#but there’s a park nearby that I’m gonna hit up tomorrow morning

[candiedspit]

State funded writer’s retreat lol

[kaymd0313]

Chapter Fifteen: "Do you like him?"

Warnings: Angst, Language, Insecure Eddie.

MINORS DNI

I finally made it home after walking about 2 miles back to my house. I walked in the door and went straight up the stairs. I changed into something comfortable and picked up the phone. I decided to call Robin to see if she wanted to come spend the night and I take her to school in the morning. She agreed and she would be here in an hour after her shift at family video. She said Steve would drop her off.

While I waited for Robin I decided to roll a joint and smoke it. Just to take the edge off.

The hour went by quickly and I soon heard a knock on the door. I rushed down the stairs to greet Robin and Steve both at the door.

“Hey Robin, hi Steve.” I said.

“Hey y/n” they said in unison.

“I’ll see you guys at work tomorrow after school.” Steve said as he waved bye.

Me and Robin both waved back at him.

Me and Robin spent most of the night in my room listening to music. We ordered take out and talked about her current crush. I gave her some advice even though I’m obviously not qualified enough to give her relationship advice. We finally fell asleep after a while of just hanging out with each other.

We woke up and went downstairs to find out my dad made breakfast. On the way out the door I gave my dad a kiss on the cheek and a weak smile. Me and Robin headed to school and I saw Eddie’s van already in the parking lot. I decided to park near the front today.

Robin got out of the car and asked if I was still giving her a ride to work too, I said yes. She started to walk off as I stayed in the car for a second. 

I was thinking of Eddie. I was wondering if he saw my note, wondering if he would finally hear me out.

Then a brilliant idea hit me. If he did see my note and wants to talk, I’m going to make him work for it. I won’t make it easy, since he wanted to be such a dick.

I got out of the car and reached back in for my jacket and put it on. I started to walk up to the doors when I heard tires squealing in the parking lot. I turned and saw Billy’s car.

As he stopped I walked up to it as he let the red headed girl out. Once he saw me a smile plastered against his face, which caused me to smile back.

Billy stepped out of the car and ran up to me and picked me up and spun me around.

“Y/n, god is it good to see you.”

“Little ole me? What makes me so special?” I asked.

“Everything” he said as he took my chin in between his fingers to make me look up at him.

I let out a weak smile. He then let me go.

“What are you doing after school?”

“I have to go to work actually. Why do you want to spend time with me?” I asked.

“Of course!” he said with a smile.

The bell rang which thankfully broke whatever connection was going on.

I turned away from him and started walking.

“I might have to take a raincheck on that one. But I’ll let you know.” I said with a smile.

Don’t get me wrong, Billy is attractive, but he's NOT EDDIE. Not by a long shot.

I basically ran to my locker to grab a few books for class. Once I got there a note fell out.

“Find me whenever you can”

-E

I looked down at it and smiled. I crumpled it up and threw it into a trash can I saw nearby.

Good try Eddie. It’s not going to be that easy though.

I closed my locker and headed to class.

—-Time Skip—-

I had seen Eddie a few times today, but I ignored him all those times. I told him to come to me, not the other way around.

I was walking out of the school doors with Robin so we could go to work when I saw Billy leaning up against my car.

“Ugh, what’s he doing leaning on your car?” Robin said

“Probably gonna ask me out or something.” I said with a chuckle and a roll of my eyes.

“Ew!” she responded.

We walked up and Robin got in the passenger side as I approached Billy at the drivers side.

“Yes Billy?”

“I was just wondering if you’d maybe want to come over to my place and hang out?”

“Well….Billy, I have work so I can’t.”

I looked over at Robin and she was pointing her finger towards her mouth and making a gagging motion, which made me let out a slight giggle.

Billy turned to look at her and she gave him a fake smile.

“Well, maybe when you’re not busy then?”

I looked around for a second thinking about it, then I locked eyes with Eddie who was standing in front of his van watching me.

I looked back to Billy and placed my hand on his chest.

“How bout this, I’ll let you know when I’m available. I have to work a lot this week so it might not be this week. But I promise to let you know. Okay?”

He smiled and gave me a nod. He then grabbed my hand and kissed it before he walked back over to his car.

I got into the car and Robin immediately let out a gagging sound.

“Ew, y/n, I can't believe you talked to him for that long. I would rather die than talk to him.”

“Let’s just go to work.” I said with a giggle.

I decided to drive past Eddie’s van as we exited the parking lot. I looked at him and I could tell he was pissed that I even touched Billy.

—-Time Skip—-

Robin, Steve and I were pretty slow at work today. We decided to hang out in the back room until we heard the ding of the bell. We were taking turns going up to help the customers.

We eventually heard a ding which broke us from our conversation. We were talking about hanging out sometime this week after work.

“Your turn Steve” me and Robin said in unison.

He disappeared into the front of the store as me and Robin continued the conversation coming up with ideas of what to do.

Steve came back to the room.

“Y/n it’s for you.” he said with an annoyed look on his face.

“Fuck” I whispered under my breath.

I walked up towards the front and saw him laying his head on the counter.

“What can I help you with sir?”

He popped his head up and looked right at me. His eyes were red and I could tell he’d been crying because his face was tear stained.

“Do you like him?”

“Sir, I don't know what you’re talking about.”

“Please stop calling me sir, y/n I need to know if you like Billy.”

I looked down and back up at him.

“Eddie, I like him as a friend, maybe not even that. But I’m not going to hate someone just because you don’t like him.”

He slammed his head back down on the counter.

I walked from behind the counter and stood next to him.

I put my hand on his back and he jerked away. I put my hands up in defense because I didn’t want to scare him.

“Why did you touch him? Why did you let him kiss you?”

“Eddie, first he kissed my hand. I’m sorry if you think that’s a big deal. If it’s any consultation, I felt terrible after he did it. It felt wrong.”

“I know you saw my note, why didn’t you come find me?” he said while looking down at his feet.

“Because I told you to find me.”

He slowly looked up at me and I could see the pain in his eyes.

“Can we go, please? I don’t want to talk here.” he whispered.

I could see the tears forming in his eyes. I felt bad, god, I loved this kid, I couldn’t bear to see him like this.

“Let me go tell Steve and Robin, I’ll be right back, okay?”

He nodded as I proceeded to head to the back.

“Hey Steve, is it ok if I go ahead and leave. It’s kind of important.”

“Yea, sure y/n, just don’t flake on our plans ok?”

“Yea, just let me know the day ok?”

He nodded as I grabbed my jacket and bag.

“See you guys later.”

“Bye y/n.” they said in unison.

I walked back up to the front to see Eddie with his head back on the counter. I reached him and slowly went to grab his hand which he slowly accepted.

“Where’s your van Edd?”

He pointed towards a parking lot across the street as we walked out the door.

I led us to the van. Once we reached it I stopped to look at Eddie.

“Let me drive, I promise I’ll treat her well.” I said with a weak smile.

He reached into his pocket and handed me the keys.

I walked him to the passenger side and let him in.

I then got in and headed down the road towards his trailer.

Once we got to the trailer we sat in the van for a second. I looked over at him and grabbed his hand.

“Cmon love, let's go inside.” I said quietly.

I got out of the van and walked to the passenger side and opened the door and held out my hand.

“My good sir.”

Eddie looked at my hand then back at me and he smiled weakly.

Once we got inside we saw Wayne sitting on the couch. He gave me a weak smile as I led Eddie towards his room. 

I got into Eddie's room and saw beer cans all over the place. I guided Eddie to sit on the bed.

I started to clean up all the cans and he watched me the entire time.

 After I finished I stood in the middle of the room for a second until Eddie got up and stood in front of me. He looked down at me and held his arms out.

I reached out and brought him into one of the tightest hugs I’ve ever encountered.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“Will you listen to me now?”

He pulled away from the hug and cupped my face in his hands.

“I won’t say a word. Say what you need to say.”

He had that twinkle in his eyes again. That twinkle I fell hard for.

“Okay, let’s sit down.”

[integra1127grimmreaper]

The New Devil’s Pact - Part three

Ike Evans Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Part 2

Warning: swearing

A/N: I'm not Jewish but did work for a Jewish boss in my teens, so easily caught on a few Yiddish phrases during those days... that and from watching The Nanny as a kid. I'm a bit rusty with how to use them though... I mostly remember the insults still lol.

You couldn't help containing the smirk that broke across your face at the look of utter fear on Stevie's face as he opened the door for you.

"Y/N...?" Stevie let out a tense breath of relief at seeing it was you.

"You gonna let me in or not?"

"Yeah, sure" Stevie hastily drags you into the room, making sure to check the hallway of the motel for any of Ben's men that might be looking for him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to take you out of your misery..." you casually announce, taking a seat in a nearby chair.

"My misery?" Stevie frowns at your remark. "How did you even know I was here?"

"I know everything that goes on in my city..." you comment with a smile.

"Your city?"

"That's right... you haven't heard the news yet" you chuckle out at his confusion. "I inherited this city, along with a few more things but most of all, I inherited 49% of the Miramar Playa."

"Inherited?" Stevie responds, still seeming confused at everything you said, and then it hits him. "You're part of the-"

"Ding-ding-ding..." you chuckle out cheerfully. "That's right... I'm an honorary member of the Chicago outfit."

Stevie, realizing the danger he was in at that instant, quickly reaches for the gun tucked into the back of his pants.

"Now I'd be careful with that gun if I were you..." you grin at him in warning. "You might have been saved after putting the Butcher in hospital, but shooting me... that Bubala... that right there; is signing, sealing and delivering your own death warrant."

"What do you mean, I'm saved?"

"Ben was too much of a loose cannon, Sy was planning on getting rid of him, you actually did us a favour."

"Sy? As in Sy Berman?"

"My granduncle" you nod, "he unfortunately was killed last night. That bastard Ben knew his time was up so he sent men after Sy. So, now I own it all..."

"Does my dad know about all of this?"

"He does since early this morning" you reply.

"And he's known all along who you were?"

"Nope..." you snicker shaking your head. "He had no fucking idea until I informed him this morning."

Grabbing himself and you a drink, Stevie sits on the edge of the bed, still eyeing you closely in suspicion as he hands you it.

"So, you worked for us for the past two years and my dad never knew you were related to Sy?"

"Exactly..." you tip your glass toward him. "I've merely been keeping an eye on our investment, making sure Daddy was doing his job well."

"Ok, I get all of that... but why exactly are you here to see me?"

"I came to tell you that you're safe, you don't have to fear Ben coming after you. You're under my protection now, your entire family is... at least until I feel otherwise."

"You're not fucking with me?" Stevie stares at you in disbelief.

"You're safe Stevie... go home, your Pop's worried about you."

"He doesn't give a shit about me" Stevie scoffs in objection.

"He does, you should have seen his face when I told him of the shit-storm you dropped yourself into."

"I can't go back..." Stevie drops his head in guilt, and you knew exactly why; Vera...

"Yes, you can, and you are going to..." you state matter-of-factly. "You're my show of good faith to your father. Tomorrow morning, I'll be sending a driver to collect you, and you will be ready..."

Getting up from your seat, you head for the door, turning around to give him one last warning.

"If you're not here or you don't obey my instructions, you will regret it..."

Giving Stevie one last smile, you make your leave.

The Next Day

You had decided to go dressed-to-kill in red for your grand check-in this morning. You also purposely wore an oversized black and hugely over-fashionable hat, as not to be immediately recognized by the valet parking.

You had to stifle the loud snickering that threatened to escape your lips that no one recognized you after one of your men opened the car door for you to exit. Your fun was soon killed when Ray-Ray catches a glimpse of your face as you entered through the hotel doors.

"Y/N...?" he stares at your attire in confusion.

"How you doing, Ray-Ray?" you flash him a bright smile, pointing towards the car outside. "Do you mind helping my guy with my belongings."

"Welcome to the Mir-" reception froze midsentence when realizing it was you standing in front of them after having removed the hat.

"Thank you..." you smirk broadly, pointing up toward Ike's office behind you then. "Do me a favour and call the Big Guy, tell him that I'm here, and that I'll be up to see him in the next twenty minutes..."

A few seconds later, an extremely nervous and confused reception turns to you in a cordial manner. "Here is the key to your suite, Ms Y/L/N. Mr Evans will be awaiting you later..."

You sent Ray-Ray upstairs with one of your guards to get your belongings settled into your suite. While you made yourself comfortable at one of the vacant foyer tables and ordered a drink as you waited for Stevie to arrive.

You were on your second whiskey when Stevie finally made his appearance.

"Lighten up kid, you ain't gonna die today..." you remark point toward the glass standing on the table, "knock that back and let's go pay Daddy a nice visit."

You could sense the curious eyes of the hotel staff on you guys as Stevie and you head upstairs to meet Ike, and you were eating it up.

"Y/N?! Where the hell have you been?" Flo scolds at you when entering the office area.

"Flo, do me a favour... sit the hell down and shut the fuck up" you casually remark walking pass her.

"It's ok, Flo" Stevie tries to sooth her shocked manner, "Dad's expecting us."

"Was that really necessary?" Ike glares at you from behind his desk.

"Good morning to you too Ike..." you purred out taking a seat on a nearby couch and pointing toward Stevie. "Brought you a gift in celebration to our new partnership."

"Stevie..." Ike jumps up from his chair to grab him in a tight hug. "You ok?"

"Yeah, Pop... I'm fine" Stevie nods, his face contorted into a guilt-ridden frown.

"Thank God..." Ike sighs out in relief. Suddenly he grabs Stevie at the collar of his shirt, "what the hell were you thinking?"

"Sorry Pop" Stevie drops is head in shame, "I wasn't..."

"Exactly!" Ike roughly releases him. "You never fucking think! The Butcher?! You tried to kill the fucking Butcher?!"

"As entertaining as this is..." you finally interrupt the 'happy' family reunion. "I do believe we have business to attend to gentlemen."

"Is everything she said actually true?"

"I'm afraid so" Ike mutters out.

"Stevie, why don't you take a hike while Daddy and I discuss some business."

"Why did you bring my son with you?" Ike finally breaks the silence after Stevie had left.

"Now is that anyway to thank me for bringing your son back home safely?" you playfully scold him. "I knew you were worried about the kid, so I brought him home. Now, what do you say in response...?"

"Thank you" Ike grumbles out, going back behind the desk to take a seat.

"Good Boy..." you smirk at him, "this is going to be the start to a beautiful partnership. Now shall we begin discussing business?"

"What is it going to take to get you to sell me those shares?"

"Ain't ever happening..." you smile while shaking your head.

"Besides...where would you get the money to buy me out?"

"I have my ways..." Ike retorts, lighting up a cigarette to calm himself.

You couldn't help the chuckle that slipped your lips then.

"Let me guess... the former sister-in-law?"

Ike doesn't respond, he merely glares at you instead.

"Nailed that right on the head did I..." you cackle out. "Well, you should call her, inform her that the deal is off."

Ike still continues to silently glare at you.

Deciding that you've had enough fun for the day, you get up from your seat.

"As productive as this meeting was... I'll be retiring to my suite, might even soak up the hotel a bit. See you tomorrow morning partner... or maybe later today even."

You winked at Ike, a huge smirk on your face as you left his office.

Part 4

[baroquebucky]

love

a/n: hi hi !! here is another fic inspired by one of my fave bts songs <33 hope u all enjoy lmk what u think !! pls excuse any typos

bucky was cold and sad before you, now he is warm and happy, most of all, he’s in love

word count: 3k

masterlist

Bucky woke up from another nightmare, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He let out a shaky breath, looking around his empty apartment. He got up and washed his face, looking at himself in the mirror before tearing his gaze away.

Bucky didn’t sleep for the rest of the night, busying himself until sunrise, when he left his apartment and walked to park nearby.

That’s where he met you.

You were playing fetch with your dog, nearly tumbling over every time he jumped on you to get the ball from your hand, laughing as he would sprint away from you, tongue sticking out.

Bucky smiled at the sight, wishing he had a let of his own. You caught him staring at your dog and smiled, saying a quick ‘hello!’ and calling for you dog to come back.

Bucky returned a smile, the path he was on leading him towards where you stood. Your dog bounded over to you, ball in mouth and dropping it at your feet.

“do you wanna pet him?” You smiled at bucky, your dog staring at him wearily as he stopped near you.

“uh- he doesn’t seem like a fan” Bucky chuckled and you shook your head, scratching behind your dogs ear.

“he’s just protective, his name is ace” you smiled, walking towards Bucky slowly, ace following suit and sniffing at Bucky’s boots.

Ace warmed up to bucky quickly, sitting at his feet and waiting for his payment of pats. Bucky smiled, crouching down to pet him, the dogs soft fur against his hand made him smile.

You smiled at the interaction, thinking of what to say next, you knew this was the Bucky Barnes and you didn’t want to embarrass yourself.

“I’m y/n” you spoke as Bucky got back up, putting his gloves back on quickly. He turned to face you, a charming smile on his face.

“I’m Bucky” he replied, blushing as he finally saw your face, and wow were you breathtaking.

Your eyes met and you both blushed, you struggled to find words to keep the conversation going, not wanting him to leave so soon.

Is this love?

“why are you up so early” you asked, throwing the ball so ace could chase after it, still full of energy.

He paused for a moment before answering, “just an early bird” he smiled, you nodded. “what about you?” he asked, standing next to you as ace came back, dropping the ball at his feet this time.

“i have to tire him out before i go to work, so i gotta wake up early” you smiled, yawning not long after. You blushed and mumbled a quick ‘sorry’ and Bucky smiled at you.

Ace pranced back, no longer wanting to run around and play, only wanted to get back to his cozy bed and lounge for the rest of the day.

“we should get going, this guy makes me carry him to the car and up the stairs if he’s too tired” you laughed, bucky smiled and said goodbye, giving ace a few final pats before saying goodbye to him too.

Sometimes i know, sometimes i don’t

Bucky thought about you and your four legged friend for the rest of the day, wondering if you had always been there when he went for walks, was he too caught up in his own mind to even realize?

Bucky felt the day go by fast, feeling lighter than he had been the day before, talking to his neighbors a bit more and feeling tired by the time the clock hit 12 am rather than the usual 3 am.

He woke up early the next day, another nightmare shaking him awake, checking the clock it read 5:54 am, the sun barely about to rise.

He got up, changing and washing his face, brushing his teeth and heading out the door in 30 minutes.

The sun was up as he walked to the park, keeping an eye out for you, and sure enough there you were, this time throwing a frisbee to entertain ace. You looked exhausted and bucky felt a pang in his chest, how long did you sleep?

Your gaze me Buckys and you smiled brightly, perking up a bit as he walked closer.

“good morning bucky!” You smiled, ace running towards him, his frisbee in his mouth as he jumped to greet the super soldier.

“good morning y/n, and good morning ace!” He smiled, putting on a higher pitched voice for the dog who wagged his tail happily, hitting the mans leg with the frisbee.

Bucky took the frisbee, throwing it so ace could chase after it, you both smiled at your dog, running as fast as he could to catch the disk.

“how’d you sleep?” You asked, noticing the bags under his eyes, he shrugged.

“as well as i usually do. You?” He asked, trying to mask his concern.

“it was okay, wish i could’ve gotten more though” you smiled rubbing your burning eyes before throwing the frisbee once more.

Bucky nodded in agreement, the two of you making small talk until you and ace left once again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” You asked, putting a leash on ace and walking with Bucky towards your car. Bucky smiled brightly, nodding his head.

“yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow” he replied, already looking forward to it.

You are the one who will give meaning to my memories

For two weeks you and bucky met up and played with ace at the park during early mornings, sometimes walking around the park and talking about your days and what you had to do. Neither one of you prying too much, just enjoying each other’s company.

Bucky reminisced on the memories with a fond smile as he told Steve about you.

“no yeah she’s great, her dog is really cute too” bucky spoke, giddy to see you on Monday.

“why don’t you ask her out then?” Steve questioned and bucky shook his head, not knowing how he would even approach the situation.

The following Monday you greeted bucky with a smile, ace bounding over to him in excitement.

As the two of you fell into routine, Steve’s words rung in his ears, deciding to take a leap of faith.

“would you- do you maybe wanna get dinner someday? together?” Bucky asked, a charming smile on his face as ace wagged his tail, looking up at you, almost as if saying ‘do it! say yes!’

“uh- yeah I’d love that” you smiled at bucky, both of you relieved that the you weren’t alone in wanting more time together.

Before i knew you my heart was filled with straight lines

Bucky was excited for your first date, putting on his best clothes and getting some flowers for you on the way, knocking on your door and heading aces familiar bark.

You opened the door, wearing a nice and casual outfit, letting Bucky in and thanking him for the flowers.

“I’m gonna just put these in water, feel free to sit down” you smiled, hurrying around to finish as quick as possible.

Bucky nodded, taking a seat on your couch and looking around, your home was so, homey. Ace smiling proudly as Bucky pet him.

“okay shall we?” You laughed and bucky smiled, saying goodbye to ace as you closed the door and headed out. Bucky offered you his arm and you gladly took it, walking down the stairs with your arms linked.

“ace makes you carry him all the way up these?” He asked in shock and you nodded, letting out a small chuckle.

“don’t let him fool you he is very evil” you teased, Bucky widened his eyes and nodded his head.

“note to self, never get on aces bad side” he smiled as you laughed, continuing to make easy conversation for the rest of the night.

Bucky found himself being nicer to Sam and the rest of the team, hanging out with them more and even cracking jokes.

“you don’t stare anymore” sam spoke, a smile on his face as steve turned to look at bucky.

“Hm, he doesn’t” steve smirked and bucky rolled his eyes.

“got tired of looking at your face is all” he snickered, making the two other men laugh, bucky took a sip from his beer.

“he’s seeing a girl y’know” steve whispered and bucky groaned as Sam cheered. Bucky couldn’t help but smile as he thought of you. It had only been a week since your first date and he already wanted to take you out again, despite having seen you this morning.

I’d like to be in your novel as a lover

Time passed and you and bucky got closer, going on more dates and texting each other during the day, even calling each other when one of you couldn’t sleep.

Bucky told you about his nightmares, telling you how he would always wake up, too afraid to go back to sleep so he would wait until sunrise and go for a walk.

You told him how you had trouble sleeping, sometimes your mind would just never stop, other times you just had too much work.

Within two months bucky has asked you out, a bouquet of roses for you and treats for ace, he has set up a picnic for you during the sunset, getting your favorite foods and talking the entire evening, finally asking you out when the moon had risen.

I’m just a human, you erode all my edges and turn me into love

You made bucky a better person, teaching him his self worth and to be proud of who he was.

“Bucky wake up, angel it’s just a nightmare” you shook him gently, ace watching from the foot of the bed.

Bucky shot up quickly, breathing heavily as you placed a hand on his back, pulling him into you after he has calmed down.

“you’re here, you’re with me you’re okay” you assured him, wrapping him in your arms and holding him tightly.

“it was bad, i was bad” he mumbled, tears falling down his face.

“you aren’t him. you are good, you are human baby, you’re my love” he squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on your steady heartbeat as you ran your fingers through his hair, his arm draping over your stomach as he slowly fell back to sleep.

Buckys nightmares became more scarce, he became happier and less cold, embracing who he was.

He was also helplessly in love with you, constantly buying you flowers, taking you out on dates, taking care of you when he could, writing you letters, and so much more.

You make live to a love

After coming into his life you made bucky a better person, you made him into the person he always wanted to be.

Bucky no longer walked with his head down, rather he walked with a set gaze, giving a kind smile to strangers on the street and helping those in need, helping the others his friends when they needed him and even volunteering at the local animal shelter when he could.

Because of you i know why a person should live by love

Before you bucky would punch his way out of all his fights, he would be hot headed and angry if he got into an argument with someone on the team.

Now he was understanding and patient, listening to what the other had to say and looking to reason with them, taking time to communicate. Bucky was sympathetic, not wanting to fight every villain they came across, instead trying to reason with them. Between him and Sam, usually they didn’t even have to fight.

I live so i love

“angel? I’m home!” You called out, ace greeting you at the door, smiling at the freshly cooked dinner on the dining table, it was your favorite.

“Happy one year doll” Bucky smiled as you turned around, hugging him tightly and kissing him all over his face.

“buck i don’t know what to say” you smiled, still in awe of all he had done.

“don’t say anything, just go get changed and let’s enjoy our night yeah?” He replied, kissing you once more before letting you go.

