#but this is all just self-indulgent so whatever

[witherby]

Can we see how Alfred and the baby get along in Littlest Wayne au pls?

ABSOLUTELY! This is a shorter one, but I think it's sweet. 🩷

The Littlest Wayne: Alfred's Experience

Platonic!Batfam x Reader

Alfred has a shadow. The nostalgia of it threatens to overwhelm him, but above all else, he is a gentleman, and he is more than capable of exercising self control.

When he's maneuvering around the kitchen preparing breakfast for everyone, he starts double-checking his foot placement so as not to bump into you. When he's walking from one corridor to another, he slows his pace down to make sure you don't trip and fall trying to scurry after him. When he's in the Cave patching injuries or cleaning armor, he allows you to poke and prod at the harmless pieces, like Dick's gloves or Tim's domino mask.

It seems like wherever he turns, he'll find you ambling after him, staring up at Alfred with your bright, wide eyes and tiny, curious hands. At first he suspects you might want to play, but it seems like you're indulging him more than the other way around when he offers you toys, fiddling with them momentarily before redirecting your attention to Alfred.

He checks your diaper, offers you food, even picks you up like that might settle whatever you want, but you reject them all. You just want to watch him work. You just want to be near him.

And, well...whatever the little Master wants, he's happy to oblige. It's been a long time since he's had company while everyone else patrols Gotham's streets.

If he thinks fondly back to a tiny Bruce, who used to do the exact same thing when Alfred first came under the Wayne's employ, that'll be his little secret.

[lionhanie]

study with boynextdoor! (ot6 hc + drabbles)

….ranked from best to worst study buddies 😅

classmate!boynextdoor x gn!reader (college au)

word count: 3.4k (~500-700 each)

warnings: TW SCHOOL 👎, written in lowercase, there’s a curse word here and there…, No Beta We Die Like Men (not proofread very well lmao)

a/n: wrote this while i was procrastinating studying for my final exams :,) soooo these r self indulgent hoohohoh ... enjoy :3

reblogs ↺  + feedback always appreciated!

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･sungho

tbh i feel like he’s the type to not study and just. be perfect idk 

sungho pays attention in class so he doesn’t feel the need to review extensively before the exam … COULD NOT BE ME!!!!

with that being said tho, he’s the perfect tutor ^_^

sungho will definitely be right by your side as you’re doing the exam review packet, waiting to see if you get stumped on a particular question 

when you do, he walks you through the steps you got stuck on, making sure you /actually/ understand the content rather than just doing whatever he tells you to do

and if he isn’t able to be physically there with you, he will literally be on standby bc he’s so used to you calling him for help the night before the exam :,) 

he is SO patient too. especially because he sees how hard you’re working and he just wants to see all of your hard work pay off 

sometimes you’ll feel bad because you feel like you’re taking up too much of his time just because you don’t understand the material 

but he’s so quick to reassure you about it all bc he genuinely doesn’t mind, and he will MAKE SURE you know that 

✐ᝰ

you place your head into your hands for the nth time that night, groaning at the way you can’t seem to memorize the right definitions. sungho chuckles from the other side of the phone, knowing exactly how you look despite not being able to see you right now. “everything okay over there?”

“i’ve been studying for so long and it still doesn’t make any sense,” taking a look at the time, you realize it’s later than you expected. “you know, you really don’t need to help me study right?” 

“how many times do i have to tell you that–”

“yeah, i know you don’t mind, but i always feel bad keeping you awake any later than you need to be.” of course you’d take all the help you could get, but you don’t have it in you to hold him hostage again for the sake of your grade. “...goodnight, sungho!” you end the call before he has any chance to reassure you any further.

…you’re not surprised when you get a knock on your door 20 minutes later, opening it to see sungho with a bunch of snacks in one hand and his backpack slung over his shoulder. “are you still going to turn me down after i went through all the trouble of coming over?” 

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ jaehyun

he’s so annoying to study with (endearingly) but i feel like a study sesh with him would guarantee you are getting a good grade on your exams

since he’s so hardworking i feel like he’d immediately call you out if you were getting sidetracked when you weren’t supposed to be 

or if he doesn’t…. him being Ultra Locked In only makes You feel like you Also need to be Ultra Locked In

it’s honestly kind of scary how On Top Of Business jae can be when he needs to study…. bc he’s normally pretty hyper Every Other Time, you didn’t know he was capable of being so quiet for an extended period of time

it’s suuuuper impressive how seriously he takes his studies though… sometimes you’ll stop him when you have a question about something and he’ll explain it with EASE before immediately getting back into the zone

bad news for yappers because jaehyun is NOT entertaining the conversation unless he is Also taking a break. if anything he might even be the type to side-eye the people being too loud in the library because he doesn’t want them to distract you 

honestly though it’ll probably help you get a lot more done 

even though he studies like his life depends on it, i think he’s really good when it comes to balancing the work so your brain isn’t fried too quickly

i fully believe he will like. have some weird ass Study “Hacks” that lowkey make no sense but you entertain them bc he’s a cutiepatootie :3 

✐ᝰ

the rustling from the other side of the table takes your attention away from your laptop, taking off one earbud before asking the boy across from you what he was doing. jaehyun doesn’t turn to answer, instead continuing to dig through the various compartments of his backpack for who knows what. “you know about superfoods and stuff?”

“...yeah? what does that have to do with what we’re studying though?” you let out a soft laugh, unsure about where he’s going with this conversation. 

“well, i heard that if you eat five almonds everyday it makes you smarter. there was a study on it and everything, i swear.” you raise your eyebrow at his words, finding it hard not to roll your eyes at the ridiculous “fact” he just proposed. moments later, he’s plopping a ziploc bag full of almonds in the middle of the table, looking incredibly satisfied with himself. 

you watch as he counts five almonds for the both of you, motioning for your hand to pass your portion over. “why don’t we just eat a ton of almonds so we become geniuses?” you move to reach for the bag to grab more, before he snatches it away from you. 

“no, we can’t do that. the limit is five almonds, or else it starts reversing the effects,” jaehyun tosses an almond into the air and catches it with his mouth. “or something like that, i didn’t actually read the study.” he grins at you from his side of the table, making you laugh in disbelief before resuming your work, almonds by your side.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ taesan

personally i think taesan is the type to just. periodically check in from time to time while you’re studying

he seems like the type to focus best when he’s completely in his own space, so he wants to give you that same space (especially if he’s working on music, he doesn’t want to bother you with the noise) 

….but that doesn’t mean he’s completely ignoring you while you’re out in the living room hunched over all your papers

he’d probably ask if you wanted to do the pomodoro method with him LMFAOOO like. you do work for 50 minutes and then u get a 10 min break

it honestly helps make the work go by faster bc you’re just looking forward to your next break w/ him :,) 

when the fifty minutes is up and it’s time for both of your breaks, he’s so excited to come out of his room and just Recharge with you. simply seeing you quite literally gives him enough energy to go back to whatever he’s currently working on 

if he found you too burnt out from studying for so long, he’d make an exception to his rules & he’d let you take a longer break bc he knows how much effort you’ve been putting into prepping for your tests 

✐ᝰ

you were only halfway into your fifty-minute work interval, but taesan could sense something was wrong when he left his room to get some water. instead of taking notes like you were earlier, your pen was left abandoned on the side of your textbook as you frowned down onto the blur of words you were trying to take in. 

taesan knows how hard it is to keep working when you hit a mental roadblock– he knows how badly you need to study right now, but it’ll be no use trying to force yourself when you clearly need to step away. he peeks around the corner, clearing his throat to catch your attention. 

“hm?” you tilt your head as you look up from your notebook, frustration clearly written all over your face. it almost pains him to see you so stressed over exams. “is it time for break already? i could’ve sworn i just started–”

“maybe you just got so into it that you didn’t realize how much time passed,” he bluffs, walking up to the table. “do you want to see what i’ve been working on? i feel like i need a second opinion on it, something isn’t quite right with the melodies.” 

taesan finds it cute how your face lights up immediately; you were clearly looking for any excuse to walk away from your work, but you knew you’d feel guilty if you had no good reason to do so. since taesan really needs your help, it’s fine… right? 

