the different fabrics. She works diligently so the patches and mends are hard to see, making the garments like new again)

Joyce: (Chuckles softly after every kiss) “It’s very hard to care about someone too much, unless you cross the border of being controlling or obsessive.” (Nuzzles her forehead against Teshteal’s while pecking his lips and cheeks then rests her head under his chin on his shoulder, tracing slow patterns on his back with her palms) “I think you are doing just lovely.”

Teshteal: *wraps his arm around her back tightly with a loving but regretful sigh* That’s not what I meant… I care for you too much to hurt you that way. *burries his face in her hair, taking in the various scents trapped in it. He wants to lay here forever with her* The vault tried so hard to break our ability to bond with others. They’d have us kill each other if we had an inkling of trust… it only made me bond quicker and subtly to the others- so much so they never noticed.

Nick: Ssh… *rubs his daughter’s stomach and hums the lullaby. He watches the blood bag. About a third down already*

Jasmine: (Absolutely melts in her fathers arms at the gentle rubs and the familiar lullaby, losing to the fight against sleep. She still puts a good effort though, drinking more water from the bottle as she blinks rapidly)

Nick: *smiles down at his daughter as he hums the lullaby*

Jasmine: (Clings onto her Dad tighter, starting to nod off as she breathes in sync with the soothing motion of her stomach being rubbed)

Joyce: (Smells like a mixture of honey, vanilla, hazelnut, and coconut. Her eyes widen and she lets out a small gasp when she hears more of what what on in that vault) “Again, that’s horrible and inhumane… I can’t imagine going through that. Killing your own friends.” (Traces his jawline with one hand while peppering some kisses there) “You’re safe here with us. No one will make you hurt me if you show some affection. Though, I understand if you still hear voices in your head telling you otherwise.”

Teshteal: *tears up thinking of all the times he had to go through that* I tried to make it quick and painless. *nuzzles her hair* I quickly found out I couldn’t apologize. *sniffs* I can still see their faces…

Joyce: (Holds the poor tortured gremlin closer so there’s so space between them while he reminisces those horrible times, her leg slung around his pulling him in as well) “I’m so sorry, it sounds like you did what you could for them in their final moments.” (Gently massages his shoulders and collarbone to comfort him) “I don’t think you had much of a choice, but you still tried…”

Teshteal: *sniffs* I try not to kill people unless they truly deserve it… *nuzzles her hair again then chokes on a sob* I used to kill every time I got the chance- the voices- *remembers crying as he went on killing sprees. It was like something was controlling him* I didn’t mean it-! *crying into her hair, now*

Joyce: “Hey now, shh…” (Looks up at him and presses her forehead against his, wiping his tears away with her handkerchief that was in her breast pocket. Ma was right, it is a good idea to keep one of these handy at all times) “I believe you, you don’t have to explain yourself any further…” (Peppers a few kisses on his cheek and lips while she rubs his shoulder blades)

Teshteal: *quiets down when she kisses his lips again. He wonders why she’s so kind to such a monster. Even if she’s a synth, by comparison, he looks like terrifying creature that might eat your soul if you look at him the wrong way…*

Donovan: (Cleaned out the animal living spaces and has left the pasture, securing the gate behind him. He sighs and rubs his brow, exhausted but he still has some things to take care off)

Pirate: (Trots up to his side, barking enthusiastically)

Donovan: (Pats her head) “Hey girl, you being good for our guests?”

Pirate: (Barks again, spinning in circles while pawing at him)

Donovan: (Chuckles at his pooch as he heads off to the chopping block at the side of the house to start splitting some firewood so he can store it for later. He picks up an axe and gets to work right away, keeping an ear out for any intruders who may come poking back)

Dogmeat: *just been hanging around wherever. Sometimes playing with Pirate. Sometimes going a little overboard with it too. Maybe doing other things. Like sniffing everything in sight*

The robot work station: *finished the Mr. Handy. Lucille set it to automatically activate regardless of it having a name or not*

Lucille: *up in her room, laying down again cause she’ll never hear the end of it from her dad*

