#but some of that may come from growing up in a family that likes spicy food
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broke-on-books · 1 year ago
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theladybrownstarot · 4 months ago
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MONTHLY-READING
2024 August 2024
Pick a card reading~
Here's my masterlist for more!
Make sure your like/follow/reblogg for more pacs like these !
Pile 1. Pile 2. Pile 3.
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Pile 1 .
Namaste pile 1 ! Let's begin with your reading:
The month of august is going to be the month where you will be working hard a lot , the results will come as per your expectations but the process and fruition will be slow , there's so much of patience and dedication coming up from you . This month is really good for some new plans and project for sure which will lead to completion.
i don't know but I'm sensing people have sleep issues , anxiety , stress and over-work hitting up for this pile a lot . Make sure you don't overdo anything and do much at one time I guess that was the reason why slow process was hitting up because you are understanding your situation's intensity or things around you .
But from all this you are being warned to take thigs slow and take care of your mental health because there will changes in the path way you are walking on , for ex- you were doing work which was urgently needed although you had time you went to rush in and later got to know that some changes had to be made or need to be , That's why be slow and take steady and cautious steps .
especially take care of your back , shoulder and legs a lot these month , not to consume very spicy food in this month . Number 10 and 7 was prominent in your reading , bye bye take care !
Pile 2 .
Namaste pile 2 ! Let's begin with your reading:
The month of august is going to be good just don't take a lot on your head , good time to set up any new business or project plans because the potential of getting it succeeded is really high and good .
I see some people picking up new habits or hobbies for themselves to grow themselves and also that the very urge too just you know like the feeling- I Will Do It now! Enough is Enough !
If people were going to appear for any job interview then good chance of getting job is there but only thing that is stopping you from getting is your negative thinking and nothing else .
I sense people here working on themselves like giving time to themselves and things like spending time to make their skills improve and grow overall majorly working on yourself with context to work . I sense some kind of online or work related to communication or something familiar in the reading but whatever it is you are going to get the answer to your question soon , number 8 was prominent in your reading , till then bye-bye and take care !
Pile 3.
Namaste pile 3 ! Let's begin with your reading:
The month of august is going to resolve some kind of family conflicts or may be those who are in a relationship might face some problems within because some things were hidden . I see family union or marriage on the cards for sure .
I'm also getting that you will be having some premonition dreams like knowing things before you know or I sense that you might have scary dreams or dreams that will open solutions for you for your problems or might be leading you to dig deeper regarding something you want to.
I sense that you had been working on your deepest aspect of yourself like again going through things that made you scared and anxious but after you will be thriving in it .
I sense that you had be traveling abroad soon mainly i see is that of education purpose and rest that is according to you but yes travel card is strongly . I can see good time in education too coming up for students . Just don't fear and let your past take you off from your current path , 18 and 8 was prominent in your reading , till then bye-bye take care !
──⭒─⭑─⭒────⭒─⭑─⭒──
©️ @theladybrownstarot 2023 all rights reserved. Any stealing or copying of work will be a punishable offence.
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pharawee · 6 months ago
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Back in May I bought Khemjira's Rescue on meb, happy that there finally was an official English translation because I love horror and actually liked the first pilot teaser for Spirit Reborn - even though it wasn't well received.
I now know why the teaser wasn't well received (the official version has since been deleted and there's only some re-uploads left) and I agree. Khemjira isn't really a classic QL where the story centres around two people falling in love. It's a horror novel first (and the novel's content warning is very open about this). Much of the romance only happens in the bonus chapters. It's also steeped in Isan folklore and Theravadin Buddhist teachings and virtues, with heavy and uncompromising themes of karma, rebirth, right action and non-attachment (which I really appreciate but might not be everyone's cup of tea because it completely ignores concepts of justice and revenge).
The novel itself is translated really well with only a few editorial slip-ups but tons of footnotes to explain potentially unfamiliar concepts and give translations for the recited khatha. The bonus chapters are plentiful and rewarding if you're into romance and the usual level of BL novel spiciness, but even without them the narrative flows really well and comes to a satisfying conclusion. I really liked the novel - it might be my favourite right after I Feel You Linger in the Air - so I was slightly apprehensive when Mandee announced that they had acquired the rights for a new adaptation.
I don't know the actors at all so I only have the novel to go by, but all in all I'm really happy with Mandee's pilot teaser. It's so close to the novel that even seemingly short filler scenes are recognisably taken from moments in the story. And while I still think Keng Harit is a bit too young as Por Kru Parun, he manages to capture his commanding and alluring presence very well.
My only worry now is that they'll downplay the religious themes in order to elevate the romance between, well, basically everyone. I couldn't even blame them though, because most of the audience will be expecting romance, and the series probably wouldn't be very well received if both couples remained chaste until the very end. I don't think Khemjira's Rescue even qualifies as slow-burn for reasons I'll explain a bit later (and behind a spoiler warning).
But first, a bit more about the main characters because I've seen some confusion about their names etc. I'll keep these as spoiler-free as Mandee's pilot teaser was so if you've watched that then you're all set.
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Khemjira is cursed, as are all male descendants of his family, doomed to die before their 20th birthday (the series changes it to 21). His mother gave him a traditionally female name to confuse the curse but to no avail: as he grows older he's more and more troubled by the heavy and malevolent presence of spirits. These are kept at bay by an amulet given to to him by a venerable Por Kru (a practicioner of Buddhist white magic) but when that's no longer enough, his friend Jhet introduces him to his teacher Por Kru Parun who lives in a small Isan village. Despite the burden of bad karma, Khem is a good person who always tries his best even when he feels like giving up.
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Por Kru Parun (the series calls him Karan) is a respected practicioner of Buddhist white magic. He lives in a traditional wooden house outside of a small Isan village and protects his community from spiritual harm. He learned from his grandfather (who was himself a respected Por Kru) and also spent many years ordained as a monk. Because he lives by the precepts (which go beyond the five precepts of laypeople) he seems detached and aloof, often wearing dark sunglasses so others won't get charmed by him. His real (nick)name is Peem but he only starts using it with Khem once the two get romantically involved.
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Jhettana and Charnvit (aka Jhet and Charn) are Khem's best friends. Khem meets Jhet during freshman orientation when Jhet senses the malevolent spirits around him. It's also Jhet who suggests visiting his teacher Por Kru Parun in his home province. They do this during a university excursion. This is how they meet Charn who's part of the student trip and very suspicious about what they're doing. Charn is extremely polite, addressing everyone as Khun. He wears glasses to aid his bad vision. Both Jhet and Charn are extremely protective of Khem, choosing to become Parun's students in order to help save him. They're also the secondary couple with a surprising past connection.
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These two boys are Thong and Ake, Parun's spirit servants. They're the ghosts of 12-year-old twins that already served Parun's grandfather. They also have a surprising role to play in things to come.
SOME SPOILERS FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE NOVEL
As for why the romance can only happen after Khemjira's curse has been lifted: as practitioners of white magic, Parun and his students Jhet and Charn have to adhere to the precepts. These include abstinence from unchastity, so they should remain non-attached to thoughts of sexual and romantic nature. If one of these precepts is broken, all of them are considered broken (which makes it impossible to practice white magic) - Khemjira's rescue would fail if any of them got involved romantically. Parun knows that he's mindful enough to remain non-attached until the curse has been dealt with. He also knows that he can't expect the same of Khem so he refuses to take him as his student (which is fortunate because that way we get to read about Khem's pining).
And beyond the horror and the romance, there's also a third element that heavily features in the story: rebirth. All of the characters' fates are interwoven through several past lives, and I'm really curious how Mandee will decide to tackle this added layer of complexity and identity. In The Sign, Idolfactory used the same actors througout every past life (while 1000 Years Old used different actors with the same identifying birth mark). In Khemjira's Rescue the past identities of some of the characters are incredibly important and I'd hate to see them getting erased by using the same actors to better fit with BL marketing. It was so rewarding to find out that Jhet and Charn were starcrossed lesbian lovers in a past life and I'd love it if they kept that reveal for the series as well.
Oh, and also? Yes, there's going to be at least one naga. 🙌
END OF SPOILERS
Ultimately, if Mandee truly commits to playing the long game and doesn't simplify the story in order to appeal to marketing opportunities, this could end up being one of the best Thai BL series to come. From what I saw, the actors can definitely pull it off, and the fact that the 11 minute long trailer focuses so much on novel-accuracy is very promising already. Just don't have Parun and Khem get it on too early. Sometimes you have to keep it in your pants for a bit in order to save the day. 🙏
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soapoet · 1 year ago
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Who hurt you?
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like & rb if it resonates ♡
01.
Shufflemancy: Feelings by EMELINE
This connection could've been so good and had so much potential to last, if it weren't for their near Machiavellian villainy. A power couple is not a dynamic between the crème de la crème who out of the blue and without warning shifts to through their words and actions make the other feel like a foolish peasant who couldn't possibly know better. To treat another like royalty then knock the crown they themselves laid atop your head down seemingly for no reason. Never at all cautious with their words, and worst of all entirely unreceptive of any feedback. Once told they have crossed the line, instead of compassion and asking for forgiveness, the music swells as they justify and explain as though you are but a child, merely overreacting, too emotional to understand and ought to see it from their high and mighty perspective. A person supposed to love you and be worthy of your trust talking down on you from their throne, and in their eyes you see only a heart cold as ice, unrelenting and certain that criticism is a threat and must be stricken down no matter how they claim to love you in the very next breath.
Now, however, they are really feeling the void you left behind when you walked away. For many of you this departure was originally a back and forth, in which you always wound up caught in their net, then escaped, only to be pulled back again. The final time you walked out they did not even flinch, certain you would come back again as always. Time crawled onwards and you were but an echo of the past, slowly fading, and the more days and weeks that flew by the more the feeling of defeat crept up on them. They tried to run, they tried to hide, denying that they had been abandoned. They filled their days with cheer and diversion, perhaps in part to appear at ease upon your return, though mostly because your silence had become deafening and so very frightening.
They're beginning to grow uncomfortable by the tightening of the noose they placed around their own neck when they hurt you. They feel choked up, and in panic they may be lashing out and casting blame everywhere outside of them and treating others poorly. A short fuse breaking their picture perfect image as they rampage at the slightest inconvenience. Unfortunate are those who bear witness to their disgrace and dishonour, but loyal in their steadfast duty to remain at their side knowing that though they're whipped there is good left and needs cleansing to be set free. This seems written in the stars. An important lesson for them to learn and take to heart. To face their shadow boldly and cut out the pieces that serve neither them, others, or the world. A purge is happening, in which they must overcome their own terrors and transmute them to light and make right the wrongs of the past. This can take some time, but you may hear from them, but not until the apologies are sincere and forgiveness may be bestowed upon them truly.
Additional details: substance abuse, red and orange, spicy food, birds (jays and chickens in particular), pigs, hedgehogs, discord servers and other groups of people (guilds and factions, group chats, etc.), upbeat music, travelling, blocked, disgust, unhealthy push and pull, twinflame terminologies, church, large gatherings, parties, family, parents, ex partners, LDR, Capricorn/Scorpio/Aquarius/Pisces, Pluto/Mars/Moon, 4H/5H/8H, January/April/September/December.
02.
Shufflemancy: Someone you loved by Lewis Capaldi
It really felt like the rug was pulled from beneath your feet. Out of nowhere, no less. You were lead to believe everything was good and fine and sudden the image shattered overnight, leaving you cornered in a room full of broken glass. Paralysed, shaking from anger and hurt and with no escape. It can seem as though your whole life was turned upside down. Like you no longer knew what or who you could trust. The burdens so much heavier on your shoulders as the whip cracks, signaling demands for you to run, run faster than ever before, with no direction other than "away". A door slammed in your face with a pocketful of change and the rains cruelly pouring down on your parade.
But, it had been alright. Right? Scrambling to figure out where things went wrong, at what part of the journey did you stumble away from the path, where did you stray? A search for answers yields only more questions to keep you up at night. Replaying the past like a favourite record, coming to find you no longer remember the lyrics and no song sounds familiar to you. What has become of this person? In your mind they are growing blurry though you hear their words so clearly. Afraid you'll forever be haunted by them and their cruel words and schemes. You look to other people who bore witness to this crime and find wolves in sheep's clothing in every previously kind smile, who now look upon you with disgust and turn away. You've never felt so alone and hopeless, forced to limp away to lick your wounds in the dark where hopefully nobody will find you and hurt you again.
Perhaps little birdies whispered in their ears, long enough to fuel any resentment held within to erupt in your face. Somebody who used to care and be so kind and promised to take care of you, suddenly switching to someone unrecognisable to you. You'll survive, I promise you this, and this ordeal will teach you greater independence so that never will you have to face something like this again. They will journey on with serpents and delude themselves into thinking they did what's right, and one day the little birdies will whisper in different ears to their demise and they will find themselves in your point of view. Perhaps then they will realise their wrongs and truly understand. By then you will be stronger and shine brighter, out in the world living a good life, and you will have the grace they did not and accept closure with no ill will. But until then it is okay for you to cry and scream of how much you hate their guts.
Additional details: Instruments, boxes, CDs and DVDs, childhood nostalgia, baby animals, creaky stairs, the smell of petrichor, rings, social work/healthcare, mental health concerns, sleepovers, long hair cut short, striped or mismatched socks, phone calls, short distance travel, siblings or cousins or other relatives your age, colleagues, brown/green eyes, trinkets/charms, exes and authority figures, Cancer/Sagittarius/Leo/Aries, Sun/Ascendant/Mercury, 4H/6H/11H, February/October/November.
03.
Shufflemancy: Famous last words by My chemical romance
This was messy from the very start. You may think now that, surely, this should never have happened at all. Retracing your steps wondering how and why and where you took this strange and awful detour. And why did it leave you so broken? At the time it was not supposed to be so serious, it was fun and games but you began losing every round. No matter the strategy you could simply never win and it was becoming no fun at all and you wanted out of the game. Yet they continued to cast the dice of your fate, and you were left hopelessly scrambling for even a semblance of stability. In fact, you were the one to provide such things, weren't you? At their lowest you dropped what you were doing to provide solutions to their problems so that they would not slip into despair. You devoted yourself to their issues, and they not at all to yours. Your grievances were inconvenient at best, frustrating and somehow a thorn in their side at worst. For some of you, this could've been a long-term friendship which came crumbling down out of the blue and left you shattered though it may have had more control of your life than you originally thought.
And after all you did, they did not choose you. Perhaps they chose another, or ran back to an old flame, like a moth towards a brighter light when they were done dimming yours through their words and actions, or lack of either. For some, their regards for you were altered or manipulated by people you could consider foes. This severance of ties was quick and left you shaken, even for those of you to whom this connection was very new still, and looking back had not been given the time to fully grow roots. Yet once it was uprooted, you took it worse than anticipated and you really were left wondering how they grew their vines around your heart and mind so fast. For many, there can be an element of extra grievance in the form of having known somebody in their quarters was a problem or a threat to your union. Like you were certain that the vultures would come to get their picking if you ever turned away for mere seconds too long, so seeing this person run into the arms of somebody you had on your radar despite their hollow reassurances could've exasperated your sense of betrayal. It is one thing to feel in your gut what could come and fear it from afar, and another to see it come to pass just as you had feared.
This was by no means an easy shift, but one which lead you to learn many important lessons. Your boundaries seem clearer now and you won't as easily let them be stepped on. Whilst you picked up the pieces left scattered on the floor, you took extra care to pick up only those that would serve you and your future. Any gossip or ill will you have directed elsewhere and chosen not to dig deeper, knowing you would only hurt yourself returning to the depths of obsession. Now you look for red flags they taught you, while they desperately search for you in those they meet, helplessly needing somebody to run their life the way you did with such tenacity and grace. There is no telling whether they ever will realise that the reason why their world falls apart every other Tuesday is because of their own words and actions, and I pity those who fall trap into the place you once called yours as it does not seem to be a position of any stability and longevity. At least you've come out of this stronger and firmer in your stance of who you want around and what you do and do not tolerate, and I applaud you for that. Should this be an old friend who one day asks for forgiveness, you may grant them that without lowering the drawbridge completely.
Additional details: sunshine, leather jacket, tinder or other dating apps, childhood friends, blonde or light brown hair, puppies, instagram, psychology, roses and sunflowers, photography, cosplay, glow ups, new adventures and experiences, growing up faster after time of hindered growth, university, book series, fandom spaces, tumblr, Scorpio/Sagittarius/Libra/Gemini, Saturn/Jupiter/Uranus/Moon, 3H/5H/9H/12H, March/July/November/December.
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kararomanoff · 2 years ago
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who's your mommy?
This was written by a minor, if you don’t like that that’s okay you don’t need to read.
when Natasha comes over for a week to stay with you and your mom, she learns that you may have had sex with your now ex girlfriend but your hers? Can’t you see that
warning: smut, mommy kink, innocence kink, double sided dildo, legal age gap, pet names(detka means baby in Russian)
this is shit, I apologise for the terrible writing
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its summer break from collage and you where back in your home town for a bit staying in your child hood home.
You had grown up with only your mom and big brother, your dad had left when you where 6 for another woman and it broke your mothers beautiful heart, Natasha had come to stay for a year and a half after the day he left to help as your mom had a depressive episode.
eventually you guys became like a little family, you, your mom, your 11 year old big brother and Natasha. you still remember it, you still remember the day she surprised you by taking you out of school for the day and took you to the zoo and you accidently called her mommy.
after a year and a half Natasha had to leave and go back to New York, you never stopped missing her even to this day at 20 you never stopped, of course you still saw her but only every so often, every few years and every time she saw you it always made her proud for the good smart girl you turned out to be.
but lately she had seen you a bit differently, in a more inappropriate way.
today Natasha was coming to visit you and your mom. There was never really anyway to describe how seeing Natasha again made you feel; nervous or excited or maybe scared which was absolutely stupid cause you loved her and she loved you like a daughter, or so you thought and awhile ago she thought the same thing.
''helloo'' the door opens and you hear Natasha shout, you jump up from your seat running to the front door and jumping into her arms ''NATTY!!!'' you shout in her ear with excitement ''detka'' she replys with the same excitement as she holds you as close as possible, smelling your coconut scented hair.
''Natasha'' your moms voice sounds through the front hall of your suburban house. Natasha reluctantly puts you back on the ground and walks over to your mom giving her a big hug and you can see the giant happy smile on your moms face, happy to see her best friend and that some how made your smile grow impossibly bigger knowing how Natasha had always been there for the woman you gave you life no matter what.
you walk up to them pulling Natasha out of your moms arms ''Natty i want your attention, i've not seen you in foreverrrrr!!!'' you whine
''And here i was going to say how grown up you are but it seems like your just the same little girl who called me mommy'' she smirked making you blush and duck your head.
you offered to take Natasha's suit case up stairs to her room that was left from when she lived there, you had never let her move any of her stuff out, always going into her room when you missed her. but Natasha refused and said she'd take it up because she needed a shower any way.
when she was in the shower you started on dinner knowing Natasha cant cook and wanting your mom to relax but secretly wanting to show Natasha to see your cooking skills. you decided to make her favourite, well what was her favourite last time she tried to make you dinner, which was when you where 6 you had never seen her cook since then.
you got the chicken wings out of the fridge and the sauce you made earlier, you dipped the chicken in eggs then bread crumbs and fried them, next putting the crispy chicken and spicy sauce in a tray to put in the oven.
''mhm baby that smells delicious'' Natasha spoke giving you a fright
''oh natty you scared me'' you breathe, hand on your chest
''sorry little one'' she kisses the top of your forehead, she had always done that but this time it was different, it made you feel different, a way you had only felt once with your ex girlfriend Agatha.