You were thankful he opted for a night in, exhausted from work and wanting only to be in your lovers arms. And you did exactly that, spending the night dancing in your living room, laughing at his bad jokes and sharing stories.

“okay best pick up line go” you smiled, excited to see what he would say.

“not really a pick up line but” Bucky paused, looking you in the eyes. “It’s a long way from I to U, fuck JKLMNOPQRST, i crossed all the letters and i reached you” he smirked, loving the way your heart raced at his words.

“now i know why you were such a ladies man in the 40s” you whispered, crashing his lips onto yours.

If i go would you be sad?

“God james cant you just shut up and listen to me for one second!” You stated, voice raising out of frustration.

“well maybe if you could get it through your stubborn head that it wasn’t my fault maybe I’d stop having to explain” Bucky spoke angry, his voice steady as he clenched his jaw.

You were upset he had kept you in the dark about an ongoing mission, he was upset you didn’t realize he had done it to keep you safe.

“you keep saying you did it to keep me safe, James i was almost killed because i didn’t know! How is that keeping me safe?” You spoke, anger boiling over as you sat on the couch, wanting to just sleep.

“if i had told you, you would have never let me be as protective as i have been! You wouldn’t have taken your vacation days because you’re too stubborn” Bucky spoke, still standing across from you.

“I just need some time to think” you spoke softly, Bucky’s heart fell. We’re you gonna leave him?

“I’ll go” Bucky mumbled, already moving to pack a bag.

“bucky stop” you spoke, making him stop in his tracks. “sit down i don’t want you to leave, let’s talk about it angel” you sighed, wanting to just work it out and be in his arms once more.

You’re my love

Bucky was excited, everything had been planned perfectly. He had woken up at 4 am, getting everything ready for the following morning.

He had driven to the park with Sam and Steve who helped him set up the picnic, a blanket laid out with fruits and drinks along with dog toys to play with ace.

It had been nearly 4 years since the two of you had met, he knew you were the one for him.

As the sun rose you woke up, getting ready to take ace out with Bucky, only to find the two of them gone.

Just as you finished getting ready bucky walked in, a smile on his face.

“goodmorning doll, let’s get going yeah? already got ace in the car” he smiled and you thanked him, heading out the door and to the park.

when you arrived you immediately saw the picnic.

“buck what-” you began and he cut you off.

“just because” he smiled and you smiled, sure he always took you on dates but this was different, it felt more intimate.

As the two of you sat on the blanket and munched on food ace ate some treats bucky had gotten him, excited to play in a couple of minutes.

“I taught him a new trick” Bucky smiled and you raised your eyebrows, sitting up straighter to see ace perform said trick.

“let’s see what you got Barnes” you smirked and he smiled.

“ace go fetch!” Bucky spoke, ace ran from the blanket in a straight line.

“haha bucky, we both know he already knew that, plus you didn’t even throw-” you cut yourself off as you saw ace pick something up, running back towards the two of you. Bucky stood up, offering you a hand so you could get up.

“y/n, i love you, you taught me what love is, you made me into a better person, from the moment we met i always felt like we were meant to be.” Bucky spoke, glancing over to see ace closer to the two of you, a little over halfway back.

“you’re my person, my desire, my pride, my one and only love” Bucky spoke, crouching down and taking the small box from aces mouth, letting him and giving him more treats.

Bucky got on one knee, opening the box and looking at you with bright eyes. Your vision was blurry, but unlike four years ago, it wasn’t from sleep, but from tears.

“y/n, doll, will you marry me?”

You nodded your head quickly, wiping away your tears and smiling brightly.

“yes, of course yes angel” you replied, wrapping your arms around him as he picking you up and spun you around, setting you down and kiss you, making your knees weak.

He slipped the ring on your finger with a smile, ace barking as the two of you kissed once more, pulling away with a smile.

“that has to be his best trick” you joked, petting ace and kissing the top of his head.

“now i gotta train him to be the ring bearer for the wedding” Bucky laughed and you nodded, squinting your eyes as you saw Sam and Steve running in the distance.

“is that-?” You questioned and bucky laughed, the two men cheering as they saw you and bucky cuddled up.

“she said yes!” Bucky called out and the two men cheered, arriving out of breath.

“thank god, he woke us up at like 3 am to get everything ready” sam spoke and Steve nodded, giving the two of you a hug, Sam quickly following suit.

“I’m happy for you guys” Sam spoke, Steve nodding along side him, squeezing Buckys arm before they left the two of you alone.

You smiled as you looked up at the sky, pinks and reds painting the clouds. You turned to tell bucky, but decided against it when you saw him on the floor playing with ace, voice high pitched as he baby talked him.

Your heart melted, you couldn’t wait to spend the rest of you life with your two favorite boys.

[lightsovermonaco]

His Good Sweater: Chapter 4

Masterlist

Thank you as always to my best friend and Beta reader @acollectionofficsandshit​ for putting up with me and my ramblings ♥

Word Count: 3.8k

Recommended song: "ily (I love you baby)" by Surf Mesa and Emilee

You'd never been more thankful that you kept a change of clothes in your car than you were after the race at Silverstone. You'd showered again, changing back into the sweaty tee and leggings. The clean emergency hoodie and jeans were a blessing, and casual enough for a night on the town.

Most of the crew had left, only a few poor souls pouring over race data or packing up essentials. James let you into the trailer yard this time without hesitation. "We really should just get you a key," He teases, "Sure would make my life easier."

Rolling your eyes, you give the tower of muscle a pitiful shove. He doesn't move an inch. "Thanks James. I'll ask Pierre to look into it."

A sudden wave of tiredness washes over you when you make it back to the trailer. You flip through the channels on the tiny television, settling on an analysis of the day’s race.

“And a brilliant drive from young Pierre Gasly, wasn’t it John?”

“I completely agree Martin. Gasly took advantage of every slip up by Mercedes and Red Bull and he has to be commended for that. Max made some rare mistakes and…”

You smile to yourself, their praise washing over you. Yawning, you curl up on Pierre's bed, the familiar smell of cedar lulling you into a light sleep in minutes.

**********

A gentle touch to your cheek wakes you some hours later. You crack your eyes open, greeted by a smile brighter than the stars in the night sky. You taste eternal sunshine on his lips when you kiss him, your soul sparking in response to his light.

"Good morning," He murmurs, thumb rubbing along your jaw. "Sleep well?"

You snuggle closer to him, eyes closing once more as you soak up the warmth. "Is it time to go out already?"

"It is. But we can stay here if you want to." He brushes a stray hair off your face. The gesture is so tender, if you didn’t know any better you’d never guess he could turn into the seasoned, take-no-shit racer you’d seen hours before. 

You shake your head. You couldn't let him miss out on celebrating his victory with his closest friends. Besides, you hadn't seen any of them for a span of time longer than a few minutes in months, and truth be told, you missed them all. 

Those boys had a knack for turning the simplest of outings into unforgettable adventures. You had been sworn to secrecy on numerous occasions after Pierre recounted drunken escapades that usually ended with Max sleeping somewhere preposterous, like a claw-footed bathtub in a fancy suite.

“Where are we going?” You ask sleepily. “Somewhere nearby?”

Pierre tugs you up until you’re sitting. He pulls you back against his chest, arms wrapping around you as he sets his chin on your shoulder. “Yeah. Maybe ten minutes away.”

You lean your full weight against him, admiring how perfectly your bodies slot together. “Can I leave my car here?”

“As long as you’re okay with it staying here until tomorrow, that’s fine.” He coaxes you to stand and presses a kiss to your temple as a reward. Your limbs are still heavy and uncooperative. Pierre winds an arm around your waist, supporting you and assuming the position of your rock as he always did.

"You don't sleep here," You state simply, looking at him for confirmation. He shakes his head.

"Wouldn't be enough room for two anyway." He gestures to the tiny twin sized bed and shrugs.

Your brow furrows. “Am I staying with you tonight?” You honestly had not considered it. The jet usually left early and you had assumed he would want to get as much rest as possible. But now that you had experienced waking up next to him, you realize how much you want his face to be the first thing you see when you open your eyes each morning.

“Of course you’re staying with me. I’m taking every second of your time that I can get.”

You bite your lip and lay your head on his shoulder. The idea of falling asleep in his arms was enough to shake any lingering sleepiness. “Okay.” Confident that you could hold yourself up, you step out of his grasp. “Ready.”

The few mechanics roaming about the grounds are enough to keep you cautious. You walk through the paddock a hair's breadth apart, although every nerve screams for you to touch him. Every time your arm grazes his, electricity ripples across your skin. All you want to do is hold his hand, but there’s enough prying eyes that you restrain the impulse.

You can tell he feels it too by the way his fingers curl and uncurl at his sides. And he's biting his cheek, you notice. A nervous habit of his and a clear indicator that he'd retreated inside his own head, likely contemplating if he'd truly deserved to win today or not.

Every few months his doubts crept in, the devil on his shoulder reminding him that Horner hadn't deemed him good enough to keep his seat at Red Bull after only a handful of races.

You'll never be as talented as them, is what you'd imagined it whispered. They're only here because they pity you. What makes you think you deserve a seat?

It couldn't be farther from the truth. Deep down, Pierre knew that. Driving in Formula 1 meant being under constant scrutiny from the public and sportscasters. Making an error meant debates about whether you were good enough and rumors about seat security.

There were no such errors today. You'd heard the commentary after the race; everyone was raving about his performance. Not one person had dared say he didn't deserve it.

Not wanting him to suffer alone, you subtly wrap your pinky finger around his. "You're okay," You say softly, his head whipping to you. "You deserved that trophy today. It was some of the best driving I've ever seen, everyone agrees. You deserve a trophy every time you get in that car. You'll always be my champion, even if the world tells you otherwise."

It takes a moment for it to sink in, but he nods and releases your pinkie. "You're my grounding rod," He says, lips curling in a knowing smile, and you can't hold back your laugh.

"Leave it to you to turn a romantic moment into a cheesy one." Instead of saying you're my rock like any normal person, he had to bring up the time you'd embarrassed yourself at the bar a year or so ago. He'd let you prattle on to poor Dan about building grounding rods of all things, and how you'd thought your professor's way of designing such a system was flawed. Pierre would never let you live that down, it seemed.

Max spots the two of you first, waving from where the boys had gathered outside Red Bull. “About time you showed up! We’ve been waiting for ten minutes!”

“She fell asleep,” Pierre says simply, his confidence back. “Takes her awhile to wake up.”

“Whatever, I’m just glad you’re here,” Daniel says, throwing an arm around your shoulders and tucking you tight to his side. You couldn’t help the broad smile creeping onto your face, twin to the aussie’s as you hug him back. 

“We missed you,” Charles says, falling into step beside you. “I never hear from you anymore!”

You grimace. It was true, while the three boys had texted you quite frequently the past few months, you had barely responded to them. You felt guilty about it, knowing they were taking time out of their packed schedules to catch up. But uni had been kicking your ass and the only one you’d found time for was Pierre. Looking back, you were glad he had been the exception.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” You say. “Lots of projects.”

“And that new internship,” Max points out. Your eyebrows flick up, gaze flicking to Pierre. You had been awarded an internship a month or so ago at a local engineering firm in London. It was only part time work, a few hours a week, but it was enough. The only one you had told was Pierre.

Pierre grins, the gesture a silent apology. “I may have spilled the beans.” 

You cut him a glare, the others laughing at your attempt at being intimidating. But you couldn’t turn away from him, not when he was looking at you with the same pride you had felt when he’d won earlier that day. 

“Uber’s here,” Charles announces, checking his phone.

“Where?” Daniel asks, and Charles indicates a black SUV parked at the curb. Daniel and Max exchange a look, shouting “Shotgun!” at the same time. Both boys break into a full sprint, feet pounding on the pavement. Daniel wins - barely, leaving Max and Charles to squeeze into the back seat.

Pierre follows you into the third row of seats, his hand immediately engulfing yours. Your stomach flips, glancing up to find a reassuring smile on his face. You could barely focus on what was said for the first half of the ride, hyperaware of the callouses rubbing your skin. The world around you erupts into color at the touch, completing the part of you that you’d never realized was missing. 

The remainder of the drive is filled with laughter, jokes, and plenty of selfies with the driver. It wasn’t every day one could brag about having four world class drivers in your car; you couldn’t blame the man for being excited.

By the time you arrive at the bar, your sides are already splitting with laughter. “First round is on you, Ricciardo,” Charles says, wagging a finger at him. “Punishment for bringing up the Abu Dhabi incident again!”

“Jokes on you, I was already planning on it!” He glances at you and winks. “Gotta congratulate the winner somehow, right?” Little did the Australian know, you had already congratulated Pierre a few hours ago, and you doubted that a few shots would outshine that performance. You hope the pink tinge that rises to your cheeks with the memory isn't obvious and you duck your head just in case.

A blast of air conditioning hits you as you all stumble into the bar. All eyes fell to you and the ragtag group of drivers when you entered, silence blanketing the patrons. The bartender slams a fist on the wooden bartop, rattling glasses and making you flinch.

“Been wonderin’ when you lot were gonna show your ugly mugs!”

Daniel, Max and Charles erupt into friendly laughter, shaking the man’s hand and making small talk. You look to Pierre for an explanation.

“Tradition,” He murmurs. The noise returned to a normal level around you, though you could feel the glances thrown your way. “We come here every year, but only if one of us wins at Silverstone. Been awhile since that happened.”

"Ah," You say, nodding dramatically. "Yes, very long time." Pierre grins, shaking his head.

"Who won this year?" The man - William, Pierre informs you- asks. He towered over you when you sat on the sticky bar stool, tall and lanky but well muscled and certainly not someone you would expect patrons to try disrespecting. He was already pouring five shots of a fine Irish Whiskey, waving Daniel off when he tried to start a tab. “My treat.”

Max claps a hand on Pierre's shoulder. "This one claimed the crown, for once!"

"Wey hey!" William says, passing out the shots. "Everyone else crash out or what?"

"You should watch the replay," You say, knocking Pierre's shoulder with your own. "It was amazing. The move he used to get past Max-" you bring your pinched fingers to your lips in a chef's kiss. "Gorgeous."

"Much to Max's despair," Charles adds, raising his shot. "To the underdog!"

You all echo the sentiment, the boys knocking back the strong alcohol with practiced ease. It didn't go down as smooth for you, burning your throat and making you wince.

Daniel laughs. "Not used to drinking with us anymore, huh?"

"Must have lost my edge," You say, the woody taste lingering in your mouth. "I'm sure it'll hit me hard in a half hour or so, too."

**********

Well, you weren't wrong about the alcohol hitting you like a punch to the gut. Two shots later and you were swaying like a sailor on his first excursion out to sea, Pierre's shoulder the only thing keeping you from toppling off the bar stool. 

Pierre's eyes were bright as the others poked fun at him, William joining in with a witty remark now and then. His laugh wrapped around you like a warm blanket, keeping you content and grounded.

"Hey Pierre," Daniel says at one point, "Don't look now but that table of girls has been obsessed with you all night."

Pierre, blitzed as he was, pays no attention to Dan's warning and turns around. A loopy grin was plastered on his face, turning back and shaking his head.

You may not have been able to think straight, but your stomach lurches. Instantly sobering slightly, you follow Dan's gaze to the indicated table to your left. Three beautiful women sat there, whispering behind their hands and clearly speaking about Pierre. One bit her lip and caught your eye, giggling. Her looks were universally attractive enough that she would be anyone’s type, Pierre included. The possessiveness in the gaze she raked over his body set your blood boiling. 

This… was not a scenario you wanted to play out. You didn't know if Pierre was ready to tell his friends about your relationship yet. You knew he wouldn't let any of those girls have the light of day, but he might let them fawn over him a little, just to protect your secret. And it would kill you, but you would have no choice but to let it happen.

"I'm good," Pierre says, sipping the beer he had been nursing all night.

"Come on mate," Max pushes, a wicked grin on his flushed face, "That blonde is so your type."

No she isn't.

You’re already staring up at Pierre when he turns to you. You have always worn your emotions on your sleeve for anyone to see, and it only got worse when mixed with alcohol. Pierre smiles softly, taking mercy on you. Slowly, he takes your hand and threads your fingers together before turning back to the boys.

"One of you can tell them I’m not interested. I already have my girl." 

Heart beating wildly, you scan your friends faces. They were all wide eyed and slack jawed, staring at your joined hands. Pierre gives your hand a gentle squeeze, reminding you to breathe. He read you like an open book, offering reassurance when you needed it most.

"It's about fucking time!" Daniel roars, breaking the tense silence. Your shoulders relax, grinning along with the others. Pierre beams at you, knocking your shoulder to say I told you so. 

"Does this mean I get a break from listening to you obsess over her every weekend?" Max asks, giving you a meaningful look. 

"Likely not," Pierre answers. "I'm still just as obsessed as before. Maybe more." Max pretends to gag, earning him a playful punch from Charles. God, it was so freeing for your relationship to be more open, even if it was just between your closest friends. 

"I'd just like to point out that I told you two this would happen years ago," Charles says matter of factly, pointing at Max and Dan. "Should've taken you up on that bet."

Your mouth hung open. "You were going to bet on us being a couple?"

"Oh come on," Max says, rolling his eyes. "We all knew it was coming eventually. We just didn't know when!"

Pink stains your cheeks, but Pierre laughs and leans in to kiss you. Remembering the girls behind you, you press a little closer to him. Under the guise of placing a kiss to his cheek, you meet the blonde's eyes and smile sweetly.

The woman preens, mouth twisting. Good. Pierre was yours, and now that he'd admitted it, you could let those girls know it. His hand slips to your thigh, squeezing hard. A clear warning that you were venturing into dangerous territory. You didn't care.

The alcohol in your veins makes you bold, and you want to drive your point home. They could look all they wanted, but he was coming home with you. You push the boundary farther and bite the soft skin of his neck just hard enough to leave a mark. Pierre's hiss finally makes you pull back and look up at him innocently.

"Get a room," Daniel teases with a wink. You smile at him, mumbling an insincere apology. Your point had been made. The arrogant smirk had been wiped from the woman’s face, replaced with a grimace. 

"I think it is time for us to get going," Pierre says, annoyance flashing across his face. Oh, you had stoked the fire and now you would have to face the consequences. 

"We're just getting started," Charles complains. Pierre slaps a few bills on the counter and gets up without responding. 

"Bye guys!" You call over your shoulder as Pierre drags you towards the door. They all wave back, Max's lower lip jutting out in a pout. Your eyes slid one more time to the blonde, who had her arms crossed over her chest. You give her a wicked, taunting grin and return her earlier wink.

Pierre halts so quickly that you run into him. “Why are we leaving?”

“You know why,” He growls, flagging down a cab. “You didn't like how she was looking at me, so you did something about it. You might not have noticed, but every man in that bar had their eyes on you. So I’m following your example and doing something about it.”

Your brow furrows. Pierre won’t meet your gaze, and your eyes fall to the purple mark on his neck. You didn’t like his tone; it bordered dangerously on anger. “Are you… Are you mad that I did that?”

Tears threaten to spill when he finally looks at you. God, you were a blubbering drunk.  When your lip wobbles, his anger fades and he sighs. “I’m not mad. I just… I didn’t think you’d want me flaunting our relationship yet. When you did this-” He gestures to his neck- “I could barely keep my hands off you. Not when I saw the guy walking up to you.”

You sniff, trying to conjure the image of the bar. “I didn’t notice anyone.”

“Yeah, cause I dragged you out here before he could say anything.” Pierre pulls his hood up and sighs. “Trying to catch a cab here is harder than overtaking Hamilton.”

You laugh harder than you should at the off-hand remark, following after him as he trudges down the sidewalk. “Why are you not drunk? I feel like you should be drunk. You won a race. They were feeding you shots one after another.”

“One of us had to be responsible and make sure we got home okay.” He smiles over his shoulder at you. “And I knew as soon as you had that first shot it would have to be me. Didn’t you notice me handing the shots to the other guys?”

“No,” You say, rubbing your eyes. “What about the boys? How are they gonna get home?” Pierre stops, forcing you to do the same. He tugs your hood up, makes sure his is secure enough to hide his face, and grabs your hand.

“I already told Seb to come round them up in an hour or so. They’ll be fine.”

You don’t respond, too busy trying to put one foot in front of the other and not fall on your face. It doesn’t help that your vision is a tad blurry. Finally you give up and whine, “How much further?”

“It’s right there,” He says, pointing at a towering glass building just across the street. “In five minutes, you can be tucked into a cozy, fluffy suite and you can rest all you want, my love.”

You hum at the words, warmth flooding your veins from more than the liquor. “I like that.”

“What, the building?” He asks, amused. He helps you cross the empty street, making sure you’re paying attention to where you’re going.

“Noooo, what you said,” You clarify, leaning on him as you try to navigate the handful of steps leading to the hotel.

He’s quiet until you reach the elevator. “My love,” He murmurs, and you grin up at him.

“Mon… mon coeur,” You manage to say, somehow pulling the French phrase out of the dregs of your memory. The words are slurred and you know that you absolutely botch the pronunciation, but the intent is clear. You may have lived in France since you were 18, but learning the language wasn’t a requirement when almost everyone knew english as well. But the two of you had spent many hours watching Pierre’s favorite french films over the years; some of it must have unintentionally rubbed off on you.

A disbelieving smile tugs at his lips. “How do you even know what that means?”

You shrug. “Just do.” The elevator doors open and you step out, Pierre following. You halt, not knowing which hall to take. You glance up at your companion for help, only to find him staring back at you. “What?”

He shakes his head and leads you down the corridor to his room. It's a spacious corner suite, with huge windows facing Silverstone that give him a perfect view of the track. You make for the window but Pierre’s hand on your wrist stops you.

“I don’t think so, it’s time for you to sleep.”

“But I just wanna see,” You protest weakly.

“Nice try. I know you. You’ll sit in front of that window for hours if I let you.”

You give in only because he was right. Cityscapes of any kind drew your attention like a moth to a flame. You pouted anyway, but let him take you to the bedroom. Gentle pressure on your shoulders had you sinking into the plush mattress, groaning at the luxurious softness. Pierre laughs as he helps you out of your shoes and jeans, leaving the hoodie.

Eyelids drooping, you climb under the covers Pierre had pulled back for you. He tucks you in and kisses your temple. You grab for him, tugging on his shirt until he stoops down and gives you a proper kiss. When he steps out of your grasp, you panic.

“Stay,” You mumble, fear bubbling in your chest. He had to stay, he couldn’t leave, not when you only had this one night left-

“I’m just taking off my shoes,” He assures you, his weight sliding in behind you to settle against your back. You sigh, moulding yourself to him as best you could. Being in his arms was somehow familiar, even if he’d never held you like this. It felt like home.

“Pierre?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

Pillowy soft lips press to the nape of your neck. “I love you too, mon coeur.”

Tagging: @flashcal

[spicynamericano]

Perception. - mk lee

sypnosis: you meet a stranger in the park, who helps you prepare for your interview with renowned author, mark lee.

word count: 2.1k

genre: fluff, strangers to friends!au, author!mark x reporter!reader

a/n: i impulsively wrote this in the wee hours of the morning because i can't stop thinking about mark lee and his poems! btw, this is my first time posting an au on this platform, but i do have ongoing twitter fics (written in eng/fil)!

I had just finished my late night shift at the office and was on my way home from work. Being a field reporter is not an easy job. I have to work my butt off to always stay up to date on the latest news and make sure to grab even the rarest exclusives.

I have to travel to basically anywhere, just to gather the most accurate information for the daily primetime news. And even if work is done for the day, I would usually go overtime to make sure no single detail is left out for tomorrow’s reports.

My workplace isn’t that far from home, or what I call home now. Moving into my elder sister’s old apartment was not a hassle. It was actually quite a blessing since I always used to stay over whenever we visited the city. I really thank the heavens that her place was near my workplace. Imagine the struggle of moving in and out from scratch. Actually, I wouldn’t even dare to imagine.

I would usually ride my bike to and from the office, but since I was running a bit late earlier in the morning, I decided to take the bus. Convenience at its finest. But it’s late now. A fifteen minute walk back home won’t hurt, right? Besides, I needed a breather. A walk in the nearby park would suffice.

It’s midnight and of course, the park is empty. Although Seoul is alive 24/7, I really like how some areas still have that laid-back vibe. I walk to the swings and place my bag on the ground. I do wish someone would push me right now. I just wanna be free from all the hectic stuff I’ve been doing lately.