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ leehan 

idk something makes me feel like leehan just dgaf LOLOLOL but he’s definitely not going to bother you much unless you’re taking a break or something

i don’t think he puts too much effort into studying but he’s definitely just going to be in your general vicinity so you don’t get too lonely looking at your computer screen for so long… he’s just there in spirit

if u were in the same class & u asked him what Something Meant… he genuinely could not tell you unless it was about a topic he was actually interested in. bro just has his laptop open to feel included yk

i think he’d be the type to see you frustrated over whatever concept you can’t seem to get right & literally Make You take a break so you can clear your mind 

you didn’t realize it while you were too focused on doing work, but he’s constantly been catering to your every need so you don’t get distracted

like he made sure your water bottle was refilled every time you finished it

turned up the heat in the apartment when he noticed you shivering

opening curtains so the sun lights up your workspace n makes it less stuffy :,)

i totally see him as the type to stay up as long as you are, even if he isn’t studying with you

again. just the idea of him wanting to keep you company so you don’t feel lonely ARRGHHHHH

like maybe he’s just sitting at the table w/ you as he watches u do work (like a freako) ((I need him so bad))

even if he falls asleep in the process… at least he’s nearby in case you need him…. (he wakes up every now and then to make sure you’re doing OK) 

✐ᝰ

you can’t help but turn around when you hear all the commotion your friend (he’s in love w/ you btw) is currently making in the kitchen behind you. sensing your gaze, he looks back slowly, giving you a sheepish smile. “i know i’m being loud, but i’m doing this for you, okay?”

before you get the chance to question what he meant, he’s balancing a tray in his hands as he makes his way over to your desk. it’s adorned with anything you could possibly want during your study session– a steaming cup of tea, a plate of fresh fruit cut into cute shapes, a bag of your favorite chips, some of the gummies you two were sharing earlier, and even a bottle of painkillers for the eventual headache you’ll get from looking at the screen for too long. 

you could honestly cry; it wasn’t a grand gesture, but you’ve been so overwhelmed trying to meet all the deadlines you’d made for yourself recently that you’ve been neglecting your own needs in the process. leehan’s clearly proud of himself as he takes a seat next to you, resting his head on his palm as he watches you. “you’re not gonna study with me?” you question, popping a piece of fruit into your mouth as you look at him. after all, you did ask to study together. 

“i was kind of hoping being next to you while you reviewed would transfer all the knowledge to me.” his eyes turn to crescents as he grins at you. you guess that works too.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ riwoo

riwoo would prefer to do work specifically at home bc he likes to be comfy if he’s gonna spend a majority of the day studying

with this being said tho… he’s restless. he moves every hour bc it claims it helps him focus if he changes up his surroundings every once in a while 

def going to put on some music and maybe light some candles so you aren’t too miserable trying to learn so much content the day before the exam … he’s all for setting the vibes PERFECT for the study sesh

i like to think riwoo has like. a system he uses to keep the both of you motivated while studying (i do this. im projecting) 

like…. if you both get the next 10 practice problems right… you can share the slice of cake waiting in fridge LOL or maybe if you finish writing one more paragraph of your essay, then you can go lay in bed for seven minutes idk i think he’d be really random with it

riwoo always says that you guys are gonna take a “short” break but it usually ends up 3x longer than you intended

he’d say “maybe we should take the dogs for a walk to get a breather before getting back to work”

and then you come back 40 minutes later bc you two got distracted letting daebak and jangyi play with all the other dogs in the park T_T

he’s 100% the type to try and discreetly watch tiktok or something when you’re both supposed to be doing work and it plays on full volume (woonhak would too but he would not try to hide it)

honestly i feel like he’d get tired of his own studies at some point, but i know he’d stay with you to help you review or just to encourage you to keep going <3 

✐ᝰ

you’re welcomed with warm lighting and the sweet aroma of a seasonal candle as riwoo opens his front door, daebak in his arms and jjangyi wandering around the room behind him. it’s a familiar environment; you’ve gotten used to doing work with riwoo in the comfort of his own home, finding it much easier to focus there than any of the popular study spots on campus. 

you’re sitting at the dining table, one paragraph of your essay on the verge of completion. riwoo is sprawled across the couch, his laptop laying haphazardly on his chest as he swipes across the trackpad. “do you remember that takeout place we passed by last week? i was thinking we should order some later once we get hungry!” 

“...are you looking at the menu right now?”

“well, no…” you glance at him from your seat, clearly doubtful. “...okay, maybe i am. i can’t focus when all i can think about is how good it smelled walking by the place!” he groans, shutting his laptop and placing it on the coffee table beside him before moving to a more comfortable position on his couch. 

he’s so quiet that you almost forget he’s there when you’re locked into your essay, snapped out of your zone when he sighs dramatically, not having moved an inch since you last looked at him. you’re not sure why he’s the one in distress when he hasn’t touched his laptop in nearly forty minutes. 

“y/nnnnn…. i don’t wanna study for my classes,” you don’t have it in you to scold him, especially when he’s the one letting you work at his place to begin with, but you can’t just let him do nothing the whole time. “can you take a break so i don’t die of boredom over here?”

“okay, how about you come over here and help me proofread my paper, then we can get food once i finish?” he makes his way over to you, using his socks to slide across the wooden floors in the process, more than happy to occupy himself with something if it meant he got to hang out with you afterwards!

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ woonhak

finals season with woonhak honestly seems like it would be hell LMFAOOOOOO

genuinely i think he’s the last person i’d ask to study just because i feel like procrastinator x procrastinator is a DEAD END!!!

no shade but the chances of both of you locking in at the same time are little to NONE.

trying to be accountability buddies for each other genuinely doesn’t work because. he just doesn’t want to study ☠️

bro is definitely trying to convince you that you don’t need to study (you desperately do)

and even IF…. you guys both start working…. it genuinely doesn’t last long LOLOLOL

woonhak literally cannot shut the hell up when he’s doing work for some reason. everything needs to have some sort of commentary, even if you guys aren’t even studying for the same class

if you didn’t also Need To Study, it’d be pretty funny to hear him complaining about getting every other question wrong…. and his periodic comments are NOT helping 😭

but bc of that i think he’s the most willing to stay up late with you to study just because you wasted so much time doing Who Knows What that you both feel like you need to pull an all nighter if you want to pass that test YIKES

u eventually both feel SO GUILTY bc you wasted so much time doing NOTHING productive and it’s already 11pm…. guess you have to make up for it by ACTUALLY being productive until 4am . . . .

the urgency finally kicks in and you actually ARE clocked tf in until you’re literally forced to get out of the library

✐ᝰ

the security guard working the front desk at the library gives the two of you a quizzical look as you walk through the doors at 11:37pm, whereas most of the other students tend to wrap up their studies around this time. this wasn’t out of the ordinary for you and woonhak– you knew what you were getting yourself into when you first texted him asking him if he was free to study earlier in the day. 

just a couple hours ago, the two of you were seated on the floor of his dorm, pages of notes sprawled across the carpet in a pathetic attempt to try and make a game plan for a semesters-worth of material you had to learn before the final tomorrow. it was almost laughable the way neither of you could make sense of the content in front of you. 

“how is it that we’ve gone to every lecture and we still don’t know what’s going on?” it’s a useless question, given that neither of you are capable of providing any sort of explanation. 

“have you seen that video where they rub their notes on their heads to try and send the information to your brain–”

“woonhak, you know that doesn’t actually work, right?”

“right. i just wanted to know if you saw it too. haha.” there’s an air of silence between you two as you both realize how screwed you actually are for the test, but nobody dares to speak it into existence. “should we go to the arcade before we start studying?”

…and that’s how you found yourself set up in one of the booths in the far corner of the library (obviously after wasting three hours and twenty bucks at the claw machines), the tabletop adorned with a jumbled mix of your shared review problems, scrap paper balled up in a growing pile, and two freshly-opened energy drinks.  you’re both lucky that the library doesn’t close for another couple hours, you needed all the time you could get to try and burn the information into your brains. 

when you walk out of the exam room, seeing woonhak laying on a bench outside & using his backpack as a makeshift pillow as he waits for you to finish, you can’t help at chuckle at the look of defeat on his face. it’s funny the way your eye bags match his own; you’ve definitely seen each other at your lowest at this point. 

“so…how do you think you did?”

“can we talk about this after i take a nap at your dorm for, i don’t know, three days?”

“deal.”

© lionhanie 2025 ; all rights reserved!

[trustywukkiii]

JOLLIBEE DATE JOLLIEBEE DATE

JOLLIBEE DATE | LAIOS TOUDEN (sfw)

synopsis — curious on how to spend your lunch together, laios recommended a special restaurant you haven’t been to in a while. excitedly and proudly, you decided to show him the ropes of a place that showed off your filipino roots. (laios x gn!filipino!reader)

content warnings — public displays of affection

word count — 2.2k words

author’s note — this is kind of self-indulgent since i’m filipino myself! i also tend to enjoy introducing jollibee with my friends who haven’t tried them! if you’re filipino, i hope this somewhat resonates with you! and if not, i hope it inspires to check the restaurant out sometime! hope you enjoy reading!