''Natty, you need to leave, its a surprise'' you say seriously
''oh yes, how dare i interrupt the chef'' she says with faux seriousness walking out of the kitchen to sit with your mother at the dinning room table.
you continue to cook put the chicken in the oven and setting a timer. You walk into the dinning room to see your mom and Natasha sitting across from one another drinking red wine, you sit in the chair next to Natasha as you wanted needed to be close to her.
you rest your head on her shoulder, looking up at her ''hi'' you whisper
''hi love'' Natasha whispers back making you smile
''i need to go get the dinner'' you say still look up at her beautiful face
''go get it then honey'' she continues to whisper
''okayyyy natty'' you get up wishing you where still close to her, you hadn't actually seen her in 4 years, of course you had called and text but it wasnt the same and you never wanted her to leave again.
you walk in to the kitchen getting the food out of the oven and put it on plates.
you go back to the dinning room giving Natasha her dinner first, then your mom and finally yourself.
''so how's collage been sweetheart?'' Natasha asks
''gooood'' you hum biting into your food
''she has a girlfriend too'' you mom says unknowing how Natasha would react to that ''mh y/n honey this is delicious'' Natasha blocks out what your mother is saying turning to look at you with a look in your eyes you've never seen before, almost like jealousy but that made no sense why would she be jealous?
''we broke up actually'' you say with a saddened voice
''oh baby im so sorry'' Natasha faked sadness for you, she wasn't sorry, she wanted you, she was going to be your mommy again. ''but i hope there wasn't any touching'' she turns to give you condescending look, you cant reply knowing that there was, but only once.
she picked up on this giving you what you thought was a disappointed look.
for the rest of dinner Natasha practically ignored you and it broke your heart thinking she was disappointed in you.
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it was now 10pm, you, your mom and Natasha had all watched your favourite movie. You had cuddled into Natasha the whole time but she hadn't said a word to you, she hadn't even looked at you.
''imma go to bed now'' you say getting up from your spot on the sofa.
''goodnight honey, i love you'' your mom said
''goodnight mom i love you too........goodnight Natty.... i've missed you and i love you'' and for the since dinner Natasha looked at you, her eyes soft ''i love you too little one''
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you are lying in bed in your favourite pjs that Natasha had got you for your birthday a few years ago unable to sleep knowing Nat was upset with you, you couldn't sleep like this. you get up from your bed and tip toe down the hall till your reach Natasha's bed room door, debating where to knock or just to walk in, you decide on just walking in in case she is sleeping.
when you walk in you are surrounded by the sound of panting, you frow your brows ''Natty are you okay?''
''fuck'' you here her mumble and see her head pop out of under the covers, you start to laugh and Natasha's face changed from a worried one to a confused one ''what, what's funny?''
''Natty! your hairs so messy! what the hell where you doing?'' you giggle, Natasha smiles seeing that your still her innocent little girl.
''i was just thinking about you baby girl'' that was true she was thinking about you she may just have been........ touching herself at the same time
''thinking about me makes your hair crazy?'' you continue to giggle
''it makes lots of things crazy detka''
''can i come into your bed natty?'' this was her shot, in all honesty she came this week of course because she had missed you but really because she needed to touch you, to have you, it wasn't a want anymore.
''of course you can sweetheart you don't even need to ask'' with that you get in to her bed, cuddling your head into her chest. ''how did you and your girlfriend touch honey?'' she speaks after a minutes silence and you blush yet again '' was it like this?'' Natasha cups your pussy with her already wet hand that was covered in her juices.
she watches as your face scrunches up ''Natty....what- what are you-'' Natasha cuts you off ''teaching you who you belong to princess and calling me mommy'' she says pulling your pj bottoms down as you whine.
''no panties?''
'' Aggie said it was bad to wear panties''
'' well she was right baby but you still wore your pj bottoms, you should do that because if mommy thinks you need her it'll be really hard for mommy to help you'' she rasps
'' 'm sorry mommy'' you squeaked as she started to rub her fingers against your clit
'' its okay, Aggie was mean and didn't tell you that but mommy did because im nice and i want to be able to help my baby'' Natasha speeds her fingers up making you moan as she lies between your legs teasing you. ''mommy is going to show you soooo much love tonight, you have no idea how long mommys waited to have you here'' Natasha then takes her fingers of your clit to see how you'd react, she wasn't going to let this be over fast, she had waiting to long for it to end in 2 minutes.
''mommy wh- why did you stop?'' you voice shakes needing to feel her against you again.
''awww do you need mommy to make you feel better, to fix the feeling in your tummy?'' she teases as she gets up walking over to her dresser and stripping
''yes mommy please, please please fix it, it hurts. i need you mommy'' you beg relentlessly just like she imaged you would.
she was turned away from you so you couldn't see what she was doing, she open one of her drawers pulling something out and after a few seconds turning back around.
''mommy whats that?'' you ask in fear as you stare down at the two sided dildo, the smaller side already inside of her.
''its whats gonna make you fell better dove'' Natasha climbed atop the bed pulling you down by your open legs ''this is gonna hurt a little sweetheart but i promise that in a few minutes you'll feel amazing, okay?'' she was worried for you but far more excited to ruin you and make you all hers, her little baby.
she starts to slowly push the head of the strap inside of you, making you let out a scream ''honey you need to be quite for mommy'' she whispered hoping that put it in your head to be quite.
once half of the strap is inside of you Natasha starts to take it out only to then thrust the entire length into you
she watched in pride as you bite your lip to stop your scream and tears streamed out of your eyes ''such a good girl for mommy, i promise it gets better'' Natasha's voice is surprisingly soft. she starts to very slowly thrust into you, loving all the noises of your cute little whines.
''mommy can i have more please?'' you moan into her ear, how could she say no to that. Natasha starts to thrust recklessly into you “mo-mommy mhm I-“ you moan
“Gonna cum all over mommy’s cock huh?” She rasp as she feels the coil in her stomach and brings her hand down to play with your clit
“mommy it to mu-much” you whine “feel like imma explode mommy”
“it’s okay baby explode for mommy” she thrust, look down to see you squirt all over her dick “such a good little girl” Natasha hums
“mommy- to much now” you cry after your orgasm is over as Natasha continues to thrust in to you at an outrageous speed.
“mommy need to cum to honey so be a good girl and lie still and let mommy use you as her fuck toy” you whine but do as told wanting to do what Natasha asks of you
“who’s your mommy?” Her voice is lustful as she gets herself off using your body
“you” the whispers falls out of your mouth
“who own you baby? Aggie?” She growls at her own mention of the woman
“no you own me mommy”
“fuck” Natasha groans as she finally cums riding out her high and pulling out of you, then taking the other end out of herself. Natasha climbs into the bed pulling you into her arms
“you mine now baby girl and no else is going anywhere near you”
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projectbluearcadia · 1 year ago
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[P1] Your Blood, Your Heart
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[ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ] [ Part 4 ]
So I played the vampire event on Lonely Devil. And y'know I thought, "Hmm… Vampy Luci. SPICY."
[ Story Premise - In which all of the brothers are pureblood vampires, and although Lucifer has been protecting you, he loses himself to carnal desire, demonus and the thirst for blood. ]
Note: The other three parts are marked NSFW.
Wordcount - 1047
It's been difficult for you, living among the seven Pureblood brothers, but it could be worse. Among other things, it doesn't seem like Lucifer is interested in your blood, and he's been protecting you on the condition that you do what he tells you. You were initially reluctant, but as it turns out, most of the time he just wants you to do little chores. Alright, fine. Do your share, and you're safe. Pretty fair trade. 
Maybe that's what made you think Lucifer wasn't interested in your blood, that he was too "proper" for it. He certainly acted like he didn't want it, instead preferring the iron-enriched wine supplied to the family by Diavolo. 
How utterly naive of you.
---
"MC, what are you doing awake at this hour?" is Lucifer's first question as he sees you cross through the living room, the moonlight cutting beautifully through the window to illuminate the vampire's unreal features. There's a wine glass in his hand, a half-empty bottle of Lucifer's favorite Miel de Sang casting a deep red glow onto the coffee table. 
"Couldn't sleep," you answer sheepishly. "Sorry. I went to the kitchen to heat up some spiced milk." You gesture to the warm cup in your hand, and Lucifer sighs. 
"Well… you may as well come join me. I could use some company right now." The request sends you stumbling. Lucifer? Company?
"Are… are you okay?" you ask as you come to sit next to him. Lucifer looks straight in front of him before he rubs the bridge of his nose. 
"No, I'm not. As if my brothers weren't enough of a handful, those damn werewolves in Purgatory Hall won't stop howling every morning. And then there is also the matter that my favorite drama was canceled yesterday on account of the director's illicit affair with a vampire hunter…" Lucifer lets out a long groan.
"It's just one day," you try, giving him a tentative pat on the back. "Out of thousands. I guess it's more like trillions for you, but…" 
"I appreciate it, MC. And… thank you for always doing what I ask. It helps a lot." Well you weren't expecting that.
"Oh, uh… thank you?" Lucifer chuckles.
"Isn't the response normally 'you're welcome'?" You drink your milk awkwardly. 
"You're being nicer than usual, so I'm off my game." 
"Well, while I'm being nicer, your perfume is lovely today. It's not as overpowering." 
"I thought you said it should be overpowering," you reply unsurely as Lucifer pours himself another glass, and the muted stench of iron comes to greet your nose. Alas, it’s a smell you’ve grudgingly gotten used to.
"To deter my brothers, yes. But you're alone with me right now, so there is no need." 
"And you like the smell of my perfume?" 
"I gave it to you; do you really think I'd give you a perfume I didn't like myself?" 
"Fair point." You finish your milk a little quicker than you'd like, but you'd rather not indulge in the awkwardness any longer than you have to. 
"Hey." You shiver as you stand with your back turned to Lucifer. You're not allowed to leave yet; you disobeyed him. That's what this feels like. "Before you leave…" His voice growing gentler makes you turn, bemused, to see him fiddling with his glass, his eyes just barely averted from yours. "Can I… Have a hug?" 
What? 
"Is… that a command?" you ask hesitantly. 
"No. It was just… it was just a whim. That's all." You hesitate, only because you know that's a lie. This isn't one of his petty little "Bark for me" whims he's indulged in just to make fun of you. He really wants a hug. 
So, what can you do but lean in and give him a nice little hug? And, maybe you like it when he squeezes you back and returns you to the seat next to him. Surprisingly enough, the arms of the cold-hearted taskmaster are quite comfy.  
"Thank you," he mumbles against your shoulder, and you can't resist the urge to fluff his hair. For a moment, you worry that he'll rebuke you, but he doesn't seem to mind. "I think I'm touch starved," he chuckles. "I like… the feeling of your hands too much." 
"Well, you have had a lot to drink," you point out, taking that as a sign to stop touching him, but his head is still leaning against your shoulder. 
"Mm. I haven't had enough to drink tonight."
"Enough? Lucifer, I'm pretty sure you're wasted. You just asked me to hug you." 
"No… no…" Am I going to have to lug him to bed? you wonder with an impending sense of trepidation. "My throat is so dry that it feels as if it’s going to stick together and close when I speak." Lucifer lets out a slow exhale. 
"Is that wine really that dry?" It’s a joke, but you're getting the distinct feeling you should have already taken off running, but is that safe? Safer than just staying here and hoping for the best? 
"It's sweet, just like a ripe fruit, but… the taste isn't quite as resplendent as if I had bitten through the skin and eaten my fill." Yeah, you should run, but his lips are against your neck like a sharpened blade. His every word thrums through your veins, sending your fingers twitching and fidgeting. Fight? Flight? How about freeze?
"Lucifer?" you whisper. "I'm not a fruit, so please don't bite me." His lips part, and every last one of your muscles stiffen. He could kill you. 
"I can't take it anymore, MC," he whispers back, tracing his lips up your neck to graze a spot just behind your ear. "I want to taste your blood, indulging in you just a little bit each night… I want to take my time giving you so much pleasure that the only thing you can do is beg for more of it…"
He lightly bites the shell of your ear, and you twitch as he puts his hands on top of yours, interlacing your fingers. His voice, low and husky, echoes through your being as he loses himself. "You belong to me. I want you to tell me, from your own lips, that you are mine. You can do that for me, can't you?"
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justmeinadaze · 2 years ago
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We're A Family Part 10 (Steddie X You)
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A/N: I had many feels with this one. From this point forward I may start aging everyone up a bit just because I have some ideas with Steddie being girl dads and then Dylan needing them for advice all growing boys need. Im also drooling to get to teacher Steve... We also may throw another kid in there. Idk. Definitely not 6 @sidthedollface2 !!!
Warnings: ANGST and SMUT with a dash of fluff. Reader interacts with her mother which is always fun (I may also be dealing with things personal in this regard that flowed into my writing...), Reader and boys fight! I know! Its a small one though. She mentions feelings from her previous marriage and feeling like she isn't enough. Um...I think that it.
Word count: 4085
“Dada…da…da…”
“I know, sweetheart. I miss them to.”
You and Aurora were sitting on the floor of your bedroom while Dylan laid a few feet away patting the floor. 
“Come on, Ro. You can do it.” She giggled at her brother as she tried to take a step forward before falling back on her butt.
This was the fourth day in a row that the guys hadn’t been home in time for dinner. Eddie had been working late at the shop while Steve had stayed behind at school to work on a project he had due. You missed them terribly but you would never bring it up. They were both working so hard to take care of you and the kids but you’d be lying if you said there weren’t a few times you had some flashbacks to your previous marriage. 
You reminded yourself constantly that this was different. Charlie had always been out on the town with his friends or fucking other women behind your back. Eddie and Steve were both at work. You weren’t allowed to be angry…right? It’s ok though. The guys said tomorrow everything would go back to normal…right?
The sound of your phone ringing startled you back to reality. 
“Hello?”
“Hey! Is my son there?”
“Lynette? No, he isn’t and if he was I wouldn’t let you talk to him.”
She aggressively sighs. “Just like Wayne. So fucking self-righteous. I need to know if he’s going to the hearing.”
“Oh, well, I can answer that. No. Now leave him alone.”
Dylan laughed as you hung up the phone. “You’re so spicy, mom.”
“Yeah, it comes with old age.” He laughs harder as you laugh with him. “You want to watch a movie, weirdo?”
##################
Steve sighed as he quietly opened the front door to a relatively dark house. Like you had been doing all week, the kitchen light remained on illuminating the entryway enough for him so he could see. 
“Hey, Munson.”
“Harrington. You’re just walking in to I see?”
He nodded as he reached for the fridge door, softly smiling at the food you left behind for them. 
“We don’t deserve her.” As he turns back around, he notices Eddie reading the note you left behind. Even though you could text them, you always left a note on the counter giving them a play by play of the evening. The metalhead hands it to Steve as he retrieves a beer and leans against the counter. 
“Eddie and Steve,
Dylan insisted on Chinese food so I ordered you both something and left it in the fridge. He had a good day and even told me about a new girl in his class :P. I think he likes her.
Ro still hasn’t got walking down. Our son keeps calling to her like she’s a dog and all she does is laugh lol She has definitely mastered crawling for sure. I saved the lives of one of your guitars, Ed!
She asks for you guys a lot. At night while we’re watching tv, she’ll point or look around and call out for ‘dada’. She misses you two…we all do…
Eddie, baby, your mom called my phone tonight looking for you asking about the hearing. I told her you didn’t want to go. I wanted to give you a heads up just in case she tries calling you to.
I love you both so much,
Y/N <3 “
“Steve, one of us should at least be here.”
“I know… I don’t know what to fucking do, Eddie. This is a big project for the semester and then I have to still go to work and make money. What about you?”
“I’m working to, man. I have more responsibility now and not just here. I…”, he exhales as he heads for the stairs. “I’m too fucking tired.”
Their hearts break when they enter the bedroom, finding all three of you asleep on the bed. Steve carefully picks up Aurora from your chest as Eddie pries Dylan from your hip, carrying them to their respective areas. 
Without even changing, they threw themselves into bed next to you, pulling you into their embrace as they fell asleep. 
#############
When you woke up, they were both already gone for work. The only reason you knew they even came home was because you could still smell their scent lingering in the sheets. 
For the rest of the Saturday, you busied yourself around the house to make the time go by faster. Eddie and Steve were supposed to come home by 6 but the anger didn’t start to rise until 7 when neither of them had come back yet. Stomping to your phone you noticed a few texts you had missed. Steve said that the group he was working with in his class had some free time so he was going to run to one of their houses to finish up their project and Eddie said he had to work late again but promised he’d be home by 8 at the latest. 
You fumed as you paced in the kitchen. They promised today everything would go back to normal. They told you things were going to go back to how they were so they could at least see the kids before they went to bed. Without thinking it through you grabbed your phone and texted them a response.
“Fuck you both.”
Thirty minutes later, both boys angrily barreled into the house, shocked to find not you but Kierra in the living room. 
“I don’t know what you two did but my sister is pissed.”
“Where is she?”
“She said she needed to let off some steam.”
“Kierra, come on, we know you know where she is.”
Your sister glared in their direction, rising to her feet with Aurora on her hip. 
“Dada. Dada.”, she clapped reaching for Steve.
“I’m taking them to my house to spend the night. Talk to her, gentlemen. Y/N can handle a lot but she won’t put up with another Charlie.” It was their turn to glare, hating being compared to your douchebag ex. “She’s at The Hideout. Bring your shield and swords. My sister isn’t exactly a happy drunk.”
##############
I’m not supposed to be angry. I’m not supposed to be angry. I’m not—” 
You chugged back the liquid in your glass as you lit another one of Eddie’s cigarettes. You imagined you looked pretty pathetic in a dark bar, smoking a cigarette in a shirt and jacket that were two sizes too big but you needed them close to you. Eddie’s jacket and one of Steve’s button up shirts were blanketed in their smells that had you hugging yourself as you tried to push back the tears that tried to run down your face. 
“Man trouble?” Your eyes shoot up to meet your moms as she sits diagonal from you at the bar, ordering a drink of her own as she lights up the cigarette in her mouth. “I swear me being here is a coincidence. It seems Mrs. Harrington and I don’t have a lot to talk about these days. Plus, she spends less time at that country club now that she’s at your house more.”
“Can I just drink alone, please?”, you whine. 
Your mother nods as she takes a sip of the martini that was handed to her. “How’s, um, how’s Dylan?”
“You would know if you bothered to come by or even call.” She looks down as you snap at her, immediately feeling guilty. “He’s doing ok. He plays baseball now and is dead set on teaching Aurora how to walk.”
“Is that the baby’s name?”
“My daughter, your granddaughter? Yes, it is.”
Your mother sighs as she turns to fully face you. “I don’t have a problem with her. I hope you know that. Janet showed me some pictures of her. She’s really beautiful.”
“No, you just have a problem with her mother being together with her fathers.”
“That’s what I’m talking about, Y/N! She has ONE father. ONE parent. How are you going to explain that to her when she gets older. Hell, how are you going to explain it to her now?! I imagine for a toddler that will be extremely confusing. And have you even considered what school will be like for her?! You’re so selfish, Y/N.”
You chugged down the rest of the liquor in your glass as you began to subtly cry. You already felt selfish for being angry with the boys…this is the last thing you needed. 
“Y/N, let me call Eddie to pick you up!”
“I’m not driving, Nick!”, you shouted as you exited the bar.
As you began your trek into the parking lot, your mother’s voice floated from behind you. 
“Y/N, come on. Let me drive you home.”
“Don’t!”, you snap as you turn on her. “Don’t pretend like you fucking care about me now. Don’t patronize me and pretend like you give a fuck about me or my kids! You told Charlie all about my life and things he didn’t need to fucking know which kick started a brand-new custody filing which fucking back fired because even a court so far seems to think my home is better than his! He felt so cornered he took him from school without telling me and got arrested. Did you know that?”
