#but it wasn't so bad just sitting there if i don't think about why . if I had made thr choice for myself i would've been ok but

[sheepispink]

lt simon riley x hybrid!reader in which you're forced into his life and he cant handle it, ignoring your existence until you talk to inanimate objects to make up for it. angst ofc

sorry if this is lowkey bad, my writing has been flopping rn

edit: i am aware that the oh post had more than a few similarities to the op whose work i credited. I have responded here and made necessary adjustments to this fic. If i hear no response, then it will be left like this and i will do no other changes.

PART TWO

The news of a hybrid being assigned to him was the worst possible, maybe even comparable to the time he had to wear full gear in the middle east. There was just something about it he didnt like, not that he wanted to stereotype their kind but some could be so clingy, so needy and to think he’s have that, following him around? . But what he hates more is the way you’re sitting outside his flat door when he hears the knock, wide eyes trying to entice him to your outstretched hand. Though unfortunately for you, he just closes the door again.

For the first week, you tried over and over again. He didn't seem to want to talk to you at all, let alone acknowledge that you were in his house. The only instructions he ever spoke was to not leave the house nor damage anything inside the house. It wasn't like you’d attempt to test either rules on purpose anyway. Instead, you tried to be useful by cleaning up where you could, even if you couldn't help but get distracted by how fun sliding across the freshly mopped floors were. Plus, blanket forts were so fun to make, what do you mean they made more mess? You switched to cooking soon after, attempting to make him breakfast except every time you tried to wake up early, he was always already gone. So, you wake up extra, extra early, finding out he wakes at five and so you wake up at four the next day. You decide on sizzled meat rashers, a fried egg and a toaster waffle because you don't really understand how the oven works. It’s not your fault his has so many funny buttons.

Unfortunately for you, his hearing is almost as good as yours, or perhaps he just never sleeps properly. That’s why he walked in just when you were nodding off in a bowl of cracked eggs, the time too early for a young one like you, even if you were well into your twenties. He left the house with a slam that day.

After that you stopped trying, noticing it to be clearly obvious that he didn't want anything to do with you in the slightest. He didn't even glance at you, or ask if you wanted to eat anymore. The only reminder that you actually lived here were the remnants of your fur on the fluffy pillow that was your bed, and your name written on your pre-bought meals since he didn't trust you in his kitchen anymore. Questions were left to hang in the air, soft whines echoing around the empty room each night and only the dim TV for company.

Ghost had returned early today, a problem in base had left the place in slight disarray and the task force thought it’d be better if they just packed up for the day, maybe do paperwork at home instead. He clicks open the door, surprised to actually hear noise in the usually silent flat, though he’s already dreading whatever mess you’ve cooked up. As he enters the hallway, the noise becomes clearer, sounding like a voice, your voice, actually. “This is a super secret covert meeting, alright everyone? No one can know!” You squeak, and he’s raising a brow, mind already jumping to conclusions of you being a double agent sent to spy on him. He should’ve known they’d pull a dirty trick like that, especially with how Graves has been acting, there’s bound to be others to follow. But to infiltrate his own home is something that brings him great anger, making him all the more silent when he sneaks around the house, mind running through potential ways he’ll interrogate the information out of you.

A double agent was far too much credit for you though. You were just a silly animal who was sitting on the sofa opposite a tatty teddy bear, a pillow with a messily drawn paper face stuck to it and a t-shirt that you had draped over a pillow, the cartoon cat staring back at you. They have mugs in front of them, albeit not full of anything apart from your own mug of tea. “Just kidding, let’s order then we can start.”

You hum, pretending to take a list from the bear though it’s actually those takeaway menus that come through the letterbox. He watches carefully as you pick up one at random, eyes squinting as you attempt and almost fail to read the text. Facilities never bothered with educating their hybrids, only intent in teaching them the arts of being loyal and desirable so they’d get their pay.

“Men….u? St.. art…eer?” It’s near impossible to understand any of it, and eventually you have to put it down, huffing out a complaint. “Okay fine, i can't read at all.” Frustrated, you pull off the t-shirt, leaving the pillow to fall on the floor. You’ve watched countless videos, only with the help of the voice recognition function on the remote control, and have attempted daily for this whole week. “So what have you guys done this week?”

He notices now that you have the tv displaying an episode from those random TV series, you probably don't even know the name of it. You’re almost attempting to recreate the same scene of the friends sitting around the table, eyes flickering at the TV as you eye how they sit. You mimic a squeaky voice, holding the teddy bear by the scruff as you move its head around. “I went to the park with my handler.”

Somehow your eyes light up despite the fact you had made that up yourself, clapping your hands together. “Wow, I love the park! I wish I could chase the squirrels…” Your expression falters for a second, eyes drooped until you shake your head, moving to puppet the pillow in the middle instead. “I went to the movies with mine, and then we got icecream.”

You smile again, retracting your hand and placing it on your hips. “Damn, icecream too! ..Um.. It doesn’t matter what I did. We should do something together, but it has to be something easy.. and not too fun because if we leave a mess Simon will be mad.” He almost feels bad, but it’s not his fault, you will make a mess, and he’s already tired enough as it is. What he hadn't expected was what you’d say next.

“I don't think we’ll be able to do these meetups anymore guys.” You mumble out, frown growing on your lips as you puppeteer the bear. “What, why?”

“I-i think I’ll be getting kicked out soon. Or maybe I should just run away.. Should I? I mean, it’s not a totally bad idea and Simon won't have to deal with me!”

You stare back at the two fake people in front of you, the silence hanging heavy in the air until you reach forward, plucking the paper smiley face off the pillow and sticking on a sad face instead. “I know, I know— running away is bad and I'll only get hurt. What else then?”

The silence is long again and for once Simon can feel the distraught look on your face as you clench the hem of your loose sweater, nose wrinkled. It’s clear you’re not feeling too good, especially if you’ve resorted to talking to your own stuffed animals about running away to make him happier. It’s a pitiful sight to say the least but he can't blame you either, he’s purposefully ignored every single one of your feeble attempts to talk to him. It’s not like it helps that you’ve been cooped in a house for two weeks straight, not able to talk to anyone else. Now that he’s forced to notice, forced to think about it, it’s clear he’s torturing you, in some sick unintentional way. You’re locked away, a prisoner, a ghost— someone no one even knows exists despite how much you cry and beg for a sound to be made.

The small shuffle of your steps is sad, the way you put everything into position perfectly in case he gets annoyed, not that he’d ever express it anyway– sometimes you wish he just would say something, anything. But he doesn't, and you take the tatty teddy bear, hugging it to your chest. Not even your tail can bring you much warmth, the matted fur rough against your skin as you’ve failed to upkeep it’s maintenance the more miserable you grow.

You wont stay here for long, you’ll be moved elsewhere and grow older, less ‘desirable’ as you lose all your hybrid fluffiness until you’re finally left on the streets, scavenging bins for food like your parents did. A cycle that only repeats for you.