Laios has always been open-minded when it came to food. Whether it be from another culture, or a completely raw parasite from the bowels of a squid. Nevertheless, his attitude has always endeared you.. and never failed to surprise you every time.

“What was that place called again?” Laios innocently asked, his mind wandering. You two have been brainstorming a place to eat out for lunch. You weren’t sure what to suggest, so your lovely boyfriend offered. “You know, the one you share pictures of when you’re eating with your family? I’ve heard good things about their fried chicken! I’d like to try, if that’s okay with you.

Damn right it was. Hell, you were excited. Nothing made you prouder to be Pinoy than seeing others try out such a staple in Filipino fast food. Especially Laios of all people! Something tells you deep in your gut that he’d love it.

Thankfully, there was your local Jollibee just a few minutes away from home. It had those big posters of families eating with big smiles on every wall, you could hear a mixture of Filipino and English amongst the customers and staff, and most especially, you could smell that tasty nostalgic smell from the kitchen at the back of the cashier.

You hoped Laios didn’t notice, but you were carefully watching his every reaction upon entering the place. And as per usual, Laios never disappoints.

“Woah! Is that—?!” His eyes brightened upon falling onto the big red and yellow jolly mascot that entertained the kids. “Judging based off of the wings, it’s an insect. And it also has stripes on its hind. Is it a bee?”

“Correct, big guy.” You gleamed at his enthusiasm. “Hence, why he’s called ‘Jolli-bee.”

“That makes sense!” He smiled as he held his chin.

To be honest to yourself, Laios had a fair resemblance to the big bee chef. Both have that cute cheeky open-mouthed grin, the soft round face, and this warm feeling of inexplicable hunger you get when looking at them. Laios has always been a great cook and you’ve loved every meal he served, and Jollibee just reminds you of that nostalgic enjoyment you got out of eating such savory fast foods.

“What would you recommend?” He looked at you as you both stood in the waiting line.

You pointed towards the bright and long menu hanging from the ceiling. “You sure you don’t want to check out the menu first?” Admittedly, you’d love to pick for him. But you wanted to give Laios a chance at that freedom to try out whatever he wants. “You’re the one trying the food out after all.”

“But I trust you!” Laios squeezed your hand as you two slowly approached the cashier. “And you know the food here best— Surprise me. Please? I’ll pay for the food.”

Oh, how could you ever say no to such a thoughtful man. You squeezed his hand back and grinned excitedly. “Nuh uh. It’s my treat! Save us a seat while I order our food, okay?”

You know the man best. You could see it in his calculating eyes as he’s thinking on how to repay you anyway. Perhaps he’ll buy you more of those cute figures of that favorite show you like. He always loved supporting your interests such as you do his. “Alright. I’ll wave you over.”

The two of you eventually settled by a table at a comfy corner. While waiting for the food, Laios would glance around at the other customers. He’d take a peak at what they were eating. There were a variety of burgers, buckets of chicken, and a wide array of drinks.

“You know,” Laios whispered your name. “The color palette of the restaurant reminds me a lot of McDonalds. So much red and yellow, it kinda gives you that hungry effect.”

“Huh, I kinda noticed that as well.” He’s such a nerd for details.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

“Ah, food’s ready,” you indicated from the small machine on the table.

“I’ll pick up the food!” Laios stood up almost immediately with the biggest smile on his face. He left no room for refusals. “Here, lend me the receipt and I’ll be right back!”

As he skipped away from your table, you could catch him bubbling with giggles, eyes closed with excitement. You watched as he proudly displayed the receipt to the staff, retrieved the delicious bagged goods, and sauntered right back to you like a jolly pup who fetched a bone for you. “So, what do we have here?”

“Mm! First, I want you to try the fries. They’re not too salty and they’re the right amount of munchy!” You dug through the bag and pulled out the little cup of fries. You took a fry out and held it out to his mouth.

If it were anybody else you were eating with, they’d probably get taken aback from your forwardness. But this is Laios we’re talking about. He’ll always be excited to support you whenever something interests you. He needn’t say a word as he took a bite of the fry in your hand. He cherished the taste in his mouth with slow chews. He even tilted his head as he tried assessing the right words in his head. Then, his golden eyes beamed. “It’s good!”

The anxiety that once swelled in your heart immediately faded upon this. Oh, you couldn’t love him any less. You dug through the paper bag again. “If you want to add ketchup, here’s some packets for you.”

“Thanks!” He gently took them from your hand. He reached for more fries as well, eating them one at a time in such a polite manner.

“Woah, woah, hold on!” You laughed. “Save some room for the main course!”

“Ah, right! Sorry,” he rubbed the back of his neck as he blushed. “The fries just taste so good already!”

“I know right?” Finally, you pulled out the wrapped burger and placed it in front of Laios. “Here! This is a very iconic menu item of Jollibee’s— a yumburger with cheese! It’s very important that you specify at the register for it to be ‘with cheese’! C’mon, try it out!”

Laios wasted no time. He began unwrapping the burger as you began unwrapping yours as well. You waited until he took the first bite before you could take a bite on your own. You watched him take a big bite, rest onto the back of his chair as he chewed energetically. “Mmm!” He swallowed. “Woah, it’s just like a cheeseburger but without lettuce or tomatoes! The beef is juicy and the cheese is soothing too! The burger is incredibly simple, but it has a delicious sauce that enhances the savoriness overall!”

“Hehe, I’m glad you think so!” You expressed it with a smile. As Laios continued eating, you pulled off the disc covering the bucket of chicken, and you two were engulfed in a strong aroma.

“Ooh! Is that the chicken?” Laios asked. “May I have one?”

“Of course, here. Try it with gravy! It’s super good!” You handed him a drumstick and a little container of gravy.

You could practically see Laios drooling as he poured the sauce carefully onto the piece and expertly chomped down. He hummed with delight, glancing at the ceiling as he did. “I like it! The gravy perfectly complements the juiciness of the chicken! It’s not too oily either! And the skin is sooo crunchy! C’mon! You should dig in too!”

Laios waited for you to start eating as well. He surely didn’t want to spend the afternoon chowing down on his own. Seeing you indulge yourself in food made his heart (and stomach) full.

The two of you would continue eating. It was peaceful just to eat in each other’s company for Laios thought it was more than enough just to have you beside him, eating lunch together without a single worry in the world.

“Oh! I almost forgot about our drinks!” You jolted mid-bite. While you tried digging into the bag once again, Laios casually wiped crumbs off the corner of your lips with his tender thumb. God, the small things he does for you. It could practically make your heart explode.

“Here, these are what you call Coconut Dream Freeze’s!” you said, handing him his little plastic bottle with a straw you already placed for him. “They’re kindaa new? They were released just this summer. I really like them.”

“I see..” Laios took it into his hands. He inspected the white chilly substance with a squint. Then, he sucked onto the straw slowly, sparks slowly glimmering in his eyes. “Huh, it’s sweet, but not in an overbearing way…! It kinda reminds me of taro milk tea.”

“Really? Huh, never thought of it that way.”

“Still, it’s pretty tasty! Perfect for a warm day.” He chuckled before taking another sip of the drink.

It always made your heart burst at the seams whenever he analyzed food that way. Besides his passion for monsters, his love for food sort of reminded you of yourself. You had your fair share of interests too. Rarely you ever get to meet a guy who purely enjoyed his own hobbies and interests too, let alone never afraid to show it. But Laios just gets you.

The rest of lunch was spent eating to your heart’s content. Laios got a brain freeze for a moment, and you suggested putting his thumb on the roof of his mouth. The poor man winced until it went away, and he whimpered a little ‘thank you’ once he finally calmed down. You’ll definitely buy a cup of water from the cashier before you leave maybe.

Once Laios got back to chewing on his food, you’d notice his gaze fixed on the mascot entertaining a children’s birthday party. As much as you knew your boyfriend, you couldn’t quite place exactly what he was thinking most of the time. Laios would have a hard time reading you too sometimes, so exchanging questions has always been a common practice in your relationship. It made things easier that way, and lessened the risk of misunderstanding.

“What’s wrong, Laios?” You placed your hand atop his bigger and surprisingly calloused hand. “You’ve been eyeing the mascot for a while now.”

“Hm?” Upon seeing your concerned expression, he quickly snapped back. “Oh, it’s nothing serious, promise!” He assured you with a gentle smile. “I was just wondering if we could get a picture with him? I want to remember this day. But.. it might come across as weird if we ask in the middle of their party.”

“Oh, Laios.” He’s always such a sweetie. “How about we come up to them once we pack up— together. I’m sure they won’t mind.”

“Really?”