“Did you know that no one makes fun of Dylan at school and most of his friends think it’s ‘cool’ he has three parents? Of course, my son doesn’t care about that. All he cares about is the fact that he finally has men in his life who are there and actually make him feel wanted!”
This was a long time coming. Everything you been holding in was finally spilling out of you and you couldn’t reel it back in. A hand suddenly touched your arm but you didn’t bother turning around. At that moment, it didn’t matter. 
“Y/N, baby, come on.”, Steve murmured before you yanked out of his grasp.
“Aurora may only be one but believe it or not she understands that these two are her father. Biologically, yes, one helped make her but it takes more than that to be a parent but you wouldn’t understand anything about that, would you? I haven’t seen you in almost 2 years and why?! Because I found two good people I love and love me back? Jesus, you’re right. I am fucking selfish! I’m not perfect!”
As you spoke, Eddie and Steve tried to pull you towards the car but you kept fighting to get out of their grasp. 
“Why am I not enough for you?”
Eddie finally stepped in front of you, blocking your mom from your view as he grabbed your biceps forcing you to look at him. 
“Stop! Stop... Get in the car, sweetheart.”
Steve opened the back door, guiding you in before facing your mom. “You know, for someone who cares about how people perceive her, you give off a really shitty image. Maybe it’s time to consider if you’re trying to impress the right people.”
#############
You barge into the house and head straight for the liquor cabinet in the kitchen.
“Fucking child proof...garbage…ugh!”, you whine as you aggressively pull on the child lock attached to the door.
“You don’t need anymore alcohol, Y/N.” Both men were leaning against opposite counters watching you. 
“I’m sorry, Steven, but you don’t get to tell me what to do. I’m an adult—”
“Whose acting like a child.”, Eddie cut you off.
“Said the man who acts like a kid 24/7.” You glare at them as you exhale. “Fuck this. I’m going to bed.” As you tried to head towards the stairs, they both cut you off. “Move.”
“Or what?”, Steve challenged. 
It had been awhile since you saw this version them; the angry version that didn’t mind playing into your attitude with a fury of their own. 
Turning on your heels, you planned to go around the counter through the living room but Eddie cut you off. 
“What was that text about? ‘Fuck you both.’”
“You BOTH promised me you would be home today?!”
“Sorry, honey. Shit came up. It’s not like we’re out on the town or having any fucking fun! Eddie and I are working our asses off!”
“So do I! I work an 8hr shift AND come home to take care of TWO kids alone!”
“We talked about this, Y/N. You knew when Steve started school and I took that promotion our schedules would be tight. You said you were fine with it.”
“Well maybe I’m not! And tight is completely different that not seeing you at all.”
“What do we do then, huh? You want me to quit my job so we can scrape by for the next year and a half? Maybe, Ed can go back to his old position that he hated. At least everyone would be fucking happy!”
You marched outside, slamming the backdoor as you lit a fresh cigarette. 
“Hey! Don’t walk away! We aren’t done.”
“I DON’T KNOW!”, you screamed. Your hands beginning to shake as the tears started to flow again. “I don’t know, Eddie. I-I know I’m not allowed to be angry and I know that you guys aren’t doing anything wrong or anything like that. But I hear Dylan talk and see Aurora search for you…then I go to bed alone and I just…I feel like I did when I was married to Charlie.”
“That’s…”, Steve aggressively sighs as he tries to control his temper. “That’s not fair, Y/N.”
“I know but, fuck. Maybe I am selfish.”
“If there’s one thing you’re not, sweetheart, it’s selfish. Don’t bring your mom’s ignorance into this because what she thinks about you and us doesn’t matter. What I do want to focus on is you’re the second person today to compare us to your ex and I don’t fucking like it.”
“Me either.”, Steve chimed in.
“Y/N, we know you went through a lot with him and still are but we aren’t him. How would you feel if we said something you did reminded us of Emily.” You cringed at the thought. “Exactly. We would never fucking hurt you the way Charlie did and we would never fucking give up on you either.” You made a funny face in his direction so Eddie continued. 
“Baby, he stopped fighting for you the moment he cheated on you. Fucking asshole was so petty he wouldn’t even let the mother of his child and son stay in their home.”
“If he hadn’t done that though, I never would have met you two.” You flashed them a slanted smile as you wiped your eyes. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I sent that text earlier. You know me, I saw red and… I was just so excited you guys were going to be home.”
Your gaze shifted between theirs as something quickly passed through their eyes, something you hadn’t seen directed towards you since living across from them...
 “I’m going to go get ready for bed.” You grin again, tossing the cigarette into the ashtray before swishing past them into the house. 
A hand abruptly grabs your shoulder, spinning you around as lips crash to yours. The many rings on his fingers tells you its Eddie as he pushes you against the living room wall. There’s a neediness to both your energies as he hastily unbuttons your pants and slides his hand under the waistband of your panties, making you moan as he roughly inserts two of his fingers into your cunt. 
You cling to his neck as he sucks on yours, thrusting into you at an aggressive pace. 
“E-Eddie… slow…oh my god…slow down.”
Without a word, he does as you ask, choosing to curl his fingers deep inside of you. Your legs began to shake as you reached down to grip his wrist. You tried to pull at his hair to look at his face but his lips remained attached to your neck. Instead, you searched for Steve, finding him leaning beside you both, his eyes overshadowed with that determination you saw before. 
Tonight, it was just you three and it had been so long since you had been together not just sexually but intimately. You were hurting and so were they. They missed you as much as you missed them and tonight they were going to show you how much. Tonight, the house belonged to you guys and they were going to make you scream their names so all of Hawkins understood you were theirs, no matter what.
You moan his name repeatedly as you cum, yanking Steve’s shirt to bring his lips to yours. As soon as Eddie removed his hand, the other man lifted you into his arms, bringing you into the kitchen and placing you on the island in the middle. The metalhead came around to grip your waist as Steve aggressively tugged off your jeans and panties. 
After pulling you closer to the edge, he threw off his shirt before kneeling, opening your legs wider, and wrapping his mouth around your clit. His motions were just as fast as Eddie, not allowing you much time to catch your breath. Lips and teeth warmed your breast as Eddie switched between the two. 
“I…guys…please…fuck…” You were struggling to form words as they both overwhelmed your senses. The sharp, cold temperature of the granite hit your back as you laid flat against it, thrusting your hips against the man’s face till you felt the coil snap and you came again. Eddie lifted you, placing you on your feet, and turning you so your back was to his chest. 
He fumbled with his belt as he walked you towards the stairs, kicking them and his boxers to the side as you fall forward onto the steps. The man licks his hand, pumping himself a few times before pushing into you as you moan. His fingers clung to your hips as he thrust into you, the obscene sound of skin hitting skin filling the area. 
Footsteps echoed beside you as Steve pushed off his own attire tossing it to the ground. After sliding himself in front of you, your hands grip his thighs for support as you encase his cock with your lips. 
He grunts at the feeling as you moan and bob your head, pulling your hair into a ponytail so he can watch you take him. Eddie falls forward, grinding into your pussy hard as his hands roam your now sweaty body. 
You lift your head, continuing to jerk him as fast as you can, shouting Eddie’s name as you hurtle quickly over that ledge again. He groans as you flutter around him, pulling out before taking you in his arms as he heads for the bedroom. 
Throwing you onto your back on the mattress, he lifts one of your legs over his shoulder and breaches your entrance again as he chases his high. Steve climbs up beside you, licking his fingers and reaching between you to rub your swollen clit. 
“Please…I can’t…again…too much…” They both silently continue what they were doing, lost in you and the moment. Eddie grunts as he cums, thrusting his hips till he empties inside of you. 
Steve takes over as the other boy pulls out and backs away, sliding himself into you before pushing your legs together and turning you on your side. This position had him deeper inside of you then you had ever felt as you gripped the sheets for support, needing to hold on to something as he smacked his hips against yours. 
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw his hand reaching for yours, quickly reaching over to take it as he gripped you tightly. The sound of your whimpers and moans escalated until you couldn’t hold back anymore, crying and shouting Steve’s name into the darkness. His body folded over your own slightly as his rhythm sputtered and he came, rope after rope filling you up. 
The room feel quiet except for your sniffles into the blankets. Someone gently lifted you into their arms and carried you to the bathroom before placing you on your feet by the tub. Looking up, you met Eddie’s soft brown eyes as he smiled, brushing your hair behind your ear. A loud grunt left him as you practically tackled him, wrapping your arms around his waist as you cried into his chest. Steve came up behind you, hugging you as he rested his cheek on your head. 
They waited for the bathtub to fill before releasing you, holding your hand as you stepped inside and immediately tugged your knees under your chin as they joined you. After Steve delicately pulled up your hair, he tenderly ran his palms along your shoulders and down your arms as Eddie cleaned your body. 
“I don’t like this…the silence…” The only reason you knew they heard you was because their movements paused for a moment before they continued. “Please say something.”
“You’re more than enough.” Your eyes met Eddie’s in total confusion. “You asked your mom why you weren’t enough and I know part of the reason you feel the way you’ve been feeling is because Charlie made you believe that to. You’re MORE than enough. You are everything.”
“You’re not selfish for feeling the way you’ve been feeling, Y/N.”, Steve continued after. “We miss you to and the kids. When you said Dylan has been trying to show Ro how to walk more, I panicked like what if we weren’t here when she finally did?”
You sighed as you leaned against his chest.
“We finished our project so I’m done there and, of course, the semester ends next week so I’ll be home more. Maybe next semester, I can cut back on some of my hours at work. Things might be a bit tight but…”
“Maybe not.”
“What do you mean, Ed?”
“The owner of the shop, Scott? He’s retiring after the new year. Part of the reason I’ve been staying late is because… he’s been talking about giving the garage to me.”
“Eddie, oh my god. That’s amazing!” You lean forward wrapping your arms around his neck. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up including my own if he decided against it. But, baby, this would mean I could be home more and we would have more money. Steve could even solely focus on school but knowing him he would insist on continuing to work.”
“You’re not wrong.”, Steve chuckles. 
“But what about music? Corroded Coffin?”
“I can practice more with them to. Sweetheart, I’m not going to become a rockstar in the next year.”, he laughs. 
“You’re already a rockstar to me.”, you smile as you kiss his lips.
################
“Oh hey, look. The entire Munson-Harrington clan came to get you guys AND they seem happy.”, Kierra grins as she opens her door wider to allow you three into her home. “Did you fall on your knees and beg for forgiveness?”
“Eh something like that.”, Eddie laughs. 
“Your mother was at the bar to last night. I’m not sure if she told you that.”
Your sister sighed at Steve’s comment. “I swear to God, that woman can be so…ugh! What did she say, Y/N?” When you didn’t answer, she turned to face you, noticing your eyes focusing on the kids. 
Dylan was holding Aurora’s hand allow her to balance before letting her go. She took one wobbly step forward before falling on her butt and smiling up at him. You sunk to your knees placing yourself a small distance away from her. Your son lifted her up again, holding her hand as he guided her towards you before letting her go. She stood still just for a moment as she looked your way. 
“Come here, baby. I missed you. Give mama a hug?”
You reached out your arms as she giggled before slowly taking two steps forward. She almost fell catching herself on her hands before pushing back to a standing position. 
“Ma…mama!”
She took two more determined steps by herself before falling into your lap. 
“Oh, Wayne’s going to hate that.”, Eddie grinned. 
“God job, Ro.” Steve kissed her forehead as she keened into your neck. 
“Get ready, boys. Here comes the fun part. Running after a toddler around a two story house with sticky fingers.”, Kierra laughed as she wrapped her arms around you leaning her head on the Aurora’s back. 
###############
@adequate-superstar @kalinaselennespeaks
@alienthings @steddieloverrr @manda-panda-monium
@decadentwombatmiracle @katie-tibo @marsupiooo
@local-stoner-bitch @steamystrangerfics @lunatictardis
@adaydreamaway08 @hazydespair @actuallyspencerreid
@moviefreak1205 @waylandmorgernsternherondal-blog
@kik51199 @strngrlytn @idkidknemore @damon-loves-pie
@k-k0129 @micheledawn1975 @eddie86baby
@justmeandmymeanderingthoughts @3rriberri
@sashaphantomhive @chelebelletx @big-ope-vibes
@munsonzzgf @munsonmoonshine86
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balsamfir-fics · 5 months ago
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a hope redefined (part 2)
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Genres: angst, post S1 canon, more angst, romance, eventual smut, established childhood crushes to strangers to lovers, post-pining, becoming machine herald (sort of), dad!vik, political tensions, growing up, the human condition, some fluff
Pairing: Viktor/AFAB Reader
Warnings: series will have eventual smut, mentions of difficult pregnancy/injury/civil war. this prelude mentions spicy activities. she/her pronouns, but no use of YN.
Summary: Viktor shouldn’t be alive.
He shouldn’t have survived the blast of the Council attack, and even if he did his sands of time should have soon run out. And yet here he stands, part man and part machine, in a future he never planned for and an augmented body he never expected to have.
With no template to follow, Viktor forges a new path towards happiness as he grapples with reconciling the man he once was and the man he could become. Complicated as this path may be, he knows better than to waste an opportunity to spend his remaining years with you, the person he’s kept in his heart ever since you were children. Amidst the chaos of an antebellum Runeterra, Viktor finds his freedom, his future, and his family -- retelling these events through vignettes and letters to his daughter.
Chapters: Prelude | Part 1 | Part 2
Chapter Word Count: ~6.2k
Author Notes: Unedited. Threequel and final part to a hope never forgotten and a hope at risk. This can be read independently of its predecessors, though reading those first will better contextualize Viktor and YN’s relationship.
Little bird, my Robin,
I’m not sure if you quite understand what a charming little one you are. I admit your burbling is beyond my comprehension despite my best efforts, but even when you are cranky and tired and screaming at us at the top of your miniature lungs, I somehow manage to find you so precious. (Though, of course, your mother and I fervently long for the days when you will allow us to sleep; I have never known this depth of frustration and I was known, before you arrived, for terrible sleep schedules).
Mama and I, we have had quite the story. I’ll tell you about it one day when you’re better able to understand what I’m saying to you, but for now I want to get into the practice of writing you letters in the same way she had written and saved many for me. I will, of course, be much better than your mother at communicating the contents and intents of each letter to you in real-time, so that you grow up only knowing love and never knowing loss. For now, I write this first letter to you. You’ll learn about the things I will tell you later on again, in history books perhaps or in your studies. But it might be interesting for you to learn about them directly from me, as well, so that you may learn about how the things in history-books tend to have real impact for real people.  
Robins are cheerful little birds, signs of hope and promise after seasons of strife. You, my dear, were born in a particularly difficult season, one that Mama and I continue to live in now. To best explain the story of how you came to us despite all the odds, I suppose I should start at the very beginning.
Now that I think about how I’d like to begin describing these events to you, it strikes me that I’ll likely only give these letters to you when you come of age and maturity; I don’t think these are topics that you should learn when you first become reasonably literate. We will store these in a safe place for you, so that the pages are fresh and strong when you first look upon them; rather than crumbly, yellowed, and strained. 
I digress. Where was I? Ah, yes.
It starts, my Robin, with a disaster that builds into tragedy. In the midst of it all, I was blissfully unaware of what transpired; Mama bears the brunt of the emotional fallout from this time so you must always be respectful to her, because I unfortunately had been quite rude to her in the immediate aftermath of this disaster. I’ve been atoning it for it this whole time, my dear, but I do have a secret: I think you are a large part of my absolution, especially because whenever Mama is irritated with me these days she tends to look at you, see how much you look like me, and is a little less grumpy after basking in your company. Let’s keep it that way, little Robin.
(I fear that your feeding schedule and its interruptions to my rest have left my thoughts unsorted, I apologize for the side-tracks.)
When your teachers tell you about the attack on the council, take care to consider the events beyond words on a page or facts to memorize for a test. We have all been impacted by it, and you are here in part as a result of the things that happened that day. 
It was a tense time. I… was in very poor health, and near the very end of my tether to this mortal plane. Nevertheless, I came to the Council with your Uncle Jayce (who, at them time, was beginning to feel like a stranger to me despite our years of partnership), because he and I wanted peace in a world that seemed to disagree. Imagine! Me, a frail and deteriorating Zaunite, crushing myself under immense guilt, and Uncle Jayce, strong in body and conviction but wavering under the pressures of entire societies. But we were doing what we thought was right; Uncle Jayce had made choices I never thought he would make and we both were seeking the abundant optimism and encouragement we wanted to bring to the world through our research in our younger days.
I’m not sure what they’ll teach you about Jinx. It depends on how the future shapes itself. I’m inclined to think that we are all complex beings that are subjected to chaos both inside us and around us, and even choices we are confident in may have the ability to grow into monstrosities we never anticipated. That happened to your uncle and I; I believe this, too, happened for Jinx.
I’ll spare you the details that you will no doubt learn in school. It was a missile attack, and the outcome was devastating. This was especially so since in those fleeting moments after I spoke to the Council and relayed Jayce’ plans, he and I were filled with that hope we were once so aflame with (and this hope, Robin, was in spite of the anger we incited instantly amongst the Councilmembers). It was radiant, my darling, with the bright light reflecting the explosive aspiration we held in our hearts. As you will know later, of course, everything broke mere heartbeats later. 
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The first thing Jayce noticed was shrill, all-encompassing ringing in his ears. He tried to brush it away with his mind, but his body did not obey this command. Then in a panic he realized he noticed nothing in sight; merely black and grey and clouds billowing. His heart seized; where had he been last?
Finally the picture before him came into focus, in streaks of visibility between billowing, noxious clouds.
The other sensations followed quickly after, assaulting his nervous system with acrid stinging in his lungs, shocks of pain in his body, and the increasing awareness of other sounds beyond the internal ringing. What were those? They were screams of anguish, of pain, and of terror.
As he tried to physically orient himself, Jayce realized he was not where he had been before. Wasn’t he standing? He’d purposely put himself between Viktor and the Council, if only to metaphorically shield his dying friend from the brunt of the Council’s fury. Where was Viktor? Where was —
Mel. Mel! Jayce scrambled to his feet, a feat that took nearly a minute in the confusion but felt like milliseconds. His mind quickly began to sort events into a timeline; he vaguely understood this to be a fight-response, a survival tactic in disaster. There must have been an explosion, judging by the jagged edges of curled steel and broken glass he could see in pockets of clear air. If there was an explosion, it was from outside, given the direction of debris and decay. If it was from outside — Jayce shuddered, all the while staggering forward towards where the window once hang — then Mel had been the first to be hit.
He found her after tripping over objects that should not have lined his path; objects that were pieces of the ornate Council desks, shards of glass, gnarled metal, and also people. He screamed her name, maybe, but he couldn’t hear his own voice. She was slumped over a section of broken desk at an awkward angle, but to Jayce’ relief she appeared whole, if not unconscious and likely severely injured. It was impossible, really, based on what he knew about ballistics and explosives and physics, but he would receive any miracles that the gods would allow. He thought to shake her, but managed to remember that this would be unwise — she might have internal injuries — but he checked for a pulse. With confirmation that she was, in fact alive, he yelled for a medic, before realizing his voice was not the only one doing so. Instead, Jayce then set his jaw and glanced frantically around the room.
The dichotomy between Mel’s relative lack of being harmed and the rest of the room was jarring; the hall was completely unrecognizable and nearly everyone in it had been sent far from their original seats. Then Jayce noticed an odd pattern in the path of destruction; the people closer to the window and the main circle of desks seemed reasonably intact, but the building and furniture in that same radius was most certainly not. Attendants and assistants, most of whom had been standing near the periphery and the elevators, seemed to be in much worse shape (Jayce found his stomach rising in his throat at the sight he saw, but stepped away in time to vomit further away from Mel’s unconscious form); but architectural structures there only saw streaks of soot and flame and far less impact.