—————-

part 2

other hybrid drabble i did

[dynamo-of-fake-twin-brother-fame]

So my brain doesn't make the chemical that gets you to SIT STILL while asleep. Or at least.... It does make it, but not nearly enough. So while some people with the same sleep issues as me need railings to keep them from rolling out of bed, I just kinda... Wiggle. Rotate like a rotisserie chicken. Burrito myself. Un rotisserie chicken. Un burrito. Wiggle. End up (sometimes) with my feet up where my head is supposed to be. This is why I tend to collect a lot of stuff down around the foot of my bed. Boxes of magic cards, clothes I've only worn once so far, for an hour, so they're still clean, extra blankets and coats, boxes of mtg cards, journals.... They trick my brain into not flipping around the wrong way when I'm sleeping. I'll still curl and uncurl like a demonic pill bug, but I don't end up with my feet on my pillow.

And for the longest time, I didn't know that was a thing. I just thought that's how people slept. Evolution's way of keeping us safe at our most vulnerable. Cuz if you keep moving around when you sleep, things that want to eat prey in it's sleep will think we aren't. It wasn't until I went on a trip with a young girls group back when I was still in it and we shared beds in the hotel that my bedmate (I think her name was Angela. Or Amelia? I can distinctly remember her face and the dress she wore for meetings) mentioned I 'moved around a lot in my sleep'. Like, I noticed she DIDN'T move around a lot, and I thought that was something humans tried to do when they shared a bed (I'd never had to share a bed with anyone before, that I can remember, outside of maybe sleeping with my parents when I was really small and had a nightmare) so I did try to stay... More still. Until I fell asleep properly and lost control of the unconscious urge to spin.

I'm wiggly when I sleep. I wobble. I spin. I rotate like a jpeg in a PowerPoint presentation animation. And this means that during the time your brain is supposed to be recharging... Mine just kinda half-asses it. Like a charging cable that's old and bent so you gotta hold your phone *juuuuuuuust* right to charge it. And I have found out (with some outside help) that the anxiety (that crazy anxiety that's so bad I have to medicate) makes it worse. If I'm anxious, I'm more wiggly than usual. If I'm calm, I'm less wiggly. I also find I'm less wiggly in the cold months when I've got eighteen pounds of blanketry on me.

(I do think it's kinda funny that the original state of our brains is WIGGLE. Like, our brains evolved to produce a chemical that stops WIGGLE, but if you've had a traumatic brain injury or your brain just doesn't produce that chemical, it'll reset to WIGGLE MODE. And WIGGLE MODE is the less optimal setting. Humans were badly designed in a high school engineering class, and the four students keep having to fuck with the code to fix things, but every change to the code fucks up something else.)

But all this to say -- there are some days I wake up, and I'm just bone-tired. I want to immediately go back to bed. Because the wiggles were with me the night before. It sounds funnier talking about it like it's some sort of old-timey affliction like Victorian wasting sickness rather than saying my brain is more caveman-y than normal. Because that's... Kinda what's going on. The original, caveman brain had WIGGLE MODE ACTIVE. And it's exhausting. So it's understandable why life expectancy wasn't as long back then. Our bodies just... Ran outta juice faster back then.

Whenever I take a long car ride I end up exhausted afterwards, and I’m always like “why am I so tired? I was just sitting around doing nothing all day.”

But the answer, it turns out, is I was doing something. Riding in a car jars your body in many directions and requires constant microadjustments of your muscles just to stay in place and hold your normal posture. Because you’re inside the car, inside the situation, it’s easy not to notice all the extra work you’re doing just to maintain the status quo.

There’s all sorts of type of work that we think of as “free” that require spending energy: concentrating, making decisions, managing anxiety, maintaining hypervigilance in an unfriendly environment, dealing with stereotype threat, processing a lot of sensory input, repairing skin cells damaged sun exposure, trying to stay warm in a cold room.

The next time you think you’re tired from “nothing”, consider instead that you’re probably in situation where you’re doing a lot of unnoticed extra work just to stay in place.

[anonymous-existences]

An Apparition in the Dark, Pt 1:

It's been a while. Yes, I was in hiatus, I still kinda am, the writer's block and the stress of personal life has struck me like Odysseus to Poseidon with the trident. But I'm gonna try my best to... Update my fics. :3

"I miss being human."

Danny Fenton, 17, Boy who has gone through so much, probably far too much for his age. Having run away from his very home to this hellhole that is Gotham, Why would he stay there? Because it's possibly the only place where he can hide from the bastards that are the GIW. He's not human so that makes him even more useful for the alleys, Crime Alley if we are being specific, he has hidden and ran away from the bats and they have never seen eye to eye.

Danny is a clever boy, ofcourse he would be because he's gone through a lot, but... Sometimes he reminisces of the time he was human. The time where he had no fear of being hunted down for experiments, the time when he didn't have to play hero for his town out of... The sense of responsibility he had taken upon himself when he died.

14 years old boy Danny, Died, in the very portal his parents had created in the name of science. Was it worth it? Danny wonders if his parents had felt the guilt of his death. Had they mourned him when they, by indirect faith, killed him. Because of their recklessness, because they were absolutely incapable of committing to lab safety precautions for their children.

Now, their boy.. Oh their little boy, Danny Fenton had ran away from home to they don't know where.

And Danny, He's just there. He will survive, he's always survived, he's survived death many times, he's faced the king of ghost, he's faced the god of time, he's faced gods and deities, he's faced more than a normal boy should.

"I miss feeling warm."

He is a ghost, a half ghost! Danny is a Halfa! He knows that, a lot knows that, that's why he's in Gotham anyways but they don't know that, they don't need to know he's partially dead. Just that he has abilities. He doesn't always need to play hero for these pricks, if anything he can use his abilities to play the role of... Justice.

Now he just sounds like A Bat, he doesn't wanna be labeled as a bat. Maybe... Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be like them he thinks, he stares at them from afar as they... Converse and talk, they're totally brothers or related in some way.

The Bat Himself may or may not have noticed the little lingering presence that stares from the darkness, from afar. Actually, he's the first to notice out of all the bats surprisingly. He doesn't know what it is about the staring eyes but they're not malicious, They're.... Not dangerous, Not entirely but something about the presence felt like they're just... Small and meek.

They're cold but they occasionally longed for warmth, The Bat would leave 'treats' or money hidden away in a spot where these eyes could see, the way they watched him warily.

" . . . "

Now Red Robin wasn't stupid, Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne wasn't stupid. He's been... Watching, Observing Bruce whenever he leaves those items in a hidden specific place, near the darkness. He doesn't question it, he didn't need to... Not Yet.

Taking notes of everything, every time the items disappear, when they were hidden, what date they were given, observing ever so closely as much as he could without causing suspicion on himself.

It was going well, no one else had noticed, Not even Bruce but suddenly, one day. Out of the blue, he felt a presence sit beside him on top of a building. "You're Red Robin right?" The invisible boy asks.

Before Tim could react, the invisible Presence spoke again, "You're warm.... I miss Feeling Warm." And then he disappeared, "Wait—!" RR reached out beside him where he felt the other person was but they were gone... Like a ghost.

". . . Safety?"

It's been a few months since then, he slowly got warmer with them, helping them occasionally when they're struggling. Fine he's gonna admit it but they feel like family now— family? Damn... He hasn't felt that connection in so long.

They've heard his voice, but he was still invisible, he was still afraid,, maybe. He laughs at their jokes, They include him with a lot of stuff and they kept implying that he should come home with them.... Yeah.