But no, the quick rest I thought of didn’t stop me from going over tomorrow’s duties. I scan my little, brown notepad and check the work I have yet to accomplish. I mostly finished them before I got off work, but there is one more that I needed to do for tomorrow: interview Mr. Mark Lee, the author of the best-selling Late Night Scribbles.

It’s a collection of poems and prose he’s written over the course of five years during his travels to different cities as a renowned travel writer. His travel reviews and recommendations were something I always looked forward to reading. Maybe someday I could go on a stress-free holiday trip thanks to his advice.

I have read his book. For someone who’s trained into more technical writing like me, I could still clearly resonate with most of the poems he’s written. Not too shallow, not too deep. Though you do need to have a sense of literature in order to understand more of his deeper works. He isn’t famous for nothing.

What appalled me though is that he never showed his face to anyone, not even once. Some say he’s actually the main rapper of the world-renowned boy group NCT, since they bear the same name. I think otherwise. Well, it could be, though. Rappers do make their own lines and tell their own stories.

But I don’t think that Mark Lee would be the same person I’d be interviewing tomorrow. It’s weird because I won’t be actually meeting him face to face. He said he’d rather converse through email. Works for me since I don’t have to travel tomorrow. Thank God.

Well, let me tell you a secret. The reason I don’t think author Mark Lee is singer Mark Lee is because singer Mark Lee is actually my childhood best friend. Crazy, huh? I used to live in Vancouver when I was young until my family and I moved back to Korea during my teen years.

I don’t think he remembers me, though. But I do remember him. Our moms were practically best friends. I couldn’t say the same to us, only if he still actually remembers me.

I stretch my arms up high and bend it side to side. God, I need a massage asap. I was about to pick up my bag when a basketball rolled over and hit the tip of my loafers. A man dressed in black waves from the court, signaling to toss the ball to his direction.

I would toss it if I could but I walk over instead. Blame my poor strength and reflexes. And I obviously do not want to embarrass myself. A rough day’s a rough day. I don’t want an addition.

“Uhm, are you looking for this?” I ask the guy, tossing the ball mid-air.

“Yes, thank you…” he pauses. “uh…”

“Oh, it’s (y/n).” I introduced myself, “And you are?”

“Minhyung.”

“Well, you’re welcome, Minhyung. Good luck with your basketball practice!” I gave him a nod before finally turning back to go home.

“Wait!” he calls out. “Do you maybe wanna have a cup of coffee? There’s a nearby convenience store still open. I figured you might need it.”

Was it that obvious? I can’t imagine how stressed I look right now! He has probably seen the dark circles under my eyes. Gross.

I finally turn around and give him a smile, “You know, maybe I do need it. Let’s go?”

This man and I walk to the nearby convenience store just a few meters away from the court. It’s midnight and not many people are here. Well, just exactly like how I want it. The park can actually become full, even until 10 pm. But I guess these people also need some shut-eye. I’m actually surprised this man right here still has some energy left.

I wait outside and sit at the nearest gazebo while he buys instant coffee for the both of us. He arrives with three in hand. Does he like coffee that much?

“You’re really gonna drink two?” I ask him curiously.

“It’s actually for you,” he says as he hands me one of the cups. “I feel like you’re going to be staying up late tonight.”

Well, he’s right. I am gonna be staying up late. I still need to prepare questions for tomorrow’s, or later, rather, interview. I really won’t be getting some sleep tonight. I also need to do research on him too.

“Well, I do have an interview for tomorrow. I still need to prepare as it’s a very important one.”

“With whom, may I ask?”

“Mark Lee, the author. Not the singer.”

“Oh,” he lets out a soft sigh that can be heard, even through his mask. Is he offended that I don’t think author Mark Lee and singer Mark Lee are the same?

“Why do you sound so disappointed?”

“Uh, nothing. I just remembered the book he recently released. Have you read it?”

“Late Night Scribbles?”

“Yes, that!” he answered enthusiastically. Wow, I guess I found a fan right here. He might actually help me with my interview later. I need to grab this chance.

“Do you mind helping me? I’m actually going to interview him about it tomorrow.” I gave him the widest smile, hoping he’d say yes. I normally wouldn’t do this to strangers, especially at night. But I really just need to get this over with.

“Well, as someone who’s a fan of his works. I’d like to give it a try and interpret it,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Just imagine I’m Mark Lee. Shoot your questions.”

“Hmm, I can’t be answering personal questions since you’re not Mark Lee.” I scratch my head. Damn, I can’t think of anything. My brain is not working right now! “But if you were Mark Lee, what would you want to be asked?”

“If I were Mark Lee? Well, rather than asking what my inspiration was behind the works I’ve made, I’d rather be asked on how I tried to convey my thoughts and feelings to this piece of work,” he explained, staring at the night sky.

I followed the direction of his gaze, and he’s looking at Orion, one of the brightest constellations out there. I gaze at it too while waiting for him to continue explaining.

“But isn’t it basically the same as drawing inspiration from something?” I ask profoundly.

“Not really. You can draw inspiration from anything. And you can come up with different outputs based on one inspiration. What’s important is how you’re able to connect the context of what you’re writing to the feelings you want to draw out,” he continues.

“With a single inspiration, I can come up with two completely different works based on how it’s written. The idea may be the same but the context is not.”

“Hmm, care to explain a little further?” I ask politely.

“We can use Black Socks as an example.”

Black socks are underrated

The way they connect the bottom sleeves of

my black sweatpants to my black sneakers

is just perfect

Pleasure from perfect alignment

That also goes for the ability to be parallel

with my thoughts and actions

I try to live out what’s in my mind, and keep

it consistent even when forgotten like a

working habit

A moment to think twice about what

seemed unimportant

Black socks have been making my day

these days and I knew I had to return the

favor by acknowledging them

I throw you in the bin only so that you can

be renewed again

“Black socks, literally an ordinary object that is tossed to the bin right after use. But what caught my eye is his appreciation for this mundane thing.”

“Through his words, you can tell black socks gave him comfort. He used a simple subject to convey his inner thoughts of how every little thing we don’t really recognize can actually be part of our routine, our life,” he said, looking me in the eye seriously.

“He found comfort in the most ordinary things no ordinary person would take notice of.”

Minhyung stands up and stretches his arms. He then continues, “It’s actually cool he shared this piece with us. If I were him, I’d go on and ramble how black socks could ruin my laundry.”

We both chuckle at the thought. It’s true. I hate how some of my black socks actually ruin my laundry. I dread the thought.

“It’s only a matter of perception, (y/n). Sometimes, you have to open your eyes and see, not look. Listen, not hear. Savor, not taste. Feel, not touch.”

“You know, you could actually be Mark Lee himself,” I tease him, “You do know your literature.”

I know he smiled at my remark. I can see his cheekbones rise from the edges of his mask.

“Sometimes, you just have to ask the right questions in order to get the answers you want,” he said teasingly. “You can’t get what you want if you don’t know what you want.”

For a stranger, he’s indeed a good talker. I actually learned so much from our talk tonight.

“Thanks for tonight, Minhyung. I really learned a lot.” I thank him before gulping down the last cup of coffee he bought me. “And thanks for the coffee, by the way! I now have energy to prepare for my interview later.”

“No problem. I’m just glad that I was able to help.”

I stood up from my seat and we both started walking away from the park.

“It’s 1 am. How are you gonna get home, (y/n)?” Minhyung asks worriedly. Yeah, it is pretty late. It’s a good thing I just live near.

“My apartment’s just two blocks away. I can manage,” I say with a smile, a genuine one at that. “How about you?”

“I’ll just grab a cab. Do you mind if I walk you home?” I don’t know why but I felt flustered for a moment. Surprisingly though, I just nodded my head, giving him permission to accompany me home.

We both arrive at the entrance of my apartment building and we say our last goodbyes.

“For a stranger, you really do know how to make people comfy,” I say, crossing my arms and giving him a stare, brows furrowed to tease him.

“Well, that’s just how I am,” he says while giving me a wink. Okay, now he’s flirting. Someone stop him, please. Just kidding.

“By the way, you haven’t taken your mask off the entire time except when drinking coffee. I couldn’t get a good glimpse at you since it was dark,” I explain. It’s true. Add the fact that I’m barely keeping myself awake the whole time. “I might’ve actually thought you’re an idol of some sort. Perhaps, maybe you are Mark Lee.”

“What?” he asks, puzzled and clearly taken aback. “Why’d you think so?”

“Because you share the same name with him.”

[vannahfanfics]

Raincheck

Category: Angst, Drama, Romantic Fluff

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Characters: Hitoshi Shinso, Ochako Uraraka

Hello everyone! This is my story for the @shinsoubigbang​! When you get a chance, also check out my partner's artwork; they did an amazing job illustrating a scene from the story. :)

The wind tugged at Hitoshi’s lavender locks and whipped at the capture weapon around his neck as he perched on the edge of the rooftop. He hunched like a gargoyle as he carefully surveyed the sprawling mess of back alleys below his sneakers. Crime always festered in dark places, especially on cloudy, moonless nights like these. Hitoshi could almost hear the whispers of malcontent and mischief rising with the wisps of fog. His instincts were buzzing, tingling just beneath his skin, indicating that his hunt for criminals would soon bear fruit. 

His lilac-hued eyes snapped to the side as the air suddenly rang with the rhythmic clacking of heels. A young woman in a waitress’ garb quickly strode down a cobblestoned back road. She clutched her purse tight to her chest and feverishly looked to her left and right. Despite her vigorous attempts, her caution did not avail her. Hitoshi watched a shadow slink out from behind a dumpster. A knife glinted in the dark as its blade caught the dull yellow light spilling from the nearby streetlamp. The shadowy figure crept up behind the unsuspecting woman, reaching for her brunette hair bunched in a bun— 

and that’s when Hitoshi swung down in a dark fury, his capture weapon wrapping tightly around the man’s wrist. The woman screamed and stumbled into the wall as the hero wedged himself between her and her would-be assailant. The mugger cursed and tugged violently against his bindings, but he could not best the hard-earned muscles of Hitoshi’s arms, which flexed as he drew the capture weapon so tight that it ceased the man’s blood flow and forced his fingers apart. The knife clattered to the ground, useless, and the startled thief met Shinso’s cool, cold purple eyes. 

“Someone taught you the wrong way to pick up women, mate,” Hitoshi tsked while wagging his finger scoldingly. The mugger’s face turned an ugly red-purple hue, and he vehemently resumed clawing and yanking at the capture weapon. 

“You motherfucker! I’m gonna—” He wasn’t going to do anything, actually, which he realized when his jaw slackened and his eyes clouded over as Hitoshi’s Quirk washed over him. 

“Do me a favor and stop struggling, will you?” Hitoshi tutted. The man obediently lowered his arm, standing still as a statue as Hitoshi loosened the bindings and looped them back around his neck. The hero returned his attention to the young woman, who was still pale-faced and hugging the dirty brick wall while staring at the mugger in horror. 

“He… He won’t do anything?” she squeaked as Shinso abandoned him to walk over to her. 

“Him?” he asked with a jab of his thumb. “Nah,” he reassured with a wily smirk. “He’s completely under the control of my Quirk. He won’t do anything I don’t put in his empty head. Now, miss, are you hurt?” Still gawking apprehensively at her attacker, she slowly shook her head. To Hitoshi’s relief, however, her rigid body slowly relaxed, and she turned to look at him. 

“Thank you for saving me… I should have known better than to use this shortcut, but it’s my daughter’s birthday party and I wanted to hurry home after my shift since I couldn’t get off for her party…”

“I’m sorry you had to miss it,” Hitoshi said genuinely. “It’s dangerous around here, though. I’ll call in a police escort to get you home safely in addition to handing over this guy if you don’t mind waiting a little longer, okay?” Though she probably didn’t want to waste any more time, the near-catastrophe rattled her thoroughly enough to comply. Hitoshi walked out of the side street onto the sidewalk flanking the main road. After phoning the police, he paused to open a video message. 

“Hey, ‘Toshi!” Ochako’s bubbly round face dominated the screen, cheeks rosy and brown eyes sparkling as she waved excitedly. “I just got back from my P.R. trip to America. You wouldn’t believe all the amazing things I saw! We should get together for lunch tomorrow so I can tell you all about it. I’m sure you’re on patrol right now and will be until morning,” she said, leaning back in the camera frame, and he could see that she was dressed in a pair of fluffy white pajamas printed with green aliens in spacesuits. It made him chuckle; she always had adored silly pajamas like that. “I’ve got a bit of jet lag so I’ll be awake for a while, so call me when you get off, okay? Bye-bye now!” she chirped while waving before the video cut off. 

Hitoshi stared at the frozen image of Ochako’s big bright smile, a soft one forming on his own lips. After he’d joined Class A in U.A.’s Hero Course, he’d become fast friends with all of them. However, to everyone’s surprise including his own, he’d gravitated the most to Ochako. She was just so bubbly and bright, the perfect counterpart to his subdued and relaxed personality. He found her endless optimism and drive refreshing, so much so that they still kept up with one another even after graduation. 

His big fat crush on her might have had a little to do with that, though. 

Hitoshi waited impatiently for the police with the waitress. He asked her questions about her daughter, and though she eagerly embraced the small talk to ease her nerves, Hitoshi really just let her responses go in one ear and out the other. He was too busy mentally configuring his schedule, trying to figure out the soonest he could call Ochako. In the end his impatience got the best of him, as he ended up calling her number as the police officers were loading the suspect into the back of the squad car and the other was taking a report from his would-be victim. 

“Wow, that was fast.”

Hitoshi smiled at her cheery voice buzzing on the other end of the line. He leaned against the hood of the patrol car and slid one of his hands into his pants pockets. 

“I just happened to have a break,” he shrugged. “I wanted to call and see how you were settling in after your trip.” 

“I’ve only been gone two weeks, but it still feels kind of weird to be back!” she giggled. He could envision her grabbing one of her fluffy pillows— probably the big sun plushie wearing sunshades— as she reclined against her headboard. “America was incredible! I can totally see how it was the birthplace of heroes. I can’t wait to tell you all about it, ‘Toshi.” 

“Are you sure you can wait until tomorrow?” he joked. In the background, he could hear the police radio crackling about a carjacking and a high-speed chase through town. As the sirens began to wail and red-and-blue lights painted the dark night sky, Hitoshi straightened up and looked around with narrowed eyes. “Hey, Ochako, hold on a minute. I think—” 

He never got time to finish the sentence. 

Everything was a blur as the car came careening down the street, followed closely by a police cruiser. The air filled with squealing tires and burning rubber as the police car braked harshly, but the carjacker had no care to do so, instead opting to plow right through the two police cars parked in the middle of the road in his effort to get away. One of the police officers managed to tackle the waitress into the safety of the alleyway, while the other was bowled over by the criminal, who was attempting to use the chaos to escape, even though he was handcuffed. 

Hitoshi was not so lucky. As the car zoomed past the cruiser, crunching the metal with a sickening sound, it glanced him. Even being glanced by a car going over one hundred miles an hour was enough to send Hitoshi flying back into the alleyway. His phone was slung from his hand as he crashed against the rough ground; he released a strangled gasp as he felt several of his bones snap. As he rolled down the alley, the back of his head smacked against the cobblestone. A white rush flooded through him from head to toe, filling his brain with cotton and his ears with a persistent ring. When he finally came to a rest on his back in a mangled mess of limbs, he was staring uncomprehendingly at the sky, blood leaking out of his lips. 

Dimly, he could hear Ochako’s voice echoing through the alleyway. He’d somehow managed to turn the phone on speaker. 

“‘Toshi? What happened? ‘Toshi? Hitoshi?!” 

The sirens continued wailing. The blue-and-red lights flashed around him like the stars falling to earth. He could feel blood leaking out from the back of his head, coating his lavender hair in thick, sticky globs. The woman was screaming and crying, while the police officers were shouting into their radios for an ambulance. As the darkness encroached on the edges of Hitoshi’s vision, he hung onto Ochako’s frantically screeching voice like a lifeline. 

He had to live. He had to live. He was going to meet her for lunch tomorrow…

~~~~~~~~~~

It began with a dull pounding ache. It thundered at the base of his skull, rising in intensity with each inch he crawled towards consciousness. The persistent pain made him want to drift back into the sweet embrace of sleep, but unfortunately the ache prevented it. He groaned lowly, lolling his head from side-to-side and hitting the hard plastic of the neck brace hugging his throat. His purple lashes fluttered open, and his eyes were greeted with bright, burning white. 

He blinked slowly, uncomprehendingly, at the nondescript white tiles above him. He could hear a heart monitor blinking steadily beside him. He could feel a thin hospital gown rubbing against his bruised skin, the casts wrapping his right arm and leg to immobilize them, and the bandage covering his swollen right eye. He was in a hospital, clearly, but what had landed him there in such a deplorable state? 

As he tried to remember, there was nothing. Emptiness. A blank slate. 

He furrowed his eyebrows in mild panic. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t summon up memories about much of anything. He knew his name— Hitoshi Shinso— but that was it. As he shifted on the bed, breath hitching and his heart rate jumping on the monitor, it alerted the nurses outside. 

“He’s awake!” a nurse called as she bustled in through the doorway. “Hey, hey, it’s all right. You’re safe, in the hospital,” she cooed as she leaned over his bedside. Hitoshi looked at her with wild eyes. “What’s the matter, hun? Are you in pain? Do you need medication?” 

“Don’t remember,” he grumbled. 

“What, honey?” 

“I don’t remember anything…” 

The nurse gasped and straightened up, hand flying to her mouth. She looked nervously at the other nurses crowding the door. As they began to murmur worriedly to one another, the doctor strode in, frowning over Hitoshi’s chart. 

“Doctor, he says he doesn’t remember anything,” the nurse reported in a quiet voice. The professional looked at her before walking to Hitoshi’s side. Hitoshi squirmed uncomfortably under his stern, inquisitive stare. 

“Son, do you know your name?” 

“Hitoshi Shinso.” 

“Do you know how you got here?” 

Hitoshi shook his head as much as the neck brace would allow. “Can you remember anything from the last week?” Another shake of his head. “Last month?” Again, he shook his head. “What do you remember?” 

Hitoshi squeezed his eyes shut as he struggled to summon something, anything, from the recesses of his mind. A few snippets floated up in the sea of emptiness, which served to ease him just a little. “I’m a hero… I graduated from U.A. High School… But I don’t remember going there. I just know I did.” 

“Well,” the doctor sighed as he straightened up, tapping the pages of his chart, “you suffered a basilar skull fracture and an epidural hematoma. We had to puncture your skull to relieve the pressure on your brain, but you still developed a very severe concussion. It seems the head trauma has induced amnesia.” 

Hitoshi’s heart rate skyrocketed, causing the monitor to wail shrilly. 

“Will I get my memory back?” 

“Most likely. It may take some time, however, with an injury like yours. Some of your classmates are here; they’ve been waiting for you to recover from surgery. I can bring them in if you would like. Their presence may help to jump-start the process.” 

Hitoshi nodded robotically, still trying to process the great hole that had suddenly developed in his life. Time seemed to blend together, because the next thing he knew, a green-haired young man was inching into the room with a shaky smile. The doctor probably informed his supposed friends of his amnesia because the freckled boy treaded lightly and carefully— like he was afraid Hitoshi would shatter with one wrong word. 

“Hey, ‘Toshi,” the boy smiled as he pulled up a chair to his bedside. Hitoshi squinted at him. There was something familiar about that quivering smile, nervous twitching, and bright emerald eyes, but that was all. “I’m glad to see it’s okay… It’s me, Deku— er, Izuku Midoriya! Not that you would know that, I guess, considering the amnesia and all… We went to school together, y’know?” 

Hitoshi swallowed, but his mouth was dry so it made it a little difficult. 

“I see,” was all the lavender-haired boy said. At this time, a blond-haired skinny boy with a lightning-shaped streak of black in his bangs bustled in, red-faced and looking like he’d run all the way there. 

“Holy crap, is it true, Deku?” the boy panted, rushing up to grip the back of his chair. Izuku pouted over his shoulder at him. 

“Yeah, Denki… He doesn’t remember anything…” 

“Oh, man,” Denki said while nervously running his hand through his hair. “Ochako’s gonna be devastated…” 

Hitoshi perked up at the name. As soon as it passed Denki’s lips, it sent a jolt of recognition through him. Oddly, aliens and stars and the color pink suddenly came to mind. The two boys immediately noticed his reaction and exchanged hopeful glances. 

“Do you recognize that name?” Izuku asked hopefully. 

“I think so…” Hitoshi said quietly, fisting the scratchy white hospital blanket. “Ochako…” The name seemed to roll off his tongue so perfectly, and it sent a bubbly, happy feeling rising up inside of him. 

“That’s great! She was so worried about you, Hitoshi! It took her forever to get answers out of the first responders, and then she had to handle calling all of us, and then she was really upset when they wouldn’t let her see you because you were in surgery, so she’s been a mess all night—” Izuku babbled, but Hitoshi ignored it as he tried to process the way his heart was fluttering at the hazy image of a sweet round-faced brunette trying to surface in the void of his mind. 

“I think… I think I was in love with her.” 

Izuku stopped mid-sentence, emerald eyes blowing wide. Denki had his hand over his mouth as Hitoshi looked at them in muddled confusion. “Were we dating?” 

“Uh… no,” Denki coughed uncomfortably. Hitoshi’s frown deepened and he looked back down at the blanket. If that was the case, then why did just the mention of her name summon up a sense of deep fondness and happiness within him? “But, uh,” Denki continued, scratching at the side of his face, “we’ve all known you’ve had a crush on her for a long time— everyone but Ochako, that is.” 

“Denki!” Izuku gasped scoldingly, whirling around in his chair. 

“What?! The man’s got amnesia! I gotta help him out, right?” the blond argued defensively. Hitoshi was too busy blushing to listen to their quibbling. So, I do love her… But she doesn’t know. So, did I never tell her? Why not? 

“‘Toshi? Where is he? ‘Toshi! Hitoshi!” 

As she came barging in the room, tears streaming down her ruddy cheeks and brunette hair a mess, he immediately knew why. Even flustered and sobbing and disoriented from lack of sleep, she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever clapped eyes on. Even with no memories, he knew that. She tripped over his IV cord in her effort to scramble to him, face-planting against the tile floor. He jolted up in bed, the heart rate monitor picking up the leap in his heartbeat, but she was so frantic that she immediately recovered and practically threw herself down on the bed beside him. 

“I was so worried!” she sobbed, grabbing at the blankets as her tears rained down on his face and into his lavender hair. “We were— we were on the phone, and, and then, there was this big crash, and then the sirens, and— oh my God, ‘Toshi, you wouldn’t answer me, and no one would tell me anything, and I-I-I— oh, ‘Toshi, I’m so glad you’re alive!” she rambled through her tears before burying her face into his chest. Hitoshi grunted when pain flared across his body as his broken ribs crunched under the assault, but like hell he was going to say anything. Ochako wailed into him, drowning the thin cloth of the gown with tears and snot. As her body wracked and heaved, it jolted Hitoshi a little, but he gritted his teeth through the little stabs of pain. 

When she’d calmed down enough, she quietly asked against his chest, “Is it true? You have amnesia?” 

“Yes,” he admitted in a small breath. Ochako breathed in deeply, shakily. Then, she shot up, her teary brown eyes gleaming with determination. 

“That’s okay! We can work through it!” Hitoshi’s heart fluttered at her use of “we.” She grabbed his hands and squeezed them tight, giving him a watery smile. “I’ll be with you every step of the way, ‘Toshi. We’re gonna get you better, okay?” she said softly and threaded her fingers through his lavender hair. Her fingers skimmed over the shaved patch in his head and the sutures from where they’d had to split his skull open, and she hiccuped as a fresh wave of tears streamed down her cheeks. “I-it’s gonna be okay.” 

He wanted to tell her that of course it was, now that she was here. But words failed him, as he was too lost in the watery sea of her chocolate-brown eyes and the feeling that everything really was going to be okay. He remembered Ochako, and that was enough comfort to him to face all the trials ahead. 

~~~~~~~~~~

He was discharged from the hospital a week later. In addition to his head injuries, he’d sustained a broken arm and leg, three broken ribs, two fractured cervical vertebrae, and a myriad of scrapes and bruises. Because of the severity of his wounds and his amnesia, it was difficult for Hitoshi to manage by himself, so his friends took it upon themselves to care for him. Nothing humbles you like being unable to do even the most menial tasks, like put on clothes or bathe yourself. Hitoshi’s friends took it in stride, though, and always batted away his emotional expressions of gratitude. “It’s just what friends do,” they said. 