A wavering light caught his eye, but he couldn’t be sure if it wasn’t just the reflection of flickering fire or something emanating from the golden patterns on Mel’s back. He ignored this, instead lifting Mel’s body onto his shoulders with as little disturbance as possible. Jayce brought her past the elevators, past the carnage and into an unaffected corridor deeper in the building. He lay her to rest by the wall, whispering for her to stay alive even if she couldn’t hear him, then stumbled back into the fray.
Viktor. He had to find Viktor; no matter what miraculous defense Jayce suspected Mel had mounted, Viktor had already been on the precipice of death.
Jayce first spotted the mangled remains of Viktor’s crutch; scanning that area, he found his friend crumpled beside debris. He quickly took stock of the smaller man’s injuries, wincing at what he recognized as serious impalement, but found Viktor’s condition reasonably safe enough to move out of the chaos. With Viktor’s impossibly thin frame in his arms (and taking care not to jostle the debris embedded into his friend’s body), Jayce struggled back to the corridor. Flashes of the terror around him seared themselves into his mind that night; he later remembered Councilwoman Kiramman lying beneath a frighteningly large panel of destroyed stone, or pieces of Bolbok lying far away from the Councilman’s main frame, but he focused on getting Viktor to safety before returning to assist other less-injured people with rescue.
He rode in Mel’s ambulance, of course, in part because Heimerdinger had materialized shortly after the blast to watch over Viktor. The rest of the evening came only in fragmented blurs; Jayce suspected a concussion, but considered himself to be lucky if that was the only injury he would get away with. He kept Mel’s hand in his and made it a point to be grateful for the fact that it was still warm.  
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The peace we called for was obviously fractious. We hadn’t known then that Silco was no more and that Jinx was behind the attack. Rather, I knew nothing. I only came to later, then promptly entered the darkest fury of my life as I only knew that I’d been betrayed by Jayce through your mother’s assistance. This, in hindsight, I regret, but nevertheless there will always be a part of me that wonders what might have happened if the Hexcore had been destroyed completely — and a part of me that secretly longs for that alternate universe to the suffering so many have endured since then.
Of course, I am now mostly grateful for that ‘terrible decision.’ My mixed feelings do not negate the very real truth that I can be your father today because I was saved by your mother and Jayce. I have decided to not let this gratitude go to waste, but it shall forever be a cautionary tale for others. 
In those first few weeks, Zaunites and Piltovans fought fiercely, though in smaller, renegade groups. We were all fearful that either side would escalate into all-out civil war. It was a very real risk, back then. With nobody sure who started what, and families vengeful for their own fallen, any slight overreaction could have blown up the whole powder keg. We hadn’t known that there were greater threats beyond, but we could only see what was in front of us, what was local. And yet we couldn’t remember, for some reason, the shared origins of our two cities. We only saw the differences and the hurt.
Many people made bad decisions then. In fact, I was quite worried about those that your Uncle Jayce might make with his power and influence. We are lucky he’d chosen to attempt peace before the attack, because even if Jayce struggles to find the right answer, he does, fortunately, try his best. It’d been his decision to offer Silco what he wanted, and in those early weeks, Uncle Jayce tried to hold to that as much as he could even in the face of dissenters. I imagine he was still reeling from his own sins, and trying to hold onto his own hope — or better yet trying to emulate Auntie Mel’s measured stances. Regardless, we had a fragile stability despite many citizens entering into altercations. Or should I say that the ups and downs averaged out to something more even? It seemed that every other weekend we were promised a war between the two cities, and there were many weeks where we came very close. I think it is a miracle that the many battles fought didn’t tip over into much longer, formalized conflict; at least, between our two cities. We knew it would not hold for long, however, and when your Auntie Caitlyn’s mother finally succumbed to her injuries a few weeks later, we were incredibly concerned. 
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You couldn’t recognize the woman before you. What happened to the little sister figure who you’d watched grow up? Where was the fierce, intelligent girl who (like you) sought to break free of the shackles of upper-class decorum and instead work for a better future? No, the person staring back at you from the printed posters around Piltover was someone hardened by loss. It was someone who cut their teeth on the blades of their own hurt, and used their pain to fuel their development.
Caitlin had always been a serious markswoman, but you would never have expected her to rise in the ranks so quickly. How much if her meteoric rise had been due to the absence of her mother’s influence, or her own dogged pursuit of power, you’d never know. She was too young to be a sheriff, you thought. Not because she was immature but rather because she should have had more time to enjoy her twenties. You supposed that there were much smaller spaces for leisure and entertainment in those times; though most life went on as a hushed normal at the surface, the simmering resentments and fears underneath were never far from mind.
While the cities had not yet sought the other’s total destruction, festivals and the like had been cancelled for safety concerns. Fewer people wandered in the streets without company, especially after dark, but people still needed to eat and to sleep and to live, so children likely hadn’t noticed the suspicion and concern in adults’ eyes.
You glanced to Caitlyn’s right, surveying her personal hire to her investigation team. Through your father, you’d heard more about this Violet — or Vi, though you’d never met her. You tried to ask Jayce more about what had happened in the weeks leading up to the Council attack, but he’d been tight-lipped and more concerned with preventing societal collapse. It wasn’t possible to blame him, however. Mel was still comatose, though stable, and you knew Jayce was trying to keep Piltovan warmongers at bay while tamping down his own grief and rage. He slipped every so often, particularly if it’d been a bad day and he’d come back from visiting Mel’s bedside. With Viktor long gone to sequester himself away in Zaun, you took it upon yourself to remind Jayce that the previous undercity was not a monolithic hotbed of crime and terrorism. Heimerdinger tried as well, but he, too, disappeared frequently — and you suspected he had gone down into the depths in his own efforts to rebuild peace.
He certainly had no time to tell you about a former prisoner he’d made a tenuous ally of, much less one that appeared to be the sister of the attack’s primary suspect. You squinted at the poster again, frowning in reflection of Violet’s own conflicted expression. Your gaze flicked back to Caitlyn’s hardened gaze, and you realized that both young ladies were wrought with their own grief. In Caitlyn, you saw the tortured guilt of someone who’d long argued with her mother and now broke under her father’s mourning. In Vi, you saw a clearly uncomfortable Zaunite looking for any opportunity to find the remnants of the little sister she once knew, forced to join the Piltovans who had tried to subjugate her. At least, that was the best you could come up with given the shreds of information you knew on this new Caitlin and this stranger Vi.
You had no immediate sympathy for the woman named Jinx, especially not within the first few weeks after the attack when you discovered Viktor’s dance with death and he lay, unconscious and severely injured, in his hospital bed. But your rage needed somewhere to go, and since you were by no means a fighter, you channeled your anguish into providing aid directly. It was just as well; wealth Piltovans were not in any mood for philanthropic deeds, especially if any mention of Zaun was involved — thus you had little fundraising to do. You stayed local in those weeks, helping the poorer Piltovans who might have been targeted in smaller skirmishes, if only to stay close enough for any news of Viktor’s recovery.
You hadn’t expected the extent of his anger when he regained consciousness, but you’d been equally as furious that he’d hidden his prognosis from you until he was finally on death’s door. Viktor directed most of his fury towards Jayce, who knew the risks involved and the threat the Hexcore posed, but you were still surprised when he decided to move out of Piltover and into the new Zaun in the middle of this odd detente.
On worse days, you blamed the mysterious Jinx for your woes, but over time — and as Viktor’s mood began to thaw — you learned more about her through Jayce’ intel grapevine. Now glancing again at Vi’s tortured expression in a fading Piltovan sunset, you considered the splintering of their sisterhood and recognize the heartbreak in that uncomfortable gaze. Could those two (and their team) accomplish what they set out for? You weren’t quite sure. Jayce insinuated that there was a relationship between the two Enforcers, but you worried that the overlap between their investigatory objectives might wear thin. You wrote to Viktor in his absence, relaying your thoughts, but he’d only given inscrutable references to a former mentor of his who he suspected of being involved with Jinx.
Lost in thought on the steps of city center, you didn’t notice when your adoptive father pulls up beside you. Heimerdinger patted your hand, leading you to jump back in shock, but once you realized who it was and settled your nerves, you picked up on the weariness in his face.
"She’s likely a bright young woman,” he sighed, shaking his head in sorrow. “Her sister, I mean.”
You balked at that. “You’ve met Jinx?”
“No,” Heimerdinger replied. “Prior associates, perhaps, but not her. I—“ He paused. “I remember when our two cities were one, and I’ve watched brilliant young minds in both triumph and fail under the circumstances they never asked for.” His expression grew long at that, and you realized he was thinking of Viktor’s own time under his care.
Your wounds still raw, you bristled. Your father knew about Viktor’s death sentence and failing health, and yet he never deigned to clue you in. He’d given you excuses that he was under Viktor’s instructions, but that hadn’t mattered to you. It shouldn’t have mattered to him, and you felt betrayed by your father’s discretion. He seemed to understand where your thoughts drifted, and remained silent for a few beats more.
“My dear,” Heimerdinger tentatively began again. “I am gravely concerned. There are more threats than those from between our two peoples.” He took your hand in his, patting yours gently. “There are those who would take advantage of our strife to bring both our cities to their knees.”
You told him he was being cryptic, and started for the gates of the Heimerdinger Estate. But his words remained in your mind, always at the edge of your uncertainty and concern, and it would not be till much later that the premonition he anticipated would come true. 
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But never mind all that; by the time you read these letters I hope we will be living in a vibrant, thriving world and not one besieged by war. Thus I turn to the silver linings from that period.
I angered your mother very much when I left for Emberflit Alley. I don’t know if we’ll be living there, or at your grandfather’s estate, or somewhere in between, but I hope that by the time you see this you will have been to my little laboratory in the Entresol. I have many fond and not-so-fond memories there, but all the unkind memories are long in the past now that you are in my world and my heart. Your mama visited me as soon as I allowed her to. I recall that reunion with great clarity; it was a very exciting few days back in each others arms, but after the excitement faded away we were still left to grapple with my guilt, her hurt, and an uncertain future. I sent her away several times after that, and moodily so, so if you end up rather impetuous I might be to blame for that part of your personality (though Mama is as well). Still, we’d been apart for so many years that we couldn’t help but keep gravitating back to each other even when we tried to stay away for safety, self-healing, and individual growth. Your mother says she wanted to have you as early as then, but I was in no shape for that.
You see, the reason I’m alive today is because of a peculiar technology and the greatest sin of my life. You’ll likely have seen one of my Hexcores by the time you read this, but the one I’m referring to was the first — and it was corrupted. I carry deep grief as a result of my stubbornness with that Hexcore specifically, and thus I promise to teach you everything I have learned from my mistakes so that you will never have to experience them.
With this one, something was gravely wrong. We hadn’t known that at the time, your Uncle Jayce and I, and it is only in retrospect that we know about the Void and its corruption of this specific Hexcore. Your papa was very foolish back then, little Robin, but I was also quite desperate. This Hexcore wanted to control me, to use me as its vessel, but at first I’d only seen it as a gift. I realized later that it must be destroyed; I asked your Uncle Jayce to do so but after that disaster — that tragedy — your mother asked him to use it to save me. And so he did.
It became a part of me then, a part of my survival and part of my story. But it couldn’t stay; I knew that it would consume me and then I wouldn’t be the papa you will get to know. I learned many things in those months, because I worked hard to figure out a way to stay alive but be rid of that corrupted Hexcore. That’s where I learned to be a surgeon of sorts, and I studied feverishly to find a way out of my predicament. I also continued with engineering, just like your Uncle Jayce, and through the technology we developed I made Blitzcrank what he is. In Emberflit Alley, I built a great many things to help our fellow Zaunites; some things to clean the air more affordably, other things to make work easier for weak bodies, and more to bring prosperity to those who had little of it. Some of Uncle Jayce’ Piltovan colleagues were not pleased about this, and even some Zaunites (who, you should never ever interact with, little one — stay far away from chembarons and their people, even if they are your fellow citizens) truly disliked my work.
All of this progress, however, was not enough to ease my concerns over the Hexcore. Yes, living conditions improved for others, but I never felt safe with that first corrupted prototype. And if I wanted a future — a real one, not just borrowed time — then I needed to be in control of it myself. So with great effort I replaced the void-touched parts with mechanical ones I built myself. That may sound scary, but living with the Void was much more frightening and I couldn’t bear with myself if it endangered your mother in any way. Besides, if you saw those parts you’d laugh; they were clunky and ugly, but by now they’re much improved.
You may have been told a number of things about that time period. Not everything you’ll hear will be the truth, from either your Piltovan or Zaunite friends and teachers. Remember that you are always welcome to ask me or your mother, and we will carefully tell you the truth we witnessed with our own eyes.
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Viktor was backed into a corner. What madness was this? The little Kiramman girl, emerging from the shadows with a hard look etched into the lines of her face, seeking to take him in?
He figured her investigation had turned up his name; Heimerdinger kept Viktor appraised of the topside Enforcers’ campaign against this Jinx, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before the new sheriff in town connected the man called Singed to both himself and the blue-haired fugitive. It was odd, though, as it had been Caitlyn herself who had provided Jayce and you with a small vial of Shimmer when he stood with one foot through Death’s Door. She would have known about his involvement and his research and how benign it must be, but why would she have been looking for him now of all times, weeks after her campaign was well underway, and weeks after Viktor had sequestered himself in the Entresol with his golem, his tools, and his loneliness?  If anything, Viktor was grateful he’d made it a point to send you back topside when Emberflit Alley became suspiciously quiet. Having you by his side in this specific moment would have been disastrous.
As he surveyed the look in Caitlyn Kiramman’s eye, he knew that she wouldn’t hesitate to put the members of her own circle under surveillance if it would help move along her objectives.  He glanced to his peripherals, noting several cloaked Enforcers circling towards him at the end of the alley. Not ideal, but he would be damned if he was taken in on nothing more than a paranoid suspicion. Now was not the time to be separated from his work in Zaun; with a dogged sheriff on the chembarons’ tails, the innocent civilians of Zaun needed medical assistance without strings attached more than ever.
“I wouldn’t do this if I were you,” he warned, fingers tightening around the latest prototype of his Hexcore-powered staff. (‘It’s a deterrent, not a weapon,’ he’d told you when you first saw it. But he was decreasingly convicted in his own definition; whatever deterrent effect he’d hoped the Hexcore would have seemed not to be working as intended. “I am no traitor, and you of all people should know that.”
“Forgive my inability to take your words at face value,” Caitlyn replied steadily. Her finger remained on her rifle’s trigger; eyes still squinting through the scope. “First you run from Piltover, then I learn you’re one of her—“ The sneer in her voice made apparent to whom she was referring. “—known associates? You’ll need to come with me, Viktor, if you want any semblance of a topside future with Heimerdinger’s daughter.”
He flared up at that; how dare anyone threaten the fragile hope he held onto for decades?! His emotions ran wild and angry, and the Hexcore — damn, he hadn’t yet managed to completely purge his biomechanical connection to it still — responded with its own flicker of crackling energy. Viktor sensed the whole alley tensing at the sensation, and he knew then that there would be no saving his insistence that the Hexcore wasn’t a weapon of destruction.
“I fail to see how I might be a known associate if I’ve never met Jinx,” he replied. It took every bit of his personal pride to keep his temper stable. “So without reasonable suspicion, I believe I will not be joining you.” Movement to his left caught his eye. “And I wouldn’t take another step closer, if I were you,” he warned the Enforcer.
“I have no time to dance, Viktor,” spat Caitlyn. “Lower your staff, now!”
Viktor remained where he stood, amber eyes glaring out at her from beneath the dark fabric of his hood. He kept silent, attuning his senses to the several Enforcers eyeing him warily with weapons raised. He wouldn’t hurt them, not first, and not unless it was a last resort. What he feared was being backed into his final corner.
Caitlyn began to pull on the trigger, a minute movement that Viktor noticed through instinct alone.
So be it. He couldn’t be taken; people needed help and protection, not only from criminals within Zaun but from unwarranted topside aggression. He couldn’t be taken; he needed to continue his work on severing his physical connection to that angry, disturbing Hexcore — months imprisoned would impede any hopes of progress. He couldn’t be taken; his arrest, no matter how unjustified, would irreparably damage Heimerdinger and your reputations by association alone, and he’d worked too hard to let his family, topside or not, be taken from him.
When the Enforcers nearest him lunged, Viktor exhaled, closed his eyes, and allowed the Hexcore to release a burst of pure, radiant energy. Then he ran, ignoring the cries of surprise and fear and squinting past the blinding light he’d unleashed on his adversaries. He bounded past Blitzcrank’s hiding place towards the opening of the alley, beckoned along his golem, and darted into the nearby safe house he’d kept anonymously registered for this purpose.
You’d hear about this, certainly. But Viktor hoped that your faith in him would help you see past the propaganda and widespread fear, and trust in his character. It was a weak hope in fraught times as these, but Viktor hoped nonetheless. 
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Once I was confident that the void was gone from the Hexcore and it could be developed in complete safety, I let Mama stay with me for good, and I stopped pushing her away. She was much happier about that, but we were mostly relieved that I could stay alive, healthy, and strong without the corrupted core. Lots of things happened before then, many difficult things, but I was very happy to be safe for Mama eventually.
Even so, our relief was short-lived. The fragile peace we had was broken by external threats, and many bad things began to happen to everyone in Valoran. These problems are not yet fully resolved, I’m afraid, but everyone in your life is now committed to fixing them for the betterment of your future.
In the midst of the sheriff looking for me and everything being quite scary for the regular people in both our cities, Auntie Mel’s mother was incredibly cross with Uncle Jayce and how he responded to the big disaster. Remember, Robin, Auntie Mel wasn’t healthy as she is now. She was in the hospital, stable but unable to wake or to fully recover, and she was there for many months. Auntie Mel tried to save all of our lives because she believed in diplomacy and peace, and she saved mine even though I imagine many of the other Councillors wouldn’t much care about my life. But while your Uncle Jayce was very angry with Jinx, and very worried about Auntie Mel, Auntie Mel’s mum was even more angry. She wanted revenge, and in Uncle Jayce’ decisions she saw weakness. She interpreted that to be an opportunity; one for her people to exploit. 
It was chaos, little bird. Your grandfather stopped appearing in Piltovan public, too distressed at the warmongering he saw. In fact, your brave grandfather met me often, in secret, to help me care for the injured Zaunites and yes — sometimes Piltovans too — in all the fights that were to come. I, regretfully, had to fight too, as did your grandfather, but we did our best to only do so when the alternatives were worse. I hope that by the time you can read this letter that I won’t need to fight anymore; you deserve a future that lets children play in the streets and enjoy a life without fear.  Where was I? Ah — Ambessa. (That’s Auntie Mel’s mum’s name. I imagine she’ll be in your history books…)
Noxus, where Ambessa and Auntie Mel are from, is a strong but frightening place. I’m lucky I’ve never had reason to visit myself, but they are a rather proud, fearsome people who value strength immensely. Remember when I said that Ambessa saw weakness in Uncle Jayce’ decisions? Whatever Uncle Jayce and his colleagues said was what Piltover was saying, and Ambessa thought that Uncle Jayce was being a bit soft in trying to find the woman named Jinx. As unforgiving as Ambessa is, Auntie Mel is still her daughter; I believe in some sort of way, Ambessa loves Auntie Mel just as much as we love you (although Mama and I will never try to hurt thousands of people for you. You have our promise). Because Auntie Mel was very badly hurt, Ambessa wanted to catch the culprit and felt that a strong military response from Piltover to Zaun was necessary. When Uncle Jayce didn’t do this to the extent she expected, Ambessa brought Noxus down upon our two cities.