Maybe he should, Danny smiled to himself as he hovered and followed them back to the cave unbeknownst to them. He was amused and in awe, the Batcave! Wow! Maybe he'll follow them around more often now.

As he wandered around silently he saw them out of costume— okay, Maybe Danny shouldn't be actually following them without them knowing but— "I hope he knows he's safe here." Danny's ears perked up when he heard what seems to be signal, or Duke as he's learned, spoke.

".... Safety?" He mumbled under his breathe, a bit taken aback by that sentence. They want him to be safe...? That... That was new....

Yeah.

This was nice.

"..... Safety."

[jybyls]

Haunted feelings || T.C

Masterlist

Synopsis: Fear turned out to bring out hidden feelings. (Thanks @darkpoetdreamer for the idea)

Warnings: Fluff, strangers to friends (?) to friends to lovers, haunted house, bad writing, not proofread, I think that's all.

Words: 2.3k

- 📜🎧🍂 -

Sam, Chad, Tara, and you were sitting in the living room, bored to death. You had no ideas of what you could possibly do, so you were all just minding your business on your side. Well, I'm not really minding your own business. You kept glancing up at Tara every now and then.

You wanted to talk to her but you didn't know what about, it's not like you guys weren't friends, actually you guys were basically best friends but lately it's been oddly hard to act normal around her and you couldn't figure out why. Yes, you did not use your brain on that one.

"Guys !! I have plans !" Mindy exclaimed as she ran into the living room, almost slipping down. Y'all looked at her excited frame, wondering what she had in mind, "What, Mindy ? Wanna do a horror movie marathon ?" Chad mocked his twin sister, which only led to her giving him a dirty look. You slightly giggled at the scene in front, looking at Mindy to hear her answer.

"Don't say this. I might consider it." She said and that ended up with all of you screaming 'no' because you're sick and tired of watching the same horror movies Mindy propose, "No, please, let's not consider that as an option of a plan. What was your main idea ?" Tara spoke up, but your brain didn't listen.

It just went, 'blah, blah, blah, proper name, place name, background stuff..' Safe to say you're a simp. It didn't go unnoticed by Sam. Her older sister sense has been tingling toward you for a moment now.

She definitely knows something is up with her sister and you. She kept her suspicion to herself, tho.

"Will you all shut up and listen to me ? My plan is to visit a haunted house. Y'all are down, or are you too afraid to follow me ?" Mindy exclaimed with a teasing tone, taunting you to follow her in her amazing idea.

"If we don't agree to come with you, you won't go. You're too afraid to go by yourself, that's why you're asking us." Sam, more than calmly, explained her point, which was true, but the shorter twin would never admit it. "That's not the point ! Are you coming or what ?" She shouted, distracting you from Sam's words. You all laughed at her.

"You know what ? Fuck it." Tara said, "Where's that haunted house of yours, anyway ?" The younger Carpenter mocked her friend, not really believing that place existed. "It's down town." Mindy grimaced and Tara reciprocated it, "Very mature of you, girls." You sarcastically said before standing up to get your jacket. They watched you with a dumbfounded look on their face.

"Well ? We're going or not ?" You asked. The twin immediately smiled and screamed, "YES ! Let's go, bitches." And with that everyone is outside, walking to that haunted house. Chad and Mindy were in the front, arguing, Sam was right behind them, not even listening to their faded words, while Tara and you were awkwardly walking next to each other.

You quickly became friends when she moved to New York. You were going to the same college and had the same classes most of the time. You didn't know Tara's story, you didn't know what she experienced, well, at the beginning of your school year you didn't even know who was this Carpenter girl and why was everyone whispering stuff about her and her apparently psychotic sister.

You didn't really care, tho, you thought it wasn't your problem until one morning in your English class your teacher assigned the class for a group project and you got teamed up with Tara. Everyone's eyes were on both of you, but again, you didn't care. You didn't know her, how could you judge her ?

By the end of this class, you came to the conclusion that you liked her. She wasn't mean, like students said. She was actually sweet. She did come up strong at first, but how could you blame her when the whole world wouldn't listen to her until she had nothing left to say ? Well, you couldn't.

You couldn't blame her for anything. And you felt like that when you just met her, so it's safe to say that now that you're down baf for her, it made it impossible to blame her.

Even with her trauma and her sister's advices for some reasons she trusted you. She quickly opened up to you and talked about what happened to her in Wosboro. She talked about Ambet, her sister, her parents, everything. You know everything about her, and you took care of that information. Obviously, you trusted her equally.

You told her everything she needed and wanted to know about you. And ever since you never left each other's side. Eventually, Sam learned to appreciate you, and so did the twins. Oddly enough, everyone agreed with Tara when she suggested that she should be part of the group.

It's been three mot hs now that you're part of the group, and they can all easily say that they like you a lot. You're trusted, and your company is always more than welcome.

You've currently all arrived at the so-called haunted house, holding you phones up with the flash lights on because of the darkness inside. Tara and you stayed close to each other, Sam was behind the two of you while Chad and Mindy were walking to the front, but they quickly backed up with a jump once they heard a noise.

"Did you hear that ?!" Minday whispered-yelled to all of you with a hint of dramatist, "Yes, I fucking did ! What was that ?" Her brother answered with the same tone. "It's the floor." The short brunette rolled her eyes at their dramatist, "It's cracking." You continued, slightly laughing at their reactions.

They huffed, "Yeah. No, yeah, we knew. We were trying to scare you guys." The boy answered with fake confidence, trying to stand taller. "Sure." Sam tried to hold back her mocking smile. You and Tara weren't has strong tho, not only were you mockingly smiling but also directly laughing at them, shamelessly making fun of their sudden fear.

The twins rolled their eyes, huffing again but eventually gave up. They knew they couldn't win with Tara as an enemy. The brunette might be small, but God knows she can and will bite back. With no mercy whatsoever.

You all walked, trying to call in any spirit, but obviously, nothing happened. The scariest thing you saw was a drawing of penis probably made by some teenage boys who found this place before you. The twins kept getting scared by random noises, and they also kept claiming not to be, which was quite ridiculous but strangely funny. It gives Sam something else she can mock them about, and that's enough to make this woman content.

Midnight suddenly hit your watch. You wanted to go home. However, you didn't want to ruin everyone's fun, so you stayed quiet. You lazily follow your friends around. Your mind was far away, thinking about a thousand different things but mostly one thing. Actually, one person. Your best friend, Tara Carpenter. This girl has been haunting all your thoughts.

At first you believed it was nothing, 'It's just because she's my new best friend. That's why I'm always thinking about her.' You told yourself, trying to get some sort of reassurance even tho you knew you were lying to yourself.

Because you knew damn well you're not supposed to think about what your best friend's lips taste like, neither are you supposed to think about her hands on your body and yours on hers. But since you didn't want to ruin your friendship with her, you closed your mouth.

Whenever you felt like telling her she looked pretty, you didn't. Or you'd just say something like, 'cool outfit' or 'cute haircut', when in reality you wish you could tell her how stunning she looks, how you can barely brung yourself to believe that she's real because of her beauty. You wanted to ramble about how much you loved her freckles, how you wanted to kiss every single one of them.