It made Hitoshi wish he remembered their friendships. Maybe then it would make him feel less like a charity case. 

Though his friends rotated shifts around their hero duties to help him throughout the day, Ochako always cooked dinner for him— without fail, every night. They would always insist on sharing the load, she stubbornly refused them. Toting in groceries, sometimes still in her hero uniform and beat up from the toil of the day, she’d grin determinedly. 

“My mom always said that nothing helps you heal faster than a good meal. That’s how I can help!” 

Hitoshi couldn’t find the words to tell her that her presence helped him heal more than food ever could. He’d sit in his wheelchair watching her cook, the way she turned up the radio and danced around the kitchen singing into the wooden spoon. Swinging her hips, she’d whirl around to serenade him with a goofy smile. Hitoshi never knew the words to the songs. He’d just grin back, charmed by her zest for life. It was so dazzling, so blinding, that even now he couldn’t find the courage to tell her how he felt. She was like the sun, so radiant and sublime that he felt like he couldn’t ever compete. 

He should say something to her. Really, he should. But… the words just couldn’t come, just like his memories. 

Three weeks in, Hitoshi’s memories had trickled in somewhat. Most of them were dredged up by old stories his friends told him, so there were still tons of gaps. Still, it made Hitoshi feel a little better; he no longer felt like he was trapped in a void and a stranger to himself. Looking back, it was a terribly scary and lonely feeling, for others to know more about you than you did. Though the doctor kept telling him to give it time, Hitoshi had already resolved himself to the fact that maybe he might not ever get them all back. His past would just be a jigsaw puzzle of little snatches of memory and secondhand information. 

As much as he tried to convince himself that it was all right, he couldn’t. He hated the not knowing— the not knowing all that time he was in love with Ochako besides those feelings. He wanted all of it, every moment he’d ever had with her to treasure and savor. It was maddening, not having that, so Hitoshi decided to just make do with the new moments. Now, if he could just get over himself and ask her out. 

“‘Toshi? Do you not like it?” 

Ochako’s sweet voice dragged him out of his thoughts. He was reclined on the couch with a bowl of noodles growing cold in his hand, the fork still halfway raised to his lips. It had been a new recipe, Ochako had said. Hurriedly, he scooped the noodles into his mouth and gave her an approving hum. 

“No, sorry. I was just lost in thought. It’s really good.” 

Ochako smiled relievedly, melting into his armchair. She set her empty bowl of noodles on the coffee table, idly flipping through the television channels as Hitoshi finished off his food before it really did grow cold and unappetizing. Eventually, Ochako decided there was nothing worth watching and flipped off the television. She rose to get their dirty dishes, and Hitoshi watched her with lidded lilac eyes. How could every move a person made be pure magic? As she waltzed out the room into the kitchen, the fluidness of her body just amazed him. 

Yet… something was wrong. He could tell. Her body was tense, the edges of her smile crinkled, her eyebrows just barely furrowed. She tried to pass it off with a smile to him as she walked back in, but Hitoshi wasn’t buying it. As she proposed renting a movie, he cut her off, gesturing for her to approach. Confused, she walked over and sat on the edge of the coffee table beside him. 

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he ordered. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at Hitoshi’s brusque command. She shifted on the wood, pressing her hands between her thighs and rolling her bottom lip under her front teeth. Hitoshi waited patiently for the girl to gather her thoughts. 

“I haven’t been sleeping,” she admitted finally. “I’m tired.” Now that she brought it up, he could see the dark lines ringing the undersides of her eyes and the way that her body sagged. He wordlessly ordered her to elaborate, making her cheeks flood darker. “I… Ever since the accident, I’ve had nightmares, ‘Toshi,” she said hoarsely. The tears sprung to her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks, making her try and wipe them away with the heels of her palms. “That was the worst night of my life, hearing those awful sounds and not knowing what was going on, and— it felt like forever before I could finally find you, and then they told me you were in surgery and you might not make it, and I just— oh, I can’t get it out of my head. That night is just on replay for me, over and over.

And the worst part is that it’s so selfish of me!” she wailed, leaning over and burying her face into her hands. “You were the one in the accident, not me! If anything, you should be the one who’s haunted by it and I have no right to complain, but I… but I… I feel trapped…” she moaned miserably. “If I hadn’t picked up the phone… Then maybe you wouldn’t have ended up like this…” she revealed in a harsh whisper. 

“Oh, Ochako, no!” Hitoshi cried. In his effort to comfort her, he slid off the couch a little, making his brittle bones flare painfully in protest. He didn’t care. Clumsily, he gathered the crying girl into his arms and dragged her onto the couch with him. It was a tight fit, but she still curled into his side, crying into his shoulder as he hugged her tightly with his good arm. “God, Ochako, don’t blame yourself for what happened to me. It wasn’t your fault.” 

“But… If I had done something different…” she protested weakly, shaking her head and smearing her tears across his shoulder. To snap her out of her spiral, he pinched her cheek and tugged hard. She shot up into a sitting position, looking at him with wide eyes and her teeth and tongue peeking out from underneath her stretched lips. “‘Toshi… Ow… Tha’ hursh...” she slurred in protest and blinked rapidly as the tears continued to prickle at her eyes. 

“Listen to me,” he said sternly. “The accident was not your fault. It was just a freak thing, okay? If anything, it’s my fault for picking up the phone because I couldn’t wait until my patrol was over to call you.” As he spoke, the memories of that night and all the nights before came flooding back. As they rushed in like water, the flow of his words rose in tandem. “I was just so excited that you were back that I just had to hear your voice, right then, and I wasn’t paying attention to anything but you, and—” 

He stopped short, cheeks flooding pink as he realized what exactly was tumbling out of his mouth. Ochako stared dumbly at him, a little drool leaking from the corner of her mouth as he was still stretching it. He stiffly released her, causing the skin to snap back. There were pink imprints in her skin where he’d pinched it; she slowly reached up to rub at it, blinking sluggishly.

Well. The cat was out of the bag now, so Hitoshi might as well let it go wild. 

“Ochako… I don’t want you here every day because you feel responsible for what happened to me.” He smiled softly and reached up to cover her hand in his own, cupping her cheek. “I want you here because I love you. I’ve always loved you.” 

“You remembered?” she asked meekly. As a fresh wave of tears streamed from her eyes, Hitoshi’s smile widened, and he thumbed them away. 

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I never forgot, Ochako.” 

She sucked in a breath, then let it out shakily. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed a few times, tearfully processing the situation. After a few minutes of just silently crying next to Hitoshi, her cheeks began to flood pink again. 

“I… I would really like it if you kissed me right now,” she admitted bashfully. Hitoshi snorted with laughter, but hell, who was he to refuse? He gently moved his hand to the back of her head to pull her forward. Ochako melted into his touch, allowing him to maneuver her as he would to bring her face close. Her hands felt onto his chest, digging into the soft fabric of his tee-shirt. Hitoshi held her there for a moment, centimeters away, to admire the gorgeous view of her lidded brown eyes and flushed cheeks. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed. Her blush darkened and she shyly bit down on her bottom lip. He chuckled as she wiggled in impatience but opted against teasing her more. He closed his eyes and the gap between them, pressing their lips together in a sweet but passionate kiss. Ochako hummed as his mouth smoothed over hers, so naturally like it had always belonged there. Hitoshi kissed her languidly, savoring the softness of her lips and the aftertaste of chicken broth that was oddly pleasurable. Nothing promotes healing like a good meal, he thought with a mischievous smirk. Ochako would probably explode from mortification if he told her that. She was so cute when she was flustered, though, that it might always be worth saying. 

They kissed idly for quite a while, until their faces were flushed and they were a little out of breath. Ochako had draped herself over his chest and wormed her legs between his, careful not to jar his mending bones. She looped her arms around his neck to play with the ends of his fluffy lavender hair, chin propped on his chest so close that he could lean in and peck her lips every once in a while. 

“What are you thinking?” she asked him after he’d been quiet for some time. A smile slowly spread across his lips. 

“I was thinking…” he said, pausing to give her another soft, sweet kiss, “that we never had that lunch date, did we?” 

A smile slowly spread across her face, lighting her up like the sun. Bright as it was, Hitoshi couldn’t tear his gaze away; he wouldn’t, even if it blinded him forever. He would be glad if it was the last thing he ever saw. Giggling, Ochako snuggled into him, fluttering her long brown lashes. 

“No, we didn’t. You asked for one heck of a raincheck.” 

Hitoshi scoffed, making her stick out her tongue mischievously at him. One heck of a raincheck, indeed. That was okay, though. Even sad moments were moments, too, and Hitoshi valued every moment with Ochako like the most priceless jewel on Earth. Though he’d like to collect every one he could, he thought as they cuddled and began to drowse, he wouldn’t mind stretching this one out a little. It marked the beginning of new memories, after all.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[gruviafan-forever]

GRUVIA WEEK- DAY III

"DISCOVERY"

When Gray had reported the drone issues to Erza and Mr Dreyar, the agency was in fix about who could be going to this extent to know about one of their actor's personal lives.

"Looks like there are still some reporters who believe that photos stuff,"

Makarov said while rubbing his forehead.

"But Master didn't we announce it's just a hoax that should have calmed everyone down" Erza reasoned.

"That's not the case, Erza. It's more like these people are working to uncover Gray's secret and create some scandalous sensations" 

Makarov said and tried calling his grandson, Laxus Dreyar who works in the police department.

After informing Laxus, Makarov seemed to have calmed down. That's when Erza informed Gray's decision to unravel his marriage.

"It's high time. However, it's a good decision" Makarov said with a smile.

He knew how hard Gray has worked for these four years to shape his career.

"Let's hope it goes accordingly. Tell Mr Jason to come and meet me. He needs to prepare an article about this and publish it the very next day of the award function on Sorceress Weekly. Also, I need to talk with Gray tomorrow, do inform him, Erza" Makarov informed.

"Yes Master," Erza said with a smile.

#

NEXT MORNING 

Gray got ready for the upcoming event and told her he could come late at night so that they don't wait for him for dinner.

"Yes, Gray-sama. Today I was planning to take Yuki to the park so that she could play with kids of her age. But after what happened yesterday, I decided not to," Juvia said and was adjusting Gray's coat.

Gray began to ponder before he spoke again, "I know it's not right to keep her inside the house and deny her playing freedom. But the situation calls for it, we have to bear for a few more days, Juvia."

He said confidently and kissed her forehead.

It was still 9 AM and Yuki was still fast asleep. So the couple had time for themselves to enjoy their company.

"Sure Gray-sama. You take care. Don't go getting rigid suddenly. Be smiling and welcome your fans warmly. It's because of them you have gained this popularity, remember that Gray-sama."

Juvia lectured her husband like every time any event comes up.

"Yes, madam"

Gray rolled his eyes and smiled at the end. At times, she treated him like a child which he secretly liked.

"Good boy, now get going. I have a lot of chores to do today. If possible, can we go to the supermarket? They're few things which we need to purchase." Juvia consulted him.

Gray agreed and told them to be wary of their surroundings.

"Don't let Yuki wander off on her own. She's such a ball of energy. I know she is a bit difficult to control but look after her. I will take my leave, bye, wifey."

Gray leaned forward to kiss her lips and got one in return.

After bidding bye to her husband, Juvia got freshened up to kick start her day before her daughter woke up.

Soon Gray reached the mentioned location, he was escorted by his manager through the back exit.

"Good morning, Erza"

"Happy morning, Gray. How's Juvia and Yuki doing?"

"Oh, they are doing great. Did Mr Dreyar say anything about the issue?" Gray questioned her.

"Yeah… he wants to meet you after this event. So get ready for that."

Erza informed them and soon they reached the main cabin where every celebrity under the Fairy Tail banner was present.

They greeted each other before Gray went to his friend, Natsu Dragneel and his girlfriend, Lucy Heartfilia.

They bumped their fist and the first thing Natsu asked about was Yuki and Juvia.

Almost every single member of Fairy Tail knew about him so it was not a piece of surprise news for them.

"They are good. Juvia's been calling you two for dinner. Why don't you come by one day? And you too, Erza. Come with your boyfriend."

Gray teased the red-haired woman who had the courtesy to blush on hearing about her love interest.

"Sure, we will come by, once we get to enjoy some free time,"

Natsu said and Lucy nodded in agreement.

That's when Gajeel decided to enter their group. It had been three years since he joined Fairy Tail after his Phantom Band got disbanded.

It was Juvia who proposed Gajeel join this big agency. Gray had spoken about this to Mr Dreyar on his girlfriend's insistence.

Mr Dreyar readily agreed after seeing his performance, ever since, then, Gajeel had been performing for this agency. 

His popularity soared after his debut. Gajeel was very much grateful to both Gray and Juvia.

Gajeel had insisted Juvia continue being his lyricist but she denied it as the agency had appointed their best Lyricist, Levy McGarden to aid her best friend.

Juvia knew Gajeel was smitten by her and didn't have the heart to the third wheel behind them.

Moreover, things happened which made her quit the part-time job which she was doing.

"Yo guys, it's been a long since I saw you all in existence. How's everything going on?"

Gajeel greeted and began with the conversation.

Gray greeted him back and soon everyone started to discuss the event and its aftermath.

#

It had been a month since Gray and Juvia had levelled up their relationship.

Gray's first tv drama shooting has been wrapped up. In a few more episodes, the drama reaches its conclusion.

For now, Gray enjoyed his free time before the shooting for the next drama commences.

The last two days were hectic for both of them as the agency had ordered Gray to move out of that lodging apartment to other high society flats which they had arranged for him.

This move was taken to avoid fans and reporters gathering around his place and prevented them from invading his privacy.

Juvia was sad hearing this news as now she will be left alone in his apartment.

Even her best friend had moved out to give privacy to her and Gray, same was the case with Gray, Natsu had moved out a couple of months as soon as he signed up for his first tv series.

Juvia tried to remain bold and not to tear up but nothing could get past Gray's eyes.

"Juvia"

"Juvia"

Gray pouted, she was not paying attention to him and was just staring blankly at his shirt.

To remove her from trance, Gray hugged her from behind which startled her.

"Gray-sama"

"Oi!! What's with the long face? I have never seen you thinking like this. Are you perhaps trying to ditch me?" Gray teased her and kissed her neck.

Juvia turned around and hit his chest, "Don't joke like that. You know how much I love you. Stupid Gray"

Juvia sounded serious especially when he heard her calling him 'Gray'.

She never called him by name without a suffix. That's when he noticed she was crying.

Gray began to fidget and cupped her face, "Hey dear, what happened? Why are you crying?" He asked her worriedly.

Juvia began to wipe her tears off but it never stopped until she told him the reason.

"I feel we will stay apart, Gray-sama, emotionally too. I'm scared that I will be left all alone once again in my life. Of course, I'm being clingy on you but I couldn't help it."

She conveyed her feelings and hugged her lover tightly.

Gray felt happy that she opened up her fear. Even he didn't want to move away from her and from the morning was thinking of asking her to move in with me as his fiancee.

Yes, Gray wanted to marry her and have a lovely life with her. He knew from these 7 months of dating, that she was born for him and he for her.

He was going to propose to her tonight but it looks like the plan needs to be executed at the moment to make her feel assured of their relationship.

"Juvia, I.." 

Before Gray could say anything, Juvia fell unconscious in his arms. He tried to wake her up but it was futile.

He carried her to the bedroom and went out to call a doctor from a nearby clinic.

Once the doctor had come and checked her up, Gray felt relief that she was alright and nothing to worry about except...

"WHAT??" Gray shrieked.

"Yes, Mr Fullbuster. Your girlfriend is pregnant. Congratulations, once Juvia wakes up, give her the medicine and go and visit the gynaecologist, they will guide you from there."

The doctor left him after advising him how to take care of a pregnant woman.

Gray couldn't believe what was happening at the moment. He had mixtures of thoughts and emotions.

But predominantly, it was happiness. He is going to be a father, that too really soon. He was going to lead a happy life with his beloved.

Soon, he was going to have a family which he and Juvia were denied from starting, this brought him happy tears and thanked the Gods for such a second chance.

Now all he hoped for was Juvia to feel the same as him.

After 30 minutes, Juvia woke up from her sleep, the first thing she saw was Gray resting beside her.

Juvia smiled at him and ruffled his hairs and that's when she noticed the ring on her finger. 

She couldn't believe her eyes and closed her mouth with her palms to avoid shouting.

Slowly, Gray woke up and saw his girlfriend's surprised expression which brought a smile to his face.

"Well, calm down, Juvia" 

Hearing his voice, Juvia pulled him into a hug and shouted 'yes'.

Gray chuckled, " I didn't even ask you yet"

Juvia began rubbing her face against his and kissed his forehead,

"I will marry you, Gray-sama."

Gray kissed her lips, "I was actually planning to do it tonight after dinner but here, I'm asking you 'Will you marry me?' "

"1000 times Yes… I'm waiting to live my life with you, Gray-sama…"

"So do I, dear"

Gray kissed her again.

Once their adrenaline has calmed down, Gray slowly broke the news.

"You know what, I found out something. Can you take a guess?"

Gray asked her while squeezing her palms.

Juvia wondered what it could be and accepted her defeat. Now she was curious what this could be.

"We are going to be parents. You are pregnant, Juvia. You are gonna be mama and I'm gonna be papa."

He said with a big smile and kissed her palm.

Then, he told her everything from the moment she fainted to till doctors departure.

Juvia was shedding happy tears and caressing her flat tummy for now. She was going to be a mother, she was going to have her own family now which she longed for since her childhood.

"Are you happy, Gray-sama?"

She wanted to know his feelings.

"My happiness goes beyond this world. I'm happy that we are gonna start be a family together. Juvia, let's get married tomorrow."

Gray shared his piece of mind.

"Thank you for sharing the same feeling as mine, Gray-sama. I love you a lot." Juvia said earnestly.

The very next day, they got their marriage registered in an office. Gray casually informed the recent events of his life to friends and Mr Dreyar.

They were shell shocked yet wished them both happiness enough for their life ahead.

That's when Mr Dreyar had told him to hide this news from the public as Gray was still a budding artist and this could hamper this growth.

Juvia agreed and supported this decision and even convinced Gray to agree with this. It's after sorting out these issues they finally went to their new home.

[sunlit-squid]

How about “Holy crap, I thought you were dead! Never do that to me again!” for the prompt?

For those who don’t know, my ask box is open. Send me a simping softness prompt, and I’ll write a short sbsp ficlet for you. ✰

i’m back on my bullshit. if you wanna read this ficlet on ao3, the link is here. otherwise, ficlet under the cut!

also tagging @wowthwtslame, who requested the same prompt a while ago. thank you!

In the dead of night, while everyone was asleep, winter descended on Bikini Bottom.

By the time Squidward woke up and peered out the window, Conch Street was completely covered in glittering white snow. In fact, the wintry landscape stretched so far, there was hardly a speckle of sand left -- just deep, undisturbed snow for miles on end.

Squidward vaguely remembered falling asleep to the late night news, in the middle of a special weather report. What was it Perch Perkins said? “6 to 7 inches of snow overnight?” Fishpaste. That was going to be a lot of snow to clear up before work Monday morning.

But for now … it was Sunday. And Sunday meant no Krusty Krab, no rowdy customers, and -- perhaps best of all -- no Spongebob. Squidward sighed dreamily. Yes. Today, he would stay in, and tomorrow, he would worry about the snow.

-0-

The setup was perfect: soothing herbal tea, a box full of bonbons, and a romantic drama on the television. Squidward had donned his softest, silkiest robe for the occasion, and was just settling onto the couch -- when there was a loud, forceful knock at the door. The octopus groaned. There was only one person who would be willing to come over in this weather…

Sure enough, a few moments later, Spongebob’s high-pitched voice echoed all throughout the once-serene moai: “Heeeeey, Squidwaaaard!” The loud, forceful knocking began anew, drowning out Squidward’s TV entirely.

Annoyed, the octopus pressed pause on his romantic drama, and trudged angrily over to the door. Flinging it open with all the force he could muster, Squidward readied himself for a scream -- but was instead startled by the faces on his doorstep.

Spongebob was there, of course -- but he was accompanied by Patrick and Sandy, too. All three of them were dressed in wintry ski gear, looking bright and chipper as ever. Spongebob, however, looked oddly flushed, a soft shade of red dusting his yellow cheeks. Perhaps he was cold.

“Howdy, Squidward!” greeted Sandy, waving her gloved hand enthusiastically. “We were just about to head to Sand Mountain for some skiin’, and thought ya might want to tag along.”

“Yeah, come with us, Squidward!” Patrick chimed in. “Spongebob reeeaaaaally wants you to -- oof!”

There was some indiscernible movement behind Spongebob, which made Patrick double over in pain. Sandy, however, continued to smile, a bit forcefully now. Pushing Spongebob forward, the squirrel continued, “Anyway, whaddaya say, Squidward?”

Squidward blinked. This was weird. For one, the trio at his doorstep seemed oddly tense. And for two, Squidward was not a good skier. Or a skier at all, really. The last time he skied at Sand Mountain, nearly a year ago, had been an accident -- Spongebob lost control of his skis, and barreled directly into Squidward (who, mind you, wasn’t even skiing, just spectating). The force of the collision carried both of them across the mountain, and into the icy waters beyond.

After that incident, they both got a nasty cold, which lasted for nearly two weeks. During that time, Spongebob insisted on coming over frequently, just to hang out. I’m so sick, I can’t hang out with anyone else! the sponge explained. But you’re sick too, Squidward, so let’s get better together, okay?

It was the worst two weeks of Squidward’s life -- never mind that Spongebob cooked good meals and watched the same shows and looked really cute in his sleep…

Wait. No. No.

“No,” snapped Squidward, moving to close his door. “Absolutely not.”

Before the door could close completely, however, Spongebob stepped forward, wedging himself in the doorway. “But Squiiidward,” the sponge whined, pouting beautifully. His brilliant blue eyes shimmered in the mid-morning sun. “I wanna hang out with you today!”

The octopus froze, heat rising to his cheeks. With a deep breath, Squidward yelled, “I am not going, and that is final!” before slamming the door in their faces.

-0-

Somehow, some way -- Squidward wound up in the backseat of Sandy’s newly-invented wintermobile, trudging through the snow-packed streets of Bikini Bottom. Spongebob was seated right next to him, singing along to a cheery Christmas song on the radio. Patrick, in the passenger seat, was singing too, but it was clear he didn’t know the words at all.

The octopus scowled. How did this happen?

It was Spongebob’s fault, no doubt. One moment, Squidward was lounging on the couch -- and the next, he was rummaging around the closet, searching for his winter gear. Something about Spongebob’s words -- I wanna hang out with you today! -- made the octopus feel stupid, loopy, and warm.

Squidward was no stranger to loneliness. It was his oldest friend, his most constant companion, and the octopus was … okay with that. Content, even. But Spongebob Squarepants, with his stupid smile and pretty blue eyes and cute face, just had to go and ruin it, every time. Squidward, you wanna watch a movie? Squidward, you wanna go to the park? Squidward, you wanna try out this new cookie recipe? And despite Squidward’s better judgment … whether due to loneliness, or boredom, or what have you … he would say yes, every time.

This was one of those times.

“Hey, hey,” Spongebob whispered, interrupting Squidward’s thoughts. “I’m glad you changed your mind. I always have more fun with you around, Squidward.”

Squidward blushed furiously, folding his arms across his chest. “Don’t read into it. I just thought it would be good to get out of the house.”

“Oh, it will be! And I practiced some cool tricks,” said the sponge, waving his arms around erratically. “I wanna show them to you, okay?”

Squidward smirked. “If you get hurt, I’ll just point and laugh.”

Spongebob stuck out his bottom lip, in an adorable pout. “I won’t get hurt. I’m an expert!”

“Uh-huh,” said Squidward dryly. “I bet you are.”

Spongebob ignored that snarky remark, and instead moved on to talk about the different tricks he had learned. All the while, Squidward’s gaze lingered on the poriferan’s face: the way it lit up, the way it radiated warmth. On occasion, the octopus would glance up to find Patrick and Sandy eyeing them through the rearview mirror. Whenever they were caught, however, the starfish and the squirrel would immediately look away, whistling awkwardly.

What was up with them?