This was very scary for everybody; remember, lots of people kept fighting between Piltover and Zaun, too! But of course the most troubling part was that the very rich, very powerful, and often very corrupt were the ones who stayed the most safe through this all; they could afford better medical care or hiding places or all of the above. No, the people getting hurt the most weren’t even the ones behind what happened to me, your uncle, and Auntie Mel on that disastrous day. It was regular people, just like you and me and mum; people who just wanted to eat their meals and enjoy their time together in Valoran like every other day.
In fact, it was humans specifically who suffered most. Unlike your grandfather, or Councilman Bolbok, survival for these regular humans was very difficult. Many sick people were pulled into fights or injured on accident; they often weren’t strong enough to recover, if they didn’t have good health or money or a safe place to live beforehand.
Blitzcrank tried to protect a lot of them, but when I went to these people and helped stabilize broken bones or reattached limbs, it became very clear that what they wanted was their own strength — not to rely on groups with questionable incentives like the chembarons to keep them safe from Ambessa or Enforcers. I started using my new skillset to help them, too, the way I started to mend myself.
Lots of people didn’t like that. People who hadn’t known why I was doing what I was doing thought I was doing very bad things to the people I tried to help; they didn’t understand the benefits of mechanical augmentation and thought I was trying to change people into something they were not. Uncle Jayce was very uncomfortable with it as well, but we didn’t talk much then so I didn’t have to hear him argue with me about it. I was trying to do what he and I wanted all along; use Hextech for the betterment of society. But I understand; progress can be scary and foreign and it was even difficult for us to have Hextech accepted by the public. I didn’t expect most people to accept physical modifications that quickly, but I did often think that many disagreeable opinions were driven by fear and uncertainty.
Mama, you must understand, did the best she could to accept and comprehend my work. She did really well; even if she was unsure about man-machine supplantation, she knew that I was only trying to help people who wanted it. But I made her really mad one day, Robin. I learned a lot that day about how I might perceive my life’s work and discovery, and how others might as well; it was an important experience for me, and I was deeply humbled by her.
Well, I say this now. But I was just as mad at Mama back then. Adults aren’t perfect or smart most of the time, but we do our best. 
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spicyclover · 2 years ago
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Unplanned | Part seven
Summary:  You are pregnant with Mick. It’s not going as planned; in fact, it’s not planned. Everything happens so fast, and everything is chaotic. Mick has a hard time accepting it. You have difficulty realizing that two of you may not be raising this child.
Part one | Part two | Part three | Part four | Part five | Part six | Part seven | Part eight
Hope you’ll enjoy this part. Let me know in the comments section! And to support me by tipping me!
Little information, I will, for now, only post on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Thank you, and Enjoy! :)
Lots of love, xxx Spicy Clover
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“I’m gonna go,” He said, clearing his throat. He scratches the back of his head nervously by putting a hand in front of his intimacy to hide his growing excitement.
The next few days followed, and she felt comfortable at the Schumacher house. Corinna was the sweetest making sure she was comfortable and had everything. While Gina makes her see the countryside of Switzerland. Mick already had a few plans prepared with his friends, and he wanted to cancel, but she clearly said she didn’t mind if he wanted to have fun with his friend, and he did.
They haven’t talked about what might have happened that night, but she doesn’t think she can stop wanting him every night since. To feel him near her, that he loves her. And Mick can’t help but want to fuck her whenever he sees her. He does not understand how she could intoxicate him in such a short time. He is a prisoner of her touch, of her look, of her smell.
He had to leave the room several times, so much so that having her next to him made him crazy. Having to hide in his room like a teenager to relieve himself.
“Stop stealing my houses,” she says, pouting.
“Stop stealing my property.” He answers by pulling his tongue.
“Am not.”
“You are.” He said, leaning his body closer to hers.
“I am not,” She whispers, biting her lower lip.
“My God, I love her lips.” Think Mick looking at her lips with envy. His eyes blackened with the desire to kiss her. To capture her pink lips and kiss them until death followed.
Touch her body and possess it again. Do it sober. To take her there, now, in the family room in plain sight. So that everyone knows that she is his. Just by this thought, his cheeks blush, and an erection begins. She smiles wisely, knowing very well the effect she has on him.
He apologizes and leaves the room quickly. She giggles gently before fondling Angie’s head lying at her feet. She takes her phone and looks at the photos of the last few days. Mick is not present much, but those where he is, are her favourites.
But, there is something or other someone who comes to tarnish this beautiful picture of reunion.
He feels terrible cause he still hasn’t told her that he will be leaving in a few days for Australia with his friend. It was only on the 29th that he came to her room and told her he was leaving a few hours later. She was obviously surprised and didn’t expect him to go this quickly. He was leaving her alone, like most days he did. But she didn’t say much. She was just upset that he wasn’t willing to put her first. But she remembers that she’s not his girlfriend and she is just some girl he got pregnant with. So why would he actually care about her and her feelings? Maybe because they really grew close together during the short time they had.
Mick wasn’t aware of all the thoughts that were entering her mind. Something changed when Nina came to his house with Jake to pick him up.
He met Nina at the party in Abu Dhabi. She’s so different from Y/n. She’s popular and beautiful to most people, really superficial, but she’s nice and doesn’t judge him or anything. They met a couple of times after that, and he liked her. She’s good in bed, and she makes him forget about Y/n.
When she saw her. Running into Mick's arm and kissing him all over. She really felt her heart stop. She wanted to throw up. “How stupid can I be?” She thinks, going back to her room. She didn’t want to see them or anyone, actually. The only thing that mattered was to get out of this house, of this country and away from him as possible. “How could he lie to her like that? Why didn’t he mention that he got himself a girlfriend?”
She didn’t know why she was this upset, but maybe it was because she thought something was between them. Something more than just tension and this pregnancy. She could feel it and see it. She wasn't unaware of the effect she had on him. She was fully aware of all the moments they spent together. He was genially happy and excited. So why didn’t he mention he had a girlfriend?
He left with his friend and his new “girlfriend.” without looking back. He felt terrible because he knew he had broken her heart. He saw her leave with tears in her eyes, and he wanted to go after, to be with her. But nothing is simple, and he can't just be a jerk to Nina. “Then why am I a jerk to Y/n?” He also didn’t tell her he had stopped talking to her because he had found someone else. She cried a bit, but she knew he wouldn’t invest in it that much.
She left on the 30th for Canada, joining her parents for the new year. She spends the rest of her time at the Schumacher in her room, avoiding his mom and sister. “God, she hates their pity looks.” Only thanking Corinna and Gina, who had sad eyes, feeling bad for her. She promised to send a few pictures after the new echography. She didn’t say much when she came back to her parents. She spent the entire new year looking through her phone and watching Mick having fun on a Yacht, smoking and drinking, and getting a lap dance from his new girlfriend. She doesn’t know why she was upset that much, but she was. She cried most of the night, listening to the videos in loops.
The first few weeks of January were pretty calm. She went for the second echo. She is now in her second trimester. The morning sickness has stopped, and she can finally eat normally again. She received messages from Mick wishing her a Happy New Year and asking about the baby, but she didn’t respond to any of them. She was mad and didn’t know why she was mad at him, but she was.
It’s the 15th of January that she got the news about her baby. During the appointment, she felt kind of overwhelmed and sad. For the second time, she was alone with the doctor, looking at the screen. Unable to see anything clearly, and making her cry. The only thing that reassured her was the sound of his little heart—valiantly pumping its little heart.
She was happy but felt a bit empty that Mick wasn’t there. She wants him by her side, with her, away from that bitch. A wave of anger invaded her, and she thanked the doctor, leaving the consultation. The little pictures of the ultrasound in her hand and the little recording of the heart in her phone, she puts on her headphones and presses start to listen to that heart beating. The heart of her baby.
Sitting on a bench outside the hospital, she remains there for a good thirty minutes, caressing her belly with her eyes closed, waiting for her mother to come and take her home.
“Y/n. Y/n. Y/n!” Her mother yells, taking off her headphones. “Can you answer when I call you?”
“Sorry I didn’t hear.” She apologizes, gets into the car, and looks out the window.
Only when she returned to the comfort of her home that she calls Corinna, as she promised. Her mother disapproves of all of them. She wants her daughter to be happy and this pregnancy to be a wonderful time for her, but nothing goes as planned, and it upsets her.
“Yes, Corinna, the baby is perfectly fine. It has all his legs and all his arms. I’ll send you the picture of the echo in a few minutes.” She repeats for the fifth time.
“And how are you? You don’t do anything too physical?”
“I’m well. Stop worrying. The morning sickness finally stops, and I feel more like myself.”
‘‘Perfect! Do you have everything? Did Mick text you?” Corinna asks again, asking lots of questions at the same time. A tear rings in her eye. The mother of her child’s father is more worried about her well-being than the father himself. And this is a blow to her.
“He did... I just didn’t have the time the answer him.” She responds with a ball of emotion in her voice.
“Something happens? You can tell me. I have no problem getting him back on track, Liebe.”
“No, it’s me. I just... I shouldn’t discuss this with you, and I must go. Please stop sending hundreds of messages every day.” She asks quickly, finishing the conversation as soon as possible. The pressure in her voice does not allow her more words.
“Y/n?”
She starts crying. “Fucking hormones!” She wanted Mick for her, with her. She’s upset about being so emotional about it.
Corinna looks at her phone and sees that something is wrong. She knows she doesn’t have to interfere in her son’s life anymore, but it’s starting to take a lot of time. She appreciates very much, Y/n. She is a lovely and intelligent girl, much better than that Nina scoundrel that her son brought home a few times.
Mick tries to call her several time after talking to his mother. She looks at her phone, not wanting to respond, but it’s finally the fifth call that her mother has responded to.
“Y/n?”
“No, it’s her mother.”
“Can I speak with Y/n, please?” he demands.
“Can you stop harassing my daughter? Don’t you think you already make her feel miserable? You can tell your mother that too, and she doesn’t want to talk or see any of you.” She says harshly, leaving her daughter, who tries to get her phone back.
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, it’s too bad for you.”She says sarcastically.
“Wait... you can’t talk to me that way!”
“I can talk to you the way I want. You already change her entire life for her. Don’t you think you have done enough?”
‘‘We were two that night.” He says, trying to defend himself.
“Oh please, she doesn’t even remember much of that night. You probably abuse her or something like that.”
“Mom, stop it.” Begged her while trying to grab her phone again.
“This boy needs to know he can’t mess with you just because he’s rich and has a famous surname. You have feelings too, and I don’t want to see you down again because he wants to get every girl he gets pregnant.”
“What?” Mick offends on the phone.
“Don’t play innocent young boy. We saw the video of you and your girlfriend. So now, you return to your girlfriend and forget about us, and we can take care of this ourselves.”
“It’s my baby too.”
“Well, you should have thought of that before going to Australia and letting her all alone in your home with your mother and sister. You didn’t even pick her up at the airport.”
“I...”
“You lost your voice? It’s not about you and never will be. Now leave our family alone and forget we told you about this.” She hung up before he could say another word.
Mick was pitchless. Never in his life had he thought he hurt her. He is an imbecile, and how can he think you wouldn’t mind him spending time with his friends while you were alone at his house? He’s so stupid and starts crying, looking at his mother and sister.
“I can’t believe she talked to you that way. What a crazy woman.” His mother is offended.
“Mom.”
“Of course, you can have some time with your friends.”
“Mom...”
“She’s not your girlfriend, even though the other is not great. It’s a good thing you stop seeing her.” His mother says, going into the kitchen. Mick gets up from the couch and walks outside.
He walks, he doesn’t know where, but he needs to walk away. Away from his mother, his home, her, Nina, and everyone. Why does no one understand that this whole thing is so difficult for him, too?
Gina sighs while watching Mick leave. She knows he needs to be alone, but she needs to understand to help him even though she orders her mother not to get involved in the affairs that keep her. She is still her big sister, and it is her little brother. He’s in pain, and he clearly needs advice.
She takes two glasses of juice and goes out to join her brother. She finds it a few minutes later, returning from the field towards the barn.
“Mick. Stop torturing yourself like that.” Gina says, sitting next to him. “Drink that juice. It’ll do you good. It’s not your fault.”
“But of course, I had something to do with it! Of course, I had something to do with it! I didn’t wear a condom once. Just once! I didn’t have any, and she wasn’t aware of basically anything, and I was the one who wanted to do it. I’m the one who insisted! Result, now, she pays for everything. Not my fault? Fuck, but you don’t understand.” He yells, smashing the glass into one of the barn walls, going out like a madman to the garden, and punching the door in his path.
“Mick!” Yells Corinna, getting out of the house.
“Was, Mom!" He yells back. “Sie haben recht..” What, mom! They are right.
“Was?” What?
“Wir schrieben wochenlang, bevor ich Nina sah."He admits. “Sie ist außergewöhnlich, aber ich hätte nie gedacht, dass sie mich mögen würde. Und am Tag bevor ich ging, waren wir zusammen im Bett. Ich hielt ihre kleine Beule und sie sagte, sie sei endlich glücklich, mich an ihrer Seite zu haben. Ich bin derjenige, der kein Kondom anziehen wollte. Ich bin derjenige, der sich nicht um die Folgen gekümmert hat, und jetzt lebt sie mit ihnen. Don’t you understand! I fucked up! I fucking fucked up!” We texted for weeks before I started seeing Nina. She’s extraordinary, but I never thought she would like me. And the day before I left, we were in bed together. I held her tiny bump, and she said she was finally happy to have me by her side. I’m the one who didn’t want to put on a condom. I’m the one who didn’t care about the consequence, and now she is living with them.
“Well, she was there...” Corinna tries to confort him.
“She was drunker than I was.” He screams. “She wanted it, but I should have stopped because I was more conscious than her. She didn’t even realize I jerked into her.’‘
‘‘I...”
“Kannst du aufhören, so naiv zu sein und denken, dass ich nichts falsch mache? I fucking bred her because I was so amazed by her. You know what I felt that night when I was into her. I thought about how much I wanted her to be mine forever, how I wanted her to have my kids and be my wife. We only met for a few hours, and I was already under a spell, and she didn’t even know it.” Can you stop being so naive and think I don't do anything wrong?
“Schatz...” Honey
“Ich liebe sie, ich liebe sie, mom. But everything is going too fast. She’s already fourteen weeks pregnant. In 26 weeks, she would have our baby. I love her. Ich habe das Echo auf meinen Homescreen gesetzt, weil ich den ganzen Tag an sie denke. During the new year, all I could think about was her. How I wanted to be by her side and not Nina. I know I fuck Nina, but I moan her name. That’s why Nina broke up with me.”  I love her, I love her, mom. I fucking put the echo on my home screen because I think of her all day long.
Corinna didn’t know what to say to all this. She was speechless, and she now has a way a more precise portrait of the situation. She sighed and took her son in her arm. How could she be so blind about all this? About her son? About Y/n. Of course, this sweet girl wasn’t the problem. He was, and he needed to take responsibility.
She sighs, taking her broken son in her arms. She lulls him for a few minutes while he calms down, and she thinks about a solution. Gina is in the background with tears in her eyes at her brother's distress. She has never seen him so collapse, and it hurts her heart. 
Corinna’s mind is thinking a thousand times an hour. How would this young woman forgive her son? How will he do it? Or will he do it? How?
“You go to her. Invited her to ROC, and we can fix this.” She whispers in his ear. 
“I...”
“You take the first plane to Canada tomorrow. Go to her. Will think about the rest later. Baby, ich weiß, es ist nicht einfach und diese ganze Situation ist nur Scheiße, aber wenn du sie liebst. Geh zu ihr und bring sie zu dir.” Baby, I know this isn’t easy, and this whole situation is just shit, but if you love her. Go find her and bring her to you.
Mick takes the time to think about his mother’s idea before approving it.
The following day, he jumps on the next plane available for Canada, which is a three-connection, but he doesn't care at this point. He waits hours for his next connection at the Charles de Gaulle airport. Trying to think about what to say or do.
Tag list:
@tyna-19 @ironcowboycopnickel @dreamerrosie @gagaga167 @primadonnasdream @sachaa-ff @majx00 @lissimountf1 @mloyer @playboygeniusphilanthropist​ @sugarbabygirlofdaddy​ @pleasedontfollowimlost​ @blueleonor​
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hersaladdeer · 2 months ago
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Chapter 6 - Connection
Contains some spicy points. Part of an ongoing prohero Shoji x OC series.
Chapter navigation link.
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Shoji hadn't been to see many doctors in his lifetime. Occasionally following an injury he'd find himself sitting in the hospital for some stitches, or to get a bone pushed back into it's socket. 
Had he known that doctors were dark haired gorgeous creatures who insisted on examining his arms with admiration and curiosity in their green eyes, he may have considered going on a more regular basis. 
“You have an overdeveloped supraspinatus tendon in your anterior and posterior appendages which helps your shoulders compensate for the full range of motion.” The woman was currently seated in his lap, feeling the end of his shoulder while slowly lifting and lowering one of his arms, a look of understanding spreading across her face. It was quickly replaced by a smile as she turned to meet his eyes. “That's really neat!” She added, turning her attention to gently feel around the muscle one more time.
“Do you have to do a lot of stretching?” Chikoe asked, gently pushing his front most set of arms back, and watching the motion in his shoulder closely. 
“I have to. My flexibility is as important as my strength.” Shoji was fairly sure he managed to keep his voice level, being mindful of his breathing. He didn't want to distract her with the growing need within him. He had wanted to let her examine his shoulders… he hadn't planned for her to crawl into his lap, wiggling around while looking intensely and feeling his arms with their strangely soft hands. That caused his mind to drift elsewhere, into the pile of filthy things he'd wanted to do with her the night they spent together. 
His instincts said to wrap his arms around her, to pull her into him. But he had come over to let her do her work. Not being able to touch her was torturous. 
“Thank you.” She finally said, her voices quieter. Shoji kept silent, his brain primarily focused on not giving into the wants of his body. “I’m sure this wasn't easy for you.” She was right, Shoji realised, but not for the reason she thought. “I know the medical community hasn't always treated heteromorphs the best. It's an area where growth is needed.”
“Why’d you decide to get into this speciality?” He asked, grateful for his brain for coming up with the question. If she was talking, she might not notice how rigid he'd gone beneath her. 
Chikoe sighed. “It's a long story.” She looked at the man before her, moving her hands to his abdomen and straightening her back. 
“Why don't we do this.” She proposed, slowly sliding her hands up his well muscled chest. Shoji tried not to breathe too deeply, not wanting to interrupt the motion. “I answer one, you answer one.” She proposed, the rule naively simple. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his arms instinctively went to return the gesture around her waist. 
“If I like your answers, you can touch me.” Shoji froze, his arms slowly retreating. 
“That's mean.” He said simply, but listened to her rule. Chikoe giggled, a noise that Shoji wanted to commit to memory. “It's a reward. Or, I can stop touching you.” She went to pull her hands away before Shoji quickly interjected “I won't touch you.”
Chikoe smiled while she moved her hips closer to his, pushing him into the couch. He was sure she could feel the bulge through his pants, but she didn't say anything about it. She grabbed the end of her braid and began to undo it, her long darks locks coming out slightly crinkled from being contained for so long. 
“Kami…. Wasn’t treated well in our village. I just pretended to be mute, so only my immediate family knew about this.” She gestured to her throat, currently wrapped in a blue cloth. “When we were kids, one of the elders in the village cut Kami's tail off.” Shoji looked at her, startled. Kami hadn't had a tail when they'd met. “The only way the medics knew how to treat it was to fully cauterise the wound. If they'd been trained, they would have put his tail on ice and been able to reattach it. His balance never really recovered after that.” Chikoe shook her head, her long locks now flowing freely around her shoulder. Shoji wanted to run his fingers through it, but resisted the urge. 