But you couldn't. That was the best you could do. Small, furtive compliments. You were to fucking scared to say too much and risking making her uncomfortable. Or worst disgusted by you. That'd be the end of your world. And your world resolve around her so it's easy to say that if she rejects you in any way you'd be a heartbroken mess.

Little did you know that the girl you were crazy about was head over heals for you. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, she barely even admitted to herself to began with but damn was she down bad for you.

She didn't want to say anything by fear of ruining your friendship. You were so dear to her she would never forgive herself for losing you. So instead of trying any kind of move on you she decided to stay quiet and cherish every second she gets to spend with you.

"Can we head back home or do you still want to walk around like idiots ?" Sam spoke up, clearly tired of this little adventure. You immediately nodded, "Yes, let's go home. I'm getting tired of this." Tara followed you, "Yeah, we're going home." Mindy whined however she agreed.

"Alright, alright. Let's go home. This place's a dump anyway." Chad led the way out of the building, Mindy on the other was terribly disappointed. She wanted to see a ghost or any spirit so badly but nothing happened. Sad for her, but good for all of you because it meant you could head home with a quiet Mindy.

The walk back home was full of teasing against the upset girl who kept huffing and rolling her eyes. You and Tara didn't participate much to the teasing since you shared earplugs with your shared playlist blasting in your ears. To make sure the earplugs wouldn't fall you stayed close to each other, your fingers brushing against one another. Your heartbeat went faster as you hardly blushed, thanks to the darkness it wasn't visible to anyone.

You hesitated for a moment before taking all your courage and interviewing your pinky with hers. You were about to pull away but she was faster to react, squeezing your pinky with hers. You looked down at your hand, a shy smile appeared on your face. You bit your inside cheek, trying to suppress your smile as you looked in front of you.

Beside you Tara was shamelessly smiling, evidently happy about what just happened. Neither of you spoke a word, the simple yet loving gesture meant more than anything.

The older Carpenter had a suspicious look on her face when she saw you and her sister hurrying upstairs the second everyone got home. She trusted you enough not to worry about anything, but her older sister instinct was hitting like crazy. She knew something was going to happen in this room. And she wasn't wrong.

You closed the door behind you as Tara connected her phone to her speaker, soft music was playing in her room. You sat on the chair of her desk while she sat on her bed. For a short time neither of you spoke, enjoying the calm music until Tara broke the slight awkwardness of this moment. "I think we need to talk." Her tone was eripus which cause you to panicked, "What-? What about ?" You faintly stuttered, your eyes widened a little bit. "About what happened earlier." She knew she was making you panick and this brat was savouring it.

You were overthinking like crazy, 'Did she just held my pinky by politeness ?', 'Did I make her uncomfortable ?', 'Oh my god. Did I just loose my best friend ?' Were one of the few questions that went through your brain when she mentioned what happened some minutes ago.

You shakingly breathed out, "What about it ?" You anxiously fidgeted with your rings, waiting for her answer but your mouth had other plans. "Did you not like it ? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I really didn't mean to. It's the last I ever want to do. I love you too much for that."

Fuck.

Maybe you should learn to think before speaking in anxious situations. You both froze at your final words. You tried to speak again but nothing came out of your mouth. Oh, you definitely screwed it.

"You love me ? Like love me, love me ?" Tara asked but again you couldn't find any words to answer so you just nodded. She was dumbfounded. She didn't know how to react. She dreamt of this moment but never expected it to actually occur.

A long silence came between you, even the music couldn't make the situation less awkward. You were so incredibly ashame. You felt like you were burning. You finally found some words, "I should go. I'm sorry." You stood up however it wasn't in Tara's plan to let you go anytime soon. "No, no. Sit back down." Her tone was enough to make you melt. You listened without thinking twice, sitting back down on your chair.

The brunette shook her head and tapped the empty place next to her on her bed, quietly telling to sit next to her. You understood her command and moved to sit next to her.

As soon as you were next to her, her hand found yours. "You didn't make it uncomfortable. Yes, I liked it. And I love you too." She gently whispered, her soft smiled grew on her face, "Like love me, love me ?" You murmured, you barely had the strength to find your voice. The whole thing was unbelievable.

Tara chuckled then nodded, "Like, love you, love you." She nudged your shoulder which caused you to follow her chuckle. "How long have you liked me for ?" You quietly asked, "For too long. So what do you say we stop waiting, hm ?" She smirked as she looked at you. You instantly nodded, "Yeah, that sounds great." You smiled, squeezing her hand.

Waiting this long was worth it, you're finally with the one you love.

- 📜🎧🍂 -

A/n: Rushed end because I'm tired. This was supposed to be a Halloween fic- my bad lol. Have a good day/night. I hope you forgive me for how bad this is. Love y'all <3

[makeitmingi]

When Flowers Bloom In The Dark [Chapter 14]

Genre: Romance, Mafia!AU, Violence, Angst, Slow burn

Pairing: Hongjoong x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Florist!Reader, Mafioso!Hongjoong, Mafioso!Seonghwa, Mafioso!Yunho, Mafioso!Yeosang, Mafioso!San, Mafioso!Mingi, Mafioso!Wooyoung, Mafioso!Jongho

Summary: When you appeared and wept at his mother's funeral, Hongjoong found himself wanting to find out more about you. A regular girl, who owns a flower shop in his territory and has a relationship with the mother that he hasn't spoken to in years, why hasn't he ever noticed you before?

[Warning(s): 18+ for violence, use of weapons, smoking, alcohol consumption, slight gore, gang affiliation, tattoos and character deaths. Minors DNI. This is a work of fiction and does not represent the Ateez members in real life.]

Word count: 3.3K

After Hongjoong gave you a mini tour of the place that day, you honestly couldn't remember all of it. The only place you remembered was the library and Hongjoong's office, in case you ever needed to find him... For whatever reason...

"Have a nice night, (y/n)." Seonghwa smiled as he stood by the front door, watching the chauffeur open the car door for you.

"See you, Seonghwa. Goodnight." You bowed your head and waved before entering the car. The chauffeur bowed to Seonghwa and got in to drive you home.

'She's gone. - Seonghwa'

Seonghwa sent the text and retreated back into the house, the maid closing the door behind him.

"Thanks, Hwa." Hongjoong limped into the house and fell onto the couch. His fringe stuck to his forehead from the sweat since he spent the past 30 minutes waiting in the carpark.

"Damn, they got you bad." Seonghwa frowned as he stood in front of his best friend.

"Yeah, I think I know." Hongjoong winced.

"I already called the doctor." Yeosang said, coming in as he was tucking his phone back into his pocket. Except for the cut on his lip, Hongjoong didn't have any other open wounds so he went to take a shower before the doctor came, he wanted to get the dried blood and grime off his body.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Who is it?" Hongjoong asked as he dried his hair.

"Hyung, its me and Doctor Lee." Yeosang's voice was heard on the other side of the door. When Hongjoong let out a sound of acknowledgement, the two came in.

"Good evening, Hongjoong sshi." The doctor bowed and Hongjoong just nodded, moving to sit on his bed.

"Just wanted to make sure there's nothing internal." Yeosang said to the doctor.

"Of course, excuse me, Hongjoong sshi." The doctor wore gloves and began to check Hongjoong's injuries. Yeosang stood across the bed, leaning against the dresser as he watched the doctor work.