Jasmine: (Lost the battle against sleep and is now snuggled up cutely against her Dad, slumbering like a sweet innocent little baby who totally didn’t cuss out a grown man earlier or screamed at the top of her lungs over an IV getting placed into her arm. Nope, no feral kitten here, just a little girl who’s dreaming of white swirls while being lulled with one of her favorite lullabies and the gentle motion of her stomach being rubbed)

Nick: *keeps humming as he watches the blood bag get closer to the bottom* he’ll have to put on another*

Jasmine: (Sniffles and coos adorably while she dreams of floating and dancing shapes in soft hues)

Joyce: (Gazes up at Teshteal with angelic eyes, planting another kiss on his lips while she gently caresses his cheek with a soft, delicate hand when she sees that almost distant look of deep thought glaze in his eyes)

Teshteal: *glances down at her, his pupils only dilating ever so slightly. He wants to distract himself. He needs to distract himself. This is why he chatters so much- the voices. He cups her cheek. Softly, apologetically* Sorry for how madly I’m about to kiss you… *He suddenly presses his hand to the back of her head and kisses her almost ravenously just to shut up his thoughts*

Joyce: (Chuckles a little as he does this, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and closing her eyes while she leans into the kiss. For a brief moment the thought comes over her on how they’ll make this work with her living in Far Harbor and Teshteal presumably in the Commonwealth, but she puts a pin in that thought for later and just focuses on the moment)

Teshteal: *surprised she wasn’t startled by the sudden shift how intensely he kisses her. Some of the voices still scream from the back of his mind that this is wrong- that no one he’s met that isn’t from the vault or a person he cared about before the war should like him let alone be attracted to him. He tries to silence that thought by kissing her deeper and attempting to slip his pointed tongue, another mutation one wouldn’t notice beyond his shark like teeth, into her mouth*

Joyce: (A little surprised at his pointed tongue but she doesn’t react all that much as she parts her lips and mouth slightly. Shes not too startled at the intensity of the kiss as he did warn her, and he’s been staring at her like she’s the most ravishing and treasured thing on this Island. One of her hands goes back to carefully ruffling Teshteal’s hair with her fingers while being mindful of his horns)

The assaultron sentry bot: *patrolling the yard. Mr. Handy Voice* What’s all this, then…? *confused at his new body. It isn’t up to General Automics guidelines for his model but it works non the less. He goes back to the back where the animals are*

Pirate: (Whines curiously and trots on up to the bot, sniffing him over with small inquisitive barks)

Donovan: (Stops his work of splitting logs and turns around, setting down his axe and blinking in partial shock when he also sees the bot a few yards away by the animal pen)

Teshteal: *tongue is surprisingly long. The pointed tip splits into a fork as he explores her mouth, eventually swirling and rubbing around her own tongue. He’s not stopping for breath any time soon*

Joyce: (The last guy she French kissed she ended up pulling away from with tears on her face, and when he tried to pull her back Donny cocked him in the head so hard that he started bleeding. Back then she was tense, a little terrified due to past experiences, and so confused on her true feelings. She didn’t understand what was happening until it was taken too far and she was frozen in fear. But right now she’s comfortable and relaxed as she rubs Teshteals neck and shoulders, her heart skipping with joy and the butterflies in her stomach fluttering)

Teshteal: *being extremely careful where he puts his hands despite his very intimate and rough kissing. He keeps them gripping her shoulders, her sides and occasionally and wildly her hair. He does this for quite a few more long moments before finally pulling back- more for her sake*

The bot: *senses the dog and turns his torso* Hello there, pup! Have you seen the owners of this fine property? *turns his chasis around to fully face the dog, not taking an aggressive stance at all since she’s not aggressive herself*

Donovan: (Damn. He’s getting too old for this. He can only stand there and stare while Pirate spins and barks with curiosity)

Pirate: (So pumped and hyped at the new bot. She turns around and barks at Donny as if to say, “You seeing this too?!?” While wagging her tail like crazy)

The bot: *looks up in the direction the pup is* Oh, are you the master of the house?