“I think about that. It's… Hard. I got into the field because I wanted to help people in those same situations. And to help other doctors understand how to treat patients with different anatomies. But I don't know if Kami would have wanted his tail reattached. He blended in better after it was taken from him.” She shrugged, but Shoji could tell the thought bothered her.
“My turn. Do you really not do… This.” Chikoe ground her hips against his, and Shoji couldn't stop the moan it ripped from his throat. “Or do you tell all the girls that?”
Shoji shook his head from side to side, the instinct to hold her becoming more difficult to silence. He flexed his hands. “No. I'm not…. Attractive to most. Not everyone finds the extra arms as fascinating as you do.” Chikoe’s hands had started to trace their way down his pecs. Shoji swallowed a moan before continuing. “The few people I've been involved with didn't stay after they saw my face.” It was Chikoes turn to look startled. Her movement stilled, much to Shoji's anguish. He still wore his mask, the lights that remained on in her apartment providing an inhibition that wasn't present on their first night together. He didn't want to scare her off. Feeling the scars across his face was one thing, but seeing them was another. 
“Fuck them.” Chikoe said, her brow furrowed. “Their loss.” She added as she shook her head, running her hands through his hair as she somehow seated further into him. His breath hitched, and a teasing smile found it's way onto her face. 
“Where did you go after you left your last job?” Shoji remembered the conflict between her and Aya, and his brain had wrung a question from it. Chikoe tilted her head, as if trying to figure out why he was asking. 
“I stayed in a hotel for a month. Kami was on tour, I wasn't going back to the hospital, and I… Didn’t have anywhere else to go. I have friends, but I didn't want to talk about what had happened. I somehow thought it was my fault, like if I had somehow been better he wouldn't have cheated.” Chikoe frowned, looking away from him. “I cried. A lot. I slept a lot. I really thought about what I'd been chasing and why, and I came out the other side better for it.” Chikoe hadn't moved the entire time she'd been talking.
“Should I feel bad that you're asking such personal questions and I lead with wondering if you're a fuck boy?” Shoji raised an eyebrow at her. 
“... Is that your question?”
Chikoe smiled, nodding. 
“I'm trying to show that I'm not just here because you're gorgeous. I want to get to know you. But you make thinking of good questions difficult.” Shoji looked down at her thighs and how they were placed on either side of him as if to emphasise his point. “And I think given what you're coming from with your ex, wondering if I'm a Fuckboy is reasonable. But despite your opinion I’m not everyone's type.”
Chikoe looked at him, before grabbing one of his hands with hers. He gave it a light squeeze, smiling at her beneath his mask. “Your turn.” She dropped his hand to stretch her arms above her head, the early hour beginning to take it’s toll, and he couldn't help but notice her nipples beneath her shirt. To remember how soft her breasts had been I'm his palms-
“If you don't stop staring at my chest, I'm not going to let you touch me. I'll just put on a show for you to watch.” Shoji lifted an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant. Chikoe took that as an invitation and removed her top, her breasts now on display for him. Her hair was pulled forward, contrasting her pale skin and Shoji couldn't help but marvel at her beauty. 
“Can I trust you to abide by the no touching agreement, Shoji?” Her voices broke through the fog of his brain. 
“Mezo.” He corrected her instantly. “And yes, you can trust me not to touch you until you say so. If you say so.” Shoji quickly amended, trying not to be presumptuous. “We can keep playing-”
Chikoe had begun massaging her breasts while seated in his lap, her head slowly rolling back as her fingers edged towards her nipples. While her dark hair obscured some of what she was doing, it was clear she was enjoying her own touch. Shoji felt his cock twitch at the sight before him. For a moment, he felt a twinge of shame at how quickly they were moving, but the feeling was quickly overpowered by the need that quickly arose.
The need to kiss her. To use his many appendages to truly worship her breasts, her thighs, to put a hand through her hair while he thrust into her from behind - 
Shoji took a shaky breath as he attempted to redirect his thoughts, the noise not escaping Chikoes notice. “Sorry, do you not like this?” She asked in a teasing voice. “I could've sworn you did. Must've been my mistake.” Her hands slowed, and Shoji quickly interjected. “I did. I mean I do. I just don't want you to think I'm just here because I want fuck you.” Shoji had always valued himself as a gentleman, but one could only hold it together for so long. And no gentleman was as hard as he currently was. 
“So this-” Chikoe’s hands started moving again, this time one of her hands pinching her left nipple. She sucked in a sharp breath as her hips moved of their own accord against his length. He instinctively went to reach for her, to pull her along his length again, but his arms only twitched before he caught himself. He took a steadying breath. “This doesn't bother you?” She finished her question as her other hand started sinking lower along her abdomen. 
“No. Quite the opposite. I'm enjoying watching you enjoy yourself.” It was the truth. A slight blush had crept onto her cheeks at his words. She stood, quickly stripping off her shorts before taking her seat again. Shoji, obediently, did not reach for the naked woman seated on his lap. He found himself staring at her form - the dim light of their first meeting had not done her justice. He wanted to feel her hips, her waist, wanted to run many tongues along her body. She had gotten rid of the scarf covering her neck. In the light, he could see that the mark was ragged, as if it had taken many cuts to complete its winding path across her neck. It hadn't been a clean cut, he realized, and couldn't help but wonder what had caused it. 
Shoji realised he was staring at her scar when Chikoe stopped moving. Her hand quickly went to her throat, as if to cover the scar from view, and he felt her mood shift. Where a moment ago she had exuded confidence, she now seemed shy. And hurt. 
“I can put it back on.” Chikoe offered, reaching down to grab the blue garmet.
“I can't think of a single thing that would bring me more displeasure. You're gorgeous just as you are.” The irony of his words were not lost on him. He sighed, steeling himself before removing his mask. An impulsive move, he realised, but the only one that felt right. 
Chikoe’s eyes softened. Gently, she reached out a hand to touch his scarred lip. “This won't scare me away. Or this.” She continued as one hand reached around to feel the back of his neck. “But does this scare you?” She gently took one of his hands in hers, and placed it so that his fingertips were brushing the scar that adorned her neck. 
It was raised, the texture unexpected against the ends of his fingers.”You can touch my neck.” The hesitation he felt dissipated at her words. She let go of his hand, allowing Shoji to explore at his leisure. 
Running the pad of his thumb down the width of the scar, Shoji felt smaller, pin-sized scars along the top and bottom. She had needed stitches after the cuts had been made. 
“No. This doesn't scare me.” He smiled, shaking his head. 
“Would your opinion change if I told you I did it to myself?” Chikoe’s voice whispered, her eyes guarded as he looked up at her.
“Jokes on me, I kept the voice and ended up with an ugly scar to add to it.” She seemed to shake herself from the daze she was in. Shoji used one of his dupliarms to press a kiss to the scar. “Don't call yourself ugly.” The mouth whispered against her neck. “You're many things, but you're not ugly.” 
“No.” Shoji didn't hesitate to answer. Once he'd gotten a closer look at the scar that adorned her neck, he'd considered the possibility that it was self-inflicted. “I understand how it can feel to want to change who you are. I just hope you know that there is nothing wrong with who you are.” Chikoe’s eyes had taken on a glassy appearance. 
Chikoe jumped at the sound of her phone alarm. Picking it up, she scoffed at the time before silencing the interrupting electronic. 
“It's six.” Chikoe sighed, shaking her head. “I have to get ready for work.” Shoji nodded, accepting that he'd be going into work on no sleep. Despite the long day he saw ahead, a smile painted his lips. 
“Do you want to pick this back up tonight?” He asked, watching the woman before him snatch up her clothes, seemingly annoyed at the audacity of her phone to interrupt the pair. 
“Needy man, aren't you?” She teased, snatching a stray sock off the coffee table. 
“I meant the conversation. But other things are welcome.” Shoji smirked at the blush that crept across her face. She cleared her throat before beginning to put her dark hair back into it's thick braid. 
“I don't know what time I'll be done.” Chikoe confessed, a frown across her lips. “With Aya enacting her revenge, it could be the middle of the night.” 
“Call me.” He said simply, using an extra appendage to pull his mask back on. 
“Mezo,” Shoji smiled at the use of his name as Chikoe continued on. “I can't keep calling you over at 3am.”
“You can.” He used a duplimouth to press a kiss to her neck - the only place he'd been given permission to touch. “I'd be disappointed if you didn't. I've got to get going too, but don't feel guilty for calling me. I'll take whatever spare moments you have gratefully.” 
Shoji stood, making his way over to the door. “....And I wouldn't call this hideous. Just obnoxious.” He added, using a duplieye to get a close look at the color that was painted across the entryway.
“You have poor taste, then.” Shoji simply lifted an eyebrow at her over his shoulder, shaking his head before pulling the door open. 
“I want you to think about that accusation carefully.” One of his duplimouths called over his shoulder before closing the door.
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I couldn't decide, so I figured why not a bit of both? Link to chapter navigation.
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dystopicjumpsuit · 10 months ago
Note
This might be a weird ask, so please disregard if you’re not interested in answering it.
I think you mentioned once that you like to cook, and a lot of your fics have mentions of food (which I love btw). So I was wondering: Do you have specific meals/recipes that make you think of certain clones? Or, do you have any headcanons as to Earth-based meals/foods specific clones would deem their favorite?
Not a weird ask at all! I do love to cook, and I'm always down to talk about food 💚
I will always think about fresh pasta with wild mushroom ragu when I think about Waxer thanks to "The Sixth Language." I have actually made that meal, and it's delicious. (I also tried to do the sexy cooking lesson with my partner, which was... Less successful 💀)
I personally headcanon that every clone has a massive sweet tooth thanks to their enhanced metabolisms and the fact that they didn't get sweets growing up. I also think they would pretty much all enjoy spicy food. This HC is for sure influenced by how spicy Mandalorian cuisine is supposed to be.
I think a lot of family-style meals would be really appealing to the clones, just because they would appreciate the sense of community. Any meal where a big group of people gathers around a table to eat and drink and laugh and talk and bond—I think that would be a dream come true for a lot of the clones. NB I'm not necessarily talking about literal biological family here; I mean it in the sense of the people you love and care about most—whomever that may include.
As far as specific foods:
I think Gregor would have a weakness for cheeseburgers (and apparently pineapple).
Dogma seems like a risotto man to me, for some reason (the technique would appeal to him, I think). He would probably love the precision of molecular gastronomy.
We know the Bad Batch loves sushi! I think seafood would be popular with a lot of the clones because they grew up on an oceanic world (though to be honest, I don't know whether their diets actually included seafood on Kamino, or whether it was just nutrient sludge).
I think Crosshair would love ramen—if he ever got a chance to actually take a bite of it.
Jesse seems like he would be very aware of his macros, and he'd be a surprisingly good cook. Mapo tofu would be his specialty. He would tell you exactly how many grams of protein was in it.
Tup... Vegetarian. Idk why, he just gives the vibe. But he'd be sneaky about it. He'd feed you the most amazing meal of your life, and you'd never even realize it was vegan.
Fireball would probably love poke bowls. Extra avocado, please!
Kix is addicted to junk food, and if anyone teases him about it, he'll be extra shaky next time he has to give them an injection. Jesse is constantly trying to get him to do better.
Rex has been a Sunday roast fan ever since he ate dinner with Cut and Suu.
Wolffe and Hunter seem like barbecue men—legit barbecue, not burgers and hot dogs. Like cochinita pibil, Texas-style brisket, barbacoa, Carolina whole hog. FIRE🔥
Cody secretly loves cheap pizza (think Little Caesar's), but if you asked him his favorite food, he'd probably say something like coq au vin. Don't get me wrong, he likes coq au vin too; it just doesn't scratch that particular itch.
The entire Coruscant Guard loves street food. Any kind of street food. If it comes from a food truck and can be eaten while walking, they're happy.
Damn, this got out of hand! I could go on until the world ended, but I have to stop somewhere. Thank you for the amazing question, Alli! It was so much fun to think about. And I'm so happy you enjoy the way I work food into my fics! One of my upcoming multichapter stories has an OC who is an aspiring cookbook author, and there is SO. MUCH. FOOD in that fic.
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xblackreader · 1 year ago
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Attuma following Okoye around like a lost puppy is one of my favorite head cannons 🩵⚔️❤️
“Attuma! Come here please!” “Attuma, I’m going to the store.” “I’m going to train, would you like-“
Attuma:
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She’s at the market getting groceries and he’s over her shoulder asking for attention.
“K’iin, I wish to spar. Are we almost done?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent, then-“
“With the first half of shopping.”
“You are cruel to me.”
“I’ll get you a treat from the sweets stall, if you behave and let me finish.”
“Okay. I will behave.”
At first, Wakandan civilians were weary of him until at some point, they saw how he bantered with Okoye and grew to find him amusing and endearing. The familiarization of the Talokanil helped humanize them to the Wakandan General Public.
Stall owners will offer him snacks to share with Okoye and sometimes the elders will tell him made up stories to get him to buy things.
“This bracelet was crafted by Bast’s family line! Their most trusted shaman! It will protect your sweetheart from negative spirits!”
“You speak the truth, Koonol aj-ookolo'?”
“Only that! Mighty Attuma, by the life of my eldest son, this bracelet is the real deal!”
Okoye huffs under her breath. “My condolences then.” She pinches Attuma when he buys it anyway and said she’ll never wear it, to give it to someone else.
She’s seen wearing it around town not a month later.
Children will run up to him with questions of talokan or asking him if he loves General Okoye and that’s why he’s “her shadow boyfriend”. They climb his shoulders and show him things they found and ask if his teeth are real.
“Do it again! Do it again!”
Attuma takes his right hand and lifts his lips to show how his teeth grow, long and sharp from his gums.
“Wow!” They all shout, then Okoye slaps his shoulder.
“You’ll scare them, stop it.”
“We’re not scared of A-Tuna!” “Are you part shark?” “Did you get a bunch a teeth from dead sharks?!”
“They grew from my mouth. They were a gift from Chaac. Our God of Waters and Rains.”
“General Tuma, do you live with General Okoye?”
“No, táankelem, I live under the ocean’s waves.”
“Then how do you come to walk with her all the time?” Attuma kneels and lays a hand on the boy’s head. Okoye pretends to not care as she waits for her fruits to be bagged, but her ear is turned to them.
“I would cross treacherous oceans, sky splitting mountains and the deepest trenches to be with your dearest General.”
The children giggle while she groans and hides the growing smile in the apex of her palm.
How cheesy. He probably thought he was so romantic.
Okoye pretends like she’s annoyed with his presence with subtle glares when he speaks to her or rolling her eyes when he says things are too spicy or not enough…
but truly, she’ll never admit it, she loves having a companion.
He carries bags and other heavy things, so if he wants to steal bites of her snacks and follow her around he may.
And if each time an elder teases her about it,
or a child asks when they’ll be married,
or Attuma does something cute (like grumble when she’s taking too long or light up when she picks up sweet yams)
she giggles or blushes then…
Well then, that’s simply a coincidence.
༄ ♬ ˚₊ ➳ 🩵⚔️❤️ ➳ ♪ ❀ ༄
WALK HIM LIKE A DOG SIS WALK HIM LIKE A DOG
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vallyb · 2 years ago
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Christmas || Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Y/N
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Summary: With the squad talking about Christmas, Y/N feels bad that Bradley has to spend it alone so she invites him home for the holidays.
Alt.
Idiots who like to tease each other then they kiss at the end.
Word Count: 5500+
Tags: Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Fluff,  Mutual Pinning, Bestie!Bob makes a light appearance, Y/N is a mixed Filipino, Female Identifying Reader, Slightly spicy in the end with just a lil kiss kiss, light choking(?), Bradley is a great kisser, I suck at re-editing, Reader is 28, age gap but it's not a big deal in the story just lil jokes here and there, Rooster's just happy to be included in a family setting
A/N: I have no idea how to actually write so pls pls pls forgive me. I also used like a character building guide question thing so forgive me if shit's a bit too long. I just love reading stories where the main character is built well. I'm a very very very novice writer, so pls shoot me a message on how I can improve my writing!
"So you two aren't together?" Phoenix leaned into the counter, asking about you and Robbie (Bob).
"I mean we did try that one time." You scrunched your nose.
"Oh, it was horrid. We were kids that were pressured into it. Holding hands felt fine, but when we tried to kiss, it felt like I was kissing an actual sister I had." Robbie explained further.
"I'm sorry if I was given the wrong idea. Bob absolutely adores you and talks about you endlessly. I can't see why he wouldn't though." She winked as you laughed.
"Oh, you should have seen Robbie back then. He was a little ladies man back in high school! The bad boy with that cowboy hat and curly hair."
"Ohhh, Bob being a ladies man, huh?" Phoenix raised her eyebrows teasingly at him, him scowling at you for bringing it up.
Smiling cheekily, you reached over to poke him before going back with your rag on the counter. You knew he missed you, it was quite a while since you've seen each other. They had been assigned out of California for a while. Today was the first day you met all of Robbie's friends and you were quite excited. Him you saw back home last Christmas, so you cared less about his face. It was refreshing though, how you felt like you five were friends for years. The other two, Micky and Reuben, running off to the bathroom from drinking too much at the bar across.
You worked at The Greasy Spoon, a diner right across the popular Navy bar. It was where some of the guys would hang out after the bar had closed. As all the places near the base were mandated to only be open Wednesday to Friday until 8 PM, Arthur, your 65-year-old veteran boss, was able to fight to be opened until 12 AM.
The bell by the door suddenly rang meaning the door had opened. You shot up from the counter and immediately got the menus, quickly shuffling your way over to the entrance door. It was Arthur's request that the diner would feel like home, servers would be dressed like 50s wives and husbands, greeting soldiers at the door like his wife did for him when he'd come home. It sounded a little misogynistic but the way Lucinda had clung to his arm giggling while he told that story had you swooning. Tonight, you were the only server left since service was usually slow at night. Most patrons of the Hard Deck were either going home or getting lucky.
You softly winced as your hip had come in contact with the slightly misaligned table.
"Are you good, sweetheart?" The brunette asked concerned, his hands hovering above your waist that got hit.
"Welcome to The Greasy Spoon. How may I be of service today?" You said winded from the pain, slowly straightening yourself up.
Your face was still somewhat smiling to keep up your cheery retail personality. Rooster's mouth was unable to hide the smile that was growing on his because of your cute pained expression.
Like Pavlov's dogs, you associated the bell ringing with a straight posture and turning on your biggest smile but that was blocked by the brunette's head, both of you wincing. With the blonde that had just entered backwards, laughing and pushing around with his buddy that have yet to step in the door, bumped the Hawaiian shirt wearing man forward into you.
You flinched, head tilting down, shoulders rising up, as he stumbled forward knocking you off your balance a little.
"Woah there." He held onto your waist, stopping your from completely tipping over. "Sorry 'bout that. I promise I don't go knocking pretty girls around to get their attention."
"I promise I don't go bumping heads with pretty brunettes." You laughed.
"See? Rooster's already picking up- Siren?" Your head whipped to the blonde that was standing behind. Siren, a nickname you haven't heard in a while. After pranking Robbie (Bob) and his brother, everyone who knew you would soon enough learn of it.
"I knew I recognized that big head somewhere." You smiled coming close to hug him. Jake Seresin was a piece of work but he was a lovely country boy you met back in Texas, him having 'special relations' with your cousin, Carlos (or Caloy as he was known in the family). No one really knew that he was gay, he mentioned when you sat down to talk to him about him sleeping around. The pretty girls he took home were all just for show. Well, at first it wasn't, until he finally accepted that he was for the other team. The over masculinized persona was just hiding a man who really wanted to be loved by another man.
You laughed as he picked you up. "I missed you, momma bear." He muffled onto your shoulder. Another nickname that stuck after you practically ate him alive when he and Carlos had broken up about a million times. After accepting how they weren't gonna work out, they decided to lay it off and hook up whenever the other was in town. "Just as long as everyone's on the same page and no one's getting hurt." You said.