"I'll have to remain hidden for a while, especially when (y/n) comes to the house." Hongjoong sighed.

"Why?" Yeosang tilted his head.

"How am I supposed to greet her like this, Yeosang ah? She doesn't know what we do. I can't suddenly see her like this, all beat up and injured. She'll definitely suspect something and I'm not ready to tell her what we do for a living." Hongjoong stated.

"Well, you'll have to tell her some day, cap. You can't hide it from her forever... Especially if you... plan on keeping her around you and us." Yeosang shrugged.

"Don't... say it like that." Hongjoong hissed as the doctor disinfected his wound.

"Ah, you know what I mean." Yeosang rolled his eyes. There was another knock on the door and San came in.

"What's the damage?" He asked Yeosang and the doctor.

"From my assessment, nothing major. Just some minor bruises and cuts but I would advice you to take it easy, Hongjoong sshi. The hit to your knee wasn't major but still bad." The doctor said.

"I know myself. I can't just stop working because you tell me to." Hongjoong scoffed, putting his shirt back on and buttoning it up.

"Besides that, thanks for dropping by, doc. I'll walk you out." Yeosang said and walked the doctor out.

"Easy up, hyung." San chuckled, to whom Hongjoong just rolled his eyes at. He sighed and wanted to get out of bed but winced and just leaned back, letting San come over to fluff his pillow and prop it up for him. With a look of defeat, Hongjoong leaned against the pillow on his headboard.

"Anyway, I've got... not so good news to share..." San said, sitting at the foot of Hongjoong's bed. Hongjoong raised his eyebrows in anticipation of what San had to say.

"My fight club was bugged. I went back and did a sweep, I found bugs in the VIP room." San crossed his arms.

"And we have no clue how long it has been there?" Hongjoong asked.

"I'm having my boys run through the camera videos now but I'm not sure how long that will take. These people wanted something, knowing where the VIP room was and how to bug it." San sighed.

"This is not good. We don't need this now. We need to find out when and who bugged your place." Hongjoong rubbed his temples.

"I'm on it, hyung. I'll get the footage to Yunho and Jongho, see if they can find out where the video was transmitting it." San assured and Hongjoong nodded.

"So, how are you going to face (y/n) like this now?" San changed the topic.

"Gosh it's like you and Yeosang rehearsed what to ask me. I'm not, I'll just stay in my office or say that I'm out working when she comes. I shouldn't take too long to heal up. No big deal." Hongjoong said. San nodded his head slowly, seemingly convinced.

"Woah, where are you going now?" San rushed to Hongjoong's side, seeing him suddenly swing his feet over the side and attempt to stand on his feet.

"My office. I need to get something." Hongjoong mumbled.

"Tell me where and what it is. I can get it for you, you should be resting in bed." San urged.

"I'm fine, San ah. Just let me get it and I'll come back. Don't worry and don't follow me." Hongjoong pointed to the younger, whose hands droppd by his side in defeat.

"Alright, goodnight hyung." San wished and Hongjoong nodded before they split way. He limped to his office and turned the lights on.

"Now, where was it?" He sat at his desk and opened the drawers. Finally, he spotted wha the was looking for.

"There you are." Holding the jar of leftover medical balm that you made in his hand, he smiled with content and stood back up. But when he saw his office door open, he quickly shoved the jar into the pocket of his sweatpants. Seonghwa stood there with a raised eyebrow and folded arms.

"What are you doing in here?" The second in command asked with much suspicion. Seeing Hongjoong so skittish, he knew that the captain must be hiding something.

"Nothing. How did you know I was here? Did San rat me out?" Hongjoong asked back.

"No, I was walking back from the library and saw your office lights on. No one comes in while you're not here." Seonghwa stated.

"Right... I just came to get something and I'll go back to bed." Hongjoong said, limping out from behind his desk, over to the doorway where Seonghwa stood.

"Good, I thought you might have snuck here to continue working." Seonghwa wrapped an arm around Hongjoong to support him.

"No, I wouldn't dare. Not when I know you're awake." Hongjoong teased.

"I only nag you because you don't take care of yourself." Seonghwa sighed, having repeated that line to his best friend since they were much younger. Hongjoong hummed, letting Seonghwa help him back into his room and into bed.

"Just spend the day resting in bed tomorrow, let the rest of us take over what you have to do." Seonghwa said as Hongjoong adjusted his pillows so he wouldn't be in pain.

"I'm fine, Hwa! I swear." Hongjoong grumbled into his pillow. Seonghwa rolled his eyes.

"Goodnight, Joong." He ignored the sulky captain's whining and turned the lights off before leaving the room.

After the door closed, Hongjoong sat up, leaning over to turn the nightstand lamp on. Then he fished out the jar of balm from his pocket and set it there so he could remember to use it tomorrow.

-

It was weird that the other night, Seonghwa was the one that walked you out. You hadn't seen Hongjoong for practically the entire day but you figured he must be busy working.

Then this week, when you went over, Hongjoong wasn't there at all. But you still did your job, with the other boys coming to bother you, occasionally. You wanted to text him or ask the others where he was but after thinking about it, it sounded too clingy so you decided against asking.

Something felt off, not seeing Hongjoong for two weeks when you saw him every week at his house. But you were not in the position to pry about his wareabouts.

"(y/n)!" Nana came into your shop during lunch time. You broke out of your thoughts and looked at her, blinking in confusion.

"What are you doing tonight?" She asked.

"Nothing. Once I close shop, it's just me and my couch. Plus dinner." You chuckled, gesturing for her to take a seat at your work table. She smiled, satisfied with your answer.

"Your smile is scaring me... Why do you ask my plans for tonight?" You asked with caution.

"There's this thing! Like an event of sorts... I wanna take you and Eve to experience it. Perfect that you're free." She clapped her hands.

"What event or thing is this?" You raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, don't ask so many questions! It's a surprise! You'll see when we get there. Just get dolled up, it's an outdoor event. Think... Outdoor party?" She tilted her head.

"That worries me even more." You squinted your eyes at her. Nana merely smiled innocently at you.

"We'll come by your place to pick you up tonight. Be ready by 9!" She patted your hand and left your shop before you could ask her any further questions. You let out a long sigh, shaking your head with a knowing smile.

'Hey, Hongjoong, haven't seen you at the house. Busy with work? Not playing hooky anymore? ;P - (y/n)'

After sending that message to Hongjoong, you put your phone away and went right back to work, preparing orders and attending to walk in clients.

"No, you don't have to!" You shook your head.

"I insisted, (y/n). Anyway thanks to you, my aloe vera is flourishing! So please just take some." The lady slid the bag of aloe vera back.

"Ah, alright. Thank you so much. This is great for treating sunburns and wounds." You smiled, looking at the aloe vera. After that, you walked her to the door to see her off.

"Fresh aloe." You smiled happily and placed the bag into the fridge so you could use it later.

"That's order number #5019 done." You checked off your list on your phone. Curiously, you opened the chat with Hongjoong.

*read*

He had read the message but didn't reply. He could just be really busy with work but then looking back at the message, you realised that maybe you were acting a little too familiar and friendly with him. Maybe you were not at that level of friendship yet and he still viewed you as nothing more than a gardener working at his house.