Donovan: (Finally strolls up to the bot, dusting off his hands and shirt) “Uh, yeah. Half of it at least. My mother works just as hard to keep this place up too, and care for the people in it.”

Ma: (Selecting some fabric for Teshteal’s new coat up above the laundry room where she keeps spare cloth and all her spare clothes that have been washed and mended. She picks up a sturdy black roll that looks like it would hold and starts cutting up enough so she can take it up to her room and have it ready for when she takes his measurements)

Joyce: (Smiles up at Teshteal when he pulls back, flashing her perfectly aligned white teeth as she twirls her fingers through his hair then brings them down to his face) “Does this make you my boyfriend now?” (Gently strokes his cheek, her emerald green eyes staring up at him adoringly)

Teshteal: *absolutely floored at that look. He blushes and stammers like he didn’t just kiss her almost to the point of breathlessness* I- what-? Maybe- *takes a moment to collect himself but that stutter remains for a moment* Dates s-sometimes have these moments- I thought- *pauses* At least that’s what I’ve heard- *shakes his head* I know we’re moving kind of fast- *so flustered by her he doesn’t even know what to say. He doesn’t want Ma or Donny getting the wrong idea if they suddenly start going steady after less than a day. After a moment of thought and recovering from how love struck she made him just a second ago* Your caretakers might have something to say about us suddenly being partners.

The bot: I see! Well, I am pleased to meet you. Thank you for purchasi- *realizes that might not be the right statement considering his… modifications* Thank you for allowing me to assist you with your household needs. Only the finest service provided by the ingenius engineering of General Automics! *raises his saw arm to gesture slightly for emphasis*

Donovan: (Nods at the bot while giving him a slight wave, still taken aback by him. He silently wonders how Lucille managed to scrap him together in such a short amount of time)

Joyce: (Giggles because Teshteal is so cute when he’s flustered and redder than a can of tomato’s) “Sorry, that statement is apparently making your brain work overtime, hm?” (Fixes his wild hair so it’s more laid flat and not sticking up in different directions) “Don’t worry about Donny and Mama, they’re protective but they won’t intrude or give you the stink eye from across the room.” (Taps his lips with two of her fingers) “Besides, after a kiss like that what do you propose we are?”

Teshteal: I’m not opposed to it… but we met only less than a day- *pauses. He hasn’t noticed he isn’t wincing at it around her* Then again. There are the occasional times when people kind of just click immediately. *finally caves* I wouldn’t mind being your boyfriend, angel. *tenderly strokes her jaw lifting it gently with a rough but careful set of fingers* So long as you’re happy and okay with it. That goes for everything. I won’t ever do something with you if you don’t like it or want it, okay?

Joyce: (Glows brightly at the term of endearment, radiating sunlight itself) “Heh, Mama calls me her little angel too, and for several good reasons.” (Gestures to her soft angelic complexion to name one of them) “And don’t you worry, if I don’t want or like something you’re doing I have no problem with saying “no” or “stop” anymore.” (Leans in close again) “And we can still take this as slow as we want… Even if we are going kinda fast.” (Crinkles her nose at how little sense that makes)

Teshteal: *smiles at her cute crinkling nose* You’re so cute. Good thing I’m not a cannibal, I’d eat you right up. *playfully taps her nose. He starts kind of assessing their situation on the couch and blushes* Oh- I hadn’t realized we were laying like that- *shifts a little but finds that presses himself closer unwillingly. He turns a bright shade of red and resigns to pressing his eyes against her shoulder in shame* I’m sorry-

The bot: Is something the matter, Sir? You haven’t said a word for some time.