“Of course. C’mon, we should hurry before he leaves!”

Laios was quick to begin packing up your leftovers with you. He insisted on holding the bag while you held your drinks.

You two quietly sauntered towards the Jollibee mascot. Once you finally caught his attention, asking for a picture went without a hitch. Thankfully, a kind stranger offered to take the picture of you three on your phone. You stood by Jollibee’s left, and Laios took the right. Everyone gave big grins, and the picture was taken almost instantly.

You and Laios thanked both the stranger and the mascot before leaving the restaurant. While walking, you wanted to check the photo. You hoped you didn’t look like trash at the time, but Laios consistently reassured you that you looked amazing as ever.

Once you’ve opened your gallery, you clicked onto the photo and it made your insides warm. Laios looked as happy as ever. You could tell that this surely was a day for him to reminisce from now on.

However, your eyes were probably playing tricks on you. You squinted and leaned close to your phone. Laios was smiling the same exact way as the Jollibee mascot. Both with kiddy grins and soft round cheeks that only accentuated his sweet face.

Laios would make a great Jollibee costume for Halloween, you thought. You didn’t want to bring it up to the man just yet. He might get the wrong idea, however, it only made the man that much cuter.

After a few minutes of walking, you two have just arrived home at your shared apartment and placed your leftovers on the coffee table. Not long after you two sunk into the couch, your head resting on the tall man’s shoulder as he had his arm around your waist.

He softly whispered your name.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for the lunch,” Laios said, a sheepish smile on his face as he tried meeting your gaze. His body tensed as he desperately tried not to mess up his words. “I just wanted to get to understand you a bit more. I hope it wasn’t too weird to do it this way.”

“Are you kidding?” You leaned even closer. You couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m super happy you got to try the place out. I don’t get to go there often anymore, so… it was nice coming back there and sharing it with you.”

Laios immediately softened at this. He cupped your face and planted a chaste kiss on your forehead. “Guess that means we should come back there again. Or.. if we’re feeling too lazy, we can always order online.”

“Hm,” you giggled. You nest right into his chest where you can feel his warm heartbeat. “Sounds good to me… by the way, would you ever consider cosplaying as Jollibee?”

[milliesfishes]

Billy comforting you when you’ve had the worst day and just break down in his arms and life just feels too much

writing this to be self indulgent rn because I'm beyond rn

౨ৎ꣑ৎbilly when you've had a bad day౨ৎ꣑ৎ fem reader x billy the kid

The door opened, and his boots clunked on the floor as he walked in, but you didn't stir, lying sideways on the floor by your bed. Your eyes were closed. You didn't feel like moving, simply letting everything pass you by. There was a sad part of you that didn't want to throw away any day, but a worse part that wanted it to be over. Today had been a wreck.

"Honey?" Billy's voice barely pierced your senses, and you opened your eyes lazily. "I'm home!"

On a normal day, you would have gone to greet him, folded your arms around his neck and told him how happy you were to see him. Not that you weren't now. His presence settled a smidge of relief on your shoulders.

"Where are you?" Billy was close to the bedroom now, and you heard him open the door. Now he'd surely see you. "Hey-what are you doing? You okay?"

A gentle pair of hands found your sides, lifting you off the ground and leaning you against something warm and solid. You leaned your cheek against him- an instant response. Billy kissed your forehead, clasping you close as he pulled you to sit over his thigh. "What happened, baby?"

Your lower lip began to tremble, but you tried to stop it. "I fell."

"Fell?" You didn't have to look to know his brow was creasing. "'n you couldn't get up?"

"Bad day," you whispered, still trying to keep it together.

"Oh, sweetheart." Billy adjusted you, his hand splaying over your tummy. "I'm sorry." His voice was gentle, and you felt tears stubbornly prick at your eyelids. Not wanting to cry, you pushed your face into his chest, a sniffle betraying you. Fingers hooking on one of his shirt buttons, you hung on for dear life.

"C'mere, baby. Let's come up here." Billy managed to maneuver you onto the bed, and as soon as he joined you, you were snuggling back into his chest. Ignoring the dirt on his clothes from riding, you took in a deep breath. He still smelled like him. Like your Billy.

The familiarity of it all broke down your walls. Tears started coming and they wouldn't stop, soaking Billy's shirt as your breaths stuttered. He moved his hand to your crown, holding you there and using his other to keep you pressed to his side. "Shh, shh. I've got you. I'm here." You nodded, a little sob escaping. Billy didn't miss a beat, pressing his lips to your hair. "I know, I know." Beginning to stroke her back, he murmured, "What happened, my love?"

Still sniffling, you started to speak, your words hitching here and there. "I w-woke up later than I wanted to and-d I barely got anything done and there's still wash to do and I fell and s-so there wasn't any time to really ma-ake dinner and then I fell again."

He was quiet all through your explanation, but when you finished, his arms wound around you. It was like he was building a shell around you, something unbreakable by whatever else the day could possibly throw at you.

"Oh, sunshine," Billy whispered, turning sideways to hold you better. You hid your face in his chest, his scent completely enveloping you. Horses, worn leather, the faintest whiff of gunpowder. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. That must've been so hard."

"I missed you," you mumbled, and he held his lips to your forehead.

"I missed you too." Billy pressed a few fast kisses to your hair. "My girl...it's gonna be all better, okay? We're gonna make it all better."

He was speaking so sweetly that you believed him. Billy lifted you up under your arms, sitting you in front of him. You sniffled, lifting your hand to brush away any other tears. "Better?"

"Yeah," he promised softly, looking into your eyes and cupping your cheek. "You wanna get into something more comfy?"

Your lips lifted just a little bit when you realized what he meant. He took that as a yes, standing up and retrieving a clean shirt of his from the drawer. He unbuttoned your dress carefully, pulling it over your head. The feeling of the well-worn fabric on your skin only further served to help you relax. Billy took one of the blankets from the foot of your bed and dragged it over your shoulders. "I brought some strawberries from town. That sound good?"

Nodding, you pulled the blanket edges around yourself as he trailed into the kitchen. Your heart nearly felt warm with how sweet he was being. Billy's job was rough, and he endured far more hardship in a day than you could imagine. And still he never once made you feel bad if you had a rough day.

"Here you are," he smiled, setting a bowl of sliced strawberries in your hands. Billy sat behind you, pulling you to sit between his legs. While you ate he was quiet, keeping a hand over your midsection and letting you lean back into his chest.

When your fork scraped the bottom of the bowl, Billy took it out of your hands, setting it on the nightstand. "Better?"

You smiled, happily cozied up in his arms. He began to rock you back and forth, and a little giggle escaped you. "Better. I love you."

"I love you too, sunshine." Billy kissed your hair. "You're a sweetheart, y'know? You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

It only made your smile grow, and you snuggled into his chest. "Billy."

"There's my girl." He was still rocking you, cheek against your hair. "We're gonna get some sleep, okay baby? It's gonna be all better in the morning."

"Yeah." You were already drifting off. He pulled the blanket over your legs, swaying gently back and forth. "Sleep."

Your eyes were closed, so you couldn't see him smiling, but you knew he was.

[tillysmoon]

Welcome to my self indulgent au; Fallen Grace ִֶָᐟ

The quick sum is c!drista is not pleased by c!dream reviving c!tommy but necromancy magic is stronger;; um its okay though bc he gets a sheep demi-god gaurdian ^_^ yapping below

Honestly.. I love racconinnit but I think half-demon tommy makes it more fun!

— c!drista had taken curiosity of tommy during exile because um hello? Her bother is literally forcing some teenager to "hang" out with him

— in this au some events would happen because of c!drista,, like convincing tommy to leave dream and run away which ends up in the c!bedrock brothers yknow? ...not sure about anything else though, I'm forgetful with lore I'd need to be a rewrite

— and then c!drista just like.. dissappears to go do whatever a god of imagination and chaos does,,

— cue to her blinking back when she sees c!tommy in limbo ( which is a pretty flower field with sheep and cows ( maybe a certain one starting with h,, ) )

— and then.. c!dream literally does what mortals aren't supposed have happen to them- revival. Sensing her brothers going to do something bad- she tries to turn him into an angel to protect him.. but a necromancers will can be stronger due to the book probably being ancient tongue.. so we end up with a fallen angel !

— his eyes are green now! Upper white lower green,, saw some revival art hehe also the bells were a hc by ( Bubvy_ on Twitter ) but I like to think there holy or something so they don't really jingle unless he's in danger to alert his ( new ) guardian demi-god ! Drista takes the form of a white sheep with a few golden locks with a chest design ( which.. I think might be just a heart 4 cute factor ) and green eyes,, sort of to resemble friend :3

— dresses in blue instead of red,, because the color reminds him of death.. and it's soothing because ghostbur :(

And um,,, that's all I have ! I made this so that I could imagine an smp where I can be c!tommy but like meified !