"Once again, you have overstepped." You scolded yourself with a sigh, tucking your phone into your pocket to finish up your work for the day so you could close.

"Could I maybe add some greenery around the back?" The customer requested.

"Of course. I'll be right back." You went to your bins to retrieve some stalks of green to add to the bouquet.

"You've got a good eye. It compliments the bouquet and flowers nicely." You smiled as you added the extra stalks to the bouquet you had already bundled together.

"Thank you." The male blushed, watching you wrap everything with colourful tissue and securing it together with a pretty ribbon.

"There you go." You handed it to him and sorted out the payment with him.

"Have a nice evening!" You wished. He smiled and bowed while leaving the shop. Once he stepped out, you closed the door and locked it, turning the sign to 'CLOSED'. Now, it was time to pack up and go home.

'(y/n)! No skipping out tonight! See you~ - Nana'

'Yes, yes. Can't wait to see you! And don't try to hide from us, we know where you live... Okay, that sounded a lot more stalkery/ evil than I expected... - Eve'

You laughed at your friends' messages and slung your bag over your shoulder before making your way home.

"What to wear? What to wear?" You sighed.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Coming!" You went out, knowing it was your friends at the door. They stood there, all dressed up, staring at you who was still wrapped in your robe.

"I don't know what to wear because I don't know where we are going. You guys need to help me." You said.

"Ask Nana, she picked my clothes. I, too, don't know where we are going, remember?" Eve shrugged, sitting at the edge of your bed.

"Alright, let's see what we have." Nana looked through your closet. You chuckled and sat at your vanity to do your make up, watching as Nana sifted through your closet to put together an outfit for you. Eve watched on with amusement, trying her best to help by giving opinions on colour coordination.

"Yes! This works." Nana smiled proudly and you went over to see the outfit.

"I don't think I've ever worn these clothes before." You chuckled, picking up the skirt. Eve shooed you off to the bathroom and you went to change.

They picked an oxblood leather skirt and a black tube top with a racing jacket to wear over.

"You look cute!" They clapped happily.

"Seriously, where are we going?" You laughed as your friends hurried you to wear your shoes so you could leave.

"You'll see when we get there! Stop asking questions." Nana pushed your out of the house. Typical her, she already had a car waiting for the 3 of you, the driver knowing the destination prior.

"I'm starting to question where we're going..." Eve nudged you, trying to freak you out even more.

"And we're here!" Nana squealed. You and Eve looked out the window, unsure of where you were, but got out of the car anyway. It was a deserted area but there people standing around with the revving of car engines being heard.

"Nana, where are we?" You held her arm.

"Street racing." She grinned. You and Eve stared at her with wide eyes, totally not expecting this. There was a lot of people, cheering for the race that was happening.

"This doesn't feel safe..." You looked around. Nana laughed and led the two of you further in.

"There are bike races and car races." She explained as you watched the two bikers race, getting loud cheers from the crowd.

"How did you find out about this place?" Eve asked.

"From a... friend." Nana grinned, cheering on the bikers like she knew them. You were still a little in shock, this was definitely not legal and you weren't really into racing, cars and bikes to begin with.

"And of course, our winner is still undefeated!" The winning biker removed his helmet. Your eyes nearly bugged out of your skull.

"S-Seonghwa?" You whispered to yourself.

"What did you say?" Your friends turned to you but you shook your head, denying having said anything. If Seonghwa was here, that means the others might be here too. If there's a possibility Hongjoong might be here, you felt your stomach sink a little. You couldn't face him now, at least not here.

"I need to use the bathroom. I see the portable toilets there, I'll be right back." You said, patting your friends on the shoulders before going to the bathroom.

"Gosh, even here, I run into them." You mumbled.

"Hey pretty, what's your na- (y/n)?" Mingi's eyes widened when he saw you. You gave an awkward, shy wave.

"W-What are you doing here?" Now Mingi was stumbling over his words, having dropped his cool guy persona, exactly like the person you knew back at the house.

"Here with some friends. I didn't even know I was coming here, have never been to anything like this before." You chuckled.

"Oh, you've never been to a race before?" He tilted his head. You shook your head.

"Mingi ah! What's taking you so lo- (y/n)?!" San stopped in his tracks, blinking at you like he was dreaming.

"Hey, San. Yes, it's me." You chuckled and waved. San smiled, sending you a friendly wave back. He sent Mingi a look and the taller just shrugged in response. In your head, you wondered if you should ask them if Hongjoong was here.

Then you saw him, dressed in a nice suit and talking to Seonghwa. But you were not staring at that. You were staring at the bruises and cuts on his face, and that he walked with a limp.

"Wait." You spoke. San and Mingi turned around to see what you were staring at and immediately blocked your view.

"Guys, is Hongjoong okay?" You looked at them.

"Uh, yeah! He's fine, you know busy with work at home. He's not even here." San waved you off.

"Yeah, you must be seeing things. It's dark." Mingi added with a smile. You gave them an odd look, wondering why they were lying to you about Hongjoong being here. Or maybe you really were hallucinating.

"Guys, Wooyoung's race is gonna start soon. Oh, (y/n)! What are you doing here?" Yeosang smiled.

"Just here with some friends. Speaking of, I should be getting back to them. Bye..." You waved and left to find your friends.

"Hongjoong hyung, Hongjoong hyung. (y/n)'s here! We just ran into her, she saw you and asked about you." Mingi said with panic. Hongjoong stopped talking to Seonghwa and turned to look at his younger brother with wide eyes of shock. San and Yeosang could only nod to confirm the taller male's statement.

"And what did you say to her?" Seonghwa raised an eyebrow.

"We told her she was seeing things and that you were not here." San replied. The two oldest facepalmed and sighed.

"You guys... Why did you... You know what, nevermind. We're in the VIP area anyway, she won't be able to come look for me. It's fine." Hongjoong assured.

"Wait, you're still avoiding her, hyung?" Yeosang asked.

"I just want to wait until I have recovered then everything will go back to normal." Hongjoong said.

"Yeah, wouldn't want her to see hyung with his grandpa cane." Jongho added with a snicker. Hongjoong glared at the youngest, using his cane to hit Jongho.

"Seonghwa made me use it okay." Hongjoong hissed then turned to glare at his best friend.

"It was a cane or crutches, Joong. You know you're supposed to be resting and keeping your weight off your knee." Seonghwa shrugged.

"Anyway, guys. You know while we're here, we have to avoid her. We cannot be seen with her and she cannot be associated with us, it may put her in danger. We're here as Ateez, not AURORA Corp." Hongjoong reminded. The boys nodded obediently.

"Go, Wooyoung!" San cheered loudly as Wooyoung stepped into his car. As they all cheered Wooyoung on, Hongjoong looked out into the crowd and met eyes with you.

"Get ready, racers!" He tore his eyes away from you and focussed on Wooyoung's race instead.

RINGGGGGG

"Shit. I think there are issues at the club." Hongjoong cursed and excused himself, going to the back of where his brothers was sitting to answer the phone.

"Okay, handle it. If you need me to come down and handle it, call me again." He said to the manager and hung up.

"Hongjoong?" Hongjoong cursed and turned to see you there.