-0-

When they finally got to Sand Mountain, it was apparent they weren’t the only ones who thought of skiing that day. A decent crowd of Bikini Bottomites had gathered at the mountain, either skiing or talking or drinking hot cocoa from a nearby stand. Some children had even gathered at the base of the mountain, caught up in an intense snowball fight. In all, there was a joyous vibe in the air, the unique, special sort that only comes with very heavy snowfall.

Hurriedly, the four of them piled out of Sandy’s wintermobile, and headed for the slopes. After getting their gear and equipment all squared away, Patrick and Sandy turned to Spongebob and Squidward, with strained, too-wide smiles.

“Well, uh -- Patrick and I are gonna test out the new challenge course on the other side o’ the mountain,” said Sandy, nervously readjusting her ski goggles, which for some reason were strapped around her helmet. “So, uh -- we’ll meet up with y’all in a bit, alright?”

Squidward blinked in confusion. “Why can’t we just go with you -- ?”

“Uh, bye, Spongeward! I mean, Squidbob! I mean … uh …,” sputtered Patrick, as Sandy hurriedly dragged him away -- in the wrong direction, Squidward noted.

“What’s up with them?” asked the octopus, vaguely gesturing to Sandy and Patrick, who were slowly disappearing from sight.

Spongebob laughed, a little too loudly. “Oh, don’t worry about them -- it’s -- uh. They’re, uh. Dating,” stammered the sponge, awkwardly. “They’re just, like, super shy about it.”

Squidward did not believe that for one single second. “Spongebob, what is going on?”

Before Spongebob could reply, the poriferan was swept up by two strong, muscly red arms, tossing him in the air and catching him again. “Spongebob Squarepants!” exclaimed Larry, towering over Squidward in that intimidating way of his. “Buddy, you ready to hit those slopes?”

Spongebob giggled as he was tossed in the air. “I sure am!”

When Larry finally caught sight of Squidward standing there, the lobster laughed loudly. “Oh, Squidward’s here! Good!” said Larry, with a huge grin on his face. “You know, Spongebob has some real cool tricks up his sleeve. He’s been practicing a lot just to impress --”

“AAAH!” yelled Spongebob, for seemingly no reason, startling both Squidward and Larry. After a few seconds, the poriferan laughed nervously, and sputtered, “Oh, uh, sorry, just -- getting all my screams out now, while I can. What were you saying, Larry?”

Larry blinked in confusion. “Well, I was saying, that you’ve been practicing real hard to impress --”

“AAAAH!” screamed Spongebob, louder this time.

“To impress --”

“AAAAAAAAH!” yelled the sponge, once more. This time, the scream was so loud, a pile of snow came rolling off the peak of Sand Mountain, and onto some Bikini Bottomites down below. In the distance, someone screamed something about a leg.

Larry stopped talking. Sighing, he put Spongebob down and said, “Look, why don’t we just … head to the slope, alright?”

Spongebob nodded, seemingly all out of screams. “Okie-doke!”

Quietly, the lobster and the sponge began making their way over to Mariana Course, notably the hardest slope at Sand Mountain. Squidward followed close behind them, thoroughly baffled. Sure, Spongebob was hyperactive, energetic, and borderline insane, but this … this was something entirely different. Spongebob seemed nervous, to the point of genuine distress, and Squidward for the life of him couldn’t figure out why.

Impulsively, the octopus reached out to pull Spongebob back, so they were both walking a few paces behind Larry. “You know, you don’t have to do this course if you’re nervous about it,” the octopus mumbled, keeping his voice low so the lobster wouldn’t overhear. “I mean, it’s not like I care or anything, in fact it would be funny if you, uh, got hurt or whatever, but … the Mariana Course is kind of … questionable, you know?”

By ‘questionable’, Squidward meant damn near fatal. The Mariana Course wasn’t even an official part of Sand Mountain, until the Drasticals broke it in by force. Its rocky, hazardous terrain practically financed the new wing of the Bikini Bottom General Hospital.

Spongebob, however, seemed determined. “Trust me, Squidward, I’ve got it all under control!” he chirped. Then, with a small, cute chuckle, the sponge asked, “Why? Are you worried about me?”

Squidward felt hot, all of a sudden. The octopus stormed ahead, warmth clinging to his cheeks. “Let’s just get this over with!”

Behind him, Spongebob giggled. “Whatever you say, Squiddy.”

-0-

Squidward had to admit, Spongebob had definitely been practicing. From his spot on the observer’s loft, the octopus could see everything on the Mariana Course: from the brambling bushes to the sharp, jagged rocks, to the slippery snow drifts down below. One by one, Spongebob maneuvered through them all, with grace, aplomb -- even a touch of arrogance.

Spongebob’s tricks were plentiful, and occasionally scary: at one point, the sponge was suspended high in the air, doing crazy flips and turns, all while his skis raced ahead of him. Squidward was worried, for a moment, that the skis would outpace Spongebob -- but somehow, the poriferan managed to land perfectly, right atop both of them, once again.

Squidward found himself sighing, dreamily. Sure, Spongebob was annoying ninety percent of the time, but the boy was also weirdly athletic … which had a certain, insufferable charm to it.

“Hey, Squidward,” came Larry’s voice. Squidward jumped slightly -- he’d honestly forgotten the lobster was still around. When Squidward turned, Larry was approaching with two mugs of hot cocoa in both claws. Gently, he handed one to Squidward, who accepted it gratefully. “Drink while it’s hot.”

“Thanks,” said Squidward. The warmth of the mug felt lovely, especially in the bitter cold.

Larry and Squidward sat in silence, watching Spongebob traverse the Mariana Course, for a while -- sipping their cocoa and occasionally gasping at the sponge’s antics. The cocoa was delicious, the perfect soothing drink for a day on the slopes. After a lengthy, peaceful silence, Larry finally spoke up.

“Spongebob really likes you, you know,” said the lobster, finishing the last of his cocoa.

Squidward froze -- and it had nothing to do with the cold temperatures. Wrapping his tentacles around the mug, Squidward sifted around his brain for a good reply. Coming up empty, the octopus simply said, “Yeah. He’s made that pretty clear.”

Larry shifted, leaning on the railing in front of them. “You know, he … asked me to teach him some of those tricks. To cheer you up.”

Squidward turned now, eyes fixed on Larry. “What?” he said, stupidly.

The lobster shrugged. “I don’t really know the details,” Larry sighed. “All I know is, Spongebob thought you seemed sadder lately. And he wanted to try and make you feel better.”

Squidward felt both hot and cold, all of a sudden. In truth … he had fallen into a bit of a depression lately. Over the course of one month, Squidward’s creative pursuits hit a new, staggering low: another one of his scripts had been rejected by the Bikini Bottom Art Society; he was laughed out of the auditions for the Bikini Bottom Philharmonic; and, to top it all off, Squilliam had just premiered a groundbreaking musical in New Kelp City.

Already, the reviews were in: once more, Squilliam was rocking the oceanic world … and Squidward was still just a cashier.

Squidward thought that because he was usually depressed anyway, no one would notice if he was … slightly-more-depressed than usual. But apparently, someone had. And apparently …

“Dear Neptune!” Larry’s sudden, loud voice rocketed Squidward out of his thoughts.

“What? What’s going on?” asked Squidward, looking around frantically -- until he saw it. A tiny yellow body, near the edge of the Mariana Course, lying still, so perfectly still.

-0-

Quickly, Larry and Squidward stole a snowmobile from the mountain staff, and hurriedly rushed towards Spongebob’s tiny, unmoving body. On the way, the lobster explained what happened: Spongebob had been in the middle of one of his stunts. Everything was going perfectly fine, until he had to land on his skis again. The back of Spongebob’s coat got stuck on a kelp branch, which flung him to the edge of the Mariana Course. He landed on sharp, jagged rocks, and from then on, did not move.

Squidward felt a pit opening up inside his stomach. Dear, blessed Neptune and Poseidon. Let him be okay.

When they finally reached the cluster of sharp, jagged rocks, Squidward could hardly believe his eyes. Lying perfectly still, eyes closed, barely breathing, was Spongebob Squarepants, a massive, sharp rock jutted straight through his chest. Behind him, Larry threw up in the woods.

After he recovered, Larry sputtered out, “We should -- we should try to move him … I don’t know a lot about sponge anatomy, but if he stays like that, he’ll regenerate around it … and that’ll make things complicated for the docs … ”

Squidward was already moving. The octopus used his tentacles to carefully maneuver his way around the sharp crevices. When he finally reached Spongebob, the cephalopod shivered with fright. It was bad. The sharp rock wasn’t very long, but it was long enough to look horrific, especially embedded inside of Spongebob’s tiny body.

“Sponge … Spongebob?” croaked Squidward, a flood of anxiety washing over him.

There was no response -- only silence, terrible silence, where Spongebob’s sharp, jittering laugh should be. Squidward felt cold. He did this for me. To make me happy. Me.

“Damn it,” muttered Squidward. Before he knew it, he was crying, large globs of tears streaming down his face. “Why? Why are you like this? Just to make me happy … are you an idiot?”

Suddenly, there was a claw on Squidward’s shoulder. Looking up, he saw that Larry was there, quiet yet firm. Carefully, the lobster latched onto Spongebob, and gently pulled the boy off of the jagged edge. Squidward’s eyes were locked on the rock where Spongebob once was for a moment too long. Then, he carefully made his way out of the jagged rock pile.

Larry had laid Spongebob down in the snow, just beyond the pit of rocks. The gaping hole left in the sponge’s body was terrifying to look at, so open and hollow and wide.

“Medics are coming,” said Larry, with a cough. “But since it’s a sponge, they might take longer … you know, because they --”

“Regenerate,” finished Squidward, kneeling down next to Spongebob’s cold, still form. “He’s not regenerating right now … is that bad?”

“Give it a moment,” breathed Larry, going to grab a blanket from off of the snowmobile. “Kid fell hard. It might be a while.”

Larry returned, blanket in tow, and wrapped it all over Spongebob’s body. Then, he stood, and they all made their way back to the nearby lodge, quiet as can be.

-0-

When they got back to the warmth of the lodge, they laid Spongebob down on a couch in the lobby. Larry draped the blanket over Spongebob once again, to try and hide his wounds as he recovered. Now, only the top of him was visible, his yellow nose just barely peeking out.

This way, Squidward could almost trick himself into thinking the sponge was asleep. With that soft, cute smile, those fluttering eyelashes … yes. Spongebob was just sleeping, and soon, he would wake up, and laugh, and all would be right with the world.

As time passed, several Bikini Bottomites came through, to ask what happened. Larry explained carefully, since Squidward could hardly bring himself to speak. At some point, Patrick and Sandy showed up too, looking equally devastated, Sandy muttering something about I knew this idea was plumb awful, why didn’t I trust my gut …

All the while, Squidward held Spongebob’s squeaky little hand, and did not let go for a second -- even when the medics finally arrived. By then, things looked good: Spongebob was regenerating normally. But he still hadn’t woken up yet.

When the medics left, Squidward almost fell asleep holding onto Spongebob’s hand. That’s when Sandy showed up, right beside him.

“Hey,” she said. Her tone was friendly, but her concern was clear.

“Hey,” said Squidward, giving Spongebob’s hand a gentle squeeze.

Sandy hesitated for a while. Then, with blunt simplicity, she said, “I think he could make ya happy, Squidward. If ya let him.”

A funny feeling settled in the pit of Squidward’s stomach. Looking down at Spongebob’s resting, peaceful face, the octopus replied, “But what if I hurt him?”

The squirrel shrugged. “If you’re already worried about it, I’d say that ain’t gonna happen.”

Squidward found himself smiling, despite himself. “Thanks, Sandy.”

She shook her head, laughing to herself. “Don’t mention it,” she said. “Just tired o’ watching y’all play hard to get, is all.”

-0-

At some point, Larry, Patrick, and Sandy went to grab food, in case Spongebob woke up and needed sustenance … leaving Squidward to man the helm. Come nightfall, the sponge finally stirred.

Immediately, Squidward sat up -- just as Spongebob sat up, too, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand. Then, he laughed -- thank Neptune for that laugh -- and turned to face Squidward, enthusiastically.

“Did you see that cool trick I did --” the sponge began, but was interrupted by Squidward, enveloping him in a huge, crushing hug.

“Holy crap, I thought you were dead! Never do that to me again!” cried the octopus, shaking and shuddering with tears. “You absolute idiot.”

Spongebob, caught off guard, simply held Squidward closer. “You know I regenerate,” said the sponge, slightly muffled by Squidward’s shoulder.

“You were impaled, Spongebob --”

“I was? That’s crazy --”

“Spongebob,” said Squidward, firmly, pulling away from the embrace. Awkwardly, the octopus looked down, sighing heavily. “Look, you … you don’t have to go to extreme lengths just to make me happy.”

Spongebob blinked, then blushed. “Who told you --”

“It doesn’t matter,” interrupted Squidward, whose face had erupted in bright splotches of red. “Just -- just be around me, alright? That’s all you gotta do, is be around me, and suddenly I’m all … stupid, and happy or whatever. Whatever! Alright? You don’t have to do … all of this.” Squidward gestured vaguely to the lodge, and the ski courses beyond.

It was Spongebob’s turn to be red in the face. “That’s … it? That’s all I have to do?”

Squidward sighed, and before he knew what he was doing, pressed a soft, chaste kiss atop Spongebob’s head. “That’s all you’ve ever had to do.”

“Aww,” came a loud voice from directly behind them. When they turned, they found Patrick, Larry, and Sandy in the doorway, holding a bunch of bags from the Barg’N Mart. Patrick was clapping, and in the process dropped the majority of his grocery bags. “Great job, buddy! Mission accomplished!” shouted the seastar, proudly.

Squidward dropped his head into his tentacles. “I hate all of you,” he muttered, despite the small smile curling across his lips.

[belliesandburps]

When it rains, am I right...?

Lemme tell you guys about a day so utterly dreadful that it’s actually kind of hilarious.

Rant of satirically bad day below for your convenience:

I’m from California.  We’ve been in an intense drought, one of the worst of our states history.  So, today, we FINALLY had some real rainfall.  And not just a drizzle.  We had a straight up storm that hasn’t let up from morning til right now.  It’s literally been raining nonstop and it’s desperately needed.

...Unfortunately, rainfall also brings about the shittiest drivers you can imagine.

So, after paying my family a visit for Sunday breakfast, I went to work, had some great orders that had me on a roll, getting good, quick orders.  One was a Safeway order, the best orders you can get.  And this was a QUICK one.

Not quick enough apparently, because when I left the grocery store, I found that my car had a shiner on it:

No one witnessed what happened and no cameras were nearby.  So, some jerkoff probably backed up into my car or pulled into it when parking or whatever, completely tearing up my bumper.  You can’t see from this angle, but it’s pret-ty damn bad. 

So, I had to report a hit-n-run, which was tedious as is, and it’s only getting started since I only got my case number and have a more extensive followup tomorrow.  Since the driver didn’t leave their information and nobody saw them, this is gonna set me back $500. That is, of course, after spending $100+ the day prior on birthday gifts for my niece, and another $100 on two used tires since my right hand tire was leaking air. 

Well, I don’t know HOW the asshole pulled it off, but he messed up my new (used) tire as well. 

So, as the storm picked up, I was driving back to Safeway (the very same one) for a new order...aaaaaand that fucking tire exploded. 

Like...BOOM.

It was so bad that my car was scraping when I pulled into the Safeway parking lot right by the front of a Rite Aide because it had light.  This was two hours ago, when it was already dark, and POURING.  And here I am, in need of a tire change.

So, I spend a good half hour changing my tire with my mobile crank in the middle of this storm, getting drenched and getting sore.  I’m a pro at changing tires but I’ve never changed in the middle of a storm like this, so it took longer, which left me soaking by the time it was finished.

And unfortunately, that meant my phones (personal & work phone) got drenched too.

Both work, mercifully.  But my personal phone now has water damage which means its speakers are fucked up.  So, it only plays sound if a headphone jack is in, and SOMETIMES the dongle.  We’ll see if it’s any better tomorrow or if I gotta take the L and just keep my headphones in if I wanna listen to music, play videos or podcasts.

When it rains, baby...it fuckin’ poooooooours...

But just, boom, boom, boom, one thing after another.  I just bought new tires, and I gotta get a new-new one one day later.  And once Allstate is done approving my hit-n-run case, that’s another $500 down the drain pointlessly.

I’m kind of too burnt out to be as livid as I was this morning.  The tire just happened two hours ago, and I’m still damp as I type this.  

Honestly, I don’t know how I feel right now.  Today was just COMICALLY miserable, and that misery is gonna cost me a good chunk of my payout this week because someone decided to be a selfish prick and didn’t have the decency to, at the very least, leave their information for me after smashing my bumper.  No, instead, they committed a fucking CRIME and got away with it.  It’s infuriating, but it happened, and not much I can do but roll with the punches because shit’s gonna keep rolling whether I’m pissed or not.

My only silver lining is my last order covers the cost of the new used tire I have to get tomorrow.  Someone ordered from a fish place that was 13 miles away.  In a storm and with a spare tire, I would’ve dismissed it.  Only, I couldn’t work a lot because I was caught up in all the bullshit, and it paid $29.50, which meets my “$2 per mile minimum.”  And as soon as I picked up the order, the customer texted me and told me to knock on the door when I arrive because she wanted to give me extra for delivering so far out in a storm.  (A stupid decision, on my part, especially since my speakers on my phone weren’t working since this was RIGHT after the tire thing)  But I managed, drove slow on the freeway with my hazard lights on, dealt with a few more shitheads who couldn’t take the hint to maybe drive around the slow driver with his hazard lights on in a storm (and one asshole who drove right by me and splashed my entire windshield obstructing it for a solid second).  And when I got to the last customer, she slipped me a $20 for the effort.  So that last order alone was 50 cents shy of $50 for an hour of my time, and is gonna cover the cost of my second passenger-side tire in three days. 

If I could do ten of those, that could cover the body work I’m gonna need for a bumper replacement.  ‘XD

Long story short?

I went so goddamn long without rain in this state, I forgot why I hated it so much.  (:’

[thelastspeecher]

Stan Falls in Love With a Frog

We started talking about a new Scenario in the Discord, and it’s been making me very happy, especially since the Scenario takes place in a Mystery Trio-style AU, and I’m a big fan of the Mystery Trio AU.  So, I whipped this up earlier.  Enjoy.

——————————————————————————————

              Stan sat on the edge of the dock, looking out over the water of Lake Gravity Falls.  In the fading light, mist curled above the lake surface.  He sighed and reeled his fishing line back in.

              Dammit.  I shoulda got here earlier if I wanted to catch anything.  Stan wasn’t opposed to night fishing in general, but he was opposed to it in Gravity Falls.  He had seen in person some of the weird things that came out when it got dark.  Something surfaced in the lake, breaking the thin layer of fog.  Speaking of…  Stan idly watched it swim.  Wonder what kinda spookum this one is.  The creature pulled itself out of the lake and onto a large rock.  Stan’s jaw dropped.  That’s a chick!

              It was rapidly getting darker, so he couldn’t make out many fine details.  But the creature looked eerily like a human woman.  With the exception of elongated, webbed feet and ears, what looked like a pair of antennae, and mottled skin.  She pushed back her short hair with hands that also seemed to be webbed.

              What the hell is that?  Stan leaned, squinting, trying to get a better look. The movement knocked his tacklebox into the lake.

              “Shit!” he swore.  The woman looked over.  Her eyes, glowing a soft blue, widened.  She dove back into the lake.  Stan sighed. “Great.”  He got to his feet and trudged back to the Stanleymobile. Before he got in, he glanced back at the lake.  The water was as smooth as glass.

              It was like the woman had never been there.

-----

              Stan returned to Lake Gravity Falls the next morning at the break of dawn.  Normally, he wouldn’t wake up so early just to go fishing, but Ford and Fiddlenerd had a full day of traipsing around in the forest planned.  If he wanted to actually have enough time to catch something, he needed to fish before, not after.

              If Fiddlenerd’s weird little sister wasn’t visiting, this wouldn’t be a problem.  Stan sat down at the edge of the dock and opened the tacklebox he’d “borrowed” from Fiddlenerd.  But Fiddlenerd wants someone with actual muscles to be there to protect her from whatever’s in the woods today.  There was a loud thunk to his left.  Stan looked over.  He gaped. The tacklebox he’d dropped in the lake yesterday sat next to him.

              “What the hell?”  Stan opened the tacklebox to inspect its contents.  It was soaked through, which made sense, given it had been at the bottom of the lake the night before.  But other than his fresh bait, nothing was missing.  “How did-”  There was a soft splash.  Stan looked up.  A creature was in front of him.

              It’s that one lady from yesterday.  She was mostly submerged, with only her eyes and the crown of her head above the water.  Her hair was a black that, like her light green skin, blended in with the lake. She looks sorta like a frog.

              “You brought me my tacklebox,” Stan said.  The frog woman nodded.  “Why?”  She hesitated, then sunk underwater.  Stan waited for a few minutes to see if she would come back up.  When she didn’t return, he sighed and began to set things up to fish.

              The missing bait makes sense now.  Of course a frog would eat all my worms.

-----

              “It’s about time!”

              “Yeah, yeah, nice to see you too,” Stan groused, pushing past Ford and into the house.  He’d spent more time than he meant to fishing.  Naturally, the moment he came back home, Ford got on his case.

              “We were supposed to leave an hour ago! Today’s plans are completely ruined!” Ford said.  Stan rolled his eyes.

              “Walking around in the woods isn’t something that takes all day, Poindexter.”

              “The specific location Fiddleford and I were going to take his sister to is quite some distance away.”

              “It’s fine, Stanford,” said the aforementioned sister of Fiddlenerd.  She was laying on the living room couch, reading a guidebook on amphibians of the Pacific Northwest.  “I was hopin’ to check out some of the cute places in town, anyways.”  She smiled at Ford.  “The forest can wait fer tomorrow.”

              “I- but-” Ford started.

              “Before you short-circuit, Sixer, I’ve got a question,” Stan interrupted.  Ford glared at him.  “So, I saw this frog-lady at the lake-”

              “Frog-lady?” Ford scoffed.  Out of the corner of his eye, Stan saw Fiddlenerd’s sister still. “Are you mocking me?”

              “What?  No!  I thought you liked weird shit.  I mean, you came up here to study it and dragged me along to be your muscle.”

              “I like magical creatures, Stanley,” Ford said, crossing his arms.  “Not regular humans who have features you might think resemble an amphibian.”

              “She wasn’t a regular human!”

              “There are no humanoid amphibious creatures around here,” Ford said firmly.  “There is, however, a woman in town who was born with webbing between her fingers and couldn’t afford the surgery to get it removed.  I think it’s rather cruel of you to make fun of her.”

              “No, I wasn’t-”  Stan sighed.  “Whatever.”

              “Go upstairs and change,” Ford instructed.  “You smell of fish.”

              “Like you’re one to talk, Mr. Doesn’t Shower For a Week,” Stan muttered.  Fiddlenerd’s sister snickered softly.  He began to walk upstairs.  “At least someone around here’s got a sense of humor.”

-----

              Though he had returned to the lake at dusk that day, Stan hadn’t seen the frog-lady.  He came back the next morning at dawn, hoping to spot her again.  As he sat at the end of the dock, he found himself dozing off, lulled into sleep by the early hour and peaceful surroundings.  He was jolted back to wakefulness by a splash nearby.

              “You came back,” a voice said.  Stan looked up.  It was the frog-lady.  Her head was now fully emerged from the water.  She looked at him with intelligent blue eyes.  Though her face was one shade of pale green, the rest of her head was mottled with darker greens.  Her nose was thin and flat, evidently nonhuman.

              “Well, yeah,” Stan said with a shrug.  He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.  “I’ve gotta thank you for giving me back my stuff.”

              “It’s yours.  Why would I keep it?” the frog-lady asked.  Her voice was lilting and musical, sounding almost like raindrops hitting leaves.  And yet, there was something about it that seemed familiar.  Like he’d heard her talk before.

              “I dunno.  ‘Cause you could?”

              “Heh.”  The frog-lady smiled.  “I don’t really have a need for human things.”

              “What are you?” Stan blurted out.  The frog-lady froze.  “Wait, shit, was that racist of me or something?”  The frog-lady nodded silently.  “I take it back.”  He cleared his throat.  “My name’s Stan.  What’s yours?”

              I don’t wanna scare her off.  She might be a frog, but she’s pretty cute.

              “…Rana,” the frog-lady said after a moment.

              “That’s pretty.”