— goes by mello too ( because our fictive / fk also goes by that :3 )

— I'll be honest... I forgor scars so um,, we'll just say they turned gold and healed ^_^ ( he also now bleeds gold )

— if I do add more to this? Heavy cannon divergence is probably when c!dream escapes ( but my dsmp event memory is poor so )

Everyone jumps for joy at c!tommy art trust

[filomiya]

PARTY CANDLES ! – prod. filomiya

characters – mualani , kinich , xilonen , citlali , mavuika ( takes place after the 5.3 aq !! )

THEM , when its your birthday ( bullet headcanons based on their birthday messages )

notes : ITS MY BIRTHDAY CHAT CAN YOU BELIEVE IT 6th january wowowowo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is very self indulgent if you cant tell but i might do a fontaine version of this later if i feel like it or continue with the other natlan characters or mayb. with vbs WHATEVER ill see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! might be ooc plz correct me if theyre ooc .. . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . .

MUALANI

planned her surprise one week in advance.

but how could she not? shes your partner, afterall! and never expect the least from mualani, she will ALWAYS do the most!!

booked the best restaurant for you, making sure most of the dishes would be liked by both you and the guests. also threw in a few of your favourite desserts, but she kept insisting on making those herself along with the cake… where does she find the time!?

you had the party take place from noon to night, living it to the fullest, next to her ( and the other guests i GUESS. ) but the inevitable happened – exhaustion. on your part, atleast. mualani still had a surprise in store for you. and what is better than a reserved hot spring for the both of you after so much activity?

this was a much more relaxed way to celebrate the afterparty, but a little time between you two doesnt hurt anyone! she’d end the day with a kiss, and a content ‘happy birthday.’

KINICH

he had planned two surprises total. not more, not less.

after the usual small talk he’d ensue, kinich would remind ajaw of the conversation they had hours prior. thankfully, you were one of the humans the almighty dragon liked, so it didnt take long for him to give in.

turning into his actual dragon form ( and holding back some complaints ), you and your partner hopped onto his back for a sky stroll across the landscapes of natlan. it was filled with casual chatting, ajaw occasionally joining.

while you expected to be brought back to the place you were before, the dragon instead dropped you two off on a high, secluded cliff with the best view to the stadium. laid there was a picnic blanket, and you almost called kinich a sap.

truly, one of the best people you couldve spent your birthday with.

XILONEN

you thought youd get special treatment? well, you thought well.

usually, she’d get her friends actual useful gifts ( allegedly, in her eyes ) like a set of tools, or something for their hobbies, because in what situation could sappy presents be functional? if you prefer sentimental value over functional things, be her guest!

but you were her fully fledged partner. no WAY she could gift you JUST tools.

being the blacksmith of the children of the echoes, she has access to some of the best stones out there. you bet she’d search all about birthstones and use yours into making some of the most refined jewelry. i could see her also do a bouquet of handi-picked flowers on your preferred colours. paper wrapping included!!

all of that combined with a reservation to the restaurant youve been gushing about… if that isnt special treatment, then what is?

CITLALI

at her age, she wouldnt have thought she would find someone, let alone friends, or someone like you!

so she didnt bat an eye to gift giving, mostly. occasionally, for whenever it was one of her people’s birthday, she’d offer the usual gift card or blessings. but with you in the picture now, she doesnt know what to do!!

her first thought was to give you some volumes from her light novels collection, which she did proceed with, but she had to think of a plan B. no way she could turn to her grandson, for all he’d have to offer is his finest pick of vegetables…

and before she knew it, your birthday came. so all she had to offer were the novels. it was so underwhelming in her eyes… but thank god you reassured her than even only drinking with her was enough.

MAVUIKA

for her, small and thoughtful gifts are always the go-to.

something motivational, that you can look back to and reminisce about – but you didnt expect her to gift you a small notebook. correction, actually – a small album. it was filled with photos you took through your time together, and letters she poured her feelings into. 

it was obvious it took her sweet time to put it together, probably did it during her time off as an occupation. if you asked her about it, you wouldve found out your guess wasnt far off. instead, you thanked her in her own way – whether it be words, physical affection or acts of service (on your own birthday tho..??) 

another thing mavuika would offer is a delightful night stroll with her motorbike. cliche x2, i know, but not before serving some of the best cake she had baked for you! dont ask her where or how, or do, do whatever you want…. (xilonens house.)

just hold onto her if she decides to pick the speed up as a way to wake you from your daydreams.

filomiya : any acts of plagiarism of my works are strictly prohibited. credits to the divider creators.

[piratesfromspace]

Shell-Shocked (Price x Reader)

Pairing: Reader x Price Rated: Explicit Word count: 4.8k Summary: Price and his unit have been tasked with retrieving an important asset: you. (Lots of self-indulgent hurt/comfort) Note: It's been almost a year since I posted a real fic, 2024 ended quite awfully for me with the passing of two family members and me losing my job for economic reasons. So I'm back with a classic hurt/comfort fic because that's how I cope.

Content: fem!reader, kidnapping, violence, physical torture (light), threat of noncon, hurt/comfort, sexual tensions, description of caring for wounds and burns

MASTERLIST

“Bloody hell, Kate, what is this about?” Price’s voice is even rougher than usual.

Price can’t believe what he’s hearing. He had been summoned inside Laswell’s office in the middle of the night, and it sounded important. But he wasn’t ready for the news that Graves and his Shadows had betrayed them and stormed the Los Vaqueros base. He was even less prepared to learn that the mission Laswell was tasking him with was not to capture Graves but rather to retrieve an agent.

“You heard me, there was a girl stationed with Los Vaqueros, she’s an asset of mine. Graves must have captured her when he took over the base. You need to retrieve her and bring her back to me. Unharmed.” Kate is trying her best to control the waver in her tone, but John knows her enough to understand something is wrong - terribly wrong - worse than the treason of Graves.

“Are you even sure your agent is still alive?” he asks, trying to make sense of the situation.

“I’m not sure of anything right now, but you must do everything you can to find her.” Laswell sighs and then she says something Price has only heard her say a couple times in the decade he’s known her “ Please , John”.

“Must be really important if you’re saying please ” “It’s… it’s personal.” she admits, lighting a cigarette.

John pauses for a bit, a concerned frown on his face “Wait, is it who I think it is?”

“ Please John”, she begs again, “you’re the only one I trust for this mission.” Laswell sounds so unlike her usual self, it’s unsettling to him. “What about Graves?” John inquires, anger lacing his voice when he says the name of the traitor. “I don’t give a fuck about Graves anymore. Kill him for all I care. Just bring her back.”  “Whatever the cost?” He asks, making sure Laswell understands what she’s asking of him and his team. Kate blows the smoke of her cigarette upwards before answering. “I know you’ll make the right choices.” and her words have a finality in them John doesn’t dare to challenge.

A few hours before, on Los Vaqueros base

You’re getting ready to crash in your cot after a day of training. Your hair is still damp from your shower, and you can’t wait to shed your clothes and boots for something more comfy.

The training had been rough, but as a young CIA agent, it was a rare opportunity to be able to train here with Los Vaqueros. Actually, you wouldn’t even have heard of this opportunity, if not for your aunt Kate Laswell. Your presence here was a favor to your aunt and everyday you try your best to not disappoint her or Alejandro and his men. Even if the pressure doesn’t make it easy.

You’re just about to get in your pj, when you hear clear gunshots outside. Nothing like the dulled and regular sound from the shooting range, no, it was way too loud and chaotic. There are shouts, alarms - something is wrong. When you open your door to peak into the corridor, you understand the base is under attack. You’re used to gunshots, to police swipes of drug or weapon labs, but the chaos in front of you - it immediately sends you into a state of high alert, senses overwhelmed by the bright neon lights, the overlapping sound of fighting and siren, the distant smell of smoke and tear gas, the acidic taste of stress on your tongue. 

You have to think quick, because the sound of heavy boots and gunfire is coming at you real fast. You don’t want to hide under your bed risking getting caught in the dead end of your room, and for a lack of a better option, you decide to flee. You’re glad you still have your combat boots on, pushing your already-exhausted body through the long corridor. You run for your life, until you take a hard turn and just end up face to face with a bunch of soldiers, all clad in black, clearly not Vaqueros - but rather your assailants.