"(y/n)... Didn't know that you were here..." He nodded over to you. Seeing his entire condition, your eyes widened. You didn't see him with a cane earlier but now that you did and you saw his injuries a lot closer, it just made you assume that his condition was a lot worser than you initially thought.

"Hongjoong, actually I-"

"You shouldn't talk to me or approach me." Hongjoong said and turned to walk back to where his brothers were sitting, leaving you there alone.

~

Series masterlist

[nlovesbjh]

hello!!! can i ask you to write something about nct wish hyung line? or sion specifically :3

details are up to you🤭

𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑏𝑎����! nct wish hyungs x reader ៸៸ fluff

( 시온 ) — sion

yall remember that one fancall when sion said he's always getting nervous around pretty women? yeah, i think about that one pretty much a lot especially because sion is super giggly and soft and just so idk gentleman type yk? i believe he'll adore everything and anything about you. even the things you didn't know existed in you or your habits he noticed that you would never think of. you'd never think that such small things would attract your boyfriend, which is cute obviously <3

"have you seen my lipstick? it was somewhere in the living room.." you'd ask him, looking for your other makeup stuff in your room, while your boyfriend were preparing for a movie night. you held some makeup in your one hand, searching through your things with another.

"why do you need this lipstick right now?" sion asked, look for it anyway. he'd literally do anything you asked him to, doesn't matter if it didn't make any sense to him like why would you need a lipstick on a movie night at home?

you walked out of the room, hand is still full and the other one is holding your bag. you placed everything on the kitchen counter, turning around to look at your boyfriend. "because i can't find it! i don't wanna lose it again, okay? i just bought it…" you explained, sitting down and placing your head on the counter and sighing.

"is it pink?" you heard sion ask. you only hummed approvingly in response. then you heard your boyfriend's laugh. his laugh was always so bright and sweet, you looked up with a slight smile. you couldn't bring yourself to be annoyed by his behavior, he was too adorable laughing.

"why? what is it?"

"it was in your hand all the time!" he pointed at the lipstick that you placed on the counter, your eyes widened, face confused. how could you not notice that? sion was still laughing, seemed like he was enjoying this situation a bit too much.

"im so stupid!" you laughed as well. and all the thoughts in sion's head at that time were about how adorable you are when you're clumsy and a bit silly like that, loosing something that right there where you can see it.

( 리쿠 ) — riku

i feel like riku is not jst clingy boyfriend type ( as we all know by the way he's acting w jaehee yeah ) but also super supportive and entertaining lmao. he'd literally embarrass himself just to make you smile and feel better even if you're feeling down :) he loves to see you happy and concentrated on things you like, he's extremely proud and supports you through all the way. he'll give you all the time in the world to finish something, will help you and if you need some space or wanna do it yourself — he won't push it. he's understanding and caring, but he cares more about your comfort and the way you can express yourself without his help.

you were feeling down all week, everything wasn't right. your hair looked bad, makeup was not looking good, pimples pissed you off and you had nothing to wear because of the tricky weather. your mood was ruined, that's why you didn't wanna go on a date with your boyfriend, afraid you'd ruin his day too.

"no, riku. im not going out today, sorry.." you said on the phone as your boyfriend asked you out to new restaurant down the street where you live. you wanted to go there as soon as this place opened, but now you can't because everything is not working out.

"you sure? why?" riku sounded a bit concerned and confused at the same time, because he knew you wanted to go just a week ago.

"i don't know, everything is pissing me off and i look bad.."

"you never look bad!" riku cut you off, making you smile a little as he continued. "we can order takeout from that place and just watch something at your place? how about on of the barbie movies?"

"you seriously wanna watch barbie with me?" you giggled.

"if it'll make you feel better, i'll do anything. i can be your personal clown if you want to," he says and you couldn't hold back a laugh.

"okay that might be too much!" you joked, feeling a bit better from the fact that your boyfriend loves you so much that he can do anything for you and to light up your day. "you can come over, yeah. thank you.."

( 유우시 ) — yushi

we know yushi is shy and a bit awkward and im more than sure that he's like that with girls. doesn't matter if you've been dating for a month or three years, he'd be shy around you especially when you're giving him all your attention. but he definitely thinks you are his best friend, he trust you enough and have a special spot for you. the fact that he feels comfortable around you, not ashamed of doing something wrong, can talk abt everything with you and not afraid to speak his mind is important for him. he knows you won't judge him, he knows he can tell you anything and knows you can be trusted >.<

"y/n, stop.." yushi whispered, hiding his face in your shoulder after you kissed him on the lips infront of his members. it was a quick little kiss, he obviously liked it, but he was too embarrassed to enjoy it for a little longer. sion started giggling, pointing at his friend and smiling.

"you two are so cute!" sion clapped and the other members agreed, making you smile. you knew yushi is always shy like that, but you wanted to steal that little kiss from him anyway. he deserved that kiss, you thought he deserved all the kisses in the world and that's exactly what you whispered into his ear.

"you're making me feel more embarrassed.."

"i love making you embarrassed when you're cute like that," you said, bringing your hand to his hair to gently play with them. he smiled, sighing, finally giving in.

"honestly, i love when you're making me feel like that.." your eyes widened a little after that confession, making your boyfriend more sit up and look at you more confidently. "it's okay when it's you. making me understand that i am wanted."

"awww!" you heard his members mocking, making you roll your eyes in annoyance at them but still kissing your boyfriend again.

[mxtantrights]

mob!Bucky has you fallin' back in

Bucky is leaning against his desk.

The silence that sits between the two of your is more than awkward. It's fucking terrible. God awful. But not as bad as the last time the two of you had nothing to say each other.

You remember that all too well.

And that's why you can't look him in the eyes right now.

-

Things had been good for a while. That's why that feeling started up in your chest. For a while you had been waiting for the other shoe to drop. You knew it was coming.

Because you and Bucky were a good thing. He knew you the way you knew him. He knew when you to quiet and if it was something he could fix or something he needed to wait out. And you knew when he got mad and needed to be talked to like an adult and not a man-child.

You and Bucky were a good thing, but you and Bucky couldn't be a thing. Both of your worlds would implode. His because he was dating his competitions daughter, and you're because you wanted nothing to do with the mob world but you were dating a known mob boss.

Even though you were waiting for the other shoe to drop, even though you knew it wouldn't be good if your relationship because public, you didn't do it for those reasons. You don't know why you even did it to this day. Not really.

You felt the words on the tip of your tongue. And you didn't stop yourself from speaking.

Bucky laid beside you on his bed. He had just gotten in. A rough night. Some business gone wrong. A person probably beaten up. Not by him of course, that was only when things got really bad.

You only know it happened once while you were together because he came back with bloody knuckles. You helped him clean up. Then you went to bed and had a nightmare that you were dating a man that you promised you would run the other way from.

He laid beside you and you said it.

"I think we should break it up."

He turned over slowly. You thought that maybe he misheard you. And that's why he took so long to answer. But that wasn't it. He took more than a few moments. Then he let out a shaky breathe which broke you even more.

But he didn't say anything. That made you finally turn to face him. The two of you faced each other in bed like that for what felt like seven lifetimes. And you held eye contact for all of it.