"I see you've met Rooster." He said as he put you down.
"Oh yeah, we're very well acquainted." You turned to look at the boy.
"That's Coyote." 'Rooster' pointed to the other tall man standing next to Jake.
"Oh yeah, I know him. Double cheese, triple patty, ketchup on the side, and a slice of banana chocolate chip bread?"
"Tastes almost like home." Javy smiled, patting Jake's shoulder who made their way to the counter to join the two, with Mickey and Reuben walking back to their seats from their trip in the toilet.
"Well, seems like you know everyone already." The brunette said with a sheepish smile scratching the back of his head.
"Oh yeah, you're practically useless, chicken." You laughed at his taken aback expression as you tugged him over to join the group.
The night was just starting for the group as you learned. They had just come home from their detachment, holiday plans were being discussed by the group. They explained how they spoke about holiday plans early into the year, helped them keep sane while they were away from home, thinking about what was waiting for them when they did. Everyone was excited, talking about how they were going to come home while Rooster, the man you still didn't catch the name of, kept quiet.
"Hey, what about you?" You asked softly, making sure not to overstep.
"Hm?" His eyes drifting behind you, staring at the multitude of candy syrups for the shaved ice.
"Any holiday plans or you're not much for the holiday spirit?"
"Ah," His eyes travelled up to your face, smiling sadly. "I guess not, no."
Both of you had gotten close, with him staying in Fightertown much longer than the others. Being tired after hours, he'd come around The Greasy Spoon to eat something before he went home. You staying to accompany him in his booth as he ate.
It was late, so you were shocked when the bell on the door rang. "Arthur! Lucinda!" You smiled, rushing over to hug them. They weren't the typical bosses, you almost felt as if they were your grandparents.
"Hey, sweetie. We'll be staying upstairs for tonight, Arthur and I wanted to lay down on the beach tomorrow." Lucinda referred to the little suite they had made on top of the restaurant for when they visited.
"Oh, and who is that young man there?" Arthur asked, walking towards Bradley who was doodling on a piece of tissue.
Arthur and Lucinda meeting Bradley was nerve wracking. For some reason, you had this feeling that you wanted them to approve of him, and it was easy for them to. Bradley was smooth and respectful, the night ending with the two owners practically pushing you out to "be kids, have fun!" and you whining about how you're 28 and not a kid. Your mustached friend offering to accompany you home when you started walking, him trailing close by. You told him how much you loved passing by the beach as you walked home, the humid air and the cold breeze reminding you of how it was back at home, back when you were a kid in the Philippines. With Rooster glistening with sweat, and you laughing at how he looked, you invited him in to stay the night.
"You said your apartment was nearby."
"Old man, I said my apartment is at Kingby which is a street that is a 45-minute walk from the diner." You laughed, handing him a glass of water. "I'll get you some of my cousin's clothes and a towel. You stink. Just get your jeep tomorrow."
It happened more often as time passed that he stayed late until you closed up. You figured he stayed because it was lonely being without the rest of his friends back at the apartment he had near the base, but he did it so he could make sure you got home safe after learning that this was your nightly routine. On nights that you were more tired than usual, he'd drive you but sometimes he'd walk you 'forcing' him to sleep on your couch for the night.
You had known each other for 10 months before you thought to ask, ensuring that Rooster wasn't absolutely going to murder you and your family. You didn't know how you managed to get Bradley to actually come with but it did work after hours and hours of pleading. And that's how he ended up at your family house back in Wabang, Wyoming where you had originally met Robbie (Bob) and his brothers, where all of you had grown up.
Rooster heard you coming in the room when you switched the lights on. He just kept his eyes closed, listening to what you were up to while you came in and out of the room. You went around the bed getting your phone that was charged which was connected to the mini JBL bluetooth speaker that Kuya Caloy got you last Christmas, playing a calm OPM Christmas song.
Rooster took note of how the song sounded. It was pretty, it sounded exactly how he thought what you'd like to listen to. He couldn't understand the lyrics but the melody of it was enough to bring a soft smile to his face before immediately turning it neutral again to feign his sleep while you softly padded back outside. The little shuffling of your feet that he has memorized came shortly after with the scent of warm milk sifting through the air and the sound of the door clicking close followed by a sharp locking sound.
He felt you looking at him, the warmth of your gaze burning on his cheeks. A soft smile growing on your face when you saw how his face had relaxed that the usual stress that you read on his face. He was the responsible one of the group. Always tense, always on-guard, even as he had fun and laughed with the group, his eyes darted around to make sure everyone was included and everyone was okay.
"Bradley?" You shook him softly. He kept his eyes closed so you wouldn't know that he was awake all this time. "Bradley, come, wake up." You knelt down infront of him, hand touching his face. "Bradley, wake up, caro." Your thumb rubbing on his cheeks, his eyes finally fluttering open.
"Hey."
"Hey." He smiled back.
You looked at each other for a while before you took your hand off his face. "I'm sorry." You smiled sheepishly, standing up and sitting on the edge of the bed facing Rooster. "I wasn't sure how to wake you up, I didn't want to be rude and be loud."
"It's okay. It's nice to be woken up without yelling and whistles for once." He stretched himself and sat up.
"I wasn't sure if I should wake you up but it's tradition for everyone in the house to wait for the clock to strike 12 for Christmas. We don't get to have New Years Eve together so we decided to do it for Christmas instead." You shrugged looking down at your hands.
"It's lovely, chick. I haven't been part of any Christmas traditions in a while so I appreciate you for letting me be a part of yours." He said softly reaching your hands to squeeze them lightly, making you feel warm.
It wasn't usual for you to feel shy around him. If anything, you were the one who took joy in teasing him and making him flustered. You didn't know where these feelings came from so suddenly. You did quite like him already but something about him being in pajamas and looking so casual made your heart flutter. Everything just felt somewhat domestic.
"Good thing my mom would absolutely murder me if she learned that I let someone spend it alone or else you would've been all alone this Christmas." You smiled teasingly at him to try and ignore the feeling in your stomach that was growing.
"Well, I'll make sure to give her some special lovins when I get down then. Heard she and her husband were separated, possibly might need someone to fill the spot?" He teased back.
You gasped, grabbing a pillow and smacking him in the face with it. "If you wanted me to call you daddy, you don't need to do all that." You rolled you eyes, mouth running before you could even think, suddenly blushing.
Rooster couldn't respond, instead he hit you back with a pillow too. That went on for a while until he accidentally hit your head with full force. Your jaw dropped looking at him.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He apologized looking at you, pulled your head onto his chest and rubbing it.
You pushed him hard, his back falling onto the bed as you grabbed a pillow to smack his head with it. "You don't." Smack. "Hit a girl." Smack. "That hard." Smack. "In pillow fights!" Smack.
"I'm sorry!" He said as you both started giggling as you attacked him with the pillow. You were straddling him, your short frame needing to be high up on his torso so you could even hit him. You didn't realize it but Rooster was flushed by how close you were.
"Okay, okay, enough." You said seeing the clock with a bright LED white 11:50 PM written on it. "I got you a little snack to wake your stomach up before we join everyone downstairs." You reached over the bed, one hand steadying you near Rooster's head to get to the bedside table and getting what he presumed was what he smelled the first time you went up. "I brought you hot chocolate balls too but I thought that maybe you'd want to pour the warm milk yourself. I didn't know how much cream and syrup you wanted either so I just brought them up." You unlatched yourself off his torso and on the side of it so he could sit up. He found it cute, how you sat on your feet eager to see him try everything that you brought for him.
He got the fork from the little plate and ate something that was like bread on a leaf. It was sweet but a little salty. It felt like cornbread but it wasn't. You giggled as you saw his confused face getting a second bite.
"Oh, I failed to mention. You should get ready for the aunties downstairs. Everyone came while you were napping." You said while fixing how you were sat.
"What should I get ready for?" He asked as he took more bites of the bread-like thing in front of him.
"Just the comments of how tall you are, possible touching of your arms or shoulders, possible assumptions that you might be my boyfriend." You blushed. "I'm not sure how inappropriate they might get. I haven't brought home a boy. Well, except, Robbie— I mean, Bob. But that's different, he's been coming here since grade school so that doesn't count."
"I always wondered about you and Bob." He wondered.
"Hm, what about us?" You asked. His eyes widened realizing that he did say it out loud.
"At first we thought you were his girlfriend with how he spoke of you." He said eating his next bite.
"Ahhh." You laughed. "Robbie and I go way back, we met in grade school when we first moved here. Mom was having a hard time going through the divorce and I was alone at a potluck. He had his brothers, and they wanted a little sister so they took me under their wing, seeing all the bullying and stuff at school. They were the cool kids so being attached at their hip protected me too which was nice. His family practically treated me as their own."
"Ah, well, Bob and his family seems like a nice bunch then." He smiled softly, slightly jealous at how close you both were.
"So much so that our family spends time with them a lot. Anyways, how's the food?"
"The first bite was a bit weird but it's somewhat addicting. It's sweet and salty but it's nothing I've tasted before. It's delicious." He said, shovelling a bigger bite into his mouth.
"It's bibingka- coconut cream, cheese, and salted egg, all together. No one would think that it would taste good at first glance but weirdly, it does. Tastes delicious dipped in hot chocolate too." You motioned your lips towards the table.
He looked at you confused, you could practically see question marks floating on top of his head.
You laughed, picking up the mug. He took it, smiling at how cute it was. There was a literal hot chocolate ball in it.
"Ah, the hot chocolate. I thought you were kissing some Christmas ghost in the air or something."
You got the warm milk and handed it to him. "Why, you rather it was you?"
He laughed at your response, taking the milk from your hands. Both of you watched as it melted the ball. Completing the cup, you held it as he added a tower of whipped cream and a bit of chocolate syrup on top.
"Oop!" You exclaimed as a bit of the hot chocolate spilled out as you passed it back to him. Out of habit, you swiped your finger up the cup and stuck it in your mouth, you didn't even realize how he stared at you in adoration. She's so cute, he thought as he brought the cup to his lips to sip. You giggled when he pulled it away, cream stuck on his moustache.
"What?" He asked, oblivious.
"Nothing!" You smiled, cheekily. "Now try it with the bibingka." You said excited, getting the plate and dipping the bibingka into the hot chocolate, holding it up to his mouth.
He stared at the fork, hesitating for a second before taking a bite. "Mmm! That is good." He said with his mouth full. He wasn't kidding. It was great.
"It should be. I made everything." You teased.
"Well, now it isn't as good." He said jokingly, getting a glare.
"Shut up, pornstache. I'm trying to be nice for Chrismas here." You whined.
"It's good, Y/N. It's really good." He smiled which you returned. You fell into silence, clinks of the fork and the plate, and his sips were the only things heard. You sat there to watch him finish, stealing a few sips of the hot chocolate as well, blushing, thinking about how the scene playing out between you felt. You thought of how your lips touched the same cup his did, your cheeks reddening, something that Rooster mistook for just warmth from the hot chocolate. It was such a middle school thought, indirect kiss.
"I'm sorry I couldn't really get you anything expensive but I still wanted to get you a gift, so here. I've washed it so wear it when you come down if you want." You said, handing him a paper bag. "I'll be downstairs, okay? Come follow soon." You took the dishes leaving him in the room.
You opened the door again before he had opened his gift, smiling at him as you did. "Oh, and wipe your damn face."
You secretly wished he'd wear it. It was a sweater you've been knitting for him with a special message inside when he'd take it off. It was designed with a scene of a story told by Maverick, told to you by the other members of the squad which you found hilarious. He laughed when he saw it. It was a vague scene of pine trees, snow, and a little Mav pushing him in anger during the uranium mission. You didn't sew on a full face on him, but he knew that it was him by the pronounced mustache you gave the man in the sweater.
He hasn't gotten a real Christmas present in a while. I mean the cash was nice during his teenage years, and a few beer bottles were appreciated from his teammates when they invited him out for a Christmas drink, but this was really thoughtful.
You blushed as you walked down, thinking about how you would've kissed Bradley's cream-stache away if you could. You shook away your thoughts, busying yourself in the kitchen with your mom and aunties. You were the one making sure everything tasted right. Everyone assisted in cooking but it fell on you how everything tasted. There was a wide variety of food that were Noche Buena classics with a couple of just general Filipino event classics— honeyed ham, lechon, fried chicken, pansit, spaghetti, rice, buko pandan, bibingka, puto bumbong, and mango graham. It was more than enough for everyone in the house but somehow with all the takeouts for other people who took food home, there was always nothing left.
"Ay anak, where's Bradley? He should come and meet everyone." Your mom asked. "Ay, my child, where's Bradley? He should come and meet everyone."
"He'll be coming down soon, mama. Just getting ready. He went to nap, remember? He's used to sleeping early." You smiled towards your excited mom.
"Uy! Sino si Bradley? Am I gonna finally gonna get an apo sa tuhod?" Your lola exclaimed. "Uy! Who's Bradley? Am I gonna finally gonna get great-grandchildren?"
"Ay mama, ang pogi pogi, ang tangkad, at ang bait pa jusko!" Your mom said to her mother. "Kung ganyan ang magiging manugang ko, aba, bakit hindi?" "Ay mama, he's so handsome, so tall, and so kind, my goodness!" "If my son-in-law would be him, gosh, why not?"
"Mamaaaa, please, he's just a friend." You whined as you wiped your hands off at the small hand towel attached to your pants, removing it and setting it on a hook, moving out the kitchen into the dining room where you saw Bradley interacting with your little cousin.
"You know, I fly planes too!" He exclaimed to Sasa, who was listening to him intently. He took her plane toy and explained to her with it how they'd fly up and down. You smiled at how cute they looked, Rooster looked up and noticed. He ruffled the little kid's hair before making his way to you.
"Starting the propaganda on the youngens, I see." You teased.
"Have to get the recruits somehow." He nudged you back, as you rolled your eyes. He was fucking impossible. Always had a comeback for you.
You walked him towards the table where all the food was. The food filled the table so no one ate there except for the elderlies who you've taken note to make space for. Most people were either standing while they were eating on whatever flat surface they could find, in the living room, or just sitting on the floor— talking, laughing, eating.
"Mama, lola, Bradley's here!" You yelled as the two came rushing out of the kitchen giggling.
You leaned over the table to get a piece of puto bumbong to stuff in your mouth while the two approached them.
"Uy, Bradley, what are your intentions with my apo, ha?" Your lola had said to Bradley making you choke on your snack. "Hey, Bradley, what are your intentions with my granddaughter, ha?"
"Lola—"
She shushed you. "Bradley, my apo, she may be dense but I'm not. She's beautiful, and she cooks well. Not so good at the love department, but she's smart in other things."
"Lolaaa." You whined as Rooster smiled at you cheekily.
"Ma'am, I assure I have nothing but pure intentions for your apo. She's a lady, and I am a gentleman." He nodded, satisfied with what he said.
"Mhm, yeah, my daughter, a lady? That's new." Your mom laughed making you whine and pull Rooster away by his arm, but he resisted wanting to hear more.
"Ay anak, jusko, you can't blame me. How can I think of you as a ladylike woman when you play the most with Robert and that bull rider brother of his? Hay nako, Bradley, my daughter here. As amazing she is at swimming, she's a little troublemaker."
"Mama, that was one timeeee. They were teasing me."
"Sus, I know you did it more than once. Gave the town a heart attack each time." She grumbled. "I'm so sorry, Bradley, you don't know the story." She reached over to hold his arm as she continued, "Y/N, here, decided to fall off the boat and fake drowning to scare the two."
"They were rocking the boat to scare me, mama. I just wanted to scare them back."
"The water was freezing, anak, and you were down there for long enough that even the lifeguards had thought you'd drowned too."
"Scared them enough to stop teasing me though." You smiled cheekily at your mom who squished your face in annoyance.
"Hay nako, Bradley, you have to forgive me for raising such a little stubborn girl. Gladly you've been able to put up with her."
"Oh, Ms. Degamo, you have no idea how hard it's been." He feigned, charming your mom by using Miss and her maiden name.
"Ayayay, you come with me and take time away from her then. Come get some food then let me introduce you to the rest of the family." She grabbed onto his bicep.
As he was getting led away, he mouthed teasingly, "I'm gonna be your dad." which you responded with a middle finger.
"Y/N." She warned even as her back was turned.
"Sorry, ma!"
With that, you started packing some lumpia for Robbie and his brothers- Rhett, Harrison, Miles, and Luke, all practically the same person but in different fonts. They'd kill each other at the Christmas table, but they'd kill for each other if someone outside the family had said something bad about the other. Their father was a sweet man, Bill, who was the town's livestock veterinarian. It was absolute hell when you stayed over because of all the whining animals that you heard but it was fun because of your silly little girl crush on their dad.
"You know, with how much food you pack for them during Christmas, one would think you were sweet on one of the brothers." Carlos came around to tease you. You were both the eldest cousins in the family, the next one who came after you was still in high school going through the 'I hate my family' phase.
"As long as they didn't know I was sweet on their dad." You shushed him as his jaw dropped, you laughing out loud which caught Bradley's attention raising an eyebrow at you. You shrugging him off and going out to meet the boys who always arrived exactly at 11:55 before heading to the bar. Since Mrs. Floyd left, the boys and their father head off to the bar and made new traditions ending the night with a good ol' line dance (or rather, the boys getting their father drunk enough to dance with them as they kept him from sobbing through Christmas Eve).
"Mr. Floyd!"
"I told you, Y/N. It's Bill."
"And I told you, Mr. Floyd, you're too prominent in the town for me to call you that."
Hearing shouts and mumbles, he sighed and rolled his eyes looking back at the truck filled with the rowdy boys.
"Fine, 30 seconds, boys!" He yelled as everyone unloaded and rushed to you.
"Merry Christmas, Si!" Everyone took turns in giving you a hug and a little kiss on the head. From the outside, it would look like you were getting mauled by a pack of wolves. They opened the door and rushed in, saying hello to everyone and giving them a holiday smooch on their cheeks. Bill had come in to join them, giving the kids a fist bump then giving a kiss on the cheek to your grandma before they had to leave. Robbie (Bob) stood next to you while everyone said their quick goodbyes.
"You like him, don't you?" He said.
"Wha- who?"
"Bradley, not my father, you idiot."
"Who knows, maybe I'm sweet on your dad."
"You're disgusting."
"You're the one who gets their dick sucked off in their father's truck every Christmas Eve. That truck would light up like the town's Christmas Tree if I even get close to it with a black light."
"True."
You laughed pushing him out the front door, Bill coming to say goodbye to you with you giving him a kiss on the cheek. He said a quick thank you to everyone, the boys coming and going like a hurricane.
You had one more gift for Bradley that you forgot up in the room which you ran up to get.
"So you and Mr. Floyd, huh?" Bradley teased, you slightly jumped at his sudden presence.
"I like experienced men, what can I say?" You shrugged, focusing on searching for the little box. He choked and spilled his drink on his sweater. "Oh no, honey." You laughed, rushing over to take his drink and pat his back.
"Let me get you a shirt and get that in the laundry, it'll stain." You walked out to get a shirt from Carlos' room. Walking back in, everything got suddenly quiet with Bradley holding the sweater inside out.
"You got quite a type, Ms. Bressett." He teased, referring to your crush confession sewn on the inside of his sweater, sipping on his drink again.
"Oh yeah, it's the daddy issues, old man."
"You're such a fucking headache. Always got a comeback for me."
He was leaned on the random dresser near the door, his body blocking you from fully entering the room. You looked at his bare shoulders, your breath audibly hitching as his grin grew wider. You took the dirty sweater and stepped closer, his smug face dropping.