You’re stunned for a few seconds, stuck in place, just as they are. One of them doesn't have a mask on - white male, dark blond hair, and an insufferable air - Philipp Graves himself. You’ve seen him already in briefing video calls, you know his reputation, and it takes you a couple seconds to understand that he’s betraying what are supposed to be his allies. His eyes grow big with the surprise of recognizing you as well. 

“Grab the girl, I want her alive!” he barks at his soldiers.

You don’t linger, start running back from where you came. Bullets are coming from everywhere and windows on your right are breaking into myriads of glass shards as you dash through the corridor. You try to focus, to conjure up the map of the building in your mind to plan an escape, but the stress of the situation is sinking its fangs into your nape, an icy feeling turning your thoughts into useless panic.

You’re a fast runner, but it’s not enough. One shadow crashes into you from behind and topples you to the floor. The shock steals the air from your lungs, and it’s a small miracle you don’t bash open your skull on the hard floor. But you’re not gonna yield just now. You squirm in his grasp, try to fight him off, aiming for the tender parts of his face, just like you learned in your self-defense classes. You manage to draw blood with a mean scratch of your nails near his eyes, but his fellow soldiers are on you before you can do more damage. Two more Shadows seize your limbs, lean their weight on you, glass shards slashing your bare skin in dozens of cuts when they force your arm and the side of your face flat against the floor. You scream - more so in anger than in pain - and the inhumane cry coming out of your mouth scares you. You didn’t know you could sound like this. 

The acrid smell of tobacco is what wakes you up. You’re fully awake in an instant, adrenaline spiking in your system the second you open your eyes and remember your situation. You must have dozed off after your capture, but now you’re faced with one of the guards blowing off the smoke of his cigarette right into your face. You cough and it’s like all your nerves have a misfire, your whole body hurts like hell. From sleeping on the hard floor with your hands bound behind your back and from the cuts all over your arms and the left side of your face. Cigarette in mouth, his colleague laughs at your pained reaction, cruel bastard . 

“Fuck you” you manage to utter out between two coughing fits. The first guard is unimpressed, he just laughs, but his colleague makes a crude joke about teaching you a lesson or two while he grabs his crotch in an unambiguous threat, punctuating his sentence by a few kicks in your legs. It’s far from the first time a man has made this type of comment, and in a rageful reaction, you retaliate by trying to kick him back. You know you made a mistake when he easily grabs your ankle, pushes your pants back up your leg, removes the cigarette from his lips and brings the glowing head right to the fragile skin of your shin. The burn fucking hurts. You scream, and trash against his hold. It’s no use and he has the time to inflict a second burn, before the whole commotion attracts the attention of the rest of the room - including Graves himself.

He’s visibly not very happy to stop the fight and to remind his guards that he needs you untouched for now. He also orders them to allow you a trip to the bathroom and to give you some water. What a gentleman - you want to taunt him and be all cynical, but you’re also scared he will withdraw his little crumb of a peace offering. 

You’d be so easy to break, you realize bluntly. If Graves decided he wanted to ask a few questions about your aunt, you’d be fucked. A dash of torture, the promise of a glass of water, and you would spill the beans. You don’t know much about Laswell’s missions, but you know where she lives, the name of her wife, you know one alias or two. You could probably guess a few of her passwords. Fuck , you think you’re all tough and shit, promising CIA agent sent to train with some badass men, ready to take on the bad guys all over the world - that’s bullshit . Nothing can prepare you for the real deal.

You could keep wallowing about how bad you’d be at resisting interrogation, but you settle for trying to understand whatever the fuck Graves thinks he’s doing here.

“Why are you doing this Graves?” you ask, voice raw and on edge. “That’s none of your business darling” he answers, insufferable swaggers on, no matter that it's probably 5am by now. “Then release me. You must know who I am, otherwise I’d be dead by now, so you also know it can’t end well for you to keep me here like this.” you plead. “I’ll take my chances” he concludes with a smirk, leaving you to the surveillance of the two cruel Shadows.

After this, you can’t fall asleep again. No matter how exhausted you still feel, your anxiety is through the roof, and your whole body is vibrating with it - the pain not helping. It’s still dark outside, even though dawn is just minutes away.That’s when you start hearing gunshots all over again. Everything is turning into chaos, but it seems this chaos is the result of someone coming to take the base back.

Graves is yelling orders to his shadows, the sound of grenades coming off is getting closer and closer, and you try to think of a plan. The sudden shot of adrenaline at the prospect of a rescue mission on the way makes you bold. Maybe you can turn this diversion into the opportunity to flee? Your train of thoughts is cut short when one of the Shadows grabs you by the arm, massive gloved hand yanking you up, leaving mean bruises in its wake. You scream to let you go, but the giant is deaf to your protests and he drags you across the room, following Graves and a couple more soldiers into the stairs.

You quickly understand their plan is to reach the roof so they can fly away from this clusterfuck safely tucked into their helicopter. And apparently you’re supposed to come with them. As a literal human shield and as a guarantee the assailants won’t shoot their heli down and risk your life. And who knows what they’ll do to you once they successfully leave this place. No matter what you can think of, one thing is for sure: it’s not gonna be pretty and whatever it takes, you can’t board this helicopter.

Floor after floor, your little group is closing on their exfil point way too quickly. You keep screaming, trashing with all your strength against the grip of the Shadow holding you. With one vicious kick, you almost got free, but the Shadow has enough of your fighting. With nothing more than an exasperated grunt, he hauls you up on his large shoulder like you were a naughty child, tightly securing your legs against him, holding you with so much pressure, you’re afraid he’s gonna break a bone. You see black spots for a few seconds, head dizzy with the sudden move and all your blood rushing to your skull.

All your screams and squirming are not stopping your captor in its track, and you reach the final floor. You remember its layout: a few desks and shelves are scattered through the open plan. And on the other side of it: a flight of narrow stairs going to the roof. Graves yells to the group to hurry up and starts sprinting through the floor. The man carrying you follows, his shoulder digging painfully into your stomach with each of his heavy steps. It’s only a matter of minutes before you all will finally board this helicopter. If you can’t escape right now, it’s gonna be too late. But you won’t go down without a fight. It’s frantic and probably a little pathetic the way you fight back against the grip of steel on your legs. You throw everything you got into it. The last scraps of your energy burning in your desperate attempt to break free - to no avail. 

You’re halfway through the floor when the terrifying whizz of bullets come from behind you. Shadows drop dead around you.You raise your head up at the best of your ability, and spot a few soldiers coming after you. Their gear looks familiar. American-issued helmets. Boots you recognize. Allies. Allies are here, but for now, they are also shooting at enemies dangerously close to you.

The guard holding you doesn’t falter, heading even more rapidly towards the stairs to the roof. More bullets are grazing you both and some Shadows are returning fire. You feel more helpless than ever, not a single inch of protective gear on your body, just your thin skin, already slashed and bloody. Gunshots and screams fill the air. The soldier holding you turns to face the opponents. You momentarily lose sight of your saviors, your hearing now the only way of knowing what is happening behind you. That’s when the sound of a shot is perfectly timed with the recoil of your captor, who falls to his knees with a grunt of pain. 

Hit . He’s been hit . 

His grasp on you grows weak, his balance undermined by your dead weight. And now that you’re closer to the ground, you don’t hesitate, roll yourself violently on the side, and fall hard on the floor. Free, at last . Not for long though, because after a moment of pause, another round echoes in the air and the giant Shadow falls down for good, his limp body crushing you under him, pushing the air out of your lungs. Everything goes fuzzy around you for a moment as statics fill your ears.

Are you dead? That’s what you think until you hear the noise of the room again, the screams of Graves and his men as they flee to the roof and leave you there. You can hear the low rumble from the heli starting up, and then the hurried steps of the men who shot your captor growing louder as they got closer to you.

Panic grows when you realize you’re now trapped under the heavy dead body of the guard, your wrists still tied, his warm blood drenching your clothes, in a disgusting tepid embrace. You gasp for air, breathing made difficult by the weight pressing you down. Until someone carefully lifts the body of the dead guard from you. That’s when you finally see your savior. Striking blue eyes, straight nose, and a thick beard covering a square jaw. You… know him somehow?  

“John?!” you whisper, too stunned to address him by his rank or family name like you’re supposed to - you’re not even sure it’s him and you’re not just being delirious.  “Careful, dear.” he crouches next to you, promptly cutting the zip ties with his knife. You can’t believe it, but in front of you is John Price. You spent a couple months with him a few years ago when you shared a training facility. He taught you a few tricks back then, became your sparring partner and a friendly face you were always happy to see. Well, now even more than ever. “Are you hurt? Can you stand?” he asks as he helps you sit up, eyes scanning your body, methodical, efficient, just like he used to be. You don’t understand why he’s losing time helping you, the traitor is fleeing just a few stairs away, you’re definitely not a priority.