Donovan: (Shakes out his head) “Hm? Oh, apologies. I have a million things on my mind at the moment, a potential attack from Trappers being one of them.” (Rubs his hands together, looking the lawn over)

Ma: (Started ironing Nick’s and Gardio’s freshly washed and patched coats, trousers, and dress shirts. She plans on having everyone come up to the loft to pick out new clothes that they can wear as they seemed to not have brought many themselves. If she doesn’t have anything that fits them or their style, she can just whip them up something suitable later as what she’s doing for Teshteal)

Joyce: (Can’t help but laugh again at how bashful and flustered Teshteal is about their situation. She plants a kiss on the top of his head while rubbing the back of his neck) “Don’t be. I’m the one who brought us here and laid us down, remember? I’m the one who’s been holding you in place with my leg and arms this whole time while you calmed down, and I’ll do it all over again if I have to.” (Smiles assuredly down at him)

Teshteal: It does- it has- *stumbling over his words* It makes me think of things- It’s too early for that- *flustered mess at the implications*

The bot: Ah, I see. I can assist with defending the residence if you so desire, sir. After all… *lifts his arms as a gesture at his weapons* It seems that was what I was built for.

Donovan: “It seems if you have. That would be a big help, thank you.” (Gestures at the perimeter of the farm) “There are two gates that are the only entry and exit ways with guard posts stationed at each one that house turrets. As of now, our main concern are the mirelurks that have washed up nearby during the storm and the Trappers that are camped out at the nearby quarry. I already gave ‘em a warning that we’ll shoot on sight if they ever come snooping around here again.” (Points behind the lighthouse where the docks for the boats are) “We get guests that stop by from time to time for trade and stuff, make sure to welcome them. But if you see a big black ship pull up alert everyone please, especially Joyce, then Mama and I.”

The bot: Will do, sir! *Turns and starts patrolling the premises*

Donovan: (Watches the bot leave on patrol, then gets to work finishing splitting the logs and bundling them up for storage on the log racks by the shed)

Joyce: (Laughs harder, covering her mouth with one hand while she tries to stop as to not embarrass Teshteal any further, but it’s proving to be harder than expected. She watched this guy slaughter mutants by the droves with not much weaponry or backup and turn the bottling plant into a bloodbath, now he’s blushing like crazy and hiding away from her, a sweet young lady. The drastic contrast is cracking her up) “If it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty physically affectionate so it’s not really a surprise to anyone that I’m all cuddly with ya…”

Teshteal: I- it’s more than cuddles my mind’s racing to- *quickly apologizes to her again* I’m sorry-

Joyce: (Gains control of her laughter, glancing down at her gremlin boyfriend) “Hey, you ain’t the first to jump to that with me, at least you’re fairly polite about it. Also extremely adorable.” (Pats and rubs his shoulders to further assure him, deciding to give him another escape rout) “We can get up now if it’s too much of a problem.” (Slowly starts to remove her leg from around his to rise from the sofa)

Teshteal: *So embarrassed. He starts trying to get up but in his flustered state his hand lands on the side of her chest instead of the couch. He immediately removes it and falls back on top of her. Panics and starts apologizing for touching a boob*

Joyce: (Raises an eyebrow with a smirk, immediately seeing that it was a complete accident judging by his reaction and not a horrible way to send a signal so she starts laughing again while trying to speak between breaths) “Pffft! Hey- don’t sweat it! It was an accident, I’m sure!” (Puts her arms around his waist and buries her face in his shoulder as she giggles like an immature high schooler at the situation, so glad that everyone else is off doing their own thing)

Teshteal: *blushes deeper at how close to each other again, if not even closer than before. He’s getting mixed signals on what her intentions are* Is… is this for comfort or… *swallows hard, afraid she’ll take this the wrong way* Is getting more… intimate something you want-? *not used to reading this kind of situation. In the vault, if a guard wanted to have their way with him, they’d simply do it regardless of how he felt. He’s glad that’s not the case with her but he needs direction on where this couch situation is going*

Gardio: *goes outside to help Donny after cleaning their bathroom* Need any help out here?

Donovan: (Looks up from his work) “We could use some help on cleaning any sea gunk that blew in from the storm. Getting it out of the animal pen was a priority but we still have some scattered about and the smell is horrid at times. Its not a pleasant job, so I understand if you rather split wood or help Ma inside while you leave it to me.”