"How do you think I feel when your annoying ass mouth keeps running, hm?" You said just lightly above a whisper, you could feel his breath on your face now. Your heart sped up at how close you both were, his breath matching yours. He closed his eyes, his arm wrapped around your waist, gripping harder as if it was the only thing stopping him from closing the gap between you. "You never listen to me, Bradshaw." You muttered.
He hummed confused, eyes opening to meet yours that were smiling.
"Wipe your damn face, chicken." You laughed, shoving the sweater onto his face trying to run past as he smiled and rolled his eyes.
He grabbed you with one hand and pulling you closer to him as he rubbed his face onto you, smearing the whipped cream on his mustache on your cheek. You shrieked pushing your hands onto his chest but he was stronger and kept you there.
"Now, we're fair."
"10..." You heard downstairs the countdown to Christmas started.
"Bradley, come on. We're gonna miss the count." You whined, pulling him, simultaneously getting the tissues to wipe both your faces. Wiping yours first, then his, he still stood there like an idiot, not moving an inch.
"What? Do you want me to get you dressed t- mmmph!"
"1..."
His lips crashed down onto yours, a sigh falling off your lips. You could hear his breathing slow down as your hands fell onto his shoulders, feeling the dips and rises that his muscles had provided. One of his hands kept exploring while the other stayed to cup your cheek. His hands got lower gripping onto your thigh making you gasp, letting his tongue make it's way in. His hands were so big on your body that even just him holding it felt good.
He walked you backwards onto the wall, shutting and locking the door as he did. You pushed yourself forward, trying to deepen the kiss, whining when the hand that was softly cupping your cheek seconds ago wrapped around your neck to give a gentle squeeze. He pulled away kissing your flushed cheeks that he found cute.
"You ass, you made us miss the count." You whispered, eyes still closed, head floating.
"I did." He laughed, kissing down to your neck.
"I don't wanna have sex. Not yet. Especially not when my family's around."
"I'm not in a rush, chick. All at your pace." He held your face, his forehead nuzzling onto yours. "Besides, I'd love to wine and dine you before I do."
"What a gentleman." You rolled your eyes.
"Did you just roll your eyes at me, missy?"
"Get changed, pornstache. I'm hungry." He chuckled as you threw the clean shirt to his chest, putting it on himself following close by as you walked back to the living room.
The inside-out sweater that had 'I have a crush on you. Kiss me, if you like me back.' sewn on it was forgotten on the floor along with the gift you'd have to give sometime else instead.
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sitp-recs · 1 year ago
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3 Tacky shorts to read this week
I ran against time to get this post out before midnight ET but am still a bit late 🥲 I know T won’t mind so here’s my belated gift to my sun and stars, my first and dearest partner in crime @tackytigerfic! T, I have no words to describe how much I appreciate our friendship. It’s been so special to experience this fandom with you in the last few years. I love that we immediately hit off and share one stupid brain cell when it comes to these idiots; it feels like we’ve known each other forever and 24 hours (especially living so far apart) is not enough to talk fic, headcanons, kinks, squicks and all other irl and existencial topics with you. Navigating such a big fandom can be really scary but even when nobody knew me I’d never feel lonely, invisible or like I had to pretend to be someone else, because I had you by my side. Thank you so so much for being my safe harbour, my sicko soulmate, my confidant, my role model and my biggest cheerleader!
As I thought of new ways to celebrate your day I tried to remember which fics I hadn’t written a rec for. I came to realize that I was never able to put my thoughts into words when it comes to my 3 favorite short fics of yours. They got me in such a Drarry fever, a tingling incoherent state of emotional devastation that I immediately put away the idea of doing recs because there was no possible way to translate my raw, ugly and chaotic feels about them. I tend to do this with fics that leave me with the so-called hangover once I’m done; funnily enough, the last time this happened - when I read Lettered’s By the Grace - it was you who helped me get that rec out by reviewing it and cheering me along the way, tysm 🥹 now it’s time to respond in kind and share love for these short gems that I have the privilege to revisit every time I need some comfort food. Lucky me, it turns out my best pal writes the exact brand of tender romance that checks all of my boxes. You are a fantastic friend and such a brilliant, talented writer. I love and admire you, and I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved. Can’t wait to see what comes next. Happy day T! 💜
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👩‍🚀 Far Side + Relic Radiation (M, 1.7k)
Draco goes into space, leaving behind his son Scorpius (who has just started at Hogwarts, at least), and his not-quite-boyfriend Harry Potter. But Harry can't stop loving Draco just because he's approximately 408km up, in constant orbit.
“You’ll kill that plant,” Draco said, and flicked a lazy charm over the pot with his fingers so the spicy smell of the lavender sharpened the night air.
“You’ll kill me,” Harry said, and Draco turned his face towards the darkened sky, lunar pale, his profile some stupid unearthly thing—a flaring blazar, a supernova—in the light from the kitchen window.
When I say the heart kick factor may hit you in the solar plexus when you least expect, this is what I’m talking about. I’ve obsessed so much over these 2 tiny shorts with single dad!Draco (one of the tropes Tacky does magic with, they are so disgustingly romantic and emotionally satisfying - gimme T’s dad!Draco anthology or give me nothing!!!) that I came up with a whole theory to prove these stories are actually connected. Whether I’m on the right track or just another delusional reader it’s yet to be seen 🤣 Draco’s devotion to baby Scorpius - and Harry’s gentle yearning for the both of them - does things to my poor heart I can’t quite put into words. Let that boy have his found family happy ending, damn it. Every time I reread these gems I get teared up and wish I could stay in this verse forever, watching Scorp grow while these two lovely men find each other time and again. To make your heart melt a bit more, check the breathtaking artwork by the one and only @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm. I cannot— *cries in Drarry*
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🏜️ Between the Power Lines (M, 3k)
For Harry Potter, all roads eventually lead to Draco Malfoy.
In New Orleans, they got drunk on Bourbon Street, and Malfoy danced on his own (arms bare, laughing; Harry could have watched him all night) and later on, so late it was almost morning, they let themselves into the St Louis Cemetery—Malfoy unpicking the lock so sweetly—and walked around until the sky was pink-edged with the promise of another day’s heat. Then they sat on the steps of a crypt, watched over by sightless eyes of the statue of an angel. She looked exhausted rather than sad, Harry thought, and that made a lot of sense when he thought about his own longstanding, dull-edged grief.
The best word to describe this (literally) hot fic is “atmospheric”. T does a flawless job building impeccable Americana vibes and packing so much story while keeping it 100% character-driven. I love the elegant, contained, confident writing, I love the evocative prose and how the mutual attraction bleeds through these quiet but intense road trip vignettes. The scenario is rich and immersive, the heat so palpable you can almost taste it, and the confession at the end is my definition of peak romance. A whole sensorial experience, both introspective and exciting, vibrant and melancholy, packed within 3k. Absolutely genius.
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🎯Aim For My Heart (M, 3.4k)
Harry's in love, Ron's in control, and Draco just wants a nice lunch. They say three's a crowd, but Harry doesn't always agree. Not when he gets to be in the middle, anyway.
Neither of them had asked Harry what he likes best about them, but Harry watches them and feels the sick curl of excitement low in his belly, like something lost and gained all at once, and he wonders what he’d say if they did ask; would it be mouth or hands or arse, the gleam of clean hair or the hidden scent of a freshly-revealed patch of skin, blue eyes or grey? He doesn’t think he’d tell them what he really loves the most, and that’s the fact that both of them have been his for such a long time, in one way or another, and he loves that he gets to keep them.
For reference, this will always be the Dronarry classic I refer to when I think about this ship. The way Tacky explored the implications and complications of a triad relationship in its early stages (I am so fucking weak for that mix of want, jealousy and vulnerability) combined with exquisite characterization is so well executed I could cry. Beyond that banger of a starting line (“Big hands,” Draco says, and blushes) that made me blush and squeal in delight, Harry’s POV is a triumph. He’s genuinely lovely and relatable in all his yearning and insecurities, soft and longing for both Draco and Ron. The ideia of him realizing that he gets to be loved by, and keep the two people he loves the most in the world, makes my heart burst with warmth. I can pinpoint all the small, quiet but meaningful moments that made my breath stutter and my heart beat faster. This fic is a masterclass in elaborating complex and conflicting emotions, while solving them with a light hand of tenderness and understanding. It is subtle but efficient and all-encompassing in a way that stays with you for a long time after you’ve finished reading. The perfect triad fic.
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gildedmuse · 1 year ago
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hey new moot :) may I request some shuggy hcs? I am unhealthily obsessed w them. could be fluffy or angsty or spicy or anything in between <3333
Hi everyone, this is @kilucore one of my new best friends. They've only really seen OPLA but already loves Buggy. Now I just have to brainwash them into believing his full name is Buggy D Clown and he's the true King Of The Pirates.
This isn't what they asked for but it's what my mind gave me. Later, I'll do a Buggy/Shanks AU. It will involve Shanks in a poly relationship and Buggy being a jealous bitch.
I love thes idiots.
The Captain Gets The Hat
"I used to know a pirate who wore a hat just like this... We served together on a pirate crew when we we're about your age.... "
"Until he betrayed me."
—💙—
"But why not go to the South Blue? There's tons of treasure there!"
"But we're already here! And who knows, since there are so little pirates here in the East Blue, there could be all sorts of treasure that no one has found yet! "
"But it's boring! Even Roger said it was-"
"Don't say his name!"
A while ago, before the crew broke up, before they all just abandoned them, Rayleigh had gotten Buggy a new pair of shoes. They were big and red and Biggy hates them, but Rayleigh said he should wear them anyway. "They're harder to slip in. Safer."
Right now, Buggy doesn't want to be safe. He wants to be pissed off.
Still even as he storms across the wooden pier, the shows made almost no sound at all. It didn't matter how much weight he throw into each step or how hard he brought his foot down. His storming away sounded more like a gentle breeze.
The worst part is he could feel Shanks watching the whole time.
"Hey." At least the shoes don't stop Buggy from being able to swat Shanks's hand away when the other boy tries setting it on his shoulder. "Come on, don't be like that. Why do you want to stay in the East anyway? "
"Because-" Buggy stops, even as he turns to glare at Shanks. The boy has such a bright infectious smile, he makes you feel like everything would be alright.
Only it wouldn't, would it? Not even Shanks's smile could bring back Roger, bring back their FAMILY. Even old Crocus is gone and the last place any of them knew that any of the others would be is in the East. Is in Lougetown.
Is standing below the tower where they-
"Because the East is easy pickings!" Buggy argues, motioning around to all the sailors, the shoppers, the passing Marines not paying them an ounce of attention. "We can do whatever we want and no one can stop us!" And if the others do come looking, they'll be here. Waiting.
Shanks puts on his "serious" face for a moment, though truth be told it's not very serious. "Hmmm... Well, I'm the captain and I say we're going North!" He declares with a huge, cocky grin. The kind that looks like their da-
Like Ro-
Like a pirate.
"You just said So-" Buggy starts to correct before Shanks's words really start to creepy in. His eyes go wide. He did not just say that! No way! "What make you think YOU'RE the captain!?"
Shanks can't be captain! There is only one captain! You can't have two captains and they all know-
They all....
He can't be captain!
"I have the hat!" Shanks declairs in his same light hearted tone, patting the Strawhat Roger had given him WAY before Shanks had been old enough to be captain. He's only 14 now! He barely even has facial hair (Buggy knows, him and Shanks have been comparing for years now waiting to see whose would grow in first) ! "That makes me that captain!"
"That's not true!" Buggy argues, swinging to grab for the stupid Strawhat. Shanks just laughs, taking a wide step back. That is unfair! Buggy hasn't had time to his his growth spurt yet. "Give it here! I deserve to be captain!"
Shanks sticks out his tongue. "Hey, maybe if you're really nice I'll make you my first mate!"
Buggy's face went as red as his nose. He isn't first mate!
Roger is the captain! Rayleigh is first mate! Shanks and him are just- are just-
"Give it here!" Buggy demands, jumping for the raggy hat again.
"That's a very rude way for a first mate to act."
"I said give it here!"
"Maybe I should demote you to cabin boy."
"Grr, I wouldn't be your boy if yours was the last ship in the se-"
SPLASH!!
Buggy tries to draw in a deep breath but the water is already sucking him down. Ocean fills his lungs, weighing him down even more. Trying to push the water aside is like trying to swim through concrete. He can still see the sun twinkling above, reflecting the blue of the water all around him but it's fading. Everything is getting darker.
Is this how Roger felt? No! No not Roger! He must have been brave! He wouldn't be scared or drowning or poleaxes or death. Roger isn't afraid of anything.
Bubbles float out from his mouth, the last of his air leaving his lungs. They pop silently before even hitting the surface, but Buggy heard them in the ocean all around him.
Shanks don't be a captain. Don't be like Roger.
Don't leave me.
The next thing he knows, Buggy can feel the splinters digging into his back, through the worn out shirt he'd owned too many years. The one that didn't fit Nantoto anymore and had been passed along, first to Shanks than to Buggy.
Two worried brown eyes stare down at him, with Shanks's hair a dark, wet red, sticking to his pink cheeks.
Buggy coughs water upon him. "Ehh!" Shanks laughs it all off, brushing it away. "Hey no spitting! And here I thought Raylogh gave you those shoes so you WOULDN'T end up in the sea!"
He can joke, about Buggy is still mad. "I hate these shoes!" He screams, ripping them off and chucking them in the sea. Without him in them they float. Just like everything, he is what is bringing them down. It's him. It's him that got sick, him that stopped Shanks seeing Laughtail. "I hate this fruit! I hate this stupid, stupid sea and it's stupid Marines!" Him that ate the fruit that could have maybe been the fruit Crocus always talked about, the one that could save Rogers' life. Its his fault they're all gone! No wonder no one of the crew came to see them!
He pushes himself up swiping at Shanks's leg as he does so.. the boy trips slightly but keeps from falling into the water.
"Hey, wait!" Shanks scurries to his feet as Buggy starts to march off. "Where are you going? The ship is that way? Wow, you must be really water logged after-"
"YOUR ship is that way!" Buggy snaps, not even turning around to look back at the other teenager. "I don't need you, you know! I can be my own captain!"
"Buggy...."
And maybe it is there is something in Shanks's voice that just reminds Biggy so much of Roger, of his old captain, he has to stop. And maybe it's just because it's Shanks. But in an instance Buggy found e couldn't move forward, not with out one last look back.
Shanks is taller than him. His hair is the same color as Buggy's nose, though he'd give you a black eye if you said so. His face is as bright as the sun and his heart as unpredictable as the sea. It makes Buggy's stomach hurt just looking at him.
And in that moment, Shanks wouldn't look at him either. His face was hidden, the shadow from the brim of his hat covering whatever he might be feeling. Buggy wishes he could hide away like that. His emotions feel as obvious as the nose on his face. His heart feels like it wants to escape his chest and run back to the sea.
Maybe to drown. Maybe to see if Shanks would jump in after it a second time.
"Do you know what this means?" Shanks asks, slowly lifting his chin, meeting Buggy's eyes. He feels so young compared to the other boy in the moment. He can see something in Shanks. A spark. A future. Something Buggy wants to steal but not to take it from Shanks.
Just so he can hold it, just so wherever that spark goes, Buggy will too.
"We'll be rivals!" Buggy shoots back, trying to muster his anger. "We'll both be captains and-"
Shanks shakes his head and Buggy finds himself choking on his own words. Its the boy's smile. "No," he says, taking a step closer before that smile blooms into something larger, something beautiful.
And before Buggy can react Shanks has thrown himself across the dock and right into Buggy's arms. Its so forceful Buggy nearly trips backwards right into the water but even without his special shoes, Shanks holds tight, and he stays on the dock.
"It means we're allies!" Shanks declairs, pulling back only to pat Buggy's shoulders. He is absolutely glowing. Like this is what he wants. Maybe this is what he'd been waiting for. "From now on, we're our own captains, but we're also allies! And whenever you need me I'll be there and when I need you, you'll be there! I'll cheer on all your greatest victories and you're revenge all my worst losses! Just like the best allies!"
And the way that spark shown in Shanks, Buggy couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah!" He agrees, taking Shanks'e hand in his own, sealing the pack. "We're going to be the greatest allies the seas have ever seen!"
"Like two captains but one crew!" Shanks promises. "I'll always be there fore you! No matter what!"
—💙—
The applause dims as Buggy sweeps back into the backroom of his ship. The smile he'd worn for the crowd immediately slips away. "Well," he demands, snapping at Cabaji before.... Well, ignoring Richie altogether. You could never tell with Richie.
"it was great boss!" Someone cheers and the rest are quick to join in, heaping on the praise. Buggy just keeps sauntering on the back of the ship. To their poster board, listing all their upcoming preformance. "The best anyone in this sad little town has ever seen that's for-"
"Yeah for US!" Buggy snaps, the sarcasm dripping from his lips even more than his make up. "BUT WAS HE HERE?!"
His hand slams down on the poster.
Shanks is older now. He has three scars, ones Buggy int see him get. He's taller but it's the same smile. Buggy would know that spark anywhere.
A silence falls over the preformers. No one wants to say it. They all remember what happened to Kiki.
"What is the POINT!?" Buggy screams, turning his ire on the freaks, these losers, this pathetic lot who couldn't get the attention of one stupid, childish man in a silly hat. "Of putting on the greatest show if it's not seen by the greatest PEOPLE!?"
"Well...." Lionel suggests gently after a ong pause where Buggy looks at each of them , eyebrow raised. Huh? Well... Come on. Is there a single. Solidarity idea in those stupid heads of yours!? "You know, maybe he just hasn't been to the East bl---" The knife to his throat cuts off whatever he had been trying to say.
"Are you saying I can't get his ATTENTION!? That somehow, because I STAYED WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSE TO, WHERE ROGER LEFT US THAT I-"
Buggy pauses, looking out the porthole of the ship. Waling back into town where happy families, kids with Cotten candies, stuffed dolls held under couple arms. Such a perfect, happy little picture. Like a spark of sunshine.
"Don't just stand there," Buggy snaps without turning around. " Help your fellow freak. This is why I can't have SAG members on this crew, I swear, " Buggy jokes as a few of the underlings rush forward putting pressure to Lionel's wounds.
All while Buggy watches a happy little family heading back. The dad with his daughter in the shoulder. The other holding her stuffed toy, ruffling the girls hair. Such a happy little couple. Such a happy family.
"I think...." buggy says, tearing the wanted poster from their billboard, letting it crumble in his fist. "You're right. If we want attention we need to go... Bigger."
His laugh fills the boat, and then the ship, and even as the canons start to ring out and the buildings collapse you can still here him. Laughing.
You want to be allies, Shanks? Why not come see his latest victory with your own eyes. He promises. It will be bigger and badder than even you can ignore.
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ceescedasticity · 1 year ago
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Theory: The spiciest cuisine in Arda is Vanyarin. Some humans and Avari are up there, but the Vanyar have an unfair advantage: They can work with Yavanna's Maiar or even Yavanna herself to come up with ever more esoteric varieties of Mouth Ow. (Not all Vanyarin food is spicy, but that's where the spiciest stuff is.)
Corollary: In Beleriand, Sindar and Noldor each stereotyped the other as having bland food. The Noldor thought the Sindarin seasonings were very mild compared to what they got at home; however the Noldor didn't think to bring any of their spices from home, so until they adopted local seasonings their Beleriand-produced food was pretty bland!
(Some Vanyarin spices eventually came to Middle-earth via Númenor, but the more extreme ones require very specific growing conditions and could never be reproduced there.)
(The newly-arrived to Tol Eressëa may be hassled by friends or family members to try Real Vanyarin Spices.)
(However it's customary not to give the newly-reembodied Vanyarin spices for, like, at least ten years. Longer if they've never had them before. Avoiding shocks for a new body and all.)
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