“Graves, he’s gonna to escape, you need to go after him…” you wheeze between two coughs. Your protest is cut short by his answer. “I’m not here for Graves.” “Then, what are you…” the question dies on your lips when the realization sinks in. There are 3 other men with him you notice, taking defensive positions around you. Price is already getting body armor out of his backpack, and starts securing it on your chest. Orders are being given to his men, his voice soft but assured, confident. You understand now. He’s not here for Graves. He’s here for you .

You let him work the straps without any fuss, still light-headed from it all: the bullets that grazed at you, the pain from your numerous cuts and bruises, the tiredness, the lack of food, the sticky blood from the dead guard coating your clothes. The rest of it is a bit of a blur. You’re slowly feeling yourself getting into some sort of shock. You only register the sound of Graves’ heli flying away, and then being escorted out of the building, Price holding you upright while the rest of his squad opens the way for you. You’re finally hauled into a jeep, and you’re on the road just as the sun rises, sky bathed in oranges and pinks, peaceful and oblivious to the massacre you just escaped.

You can’t say how long the ride was before you parked in front of a random farm - a safehouse John provides. The place looks old but clean enough, the kitchen you’re ushered into definitely more inviting than the room you spent the night in.

You want to ask a million questions to John, but you settle for a very simple what is the plan now? His familiar low voice is a blessing after all the noise of the battlefield, but you can sense the worry in his tone.

“We have an exfil plan for you, but right now we need to focus on keeping you alive, yeah? Can’t have you die from septic shock or Laswell will have my head.” 

You wince when he removes the body armor from your chest, revealing your blood-drenched tank top. Price orders you to sit on a wooden chair, as he carefully cleans his hands in the kitchen sink. He drags a stool to sit next to you, and gives a glance to the rest of his team that conveys in a silent request that they leave you both alone. You’re oddly grateful for that, because you could sense your growing unease at being under the watchful gazes of the 3 other unknown soldiers. Especially the black-clad giant with a literal skull mask who looks a little bit too much like a Death allegory for your peace of mind.

“Let me see” Price finally asks and he takes hold of your wrist to turn your arm a little bit, trying his best to assess the damage under the grime and the caked blood - yours and the one from your captor. His touch is firm but gentle, his fingers dry and warm against your sticky skin. You’re mesmerized for a second by the sheer size of his hands, closing so easily around your whole wrists, dwarfing your own, holding your whole head when he checks you for concussion  - you had forgotten how much space his body is taking. 

He takes some time prodding at your skull before he hums, satisfied by your encouraging answers, and turns his attention to your injured arm. He pours the contents of his water bottle on your upper arm, and the feeling of the cold water is soothing until it awakens the numerous cuts from the broken glass, making some of the tiny wounds bleed again. Bright red streaks mixing with the dark crimson in a gory painting. Price tries his best to clean them with a pad of cotton dipped in antiseptic, the sting of it making you hiss between gritted teeth.

“It’s not as bad as it looks, but I can see a couple of glass shards still in your arm.” the captain states clinically “I’m sorry, darling, it’s gonna hurt a bit.” he adds more softly, apologetic.  You flinch when he brings the thin tweezers he fished out of his medkit near one of the most painful cuts. “Easy, girl, stay still.” He commands although there is no anger in his words. “I’ll be gentle.”

You’re pretty sure you’ve already known worse pain - but it was different. Minor medical issues or training injuries that had nothing to do with being thrown on the ground in a sea of broken glass by real enemies before being tied down for a whole night and thrown over a shoulder like a vulgar sack. It’s… a lot. And now that you’re somewhat safe, with the release of the pressure comes the release of all the fear and pain that were dulled by the adrenaline and the stress. 

You’re shaking by the time Price has disinfected every wound and removed all the shards from your arm - almost a dozen of them, tiny cristales leaving red drops on the white porcelain of the plate he drops them on.

“Good, you’re doing good, breathe for me love.” he encourages, his voice low and soothing. “I just need to bandage your arm now”. 

He wraps gauze around your arm in small sections, careful not to tighten it too much, before taping it in place. He presses the final bit of tape on the top of your hand, and gives your palm the gentlest squeeze. You respond to it immediately, and your uninjured hand settles on top of his, silently asking him to keep it on your bandaged skin. His warmth seeps through the gauze, helping less with the pain and more with the bubbling cocktail of awful emotions clawing its way through your initial defense mechanism. It reminds you of the time you spent together a couple years ago - the firm hand that brings you up from the training mattress, your fingers touching when he hands you a bottle of water, the light touches against your elbow or your hips to correct your fighting stance, never lingering more than necessary, professional and respectful, that made you crave him even more.

It reminds you of the drinks you shared on a few occasions in that lively pub next to the base. How you were dancing on the line between regular camaraderie and coy flirting when tucked against his side on those too small benches. But nothing ever happened. It’s not like he openly turned you down, more so you both did not know how to take the final step, too afraid to break something that would be impossible to mend. So you had to settle for late night reveries, your fingers between your feverish legs under your thin sheets, pretending it were his. You knew your attempt would feel nothing like his capable hands, but you still came the hardest when thinking about him.

Pain brings you back to the here and now, and your eyes find his, the light of the morning sun catching in the baby blue of his gaze. He looks older than the last time you saw him. He used to shave clean but now a thick beard styled in mutton chops covers the lower half of his face. When he smiles gently at you, the corners of his eyes wrinkle. The grizzled look talks of experience and wisdom, and he’s even more handsome than before , you think to your own surprise - the crush you hardboarded for him had been long locked away in your memory as an unrequited and hopeless thing, frivolous and naive. But here, in the shambles of your life, covered in dry blood and antiseptic, shell-shocked in this unknown kitchen, his kind hand laying on top of yours is enough to reignite the amber of your dormant love.

“Let me look at your face, dove”.

The captain is thorough, cleaning the superficial wounds there, shushing you with gentle mouth sounds when you whimper because it bloody stings, he even promises morphine once he’s done examining you. He puts a strand of hair back from your face to have a better view of your bloodied brow bone and he smooths his palm absent-mindedly over your hair, just once or twice. A reflexive attempt at comforting you like you were a frightened kitten and the intimacy of the gesture makes your heart flutter.

You thank him once he’s done with your face. He keeps busy, cleaning and putting his tools away, feigning detachment when he asks you with careful words if you’re wounded anywhere else. When you answer a weak no, he can’t help himself to finally look at you, concern written all over his face. 

“I’m good” you whisper. He wants to believe you, really, so he doesn’t push for now. Instead he stands up and calls for one of the boys - callsign Gaz - to bring some fresh clothes and some warm water for you, grumbles something about how it’s not possible to let you in those blood-drenched pants. The younger soldier sets a plastic bucket filled with steaming water, a towel and a pile of black clothing on the table next to you, and quickly leaves the room when Price gives him a glance and a nod that clearly says you can leave the lady alone now . 

John takes a few steps himself, ready to leave you to clean and change yourself, but you stop him. The fabric of your top is way too tight, stiff from the dried blood, and you’re pretty sure you’re gonna rip off half your bandages if you try to remove it on your own. Plus, the pain from your ribs and legs is starting to seriously hinder your move range.

“Okay this is embarrassing but… I think you’ll need to cut off my top” you confess, feeling the warmth of shame heat your cheeks.

The metal of the trauma shears is cold against your skin, making your breath catch in your throat - how close Price is from your body as he’s cutting open the front of your tank top is definitely not helping. He’s going slowly, concentrating on not hurting you in the process. The fabric finally parts, and reveals large bruises that extend across your ribs. More bruises appear when you shyly remove your pants to expose the skin for his examination. His eyes zero in on your shin. Amongst scratches and smaller bruises that Price recognizes for “grab mark” contusions, there are two circular wounds from the cigarette burns, their clearly defined shape unmistakable. His gaze flicks to your gray panty, also stained with blood, and suddenly he’s not so sure it’s not your own.

“What have they done to you?” his voice stays calm but you can hear the tinge of anger behind it. “I need you to tell me exactly what” he continues, the commanding tone of Captain Price replacing the soft voice of John - it’s enough to spook you. You must have flinched too visibly, because he immediately adjusts his request “It’s not an order. I- I just need to understand so I can help you, dove.” 

The word of endearment is what breaks your resistance, and you tell him what happened. How Graves’ guards found it fun to torture you for a minute - not even asking questions, just for their cruel amusement. You don’t shed a tear, you just feel a bit sick and tired - so fucking tired - and you’re shaking and everything hurt. He listens, cerulean eyes focused on your face, not straying for a single moment until you’re done. 