Gardio: *rolls up his sleaves and smiles at Donovan* You got it. *starts gathering a bunch of the debris that blew in, especially the really large stuff*

Donovan: (Smiles back, grateful he’s getting help because he’s bone tired and there’s still other things to do later on)

Joyce: (Lifts her head and stares up at Teshteal, still smirking at him. She points to the med room nearby) “There is a child in there with her father, you know. And judging by the fact that she is no longer screaming or crying, she is most likely sleeping.” (Rubs his back as she takes a deep breath to calm herself after that fit of laughter) “I’ll be honest with myself, I’m probably the one here who is making us go fast with this whole thing. I think it would be wise to keep it slowish until we get a better understanding of each other as again, we just met yesterday evening, although its common for people to start with this step after briefly meeting for the first time. But what is it that you want, Teshteal…?” (Goes back to gazing at him with her emerald green eyes that have both sweetness and concern on how he’s taking things. Is she going too fast? He’s the one with trauma, she should adjust to his speed as she is willing to dive in right away. Perhaps she should consult her mother first before doing anything, she has made the mistake of mixing up her own feelings and wants in the past)

Teshteal: *hides his face in her neck as he mutters yet another apology for forgetting where they are. Decides to answer her question* I don’t know. I don’t actually know how most of this is supposed to work anymore. All I know is that I don’t want to ruin this. *trembles a little in fear* I’m scared I’ll mess this up.

Joyce: (Pets his hair with one hand while the other holds him tighter when she feels him trembling) “You’re not ruining anything at all… And I’m honestly not too sure how this goes either. I’m used to guys jumping at me with intent to go straight into the lovey stuff before even hearing my name.” (Sighs heavy when she remembers what happened to her after escaping the Institute) “I’m used to being pressured into giving in, luckily nothing horrible has happened to me…” (Kisses his head again, thinking it over) “We can just keep cuddling. There’s no rush.”

@lucilleandherrobots

#We got some romance y’all!!!!#And no I didn’t plan for Joyce to look and be an angel just for Teshteal the gremlin devil man #I created Joyce before I even knew about Teshteal.#But hey. It just works!!#The angel and the devil who’s actually a sweetheart are now a couple!!!#fallout 4 #fo4 #fallout #fallout oc #fallout original character #nick valentine #fallout roleplay #fallout rp

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choicesmc · 10 months ago

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QUESTIONAIRE ANSWERS

Does your character use any microlabels? Which ones? What do their labels mean to them? Not really, she hasn't had the energy to really dig deeper into her relationship with romance yet. What she does know, however, is that she's okay with romantic actions as long as she is well-assured that they don't have romantic feelings behind them. Even then, she doesn't accept romance-coded gestures unless it's from extremely close friends.

How do they feel about romance in general? Rin doesn't mind other people's romances but she doesn't find joy in it either. Romance stories/movies are a general no go. They bore her very quickly.

Title: Maddison & Rin MC: Rin Day Book: The Senior Word Count: 368 Summary: A drabble briefly exploring Maddison and Rin's relationship. Taglist: @choicespride

Rin tapped her foot outside Kappa Phi Sigma. She shot an irritated glare to the horde of sorority women strolling past her. She knew she looked out of place –a good head or two taller than the rest of them, dolled in purples and blacks, and a binder under her fishnet shirt.

Luckily, it didn’t take long before who she’d been really waiting for: Madison. Bending down to let Maddison kiss her cheek, Maddison beamed from ear to ear, “I’m so glad you could make it! I thought you wouldn’t want to go!”

Truth? Rin didn’t really want to go. Mixers weren’t her cup of tea and she wasn’t even sure she needed the connections. Even now that she was a junior, her future outside of college still seemed blurry at best.

Offering a small grin, Rin replied, “You’ve been talkin’ bout this since forever. Couldn’t miss it.”

“Still,” Maddison patted Rin’s shoulder, keeping stride with Rin, “I’m really glad you came.”

Rin rolled her eyes, thumbing her mixer ticket between her fingers. It was poor replacement for a cigarette but it was good enough. Good enough to not be rude at a mixer, at least, “I ain’t Becca, Maddie. She still givin’ you a hard time?”

“She’s trying!” Maddison defended, fingers playing with the bottom of her floral pink gown, “And she really has come a long way!”

Rin shrugged, hands held in mock surrender, “I dunno. I’ve only met her a few times and that was enough for me to keep away. Cain’t believe you put up with worse for years.”