-

You finally meet his glance. It's hardened. Unlike the man from before. The man you broke up with, the man you ran from because you were falling in love with him even though you wanted no part of his lifestyle.

"Say that again for me." he says.

"I need to marry you." you repeat.

He ticks his head to the side. Like he's taking it in again. You bite the inside of your cheek. Waiting for his response was like hell. But you imagine what you did to him was hell too.

"You don't want to be part of this life." he said.

"I don't, but I'm sure as hell not marrying Brock. I trust you."

He hums to himself. It makes you want fold into yourself. You had never thought you'd be here, asking him for a marriage. Not after how you left him. Not after what you heard about what he did after.

Bucky nods to you, which you don't understand fully. You think he wants you to leave. That you pissed him off maybe. So you stand up from your seat.

As your turn for the door, you feel him grip onto your arm. Not tightly. Just enough to stop you. And if you really wanted to you could keep turning and be out the door. That's how gentle his touch is.

You look down at where he's touching you. Then you look up at him.

"Bucky?"

Your eyes go wide as saucers as he drops to one knee. He looks up at you now. His eyes boring into yours, and a small smile etching onto his face.

"Marry me."

[docholligay]

I wish this movie had come out when I was a kid, because it really would have spoken to me. I think that's why I like it so much as an adult, too!

I was an odd kid in a large extended family that was tight-knit and I had aspirations far beyond my station. I wanted to learn to cook gourmet food, I wanted to go to London and Paris and eat meals with white tablecloths and fine manners, I wanted to see art and opera. All of these things were, to my larger family, ridiculous. It wasn't that they didn't love me, but, I think, in a sense they were afraid i was going to leave them behind. I wanted a world that was completely different from the sort of dirt-scratch prairie life I was born into--which I also love!

But when In was a kid, I didn't realize that it doesn't have to be one way or the other. They, I think, didn't either, and so it was silly, and stupid, and funny, that I wanted to do all these things. Didn't I know where I was from? I was never going to sit in the Ritz, and so it was stupid to try and I should give up now and I look kinda stupid with that teacup.

They were wrong! I've done everything I said I was going to do, and I became the person I wished I was, and I can still skin a deer and load a rifle to top it all off. But this idea of wanting more, on an artistic level, wanting things that were demeaned as snobby, wasn't something I felt a got a lot of. I guess Belle? From Beauty and the Beast? But she wasn't interested in growing her skills or anything in an artistic sense, she just liked to read. So I didn't take to her really at all. Ariel, I guess, but I didn't want a dude. I wanted to TRY things.

Anyway, all that to say I love this statement. A very important part of cooking is the continual fucking up. I do it all the time! I live to fuck up! That I was born to a family where I was literally the first person on BOTH sides to go to college and the first one on both sides to set foot in a non-Canadian country since my family moved here, doesn't matter! All it takes is work and a willingness to be wrong! A willingness to eat a really bad meal sometimes! A willingness to cry in the corner of a French train station because you don't know how trains work and the guy in the information booth was really mean to you about your shitty French!

Imagine what you could do if you stopped being afraid. Imagine what you could be.

I would love to go back to that weird eight year old and go, "They're wrong. But they're wrong because they're afraid you don't think they're enough. It's complicated and you'll get it more when you're older, also, you are going to have tea at the fucking Ritz someday. You're going to drink wine at a cafe in Paris. Don't worry about it."

[add1ctedt0you]

What a plot twist you were. [x]

[seventh-district]

7am, eating cold leftover teriyaki stir-fry for breakfast and crying over blorbos

[nostalgia-tblr]

What do English people call a close? You know, the stairwell bit where all the flats are in a tenement? If you go to visit someone at their flat, what do you call the bit where you wait for them to answer their door? That communal stairs… area?

("Modern AUs don't require research" MAYBE IF YOU'RE ENGLISH THEY DON'T 😭)

[icecoldbeauty]

Well that just makes the scene even more confusing, don't it? Almost feel bad for the boy, must've been so confused, I know I'd have been! And I agree, really. The world could use a little more happiness in it as a whole, it feels so dreary these days, like less people are smiling than they used to. Unfortunately business people like that do make it a challenge sometimes! That's pretty much why I quit the League. All of that draining and soulless business work wore on me so much harder when professional battling was already beginning to stop feeling fulfilling. Day in and day out- spend all of it battling, and when not doing that, put up with all the business nonsense instead. I'd already spent roughly two decades doing that- couldn't let the rest of my life be wasted that way too when there was more I wanted to do, and I was only going to be young for so much longer. So I up and left. I think it would've been even more soul crushing and harder to leave if I ever had gone for champion, so I'm glad I didn't. Really, more people should stop and think it through a little harder before that kind of a decision. It's not the all that and then some that society will try and make it seem- especially to women. You've no idea how annoying it is telling people about that decision and then them trying to convince you to reconsider, or saying you'll change your mind someday, or acting as if you're wrong and lesser for it. I've long since stopped talking to all the people that ever acted that way toward me about it and haven't felt a twinge of regret, change my mind once, or felt less of a woman for it, so goes to show what they know. I don't think you should worry too hard about it, though. You're still young, you'll have plenty of time down the road before you need to sit down and think over this kind of thing and make that decision. Got a lot of life ahead of you, you shouldn't rush it that much! Enjoying your youth is important, Arc knows I wish I hadn't wasted as much of mine as I did. And of course, correct that guess would be! I've only ever trained one Pokemon that isn't Ice-type, but I'm convinced that only a crazy person would say no to a goofy little Slowpoke crawling up to you wanting to be your friend. I never quite got around to visiting Galar- I'd have loved to meet Melony. I've made friends with just about every Ice-specialist on my travels! Suppose maybe someday still, I'm not totally decrepit yet after all! Galar's one of the only regions I've heard of without an Elite Four, which I do find somewhat fascinating. A lot of the champions workload beyond battle would rather frequently get shared between us, pretty much anything that it wasn't crucial he specifically tended to. Since we were also very prominent figures for the region I suppose it made sense to have us help out. Stressful just imagining having to take on the full amount of that solo instead of just helping with parts of it sometimes...

Oh yeah wait you're too old to know what inkay games is my bad

Oh, please, I’m only twenty-three.

[ he’s not old. don’t make that mistake again. ]

—💎

[dracolizardlars]

Sorry this is completely random but Fates could've gone a long way towards fixing the fuckedupedness of Corrin x Hoshidan Royals S-Supports by making the very simple, tiny change of having the revelation (ha) that they don't actually have the same father moved to their respective A-Supports... Like I would have still not really agreed with the concept but honestly that would make so much difference lmao... Like ok you find out you're not biological siblings and then you potentially HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT TIME between unlocking the next support for your relationship to change with this person and to start seeing them in a different way... It's not a lot better, but obviously devs were determined not to break the rule of the player character being able to marry ANYONE (so long as you're being heterosexual of course, incest is fine but god FORBID you be gay with anyone except our few pre selected Queer Characters™)

[keeps-ache]

the worst thing that has come out of me losing every art file from this year is that i can't just eyedrop palettes now. the world is agony

[guidingthulite]

the fun part about me finally watching yokai gakuen is that when i watched the movie like 3 years ago i joked about jinpei having comphet but guys. i don't think it's a joke anymore

[girlivealwaysbean]

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vent