              “Thanks.”  Rana chewed on her lip for a moment.  “Why do you want to talk to me?”

              “What do you mean?”

              “I know what your brother does.”  Rana’s eyes bored into Stan.  “I know he likes to study critters like me, with or without their consent.  Are you collecting data for him?”

              “Please.”  Stan waved a hand airily.  “Even if he and Fiddlenerd were both in full-body casts, he wouldn’t want me to collect data for him.”  Rana managed a small smile.  “He’d probably hire some weirdo from town to do it instead.”  Rana snickered softly.  Like her voice, it sounded familiar.  A car engine roared to life, the sound echoing across the lake.  Stan looked over.  Someone had pulled into the parking lot.  He looked back at Rana.

              She was gone, only a few ripples remaining on the surface where she’d been.

-----

              Stan paced in the living room.  It had been a week since he learned Rana’s name, and many more meetings with her at dawn.  And to his shock, he was beginning to fall for her.

              Sure, she’s not human.  Sure, she hasn’t come out of the water all the way yet.  But she’s nice and funny and teases me when I say something racist against frogs.  Stan smiled fondly, remembering how he had brought her worms yesterday, only for her to throw them at him.  I like a lady who doesn’t take any shit.  He frowned. She doesn’t like worms…what does she like?  I’ve gotta impress her if I’m gonna make a move on her.  She gets spooked so easily.

              “Stanley,” Fiddlenerd said wearily.  Stan stopped.  He looked over at the card table in the corner, where Fiddlenerd was working on some sort of machine.  “Yer goin’ to wear a hole in the wood if ya don’t stop pacin’!”

              “Nah, let him keep goin’,” Fiddlenerd’s sister said. Once again, she was on the couch reading a book about amphibians.  “Maybe he’ll pick up the pace and start a fire.”  She smirked at Stan, who merely rolled his eyes in response.

              “What are you still doing here?” he asked. Fiddlenerd’s sister shrugged.

              “I like it here.  I’ll stay until Fidds kicks me out.”

              “So, you’re never gonna leave,” Stan said flatly. Fiddlenerd’s sister snorted in amusement.  Stan sighed. He looked back at Fiddlenerd.  “Do you know anything about frogs?”  Bringing up frogs to Ford only resulted in him scolding Stan, no matter how Stan phrased his questions.  Fiddlenerd shook his head.

              “No.  But Angie does.”

              “Who’s Angie?”

              “Wh-”  Fiddlenerd set down his wrench, staring at Stan.  “My sister!” Stan looked at Fiddlenerd’s sister, apparently named Angie.  She waved at him cheerfully.  “She’s been here fer over a week and ya haven’t even learned her name yet?”

              “It didn’t come up,” Stan said with a shrug. Ignoring Fiddlenerd’s sputtering, he sat down next to Angie.  “So. Your name is Angie.”

              “Yes.  It is.”

              “It’s a lot more normal than Fiddlenerd’s name,” Stan remarked.  Fiddlenerd let out a squawk of protest.  Angie sighed.

              “Spit it out.  What do ya want?”

              “Do you know about frogs?”

              “I certainly hope I do, since my doctorate is in herpetology,” Angie said tartly.  Stan frowned at her.  “The study of reptiles and amphibians.”

              “Ah.  Okay.” Stan scooted a bit closer.  His nose picked up on a faint pondwater smell coming from Angie.  She eyed him warily.  “What do frogs like?”

              “What do-”  Angie stared at him.  “What?”

              “You heard me.  What do frogs like?”

              “I mean, it depends on the frog.”  Angie rubbed the back of her neck.  “What do ya need to know this for?”

              “There’s this frog-lady that I met-”

              “Oh, pish posh,” Angie scoffed.  “I’ve heard ‘bout yer frog-lady from Stanford.  He says that she don’t exist.”

              “And you’re just gonna believe him?”

              “I ain’t an expert in the wildlife ‘round here. Stanford is.  I don’t really have a choice but to take him at his word.”

              “Where’s that famous herpetology skepticism?” Stan asked.  Angie rolled her eyes and got up, setting her book on the nearby end table.

              “I’m goin’ fer a walk,” she said.  “If I see any frog-ladies, I’ll let ya know.”

              Great.  She was my best shot at advice for Rana.  I mean, she knows frogs and she’s a woman!  Stan’s eyes landed on Angie’s book.  Hmm…  He picked it up.  There was a bookmark.  He thumbed to the bookmarked page.  It was the beginning of a chapter on a specific genus called Rana.  Huh.

              “That’s weird,” Stan muttered out loud.

              “What?” Fiddlenerd asked.

              “None of your business,” Stan shot at him. Fiddlenerd rolled his eyes and went back to working on his machine.

              My frog-lady has the same name as a kind of frog. Makes sense.  Stan looked over at Angie, who was putting her shoes on by the front door.  But why was Angie looking up that kind of frog?

-----

              Rana giggled at Stan’s latest terrible joke. Stan beamed.

              “Glad you’ve got a sense of humor,” he said. Rana smiled.  Car tires crunched on gravel.  Stan didn’t have to look to know that it was the arrival of the early fishermen.  After two weeks talking to Rana, he’d developed a routine.  He would sit at the edge of the dock and wait for her to emerge, then the two would chat until the first fishermen showed up.  Stan sighed.  “Same time tomorrow?” he asked Rana.  Rana nodded. She dipped underwater.

              Stan got up and made his way down the dock, ignoring the fishermen who clearly thought he was insane to be at the lake so early for no apparent reason.  He walked over to where he normally parked the Stanleymobile, only to remember he’d parked by the edge of the forest that day.

              “Great decision-making, past Stan,” he mumbled idly. “Parking where the gnomes could bite through your brake lines again.”  He went to the Stanleymobile.  Before he opened the door, however, he heard a large splash and leaves rustling nearby. A voice swore softly.

              That sounded like Rana.  Stan tucked his car keys back into his pocket and went into the woods, following the sound of Rana’s voice.  He arrived at a small clearing at the edge of the lake.  Rana had pulled herself onto shore.  Stan stared at her.  It was the first time he was seeing below her neck up close; he’d only seen her full body once before, back when he knocked his tacklebox into the lake.  Her front was the same pale green as her face, with darker greens mottling around her sides and back.  The texture of her skin looked soft and slimy.  Despite her hourglass figure, she was fairly flat-chested.

              I mean.  She is a frog.  Why would she have boobs?  Rana pulled herself up into a seated position, leaning against a tree trunk.  Stan stared at her long, flipper-like feet.  No wonder she swims so fast.  Suddenly, her feet began to shrink.  Stan’s eyes widened, watching Rana’s flippers change to pale, human feet.  His eyes widened further as he realized that her feet weren’t the only thing changing. Before his eyes, Rana was transforming from a frog-lady into a naked human woman.  One that Stan recognized.

              Rana got up and grabbed a pile of clothing from behind the tree, mumbling to herself.  A twig snapped under Stan’s foot.  Rana’s head shot up.  She stared at Stan in horror.

              “Stan?!” she squeaked.  Stan swallowed.

              Damn, her nose gets flat when she’s a frog.

              “Hey, Angie.”

[jamestrmtx]

Fairytale Complex - [Undertale | Sans x Reader]

[Gender Neutral, Frisk's Parent Reader | Slow Burn]

Chapter Fifteen | Quiet Water

[First] | [Previous] | [Next]

Alternate Chapter Title: The Colour Red

Note: I'll begin to use more inclusive language in terms of how the reader is referred to from here on out, as suggested by the following comment:

So, with that being said: ren is the gender-neutral/non-binary term for mom/dad (short for parent).

I'm truthfully still a bit new to this (LGBT+ info beyond homo and bisexuality isn't too widespread where I'm from), so feel free to let me know over any suggestions related to these changes. :-)

• • •

“Are you really going to let Frisk hang out with them?” Jerry asks, offering you a drink.

The smell of alcohol is beyond distinguishable when you take it; you can feel your eyes burn and your throat itch in response to its strength. “Weren’t you the one who said they hurt Frisk, in the first place?” he adds, grimacing. You set it aside. If he was trying to soften you up by making you tipsy, you weren’t falling for it. “How come they get to see Frisk more often than I do?”

You sit up straight and let your legs drape off the chair. “I’m still deciding what to do with that,” you reply, facing the beach. With the sun already close to hiding, you can tell it’s getting late. Three hours had gone by since you made it here, and yet he still chose to wait until the last minute to talk about this matter with you. “And I never stopped you from seeing Frisk. You did that to yourself. The only barrier I set was between you and me -- not them.”

Your shoulders tense at the feeling of his hands bringing you in for a hug from behind, his chin resting against your upper back. You brush him away and glare him down, jaw clenching. “Don’t touch me, Jerry,” you blurt out, chest heaving. “I’m already seeing someone else.” That last sentence is quick, unplanned, and more of a necessary impulse than anything else. Even if you weren’t in something official with the one in question yet, you didn’t want to play around.

“Who?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Jerry stands up, now his turn to be angry. “It is if he'll be the one who’ll be replacing me.” His hands clench, his back straightens, and his height towers over you. “You can’t just date any stranger you meet.” Not wanting to feel small, you stand up and lift your gaze, meeting straight with his eyes. “If the guy turns out to be bad, he..." He hesitates and changes his scowl for a frown. "He wouldn’t only be hurting you, but Frisk, too.”

“And you think I don’t know that?” You sneer and shudder when a gust of wind blows by. “I’ve been single ever since we broke up, Jerry. It’s only now that I’m finally starting to do this again!” When another breeze hits, you take a towel and wrap it around your body, protecting yourself from the cold. Ready to leave, you lift your chin and turn around, only to be held back by him once more. “What? It’s getting late, and Frisk’s already sleeping.”

“Hear me out for a second, please," he says. Your back’s still to him, leaving his expression unknown. His voice is what reveals his emotions, a hint of concern reaching his tone. “I just want what’s best for Frisk and… And you.”

“You had time to worry about that way before this. It's too late for that now.” Again, you brush his hand away and take a small step forward. “You can see Frisk anytime you want, so long as they want to. But I don’t want to talk with you anymore, Jerry. You had your chance -- Not now, when you've just found out I’m dating someone else.”

“You're being selfish.”

The next time you feel him touch you, it’s around your waist. He tries to hug you a second time, but you reject him by pushing him off you. “I said,” you snap, turning around, “don’t touch me. You were the one who said we could be parents, so don’t you dare try this with me again.”

With him now four feet apart from you, your gazes are more leveled out. Still, he tries to make up for it by closing off distance, attempting to corner you. “And yet you still agreed to it,” he remarks. “You're just as guilty as I am, (Y/N)."

You want to stay and argue, but your mind fights against it. Id and ego have a conflict as you try not to let things explode, already done with Jerry for today. The sand sinks and slows you down when you aim to make an exit, opening a path for him to stop you again. He holds your wrists and keeps you in place. There are tears welling up in his eyes and a sense of longing present in his touch. "I meant it when I said I missed you," he adds, holding you tighter. "I was... I was scared back then, thinking I wouldn't be a good father for our kid, so… So I left. But now I'm responsible enough, (Y/N), and I can prove it to you." His face gets closer, sufficient for you to smell the booze in his breath. "Don't you miss me? Just please give me one more chance, and you'll see what I mean."

Just as you're trying to break free from his hold, you hear someone open a door and touch the sandy floor. A voice intervenes, coming from the car parked nearby. You can recognize it already, but you try to focus on Jerry and his drunken state more. The voice is softer at first, growing louder when they say, "Leave ren alone."

That confirms who they are.

Frisk closes the door, walks to your side, and looks up to meet with Jerry's face. Their next words are signed, revealing their anxiety, "You might still be my dad, but you're not married to them anymore."

Your wrists burn when he lets go. You look down at them, seeing bright red contrast with the (tone) of your skin. Then, you move your attention to Jerry and see frustration still present in his eyes. His hands twitch before he balls them again and lets them fall.

"That's no way to talk to me, Frisk," he says, replacing his sorrow with anger. "Aren't you gonna say anything about it, (Y/N)?" he adds, words now directed at you.

"I told you to leave ren alone," Frisk persists, mimicking his anger.

Jerry looks at you, then at Frisk, and later at your drink, its ice now long melted. He picks it up and chugs it down in three large gulps, crushing the cup when finished. "I'm leaving."

True to his word, he storms off, sand scarcely obstructing his steps as he opens the door and climbs into the driver's seat.

You rush off to him, saying, "You're too drunk to drive. Let me do it."

He shakes his head, and a chuckle leaves his mouth as he tosses the cup aside and turns the key around. "Go take a bus if you don't wanna hitch a ride with me," he replies, snickering. "I'm out."

"It's dangerous." You hold him back by grabbing his arm, this one left to hang over the open window. "Give me the keys."

He grins and closes off distance between you. "Only if you give me a kiss, babe."

"Jerry, please. You're being ridicu-

Again, Frisk proves to be not only monsterkind's saviour, but also your own as they speak up again, another voice accompanying theirs. "Step away from the car and let them drive, sir." You look to the voice to see the local lifeguard standing next to Frisk. She has her arms crossed tight and firm lips, showing her authority.

Arm muscles define themselves as she stands up straighter and narrows her gaze at Jerry. A thin layer of patience reveals itself by the way she taps her foot and frowns. Her neon red swimsuit contrasts with her tanned skin and black hair alike, making her an unavoidable sight for those looking for trouble.

"Don't wanna."

"Do it for your child." Her frown deepens, furrowed eyebrows completing her look. "Or else I'll be forced to hand you over to our guards until you sober up."

"Take me, then." He steps out of the vehicle and holds his arms out; a sloppy smile shows up as he waits for her to approach him and do as told. "If I'm not driving my car, then nobody else will."

"Jerry, please, stop thi-"

Too late for you to try to calm him down, the lifeguard walks to his side and looks him right in the eyes. "Suit yourself." She signals for him to follow her, waiting until he turns the vehicle off, takes the keys away, and complies. "You'll have your car ready by tomorrow morning. But for now, you get a free, one-night stay with our security guards." She then moves to you, barely changing her expression until she speaks up again. "There's a bus stop left to the exit." A hint of a smile shows on her face, hardly noticeable. Had you blinked, it wouldn't have shown. "The next one should be here in ten minutes."

You nod, too shocked for words. Out of the two years you spent being friends with Jerry, a few months of dating, and a few more of marriage, this was one of the few occasions where you'd seen him react this way. "Thank you." You take Frisk's hand and walk with them out of the beach, steps slow as you consider what's happened. You want to recall times when he'd acted similar to today, yet your mind runs short, only pleasant memories and the day he left you showing up. Anything else is blanked out, bringing out your frustration through a huff.

"Are you okay?"

On the verge of letting unwanted emotions show, you bite on your lower lip and face down at Frisk, managing a smile. "I'm okay."

They stay quiet and let go of your hand to sign their next words. "Is it still okay for me to hang out with Jerry?"

You hum in agreement, maintaining your smile. "Of course it is." Your hands shake and you try wringing them to control it. Frisk notices, a hint of red still visible on your skin. "...Just as long as he's sober and treating you well. Don't worry about me, honey."

They frown and keep their eyes on your wrists. You struggle to hide that from them, though they persist by saying, "I… I don't wanna hang out with him anymore. He hurt you."

Anger spikes, making you blurt out the first thing on your mind, "The monsters hurt you, too. And yet I'm still giving them a second chance."

Frisk furrows their gaze and looks up at you. "It's different with them. They stopped when I told them to, and they knew what they did wrong in no time at all." Their nose scrunches up and their frown turns to a scowl, displaying their anger by the double. "Jerry barely even listened to you the first few times. And... And even now he's still not listening!" They hiccup, body trembling as tears gather in their eyes. "T- Toriel gave me a place to stay after I ran away, Papyrus was nice to me all along, an- and Alphys tried to help me... even if she wasn't too good at it."

"And what about Undyne? She attacked you right from the start, didn't she?" you comment, hands on your hips. "And Sans? Didn't he threaten you once, even though you'd done no harm?" You're outright livid now, self-hatred manifesting itself when you realize how naïve you'd been.

You'd carelessly kissed the very same man who'd threatened your child.

What was different between him and your once husband?

They'd both submitted your child into danger, be it directly or not.

Why were you bothering yourself with the monsters, then?

Worse yet, why were you thinking about dating one of them?

And what was the point in all of-

"Heya."

You're interrupted by the sound of the same man's voice. Not Jerry's, but Sans's. You blink through your fury and look to his side, seeing Frisk has already run off to the back seat of the car. They're smiling again despite the tears in their eyes, and they respond with a nod when the monster asks them if they're alright. "Ren's not," they sign, attempting to be discreet, yet failing.

Reluctantly, you make it to the front passenger seat and thank the skeleton when he opens up the door for you, magic granting him the ability to do it without much movement needed on his part. "Did Frisk call you?" Your eyes refuse to stare at him, focusing instead on the bus already approaching from a few more blocks away.

"Yeah," he replies, changing the gear stick from park to drive. "Don't mean to pry, but…" He's silent for some time, car staying still. "Wanna talk about it over lunch tomorrow?"

When you try to look at him, your gaze can only focus on his face, a grim reminder of what you'd done not too long ago. If you wanted to be a responsible parent, you needed to get a hold of yourself. "...Sure." You relax your posture while he begins the drive. At a red light, you continue with, "Thank you."

Now able to face you, Sans grins and later winks, hands kept on the wheel. "Anythin' for you, (Y/N)."

You squirm at the sound of him saying your name, battling away any feelings for him.

Whether Frisk's or your own words were true, you still had to be strong, both for their sake and yours.

End of Arc 1 | Ruins

Start of Arc 2 | Enemy Approaching

“It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice. For this to happen, a total denouncement of fatalism is necessary. We are transformative beings and not beings for accommodation.”

– Paulo Freire, Pedagogia do Oprimido

[First] | [Previous] | [Next]

• • •

Jesucristo, this is only the 1st arc, and yet we're already at 200+ pages!

I hardly have enough motivation to read a book with more than 500 pages or watch a series with more than 5 seasons or 30 episodes, so I commend anyone who sticks with this story until the very end. Ironic how I can write a Bible's worth of fanfiction, but not read or watch the same amount in books and series, ain't it? My attention span is miniscule for anything besides my holy trinity: college, tutoring, and writing, so let's blame it on that, shall we?

Anyway, here's an overview of all the arcs for those who haven't seen it on the updated description:

Arc 1 | Ruins

Chapters 1 to 15 (Complete!!) | Exposition (The fact that 200+ pages were exposition, lmao.)

Arc 2 | Enemy Approaching

Chapters 16 to 25 (Already written -- Only need to edit according to the changes made for this rewrite!) | Rising Action

Arc 3 | Pathetic House

Chapters 26 to 30 | Climax

Arc 4 | Spear of Justice

Chapters 31 to 40 | Falling Action

Arc 5 | Here We Are

Chapters 41 to 50 | Resolution, Part 1

Arc 5.5/Final Arc | Good Night

Chapters 51 to 55 | Resolution, Part 2

Goal: NOT EXCEED 1,000 PAGES. DEAR LORD.

Actual Goal: Write up a sweet, feel-good story for as much people as possible to enjoy, plus a late n' trashy love letter to Undertale.

As always, take care and stay safe, y'all. <3

• • •

Tag List (Comment or message me if you want to be added to [or removed from] it!)

@the-simp-express

@nektotersh

@disastrous-l0vebug

@therealchickenjoe

@mintyflakes025

@pandaquick

@timelock97

@candle-creeps

@paperb9gs

[darkmulti]

Lose Control

Stalker!San x female reader

⚠️Warnings: violence, aquaphilia, choking, degradation, overstimulation, drowning, spitting, unprotected sex, yandere behaviour, slapping, spanking,

Please read at your own risk!

——————————————————————————

San’s Point of View

“Don’t worry San, you look so handsome! I’m sure she’ll say yes when she see’s you all dressed up.”

His grandmother goes over to San and fixes his collar while San puts on his last ring. The freshly picked flowers lay on the table as he gathered up all the confidence in his body. He was going to ask out his long time crush Y/N. San had liked her for quite some time, but never told anyone except for his grandmother.

He could go on and on about her and his grandma was always there to listen. She always encouraged San to confess to Y/N, but each time he would back out at the last minute. Well not today. Hopefully. He was tired of watching her sleep. He wanted to sleep with her. Cuddle against her small little body. Take her into his arms, and make her feel like she was the only girl in the world.

But he couldn’t.

But maybe that could all change today.

Key word: Maybe

He hugs his grandmother and thanks her for everything. He grabs the bouquet of flowers, and lavishly walks out of the door.

He gets into his car and drives to the university to ask you out after your class. His palms were sweating on the steering wheel and his face started to warm up.

What if, what if you say no? Embarrassing scenarios play in his mind, and he almost wanted to turn the car around and bail out.

San takes a deep breath in and gives himself a pep talk,

“I am Choi San! I can do this!”

He pulls into a parking spot and gets out of the car. With the flowers in hand, he locks his car and makes his way to the entrance.

As soon as he walked in, the atmosphere changed. All eyes were on him. The sudden change of look made everyone’s jaw drop. He was minding his own business until one of the girls that used to bully him came up to him.

“Are those flowers for me?”

“Not these ones sweetheart. I can buy you a cactus so you can shove it up your ass.”

“Funny Choi San. Who are they really for?”

“For my cock. Mind your own business lady.”

San walks past her, feeling a sense of relief now that he’s told her off. She was the reason why everyone was creeped out by him, including Y/N. He had a tremendous amount of hate towards her. But it was understandable.

The nervous man had made it to her class, only to see that it was empty. He checked the working spaces nearby and his eye finally catches her working alone. His hand dusts off his shirt and he starts walking towards her.

“Uh hi, Y/N.”

“Oh, hey San!”

“I w-wanted to ask you if- if you w-would like to go out sometime? I-I brought you flowers.”

He hands the girl the freshly picked flowers and waits for her response.

“There’s no easy way to say this San. But I’m dating someone right now. I’m truly flattered and I would love to be friends, but I have a boyfriend.”

She looked at him with sincere eyes, trying her best to let him down easy.

“O-oh. I had no idea. I’m sorry. I’m actually gonna go now.”

San quickly exits the scene before bursting out into tears. He should’ve trusted his gut, because now you’re with someone else. He quickly wipes away the tears and walks back to the car.

“Where are you going, Choi San? I see the flowers are gone. Who did they go to?”

“Like I said before mind your own business.”

“What? Did she reject you? It’s okay honey. I’m here now. I like this new ‘bad boy’ attitude. It’s hot.”

San turns around and pushes the girl against the wall. Without thinking it through, he rips her shirt revealing her bra and roughly kisses her. His tongue slides into her mouth and their saliva exchanges in the hot make out. San grabs her bra and rips it down exposing her tits in front of everyone. He then pulls away, spits out the saliva and leaves the half naked girl.

Angrily San goes home and does research on Y/N again. His grandmother frantically knocks on his door continuously, hoping that he was okay.

“Grams, please leave me alone. Just for a little while, please!”

San was frustrated. He could be violent, but never towards his grandmother. To avoid putting her in danger he locks himself in his room and cry’s his broken heart out.

———

Y/N’s Point of View

I was walking back to my locker hand in hand with my boyfriend. He was such a kind and generous soul, I felt so lucky to have him. Although he’s all I think about 24/7, San still was floating around at the back of my mind. He hasn’t come back to school in 3 days and I was genuinely getting concerned. Thinking that it was my fault, I question myself.

Was I too harsh?

Maybe I should’ve offered him to sit with us.

I felt guilty of course.

He was creepy, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. What if he comes after me?

I quickly slip in the embrace of my boyfriend, feeling a little scared.

“What’s wrong baby?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have thrown the flowers away.”

“Why? Do they mean something to you Y/N?”

“No, I just feel bad.”

“Well don’t feel bad. I’m your boyfriend not him.”

I reach my locker and open it up, only to be suprised by a cute, pink note. I turn to my boyfriend and ask him,

“Did you do this?”

With a bright smile glued across my face.

“No.”

“Stop playing. That’s so cute!”

“Y/N it wasn’t me. I was with you this whole time.”

Reality hit me like a brick. He was right. He drove me to school and I had all my classes with him.

“Do you think it’s-”

“I will kill Choi San if he doesn’t back off.”

My boyfriend punches the locker door, startling me.

“Relax. He’s probably trying to get over me. Let him do what he has to do. I’ll be with you no matter what.”