Maddison pouted, sliding up to Rin, “Can we not talk about her, right now? ”

Rin laughed, “Sure, what’d you like to talk about?”

“Well,” Maddison started, already animated, “Kappa was thinking of establishing some community gardens around the city!”

“Tell me more,” Rin said, genuinely interested, quieting as Maddison continued. These were moments she enjoyed. If someone, even herself, had told her that this pretty-pink princess would become Rin’s greatest source of strength at the beginning of this whole mess called college, Rin’d have pissed herself laughing.

But now, she patted Maddison’s head. “Call me up whenever,” Rin said, “I’d be more’n glad to help.”

#oc/mc #fanfic #rin #the freshman series #i wanted to do a little more for this week #then i realized today was the last day #so i hurried #hopefully y'all still like it!

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writteninlunarlight-years · 8 months ago

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hi :D!!! was wondering if you were still doing matchups? if so, i would like to request a bg3 match up with any of the ladies :3 also i wasn’t sure if i was supposed to describe me or my tav, but its pretty much a self insert so i hope this is ok hehe THANKS AGAIN OK LOVE YOU BYE <3

gender: trans man

pronouns: he/they

sexuality: i honestly have no idea lol, i prefer woman by a longshot though!!!

appearance: i’m 5’8” ish (~173 cm) and about 200 pounds (~91 kilos), olive skin with a bit of facial hair/stubble. i have kinda built arms and legs and a nice loveable tummy. pre top surgery though so i am always in a binder and baggy shirt. i’m growing out my mullet atm so my hair is kind of a mess but! it’s dark brown and curly :) i have lots of tattoos and piercings! my clothing style is usually some giant graphic tee and work pants with some converse or something. if i’m actually trying though, i kind of dress like a grandpa hehe

mtbi: infp, enneagram is either 2 or 4, it changes every time i take it lol

personality: gemini sun virgo moon gemini rising (don’t really care for astrology tbh), initially i am very reserved and quiet, but not like cold or aloof or anything! im just extremely nervous and shy!! i have been described as intimidating but i dont see it at ALL so take that with a grain of salt i suppose. once i’ve opened up though, i really enjoy making others laugh so i will take every opportunity to do so, even if it makes me look like an idiot lol. i tend to miss a LOT of social cues, so i usually come across as very awkward and weird, but i’ve gotten pretty good at playing it off

likes: i LOVE everything about music!! i play over 5 instruments, i listen to every genre (yes even country), and i’ve been playing in either ensembles, orchestras, or bands since i was 11. i was even a music major once upon a time! outside of music, i like cats (my cats are my favorite lol but i don’t discriminate!), video games, and occasionally reading

dislikes: i have pretty bad sensory issues so i fucking HATE places like malls, grocery stores, large department stores, etc. i also don’t like a majority of social situations with people i don’t already know, i always feel so awkward and get anxious. this one really gets people, but i don’t like a lot of foods that are widely considered to be good. for example, i dislike mac and cheese, potatoes, ketchup, and most fruits. every time i tell someone this, they literally act like i just confessed to murder

extra fun fact: i am a giant nerd. like i cannot state it enough I AM A NERD! my friends use me like human google all the time, and most of the time i have the answer 😭 not trying to imply that i’m a genius or something, i just hear a fun fact or random piece of information and then never ever forget it (did you know that for a majority of the year, the closest planet to earth is not venus or mars. it’s mercury!!)

BG3 extra:

race: half wood elf

class: wild magic sorcerer

alignment: neutral good

Don't Worry—I still have yours!! I was perplexed when I saw your PFP twice, lol. Sorry for the long wait, but here is your Match!! Also, as a Midwestern/Southerner, I enjoy the genre of Country, lol. ( I, too, am a nerd; I am my family's personal Calculator, though, lol)

~~~~~ MATCHUPS ~~~~~

Baldur's Gate 3

Shadowheart

~~~~~ HEADCANONS ~~~~~

Shadowheart is one to keep to herself as well. She likes the mysterious quiet. However, she did not oppose the notion of you being the group's leader.