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” his voice is low, wants to be reassuring, but you can hear the underlying guilt, the part he leaves out, that he’s sorry for coming in too late, sorry for not being more aware of Graves’ allegiance .

You swallow gratefully the mix of painkillers and anxiety meds he places into your hand, before he kneels in front of you to carefully tend to the burn wounds. The meds kick in almost immediately, sticky heat dropping heavy and soothing on your limbs. You’re grateful for it, because you’re pretty sure you wouldn’t have let him touch your ankle otherwise. 

“Torture. Can’t say I’m surprised.” Ghost comments dryly, while inspecting his gun, getting ready to leave the safehouse for exfil.  “Bastard” Soap provides, his accent thick on the word, betraying his anger. “What did they ask her?” Gaz inquires, serious and focused. “Nothing. Was for the sake of it.” Price answers, and his boys are quick to pick the unusual sadness in his tone. 

They finish gearing up in silence, until they are ready to escort you to the car, where Price takes the wheel. The exfil point is a short ride away, and the moment you hear the familiar sound of a Black Hawk filling the sky, something lifts from your chest.

(please let me know what you liked, comments and reblogs are very important for writers and the community overall! Also let me know if you want a part 2?)

[sunburstsandmoonshadows]

Mentopolis OCs time, baby.

Lore below:

EDIT: SORRY I CHANGED HIS NAME. Roman Entic is now Romeo Entic. Because he has to be. Proceed.

Two artists residing in the mind of Elias Hodge; one a sculptor focused on form and feeling, and the other a strict Romantic in both senses of the word as well as an amateur poet. They're frequent collaborators (though often have their own solitary projects as well) working for the Daydream Workshop in the Hippocampus' Imagination Gallery, which has always struggled with funding under Mayor Logic and has received so many budget cuts come the Big Guy's new job that they've been promoted from merely hungry artists to starving artists. The only people still well-funded there are the Nightmare script writers and stage crew, who've been writing that show for decades now.

Moneyless and museless, the pair of artists wait out their days in hopes that the Big Guy gets a promotion that makes him relax and start thinking about others again. Or at least that he finds his interest piqued by a co-worker in some fashion--both are willing to cheer for the other.

Dee is a friend of Dan Fucks, as their tasks are closely related--he provides the desire to fuck, and she figures out who the Big Guy wants to fuck. She used to have her sculptures set up at Shuga's, but always has them removed after a while once the passion for the muse of that period wears out. With the dry spell regarding muses or any fun at all, she hasn't provided any new works after taking back her old ones yet.

Rome does not care for Dan that much, they get along best as co-workers who meet only when the time is right. He does move in the same circles as Imelda and Anastasia and had to deal with them loudly debating whether the Big Guy should "go for it" while they check out his paintings before their falling out. Anastasia also interviewed him for the article about the smiling woman that got canned.

Other details: --Rome constantly uses pet names for everyone. "Dear" and "darling" are the most common. --It's not very visible here, but Rome has a painted hand pressed to his heart on his shirt, for romantic gestures. --He also has large "rose-tinted glasses" :) --Dee is very touchy-feely, though she doesn't really mean anything by it. --While Dan Fucks, the active desire to fuck, is dressed for success in deep v-necks and fine pants, Dee, the passive observation of attractive people, is much more casually dressed. She represents a low-effort sort of sexiness that Dan does not. --Romance puts people on cloud nine, so Rome is surrounded with 'em. Dee is steamy all the time. I'm sure you can piece together the joke.

[bedlamsbard]

talking about SteveNat is always a bizarre experience because I probably cannot be clearer about the fact that I ship them and want them to kiss on the mouth and yet whenever a post moves out of my orbit it immediately morphs into "yeah they're such good friends, I love a brotp."

[short666bread]

[ribbittrobbit]

Hiyaw and Himik, the twin deities of noise and silence, of movement and stillness, of action and contemplation.

The church of Taw (from the root word for volumen/ strength of voice), has a dual structure to mirror its deities. Clerics choose to walk either the path of silence - the most radical followers dedicate themselves to a vow of complete silence and contemplation, retreating to monasteries in the most remote regions- or the path of noise - the order dedicated to the service of the church and its followers outside of the monasteries. The central principle of the religion is the duality and balance between the two deities' domains. The silent order serves to balance out the order of noise, to be the stillness to their movement, the deliberation to their action and vice versa. The religion is a relatively small but ancient one, with many devotees among musicians, poets and performers and a great emphasis on ceremony and the performance of rituals that combine the texts of Hiyaw and Himik.

(did i just spend the last two days thinking about making an entire fake religion complete with a clerical structure for my fh sona? yes. did i bastardise the filipino words like "scream" and "quiet" to find matching names for them? also yes.)

[torchickentacos]

do you have any pokeani fic recs for the classic vibe (read: the content is unhinged and wild)

Referencing this post- long reply but I give a few pointers in these fics' direction at the end!

I'm gonna be so honest anon, I'm not sure I want to actively rec some of them 😭 A lot of them are very of-their-time (usually 2007-2013) and, while HILARIOUS, often contain things that I really don't want to 'recommend' (homophobia, sexism, a lot of slutshaming, some REALLY out of pocket stuff that is not properly warned for, etc). OBVIOUSLY I am not reccing the yikes of things so much as the rest of it (the hilarious unhinged side), but the current fandomscape leans bad-faith and assumey and I'm just not keen to fuck around and find out tbh. Ye olde fic reccing takes a level of understanding of other time periods and attitudes and customs in fandom and on FFN that I'm... not sure that all of tumblr is always very good at tbh lol. If you guys really want me to and if we can all understand that it was a different time and that enjoyment of batshit insane fics does not equal agreement with everything said or depicted in them, then come back and I'll consider it again. But for now, I'm MORE than happy to tell you guys the best ways to find them on your own lmao. It's not hard once you get it down, and anything I'd rec, I've found through this method.

First off, FFN's search system is just frustrating imo. Between a less-than-intuitive UI and people not bothering to tag characters and ships and genres properly, using it the same way you'd filter stuff on Ao3 is a fool's errand (unless you're doing it by word count/completed/etc, which is objective and automatically tallied I think). You're better off using key words. I usually ignore the filters. The only thing I filter by is fandom at the start page (all of Pokemon is under 'games' in FFN and I don't bother narrowing it down to animeverse personally due to aforementioned mistagging or an entire lack thereof).

So, what key words do I use? When looking for that specific brand of insane campy 2000s kitschy wild unhinged stuff, I usually default to searches like "PS CS IS" (poke contest ikari, there's a lotta stuff in there, sometimes there's ORS/LGS/OS/ES/AS etc and you won't always know the acronym and it's just a surprise tbh) or trope related searches like "Assassin" or "High school" or "Vampire" other words you might find in a summary. You can also search by character names (in the search bar and not in the actual filters, which are not reliable in my experience). I'd say to go for tropes and AUs as far as keywords go. I'd ALSO say to not filter by completed, because that'll filter out a lot of two-week-passion-projects that someone dropped as soon as it got flamed, and there's some fun ones in there.

That's about it, but if you find one good fic then it's worth checking the rest of what the writer has. A lot of them have a bunch of unfinished fics and there's some hidden gems. Have a good time reading, and the search is half the fun! Come back with any funny lines you find if you want :)

[moxymaxing]

whatever. old man yuri blast 💥

[plutonious]

OH WE'RE SO FUCKING BACK GUYS. I FORGOT I'M FUCKING CRACKED AT LINEART. WE'RE SO FUCKING BACK FELLAS. I DON'T THINK I CAN BE BEAT.

[kitausuret]

the world does not need another silly one shot from me about the Venom Symbiote's time in captivity with the Fantastic Four but if I'm going to fixate on one page in one comic by god I'm going to do something with that

I just think it would be sweet if in Reed Richards' desperate attempts to communicate with the Symbiote he tried to like, teach it Morse code, and he asks it, "do you have a name? is there something you were called, some designation you were given? something unique to you?"

And the symbiote taps back after a long moment the closest thing to a human translation of the only thing it can think might fit what Reed is referring to: "DEATH"

And Reed is all at once filled with a kind of overwhelming sadness, because what kind of life has this alien lived that it was called only "Death" by those it encountered? What kind of symbiosis had it experienced, if any at all?

But then he manages to collect himself, and he tells his guest that well, we'll just have to come up with a better designation than that, won't we? He probably tells it about how Sue, his own partner, is the one who gave him the name the world knows him by, "Mister Fantastic", and that he hopes the symbiote, too, can find a name it can be proud of.

Everyone needs a name, after all.

[red-dyed-sarumane]

someone won the fight today & it wasnt me