I give him a reassuring smile and he pulls me in a deep, passionate kiss.

“Okay babe. I’ll see you later, I got practice.”

“See ya.”

I sigh and lean against my locker. I pick the note up and read it,

“I love you. I love you so much. You don’t know how long I’ve loved you for. I love everything about you. Your hair, face, body, personality. I love everything. If you can just give me the chance, please. I love you Y/N please. I will do anything for the love of my life. I want you to have my kids. Although we are young right now, I want you to be the mother of my kids and I want us to get married and have a life together. Without you I’m nothing. But fear not my love, I will always take care of you. I can show you the world. You can always be in my warm embrace. Please let me pleasure you. I will do anything for my one and only love. You are made for me and I am made for you. Please expect my love~ p.s I cummed on the gym shirt that you’re probably wearing right now.”

That’s why it felt so sticky. I rip the note up and throw it in the recycling. I grab my backpack and leave, trying to remain calm because he could be here.

———-

11:34pm

San’s Point of View

After crying for days, he finally stops and faces reality. He has to get rid of him. But how?! He puts on a new outfit and sneaks out the window. He promised himself that he won’t come back unless that man is out of her life for good.

He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the address to his house. He puts in the address on the ‘maps’ app and heads over to the man's house.

San knew this routine. His research showed that the man lived alone, with 3 cats. San gets out of his car, like it was another night and breaks into the lock. It was too easy. He got inside the house and went upstairs to the man's room.

There he was. Sleeping peacefully, like he totally wasn’t going to get murdered. San grabs the belt that was hanging on a hook, and makes his way over to the unaware man. He smoothly slides the belt underneath his neck and in no time, jumps on top of him and pulls on the belt, strangling him.

The man rapidly taps on San’s thighs and he loosens it. San was indeed a psychopath, but not a murder.

“Stay away from Y/N! This is your only warning, or I’ll strangle you and all your cats understand? I want you to text Y/N that you're breaking up with her. Then I want you to block her number and her social media accounts. By tomorrow morning I want you out of this city. If you dare call the police, I will make your life a living hell and I stick with my words, understand?”

The horrified man nods and immediately pulls out his phone and breaks up with her over text. He shows San and San gets off of him with a satisfied smirk.

“Thanks for cooperating. I thought that I had to kill someone.”

San causally leaves and pets one of the cats on his way out. He gets into his car and speeds to your house only a couple blocks away.

———

Your Point of View

What a way to end the night. The window was half open, letting in the cold breeze in, while my body sat in hot water. I was enjoying an episode of ‘Grey's Anatomy’ until the power shut off. The T.V being the main source of light, the bathroom was now pitch black besides the street lamp outside that was making my bathroom glow, just a little bit. Thinking that the power will come back on, I wait in the tub and splash around in the water.

That was until a figure from the window lunges towards me and splashes into the water. I let out a high pitched scream and tried my best to get out of the tub, but the bigger figure held me down.

I kept squirming underneath them, trying to escape, until I felt something unordinary. It felt like a dick. I yell out again until a hard slap slants my face to the right.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU CUNT!”

San finally got the girl he had desired for pinned underneath him. She couldn’t escape.

“SAN WHAT THE FUCK? LET GO OF ME!”

I splash the water and get it in his eyes. Hurriedly l push him off of me and get out of the bathtub. I was so close to my phone until he pulled me back by my hair.

I scream at him to let me go. He bends me over the bathroom counter and makes me look in the mirror.

“NO! YOU FUCKING CUNT LOOK AT YOURSELF! LOOK AT YOUR DIRTY, USED PUSSY. THIS PUSSYS SUPPOSE TO BE MINE! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU-”

He lets go of my hair and punches the wall in anger, leaving a hole. He then comes back to you and cups your face.

“Do you love me?”

He whispers.

“I-I”

The girl stutters because she was stunned by the question and the sudden personality change.

“Of course you fucking don’t!”

San growls at the girl and pushes her onto the bathroom counter. The girl however wasn’t scared. She knew it was wrong, but had a hidden desire for the man as well. Ever since he gave her those flowers, something in her changed. In a way she wanted this.

Before San could make the next move, she wraps her arm around his neck and lays her lips on his. San stood there, wide eyed, not realizing what was happening.

Adrenaline pumps inside their body’s, as their lips mold together. San grinds his tip on the girls wet opening, making her moan. He picks her up and places her on the floor. Her legs get placed on his shoulders putting her in perfect position.

San smashes his lips on hers one more time, practically swallowing her tongue and slowly thrusted in.

“ooh fuck, baby you’re so big!”

The girl under him moans and arches her back at the sudden stretch. His large, firm dick, wasn’t fully inside of her, but she could already cry from it.

“You like that babygirl? This is your first time fucking a real man. Fuck! You have such a sweet, tight cunt ready to be destroyed by me. By your daddy.”

San pushes in his entire dick making her scream. He then pulls it and slams right back in; making the vulnerable girl cry out of pleasure. San pushes her head down and starts pounding himself into her. Releasing all the stress, pain and heartbreak she had caused all these past few years.

His hand wraps around her throat and he starts going even harder into her. One hand on her throat while the other pushed down on her stomach so he could feel his own cock thrusting into her.

“AHHHHHH! DADDY PLEASE HOLY SHIT MY PUSSSY! OW FUCK DADDY!”

The girl becomes a sensitive mess under the man. He already had such a great control of her already, she would do anything to please him.

“Fuck darling. You’re making me Lose Control”

San cock grew angrier and he started thrusting into her furiously. Her tiny hand holds his muscular arm and lets him do whatever, because she feels on top of the world.

“AHHH, FUCK FUCK FUCK!”

Her buttcheeks clench and her walls tremble around his cock. Her cum rushes out covering San’s cock.

“Who told you that you can cum?”

“No one daddy.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, such a bad little girl you are.”

He picks her sensitive state up and places her on all fours, giving her the bathtub ledge to hold onto.

“OWIE!”

Y/N pouts as she feels a burning sensation on her buttcheek. He spreads her ass cheeks out so he can observe the stretched out pussy. He spits on it and slowly thrusted his cock again.

He grabs her hair away from her face and pulls her head back. The sounds of wet, skin slapping was a turn on for both. It made San roll his eyes, knowing that it was his balls slapping against her pussy. Wanting it to be louder he pushes her head down into the water and makes it clap louder and louder.

The girl screams under the water and the air bubbles come up, amusing San. He pulls her hair back and she comes up trying to catch her breath. Her hair splashes water on his face, collarbone and abs, making it a delicious sight to see.

“Hold your breath babygirl.”

She takes a deep breath in before San pushes her head down and fucks the life out of her. She taps on the tub not being able to hold her breath anymore and San yanks her out. He lets her lean back on his body, and turns her face towards him and gives her another nasty kiss.

“Let’s go in the water.”

His arms wrap around the panting mess, and he sits down in the tube. Her head lays on his chest until he said,

“Ride me princess.”

She weakly pushes herself up and holds the sides of the bathtub. San hands come to her hips to guide her. The girl's hips started grinding on his hard cock, and before she knew it she was bouncing on his cock.

San enjoyed the sight of your tits bouncing. He pulls your body closer and marks your breast so the sight can be even better. Dark purple hickeys were scattered all over your chest, and you grab onto his shoulder and start moaning in his ear.

“Daddy! You make me feel so good. Fuck, daddy! Your cock is so big, it’s making me feel so good!”

You cuddle your face into his neck, while the water kept splashing out of the tub. Being turned on by your words, San grabs your hips and rams up into you, creating waves in the water. Your pussy twitches at the overstimulation, causing tears to form in your eyes.

He gives you one more aggressive thrust before both of you release is the bath water.

“OHH FUCK DADDY! OH IT FEELS SO GOOD!”

I throw my head back as San starts playing with my clitoris. With his fingers still massaging the sensitive bud, he takes me out of the bath and places me on the floor for one more round.

San didn’t hesitate to take me again. His fingers wrap around my neck and press down. He started thrusting into me again because if he waited any longer his cock would’ve exploded. His hand rubs my clit up and down while he pounds into my swollen pussy. He then stops and hovers over your face and licks it.

“FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK IM GONNA CUM. SAN I'M GONNA CUM PLEASE DON’T STOP PLEASE!”

I beg him, almost over the edge.

“IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO STOP TELL ME YOU’RE MINE!”

“AHHHH FUCK IM YOURS IM YOUR I BELONG TO YOU. FUCKKK FUCKK PLEASE BABY!”

I become a sobbing mess as my orgasm reaches, pushing me over the edge. I felt a warm wave go from my clitoris up to my chest, making me shake uncontrollably. I whimper under San, with my wet hair sticking to my face and the floor. All of a sudden my cum splatters all over his long cock, making me moan louder. My legs wrap around his tiny waist and I try to recover from the best orgasm of my life.

“OH FUCK BABY THAT WAS SO HOT. LOOK AT YOU SHAKING UNDER ME.”

San thrust his angry tip into me one more time, directly hitting your gspot. He cums in me and I cum around him one more time.

San immediately picks my sobbing figure up and rocks me back and forth trying to calm me down.

“Shh, darling you’re okay. You’re okay.”

He kisses my wet forehead and takes me back to my bed.

He cleans me up and puts me in a fresh pair of pyjamas. He takes some of my now ex boyfriends clothes and wears them.

He cuddles next to me in bed and pulls my body close to his.

“I love you.”

“I love you too San.”

“Wait really?”

Sans eyes sparkles and he looks like an excited puppy.

“Yes really.”

I giggle at his cuteness

“Well I love you more.”

He squeezes my body and lays gentle kisses on my neck and making me fall asleep.

——————————————————————————

Point of views were messy, but i was just trying to figure out which one i liked the most.  this was a request 

Edited🔐

Xoxo, N❣️

[everybodyscupoftea]

santa doesn’t squat

pike jj x reader 

christmas tree farm shenanigans

(warnings: cursing, zero editing even a little)

“Guys,” Cody pulled a piece of paper out of his booksack, “I found the coolest thing.”

You glanced up from your ethics book, eyebrows raised, “What’s that?”

“Christmas tree farm, but for families!”

JJ sat up where he had slumped down on his desk, “Bro, we can’t get a tree.”

“No, I know. It’s stupid, they should let us get one for the house, but whatever.”

You snapped to get his attention, “Focus up, bud. I got a test tomorrow, when do you wanna go to this?”

“The weekend after finals. I just don’t want anyone to go home before we get to go.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” JJ hummed, “so I’m in.”

“Same,” you added.

Cody beamed, “Sweet, I can’t wait! Going to find Tyler, see you guys.”

-

Finals week came and went, and you kind of forgot about the whole Christmas tree farm thing. Until you and JJ woke up early Saturday morning to a loud banging on your apartment door. Jolting upright, you looked around wildly, trying to figure out what was wrong.

JJ was a little slower, but once he processed, got out of bed and walked slowly to the door, grabbing your baseball bat on the way. You watched, peeking out your room cautiously, as he looked through the peephole.

He relaxed and yanked the door open, “What the fuck, asshole?”

Cody’s voice responded, “Rise and shine, friends, we’re getting breakfast before the Christmas tree farm.”

Your shoulders sagged with relief, and you fully stepped out of your room, “You couldn’t have, I don’t know, called us?”

He shrugged, “Nah, this was way more effective. Now, I’m going to sit on the couch until you two are ready to go.” Cody shoved his way past JJ and plopped down, reaching for your TV remote, “Hurry up, folks. Breakfast reservation in 45 minutes.”

JJ rolled his eyes and trudged to your bathroom, and you turned back to your room to start getting dressed.

Much to Cody’s happiness, the two of you were ready in about 20 minutes. He sighed in relief, “Thank god, Tyler bet we’d be late, so I should be winning $20 thanks to you guys.”

You and JJ chose to not respond as you followed Cody out of the apartment to his car. Cody put on his Christmas playlist as soon as he cranked up the car and pulled out of the parking lot, headed toward the breakfast place you and JJ frequently went on Sunday mornings.

“Holy shit,” JJ muttered, “this place is packed on Saturdays.”

“Hence the reservation,” Cody sassed.

“Bitch,” JJ started.

You stepped in between them, “Boys, please. Cody, don’t antagonize JJ before he’s had coffee. JJ don’t let Cody get to you, you know he’s a morning person.”

“It’s unnatural,” JJ muttered, but listened to you anyway.

Tyler was already inside at a booth and waved when the three of you walked in. He had three mugs of coffee on the table, and JJ slid in opposite of him, immediately reaching for it. Cody rolled his eyes, “Dramatic.”

“Let me drink it in peace or I’ll bully you all day.”

“Bully me? What are we, in high school?”

“I’ll whack you so hard you’ll go back in time.”

You sighed, “Pack it up Biff, and drink your fucking coffee.”

“I’m choosing to not try and figure out what you’re referencing,” JJ sniffed.

“It’s Back to the Future,” Tyler volunteered, and you nodded.

Just like normal, they were quick to get you in and out, much to Cody’s happiness. You’d never seen him so excited about something in months, which you were a bit curious about. Eventually, after he had to stop for the third time to let the rest of you catch up, you asked, “What’s got you so excited, bud?”

“I haven’t done anything like this since I left Michigan, haven’t even thought to look really, but I saw the flier in Dunkin so I grabbed it.”

“Let’s do it then,” JJ told him, squeezing his shoulder.

-

It was busy as fuck, which to be fair, should’ve been expected since it was early on a Saturday. Cody grabbed you by the hand, “Let’s go do ornaments.”

The ornaments station was clearly for children and not four, exhausted college seniors, but the lady in charge didn’t give a fuck and let you all sit down. 

“Have crayons always been this small?” Tyler mused, picking through them to find the color he wanted for his reindeer. 

“You trying to flex big hands?” JJ asked, more focused on his angel than Tyler’s answer.

Tyler smirked, “Let’s just say I’m having a harder time than you are with the crayons.”

You swooned, “Oversized hands? Why am I with JJ?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I made my moves.”

JJ paused, “You leaving me?”

“No,” you sighed, “I’m just a little too attached.”

Cody focused on coloring his Christmas tree. He was going into great detail, adding ornaments and lights. His tongue was sticking out the corner of his mouth as he colored in the star on top, and you had to take a picture.

He pouted when you all finished, “I don’t have a bag and now we have to carry these.”

“Let me put them in my pocket,” Tyler offered.

“They’ll bend.”

“They might rip or get dirty if I don’t.”

With a sigh, he relented, “Fine. But let’s go to the petting zoo next.”

“Petting zoo?” you asked incredulously, looking around.

“They have reindeers and shit.”

Sure enough, a small petting zoo was located a little further in with a chair for Santa nearby. Cody looked at the three of you, standing by one of the reindeer, “So, guys. What if we took a picture with Santa.”

“We definitely should,” JJ agreed immediately.

“You gonna tell him you’ve been a good boy?” Tyler asked.

Cody winked, “Maaaybe.”

And clearly, the four of you had been talking too loudly, because Santa was staring. You shoved Cody in his direction, “Go sit on his lap.”

The guy shook his head, “Sorry my guy, too big for my lap.”

JJ answered, “Make sure you’re hitting legs at the gym too, Santa.”

He squinted at JJ, “Coming from you huh?”

You snorted, hiding your laugh with a cough before speaking, “Come on, guys, we gotta get a picture and keep moving.”

A lady dressed as an elf who looked entirely too happy to be dealing with so many people took your phone eagerly to take a picture. Once Cody was happy with it, you moved on, ready to leave.

“Wait,” Cody hesitated, “can we at least go look at the trees?”

Tyler narrowed his eyes, “Dude, we can’t buy one.”

“I know,” he sighed, “but I want to look.”

You interrupted before anyone else could answer, “Let’s go look at a few rows.”

-

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Cody, we literally can’t.”

“But it’s so small and cute, look at it!”

“Cody,” you reasoned, “who is going to water it?”

“Me!”

“You literally won’t,” Tyler told him, “I’ll be watering it within a week.”

“I’m a successful plant mom.”

“Yeah, small plants.”

“This is technically small.”

JJ rolled his eyes, “Smaller than a normal tree but not small.”

You thought back to the apron you’d picked out for Cody’s gift and sighed, “You know what, let’s just get it.”

“What?” JJ yelped, turning to face you, betrayed.

“I know, I know. But he needs it.”

Tyler’s jaw dropped, “He so doesn’t.”

“Okay,” Cody rubbed his hands together, “let’s fucking go.”

He took the axe he’d grabbed from one of the workers and started working on the trunk of the small tree. It didn’t take more than a few hacks before it fell into Tyler’s open arms.

“I’m not fucking carrying it. Cody come get your shit.”

You laughed, “You got a tree stand at home?”

Cody scoffed, “Who do you think I am? Of course I have a tree stand.”

“What about ornaments?”

He paused, “I have lights, not sure about ornaments.”

Tyler patted his pocket, “You have at least four.”

“And that’s all I need.”

Cody and JJ went to the car with the tree while you and Tyler stayed behind to pay and get any last minute instructions. The lady taking payments smiled at Tyler’s muttered, “I can’t believe we’re letting him get a tree.”

“He had a rough semester, we’ll give it to him.”

“I had a rough semester, what do I get?”

If we go to a basketball game, will you chill?”

Tyler paused, “Actually yes.”

“Okay fine, get tickets and we’ll go.”

“Bet!” he answered, walking away, already looking down at his phone. 

The worker laughed, handing your card back, “A handful, huh?”

“Yes. Both hands.”

“Good luck with that. And Happy Holidays.”

You bid her goodbye and followed the boys out.

~

day 13 of @obxmermaid​‘s holiday challenge: christmas tree farm

[multiverse-imagines]

Ryoga x reader- Always Welcome Here

(Reader is meant to be gender neutral)

You walked towards your home after a long day of school and band practice. The streets are still bustling in the Friday night sunset of Akihabara. A few dark clouds have set in above you, but you figure you'll make it home by then. It's a shame you forgot your umbrella. Passing by a park, you see someone laying on the ground. They appear to be unconscious. After your initial panic, you cautiously approach the body, and notice it's a young man around your age. He has a heavy looking backpack, and a yellow bandana around his head. He seemed to be muttering to himself. 

"Damn you… need...food.."

"Hey, are you okay?" You asked. His tired eyes looked up to you, pleading. 

"Can you give me some food? I'm so hungry." He mutters. You reach in your backpack, and grab a granola bar that you had been saving for the last part of your walk home. 

"It's not much, but I hope it helps." The boy rolls over onto his back, and sits up with difficulty. He nearly swallows the bar whole before standing with a sigh. 

"Thank you. That won't hold me for long though." He fretted, "I've gotta find Furinkan High school again."

"Ah, well, you're close, you're in Akihabara. Nerima isn't too far from here."

"Really? Thank you! Well, I'll be seeing ya." He went to wave you goodbye as he left in the opposite direction of Nerima. 

"That's the wrong way!"

"Oh. Thanks." He turned and went the other way. 

"I wasn't done yet!" You say as you feel a single raindrop on your cheek. The rain began to downpour in seconds as you both ran for the safety of the underside of a slide. You made it and let out a sigh of relief, but where was the boy? You peered out from under the slide, and he had vanished, but his clothes remained. You saw movement from under them, and a little black pig emerged. It wore the headband of the boy around its neck. You used your book bag as an umbrella and walked up to the scared little pig. 

"Hey, did you just turn into a pig?" The pig stared at you wide eyed, and nodded in defeat. You sighed. "Alright, we're taking you back to my house. At least this way you can get some food." You picked up his clothes, and stuffed them in his bag. It was pretty light, but the umbrella… the umbrella had to weigh at least 10 Kilograms! (22 pounds) after adjusting to the shock of the weight, you begrudgingly lifted and opened it to use as a proper umbrella to walk the two of you back to your home.

You entered your house, and thankfully no one was home. Your father worked overseas, and your mother would be at work well past 8:30 as always. You grabbed a few towels and dried him off before yourself. 

"Go ahead and wait here on the couch while I go change my clothes." You let him sit in the fluffy pink towel. You put on some sweatpants and a comfy T-shirt then put your clothes in the dryer. You could hardly believe it. A boy turning into a pig with water. The phone rang, and you hurried a shirt on before answering it. 

"Hello, ____ residence."

"Hey, ____?" It was Mom, "I guess there's flooding over the tracks for the train home, so Kazato offered to put me up at her place for the night. I'm sorry I won't be home."

"It's okay, mom. I'll just see you tomorrow." You made yourself sound disappointed. This way your guest wouldn't receive any Berratement from your mom. You said goodnight to your mom and returned to the living room, sitting next to the little pig on the couch. 

"So, you don't seem to be surprised you're a pig. Is there a way to change you back?" You asked. He nodded, and jumped from the couch, and began wandering from room to room; You followed in curiosity. Once he found the bathroom, he jumped onto the tub, and pointed his little hoof at the hot water switch. 

"Is it hot water that turns you back?" He nodded furiously in response, "Alright. Let me get you some clothes first." You left him in the bathroom with the water running while you grabbed a blue T-shirt, and a pair of black loose-fitting basketball shorts. You hoped they would fit him. You walked back to the bathroom, and thankfully found him still as a pig, and the water level seemed high enough now. You shut off the water.

"I'll put your clothes in the wash so you'll have fresh clothes in the morning." He tilted his head, confused. 

"It's supposed to rain all night. I'm not letting you walk all the way to Nerima in the rain. What if you turn into a pig again? Then what was the point of a bath? My Mom isn't gonna be home tonight, so I'm letting you stay." You turned and left to let him bathe in peace. You began making some food for when he returned. 

It was about a half an hour before he emerged, still wearing his headband, but wearing the clothes you had retrieved for him. 

"Thank you." Was the first thing he said as he leaned on the counter next to you, "I'm Ryoga, by the way. Ryoga Hibiki."

"____ ____. And it was no problem, really."

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions." He seemed embarrassed. 

"Yeah, but, can I ask?"

"I suppose if I'm gonna be here all night, I might as well answer any questions you have." He said, picking up his chopsticks. "Let's wait until after we eat. I'm starved." You nodded in agreement, and you picked up the conversation while he helped you with the dishes. 

"Well, how did you become a pig?" He answered with the story of how he was tailing a schoolmate named Ranma Saotome. A rude boy who went to train with his father in China, and he fell into a cursed pond where a pig had drowned. Now whenever he gets doused with cold water, he becomes a pig. He can be human again with warm water. 

"If I hadn't seen if for myself, I never would have believed you." You nodded. Ryoga then went on to mention how many people who have come into contact with Ranma have ended up cursed in one of these pools in Japan. Ranma, his father, and two others have a similar curse of turning into something else via water. 

"That's so strange."

"That Ranma," He growled, "I'll get my revenge someday." He balled his fists up towards his chest, as if restraining himself from punching the nearby wall. 

"Can't you just go back to this Jusenkyo place and change back?"

"Getting there is a battle in itself. I'm, what my family calls, directionally challenged. I can even have a map in my hands and still get lost. Also, getting to China takes money, which I don't have." He grimaced. 

"That's rough," You sighed, "but it makes sense why you didn't know where you were in the park earlier." Ryoga nodded and returned to the couch, placing the blanket you had set there prior over his legs. You sat next to him, turning on the TV. The two of you watched a few game shows, and anime that played on the TV, making small talk as things became relevant. A romantic scene came on at one point, and Ryoga seemed to be bothered by it. It was late before you decided to go to your own room to sleep. You waved Ryoga goodnight as he stretched out on the couch. 

"I'll leave my door open, so let me know if you need anything." Ryoga nodded as he rolled over facing the back of the couch. You retreated to your room and crawled under the covers before falling asleep. The sound of the raindrops hitting harder and faster on the roof. 

You awoke to a large crack of lightning and a crash nearby. You sat up in bed so quickly it made your head spin. Within seconds, Ryoga was in the doorway. 

"_____, are you alright? I heard you scream!" He seemed just as startled as you were. You couldn't recall screaming, but it was probably inaudible over the blood rushing through your ears. You were tried to catch your breath before replying, 

"Yeah, I-I just heard a loud crack of lightning. I think it struck something outside." You said getting out of bed and looking out the window. A street light had fallen on the garage of the house across the street. You looked to your alarm clock to see it dead. The power was out. It was unsettlingly dark in the house now, and it admittedly worried you. 

"Now I'm really glad you aren't out there." You muttered to Ryoga. Another loud clap of thunder nearly shook the house, and you grasped Ryoga's arm. You normally loved thunderstorms, but when the thunder got too loud, you couldn't help but be a little nervous.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his voice was kinder than it had been.