She sees your anxiety around new people as a hindrance and a diversion. While you are awkwardly talking to others, she can use this time to gather hidden information or send Astarion on a pickpocketing hunt.

Your tics and antics may have frustrated her initially, but as you all grew to know one another, she found them sweet and endearing.

Soon, whenever a passerby points out your flaw, she is the first and last to defend you. (Miss Ma'am always has to get the last word in)

Shadowheart worked hard to earn your trust, and you worked hard to earn hers. Soon, you two were inseparable, for good or bad.

Shadowheart took your courting very seriously and ensured everyone at camp knew you were hers. She is a princess, after all, and gets what she wants.

If you are having a tough day around people, Shadowheart will be there to help. She has no problem leading things whenever you need her to.

When you two fight enemies, it is like watching the ocean move. You two are constantly in sync, and your health never drops below 50.

When you two officially start dating and make it public to everyone, she enjoys holding hands and soft pecks on the cheek. She is still a private person, but no harm in making sure the world knows she loves you.

When you two part ways from the others after the final battle, Shadowheart and you take on a tavern of your own in Baldurs Gate. She runs the finances and shipments while you run the entertainment and bar.

~~~~~ BLURB ~~~~~

The grove had been successfully saved. However, not every person at your party was ecstatic that you had made this choice; however, you knew you had made the right choice. With your camp full of new and old faces, you smiled, knowing that this was what you were made for right then. Though saving everyone was great and all, the loud, drunken party happening was the last thing you cared to participate in. You make your rounds to your companions to tell them when you will pack up and head out; you spot Shadowheart pouring herself a glass of wine. As you finish speaking to Karlach, you stand before the princess of the night.

Shadowheart smiles at you, gently extending a glass to you before speaking, "I knew you weren't quite the party type. I am surprised you even allowed this to happen at our camp." You laugh gently, nodding along, taking a swig of the wine. Looking out on your camp, you may not be one for large gatherings, but this was wholesome for the journey ahead. You turned back to Shadowheart as she spoke again, "We could escape from here for a while, allow you time to have a real reprieve from an intense battle versus throwing yourself into more uncomfortable situations." She always knew when you grew discontent with situations and quickly altered your group's direction. Though you may be the leader, your love and compassion for Shadowheart soon made her your second in command, much to Lazel's displeasure.

You nodded briefly to Shadowheart as she gently grabbed your hand and led you to a rock face far from camp. Privacy was excellent, and it allowed your mind to run freely for once since you were tasked with killing the Goblins. As you lounged back, sipping on the wine, Shadowheart looked at you. A simple conversation between you two led to something more intent and kind through the night. That night, you two decided to flourish in your relationship and walk through life together. Once dawn approached you, Shadowheart sat in your lap, staring out into the horizon. You gently moved some hair from her face. You smiled gently, whispering, "Because of you, my world may now be complete; fight with me, Shadowheart, and let our hearts beat as one once we are free again."

~~~~~ EXTRA ~~~~~

(You and Shadowheart had broken off from the group for the evening, taking a short stroll through Baldurs Gate. Thinking about what the future will have in store for you two as you approach the final battle)

Y/N: Princess, what if a life without Shar is genuinely not what you want. I do not want you to feel forced into a life of tavern-keeping with me.

Shadowheart: My goddess has already abandoned me since the trials. I am content now as long as I have you by my side, my love.

Y/N: When did you become so romantic? Weren't you always the brooding, icy-hearted mystery girl?

Shadowheart: That may have been me in the past, but as I have helped you through your trials, you have helped me, and I am grateful for that.

Y/N: (Smiles softly at the woman and leans in to kiss her)

Shadoheart: (places a hand on Y/N's lips, a large smirk evident on her face) However, since you seem to want to pick on me this evening, I could always return to being a brat.

Y/N: Oh, is that so? I am very sure I can handle it, my sweet. (Sweet kisses intensify)

#x reader #bg3 #baulders gate 3 #match up #bg3 x reader #headcanon #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #shadowheart x reader #shadowheart bg3 #shadowheart

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