"Yeah, just a little shaken from how close the lightning is."

"Let's sit in the living room for a bit and relax. Do you have any candles or flashlights?" 

"Yeah, there's some in the bathroom." You led Ryoga through the house to the bathroom, and found the handle to the bathroom cupboard. You felt around, finding the candles your mother used for her relaxing baths, and a lighter. The two of you wandered back to the living room and you managed to light one of the candles, setting it on the table in front of the couch. You lit the other two and placed them near the hallway in case you needed to go down the hallway, and the other in the kitchen, still in view of the living room. You grabbed a couple of juice pouches from the fridge, but made a note not to open it from here onward. After some time of drinking and chatting, you finally felt the tension in your shoulders release. 

"Are you planning on going back to bed?" Ryoga asked. 

"Yeah, but I'm still kind of scared. If that pole had been striked at any other angle, it easily could have fallen on the house." You changed over to him, his face also showed a frown of worry. 

"W-why don't I protect you then…" He trailed off. You felt your face heat up, 

"How… how so?" 

"You could…" His face matched yours in color, "stay on the couch with me." 

"Um, do… you think we'd have more room in… m-my bed?" You were just as nervous about this. 

"Oh, your right. But!" The two of you kept embarrassed eye contact with each other, and after the longest second of your life, you let out a breath, and relaxed yourself. 

"There's more room there, and I'd feel safer there. Let me blow out these two candles, and we'll go to my room." You smiled. Ryoga grabbed the blanket he'd been using and stood by the hall while you blew out the other two candles. You took the remaining candle to light your way to your room. You set the candle on your desk away from any papers, and climbed into bed. Ryoga climbed in after you, and you were now laying between him and the wall. Your bed was a bit small for two people, but it was vastly better than what the couch would have offered. However, Ryoga still seemed uncomfortable. It looked like he would fall off of the bed at any moment. 

"If you aren't comfortable, come closer." You said. You practically heard Ryoga swallow nervously before he inched closer to you. Soon the problem became obvious that Ryoga had nowhere to put his arms. He awkwardly had them folded over his chest, but didn't seem comfortable. You reached for his arm, and gently moved his hand to your side. His other arm went above your head like an extra pillow, and you made yourself comfortable by placing your head in his chest. His arms eventually relaxed and his top arm soon hugged your back. You tangled your legs in with his, and looked up to him in the dark. 

"Better?" You whispered, you heard his breath hitch, before letting out an affirmative noise, "Good. Thanks Ryoga, good night." You snuggled into his chest again, and made the attempt to have your body sleep. As you left consciousness, you felt his hand leave your back to pet your hair. 

The next morning, you woke up to the light coming through your window. The candle had put itself out, and Ryoga still held you. 

"....Akane…" You heard his whisper in his sleep. You wondered who that was. Friend? Family? You'd have to ask when he woke up. You would normally get up and make breakfast, but you were so comfortable you decided to fall asleep again. 

You awoke again to Ryoga shifting in the bed. You felt him get up from the bed. 

"Good morning, Ryoga." You said, your eyes half open. 

“Morning, ____.“ he sounded well rested. You heard the bathroom door close and decided to slowly get up. You noticed your alarm clock's flashing numbers, meaning the lights we're back on. You made your way to the bathroom and heard the toilet flush upon your approach. After a few seconds, Ryoga left the bathroom, carrying his clothes from the dryer. You told him you were gonna make breakfast, and you went about your morning business. You remained in your pajamas since school had been cancelled, and made a quick breakfast for the two of you. You checked the contents of the fridge to see they had remained unscathed by the power outage. As you ate, you remembered Ryoga's muttering from earlier. 

"Hey, Ryoga, you said a name in your sleep last night. Who's Akane?" Ryoga nearly choked on his food, taking a long drink of his juice before replying. 

"Akane… she's. She's the woman I…" He stared solemnly at his plate. 

"You love her?" You tried to finish for him. You gave him the benefit of the doubt he wasn't a murderer. 

"Yeah. I've been in love with her for a very long time now. But she's marrying Ranma, and he doesn't even like her!" His voice raised in volume, "I haven't been able to tell her how I feel and I can't even tell her I turn into a pig! I've spent so much time with her as her pet pig, but she doesn't even know!" Tears filled his eyes with anger. 

"I'm sorry you're going through that. That sucks."

"Yeah, it does…" Ryoga sighed, calming down, "but I'll tell her one day. I'll save her from Ranma, and her and I'll make her so happy." He stabbed a piece of food and ate it angrily.

After the dishes were done, you found Ryoga on the couch rearranging his bag, adding the snacks you gave him for the road. 

"Are you leaving right away?" You asked. 

"In a little bit, yeah. I've gotta get to Nerima to take Akane back." You frowned at this. You'd really become fond of the man you found unconscious in the park and didn't really want him to leave. Once he was ready, you walked him to the street, and faced him in the direction of Nerima. He waved goodbye, and as he left, you stopped him. 

"Ryoga," He turned to you. You kissed his cheek and gently took his hand, "I-if things don't work out, you know, with Akane, you're always welcome here. I'd be more than happy to have you." Your face heated up again, as Ryoga also seemed to pick up on what you were implying. 

"Th-thank you!" He closed shut eyes, "I'll remember that! See you next time, ____!" He shouted as he ran past you in an embarrassed ferver. 

"Wait! Ryoga! You're going the wrong… Way…" You sighed. You chuckled knowing he'd be back someday.

[mcwriting]

call me, beep me

In which I wrote a Kim Possible AU :)

Ship: Tom Holland x Reader

Word Count: 3865 

Warnings: literally none lol it’s all fun and fluff

#

“Toooom!” you exclaimed in a loud cry. He had clumsily knocked over part of your science fair project, a diorama of the solar system. His misstep caused Pluto to pop off the wire and dented Neptune a little.

“Oh my gosh, y/n, I’m so sorry, let me get that-” he started to reach down and grab the littlest planet at the same time as you, causing both of your heads to bump together.

You each jumped back again, exclaiming “ow!” and rubbing your temples simultaneously.

Things had been off between you and your childhood best friend lately. 

You’d been attached at the hip since preschool, and though you had your ups and downs, had always stayed friends. You were partners in (fighting) crime, but now it was like you were out of sync and couldn’t figure out why. 

“It’s okay, Tom. Seriously. I can fix it myself. You need to work on your project anyways, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. If it makes you feel any better, most people don’t even consider Pluto a planet anymore, so I kinda did you a favor.”

“You take that back! Pluto is so a planet!”

As you both laughed it off, a familiar four-toned beep came from your pocket.

“What’s the sitch, Jacob?” you asked into the phone, where your friend could be seen sitting at his computer.

“Hey, y/n. I was checking out Dr. Gyllenhaal’s purchase history lately, and well... tell me if this sounds fishy: 200 pounds of cherry flavored jello mix. That might not sound too bad except that he’s at the villain convention and just snatched the last 30 liters of mind-control juice. The first person you look at after ingesting some can control what you do unless you can reverse it. Oh, and he invited you and everyone else in town to a cookout at the park tomorrow.”

“Well, definitely doesn’t sound like any regular cookout. I’ll check things out. Give me location on the convention and we’ll head over,” you responded, annoyed that you needed to take a pause on your project that was due the next morning.

“I’m gonna ask him why he chose cherry. I mean, really. All the flavors in the world and you pick cherry!?” Tom said incredulously. You rolled your eyes in amusement and grabbed his arm.

“Come on, jello boy. Let’s go.”

#

The year’s convention was the place to be.

The villain counsel had gotten together and gotten a spot at the biggest venue in Rio, and everyone had been able to share conquests and victories along the beach.

Which is where Dr. Gyllenhaal was happily sipping on his frozen drink in the sun as his henchwoman, Daisy, lounged nearby.

“So you really think jello is the way to go, huh? Not a mixer at the club? It’d be a lot more fun that way,” she trailed.

“Y/n y/l/n and that... that... buffoon of hers are in high school. They cannot go to clubs. But jello! I mean who doesn’t love jello!?”

“Well... me for one. And cherry, really? Cherry? Couldn’t have at least gone for strawberry?”

“Cherry is the best flavor and you know it! Now let me enjoy my drink in peace before we head back to the lair.”

“Better sip quickly. I think that’s her and her little friend on the parasail that just disconnected from the boat,” Daisy said nonchalantly, sunglasses pulled down to see you gliding towards the beach.

“WHAT!?”

He threw the drink aside and sat up quickly.

You and your parachute were floating down gracefully as Tom was struggling. His naked mole rat, Tessa, was desperately trying to detangle him but to no avail, so he decided to bail, dropping into the ocean with a large splash. 

You couldn’t help but shake your head as you detached and landed on the beach, doing a somersault to break your fall. 

“Miss y/l/n, nice of you to arrive,” Dr. Gyllenhaal sneered as you stood. You were about to answer when Tom was clumsily thrown onto the sand by the crashing tide. 

“And you brought your little boyfriend, too.”

You looked down in surprise at Tom, who gave you the same deer-in-the-headlights look.

“We’re not- I mean he isn’t-”

“Y/n and I would never- What are you-” 

You both stammered. 

“Oh how cute. They’re blushing.” Daisy teased. “Now, time to kick your butt.”

With that you ensued in typical hand-to-hand combat along the beach, using your tumbling skills to narrowly avoid Daisy’s glowing fists along with other beach obstacles. 

“Where’s the juice!? I know you have it!” you exclaimed between handsprings.

“Isn’t that a funny question. You know I have some right here but-” Gyllenhaal pulled out a flask with the liquid to gloat, but tripped, the lid popping off and liquid beginning to splash out. “Oops!”

It was heading towards both you and Tom, so you turned to say, “Don’t let it get in your mouth!”

Some splashed onto yours and Tom’s faces. He cringed and ran towards the ocean.

“Tom what are you-” you couldn’t finish the thought, because as you were watching, a drop fell from your lips onto your tongue.

Suddenly, you felt inclined to do whatever Tom said. He was washing his face off with the salt water when you turned back around to look at your nemesis.

"Ooh let’s see if this works. Okay y/n. Tell me I’m pretty,” Gyllenhaal said, looking at you expectantly. You furrowed your brows. 

“Hmm. Maybe it needs to be an action. Y/n, go get me another piña colada.”

“What do you think I am, your slave?” you retorted sarcastically. His jaw dropped. 

“But I- I bought so much... WHY ISN’T IT WORKING?” he cried out.

Tom appeared next to you again.

“Hey y/n could you tell me if my hair’s messed up?”

You looked at him and without a thought answered.

“Oh yeah it’s parted weird. Lemme fix that.” You reached out and flopped a strand over. 

Dr. Gyllenhaal had a startling revelation.

“Oh no. Oh my gosh. YOU.YOU BUMBLING IDIOT. You’re the one who has the power to control y/n now? Oh dear. Daisy, we need to go at once!”

With that they sped off on a scooter, getting away once again. 

“What was he talking about? Oh hey, my shoe’s untied. Could you get that?” he asked. Usually it was a joke between you that you’d never tie his shoes, but immediately you were knelt down double knotting his laces.

You stood up, confused at what had overcome you, but quickly realization washed over your face.

“You...” you whispered. “I drank the juice, and now you get to control me until we can figure out a remedy...”

“What? No way, y/n. That’s crazy talk. If I had the power to control you, I’d tell you to eat an avocado and you’d actually do it.”

Ugh. Avocados.

One of your least favorite foods. They disgusted you, but without second thought you ran to find one, ravenously peeling off the skin with your bare hands and eating the soft fruit inside.

Tom looked at you in shock and horror.

“OH MY GOSH I”M CONTROLLING YOUR MIND!” he exclaimed, hands thrown upward onto his head. He started pacing and muttering to himself nervously.

You quickly finished the avocado, tossing the skin and pit aside. You wiped your mouth and immediately you were disgusted with yourself, the taste still lingering in your mouth.

“Ugh. That’s what I was trying to tell you!”

“Well call Jacob and figure out how to undo it!”

Immediately you pulled out your phone and rang him up, explaining the situation.

“... and it would really be nice if Tom could get me some water,” you muttered after telling Jacob what had happened.

“Why don’t you get it yourself?” Tom asked, prompting you to run to the nearest snack shack and grab yourself a water. You drank it in annoyance as Tom looked at you sheepishly.

“Well... here’s the problem... so far there’s no known antidote, y/n. Sorry. I’ll see if I can figure it out though,” Jacob explained. You groaned.

“Yeah, okay. Keep me in the loop. And while I’ve got you, could you send us a ride home?” 

“Sure thing, y/n. I’ll be in touch,” Jacob added, screen going black as he ended the call.

“Welp, y/n. This is going to be fun, right?” Tom asked enthusiastically.

“Sure. Fun.”

#

You were quickly putting together Tom’s baking soda volcano as he lounged nearby on your bed. He’d used his new power to get you to finish his project for him.

“As soon as we figure out the cure, I’m so gonna pummel you,” you said as you painted red drips around the rim and sides.

“Maybe it’s best that we don’t find that cure...” Tom started, until you shot him a glare. “Kidding! Kidding. Seriously though, y/n, I’ll repay you for doing this. It’s just, we all know you’re the smart one in this pairing.”

You perked up and looked at him funny as you continued to work.

“Pairing?”

“Well, yeah sure. I mean I couldn’t say couple, and well... I couldn’t think of a better word. Friendship doesn’t sound right either.”

You turned around, cheeks warm.

“What do you mean by that?” you asked quietly.

“We’re more than just friends, y/n. Everyone knows that. We’ve been at each other’s sides for forever. I just feel like only calling us friends doesn’t really encapsulate our relationship.”

“Oh... yeah. I see,” you said, a couple nervous chuckles leaving your breath as you moved on from painting lava to gluing fake trees around the volcano.

“What do you see it as, y/n?”

You felt the urgency to answer truthfully but wasn’t really sure how to. Like you’d said before, it was complicated.

“Well I... I don’t know. You’re my best friend, Tom. I’m not really sure what else to say.”

Tom looked down at Tessa, who was asleep in his hand. 

“Oh. Yeah. Yeah, of course. I mean, that’s probably how anyone else would describe it...” he trailed. You felt yourself deflate in the same way Tom did, but you’d been honest.

You kind of had to be, after all. 

After a few minutes of rare silence between you two, Tom spoke up again.

“Hey y/n? You don’t have to keep working on that. It looks incredible as it is and I owe you a million for it.” You stopped what you were doing and leaned away from the project. 

“You know, I think I’m gonna head home. Tessa’s pretty much konked out and I’m pretty exhausted, too. It’s probably best that you finish up your work and hit the hay after I leave.”

You knew his statement wasn’t supposed to be a command, but now you’d be doing just that as soon as he was out the door.

He got up to leave, stuffing the sleepy mole rat into his pocket where she often hid and you stood from your place on the floor. 

“I’ll get all this stuff in the morning when I come to pick you up, okay?” Tom said. You nodded, a slight, lopsided grin on your lips.

You both stood awkwardly for a second before you leaned in, giving him a hug like you often did when parting ways. His arms engulfed you.

“Good night, y/n.”

“Night, Tom.”

With that you parted and he was out the door. As soon as you heard the front door shut, you were back to fixing your solar system.

#

As you got ready in the morning, thoughts about the prior night came bubbling up.

You hadn’t really had much thought about it before, because you’d been “ordered” to do your school project and go to bed, not leaving much time for reflection.

Are we just best friends? Are we not? I mean we aren’t a couple but we’ve got more going on than the average best friend, right? Am I just saying this because we fight crime unlike everyone else? Do I like-

You were snapped out of your thoughts when your  younger twin brothers called up, signaling that Tom was at the door. A few moments later he appeared at your bedroom.

“Mornin’ y/n,” he said, chipper as ever. It seemed that he was going to put the previous night’s events behind him. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah, just a second. I forgot to take your project to my car before you got here.”

“Oh I can get mine,” Tom offered, stuffing a tri-fold under his arm and picking up the volcano with his hands.

“You- you’re not gonna make me do it?” you asked.

“What? Nah. I’m actively trying to not mind control you today. I feel bad about doing it.” 

“It’s going to happen eventually, you know. But come on. I don’t want to be late to the science fair.”

#

Yours and Tom’s displays were next to each other in the gym and for the most part, everything was going well. 

He’d slipped up a couple of times in the mind control department, but they were simple questions, so no one really picked up on it.

As you were preparing for the fair to start, you rolled your eyes as your co-caption on the cheer squad (and high school enemy) Zendaya walked up.

“Oh my gosh, y/n. What’s this? A solar system? That’s it?”

“I mean my dad’s a rocket scientist. And did you forget the fact that I’ve been to space? Maybe if you read my poster you’d understand that my project is about more than just some floating space balls.”

“Ugh. Whatever. Mine’s gonna win either way,” she bragged, earning another eye roll.

“Yeah we’ll see about that,” you grumbled. 

She flicked her hair and turned on her heel, headed back to her area. You huffed at her annoying arrogance.

“Don’t worry about it, y/n. You’ve got this,” Tom encouraged. Suddenly all tension left you.

Maybe this mind control stuff isn’t always bad. At least not when you’ve got the best kind of cheerleader by your side.

You looked at Tom with a soft smile. He was paying attention to Tessa, so he couldn’t see the way you were studying him. 

Over the years, you’d seen more of Tom than practically anyone else had, but yet you still found yourself trying to memorize every little mark and freckle on his face. You analyzed each curl of his hair. The way his lashes fluttered when he blinked.

You snapped out of it when he looked back up at you.

“You okay, y/n?” he asked.

“What? Oh, yeah. Just got distracted for a second. That’s all.”

Before he could press you further, your phone beeped. 

“Hey Jacob. Any updates?” 

“Well... I have an update, but it’s not necessarily the best news. There aren’t any known antidotes for the juice yet. I even emailed the seller under a fake name and he couldn’t give me a good answer. I got my hands on a little and will send some to the lab. Hang tight. Oh, and good luck with your project.”

You said some parting words and hung up.

“Well great. We’re no closer to solving this and we have to figure out a way to get everyone in town to not eat the stupid jello unless we can find a cure. This is shaping up to be just the best.”

“Hey. It’s okay. Just focus on presenting your project for now and beating Zendaya, okay? You can definitely do that.”

And once again, you felt yourself succumb to his words as the judging began.

#

“See. I told you you could do it,” Tom said excitedly as you carried a large trophy home.

“I had a feeling I would anyways, but I was kind of under order to win, so there was no way I’d take anything less than first.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s my girl,” Tom said offhandedly, taking a second to realize the implications of what he may have said. “And- and by my girl I don’t mean my girl I mean you’re just my best... um.. you know...”

“Tom. It’s okay. I get it. We don’t need to start this again right now. Now we need to focus on stopping Gyllenhaal and finding a cure. Plus, I need to change into a cute outfit for the cookout.”

# 

Hours of brainstorming and you were still no closer to finding a solution, but most of town was now gathered at the park feasting on hot dogs, hamburgers, and all the chips and potato salad they could handle. 

The jello had yet to make an appearance on tables, and there was no sign of Dr. Gyllenhaal or Daisy as you and Tom approached the families chowing down and having fun. 

You couldn’t, however, ignore the large curtained stage on one side of the park.

After hanging out with Tom and some other friends, the curtain suddenly opened, revealing your nemesis on the stage, microphone in hand.

“Good evening, friends. I’m your friendly neighborhood Dr. Gyllenhaal, and tonight I’m going to be your musical entertainment. But first! We want everyone to feast on the finest dessert, so jello for everyone!” he exclaimed.

You stomach dropped.

“Tom we gotta act fast. You help stop people from eating the jello and I’m going to try to get him off stage.”

As you split up, you got another beep on your phone.

“Hurry, Jacob. I don’t have much time.” 

“Okay, okay. I think I just solved your problem. You remember that movie Ella Enchanted?”

“Uh, yeah. I don’t see the correlation.”

“Well remember when at the end, the only way Ella breaks her curse is by talking to herself in the mirror..?”

“Oh my gosh you’re a genius. If the first person you look at is yourself, then you’re still in control! Anyway you can hook us up with some mirrors?”

“Already on it. But first, you need to test it on yourself just to make sure. I think Gyllenhaal has some extra juice hidden behind the stage if you can get your hands on it.”

“On my way. Thanks, Jake. You’re a lifesaver.”

You sprinted towards the stage, now in a different pursuit than before. You darted around the side, looking around to see if there were any bottles you could grab a quick swig from.

“Oh no you don’t,” a voice called from behind you. Daisy.

“Look, I just want some of the juice for myself alright? Nothing else.”

Yet.

“Oh we’ve got a good girl gone bad, huh? I don’t buy that sister.”

She lunged at you and once again you were in typical combat, flipping around and swinging off stage rigs, trying to get to the lone bottle of juice that was resting in the bed of a truck.

After a couple minutes, you were able to outsmart Daisy and grab the bottle. You pulled a compact from your pocket and looked straight into the mirror.

“This better work,” you muttered, tossing back some of the liquid and looking into the eyes of your reflection.

You didn’t feel any different, so you swung up onto the stage and knocked Gyllenhaal over, searching the crowd for Tom as you tried to trap the mad scientist.

“Tom! Tom tell me to do something!” you cried out upon seeing him. He was furiously rushing between tables trying to prevent people from eating the jello.

“What? Like what? I don’t want to ruin the mission!”

“Just say whatever! Hurry!”

“Okay fine! Eat another avocado!”

Dr. Gyllenhaal looked up at you expectantly, but you had no desire to find the green fruit, not even a twinge. Instead, you continued what you were doing before.

Dr. Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, paled. 

“Oh dear,” he whispered nervously, realizing you had found a solution to the problem he had created.

“Daisy get the helicopter! Hurry!” he cried out, slipping from your grip and running away like he always did. 

You let him go to focus on helping anyone who had eaten the jello, those of which Tom was trying to round up so you could help them.

After getting everyone cured, Jacob had called the lab he was working with to get the jello and dispose of it properly, allowing them to run more tests, too, now that they knew the cure.

You stood aside, arms crossed in satisfaction, as Tom approached.

“So you’re you again? Nothing I say can affect you?”

“Well I wouldn’t put it that way, but I’m definitely not eating any avocados or tying your shoelaces in the near future.”

He gave a chuckle and you started slowly walking home from the park.

“Hey, um, now that you’re cured and everything, I’m really sorry about last night. I accidentally put you in a weird position and I get it if you’re mad at me. I’m okay just calling us friends and ending it there if that’s what you want,” Tom said. 

You thought for a few moments about his proposal.

“You know, I was technically being honest last night, but my answer has changed since then.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well... These past couple of weeks, things have felt really...”

“Weird? Off?” he interjected.

“Exactly! We’ve been so out of sync and I couldn’t figure out why! But after last night I realized that it’s because we aren’t simply friends. And I don’t know where you stand on this, but... I think I have feelings for you? And if you want to stay just friends I understand, but I just hate when we aren’t honest with each other.”

“Wait. You do?”

“Yeah. I really do.”

You braced yourself for him to shoot you down and put you back in the friend zone, but his reply surprised you.

“I guess now is the perfect time to tell you that I’ve had feelings for you for... well... ever.”

Now it was your turn to be shocked.

“You have!?”

“Well, yeah. Of course. You’re strong, smart, and beautiful. You kick butt like nobody’s business and above all, put up with me every day. You’re like the most incredible person ever. How could I not be into you?”

You felt yourself blushing as you approached your front porch.

“You’re amazing, Tom. You know that?” he jokingly waved you off, but then you were standing quietly.

“Sooo... monthly movie marathon tomorrow at my place? I’ll provide the snackage,” Tom offered, reminding you of your scheduled hangout. You looked down at the ground with a smile, then back up again, nodding.

Usually this was the part where you’d say goodnight and maybe hug, but this time you took it a step further.

You reached up and kissed him on the lips. It was only for a second, but both of you were stunned upon pulling back.

“I know I usually tell you not to bring anything to movie day, but could you please bring some more of those with you?” Tom joked once he snapped out of it.

“Oh my gosh,” you replied in amusement, giving him a light shove. “Goodnight, Tom.”

“Night, y/n.”

And with that, the man you realized you’d loved for years turned around and made his leave.

#

A/N: yooooo I actually really loved this. I really tried to fit the KP vibes but sorry if anything felt off. There’s just not much as iconic as the og Kim and Ron, ya know?

Anyways thanks for reading and as always please feel free to send an ask or message anytime!

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